Just about everyone who grew up in the Twin Cities north and east metro is familiar with the White Bear Lake community and the iconic gigantic snow white bear statue at Polar Chev. But few know the legends that surround White Bear Lake with Manitou Island being the very center of the story. The legend has been spun into tales by several writers including Mark Twain who wrote of the Indian warrior who killed the great monster of a polar bear to save himself and his lover in his book, “Life of the Mississippi”. Whether in spite of the legends or because of them, the White Bear Lake community remains a vibrant area continually growing while preserving its rich heritage. There is no doubt that the shores of White Bear Lake are the most well known as one of the largest lakes in the north me... 07/29/2012

First Time Homebuyer Real Estate White Bear Lake MN     First time homebuyers love exploring the opportunities in the White Bear Lake area. There are a good number of options from single family starter homes to townhomes but the best homes do sell quickly. First time homebuyers looking for a White Bear Lake home in 2012 and wanting to take advantage of the low interest rates need to be preapproved for their mortgage. Being ready to write their offer before stepping over the threshold of a potential first home in White Bear Lake is necessary to avoid disappointment.   White Bear Lake saw a huge drop in the amount of new homes listed on the market in 2011 compared to 2010 and closed sales shot up by over 22%. In this northern Ramsey County city, inventory is down. Prices didn’t rise thoug... 03/01/2012

  White Bear Lake saw a huge drop in the amount of new homes listed on the market in 2011 compared to 2010 and closed sales shot up by over 22%. In this northern Ramsey County city, inventory is down. Prices didn’t rise though due to the lack of inventory, as the average price of a home sold in the city of White Bear Lake was home sales dropped by 16%. The price per square foot also dropped this past year from $110/sq ft to $98/sq ft. This is still higher than in other parts of the north and east metro area which is good. Most likely the cause of the drop in average sales price is the lack of high end buyers and abundance of short sales/foreclosures. The average days-on-the-market statistic is up substantially in 2011 from 132 days on the market to 173 days to sell on average. Sellers a... 02/01/2012

SIRVA MN Relocation Real Estate Experts - Durham Executive Group       John & Becky Durham are currently working with a young 3M relocation transferee with SIRVA Relocation who has purchased the house below in White Bear Lake pending the successful closing in late February of 2012. This is a wonderful home with a 1/2 acre lot that has a gradual descent to a pond.     01/21/2012

A look at today’s temperatures and you would wonder if it was a Minnesota winter after all. We should be knee deep in snow and wrapped head to toe in wool scarves and Snuggies! But today was a sunny 45 degrees in the Twin Cities north and east metro! It was a snowless winter day in Minnesota that had people are heading for the golf course and dreaming of being out on the lakes! In a normal January, any plan to visit a lake would include boots and/or a snowmobile to get to that ice house to fish. But this winter season has been full of surprises which could be a huge benefit to the astute Minnesota lake home buyer.   One benefit of this unseasonably warm weather makes it a very good time to consider buying lakeshore. Usually it is a bit dicey to contemplate buying a Minnesota Lake Home ... 01/05/2012

Are you wondering about how to buy a townhome in White Bear Lake? The answers to how to buy a townhome can be confusing for many home buyers, especially for the MN first time home buyer. Since the process can be a bit complicated I would like to share with you some tips of how to accomplish your goal. How To Buy A Townhome in White Bear Lake Most Minnesota home buyers start their search for the perfect home on the internet. There are many places to do this but a good location for you to start is to use the MLS search engine on my website. There are thousands of real estate sites out there but you will soon find that many of the sites lack important details you will need when finding and pricing a home. For example, the large national websites do not show the property taxes for each Minn... 12/16/2011

Just about everyone who grew up in the Twin Cities north and east metro is familiar with the White Bear Lake community. Whether your memories are of passing the iconic gigantic snow white bear statue at Polar Chev, swimming at Bellaire beach or setting sail across White Bear Lake, everyone seems to know something about the community. But few know the legends that surround the lake and that Manitou Island is at the center of it all. The legend has been documented by several writers but the most notable was Mark Twain who wrote of the Indian warrior who killed the great monster of a polar bear to save himself and his lover in his book, “Life of the Mississippi”. Legends aside, today the White Bear Lake community is a vibrant area that is continually growing while preserving its rich heri... 11/09/2011

