May 2015

Sometimes you are faced with a difficult decision, such as renovating your current home or finding a new home that fits you better. Renovations can be expensive, but so can getting all the upgrades you want out of a new home.

Your budget will certainly need to be considered. However, you will need to consider many other parts of this big decision, too. Here are a few questions to start with if you're thinking of renovating or finding a new home.

Will the Renovations Increase the Value of Your Home?

Some renovations, such as the kitchen, bathrooms, a finished basement and others, will add value to your home. However, other renovations don't add value at all. If you're adding value, renovating may be a better decision, depending on how much

TwinCities.com has released its list of the Twin Cities Best Patios for 2015 and North Oaks’ Tria, is on it. What’s not to like about lunch or an early dinner in the open air with some of the best views in the Twin Cities?

Tria is the recipient of a slew of awards for its food and wine, such as Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence in 2011-2014 and numerous Minnesota Monthly Reader’s Choice awards. It’s patio, however, seems to be the biggest draw.

Last year, Tria was named to Pioneer Press’ Top 30 Best Patios in the Twin Cities and it has received similar awards throughout the years from CityPages, the Star Tribune, CitySearch and Minneapolis-StPaul Magazine.

Tria management has capitalized on these awards by offering Patio Parties throughout

A casual restaurant great for family dining, Davanni's Pizza & Hot Hoagies has been serving the area since 1975. It's a family-owned restaurant with plenty to offer. They use locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible and many of the workers grew up in the area. Here's what you can expect when you dine at Davinni's.

The Menu

Known for the "Legendary Pizza" Davanni's offers plenty of great items on the menu. Some of the favorites include:

• Five Meat Pizza
• Chicken & Roma Tomato with White Sauce Pizza
• Turkey Hoagie
• Club Hoagie
• Meatball Hoagie
• Buffalo Chicken Hoagie
• Tuna Melt
• Salami Hoagie
• Chicken Florentine Pasta
• Lasagna
• Oriental Chicken Salad
• Boneless Wings
• And More!

They also offer build your own

Granite City was started in St. Cloud, Minnesota and now has more than 30 locations in 13 states. The restaurant and brewery has won many awards across the nation for the food, beer, patio, cocktails and more. It even won the Nation's Restaurant News Hot Concept award.

Serving casual American cuisine, Granite City emphasizes freshness and high-quality throughout the entire menu. Everything is made from scratch with plenty of great choices on the menu. They also brew plenty of their own beers on-site with seasonal choices throughout the year.

The Menu

The menu is packed with great choices for all to enjoy. Some of the popular items include:

• Adult Bock Mac and Cheese
• Asian Glazed Shrimp
• BBQ Ribs
• Bleu Peppercorn Burger
• Candied

As we head into summer I'm reminded of a question we're asked just about all summer long: Does a swimming pool add value to a home?

Swimming pools add many benefits: an amazing way to cool off on a hot day and aesthetics to the landscape. A shimmering body of water lit up at night is striking -- especially if you entertain outdoors in the summer.

Before you consider installing a pool in your North Oaks backyard, however, read on. 

Who is Attracted to Pools and Who Isn't?

The typical homebuyer that has a swimming pool on his or her wish list is middle aged with teenage children, according to Better Homes and Gardens. The National Association of Homebuilders February study found that homebuyers that want one, however, will usually settle for

As the seasons change, it is important to make sure that your doors and windows are sealing properly and that you are not losing excess heat (during cold months) or letting in excess hot air (during hot months).

This process can save you a lot of money on your gas and electric bill, as drafts from doors and windows cause the cost of these bills to increase dramatically. Below are a few ways you can check for these leaks or areas of windows and doors that are allowing these drafts to come into your home.

Visual Inspection

First, you can check for doors or windows that may be causing drafts to enter or exit the house by visually checking their seals. Singled paned plate glass windows are sometimes more vulnerable to this type of heat loss

Curb appeal is one of the most important parts of your home when trying to sell it. Even if you're not selling, there's nothing better than coming home to an impressive looking home. Here are a few ways you can really make the curb appeal of your home great.

The Front Door

If the front door looks drab and run down, it doesn't put off the right first impression. Sometimes, a simple coat of paint does the trick, while other times, you need to replace the door. Make sure you choose the right color and the right style to make your entranceway look great.

A New Mailbox

Whether you want to show some personality through your mailbox or just replace the ugly one you have, the mailbox sends a message. It's a very easy project and updating the

Hot of the local MLS presses – the April 2015 North Oaks real estate market update! The spring homebuying season is underway, as you’ll no doubt notice in the statistics below.

News for North Oaks Home Buyers

Last month we promised you that there would be “lots more homes to look at this spring,” and, the MLS numbers prove us right. From April of last year to April 2015, we saw a whopping 154.5 percent increase in the number of new listings hitting the market. So, the only thing we’d change about the above quote is the word “lots” to “a huge number.”

In April’s numbers (the MLS releases statistics a month late) we also see that the inventory of available homes has increased more than 18 percent from April of last year.

Now, here’s the bad

Located in Roseville, Minnesota is Joe’s Crab Shack. Operating hours are Sunday through Saturday 11 am to 12 pm. The dining room hours allow for a light lunch, fabulous dinner, or a late evening snack.

What You Can Expect

The atmosphere at Joe’s in Roseville provides a seaside décor of repurposed wood and vintage fishing gear. It provides a trendy dining room which allows for the perfect location for a date night or lunch with clients or friends.

Piping hot, steaming seafood pots filled with a variety of lobster, crab, shrimp, smoked sausage, crawfish and clams with a hint of spice is quite popular with customers. Different combinations of steamed pots are offered, so you can choose what suits your taste.

Servers place bibs on customers

When it comes time to sell your North Oaks home it’s important to get clear on your motivation for doing so. If it isn’t obvious, such as to take a job in another town or because of a growing family, you may need to dig deep to discover just why it is you want to sell.

Understanding your motivation for selling, and keeping it top-of-mind during the process, will help prevent seller’s remorse.

What is Seller’s Remorse?

Just as brides and grooms can freak out and leave one another standing at the altar, those involved in a real estate transaction are at risk of the experience as well. It's called “cold feet,” when you leave your fiancé at the altar; in sales, the phenomenon is known as “buyer's remorse.” 

It is symptomized by that sinking