Category Archives: Uncategorized

Highway 55 Closed from Medina to Greenfield from July 30 2012 through Early September


Posted by John Murphy

MnDOT is working on resurfacing State Highway 55 from Medina to Greenfield beginning today, July 30th through early September.  Highway 55 will be closed from County Road 101 to County Road 19.  This should make for lots of congestion at the intersection of Highway 55 and County Road 101.  That’s where people turn to head north to Wild Meadows, Medina Highlands and of course Target and Office Max in Medina.  It’s also the intersection where people head south up the hill to Uptown Hamel where St. Anne’s is located as well as Farmers State Bank, West Financial and the world renowned Howie’s Barbershop.

 

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Hampton Hills Beauty by Homes by Tradition – Arlington Model’s Fabulous Lighting!


Posted by John Murphy

 

Homes by Tradition Hampton Hills Arlington Plan Parade of Homes #141

Homes by Tradition Hampton Hills Arlington Plan Parade of Homes #141

Homes by Tradition builds some beautiful homes and they certainly have done it again with the Arlington model which is being shown in the Parade of Homes Spring Preview #141 in the Hampton Hills neighborhood located in northwest Plymouth Minnesota.

It’s my understanding that his home is currently sold but you could choose to have this home built by Homes by Tradition on a different lot in Hampton Hills or Spring Meadows where they also have some lots available.

There were a couple of things that really struck me as I viewed the home.  There is a combination of old world charm combined with a light, bright open feeling.  The curvature in the entries is very different than what one finds in most new homes today.  That probably gives it the old world charm effect.  The floor plan is open and I’m sure the paint colors along with the many windows allow for lots of natural sunlight.  The home is good sized but not overly huge.  The main floor master suite is a big draw I’ve been told and can see why.

Homes by Tradition Hampton Hills Arlington Plan - 01

Homes by Tradition - Gorgeous Lighting in Informal Dining

What I wanted to call attention to was the striking nature of the lighting in this home.  It’s absolutely stunning.  Below are pictures so you can see them, but they really don’t do justice to the elegant, modern feel that they provide.  They really are an outstanding complement to the rest of the design of the home and they go way beyond much of the standard lighting seen in so many of the new homes today. The lighting was done by Southern Lights located in Burnsville Minnesota.

Homes by Tradition Hampton Hills Arlington Plan

Gorgeous kitchen lighting over Center Island - Homes by Tradition

Homes by Tradition and their lighting designer are to be commended for the choices they made.  I suspect the lighting may have pushed the budget a bit but what a difference it can make in a home.  A few thousand dollars in lighting can make a good home a spectacular home as long as the style works well with the rest of the home.

The rest of the home is just as beautiful and it’s no wonder the home sold during the first two weeks of the Parade of Homes.  Learn more about Homes by Tradition or certainly stop out and see their new homes on display during the Parade of Homes in Hampton Hills which runs through April 1, 2012.

Enjoy the gallery below of photos from the Arlington model in Hampton Hills.  The photos are courtesy of Homes by Tradition and are being published with their full approval.  To see even more of the pictures of this home or to view other beautiful homes that they have built, check out the Homes by Tradition Facebook Page.

If you would like some help and consultation on new construction, please check out our new construction buyers representation services.  Also, you may wish to request your free copy of the Plymouth New Construction Report or the Maple Grove New Construction Report.  The Medina report will be produced in the next couple of weeks.

Click on any image below to enlarge.

 

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City of Plymouth, MN 2030 Comprehensive Plan


Posted by John Murphy

Given the amount of building and development that has begun in Plymouth, MN over the past 18 months, it might be helpful to have ready access to the Plymouth, MN 2030 Comprehensive Plan.  This is the plan that they city worked on for a few years prior to it being approved by the Metropolitan Council which is the entity that oversees the sewer, water and ultimately all the future development plans in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.