Just about everyone who grew up in the Twin Cities north and east metro is familiar with the White Bear Lake community. Whether your memories are of passing the iconic gigantic snow white bear statue at Polar Chev, swimming at Bellaire beach or setting sail across White Bear Lake, everyone seems to know something about the community. But few know the legends that surround the lake and that Manitou Island is at the center of it all. The legend has been documented by several writers but the most notable was Mark Twain who wrote of the Indian warrior who killed the great monster of a polar bear to save himself and his lover in his book, “Life of the Mississippi”. Legends aside, today the White Bear Lake community is a vibrant area that is continually growing while preserving its rich herit... 07/12/2011

Looking for a new home in White Bear Lake, MN? Once you've made the decision that it's the right time to buy, it's so tempting to just get out and start looking. But there is some very important financial groundwork that you should lay before even stepping inside a house for sale. This CNNMoney article gives some very good tips on what you should know and do before you start the process of buying (or even looking at) a house: Start with your credit It's never been more important to have good credit when buying a home. Lenders are much more cautious than they were in the past, and with good reason. But even if you've never missed a payment on any loan, your credit reports might have errors on them. Get them, scrutinize them carefully, and have any errors corrected before you work on secu... 07/07/2011

If you’re looking for the perfect townhouse in White Bear Lake, MN, you no doubt have a list – physical or mental – of all the things you’re looking for in your new home. But have you made a list of steps to take to ensure that you find a townhouse that you can really afford? This article gives seven helpful steps to get you down the path to responsible home ownership: #1 – Get your credit in as good shape as possible Many people have no idea what their credit score is, and while you don’t want to check it constantly (checking very often can also look bad on your credit report), you should know what your numbers are and whether there are any errors. But the most important thing that you can do to get your credit in good shape is to pay down your debt, starting with your high-interest de... 06/17/2011

If you are in the beginning stages of selling your townhouse in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, one of the biggest questions you’re considering is certainly “How much will I be able to get for my home?” A natural tendency for sellers is to overvalue and therefore overprice their home, as noted in this article. The author references the real estate climate in Michigan, but these principles are equally true in Minnesota. It may seem like a smart idea to set your townhouse’s price high, at least initially. Why not see if you can get as much as is humanly possible? Well, there are several “why nots” when it comes to overpricing a home. For starters, if your townhouse is priced substantially higher than others in your area, you won’t get many showings. Or, as noted by Mr. Cassidy, it will be a h... 05/18/2011

White Bear Lake saw a huge drop in the amount of closed sales in 2010 compared to 2009 but the good news is the average sales price is up a bit. In this northern Ramsey County city, home sales dropped just over 26%! Inventory levels could be on the rise as the percentage of new listings was quite a bit less (5.5%) and so there is abundant inventory in 2010. The average days-on-the-market statistic was down by 4.4% so homes are continue to sell faster in White Bear Lake as this adds to the 10% drop in DOM in 2009. Sellers are seeing their offers come in a bit closer to asking price as the percent to original price ratio did increase by over 3% in 2010 Traditional sellers considering a move up in White Bear will continue to see opportunities as there are less good starter homes listing n... 03/03/2011

Just about everyone who grew up in the Twin Cities north metro is familiar with the White Bear Lake community. Whether your memories are of passing the iconic gigantic white bear statue at Polar Chevrolet, swimming at Bellaire beach or setting sail across White Bear Lake, everyone in the north and east Twin Cities metro area seems to know the community. But I doubt that many know the legends that surround the lake and that Manitou Island is at the center of it all. I noticed awhile back that as you enter the City of White Bear Lake you are welcomed by a sign announcing you are entering White Bear Lake, the city of Lakes and Legends. So what is this legend? The story has been documented by several writers but the most notable was the infamous storyteller, Mark Twain who wrote of the Ind... 01/07/2011

