Dear friends and clients,

I just want to say THANK YOU for what has turned out to be a great year! My family and I are greatful for all your support and loyalty over the 2012 year. We had a huge change with a new broker buying our office, we are now Re/Max Advantage Plus. The transition was seamless and business seemed to improve. Thanks to YOU!

As we all know, the last 4 years in the real estate market have been rocky and more down than up? Whether we owned lakeshore homes, single family homes or condos, we looked at our assessed values each year and felt a shiver run down our spine. In my opinion that shiver may become a warm and fuzzy feeling in 2013.

I was so pleased to see numbers and the overall outlook turn positive across the board for several months in a row. Single family home sales are seeing the best reported numbers in years. Lake Minnetonka lakeshore homes, many in the upper bracket ranges too, are selling at a pace not seen in many years. Perhaps consumer confidence and low interest rates are a few of the reasons.

Another reason is that inventories are down too. While demand, due to low interest rates, is up. Economics 101 will tell us that lower inventory and increased demand will bring increased values/prices. This is great news that the market is stabilizing. Now is the time to buy!

Thanks again for a great year and I wish you and your loved ones good health and happiness over the holidays.

Tim