The Plymouth, MN 2030 Comp Plan is broken down in to multiple chapters:

1) Introduction

2) Community Background

3) Land Use

4) Housing

5) Surface Water

6) Transportation

7) Parks, Trails and Open Space

8) Water Supply

9) Sanitary Sewer

10) Public Facilities

There is also an extensive Appendix which further explains Land Use and discusses the public process that was involved when the City of Plymouth created its 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

Certainly if you have questions about development issues, it’s best to contact the City of Plymouth Planning Department directly:

Contact 
Planning Division
Plymouth City Hall | 3400 Plymouth Blvd. | Plymouth, MN 55447-1482
P 763-509-5450 | F 763-509-5407 | planning@plymouthmn.gov

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New Construction Homes for Sale Plymouth, MN


Posted by John Murphy

There are 16 new construction homes for sale in Plymouth, MNright now priced from about $525,000 to $1,050,000.  A few of these homes are built by Lennar and Pulte, but

Model Home - Master Suite

Image by josh-ferris via Flickr

the rest are built by local Minnesota custom builders.

Plymouth, MN remains one of the shining stars in the new construction market and while this is great news for local builders and some of the nationals, it continues to put a lot of pressure on other sellers who have their existing homes for sale in Plymouth.

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Spring Meadows Development, Plymouth, MN (Pictures)


Posted by John Murphy

Spring Meadows is located in northwest Plymouth and in the Wayzata School District.  There are several custom home builders constructing new homes in this neighborhood.  The project has been and continues to be an enormous success by any measure.  Most of these homes are priced between $600-$800k.  Below are some pictures I took a few weeks ago during the Parade of Homes.  As you can see, there is still a lot of construction going on!

 


Plymouth New Construction Report: Taryn Hills, The Willows, Spring Meadows, Hampton Hills and Taylor Creek


Posted by John Murphy

Plymouth New Construction Report - John Murphy Homes

Plymouth, MN continues to be one of the leading communities in the Twin Cities in terms of new builds.  New construction is going up at quite a pace in northwest Plymouth.  I’ve put together a new report with the following information.

  • Number of New Homes built and sold year to date
  • Average Sales Price
  • Average Price per Square Foot
  • Complete with pictures when available

Neighborhoods included will be:

  • Lennar’s Taryn Hills
  • Pulte’s The Willows
  • Spring Meadows
  • Hampton Hills
  • Taylor Creek

Please fill out the form below to receive your  report.

Comments or questions are welcome.

*(denotes required field)

 


Plymouth Dog Park


Posted by John Murphy

The Plymouth, MN dog park, also known as Egan Dog Park, is located in northwest Plymouth on County Road 47 about a half mile west of the Lake Camelot Estates neighborhood is a very popular place.  The city of Plymouth just installed a new asphalt parking lot and new curbing to replace the gravel parking lot.  My photos happen to catch the park when it was nearly empty as it was a weekday at about 2pm.  However, if you come by on a nice weekend day, it’s quite crowded.  It looks like a great place to hang out – if you’re a dog!

Plymouth, MN Dog Park

Plymouth Dog Park

For even more photos, check out the link to my Picasa Web Album for the Plymouth Dog Park.  Also, I just found that there is a Facebook Page for the Plymouth Dog Park.

Check out my other blogs, here and here for more local and national real estate and economic information.


Homes by Tradition Wins Two Reggie Awards for Spirit of Brandtjen Homes in Lakeville


Posted by John Murphy

The following article was originally published by Craig Kamman of Edina Realty. It is reprinted with permission.

The Fall Parade of Homes has finished a successful year.  Many areas have reported great traffic at their model homes showing positive signs that we have rounded the corner on the market.  With the close of the Parade of Homes comes the announcement of the winners of the Reggie Awards.

From the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC):

For more than 40 years, local builders have coveted the Reggie Award statue more than any other. And for 20 years Associates and Builders have entered the Trillium Awards together to showcase their successful partnerships. Winners are selected by judging teams of builders, associates and consumers who visit homes within their category and meet together to select the best example of excellence in design, construction quality and value. Reggie Awards are given to the Builder.

The Trillium Awards were established to honor our associates for their partnership with builders. As Reggie winning homes are judged the very best, so now the Trillium Awards will be given to all entered participating associates in a Reggie-winning home. The winners of this Falls Parade of Homes wereannounced.

