Secrets of the City

Spring may usher in the beginning of wedding season, but it sounds like there’ll be a late rush of nuptials in the dog days of summer this year. Minnesota’s same-sex marriage law will go into effect on Aug. 1, ushering in what’s sure to be a month of celebrations from couples who’ve been waiting to make it official.

City Hall understands their impatience—the building will open for marriages at 12:01 a.m. on “the first day licenses can be issued to same-sex partners.” Will that be Aug. 1? It’s not clear. There is a waiting period after a couple files their application, but judges have the authority to waive that period.

Whenever the date may be, you can be sure Mayor R.T. Rybak will be present with bells on, ready to officiate weddings himself. Though if you’re willing to wait, it sounds like lots of Twin Cities businesses would love to help you out.

With a gallon of gas now priced at more than $4, Minnesotans may want to consider ditching their own cars in favor of biking or public transit as their main source of transportation.

According to MinnesotaGasPrices.com, the state average for a gallon of gas is currently $4.097, and prices are still going up. The state’s previous record for highest average price was $3.98 back in 2008. Gas prices rose dramatically across the Midwest Wednesday due to the closures of two Chicago-area refineries.The two refineries, one owned by BP and the other owned by Exxon Mobile, are expected to be closed for at least six weeks.

Last year at this time, the average price for a gallon of gas was $3.64.

Babies seem to be a recurring theme at the Minnesota Zoo. First came the Farm Babies exhibit, and now, the zoo celebrates the birth of two baby bison.

The calves may have missed mother’s day by a few days, but are still a welcome present nonetheless—they are the first bison calves born at the zoo in two decades. And after the zoo joined forces with the Minnesota DNR to conserve herds, the birth also seems to be a sign of moving forward. The calves will experience several of their “first” moments in the comfort of the zoo before relocating to Minnesota state parks to live a more wild life next fall.

It may be a seller’s market, but that doesn’t mean the process of selling your home is any more convenient. Busy families dread the continuous, unexpected showings, where strangers trounce through their homes at a moment’s notice. Houses have to look spotless and un-lived-in, which is a hard task when actually living someplace. Enter: sleeving.

If you’re not hip to the real estate jargon, sleeving is a way for a real estate agent to market a client’s home privately. Normally, an agent lists a home for sale on the industry database, called the Multiple Listing Service, or MLS. But when sellers are willing to trade money for convenience, they can ask their agent to list it privately. This means the agent will check with colleagues at their firm to see if anyone has clients interested in this particular listing. Usually, the home will sell much faster this way. However, not having a property openly listed to the public means there won’t be any bidding wars; with fewer interested buyers, the home will likely sell quicker, but for less.

For some sellers, this isn’t a problem. Real estate agents, however, have become concerned that this controversial (albeit legal) practice robs sellers of the chance to make more of a profit, while robbing the public at large the opportunity to see the house.