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The tidy house on a quiet, suburban street immediately caught Abdelhafid Fajri’s eye.

It had everything he and his wife, Kathryn, had been looking for — a big yard, a great kitchen. And the new carpet and freshly painted walls were more than they’d hoped to find in a foreclosed house.

But the Blaine house also had a grisly past, one they discovered just days after they moved in, when a neighbor told them that the previous owner was murdered there by her husband.

The Fajris have since filed a lawsuit in Anoka County District Court against Edina Realty Inc., arguing that the real estate company knew about the murder and should have told them about it.

In the suit, the Fajris contend that murder is a material fact relating to the sale of the house.

“They think they bought a lemon. They feel they were duped,” said Martin Melang, the couple’s attorney.

Maria Verven, a spokeswoman for Edina Realty, said Friday that the company had no comment on the pending litigation.

TCF National Bank, which owned the foreclosed home, was originally named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit but has since been dismissed.

The case raises questions about what real estate agents and sellers have to reveal about a home’s past.

In general, real estate agents and sellers should disclose to prospective buyers if a murder has taken place on the property, experts say.

“There are some exemptions, but murder isn’t one of them,” said Chris Galler, chief operating officer for Minnesota Association of Realtors. “If a licensee is aware of a murder and the seller is aware, they both have an obligation.”

Minnesota law requires licensed agents to disclose anything that they know of that could affect an ordinary person’s use or enjoyment of the property.

Among the exemptions listed are if the place was the site of: a suicide, a natural death, an accidental death or perceived paranormal activity.

At a time when home sales are down nationwide, it’s hard to measure what effect a past crime may have on a home’s marketability. But Galler says there is no proof that a house’s history — even one that contains a murder — has a lingering effect on the home’s value.

A 2001 study published in the Journal of Real Estate Practice and Education surveyed 102 real estate agents in Ohio and found that homes with grisly histories, such as murders, sold for 3 percent less on average, but sat on the market 45 percent longer.

The murder of Helen Tomassoni, 45, stunned the neighborhood when it happened on July 21, 2007.

Her husband, Gary Tomassoni, had amassed a crippling gambling debt and also owed large amounts to family and friends. His wife had a $500,000 life insurance policy, naming him as the beneficiary.

He shot his wife twice in the head with a pistol in the couple’s bedroom, according to court records. The couple’s then-14-year-old son was in the house at the time and called 911.

Gary Tomassoni told police that an intruder had shot Helen, who was found face-down in her bed.

Police blocked off the neighborhood, using dogs and helicopters to search the area for the supposed intruder.

Blood was found in numerous spots around the house, including on clothes that had been put in the washing machine.

Last August, a jury convicted Gary Tomassoni of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole one month before the Fajris closed on their first house, the one where the Tomassonis had lived for 10 years.

The Fajris paid about $200,000 for it, a price they say they don’t expect to recoup if they sell, now that they know about the murder.

Before the couple filed the suit, they asked Edina Realty to take the house back, but they were turned down, they say.

Although they’ve been living there, they say they can’t enjoy it because they’re constantly reminded of the house’s recent ghastly past.

Sometimes they say they hear noises in the home and they feel like they have to keep the lights on all the time.

“I think about it every day,” Abdelhafid Fajri said in court records. “Every time I lay in bed, I think about it. Every time I hear something, I think about it.”

According to the lawsuit, they’re seeking damages in excess of $100,000 for the difference in market value plus “severe emotional distress” caused, they say, by discovery of the murder. They’re also asking the court to rescind the contract they made to purchase the house.

“They just want something that will make them whole again and put them in the place they would have been before,” Melang said.

Allie Shah • 612-673-4488

The median sales price for homes in Eden Prairie MN for Nov 09 to Jan 10 was $252,250. This represents a decline of 6.2%, or $16,750, compared to the prior quarter and a decrease of 12.7% compared to the prior year. Sales prices have depreciated 11.1% over the last 5 years in Eden Prairie.

