Make Minot Home Real Estate Blog

June 18, 2020

FATHER'S DAY

Fathers Day is just around the corner! Fathers have always had a special place in all of our hearts, and it's important we show them our admiration for all they do!

Sometimes trying to find the perfect Fathers Day gift can be overwhelming so we have put together a list of 10 gift ideas for your Father or Father figure is sure to love! 

 

FATHER'S DAY

 

1. T-shit - The perfect Dad shirt will suite any Dad for this Fathers Day!

 

2. Amazon Echo - Let him listen to his favorite tunes, set alarms, reminders, or anything else he can think of!

The Amazon Echo is sure to be great personal assistant for your dad!

 

3. Ray Bans - Your Dad will love the cool look of these sunglasses!

 

4. Car Wash Gift Certificate- Do you have a Dad who loved to keep his vehicle nice and shiny?

This will be sure to put a smile on his face!

 

5. Grilling Accessories - We all know how much Dad’s love to grill! Buying accessories for his grill is sure to be a hit!

 

6. A new watch - Buying a stylish new watch for your Dad is always a great gift!

 

7. Cooling pint glasses - This is a great beer gift! After two hours in the freezer these are ready to keep any beverage nice and cold!

 

8. Shave Kit - Can’t go wrong with a shave kit! 

 

9. Men’s Cozy slippers - These are perfect for your Dad to relax in! 

 

10. Yeti Rambler - For the traveling Dad this is sure to keep his drinks nice and warm!

May 11, 2020

Parks and Recreation

No, not the tv show, but after this long in quarantine, you have to be getting sick of TV on the couch anyway! 

With summer heating up it’s time for some outdoor fun! Not sure what to do? We can help give some ideas that the whole family will love!

 

Roosevelt Park Zoo

 

Tigers, Lions, and Bears oh my! you can see it all at the Minot Zoo!

Spend time visiting the monkeys, penguins, or even feeding the giraffes!

Little ones can also enjoy the petting zoo including donkeys and goats!

Maybe you’re in the mood for a ride on the Zoo train or a snack from the concessions stand?

Whatever it may be the Minot Zoo has it all!

 

Roosevelt Park

 

Roosevelt has a great area for walking, biking, picnics, volleyball and more. This park is completely pet friendly as well, so be sure to bring the furry friends!

Roosevelt Park is also equipped with a high quality skate park and tennis courts, there is something for everyone. 

 

Roosevelt Park Pool

 

What better way to cool off on a hot summer day than to take swim or maybe venture down a huge water slide?

Roosevelt Park Pool is family friendly including a kiddy pool as well! You can enjoy an individual pass or a family pool pass to go whenever you’d like!

 

Dakota Bark Park

 

Do have furry friends like to get out and play?

Venture on down to the Dakota Bark Park and take the dogs for a play date!

They have gated areas for every size and your dogs will enjoy making new friends!

The Dakota Bark Park also includes walking trails that you don’t want to miss!

 

Oak Park

 

If you’re wanting a pretty nature walk, run or bike ride on a beautiful summer day check out Oak Park!

Enjoy walking the trail or having a picnic in one of the many sheltered areas. The park is equipped with many state of the art pieces of playground equipment or you could even take in a variety of shows throughout the season at the Amphitheater. 

 

Oak Park Splashpad

 

Cool off on those hot summer days at the Oak Park Splashpad!  The kids are sure to love it, and the adults definitely love it too!

 

 

Polaris Park

 

Polaris park is located on the NW side of Minot! This park includes a Disc Golf Course, Ball field, tennis courts, and a picnic shelter!

Feel free to bring the furry friends as Polaris Park is also pet friendly!

 

Scandinavian Heritage Park

 

Looking for a day filled with a little history? At the Scandinavian Heritage Park you’ll find replicas from each of the five Scandinavian and Nordic Countries: Denmark,

Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden! Make sure to check out the 25 foot tall Swedish Dala Horse while you’re there!

 

There are many more parks to discover and enjoy all over town. Check out the entire Park District offerings here!

 

Youth Programs

 

The Minot Park District offers fun activities that promote a healthy and fun lifestyle!

From T-ball to softball and Youth Tennis to Youth Cross Country your kids will be sure to find a sport they love!

Follow the link here for more information!

