Are you a Health Care Professional, Teacher, Military, Policeman, Fireman?

Century 21 Koeckeritz Realty has joined Homes for Heroes!! This is another example of our company giving back to members of our communities; New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, Courtland, Nicollet, Hanska, Lafayette and all those in between. If you are in Law Enforcement, a Fireman, Health Care Worker, EMT, Teacher or Active or Retired Military, this program is for you. Sign up at www.homesforheroes.com and you'll be referred back to us to look for a home or to sell a home. At closing you'll receive money back; a percentage of the commission that is paid. It's a very simple program that pays back benefits. Come in to talk with anyone of our agents at Century 21 Koeckeritz Realty.

You've seen our ads and you've heard the ads on the radio from the National Association of Realtors; listing inventory is low. Now is a great time to sell!! Contact us for a free Market Value Analysis.

Home show is later this month. Come see us that weekend at the Home Show.

Don't forget that we have our moving trailer for you to use for free if you use our real estate services.

We went up to the Regional Century 21 awards banquet and walked away with multiple awards in Production and Customer Service. Individual agents that won awards were Jim Heil, Jerry Sandmann, Tim Woods, Diane Debban, Brenda Nosbush, Joyce Krenz and Lisa Larson. Congrats

Radon: The word of the year!!

Radon is the word of the year in real estate!! As of January 1, 2014, it is now law in Minnesota that if you had a Radon test done in your home, you need to disclose the results at the time you list your home for sale. Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that is a leading cause of lung cancer. All of Southern Minnesota has elevated levels of the gas and it enters the home through cracks or holes in your foundation. There are a number of companies that will do one type of test or another; you can even get a test kit that you do yourself from Menards among other stores. There is so much information out there all you need to do is search the internet or talk to one of the agents at Century 21 Koeckeritz Realty

Stop by our booth at the upcoming Home and Self Improvement Show held the end of March at the New Ulm Civic Center. Drawings and Giveaways at our booth and others. Will the weather be better? Please be better!!

A couple of shout outs: Congratulations to those involved in The Grand Kabaret on your grand opening. Nice place in Downtown New Ulm. The Heart of New Ulm Gala was a huge success this past weekend at Turner Hall. Congrats to the New Ulm High School Girls Hockey Team on their run into the State Tournament.

Looking for space to launch your business idea? Call me and reserve some space in the Marktplatz Mall. Very aggressive owners want to fill that space up.

Listing inventory is down from recent years so if you're thinking of selling in the near future, the time is now. Call us for a free Market Value Analysis to see if selling now is right for you. Buyers are out there waiting. Buyers let us know what you're looking for so you can be notified as soon as something hits the market.

Century 21 Koeckeritz Realty has marketing that is second to none. Stop by and we'll show you how we can market your home. We can also show you as a buyer how to stay on top of the market and made aware of new listings or price changes.

Finally congratulations to our award winners from C21 KR!!. The awards banquet is this Friday and we will be making a haul. Awards are based upon production and customer service. Stay tuned

Get Ready For Spring -- It will Come

I've been walking through Menards and Runnings and it seems like the clearance items from Christmas weren't even gone yet and the shelves are full of potting soil and planters and the seed racks are up. I know we're all looking for Spring to come but it's hard to get in the swing of things when every other day is a Wind Chill Advisory and hitting our average high for this time of year is just a "wish". But now is a great time of year to lay out your spring planting plans and placement, especially if you've moved since last fall or want to change things up a bit in your yard. I for one have moved since last fall and am trying to figure out what to plant and where. I'm looking at the sunlight factor; where is getting what for sunlight. On top of that I'll need to figure out what is deer resistant as I currently have a heard of them taking up residence in my backyard. I'm up for the challenge and will probably learn some things the hard way.

Real Estate is one of the few businesses that slows up around the Holiday Season but there is still activity with new listings and sales through December and January. The amount of homes on the market remains low so if you're thinking of selling the time is now. Buying a home is good now to as most buyers wait  until Spring so if a home is on the market now that you like; less competition for that home. We offer free a Market Value Analysis on your home so give us a call.

The newest "hot button" in the Real Estate world is Radon. Now more than ever you need a Realtor that knows what Radon is, how it's tested for and what you need to do if you buy or sell. Let us guide you through this tricky subject.

Congratulations to our Award Winning Agents, Award Winning Office for Award Winning Results. Century 21 Koeckeritz Realty will be receiving the Per Person Productivity Award as well as Quality Service Pinnacle based on Customer Service. Agents winning the Quality Service awards are Tim Woods, Brenda Nosbush, Jerry Sandmann, Lisa Larson, Joyce Krenz, Dian Debban, Jim Heil. In addition Jim Heil and Lisa Larson won the Master Ruby award and Diane Debban won the Masters Diamond Award. Joyce Krenz won the tough to win Century 21 Centurion Award. Congrats to all.

Welcome to Fall

The seasons have changed and with it the real estate market changes a little bit too. For a seller you can see less buyers; maybe. For a buyer you can see less competition for that dream home and you can see less homes on the market; maybe. The real estate market is fluid in that it changes from week to week. We've seen a few more homes listed over the past week than we did a couple of weeks ago. The government uncertainty will add a twist to the market as well. If you're looking to buy and using a government backed loan you could be in for a wait and a wait that no one can say how long.

