Early this morning I was in the back yard assessing what choirs I may want to do and I caught out of the corner of my eye a big bird coming in for a landing just to my side.I suppose my instincts gave me a bit of a "heads-up" to be on guard but it was really a treat to see it was just a Mallard dropping in to say hi and not some menacing bird of prey that thought I looked tasty.I live in about as close to the center of town as one can yet we see all kinds of wild life in our back yard including ducks, geese, turkeys, racoons, and deer. I think that is a little strange in a town of 50,000 but then again we have a river running through town, a lot of coulees, and I'm less than 1,000 feet from the zoo.Today was a GREAT day weather wise in Minot ND for Memorial Day. All activities went off ... 05/30/2016

Up North the Gardening Rule of Thumb is: Plant after Memorial Day.Today we went and purchased our tomatoes and peppers to plant into the garden we tilled and weeded last weekend.It seems really late after seeing some fantastic gardens and pictures of farmers markets on others blog posts but it is what it is up in the Northern States. It may seem hard to believe but it won't be long and even us Northerners will have so much produce you won't be able to give it all way.Our family "planted" ourselves in Minot ND about 13 years ago and have never regretted making Minot our home. If it's time to "plant" your family here too please let National Marketing Realtors help you find the right garden spot to call home. 05/28/2016

NOT a BIG Week for Closings in Minot ND The chart above is the total MLS activity for the week. This includes ALL types of properties as well as all cities in our MLS. The chart below is very restrictive as explained below.Today there are 265 homes for sale in Minot, ND with 143 pending sales. The most expensive home listed in Minot ND is $995,000. The least is $50,000. and the average is $274,853. Average days on the market = 83 (Median days on the market = 57).*This list is only of single-family stick built homes and does not include multifamily homes, condos, town houses, or mobile homes. Be sure to note the line above as this is a very restrictive report. There were 6 homes sold in this limited category. The most expensive home sold for $367,000 and it was on the market for 60 days.... 05/28/2016

GOD has decided Minot ND will have an Active Rain Weekend.This is what the sky looked like yesterday evening around 8:00PM. At that time, if there were no clouds, the sky would have still been very bright and blue. As you can see in the 2nd picture the sun was actually shining in the West, keep that in mind when you look at the deep purple skys in the pictures (it's NOT the dark of night).We are supposed to have a real mix of weather all Memorial Day weekend long so look for a lot of blogging on my part over this holiday. Feel free to email me if there is a topic you would like me to post about.    05/26/2016

About a dozen words into the local leadoff news story last night I told my Bride "those idiots had to be drunk". I was right on. Drunk or not these two men have to rate at the very top of the stupid list. Here is today's headline:So here is a tip: If you are already stupid you don't need to drink. 05/23/2016

The chart above is the total MLS activity for the week. This includes ALL types of properties as well as all cities in our MLS. The chart below is very restrictive as explained below.Be sure to note the line above as this is a very restrictive report. There were 11 homes sold in this limited category. The most expensive home sold for $460,000 and it was on the market for 193 days. The least expensive home sold for $145,000 and it was on the market for 117 days. Median days on market for the 11 homes sold was 98. This report is updated daily at MinotHome.com 05/22/2016

Those are words NO parent wants to hear.I just received a phone call that my 14 year old son has missed the last two classes at school. It was a robo call from the Minot School system. We receive other calls from the system about days off and other important events.My son is the most responsible person I have ever known and I immeadiately knew there was something wrong. I called the school, all lines were busy. I called my Bride to see if she took him home sick... she did not and also received the call and she too was in a panic.I decided I needed to jump in the car and see what was going on. Knowing my son, the only way he would miss a class is if he were abducted.My Bride works in the Minot School system and knew who/what number to call to get through the busy lines. With my keys in h... 05/17/2016

The chart above is the total MLS activity for the week. This includes ALL types of properties as well as all cities in our MLS. The chart below is very restrictive as explained below.Be sure to note the line above as this is a very restrictive report. There were 7 homes sold in this limited category. The most expensive home sold for $379,900 and it was on the market for 106 days. The least expensive home sold for $109,900 and it was on the market for 180 days. Median days on market for the 7 homes sold was 171. This report is updated daily at MinotHome.com 05/14/2016

Saturday 1:30 - 3:3042 Mulberry Loop, Minot ND 42 Mulberry Loop ……………………….……………SATURDAY…1:30 – 3:30 PM ……...   $395,000.OFFERED BY NATIONAL MARKETING REALTORS, Hosted by Bob Timm. 6 Bedrooms 3 Baths, and a Triple Garage. This gorgeous home is the center piece of the cul-de-sac on which it is located in the Stonebridge Addition. Super convenient location for families who work on the base or anywhere on North Hill. Walking paths and a neighborhood playground right out your back door.   See pictures at www.MinotHome.com, call 852-1197 or stop by our office at 1919 North Broadway. National Marketing Realtors, Over 40 years of Service from the same North Hill location. 05/13/2016

The chart above is the total MLS activity for the week. This includes ALL types of properties as well as all cities in our MLS. The chart below is very restrictive as explained below.Be sure to note the line above as this is a very restrictive report. There were 10 homes sold in this limited category. The most expensive home sold for $329,900 and it was on the market for 214 days. The least expensive home sold for $145,000 and it was on the market for 88 days. Median days on market for the 10 homes sold was 112. This report is updated daily at MinotHome.com  05/08/2016

