Home Sweet Home, Insider-Tips on Minnesota real estate.

How to Avoid the Prying Eyes

Almost every major website you visit is tracking your online activity. Here's a step-by-step guide to fending off trackers

The Internet is rife with surveillance technology, read how you can cover some of your tracks.

By JENNIFER VALENTINO-DEVRIES published in the Wall Street Journal

Poll: Few homeowners regret purchase

Surprise! Ninety percent of homeowners say they don't regret buying their home despite a nationwide tsunami of foreclosures, short sales and loan modifications, according to a national poll commissioned by Bankrate.com.  By contrast, just 9 percent of homeowners answered "yes" to the question, "Do you have any regrets about buying your current home?"
 
Americans' contentment with their homes is probably the biggest surprise in a June 24 to June 27 poll of 1,001 randomly selected adults, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates.
 
Here's a result that's not so startling: Homeowners have become savvier about their mortgages.
 
In this year's survey, only 8 percent of homeowners with mortgages didn't know whether they have a fixed-rate or adjustable-rate loan, or something more exotic. Compare that to two years ago, when a Bankrate-commissioned poll found 26 percent of borrowers couldn't identify their mortgage type.
 
Among homeowners who regret having bought their homes, 31 percent said they feel woeful because they are unable to sell and move on. Another 22 percent said it was because they couldn't afford the monthly mortgage payments.  Some 23 percent said they have regrets for other, unspecified reasons. The rest volunteered their own reasons for wishing they hadn't bought their home.

Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen's oceanfront home in Malibu, Calif

The roughly 5,800-square-foot home, listed for $29.5 million, has five bedrooms, a deck with a pool, a gym and a screening room, according to the listing

By JULIET CHUNG view the photos in the Wall Street Journal

Simple rules of negotiating.

Whether it's negotiating for a car or a house to be successful follow these three simple rules:

1. It's not a war where one side wins and the other side loses. Both sides need to negotiate in good faith so both sides win. I recall a transaction when I was involved in multi-offers. The sellers accepted my client's lower offer simply because the sellers met and liked my clients and wanted my clients to live in their house.
2. Don't renegotiate settled items.  Once a term or an item has been agreed upon don't attempt to go back and renegotiate that item in hopes of wining concessions for something else.  This mistake typically leads to the party becoming angry.  When in doubt refer to #1 above.
3. Your offer should be sincere. Sometimes Realtors get in the way of their clients' wishes.  When in doubt of sincerity, again refer to #1 above.

House of the Future: Then and Now

A comparison of how far imagination has taken us

Inman News reporter recently wrote about the evolution of futuristic homes by starting with the theme park’s unusual attraction during the 1960s. Called “The Monsanto House of the Future”, the plastics company-sponsored home was a peek at how domestic life will change in 1986.

by Matthew Denton

The Innoventions Dream Home takes us to house of the future. The 360-degree home tour makes you want to build something closer to what Disney has done. In cooperation with some companies like Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft, the house is a technological/architectural marvel of its kind. Here’s a guided tour video:

America's Coolest Beach Homes 2010

With summer heat just around the corner, you can bet plenty of people are planning trips to the shore. But what could be "cooler" experience than actually owning a mansion on the sand?

TopTenRealEstateDeals.com has compiled a list of America's Ten Coolest Beach Homes, and although the word "beach home" elicits thoughts of a secondary residence, all of the properties featured here include amenities rarely seen in . . .  Read more

America's Five Most Expensive Homes

America's five Most Expensive Homes find out who owns them and how much they cost. Watch the video from msn real estate

snopes.com: Daily Snopes

snopes.com: Daily Snopes

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Make your home healthier

You may be surprised to find out that the air we breathe inside our homes every day can be several times more polluted than the air outside. It makes sense when we take stock of the many chemicals we bring into our homes. Do your part and reduce indoor air pollution when you make smarter choices about the furniture, paints and cleaning supplies you buy for your home.

For the complete article go to

<a href="http://rismedia.com/2010-04-17/around-the-home-make-your-home-healthier/">Around the Home – Make Your Home Healthier | RISMedia</a>

Panama is paradise for retirees

Cheap real estate, a low cost of living, fabulous scenery and relaxed pace should put this gem at the top of the list for Americans.

Panama is one of the best places in the world for retirees today, combining a low cost of living, near-perfect weather and one of the world's best discount programs for retirees

To read the remaining msn.com article click here