Highway 169: Major Construction In 2017

Attention residents and commuters in Plymouth, Golden Valley, St Louis Park, Minnetonka, and Hopkins: the season of road construction is coming early in 2017!

Several major construction projects will begin on Tuesday, January 10th, 2017 on US Highway 169. Both directions will be closed between Bren Road and 7th Street will be closed from January 17th through September 2017, weather permitting. For a more detailed overview of  the road closures, exit repairs, and major benchmark changes coming to the West Metro, view the MnDOT website’s full report on the planned construction deadlines and goals.

You landed your dream home! Now it’s time to decide what colors to paint your new spaces!
Why would red or yellow work great in your kitchen or dining room? What colors would give your home a feeling of luxury? Click on the link below to read more about the science behind colors, and what effect they have on human psychology.

Psychology of Color

Sources: paintersoflouisville.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/louisville-painter.html

http://www.clipartbest.com/clipart-4ib4Bdbig

When choosing between a townhouse or detached home, take your lifestyle, family size, where you work and your stage of life into consideration. Buy a home that fits your current and future needs. The type of home you decide on plays a significant role in your quality of life.

Definition

Townhouses are homes joined by a common wall, usually with access to the outside and a small yard area that may be share by the unit’s residents or by the entire townhome community. The homeowner may own the land on which a townhouse sits, but more than likely must share ownership of that land as part of a condominium or homeowner’s association. Detached houses are homes built on their own lots. Traditionally, a detached home offers more privacy than a townhouse and may have fewer restrictions, depending on its location. The home owner may also own the land the home sits on independent of others in the development.

Prices

Detached townhomes may have higher price tags than townhouses because they are not connected to another home. Townhouses can be located in communities that may or may not offer amenities, generally these homes have a more affordable price tag.  Townhouse owners may have less control over property usage. This also may be true of detached homes located in homeowners’ associations.

Maintenance

It goes without saying that a smaller yard requires less maintenance. If a townhouse is part of a condominium or homeowner’s association, the association provides maintenance services – so you can give up your lawn mower and shovels! However, townhouse owners pay a fee for maintenance that must be factored into monthly housing costs. Townhouse owners also may not have the flexibility to make major improvements that alter the home’s exterior. Detached homes, as a rule, require more time and money to maintain. With detached homes, owners have more flexibility make major improvements that can increase property values.

Accessibility

Because of the space required to build them, detached houses are usually located away from downtown areas. Townhouses, on the other hand, have the advantage of fitting onto smaller plots or vacant pieces of land, making such housing options more accessible to busy commercial areas. If your lifestyle or job centers around such areas, a townhouse may work for you. On the other hand, if sharing a common wall with your neighbor or having a small backyard do no suit your lifestyle, a detached house may better serve your needs.

Starting in January 2015, a new law takes effect that mandates all new homes 4,500-square-feet (whether all the square footage is finished or not) and larger are required to have residential fire sprinklers. All new homes will also be affected by other new energy code changes such as air exchangers and insulation changes. It is estimated that these changes could drive up prices of new homes by more than $10,000 when you factor in the sprinklers. If you are able to purchase a new home before these changes come, it will save you some money.

Minnesota homeowners and their families will benefit from this new law: residential fire sprinklers save lives and can minimize the damage caused by a house fire. In addition, most insurance companies offer a discount from 5 to 15% for homes with fire sprinklers.