U.S. Home Talk
U.S. Home Talk is your resource to the real estate market, mortgages and home improvements. U.S. Home Talk will cover a variety of related topics that will prove educational, informative, and entertaining, including New Construction, Investing in Real Estate, Selling in Today's Market, Mortgage and Credit Scores, Financing, Luxury Homes, and more. Jason Walgrave with The Minnesota Real Estate Team and RE/MAX Advantage Plus will provide the “insiders” perspective on real estate topics that are headlining the news, and relevant to our listeners. Jason and his Team have developed an extensive network of industry specialists that will join the show to address specific topics each week. Mike Ouverson will present a mortgage market update each week. Listeners are welcome to call in live and ask the experts what you want to know about real estate and related topics. You are also encouraged to send us questions or comments via e-mail. All questions that are asked will be answered.
Episodes
176 episodes
A Negotiation Market, what does that mean for you?
“Buyer’s market” and “seller’s market” don’t really capture what’s happening on the ground anymore. We’re seeing a negotiation market, where the real advantage comes from knowing when a home has leverage and when it doesn’t, how long it has bee...
Moving Without Losing Your Mind
Moving day doesn’t have to feel like a full-contact sport. We’re breaking down the small decisions that make a huge difference when you’re packing, loading, and trying to feel settled fast, whether you’re moving across town or into your first h...
Landscaping Upgrades That Sell
Your yard can do a lot more than sit there and grow grass. We get practical about landscaping trends that actually change how a home feels, from the first look at the curb to the way you live in the backyard on a crisp fall night. Jason Walgrav...
How To Tour The Fall Parade Of Homes Like A Pro
This is our socks And crocs approved home touring guide!You can learn more about real estate in one afternoon of touring than in weeks of scrolling listings, if you know what you’re looking for. We break down how to use the Fall Parade o...
You Can Refinance A Rate But Not A Price
Mortgage rates are the loudest headline in real estate, but they’re often the wrong decision-maker. We’re digging into a question we hear constantly from buyers: “Should I wait until rates drop?” Our answer is direct, backed by math and market ...
The Fastest Way To Make An Older Home Feel New Again
Mini Claps And Major Upgrades For A More Valuable HomeMost home improvement advice sounds like a blank check. We wanted a list that’s grounded in what buyers notice first, what inspectors flag, and what actually changes how a home feels...
You Can Stay Comfortable Without Running The AC All Day
Tinfoil The Windows And Call It Science!Your house can be perfectly fine and still feel impossible in a humid heat wave, then your electric bill shows up and makes it worse. We get real about what drives air conditioning costs up in the...
Your Junk Drawer Is Lying To You
Your house is not “messy,” it’s overloaded and that’s a different problem with a different fix. We dig into decluttering tips that work in real homes with real schedules: setting a clear goal, starting small, and building a repeatable routine s...
It’s Not The Heat Dome, It’s The Listing Drought
The story of the 2026 housing market isn’t hiding in a national headline, it’s living in your local inventory, your neighborhood price band, and what buyers are doing right now. We’re sharing a mid-year real estate market update from two Midwes...
Why Ramblers Are Ranches In Disguise
Your favorite home style is never just a “look” it’s a set of tradeoffs you live with every day. We’re Marcus and Jason Walgrave, and we’re breaking down America’s most popular architectural styles with a real estate lens, comparing what we act...
What Your House Quietly Signals To Thieves
A burglar rarely “targets” a home the way people imagine. Most of the time, they notice a signal, an easy opening, a dark house, an uncut lawn, a patio door that looks forgotten and they take the chance. So we get concrete about home security a...
What If Stability Is The Best Investment
Rent keeps rising, and it can feel like your housing payment disappears the moment you send it. We dig into a different way to look at the decision: what if your monthly payment could help you build wealth, buy you more freedom, and give your f...
Eight Mortgage Myths That Still Trip Up Buyers
The mortgage world is full of “common knowledge” that quietly costs buyers time, money, and confidence. We sit down with Jason Walgrave and Marcus Walgrave to pull apart eight of the most persistent mortgage myths and replace them with what act...
Ways you are Accidentally Improving your Credit Score
Credit doesn’t just decide whether you get approved for a mortgage, it quietly shapes what you pay and what options you have long before you’re house hunting. We talk through the real ways a credit score shows up in everyday life, from home ins...
What If Your Biggest Energy Leak Is Habit
Your summer utility bill is not just about the weather, it is about the small decisions that stack up every single day. We sit down and build a simple, realistic plan for lowering electricity and water costs while still keeping your home comfor...
The Mortgage World Has Secret Menus
You can have an 800 credit score, real money for a down payment, and steady cash coming in every month and still get told “no” because your tax returns do not tell the story lenders want to see. We dig into the mortgage reality behind that disc...
When Selling Your Home Is A Rescue Plan
Foreclosure talk is back, and we keep hearing the same scary line: “foreclosures are rising.” We slow that down and look at what “rising” actually means when the market is coming off near record lows. If you’re a homeowner feeling squeezed by h...
First-Time Home Seller Checklist (Part 2)
A home doesn’t lose value only from big problems. It can lose momentum from tiny signals like a dark bedroom, a sticky front door, or that one unfinished project you’ve stopped noticing. We pick up our first-time home seller to-do list and focu...
First-Time Home Seller Checklist (part 1)
Take Down The Naked Painting And Wash The Siding!Most sellers think the big wins come from granite and gadgets. We think the real wins happen earlier, when a buyer walks in and instantly feels two things: this home is cared for, and mov...
Fix it or List it?
You can spend a fortune “fixing everything” and still wonder why your sale price didn’t jump the same amount. That frustration is exactly what we tackle as we answer a question we hear constantly from homeowners getting ready to list: what home...
The Listing Fixes That Get You Offers Fast
Your home is on the market, the photos look fine, and yet… no offers. That’s not “bad luck” when buyers are out there paying $50,000 over asking. We get real about the uncomfortable truth: if a listing isn’t moving in a competitive real estate ...
New Construction Or Existing Home Pros And Cons
New build or existing home? That one choice can change your monthly payment, your weekends, and even how you feel when you pull into the driveway. We talk through the real pros and cons of new construction vs existing homes, using what we’re se...
When A Tweet Impacts Your Rates
Mortgage rates swing on headlines, but the real story is how those swings change buyer behavior and competition. We map out why a brief jump into the mid-6% range can create a short window where your offer has a better shot at getting accepted....
Greener Grass Fast!
The lawn is a lawn and a lawn is needed when you want a lawn so it should be green? What about a lawn that is a lawn and isn't green? That's bad. So green lawn. The lawn is a lawn and a lawn is needed when you want a lawn so it should be green?...
Part-Time Agent, Full-Time Headache
Hiring a realtor isn’t a formality—it’s a high-stakes decision that shapes your money, timeline, and stress level. We break down the exact questions that separate seasoned pros from well-meaning amateurs, starting with the biggest filter of all...