Most buyers come into a home search with a general idea. Neighborhood, school district, price range. They're open. They'll look at 10, 15, maybe 20 homes before landing somewhere.
Lake buyers aren't like that.
By the time someone calls me about a waterfront home on the northern suburbs lakes, they've usually already decided. Not just the lake, but the side of the lake. Sometimes the street. They've driven it on a Saturday morning. They've eaten at the restaurant nearby. Their college roommate has a cabin two doors down. They know what they want, and they've known for a while.
That changes everything about how the search works.
Inventory on these lakes is thin. White Bear, Bald Eagle, Forest, Centerville, Owasso, Gervais, Reshanau, Turtle Lake. We're not talking about hundreds of homes coming to market every year. On some of these lakes you might see 2 to 10 true waterfront listings in a given year. When something good hits, buyers who are ready move. Buyers who aren't watch it go.
Where it gets interesting is timing. Some buyers are willing to compromise there. They want to be on the water and they'll move when the right place comes up, even if the timing isn't perfect. Others hold firm. They know the lake, they know the street, and they'll wait until the deal is exactly right before they move.
Both approaches work. My job is just to make sure when it does come up, you're ready.
I live on Centerville Lake. I've closed deals on eight lakes across this corridor, the stretch of northern suburbs that runs up 35E from 694 all the way through Forest Lake. I know which streets hold their value, which lots have DNR complications, where the water is shallow enough to matter, and where the dock situation is going to surprise you.
If you're in that early stage, still figuring out which lake, what your budget really buys, whether now is the right time, that's exactly when it makes sense to talk. Before you're rushing.
Best, Tim
Tim Ornell | Real Estate Advisor
Ornell Group Real Broker Luxury Division (NASDAQ: REAX)
651.263.9480 | ornellgroup.com
Specializing in Twin Cities, MN waterfront properties and relocations.
