Minnesota state capital building

If you live in St. Paul or would like to move to St. Paul, MN you came to the right place. You will find the information you seek on this site.  If you don’t please let me know and I will get it for you if I can.

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Teresa Boardman

By popular demand, well I guess I can admit that two people asked for this page.  It is a list of blogs that I write or write for. I am a Realtor, and licensed Minnesota real estate broker with Saint Paul Home Realty. Also a blogger, writer, photographer and speaker. I am sure I am more than that but those things seem to be the most important to the people who visit this page.

I live in St. Paul Minnesota. Am active in my community. I do some volunteer work including Meals on wheels and I am on the board of directors for the West 7th Community Center.

Two Children, one husband, a dog and a cat. We live in a 150 year old home near the Mississippi River close to downtown.I love historic homes and over the years I have learned a lot about architecture and history and I understand the mechanical s in an older home.  My camera just focuses on the beauty that I see in them.

I love St. Paul and have lived in the city my entire life and know it very well. I write every day on StPaulRealEstateBlog.com. I am always up to date on what is going on in the city, especially with the housing market.  I publish numbers and information that I hope will help people who want to buy or sell a home in the city.

Find my contact Information, Look toward the top of the page and to the left, social networks I belong to also to the left.

email = Teresa (at)Tboardman.com and no email is not case sensitive, or try my handy dandy contact form:

1. Your Name(required)
2. Email(valid email required)
3. Website
4. Message

 

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If you are thinking about selling your home in the near future, or if you are simply interested in finding out how much your home is worth in today’s market, we can do a Comparative Market Analysis of your home.

The more information you provide the closer I can come to finding your home’s value. The dollar amount will be what I think your home would most likely sell for if it were put on the market today. This is a free service. In most cases you will get a market analysis from me within 24 hours. 

Click Here for a free price evaluation.

I respect your privacy. The information you provide will not be sold or shared with third parties. It is not my policy to send spam and I honor the do not call list. This is not a referral service.

What your neighbors listed their home for, what they said they got for it and what they actually got for it may be three different things.  If you really want to know, look up homes that have been sold in the last two years, find out how much they sold for. This is also a useful tool for determining the value of your own home.  Look for homes like yours in your area and see how much they sold for.

How do you choose an agent to sell  your home?

Most consumers don’t understand that Realtors are independent contractors and that real estate companies don’t sell any real estate at all. (see the Truth about real estate companies)  The agents do all the work and pay all the expenses.  Agent networking happens on the internet. We know local agents from many companies and who we know can help sell a home.  The biggest companies in town sell the most real estate because they have the most agents.  They also have the greatest number of new agents who have never sold a home.  A great question to ask and agent is: How many homes have you sold?

I some times hear neighbors say “company X sold the house down the street”. I go and look up the property and find that agent Joe from X company listed the home and agent Y from Y company represented the buyer.  It was agent Y who wrote the purchase agreement and sold the home.  You never hear about that wonderful agent because he or she doesn’t  get to have a sign in front of the house.

So please don’t choose a real estate company, choose an experienced agent. If you have bought or sold a home in the past and used an agent and were happy with the experience, hire that agent again.  If you don’t know anyone in the business ask friends, relatives and neighbors who have.

Articles and information  for Sellers

Questions?

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Home

Buying a home is an important decision.  It is about the most expensive purchase anyone makes.  I recommend against buying a home for those who plan to move in a couple of years.  A home is more of a long tern investment.

The first step in the process is meeting with a lender.  Most buyers don’t have enough cash and need a loan. it is best to figure out how much you want to spend each month on housing instead of  borrowing as much as the lender will allow.  I like to think in terms of a comfortable payment, instead of a stressful payment.

Real estate is local and it is locally regulated. Minnesota home buyers who read advice on a California web site might not be getting the information they need.  Our Minnesota attorney general has put together some great information for Minnesota home buyers. Get the scoop without the sales pitch.

Understanding Agency

Articles for home buyers

visit my virtual bus bench . .

Virtual bus bench

Try the home search with Google map search, and slide shows. Search for open houses.  Save a search, have new listings sent via email.  All homes listed by any Realtor in most of Minnesota. No sign up required!

Find open houses

Look up homes that have been sold in the last two years, find out how much they sold for.

Teresa Boardman 651.216.4603

Here are some links and resources for information about St. Paul neighborhoods.

Every month I list average home sale prices in St. Paul by neighborhood, it is a good starting point for determining affordability. The numbers I have go back a few years. Check the local prices and market conditions too.

Friends and family can sometimes recommend a neighborhood too. For more information about how walkable a neighborhood is I have a link on the side bar to a site that provides a walk score. A buyer can put in the address of a home and find out what is near the home. A zip code can be used to find out more about a larger area.

Walking through a neighborhood or even driving it a great way to find out more.  If crime rates are a concern St. Paul has a grid system. The city is split into 12 block grids and crime rates are available for each grid through the St. Paul Police web site.

St. Paul has a district council system.  Each neighborhood has a district council and they are a wonderful resource for St. Paul residents and for people who want to learn more about neighborhoods. Responsibilities of the councils include:  planning and advising on the physical, economic, and social development of their areas; identifying needs; initiating community programs; recruiting volunteers; and sponsoring community events.

District Councils

• District 1 — Battle Creek / Highwood
• District 2 — The Greater East Side
• District 3 — West Side Citizens Organization
• District 4 — Dayton’s Bluff District 4 Community Council
• District 5 — Payne-Phalen District Five Planning Council
• District 6 — District 6 Planning Council
• District 7 — District 7 Planning Council
• District 8 — Summit-University Planning Council
• Ramsey Hill Association — The Ramsey Hill Association
• District 9 — Fort Road / West Seventh Federation
• District 10 — Como Park
• District 11 — Hamline-Midway
• District 12 — St. Anthony Park
• District 13 – Union Park District Council
• District 14 — Macalester-Groveland
• District 15 — Highland Park
• District 16 — Summit Hill Association
• District 17 — CapitolRiver Council

St. Paul has open enrollment. To understand the schools check out the open enrollment web site.

Downtown St. Paul

The last great city of the East.  We some confuse us with Minneapolis the city right next door. Most people just call the two cities the “Twin Cities”.

St. Paul is the capitol of Minnesota and it is a river town. the Mississippi river runs through it.  We also have lakes and a lot of parks.  I have no idea how to describe St. Paul, I have lived here all my life.  Here is a link to the City of St. Paul web site For more information go to the photo page. I think showing it is better than trying to explain it.