By Tim Ornell | Ornell Group | Real Broker | White Bear Lake, MN
The Next Chapter for Ornell Group
When we built Ornell Group around waterfront real estate, the focus was intentional. Lake homes demand a specific kind of expertise — knowledge of the water, the shoreline, the regulatory environment, the seasonal dynamics that drive value in ways that inland real estate simply does not. That focus produced results, and it produced a client base that trusts us with some of the most significant real estate decisions of their lives.
What that client base has been asking for — increasingly, and consistently — is new construction. Not the production builder subdivision at the edge of a growing suburb, but the kind of project that starts with a vision: the right lot, the right builder, the right design, executed at a level that reflects what the land and the location actually deserve.
Ornell Group is expanding to meet that demand. We are deepening our work in new construction and development across the Twin Cities metro — and we want our clients, our builders, and the buyers who have been watching this market to know what that means and what it makes possible.
Why New Construction, Why Now
The Twin Cities luxury market in 2026 is telling a specific story. Existing inventory at the $1.2 million and above price point is tight. The sellers who own the best properties are not in a hurry, and the buyers who want those properties are increasingly unwilling to compromise on condition, design, and finish level just to get into the market. The gap between what serious buyers want and what existing inventory delivers has created a clear and growing opportunity for new construction done right.
At the same time, the communities where Ornell Group has built its reputation — the lake corridors of the northeastern and northern Twin Cities metro — are seeing significant new development activity. Hugo, Forest Lake, Centerville, White Bear Township, Stillwater, Grant, Lake Elmo, Mahtomedi, Lino Lakes — these are communities where builders are putting product in the ground on lake-adjacent lots, acreage parcels, and premium homesites that serious buyers are actively competing for.
Ornell Group is already active in this space. Our work with Joshua Markum Builders on Bald Eagle Lake — a $1.565 million new construction project currently in framing at 5253 Bald Eagle Boulevard — is a demonstration of what this expansion looks like in practice. From lot acquisition through the city variance and permitting process, through builder representation and buyer introduction, we are involved at every stage of the project in a way that protects the builder's vision and gives buyers a level of access and transparency that standard new construction representation rarely delivers.
That is the model we are expanding.
What This Means for Builders
If you are a builder working in the Twin Cities luxury and lake-adjacent market, Ornell Group brings something to the relationship that most real estate representation does not — a buyer network that is actively looking for exactly the product you are building, and the marketing infrastructure to reach them before your project hits the public market.
The relocation executives, the move-up buyers, the lake lifestyle families who have been working with Ornell Group are buyers who are ready to move on the right opportunity. Getting your project in front of that network early — during lot development, during framing, before the finished home competes with every other new construction listing in the market — is a meaningful advantage. We are looking to partner with builders who build at the level our clients expect and who want representation that matches the quality of the product.
What This Means for Buyers
For buyers who have been watching the Twin Cities new construction market and have not found the right project at the right price point in the right location — the expansion of Ornell Group's new construction work means earlier access to inventory that is not yet public, representation through the builder relationship that protects your interests from lot selection through final walkthrough, and the lake market expertise to evaluate whether a new construction opportunity is genuinely priced at its value or at a premium the location does not support.
New construction on a lake lot or in a premier lake-adjacent community is one of the most compelling purchases available in this market right now. Ornell Group is the team to navigate it with.
Let's Talk
Whether you are a builder looking for a representation partner on your next project, or a buyer who wants to get ahead of the new construction inventory coming to the Twin Cities lake corridor in 2026 and beyond — the conversation starts the same way.
Reach us at [email protected].
Tim Ornell | Ornell Group | Real Broker | White Bear Lake, MN | [email protected] Waterfront & New Construction Specialist | Real Broker Luxury Division | $125M Personal Sales Volume | 97.2% List to Sale Ratio