 

 

https://minotparks.com/programs-activities/youth-programs/

May 11, 2020

Preparing your home for Spring

It’s officially spring and that means Spring Cleaning time is here! What better task to take on while social distancing! There are common places in our home that we all overlook while doing our everyday cleaning. Attempting to clean your house from top to bottom can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Knowing where to start can make this project more manageable and even enjoyable! Quick Tip! Take on one room at at time, this will help with having a smooth transition to each cleaning task. To make things easier on you, Make Minot Home has put together a Spring Cleaning checklist, enjoy! 

 

For the outdoor cleaning party! Check out this great visual to help get you going!

 

Want some help getting that lawn looking great for Spring/Summer? Here are some local companies that can help!

Lawn Care Services

Smittys Lawn All Season Lawn Tree and Snow

701-833-8822

A&J Lawn Care Landscaping & Snow

701-833-4346

Top Seed Lawn Care

701-441-9693

Tony’s Lawn Service

701-240-4239

Cutting it Close Lawn Service

701-721-1763

Pet Clean up

Pooper Scoopers

1-800-539-2308

April 4, 2020

Contact List for All Food and Beverage

contact list

 

We know that quarantine has been hard on everyone. It is easy to get stuck frustrated when our new normal is unlike anything any of us have experienced before. We wanted to make things a little easier by helping you have all the phone numbers and information you could need for food, beverage, grocery, coffee and more. 

March 30, 2020

Quaran-Cleaning

It’s officially spring and that means Spring Cleaning time is here! What better task to take on while social distancing! There are common places in our home that we all overlook while doing our everyday cleaning. Attempting to clean your house from top to bottom can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Knowing where to start can make this project more manageable and even enjoyable! Quick Tip! Take on one room at at time, this will help with having a smooth transition to each cleaning task. To make things easier on you, Make Minot Home has put together a Spring Cleaning checklist, enjoy! If you would like an even more comprehensive Spring Cleaning List, let us know and we will send one right over. 

 

Cleaning

 

-Oven

-Washing Machine

-Base Boards

-Window Sills

-Ceiling fans

-Light Switches

-Refrigerator

-Door Frames

-Shower Curtains

-Dishwasher

-Behind/underneath appliances

-Pets food dishes

-Light Switches

-Door Knobs/Handles

-Get outside and clean out the garage/shed!

-Trash cans

-House Plants

-De-clutter

March 26, 2020

Why would I pre-inspect my home?

Pre-Inspection

When deciding to sell your home, it’s always a good idea to consider a Pre Home inspection. Most sellers are not aware that this is even an option they can do prior to listing their home.

 

Our typical Q and A in regards to pre-inspections:

Q:  Isn't the inspection a buyer's expense?

A:  Yes, the home inspection is generally the buyers expense when they move forward with an accepted offer. However, there are many ways that paying for a pre-inspection could actually save you both time and money.

........................

Q: How will it save me money if I am paying for it?

A: When the buyer pays for and has the home inspection to be conducted, they are able to submit repair requests to the seller in order to proceed. By having a pre-inspection, you will be aware of any potential issues prior to your home hitting the market so you are able to have them remedied. This allows you to choose your own contractors and options for fixing. Also, if a major issue arises from a BUYER's home inspection that is potentially a major issue, the buyer could back out resulting in more carrying costs and a lower offer price after putting your home back on the market. 

...........................

Q: How will it save me time?

A: If a home inspection is already completed and you provide it to the buyer, they may potentially write their offer without a home inspection contingency of their own, reducing the amount of time the transaction needs in order to close. 

..............................

Q: When should I have the pre-inspection done?

A: We suggest having the pre-inspection done while working to get your home ready to offer on the market. This way you can make any necessary repairs prior to any potential buyers viewing the home.

 

When scheduling the pre inspection you may do so at your convenience. Different from when a buyer purchases a home inspection, you may be present during this inspection, and assist the inspector through the process. There is no rule that says you have to get a pre-inspection. However, doing so can reveal issues with your home that you were unaware of. Here are some key points for why a pre-home inspection is always a good idea.

