Answers to the questions buyers and sellers ask most.
Answers to the questions clients ask most about buying, selling, owning, and living in the Twin Cities.
Showing 33 guides
Buying & selling
Lake Minnetonka Homes for Sale: What to Know Before You Buy
Browse active Lake Minnetonka waterfront homes and learn what to compare before buying, from bay character and shoreline to dock details and daily lake use.
Communities
Mound, MN Homes for Sale: What to Know Before You Buy
Browse current homes for sale in Mound, MN and learn what to compare before buying, from lake access and neighborhood setting to schools, condition, and commute.
Communities
Living in Woodland Cove: A Guide to the Minnetrista Neighborhood
What it's like to live in Woodland Cove, the master-planned Minnetrista neighborhood near Halsted Bay on Lake Minnetonka: homes, amenities, schools, and what to verify.
Buying & selling
Buying a home on Lake Minnetonka.
What to know before buying a home on Lake Minnetonka, from shoreline and water clarity to boat access and the character of each bay. Perspective from CJ Norman, a Mound-based Realtor.
Buying & selling
Selling your home in Mound.
A practical look at selling a home in Mound, Minnesota, from honest pricing and preparation to timing around the Lake Minnetonka market. Guidance from CJ Norman, a Mound-based Realtor.
Lake living
Lake Minnetonka waterfront vs. lake access.
The real differences between owning Lake Minnetonka waterfront and owning a home with lake access, including cost, upkeep, and lifestyle. Perspective from CJ Norman, a Mound-based Realtor.
Lake living
Lake Minnetonka dock rules and LMCD guidelines.
How dock rights, slip counts, and Lake Minnetonka Conservation District rules affect a lakefront purchase. Practical perspective from CJ Norman, a Mound-based Realtor.
Buying & selling
Should you buy or sell first in the Twin Cities?
How move-up buyers in the west metro decide whether to buy first or sell first, including contingencies, bridge options, and timing. Guidance from CJ Norman, a Mound-based Realtor.
Buying & selling
Downsizing a home in the Twin Cities west metro.
What downsizing in Mound and the western suburbs really involves, from single-level living and equity decisions to timing the move. Perspective from CJ Norman, a Mound-based Realtor.
Buying & selling
New construction buyer representation in Minnesota.
Why new construction buyers in the Twin Cities west metro benefit from their own representation, from lot selection and upgrades to builder contracts. From CJ Norman, a Mound-based Realtor.
Ownership & planning
How to file for homestead online in Minnesota.
How to file a Minnesota homestead application online in Hennepin, Wright, Carver, Anoka, Dakota, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties, with the December 31 deadline and a direct link to each county's page.
Ownership & planning
How much real estate agents make in Minnesota.
How Twin Cities Realtors are paid, what an agent keeps after broker splits and expenses, and what the 2024 NAR settlement changed about buyer and listing agent commissions.
Lake living
Lake Minnetonka condos with lake access, compared.
Compare Artessa Mound Harbor, Lake Minnetonka Flats, and The Mist in Spring Park by ownership type, age rules, boat slips, shared docks, and resale considerations.
Ownership & planning
How to put a home into a trust in Minnesota.
How Minnesota homeowners put a house into a trust: the attorney's role, the deed, county recording, lender and insurance steps, homestead, and when an appraisal helps.
Communities
What it is like living in Victoria, MN.
What it is like to live in Victoria, Minnesota: three school districts, Carver Park Reserve, local lakes, housing types, and the commute to Minneapolis.
Lake living
Lake Minnetonka home vs. an up north cabin in Minnesota.
Compare a Lake Minnetonka home with an up north Minnesota cabin by travel, frequency of use, ownership costs, privacy, and resale considerations.
Ownership & planning
What happens to a house during a divorce in Minnesota?
What can happen to a house during a Minnesota divorce, including selling, refinancing, a buyout, temporary co-ownership, mortgage qualification, and equity decisions.
Buying & selling
How to buy land to build a house in Minnesota.
Due diligence for buying land to build a house in Minnesota, including zoning, access, surveys, soil, septic, wells, utilities, wetlands, financing, and builder restrictions.
Ownership & planning
Should you renovate your home or sell and move?
How to decide whether to renovate a current home or sell and move, using space needs, project scope, financing, neighborhood value, timing, disruption, and resale.
Lake living
Where to rent a boat or jet ski on Lake Minnetonka.
Where to rent a boat or jet ski on Lake Minnetonka, including Sunset Boat Yards in Spring Park, Bay Rentals in Mound, Excelsior marinas, and membership boat clubs.
Lake living
How to rent a boat slip on Lake Minnetonka.
How to rent a boat slip on Lake Minnetonka, including marina slips, city dock programs, private slip leases, waiting lists, and the LMCD rules that limit supply.
Lake living
Where to launch a boat on Lake Minnetonka.
Where to launch a boat on Lake Minnetonka, including Surfside Park in Mound, Grays Bay, Spring Park, Maxwell Bay, and North Arm, plus parking and AIS inspection rules.
Lake living
Where to eat on Lake Minnetonka, by boat or by car.
Where to eat on Lake Minnetonka by boat, including Lord Fletcher's, Cabana Anna's, Maynard's, The Caribbean, and the Wayzata Bay waterfront.
Lake living
The best public beaches on Lake Minnetonka.
A guide to Lake Minnetonka public beaches, including Surfside Park and Beach in Mound, Excelsior Commons, Wayzata, and Lake Minnetonka Regional Park in Minnetrista.
Lake living
Lakeside bars and breweries on Lake Minnetonka.
Where to find lakeside patios, bars, and taprooms on Lake Minnetonka, including Lord Fletcher's, Back Channel Brewing in Spring Park, and Excelsior Brewing.
Lake living
Wakesurfing on Lake Minnetonka.
Where to wake surf on Lake Minnetonka, which bays may offer workable water, and the current Minnesota and LMCD wake guidance and speed rules.
Lake living
Where to buy a boat near Lake Minnetonka.
Where to buy a boat near Lake Minnetonka, how the local dealer and marina network works, when the Minneapolis Boat Show helps, and why storage should be solved first.
Communities
Lake Minnetonka school districts, compared.
How the Westonka, Minnetonka, Orono, and Wayzata school districts map across Lake Minnetonka communities, and why boundaries must be verified by address.
Lake living
Big Island and Cruiser's Cove, explained.
A guide to Big Island and Cruiser's Cove on Lake Minnetonka, covering anchoring, the weekend crowd, quieter options, and safety and enforcement on the water.
Lake living
Winter on Lake Minnetonka.
What winter looks like on Lake Minnetonka, from ice fishing and pond hockey to ice safety, dock and lift removal, and what lakefront owners handle in the cold months.
Lake living
Country clubs and golf around Lake Minnetonka.
An overview of country clubs and golf around Lake Minnetonka, including Lafayette Club, Woodhill, Spring Hill, and Crooked Water Golf Club, formerly Burl Oaks.
Lake living
Biking the Dakota Rail Regional Trail.
A guide to the Dakota Rail Regional Trail from Wayzata through Spring Park, Mound, and Minnetrista to St. Bonifacius, including access points and year-round use.
Lake living
Things to do around Lake Minnetonka in the fall
A local guide to fall around Lake Minnetonka, from apple picking at Everly Farms and wine at Sovereign Estate to foliage rides on the Dakota Rail Trail and harvest season at Gale Woods Farm.