The Thanksgiving holiday is past but the season of gratitude and thanks is here. I thought I would share a short quote from Melody Beattie in celebration of the season.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melody Beattie

Mike and I hope you had a joyous Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

Warm Wishes,

Statistics From Minneapolis Association of Realtors

Seriously? I only get a minute?

00:01 "Why should I buy now? It seems like property values keep dropping."

00:05 Good question! Look at two things: 1) Rental costs and 2) borrowing costs. Answers may lie there...

00:09 First, rental costs, are frequently close to the amount you would pay per month if you owned the same home with a loan at 80% of its value (after tax considerations).  Also, rental prices in the Twin Cities market are on the rise and our area is considered one of the highest-priced rental markets in the country. Since rental costs, therefore, are likely to increase over time, renting introduces a lack of security in one's housing situation cost-wise. Compounding this cost insecurity is the possibility that the rental situation could end at a time that is not convenient for you (e.g. landlord sells, or stops making payments to the bank).

00:41 Secondly, borrowing costs are extremely (and artificially) low. The Feds have manipulated the bond markets via massive purchases in order to try to keep rates low and the housing market moving. As with all government-led spending sprees, the party will end at some point and borrowing costs will shoot higher. What this means is that your buying power will decrease by 20% when rates move up 2% from today's levels. So if you qualify for a $250k purchase now, that figure would go to $200k when rates hit 6%. Historically, mortgage rates are normally between 7% and 9%.

01:0  

I have a new favorite seafood restaurant in Minneapolis; it's Sea Change. My apologies to Oceanaire, but this sophisticated establishment, which also happens to have a cool vibe has won me over.

If you are not familiar with Sea Change it is in the historic mill district and is located on the ground floor of the Guthrie Theater.

This might be considered a "special occasion" type of place for many people. The entrée prices hover in the low twenty dollar range but it's hard to bypass their delectable small plates so the dinner ticket can expand quickly. Special occasion or not, the outstanding and sustainable seafood is well worth it.

It is not too surprising that this newer restaurant in the Guthrie is a success since Tim McKee is at the helm. Chef McKee is the creative power behind other notable restaurants such as La Belle Vie, Solera, Barrio and Smally's Caribbean Barbeque. Additionally he won the James Beard award in 2009 for best chef in the Midwest.

Like most great places the menu is limited. It was hard to pick a favorite because all six dishes that we had were outstanding. I highly recommend the tuna poke, diver scallop appetizer and the mussels. We ventured out with grilled octopus and I would definitely order it again. You really can not make a poor choice.

I love the fact that you can go to Sea Change just to enjoy a drink at the bar, have a delightful five course dinner or just grab a couple of small plates while sitting outside on their patio. There is something for all moods. This is a place to check out; special occasion or not.