December 2015

You don’t need me to tell you that there is no place in the Twin Cities metro that quite compares to North Oaks and that includes our real estate market. Because of its small size, even the slightest of changes sound dramatic.

For instance, it might be shocking to hear that the number of new home listings in North Oaks dropped more than 25 percent last month over November of 2104. In reality, the actual number of new listings fell by only eight.

The number of homes sold in North Oaks, however, increased 40 percent, dragging our inventory of available homes down even further. We now have a 5.9 month supply of homes for sale. Now, this is the sign of a balanced market, and quite unlike most other Twin Cities metro real estate markets.

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One of the great parts about winter in Minnesota is that ice skaters can actually enjoy their favorite recreation on outdoor ice. You have to admit, the views are much nicer out there. Since some prefer indoor ice, however, we’re going to share with you both types of ice rinks near North Oaks.

Shoreview

The City of Shoreview offers seven outdoor ice skating rinks with warming houses throughout the city. You’ll find them listed, with addresses, here.

Highland Arena

Located in St. Paul, the Charles M. Schulz/Highland Arena Complex offers ice sheets, so it’s quite the popular ice skating destination. The Highland Arena offers year-round skating with a learn-to-skate program, multiple hockey leagues and so much more. Get the open skating

Do you realize that in less than two weeks, the kids will be out of school for winter break? Yikes! What will you do with them this year? Time for a pre-holiday day trip to let off some steam? Or maybe just stick close to home. Read on for some ideas. 

Get out of town

How about a day at Wild Mountain in Taylors Falls, Located about an hour northeast of North Oaks, near the St. Croix National Riverway, the snowboarding and skiing is suitable for all levels, even the little ones. You’ll find 26 trails, a newbie discovery area and four terrain parks. The tubing is amazing here.

Wild Mountain is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. On Fridays they remain open until 10:00 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays they open a half hour

We’re heading for a whopping high temperature of 36 degrees today and, although winter has barely begun, there will come a time in the next month or two that cabin fever may begin to set in. When the outdoors is at its bleakest, it’s time to remind yourself that it’s only temporary and the best way to do that is by bringing some lively color to the indoors.

Sure, your basic holiday foil-wrapped poinsettia will add a pop of color, but consider bringing home something a bit unexpected to cheer up the interior of your home and welcome your winter guests.

Peace Lily

Why we love it: The peace lily practically grows in the dark. Since the shortest winter day in Minnesota (December 21) is about 8 hours long, and there is often little sunlight during