REAL ESTATE IS ESSENTIAL!

We are ALWAYS OPEN!
We are thankful we can continue to work and to meet the needs of our clients. We have quite a few houses pending and closing in the next couple months. And, we know many more of you need to buy or sell real estate, even during this “Stay at Home” order.
Let us know how we can help! We are available and have many options utilizing current technology that allows us to do 90+% of what you need online or virtually. We can still show many listings in person and can do a Market Analysis for you on a property you are thinking about selling.
Feel free to reach out to us whatever way works best for you – phone call, text, Facebook message, email, etc. We are happy to discuss options, provide information, answer questions and show you property. We have photos, videos, virtual tours and Facetime/WhatsApp to help show houses virtually if needed!
Call the office any time at 218-263-4411
Find us on Facebook: Johnson Hometown Realty
Check out our website: www.JohnsonHometownRealty.com (contact button on the bottom of the home page.)
Or reach out to one of our agent’s directly.
We are looking forward to hearing from you and helping you with your real estate needs!
#takingcareofbusiness #essentialindustry #mnrealtors
#ironrangestrong #johnsonhometownrealty

JILL BARRETT EARNS GRI DESIGNATION

Minnesota REALTOR® Jill Barrett was recently awarded the highly acclaimed national Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation. In completing the required curriculum, Jill Barrett, of Johnson Hometown Realty in Hibbing, MN joins other top REALTORS® in the residential real estate industry from across the nation who hold this designation.

“I am a proponent of lifelong learning, and I am always searching for more information and methods to do things better, so spending the time to get the GRI designation was a great decision,” said Jill Barrett.  “Real Estate is not “sales” to me, it is all about relationships and making the process of buying or selling real estate as smooth as possible for my clients; helping them to achieve their goals.  The GRI will help me to achieve mine!” 

Jill earned the GRI designation by attending a specific, intensive series of classroom instruction, covering a variety of subjects including professional standards, legal issues, sales and marketing, finance and risk reduction, technology and social media.

With this achievement, Jill has made the commitment to provide a high level of professional service by securing a strong educational foundation of knowledge and skills to better navigate the real estate market and serve prospective clients and customers.

The Institute is designed to educate practitioners about local, state and national real estate practices that affect them, their clients and customers.  Only members of the REALTOR® Association may earn the GRI designation.  The REALTOR® Institute is more than twenty-five years old and has graduated thousands of REALTORS® nationally.

The GRI designation indicates to the public that the designation holders are members of the National Association of REALTORS® who have obtained a professional educational foundation on which to base their services.

Obtaining the GRI designation is a beneficial way for a REALTOR® to advance their professional image. The extra measure of knowledge and prestige achieved by completing this course work is a tool that will advance a career in real estate in attracting and building new business.

“Jill has been an amazing addition to our team at Johnson Hometown Realty,” said Jill’s broker, Marcy Johnson.  “She goes above and beyond to provide excellent service and care to her clients.  You really are not going to find a better agent to take care of your real estate needs.  This designation, which is rare, is an example of the hard work and dedication Jill is committed to in making transactions go smoothly for her clients.”

Additional information about the Institute and other educational opportunities for professional real estate agents may be obtained by contacting the Minnesota Association of REALTORS® at 800/862-6097 or www.mnrealtor.com/mn-education-information under “Designations.”

Thinking About Finally Building That Dream Home You Have Always Wanted?

In order to get a home built in 2020 you are going to need to get busy in a hurry, because you will need to acquire at least four things well in advance:

  1. A Building Site
  2. Financing
  3. A Design/Floor Plan
  4. A General Contractor
  1. The building site needs to be accounted for before you can make any real progress in any of the other areas, so get on that now. There are currently lots available in and around every town on the Iron Range so contact a Realtor, find out what is available and start looking! And remember, the perfect home in the wrong place will always be in the wrong place….
  2. You probably have many ideas in mind about your dream floor plan, and perhaps even a few samples drawn out on paper. You need to take your ideas to an architect or a builder who can help you with blueprints and suggestions and estimates. This process can take time and needs to be thoroughly addressed.
  3. Which brings us to financing. You cannot go forward without the money coming from somewhere. Make sure you can qualify for enough; make sure your preferred lender can/will do a construction loan; find out how much your out-of-pocket expenses will be; and know what your monthly payments will be when all is said and done.
  4. Finding a contractor who is available when you need him may be the most difficult part of the entire process. Many of the good ones are already booked for this year. Keep in mind that most lots will require dirt work (i.e.driveway, site prep), connection to or creation of water and sewer facility, power brought in, as well as everything else required to construct a home from the bottom up. A good general contractor will arrange for all of the necessary tradesmen, permits and etc, but it all takes time (and money).

If you have questions about any of this, or if you would like information about the real estate end of the process, stop in or call one of the professionals at Johnson Hometown Realty. We are Here to Help!! 218-263-4411

Don’t Miss the Boat! (Or the Motor or Dock or Cabin and….)

