The new ice skating rink in downtown Omaha is a delightful addition to the city's winter attractions.

The RiverFront’s Skate Ribbon is in Heartland of America Park. It opened just a few months ago for roller skating and rollerblading.

But last week it was transformed into a winter wonderland, offering residents and visitors a unique ice skating experience.

The best part. It's free.

Skate rentals are available. And you may need to plan ahead. There are 50 slots per half hour. Online reservations are available, but you can also walk up to see if there are openings.

The opening of the rink is perfectly timed for the holiday season, providing a festive and fun outdoor activity for families, couples, and individuals of all ages.

And

The Street of Dreams event this year will feature a total of eight homes, with prices ranging from $950,000 to over $2 million.

These new construction luxury homes are located in five different neighborhoods in the Omaha area. The event is scheduled to take place over two weekends, September 15th to 17th and from September 22nd to 24th.

This is a change from previous years, as all the homes were typically concentrated in one neighborhood.

To purchase tickets for the Street of Dreams, you can either visit the website here or use the MOBA Street of Dreams mobile app.

Additionally, you can find information about the featured homes, event schedule, and ticket prices on the website.

There are six different home styles on display:

• Urban

Last week, I had an amazing opportunity to be interviewed by our local news. During the interview, I discussed what I'm seeing with new construction

The founders of Hildy Homes were also interviewed.

The clip they played was pretty short, so I decided to expand upon it a little more. You can watch the video above. Or read some of my thoughts below.

What Am I Seeing?

As of September 2023, plenty of new construction homes are available. In fact, if you're considering between an existing home and new construction, you'll find a wide range of options with new builds.

The inventory of existing homes is low because many homeowners don't want to give up their low interest rates.

Builder Incentives

All of these new homes on the market

Memorial Park is one of my favorite places in Omaha. My wife and I used to live in Dundee and spent many nights walking our dog through the park.

This year is the iconic landmark's 75th anniversary. And to celebrate the anniversary, the Omaha Parks Foundation is selling a unique art print.

It's called "The Original Memorial Park Blueprint."

The art print showcases the original blueprint of Memorial Park as envisioned by architect Leo A Daly.

Measuring 24 x 36 inches, it's a perfect piece to adorn your walls and celebrate the park's storied past.

100% of the proceeds will go towards special projects. Including, improvements to Memorial Park itself.

Buy this for yourself or buy it as a gift.

Check out the recent Redfin article I was recently featured in: 11 Unique Things to Do in
Omaha, Nebraska, NE.

If you’re considering living in Omaha, Nebraska, prepare to experience a city of vibrancy and entertainment. The town boasts an array of unique attractions and experiences that locals and newcomers alike can enjoy. There’s something for everyone, whether it’s savoring exquisite craft cocktails, exploring hidden gems, or immersing yourself in nature.

Whether you’re still considering making the move or you’re already exploring apartments for rent or homes for sale in Omaha, this Redfin article will showcase a plethora of
unique things to do in Omaha.

Read the full article here: 11 Unique Things to Do in Omaha, Nebraska, NE | Redfin

The Professional Remodeling Organization of Nebraska-Iowa will be hosting its annual home remodeling tour event. It will showcase a variety of its renovation projects, designed by the best professionals in the field, completely free to the general public The tour will be available for 2 days only, starting this Saturday, April 22, 2023 and Sunday, April 23, 2023.

To sign up for this event, please click here.

The event will be a great opportunity to access homes designed and built by the area's most exceptional builders and remodelers. This will allow visitors to gain fresh ideas and inspiration for their home improvement projects. Improvements will better the conditions of the homes, and increase the value of the property with a properly executed

With Creighton heading to the Elite 8, more and more people around the country are Googling “where is Creighton University?”

How do I know?

I created a website years ago called Omaha Relocation. That site happens to cover a lot of topics about Omaha - including Creighton University.

Because of that, the site ranks for a variety of search terms.

Here is a chart from Google over the past year with search impressions for Omaha Relocation.

That massive spike in the past week is thanks to people searching for information about Creighton University.

What exactly are people looking for?

Just ignore the "papillion" result.

I'll try to update the post with results after the Elite 8 game. 

If you thought higher interest rates would slow down the real estate market, you were wrong.

At the end of 2022, the market in the Omaha area did slow down quite a bit.

But, things have picked back up.

Here's a text from two weeks ago.

I’ve written a dozen offers in the past month. Every home except one had multiple offers.

In a couple of those cases, there were over 10 offers.

Homes are going over asking price - by a lot.

If you are thinking of buying a home in this market, make sure you do these three things:

1. Get pre-approved, you need to know how much you can afford. Plus, your offer won’t get accepted without pre-approval.
2. Save money! The more money you can put down on a home, the more competitive your offer will be.
3. Don’t

Even with high interest rates, new construction was still very popular in 2022. 

Let's take a look at who builds the most homes per year in the Omaha area (Douglas and Sarpy County).

This list is based purely on the number of homes built. 

#1 - Celebrity Homes

If you already live in Omaha, you'll be familiar with Celebrity Homes.

And to many of you, it will be no surprise that Celebrity Homes is the biggest home builder in the area.

In 2022, they built almost 295 homes in the Douglas and Sarpy County area.

Prices for new homes continue to go up, but Celebrity offers some of the most affordable homes around. Expect to spend $250,000 or more for a new home from Celebrity. 

Celebrity has been building homes in the area since

I just finished one of my longest videos ever.

It's a neighborhood tour of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). The video is really helpful if you have been accepted to medical school or residency. Or if you have taken another type of job. 

This video is not just for home buyers. It's for anyone that's new to the area.

I cover several neighborhoods including:
Blackstone
Field Club
Aksarben
Benson
Dundee 

And if you are a doctor and are considering buying a home, check out Omaha Physician Loan. It has information on special home buying programs available to doctors.