Interest ticked up but came back down some in recent weeks but not many people noticed. Still a great time to buy or sell for everyone from the First Timer to a Move Up Buyer. The Foreclosure Market is almost gone for now which is a good thing. Did you know that having a property for sale as a result of a foreclosure could have bearing on the value of your home? If you decide to sell and the home down the street is about the same style, year etc. an appraiser could use that as a comparable sale. If that sale is lower than yours, it could drag yours down and hinder your sale.

Check out our website for the latest homes on the market -- www.krhomes.com.

Check out Oktoberfest the next two weekends in New Ulm. Lots to see and lots to do the on Sat the 5th and Sat the 12th. Enjoy the music and food and so much more.

Go for a drive along the river valley and check out the Fall colors. They don't seem to last long so don't wait.

RSR

Poppin For Pizza

The State Fair is over, school is back in session and the stores are loaded with Halloween candy and decorations. Can Christmas be far behind?

The real estate market is still churning along with new listings coming on the market and there are quite a few new homeowners in the area. Want to see whats out there as far as new listings? Check  out www.krhomes.com. Are you a techy type of person? Text: KRHOMES To: 87778 and download the Century 21 Koeckeritz Realty Mobile App. Search in your neighborhood or across the country.

Put your money for work for you. We have a duplex for sale with many recent updates on S. Minnesota St. Go to this link for all the details: http://www.krhomes.com/our-listings.php

Our promo is back again; Poppin For Pizza in conjunction with KNUJ and Happy Joe's. Register on our Facebook page, info@krhomes.com or at Happy Joes. For any football or volleyball games broadcast on one of the KNUJ stations for one of the 5 high schools in New Ulm or Sleepy Eye we will draw a name. If one of our local schools scores 21 points or more in football or wins the first and second game in volleyball, the drawn name will be a winner of a $21 Gift Certificate to Happy Joes. Simple!!! Register and Listen.

Good Luck to all the area teams!!

Are you in need of commercial space for your business?? We have that. Give us a call
Have you seen the ads on TV from the National Association of Realtors about there being a shortage of listings? That applies to the New Ulm area too. Listings are down in the area but there are still buyers out there looking. Thinking of selling? Be sure to give us a call and compare our marketing services to anyone. We won't be beat

RSR

Happy Labor Day

Are you a Do-It-Yourselfer? Are you sure? That may not be a fair question to ask yourself in terms of how good of DIY are you. We have seen some DIY projects on homes that have been done very well. But we have also seen some that have been done rather poorly but the person that did thought it was done well. Yes beauty is in the eye of the beholder but if you're looking to sell the buyer may not see the beauty in your work. If you're thinking of selling and need to finish a project on your home, be honest with yourself. Can I do this and make it look professional? Doing a poor or a so-so job can cost you in the end. If it's electrical; don't do it, hire it. Not everyone is a DIY'er you just need to recognize your limits.
Did you know that with Fall and Winter coming fast that mice are hunting for a warm spot for the cold weather? This is the time of year that you may find them in your home or garage, or evidence that they're around. Everyone has their own way of dealing with them. Standard mouse traps with cheese, glue traps, poison or professional extermination are some of your choices. Maybe a cat?

Don't forget to head down to Riverside Park this weekend for River Blast. Lots of food and entertainment for all of any age to enjoy.
Shool has or will start by next Tuesday. Depending who you are it's a good thing or not so good thing.


RSR

Home Inspection VS Appraisal

Home Inspection versus Appraisal. There is a difference!!
A Home Inspection is typically done after all the terms of the sale have been negotiated and before closing but is ordered by the buyer of the home. The Inspection is done within an alloted time period, at the buyers expense and can make or break the deal. The Inspector is of the buyers choice and can be anyone that the buyer is comfortable with. The report is the property of the buyer and doesn't need to shared with anyone else. The Inspector is looking for issues with the home that are safety, health or structural concerns that are usually not seen when a buyer walks through the home. For an example maybe the furnace isn't running right or an outlet is wired wrong. Those would be safety concerns. The report is usually broken down to primary concerns like those mentioned; secondary concerns and maintenance. Secondary concerns would be things to keep an eye on in the future and maintenance would be things like a dirty furnace filter or leaky faucet. An Appraisal is ordered by the buyers lender and is a cost of the buyers of the property. They are licensed by the State of Minnesota and will take into consideration many things in their appraisal. The sole purpose is to determine the value of the home to protect the lender and buyer in the transaction so that no one is over paying for the home. An appraisal determines the value and the Home Inspection determines the condition of the home.

State Fair starts next week already
The Vikings have broke Training Camp
High School practice is in full swing
4 1/2 months till Christmas

Hardees on the North end by Wal-Mart is coming along and opening soon. The apartment building across Hy-Vee is really going up quick with more apartments to follow in town.
Farmers Markets are brimming with fresh local produce and are open three days a week in town.

Shop local, buy local, borrow local

RSR