Lee has lived in the north metro his whole life and is very versed in the area. He has an unbeatable combination of knowledge and experience that you will find invaluable in your home buying or selling experience. He can guide you through every step of the journey with skill and compassion. Professional/Personal Distinctions: Member – National Association of Realtors, Member – Minnesota Association of Realtors, Member – Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, CRS – Certified Residential Specialist, ABR – […]

Existing-home sales fell from May levels, but have managed to beat out year ago levels for the past two years. Home values continue to rise with the median home price seeing a double-digit year-over-year increase for the seventh consecutive month, according to the National Association of Realtors. Total existing-home sales completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops dropped 1.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.08 million in June, falling from a downwardly revised 5.14 million […]

Margin loans for short-term financing can help potential home buyers get cash fast to close a deal or win a bidding war and an increasing number of people are turning to them for a quick fix. “A person with easy access to cash may have a leg up over someone who has to have long-term financing,” explains Tucker Watkins, a private wealth adviser with wealth-management company Ameriprise Financial Inc. The product offers some pricing benefits, as there are no closing […]

The Defense of Marriage Act, also known as DOMA, was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 16, 2013 thus making the passing of real estate and inheritances from one LGBT spouse to another a lot much easier. While DOMA was active it was next to impossible for a same-sex spouse to put a partner’s name on a deed without the possibility of a huge financial penalty. Gay spouses that inherited property from a partner could only receive […]

I have lived / owned in Chicago’s Lakeview (Boystown) for 26 years now. Before embarking on my career in real estate I owned and operated two separate businesses. As a business owner I understand the importance of good communication and understanding a client’s needs and wants. My real estate ambitions began at an early age when I bought my first property at the age of twenty-two. It sparked an interest that eventually lead me to buy and sell several different […]

House flippers are in a race to take advantage of the recovering housing market, but they are carefully choosing markets that haven’t posted as large of run-up in home prices. During the first half of this year, 9 percent of single-family homes purchased were resold again within six months, according to RealtyTrac data. House flipping is increasing in areas such as New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and several Florida cities—areas that haven’t seen the largest home price gains recently. Meanwhile, […]

A home inspection is a buyer’s opportunity to see if any problems lurk that may prove expensive to fix later. Home inspections nearly always uncover something in a home to watch for or minor repairs needed. But what repairs should buyers especially be alarmed about that could possibly send them back to the negotiation table? Tom Kraeutler of The Money Pit, a nationally syndicated radio show on home improvement, points out some of the following home inspection red flags: Termites […]

I am a native of Baton Rouge, LA. However, I have lived in NYC and Boston for most of my adult life. I attended graduate school in Boston and worked as a Medical Software Consultant focused on managing client expectations through sophisticated software implementation projects for many years. My experience managing large scale projects in the corporate world suited my transition to real estate over 9 years ago. In real estate, I have worked in the luxury markets of Boston, […]

Mortgage rates recently soared to a two-year high, prompting more borrowers to take a closer look at adjustable rate mortgages. Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages have moved from below 3.5 percent as of late April to above 4.5 percent recently, increasing monthly payments for new home buyers. Meanwhile, ARM rates have stayed relatively steady in recent weeks between 2.7 percent and 3.1 percent, according to Bankrate. Adjustable-rate mortgages are often blamed for the housing bubble, luring buyers with their low introductory rates […]

Existing-home sales declined in June, but have remained well above year-ago levels for the past two years. Also, the median price shows seven straight months of double-digit, year-over-year increases, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, dipped 1.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.08 million in June from a downwardly revised 5.14 million in May, but are 15.2 percent higher than the […]