Buyer’s Agent in the Northwest Twin Cities Metro
Assisting clients find, negotiate, and purchase residential real estate. Serving twenty towns across Wright, Sherburne, Hennepin and Anoka counties from an office in Saint Michael.
We help you find the right home and avoid the wrong one.
The houses out here are not interchangeable. A 2019 build in a St. Michael development and a 1970s rambler on five acres off County Road 19 are two different purchases with two different sets of questions, and the second one has a septic system and a well you need to understand before you write anything.
Most of what a buyer’s agent is worth happens before the offer. Reading a disclosure and catching the thing that was disclosed in a way you would not notice. Knowing that a house has been on twice already this year and why it came back. Telling you the roof has maybe four winters left, so the number you offer should reflect that.
Out here the well and septic questions are the ones that cost people money. A compliance inspection on a septic system is not optional at transfer in Wright County, and a system that fails changes the math on a house by five figures. Wells get tested. Drain fields get located. If a property is on a shared driveway or a private road, somebody has to read the maintenance agreement, and that somebody should not be you at the closing table.
On new construction, which is a lot of what is going up in Otsego, Corcoran and Dayton right now, the builder’s purchase agreement is the builder’s document. It is written for the builder. Knowing which parts are negotiable, what the allowances cover, and what happens if the completion date slips is the difference between a smooth build and a year of arguments.
We tour on your schedule, including evenings and weekends, because most people looking at houses out here are working during the day. You get an opinion when you ask for one, including the one where we tell you to keep looking.
- Service
- Real Estate Buying
- Towns
- 20 across four counties
- Office
- Saint Michael, MN
- Brokerage
- Edina Realty
- Phone
- 763-786-3700
Buyer representation and how it is paid are agreed in writing before we tour a home. In many transactions the seller has offered compensation that covers it, and we will tell you exactly where that stands on any house you want to see.
Step by step, in order.
Sit down first
What you want, what you can carry, and what the lender will approve. A pre-approval before touring, not after, because sellers in this market read a financing contingency closely.
Set the search
Towns, school district, commute, lot size, water. We set alerts on the criteria that matter and stop sending you everything else.
Tour and rule out
Ruling houses out fast is the point. You should leave a showing knowing why it is or is not the one.
Write the offer
Price supported by comparable sales, plus the terms that make it competitive without exposing you. Inspection, financing and appraisal contingencies explained before you sign, not after.
Inspection and negotiation
Inspector, septic compliance, well test where it applies. Then a second negotiation on what the report turns up.
Close
Title work, the walkthrough, the closing disclosure read line by line before you sign it.
Pick your town for the local version.
Every town has its own page for buyer’s agent work, with that town's county, school district and commute spine.
| Town | County | What shapes it |
|---|---|---|
| Saint Michael | Wright | home market |
| Albertville | Wright | the I-94 twin |
| Otsego | Wright | new construction and the river |
| Rogers | Hennepin | Hennepin County taxes, exurban prices |
| Elk River | Sherburne | the train |
| Monticello | Wright | the far end of the commute, and the lakes |
| Buffalo | Wright | county seat, on a lake |
| Delano | Wright | Highway 12 and the Crow River |
| Annandale | Wright | lake country |
| Hanover | Wright and Hennepin | small town on the Crow |
| Rockford | Wright and Hennepin | Highway 55 and the Crow |
| Greenfield | Hennepin | acreage in Hennepin County |
| Corcoran | Hennepin | rural turning suburban, fast |
| Dayton | Hennepin and Wright | two rivers, heavy new build |
| Big Lake | Sherburne | end of the train line |
| Zimmerman | Sherburne | land per dollar |
| Ramsey | Anoka | a station and a downtown being built |
| Andover | Anoka | established, larger lots |
| Maple Grove | Hennepin | the established suburb |
| Plymouth | Hennepin | four school districts, established money |
Ready to talk about buying?
Call 763-786-3700 and you get Cliff or Jeremy, not a call center.
Real Estate Buying questions.
What does it cost me to have you as my buyer’s agent?
We agree it in writing before we tour, which is now required. In many transactions the seller has offered compensation that covers our side, and on any specific house we will tell you exactly what is offered before you decide to see it. You will never find out at closing.
How much house can I buy right now?
That is a lender answer and it is worth getting before you fall for something. We will send you two or three local lenders who close on time and let you pick. What we can tell you is how far a given budget goes in St. Michael versus Buffalo versus Maple Grove, because it is not the same distance.
Should I buy new construction or existing?
Depends what you want to spend your weekends doing. New means fewer surprises and a builder warranty, and it means you are buying into a development that is still being built around you. Existing out here often means more land, mature trees, and a well and septic to maintain. We have written both.
What is the well and septic situation on rural properties?
Any property with a septic system needs a compliance inspection at transfer in Wright County, and a failing system is the seller’s problem to solve or yours to negotiate. Wells get a water quality test. We order both and we read the results with you.
Can we look at houses on evenings and weekends?
Yes. That is when most of our showings happen.
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.