December 2015

When you first notice a flaw in your house, maybe a scuffed baseboard or peeling paint, you vow to fix it. For any number of reasons you just don’t get around to it but, interestingly, after a while, it becomes invisible. You just stop noticing that stuff.

That’s fine if you aren’t planning on selling the home. If you are thinking of selling your St. Paul home, however, you’ll need to get out the paint brushes and tarps and get to work.

Let’s take a look at three easy and cheap fix-up jobs that will help you get the most money you can from the sale of your home.

Flooring

You may think that a dirty carpet won’t stop the sale of your home. After all, the buyer only need rent a carpet shampooer at Home Depot and the problem is solved,

If you're a fellow Italian cuisine fan - head over heels in amore with everything from risotto to cannoli - downtown St. Paul is your new foody heaven. We have so many Italian restaurants that it’s truly a challenge to find the best. So, we’ll let you choose. Check out any of these eateries the next time you crave something more than pizza and pasta.

Cossetta Alimentari/Louis Ristorante and Bar

Just want a quick slice? Grab it at Cossetta’s. Visit the bakery and grocery store while you’re there. If you want something more substantial, however, head upstairs to Louis Ristorante and Bar. The Primi menu is a pasta-lover’s delight, the Secondi section is where you’ll find the cioppino, veal saltimbocca and chicken parmigiana. If you’re a fan of

The latest St. Paul MLS stats are out and the city saw a 7.1 percent jump in its median sales price – it now stands at $166,000. That’s only $3,000 less than our year-to-date average so it looks like we’re right on track to show higher home prices overall for 2015.

We saw a nearly 10 percent increase in new listings over this time last year and the same number we had last month. More homes sold, however, so our inventory has decreased nearly 23 percent.

Homes for sale in St. Paul are selling quicker than they did at this time last year, in an average 72 days instead of the 87 days they remained on the market last year.

The winning St. Paul neighborhoods

When we break the St. Paul real estate market down into neighborhoods we find clear

Ready or not, the holidays are upon us. With all the shopping, decorating and cooking taking up so much of what used to be our leisure time, this is also the season for takeout. This week we thought we’d make it even easier on you by pointing you in the direction of some of St. Paul’s most popular takeout restaurants – and no, none of them have “Mc” in front of their names.

Big Daddy’s Old Fashioned Barbecue

Whether you’re craving a pulled-pork sandwich or a slathery slab of pork or beef ribs, Big Daddy’s will have it ready for you when you arrive. If you’re like us, and you depend on Yelp reviews, you’ll love knowing that Big Daddy’s Old Fashioned Barbecue has been recognized by Yelp for maintaining a 4.5 out of 5 rating. That’s not the only

December 4-6

23rd Annual St. Paul Ice Fishing & Winter Sports Show

Ice fisher-people and winter sports aficionados will love this year’s show, with more than 190 exhibits, and tons of products and services to peruse. See the latest in ice fish houses, underwater cameras, augers and more. Even if you don’t enjoy ice fishing, this would be a great place to shop for holiday gifts for those on your list that do.

The show is open tomorrow from 1:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. It’s being held at St. Paul RiverCentre at 175 Kellogg Boulevard West.

December 6-22

The Chanukah Guest

Celebrate the holidays by attending this family-friendly production by the