By Emily Noyes, Education Manager
The Rethos Education Team has been busy this spring, hosting classes across the state in Winona, the Twin Cities, and St. Cloud. We have offered a variety of classes on topics such as plaster repair, window repair, historic finishes, and building reuse. Most recently, we had our first ever Masonry Class with Minnesota Historical Society Expert, John Beaty. In partnership with the MN Tool Library, the class met on May 6th at a St. Paul home to learn the intricacies of mortar mixing, methods for masonry repair, and the tools of the trade. John was a fantastic instructor and a great resource for Rethos, which benefits from his participation in our programming via the MNHS Legacy Fund. John had a great time teaching with us and is excited to offer more masonry instruction in the coming months.
On May 18th, we hosted the inaugural “So You Bought an Old Home – Now What?” roundtable, facilitated by Mark Johnston of Historic Design Consulting. This was a chance to have owners, renters, and lovers of old homes to join together to share (and commiserate) about living and maintaining their homes. Mark offered his expertise and advice on the unique challenges that older homes create. He used an apt analogy to describe them “Old homes are like having a teenager, you love them but they are a lot of work.”
In February 2023, Rethos was lucky to partner with VIBE Realty again—in their new office space—to host “Old Home Certified” a one-of-a-kind designation for Minnesota real estate agents which provides Continuing Education credits and a comprehensive look at preserving old housing stock. Thank you to the wonderful VIBE team for supporting our work!
Most importantly, congratulations to the 26 agents who took the full course and are now officially Old Home Certified agents! Every year, Rethos designates a new crop of Old Home Certified agents with a comprehensive, two-day course. Expert instructors teach about Twin Cities neighborhood history, historic preservation, old home sustainability, researching house histories, and more. Agents leave with a wealth of resources and tips for buying and selling old homes. If you’re considering buying or selling an old home, check out our full list of Old Home Certified agents at https://www.rethos.org/find-an-old-home-certified-realtor.
Over the coming months, the Rethos Education team is taking a strategic look at the DIY, general knowledge, and realtor courses that we currently offer. We want to improve the sustainability of our educational model, while also creating more curriculum that benefits all Minnesotans. If you have any ideas for classes that you would like to see, please scan the QR code and let us know!