Stephanie Fox's (stephaniefox) Blog

Did you know that the average home in America averages 2,521 square feet, about 150% the size of the average home in 1977. (We crowded into tiny 1,720 square foot dwellings back then!) Though recent economic trends may lead to smaller homes in the futures, the stereotypical family of two adults a...

President Obama just signed a bill that reforms certain abuses within the credit card industry that may change life as we know it. The bill won’t take effect until 2010 but wounded lenders are already threatening reprisals in the form of higher rates and more fees.  The new bill will help consum...

Buyers who are still waiting for the residential real estate market to hit bottom may have waited too long. The first week in May is signaling changes and while there will still be bargains to be had, they might become harder to find. Housing sales were up for the second month and after five mont...

A new tax provision is offering capitol gains relief for widows and widowers who want to sell their houses after a spouse has died. While married couples can exclude a profit of up to $500,000 when they sell their home, single people are limited to a $250,000 tax break. Until recently, a widow or...

There are a lot of people who are beginning to take advantage of the post-bubble home prices of bank owned properties to make a housing purchase before the chance is gone. If you are one of them, there are some things you should know before you make an offer. Banks have no emotional ties to influ...

You may have heard by now, but there is an effort in the Minnesota House to pass legislation that will potential harm the already-struggling real estate market. On April 20, the Minnesota House of Representatives Tax Committee released a "delete all amendment" to HF2323 and added provisions that ...

Little things can make a big difference in selling your home   If your real estate agent suggests that you spend a little time staging your home, you should listen to this advice. While you may love your home as it is, a buyer is looking at your house through entirely different eyes. Staging your...

It will also help new home buyers. Hidden within the thousands of pages of the stimulus package, also known as the American Recovery and Investment Act, is one aimed at encouraging first-time home buyers to stop waiting and start buying.  The first-time home buyer credit has been changed for the ...

The American Kennel Club has recently released their list of the ten most popular dog breeds for 2008.  In addition to the national rankings, they did a city by city inventory and found that the Minneapolis and St. Paul dog popularity rankings were out or the ordinary when compared to many other...

Dogs can get salmonella, but it doesn't happen often. A dog has a shorter digestive system that allows them to eat old bones and snack out of the garbage so food passes through before the disease can take hold. When dogs do contract salmonella, they can exhibit diarrhea, sometimes tainted with bl...