The average listing price for Eden Prairie homes for sale on Trulia was $438,846 for the week ending Feb 24, which represents a decline of 0.2%, or $1,045, compared to the prior week and a decline of 5.2%, or $24,190, compared to the week ending Feb 03. Average price per square foot for Eden Prairie MN was $176, a decrease of 2.8% compared to the same period last year.

The median sales price for homes in Lakeville MN for Nov 09 to Jan 10 was $240,900. This represents a decline of 5.5%, or $14,000, compared to the prior quarter and a decrease of 32.8% compared to the prior year. Sales prices have depreciated 8.8% over the last 5 years in Lakeville.

The average listing price for Lakeville homes for sale on Trulia was $351,214 for the week ending Feb 24, which represents a decline of 0.8%, or $2,917, compared to the prior week and a decline of 1.5%, or $5,390, compared to the week ending Feb 03. Average price per square foot for Lakeville MN was $113, a decrease of 6.6% compared to the same period last year.

New Home Buyer’s Tax Credit Ensures Winter Home Sales By Lauren Spencer XML
Home sales over the past year or so have caused a mixed bag of emotions for many people. Many people have suffered a great deal of stress and anxiety over losing their homes and falling into foreclosure while many others are delighted with having the ability to buy into a market full of discounted homes, foreclosures, and short sales. While it is true that the real estate market is the cause of a lot of heartache for many Americans, it is also the case that the home sales are also helping to prop up a flailing economy this quarter.

The number of home sales has substantially picked up this fall and in fact, October home sales have finished higher than they’ve been in over two years. This is, in a large part, due to the fact that home buyers were racing to beat the expiration of the first time home buyer’s tax credit. Now that this credit has been extended until the end of April, however, we are sure to see another rush to buy when this deadline approaches.

The low mortgage rates have really helped the current trends in home buying. Even with fewer funds to go around, the reduced prices of homes in combination with these lower lender’s rates have created some ideal opportunities for home buyers, particularly those who’re looking to purchase their first home.

If home prices continue to fall, particularly with the home buyer’s tax credit still in place, then the home sales over the fall may just continue to exceed expectations. However, the sales that occur in late in the year tend to drop off in frequency as the weather worsens.

The increase in home sales has certainly helped the economy somewhat, though experts say that it needs support from a wider range of industries before it really starts to recover. With fewer and fewer homes on the market hopefully this will impact the home building industry soon as it is still struggling with a lack of business due to the glut of homes on the market due to foreclosures and short sales.

Hopefully we will see a slow but steady increase in not only home sales, but also a variety of other industries over this winter. The more confidence that we can put in the economy, the more we will benefit from the increased productivity that our dollars stimulate in it. Only time will tell how the economy will withstand the eventual withdrawal of government stimulus though.

A friend of mine lives at Lakeville Minnesota while I am from California. We grew up together at San Diego however they have to transfer due to her dad’s work. It was 5 years ago since I last saw her and even though we chat regularly, we still miss the old times of being together.

Last summer we were able to both have our free time and we immediately planned for a vacation for the two of us. We have decided that I would be the one to come to her place since I haven’t been there before, my dad was very strict that we are not suppose to go anywhere that he thinks might be too far.

We agreed to spend the whole 5 days by going to some beautiful places at Lakeville and aside from the fact that I was so excited to meet her after such a long time, I was so excited to go places too.

Some of the places we went to are Mall of America which was really full of fun especially the Underwater Adventure Aquarium as well as the Nickelodeon Universe. We also went to the zoo which made us feel like we were before when we were younger and to make us feel more like of teenagers, we also went to the amusement park and took a lot of pictures to document our trips.

I sometimes wish I live closer to her; I don’t have any siblings so the time that she left California was really sad. I even thought of getting a house nearby when I came across a house near their street that’s for sale, I even got a flyer that says Lakeville home for sale, and included on the paper were some great attractions at Lakeville.