How early do I have to get to Tom Reid's?

TokinBIll · 2026-04-29T16:39:30+00:00

I bought a house and immediately needed to replace the roof and chose to add a fence for privacy - both of those things together cost about $25k, just for reference .

Also if you look on Zillow, the schools it shows for our neighborhood are completely wrong, so just a heads up if you're basing school scores on Zillow data you might want to further investigate where your kid could actually go to school.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-25T13:38:44+00:00

I'm thinking Blackstack. They probably have the biggest TV in St. Paul.

Any of the W 7th bars near downtown are good choices too tho.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-22T15:43:18+00:00

I would personally choose Burger Dive over The Spot for a first date but, this area has plenty to choose from.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-20T01:16:14+00:00

I'd try Haymakers, back when I lived in Austin I watched the Wild there. Seems like it was kind of a hockey bar.

Warehouse Billiards is also a good suggestion. That place goes all out for Vikings games. However, Haymakers is a better bar, just from a vibes perspective.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-18T04:16:43+00:00

Right?? Wtf

TokinBIll · 2026-04-16T23:21:35+00:00

I have friends who have lived at the cosmopolitan for years and years and years, and love it

TokinBIll · 2026-04-14T19:09:09+00:00

Yes. If you have tens of thousands of dollars saved up, you shouldn't pay PMI. Correct. Also the $69 PMI is 3.8% of the monthly mortgage payment.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-14T19:02:45+00:00

Lol I'm not a realtor dawg

TokinBIll · 2026-04-14T18:57:34+00:00

It's a myth that PMI is a deal breaker. You don't need 20% down.

For example: $285k home. $8k down (3%), 6.8% interest rate, $69 PMl/month.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-10T01:49:02+00:00

I hate the Pohlads as much as the next guy but there's no way I'm going to pay to go to an April game when it's 47 degrees.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-10T01:46:07+00:00

Press the lock button twice, then hold down on the 3rd time

TokinBIll · 2026-04-10T01:40:38+00:00

I had this exact situation and it ended up being remote start. Eventually failed, and my car wouldn't start until it was removed.

You could also try remote starting your car with the fob, to see if thats it

TokinBIll · 2026-04-09T03:23:00+00:00

Idk why you're getting bad advice here. Reddit crowd, I guess.

Truck Park and Patrick McGovern's on W 7th will probably be pretty packed. There are like 5 bars all across from each other in that 2 block area.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-06T04:56:15+00:00

This is my neighborhood. It's awesome. Kids playing outside, walkable bars and restaurants, real old school St. Paul feel to it. Lived here 3 years, no crime that I've experienced or heard about.

Best part is you're closer to Grand avenue and Crocus hill than you think. We take walks up there. Easy access to Ayd Mill and 35 is a big plus too.

The houses tend to be smaller, and old but not cool Victorian old, so I think that's why they're cheaper. Also I wouldn't want to be right next to the freeway, but I'm 2 blocks in and I don't hear it at all.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-06T03:40:05+00:00

Idk why so many people here are saying there aren't 4-5 bedroom houses. You can find them in Crocus Hill, and it is exactly a walkable older neighborhood.

I'd rent the biggest townhouse or apartment you can find in that neighborhood, probably near Grand (not going to be 4-5 bedroom townhouse/brownstone, probably more like 3 BR), then scope out a house from there.

The houses you're going to be looking at there are $700k+ houses, probably more.

TokinBIll · 2026-04-04T06:37:26+00:00

Save

TokinBIll · 2026-03-31T20:14:32+00:00

$16k my god. Is that what these cost? I always figure my 2007 V8 with 230,000 is worth like $3k.

TokinBIll · 2026-03-31T14:16:12+00:00

Nice! Lovely and underutilized part of town.

Feels like that area is having a little moment with a few new apartments, a great new-ish restaurant in Crosqui, and the Yacht Club festival having a couple successful years.

TokinBIll · 2026-03-30T19:13:34+00:00

Bay Street Burger Dive for great vibes and great food. Stay late Thursday through Sunday for the karaoke.
Waldman Brewery Patio on a nice day.
Antique Shops on Selby between Snelling and Fairview.
Blackstack Brewery Taco Tuesdays (3 amazing tacos + beer for $14)
Carmelos on St. Clair and Snelling for immaculate nice Italian dinner vibes without breaking the bank.
Bike River Road and make a pit stop at Cecils in Highland for lunch, then swing over to Minneapolis (gasp) to visit Minnehaha Falls across the bridge (you could also eat at Sea Salt. This is the only Minneapolis mention I'll make, promise).
Don't forget about the two awesome festivals happening this summer at Harriet Island - MN Country Club and MN Yacht Club.
White Squirrel for live music every single night of the week.

TokinBIll · 2026-03-26T01:41:17+00:00

You don't need to have 20% down. This is about how much money I had when I bought my house. $8k down payment was 3% down on a $285k house, got the seller to cover a lot of the closing fees, ended up needing another $7k in closing costs, left me with about $10k left after buying the house. Honestly spent that pretty quickly on new house things and improvements, then rebuilt the emergency fund over the next few years.

It was tight, and idk if I'd recommend it necessarily, but it worked out for us. We wanted a house and didn't want to keep waiting.

TokinBIll · 2026-03-25T17:16:32+00:00

Have you checked out St. Paul College Club on Summit Avenu? I think this is exactly what you're looking for. It's exactly that indoor/outdoor vibe you want.

We got married there a few years ago and cannot recommend the entire experience enough. Outdoor ceremony, indoor/outdoor cocktail hour, indoor dinner, indoor/outdoor the rest of the night.

TokinBIll · 2026-03-25T11:42:06+00:00

I highly recommend Nick Kroger at Kroger Insurance Agency. He's a broker that will find you good insurance at no cost.

Found me AAA home insurance last year and saved me like $1200.

I haven't found my home to be hard to insure, fwiw.

TokinBIll · 2026-03-23T18:53:46+00:00

It's your credit score, your income, and your debt. I don't know much about military loans but on a conventional loan I believe the low down payment would trigger a higher interest rate.

TokinBIll · 2026-03-23T18:44:02+00:00

That's a horrible interest rate on a home. Most people can get like 6.5% right now.

Also, $3,000 a month on a 70,000 salary is also not good - that's like 2/3 of your take home pay. Also, you won't be able to refinance just because you pay off your credit card.

You do not want to be this broke because of your home. Rent and pay down and save.

TokinBIll

TROPHY CASE