We are seeing a late spring weather-wise, but activity on lake shore is starting much earlier than usual!  Our office alone has closed on 4 nice lake homes already in 2019, we have 3 more under contract, and we have been out showing buyers many more.  The ice is still on most lakes and the frost is definitely on the pumpkin some mornings, but the lake home market is hot!1  If you are thinking about selling this year, NOW is the time to be on the market before the buyers are gone!  If you are hoping to buy lake property this year, NOW is the time to begin looking before before the best deals are gone!

Call one of our real estate professionals at 218-263-4411 for a list of available properties or for a free, no obligation market analysis on your lake shore today!!

Lake Shore Homes are Moving Already!!!

 

Everybody knows lake shore homes never sell in the winter…Or do they???  Our office has put together 4 deals on nice lake homes in the past 3 weeks, and we have some other buyers currently looking.  If you are interested in checking out any lake homes listed through the Range or Itasca MLS, call our office at 218-263-4411 anytime, and we will get you the information you need and set the showing appointments you want!

FYI The Range MLS currently has 14 Residential Lake homes/cabins listed under $100,000, 16 more between $100,000 and $150,000, 32 more between $150,000 and $200,000, as well as 139 more listed over $200,000.  Don’t miss out!!  Call today!!

Johnson Hometown Realty  www.JohnsonHometownRealty.com  218-263-4411.

P.S.  Lake shore owners who are thinking about selling may want to consider getting in on this early activity as well….

AEOA and KOOTASCA Homeownership Assistance Programs – Home financing translated into English a normal person can understand…Part Six

Our most recent 5 home financing blogs have been about the most common mortgage options available – FHA, DVA, Conventional, USDA, and 203K Renovation loans.  The purpose has been to give buyers an idea of the different programs that are out there and to encourage those buyers to find a good, experienced lender to determine which mortgage makes the most sense for their particular situation.  Today we want to do the same with one of the better loan assistance programs available – The Homeowner Assistance Programs offered by AEOA and KOOTASCA.

 The Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) offers help to qualified families looking to purchase homes in St. Louis (except Duluth), Lake, or Cook Counties.  Education, counseling, and financial assistance are all available through AEOA.  KOOTASCA has the same types of programs for Koochiching and Itasca Counties.

The education component involves Homestretch Workshops open to anyone interested in learning how to buy a home.  These workshops are designed to give an understanding of how real estate transactions work, qualifications for home buyer financing, and responsibilities of home ownership.  The counseling occurs during the “1-on-1” meeting that takes place BEFORE a purchase agreement is signed. And the financial assistance (funds provided by Northeast Minnesota HOME Consortium) involves money toward a qualified buyers down payment and closing costs.

At this point in the previous blogs, we have been pointing out the pros and cons of the mortgage type being discussed. This program is a bit different, however, so we will simply list the eligibility requirements necessary to participate.  They are:

·         Buyer must complete the Homestretch Workshop.  (Buying a home is a big deal, and the information offered at these workshops is invaluable.)

·         Buyer must complete 1-on-1 counseling for assistance BEFORE signing a purchase agreement. (See above.)

·         The home purchased must pass the Minimum Housing Standards Inspection.

·         Buyer must be a first-time home buyer or not have owned a home in the past 3 years.

·         Buyer must qualify for a mortgage.  (The counselor will assist in shopping for a mortgage.)

·         Buyer is required to contribute a minimum of $1,000 toward the purchase of a property from their own resources.  Some available mortgage programs may require additional buyer contributions.

·         Household income must be below the following income limits. (80% below the county median income.)

FAMILY SIZE            St. Louis                Lake               Cook
1                      $37,650             $36,600           $36,650
2                      $43,000             $41,800           $41,850
3                      $48,400             $47,050           $47,100
4                      $53,750             $52,250           $52,300
5                      $58,050             $56,450           $56,500

~ For income limits in Koochiching or Itasca counties, contact Sandy O’Fallon at 218-999-0828 or sandyo@kootasca.org

The next 3 Home Stretch Workshops in each area are as follows:

AEOA

Hibbing, Grace Lutheran Church, Saturday, Feb. 23, 8:30am – 5:00 pm

Ely, Wildwoods Land Co., Saturday, March 23, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Virginia, AEOA, Tues. April 16 & Thurs. April 18, 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm

KOOTASCA

Deer River, Sat., Feb. 9, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

International Falls, Thurs., Feb. 14, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Grand Rapids, Sat., March 23, 8:00 am – 4:30 PM

For more information on these workshops contact:

Autumn Holweger 218-735-6895 Email: autumn.holweger@aeoa.org

Or:

Sandy O’Fallon 218-999-0828  Email: sandyo@kootasca.org

As always, work closely with a good lender who understands and offers this assistance program, as not all do.  Thanks very much to Casey HinnenKamp of the American Bank, Hibbing, and to Sandy O’Fallon of AEOA and KOOTASCA for their help with this blog.

Coming next, (I think), How to create and/or improve your credit score…. 

Johnson Hometown Realty
2402 1st Ave.
Hibbing, MN 55746
218-263-4411

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