 

reasons

-The report will help with pricing your home correctly

-Avoid the need for renegotiation 

-Help improve buyer confidence

-Allow you to make repairs

-Speed up the sales process

-Reduce the stress of selling your home

 

For Pricing Information and Details, visit our friends at Magic City Inspections. Tell them the Make Minot Home Team sent you!   https://www.minotinspections.com/

Magic City Inspections

March 9, 2020

Home Inspections

An important part of the home buying process is the home inspection. This is when you will hire a professional to look for any major issues with the home prior to closing. The home inspection is a way for you to identify potential safety concerns, structural issues or functionality problems with the home before proceeding further into the buying process. 

 

 

Things You Should Know:

 

1.Who you use as your home inspector is completely up to you as the buyer. We always have suggestions if you do not already have a relationship with a home inspection company.

 

2. The home inspection is paid for at the time of inspection by the buyer. This cost varies by inspector so plan on a cost of $300-$400 in town and if you are buying outside of the area there may be mileage costs.

 

3. We will take care of getting the home inspection scheduled for you and notify the sellers. The home inspection will need to happen as soon as possible, but generally within 10 business days of acceptance of offer.

 

4. Once schedule, we will let you know what time you should show up if you are available to do a final walk through. The inspector can explain any issues they find in detail while you are there and inform you of the severity of any problems.

 

5. The inspector will send you, as well as us, a detailed report of their inspection. We will then review the report together and determine if there are any requests to submit to the seller to fix or adjustments to be made to the offer. 

 

6. Requests for the home inspection should generally fall in to one of the following categories: Safety Concerns, Functionality Problems or Structural Issues.

 

7. We will submit any requests formally in writing. The seller then responds either by accepting to handle the requests, or they may want to re-negotiate themselves. 

 

8. Once the requests are fully agreed upon in writing, the buying process continues to the next step. 

Feb. 6, 2019

Does this Spark Joy?

With Tidying Up With Marie Kondo on Netflix becoming more and more popular, the whole world has found the motivation to start the decluttering process looking for those things in their home that “spark joy”. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, try only spending 30 mins a day until you’ve gone through everything.

 

The best part about having a clutter-free home is having a relaxing, stress-free space to come home to every night. 

 

1.) Old Mail/Junk — Start with the junk mail and old bills that have been sitting on your counter or shoved in a drawer for months. Get rid of all garbage you have laying around your house. If you don’t have a use for it, throw it away.

 

2.) Pantry — Throw out all expired food in your pantry and your fridge. Use this time to deep clean your pantry and fridge as well since we all know it hasn’t been cleaned in months. Put your flour, sugar, cereal etc. in matching containers to make everything look like it has a place.

 

3.) Toys — Go through your children’s toys. Keep the good quality toys that’ll last them for another couple of years and get rid of anything broken or missing pieces. Donate the toys that they’ve grown out of. Keep the toys in bins or a toy box so there’s always a place for them. Have a bookshelf for all of their books. 

 

4.) Junk Drawers — I’ve never been in a home that doesn’t have a junk drawer. Empty it completely out, throw away all old pens that no longer work, old batteries, and whatever else you find that doesn’t have a use in your life. Once you’ve gone through the whole drawer, put everything back into a utensil organizer to keep everything in it’s place. 

 

5.) Closet — Empty out your closet and drawers. Donate anything that no longer fits you. Throw away any clothing with bleach stains or tears in it. Then go through the remaining and only keep the items you really love. Added bonus, it’ll make it easier to get dressed in the morning! 

 

6.) Decor — Nothing clutters a home more than too much decor! Pick a few pieces that you really love to display. If you can’t part with everything then store the remaining pieces and switch them out every few months for some change. 

 

7.) Storage — Everything should have a place. If you have a place for everything it makes it much easier to put it away when you’re done using it and keep everything out of sight. Get a TV stand with drawers so you have a place to put the remotes, a new nightstand that has some extra storage and that new coffee bar you’ve been eyeing. You can never have too much storage.

 

The most important part of the decluttering process is keeping up with it. Continue to put things where they go and throwing out any expired food or old mail. If you notice you haven’t worn a shirt in awhile, donate it. If you notice you no longer like the decor in your home, sell it and put out something new. Ask yourself whether an item is useful or not, or in the words of Marie Kondo: "Does is Spark Joy." If the answer is no, then its time to let it go and start creating a world free from unneeded things and stress. 