Just about everyone who grew up in the Twin Cities north and east metro is familiar with the White Bear Lake community. Whether your memories are of passing the iconic, gigantic, snow-white bear statue at Polar Chev, swimming at Bellaire beach or setting sail across White Bear Lake, everyone seems to know something about the community. But few know the legends that surround the lake and that Manitou Island is at the center of it all. The legend has been documented by several writers but the most notable was Mark Twain who wrote of the Indian warrior who killed the great monster of a polar bear to save himself and his lover in his book, “Life of the Mississippi”. Legends aside, today the White Bear Lake community is a vibrant area that is continually growing while preserving its rich he... 11/18/2010

My cell phone rang as I pulled into the parking lot of my RE/MAX real estate office in White Bear Lake one afternoon. The caller said he and his fiancée had just driven by a listing of mine and could I show them the inside. My first question is always, “Are you working with a real estate agent?” “No”, he answered. The meeting was set for the next evening. The young man and his fiancée arrived with an entourage of parents and assorted other friends and relatives. Being first time buyers, they wanted assistance and approval on their very first home purchase. Looking over the home from top to bottom, they liked what they saw but needed time to think. I asked the question I always ask, “When you are shopping for a home, are you shopping for a REALTOR®?” One of the dads quickly answered. The... 10/26/2010

Just about everyone who grew up in the Twin Cities north and east metro is familiar with the White Bear Lake community. Whether your memories are of passing the iconic gigantic snow white bear statue at Polar Chev, swimming at Bellaire beach or setting sail across White Bear Lake, everyone seems to know something about the community. But few know the legends that surround the lake and that Manitou Island is at the center of it all. The legend has been documented by several writers but the most notable was Mark Twain who wrote of the Indian warrior who killed the great monster of a polar bear to save himself and his lover in his book, "Life of the Mississippi".Legends aside, today the White Bear Lake community is a vibrant area that is continually growing while preserving its rich herita... 07/19/2010

Just about everyone who grew up in the Twin Cities north and east metro is familiar with the White Bear Lake community. Whether your memories are of passing the iconic gigantic snow white bear statue at Polar Chev, swimming at Bellaire beach or setting sail across White Bear Lake, everyone seems to know something about the community. But few know the legends that surround the lake and that Manitou Island is at the center of it all. The legend has been documented by several writers but the most notable was Mark Twain who wrote of the Indian warrior who killed the great monster of a polar bear to save himself and his lover in his book, "Life of the Mississippi".Legends aside, today the White Bear Lake community is a vibrant area that is continually growing while preserving its rich herita... 05/11/2010

Like most other communities in the north east Twin Cities metro, White Bear Lake has seen more closed sales but at lower prices in 2009 compared to 2008. In this Northern Ramsey County city home sales dropped just over 16%; that's almost 30% over a two year period! Inventory levels are going down as there are just slightly less (4.1%) of new listings that came onto the market this past year. The average days-on-the-market statistic is down by 10% so homes are starting to sell faster in White Bear Lake. The bulk of sales has been in the lower price points as nearly 67% of all homes closed in 2009 were sold for less than $200,000. Another 27% were sold for prices in the $200,000-$300,000 range. Traditional sellers considering a move up in White Bear have an opportunity this year as there... 01/16/2010

Just about everyone who grew up in the Twin Cities north metro is familiar with the White Bear Lake community. Whether your memories are of passing the iconic gigantic white bear statue at Polar Chev, swimming at Bellaire beach or setting sail across White Bear Lake, everyone seems to know the area. But few know the legends that surround the lake and that Manitou Island is at the center of it all. The legend has been documented by several writers but the most notable was Mark Twain who wrote of the Indian warrior who killed the great monster of a polar bear to save himself and his lover in his book, "Life of the Mississippi".Legends aside, today the White Bear Lake community is a vibrant area that is continually growing while preserving its rich heritage. While the shores of White Bear ... 01/06/2010

Sometimes a flying flag doesn't affect us but on days like Veteran's Day when our country has just had a very vivid reminder at Fort Hood of how lucky we are that there are so many couragous men and women fighting to protect our freedoms, the flag means so much more. This flag flies over White Bear Lake near my office. Just one of many, many symbolic thank you's to our veterans. 11/11/2009