Greater Des Moines Real Estate and Living Journal

It's that time again. The second Tuesday of the month when we have the honor of attending a scrumptious breakfast buffet of pancakes, eggs, waffles, bacon, sausage, fruit and pastries put on by our broker, Robb Spearman at the Hilton garden in Johnston. In addition to the succulent fare, we have ...

In the earlier part of 2010 there was a big fear that when the Federal Open Market Committeeended it's mortgage backed security buying program on March 31st 2010 that mortgage rates would shoot up. The fed had to step in to buy the securities, bundles of mortgages known as MBSs, because investors...

HUD homes are homes offered for sale through regional vendors by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD homes are acquired by HUD as a result of borrower default on an FHA home loan. What happens is that properties are foreclosed on by the lender then purchased by HUD and placed bac...

$5 continuing ed class? When I received the first email a few weeks back I though it must have been a misprint, but I was wrong. MLXchange Under The Hood taught by Les Sulgovetoday at the West Des Moines HyVee at 555 S 51st in West Des Moines was the real deal. Taught in tandem with 18 Ways To Im...

It's not everyday a class is offered for $5 where you aren't sold anything and you walk away with some valuable knowledge, but that was certainly the case today. 18 Ways To Improve Your Listing on the MLS taught by Les Sulgove today at the West Des Moines HyVee at 555 S 51st in West Des Moines wa...

Des Moines has a vibrant condo market in its historic central downtown. We have lofts, we have high rises, we have re-purposed space, we have row houses, we have penthouses, we have brownstones, we have everything but enough buyers for all of the inventory. Developers, spurred by tax credits awar...

Like many others on this site, and on sites just like it, you know who you are, I'm always thinking about blogging topics when I'm out and about in the world. For the diligent, the opportunities abound. Just such an opportunity presented itself to me this morning while driving down Grand Avenue n...

Twenty years or so ago in Des Moines we had about six Mexican  casual dining restaurants, and most of them were chains. Today we probably have closer to fifty with a good supply of authentic mom and pops among them. One such authentic gem is El Chisme at the corenr of Merle Hay Rd. and Urbandale ...

I've been dealing with foreclosed property in the Des Moines, West Des Moines, Johnston, Clive, Urbandale, Ankeny and Waukee area now for over five years. Often this kind of property offers home buyers chance to purchase below market properties, gain instant equity and in so doing improve the nei...

Tax or building credits for work that you are already going to perfomr or as an incentive get things you really need are always appreciated. Such is the case with the Private Property Protection credit for sump pump installation offered by the City of Des Moines. Many homes in the Des Moines area...