I wanted to focus  on one builder in particular, Homes By Tradition.  The reason I want to focus on them is because they won not just one Reggie Award but they won 2 Reggie Awards in this Fall Parade of Homes.  In my opinion, they design and build some of the nicest new homes in the Twin Cities.

click on image to enlarge
The first award they won was for their model at Spirit of Brandtjen Farms in Lakeville, MN.  The model is at 18641 Draft Horse Blvd. Lakeville.
This home is a beautiful “farmhouse” style in the superb setting of their Spirit of Brandtjen Farm community.
This home won the Reggie Award is the $355,000 – $384,999 class. The Trillum Winners for this home were won by Aspen Electric Inc, Glowing Hearth & Home, and Southern Lights.
click on image to enlarge

Homes By Traditions second Reggie Award was also at Spirit of Brandtjen Farms in Lakeville for their model home at 5075 167th Street Lakeville, MN.   This home won the Reggie Award for the $575,000 – $749,999 class.

click on image to enlarge

The Trillium Winners for this home were Aspen Electric Inc., Glowing Hearth & Home, and JJ Vanderson & Co.

This home was a featured model in the Parade for being one of the first to earn the Minnesota Green Path Certification .  Another reason I believe Homes by Tradition is a market leader.

 

 

How does one win a Reggie Award?  It is quite simple, but not very easy.   To win a Trillium Award a Home Builder needs to stand out of the crowd in excellence.  This is done by superior design, attention to detail and value.  The Reggie Award winners are the home builders that are leading the trends and stand out from the rest.

What I think sets Homes By Tradition apart from the crowd is their ability to create warm feeling home designs reminiscent of the traditional homes we all know and love while incorporating all of today’s lifestyle needs and technology creating a New Traditional home.  They are able to implement this feeling effectively as they also design and create neighborhood communities with this same feeling of Home.

Spirit of Brandtjen Farms in Lakeville, MN is a perfect example of the community neighborhood they are able to create and design.  Spirit of Brandtjen Farms is in Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District #196.

 Check out Spirit of Brandtjen Farms website.

 

 

  

They offer these great neighborhoods throughout the Twin Cities ;  Hampton Hills in Plymouth, Dancing Waters in Woodbury, Heritage Landing in Prior Lake, Cobbelstone Lake in Prior Lake, Argenta Hills in Inver Grove Heights, and Territory in Credit River.

If you have not seen Homes By Tradition homes or neighborhoods, I encourage you to go check at their great designs and home at their models from 12:00 – 5:00 daily.

One of their new neighborhoods that I think is really exciting is Hampton Hills in Plymouth, MN.  They are currently under construction on a second model home, but you can still see their first model home.  I believe we might see the next Reggie Award come from this new neighborhood.   They have a great model there open daily from 12:00-5:00.

Congratulations to everyone at Homes By Tradition.  You earned these awards.

Homes By Tradition President, Dean Nelson Accepting both Reggie Awards
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Builders Association of the Twin Cities September 2011 Hot Sheet – Promising Signs?


Posted by John Murphy

The BATC is out with it’s latest hot sheet for the month of September.  As BATC president, and co-owner of Imperial Homes, Rich Riemersma is quoted as saying, “the regional residential housing industry has remained in a holding pattern for almost three years, but we continue to see promising signs.”  There are pockets where business is doing well, but there is still definitely a cautious tone for the builders.

As I’ve noted many times before, Plymouth continues to be a standout area for new construction and not just in the Twin Cities.  It’s quite remarkable what’s happening here as many of the home builders across that nation are really flat on their backs.


(Video) Hampton Hills and Taylor Creek Developments – Plymouth, MN


Posted by John Murphy

Here’s a brief driving tour of Hampton Hills and Taylor Creek in northwest Plymouth, MN.  The clip was made September 25, 2011 during the Parade of Homes.  This tour shows some of the areas where the future development will be built.

For more real estate videos, be sure to visit John Murphy Homes YouTube Channel.