Realtors in Big Lake, MN
The northern end of the Northstar rail line, with lake property and its own district. Buying, selling and home valuation in Big Lake, Sherburne County, from a two broker team based in Saint Michael.
Big Lake is the end of the Northstar line, which is the single most useful fact about buying here.
The Northstar commuter rail terminates in Big Lake, so this is as far out as you can live and still have a train into downtown Minneapolis. That, plus the lakes the city is named for and its own school district, is what defines the market. Housing here costs less than the I-94 corridor towns closer in, and the tradeoff is distance.
Being the end of the line has a practical advantage worth understanding: outbound trains start here, so seating and parking work differently than they do at a mid-line station. Check the current schedule, because Northstar runs a weekday commuter timetable, not all-day service, and the whole value depends on whether your hours fit it. On the lake side, the same converted-cabin and lakeside-septic questions apply as in Annandale.
- County
- Sherburne County
- Schools
- Big Lake (ISD 727)
- Commute
- Highway 10, and the north end of the Northstar commuter rail line
- To downtown
- about 55 to 75 minutes driving, or the Northstar train from the end of the line
- Water/sewer
- city services in town, wells and septic on lake and rural property
- Housing
- Newer subdivision, older in-town housing, lake frontage and converted seasonal property, plus rural acreage.
- Coordinates
- 45.3324° N 93.7461° W
Approximate drive times, and they are worth nothing next to the drive you make yourself at the hour you would really be leaving.
Buying, selling and valuation in Big Lake.
Each of these has its own Big Lake page, written for this town, not for the county.
What a buyer should know about Big Lake.
If the train is the plan, go to the station at the hour you would use it and look at the parking and the schedule yourself. On lake property, buy the water and inspect any converted seasonal building carefully, especially the foundation, the insulation and the septic. Small lakeside lots can be hard to fit a compliant system onto.
What a seller is up against in Big Lake.
Proximity to the station is a real, nameable advantage and it belongs in the first line if you have it. If you are on the water, the frontage is the product and it needs to be photographed from the water. Your price advantage over the towns closer in is a selling point, so make the comparison for the buyer.
Valuing a Big Lake property.
Big Lake has three separate submarkets: in-town, lake frontage and rural. Lake value runs on frontage and shoreline, and a valuation that blends the three is not usable.
Thinking about Big Lake?
Call 763-786-3700. We will tell you what is on the market here, what it is going for and whether this is the right town for what you want.
Big Lake questions, answered straight.
Is Big Lake on city water and sewer or a well and septic?
City services in town, wells and septic on lake and rural property. It is a per-parcel question, and it changes both the inspections we order and what you maintain afterward.
What is the housing stock like in Big Lake?
Newer subdivision, older in-town housing, lake frontage and converted seasonal property, plus rural acreage. We will tell you straight whether the Northstar schedule fits your hours.
Which school district serves Big Lake?
Big Lake is served by Big Lake (ISD 727). District boundaries out here do not always follow city limits, so we still confirm it per address before you write an offer.
How long is the commute from Big Lake to Minneapolis?
You are on Highway 10, and the north end of the Northstar commuter rail line, and it is about 55 to 75 minutes driving, or the Northstar train from the end of the line. Those are approximate and the only number that matters is the one you get driving it yourself at the hour you would really be leaving, in both directions.
Other towns on the sheet.
| Town | County | School district | Commute spine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Michael | Wright | St. Michael-Albertville (ISD 885) | I-94 at County Road 19 |
| Albertville | Wright | St. Michael-Albertville (ISD 885) | I-94 at exit 202 |
| Otsego | Wright | mostly Elk River Area (ISD 728), with part in St. Michael-Albertville (ISD 885) | Highway 101 north to Elk River, I-94 south |
| Rogers | Hennepin | Elk River Area (ISD 728) | I-94 at Highway 101 |
| Elk River | Sherburne | Elk River Area (ISD 728) | Highway 169 and Highway 10, plus the Northstar commuter rail station |
| Monticello | Wright | Monticello (ISD 882) | I-94 west of the metro |
| Buffalo | Wright | Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose (ISD 877) | Highway 55 and Highway 25 |
| Delano | Wright | Delano (ISD 879) | Highway 12 east toward I-394 |
Equal Housing Opportunity. MTS Real Estate Group supports the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.
Edina Realty, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Licensed in the State of Minnesota. MTS Real Estate Group is a team of licensed real estate professionals with Edina Realty.