 

For those of you thinking about selling your home in the next 6 months, this is also a great way to make the process of getting your home on the market easier and less chaotic. Homes free from clutter and unnecessary items make a much better first impression to potential buyers and show just how clean, clear and inviting their future home can be. 

Posted in Home Maintenance
Jan. 28, 2019

Easy DIY weekend Projects

Remodeling your home can be a daunting task. Having a construction crew in your home day in and day out, not having a functioning kitchen or bathroom, or constantly cleaning up sawdust might be holding you back. Maybe it’s the cost of a full remodel. What if it was possible to update your home without a construction crew and keeping it budget friendly? Here are some quick updating tips that will help you love your home a bit more:

 

1.) Paint your kitchen cabinets - This isn’t necessarily an easy task as it is labor intensive in order to do it right, but with a few you tube tutorials, you can definitely handle it. Cleaning all your cabinets and cabinet doors, sanding everything down, priming, painting, and then putting everything back together is very time consuming. BUT it is budget friendly. Painting your cabinets can instantly transform your whole kitchen. While you’re at it, switch out your cabinet pulls. 

 

2.) Change out door knobs - One thing that can instantly date a home is old brass doorknobs. Switch all of them out in your home so they all match to either an oil rubbed bronze or brushed nickel. Choose more modern designs as well to add a little extra interest.  

 

3.) Update your Faucets - Switch out the faucets in your kitchen and bathrooms to match your doorknobs. Having everything in unison makes all of your updates look intentional and more put together. 

 

4.) Install New Outlet Covers - You’ll be surprised at how much an outlet can change your space. Getting rid of the old yellowed outlets will instantly brighten up your home and make it feel more new and contemporary.

 

5.) Curb Appeal - If your home looks dated from the outside, painting your front door or staining your deck a different tone can instantly spruce up the look. Planting some flowers or shrubs in front of your home, and updating your address plate can also help. 

 

6.) Paint your walls - Your walls should really be painted every few years to keep everything looking fresh and to keep up with home trends. It gives your walls a nice clean look. Whether you choose bold colors for an accent wall, or maintaining a neutral pallet, new paint makes everything feel brand new.

 

So if your home needs a bit of a facelift and you are willing to spend some time over the weekend, consider any of these projects. Remember to take before and after photos for all of your social media friends to see the results of your labor as well. We know they will “like” it.

MAKE MINOT HOME TEAM

KW INSPIRE REALTY, KELLER WILLIAMS

12 S. MAIN ST. MINOT

Posted in Home Ownership
Jan. 21, 2019

Saving for a Down Payment

One of the hardest parts of the home buying process is saving up for a down payment. While renting may seem like the easier choice, buying a home may be the most gratifying purchase of your lifetime. Instead of daydreaming over paint samples and tile options of a home that seems just out of reach, why not be proactive and start the saving process? Here are some helpful tips on saving up quickly.

 

1.) Fake your mortgage - If you know how much you would like to spend per month as a mortgage payment, put that amount into a savings account every month. Set a payment date on the calendar and always “pay” on time. Whether that is the first of the month or the day after pay day, as long as you don’t miss a payment. 

 

2.) Save your bonus - Take your holiday bonus from work, your tax return or any Christmas or birthday gifts of money and add it into your savings account. 

 

3.) Take control of your spending - Instead of dining out every night, start cooking your meals at home. Put the money you would’ve spent at a restaurant into your savings account instead. Every time you have some extra spending money and would like to go on a shopping spree, instead put that extra money away.

 

4.) Get a second job - If you have some extra time on your hands, get a second job where your entire paycheck can go towards your down payment. This doesn’t have to be long term! Anything will help you reach your goal. 

 

Saving for a down payment isn’t easy. You will have to make some sacrifices, wearing those old shoes in your closet you haven’t worn in awhile instead of buying the new pair you’ve been eyeing and spending the extra time making your meals at home. In the long run, it will be one of the best things you will ever do. 

 

On top of all that you can do for yourself, get educated on the different loan programs you may be eligible for. Most consumers think they need significantly more money for a down payment on a house than is actually needed. We can help connect you with local lenders to assist you through the lending process. 

 

I hope these tips will give you the motivation to start saving and turn those paint samples you’ve been collecting into painting the walls of your first home. 

Posted in Home Ownership