The Blackwood Brothers Quartet and Danny "Elvis" Wagnerwill be having a concert in Minot ND tomorrow and I won two tickets. blackwood Brothers websiteI'm not real familiar with the Blackwood Brothers but I love Gospel Music and I'm really looking forward to this concert.I've never been an Elvis fan either but I've got a feeling that I will be a much bigger fan after seeing "Danny Elvis's" impersonation of The King of Rock and Roll. I do know that Elvis did a lot of excellent Gospel recordings.While many of my generation was loving Elvis I was banging my head to Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper. My transformation from hard rock to gospel is a whole different story.The concert is Friday from 7:00PM till it ends and will be held at the North Dakota State Fair Grounds in Minot ND. Tickets in ... 05/04/2016

Minot Comfort Suits by Choice Hotels is located at 601 22nd Ave SW Minot, ND 58701.When I was shopping for a place to hold my daughters Birthday I didn't think having it Comfort Suites for a fee of  $170.00 (which did include a room for the night) was much of a bargain... boy was I WRONG!For the $170.00 you get a spacious room with double queen beds, a living area, bath, and closet. The pool area only has one area for a party and you get that area (no sharing with 10 other screeming kids parties) and because we booked a Sunday, which are slow days, we had the entire pool area to ourselves for 6 whole hours!The kids had a great time, dad relaxed in the hot tub and went down the water slides several times. See the pic of Dad having fun with Tina's candles as they also work for his age (fo... 05/02/2016

For some Realtors it's all about the money, for me it's all about the family... Your family and Mine.As the Broker/Owner of National Marketing Realtors in Minot ND I love how my occupation allows me to work with my family for the well being of your family. My kids have been involved with my work ever since they were old enough to help with cleaning, mowing lawns, help with a radio commercial, and help dad with farming.In Real Estate "Farming" is marketing and most often referring to mailing information, such as a news letter, to a specific area. Today Tina and Timmothy helped me catch up with addressing envelopes for my monthly news letter that I got behind on with one of my office helpers being sick last week.After today I may have a harder time recruiting Tina. She will be turning 16 ... 04/29/2016

 All week I tried to keep a pair of Robbins from nesting on top of my hose rack under our carport. A couple times a day I would wipe the mud and twigs off my hoses and I'd place something uncomfortable on top of it all like the spray gun you see under this nest. The birds got really busy here when the kids went to school and I was at work. They completed their task.The thing is the nest is in a high traffic area with our cars pulling in and out and a lot of foot traffic.I don't think the female sat on that nest for an hour before they abandoned it.Sometimes persistence doesn't pay off in Real Estate for birds or for humans.A good example is the Buyer who submits an offer for $50,000. less on a $200,000. listing in a hot market. After the initial laugh by the Seller and rejection of the ... 04/28/2016

Can someone who pronounces Minot (My-Not) as "Minnow" really be an expert on the town?There is a great letter to the editor in today's paper about "Buy Local". While this letter is in regards to a local book store vs Amazon the point carries over fairly well to Real Estate. NOTHING is more local than Real Estate! It seems amazing that people look to web based entities located thousands of miles away for local information. Why on earth would anyone take advice on a local market when the person offering the advice had never heard of the town before (most can't even pronounce Minot properly) never seen your home but is willing to give you an estimate, or should I say zestimate, on what your home is worth. Local agents know the market, they know your neighborhood, and they may even know you... 04/24/2016

 Still NOT Kicking Into High Gear! Be sure to note the line above as this is a very restrictive report. There were 11 homes sold in this limited catagory. The most expensive home sold for $525,000 and it was on the market for 92 days. The least expensive home sold for $75,000 and it was on the market for 245 days. Median days on market for the 11 homes sold was 94. This report is updated daily at MinotHome.com 04/24/2016

According to my little home weather station we had wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour.Even at that I was still surprised to look up at my roof and see my antenna laying on it.In our house this is a major disaster, we don't have streaming video, cable, dish, or any other "pay for" TV entertainment. The dozen or so broadcast stations we receive are plenty.Saturday nights are special for my daughter and I however because we watch the original Star Trek on Memorable Television (ME-TV).The point to this post is actually that when it comes to contractors you most often get what you pay for. Last year I had my home re-roofed by a young man who was a part of a roofing crew that did some work for me the year before on another project. He told me he could do the job for far less than anyone else ... 04/23/2016

Every Saturday our News Paper does a "show case" of homes right before the open house listings. I have never participated because of the cost and because everyone says "no one reads the paper anymore". Well I'm starting to get quite a bit of inventory so I'm going to advertise by what ever means is possible. Please give me your opinion of the ad that will appear Saturday.  04/20/2016

It appears that Home Sales are picking up in Minot ND.Be sure to note the line above as this is a very restrictive report. There were 14 homes sold in this limited catagory. The most expensive home sold for $439,000 and it was on the market for 178 days. The least expensive home sold for $59,900 and it was on the market for 235 days. Median days on market for the 14 homes sold was 83. This report is updated daily at MinotHome.com 04/16/2016

You can shop the BIG box store orShop Local at Lowe's Garden Center.Located behind (NW) the ND State Fairgrounds. Lowe's is a family owned shop not associated with the big retail giant.  Friendly customer service.                       Several greenhouses.  Lots of plants are ready to go now.            Tons & tons of pots. All colors & sizes. Baskets from the far East.                     Wind chimes and lanterns.All kinds of decorations and gifts are available.I really liked these colorful metal pheasants . These unique BURN TWICE candles are made in Hillsboro ND. There is a wick on the top on the outer ring that you light 1st. As it burns the wax will fill the inside of the candle and stop burning. Then the inside candle is ready to burn.     04/11/2016