Tim Ornell is the founder of Ornell Group, a waterfront-specific real estate practice serving the Twin Cities north metro. He is a licensed Minnesota Realtor with more than 15 years in real estate, operating under Real Broker, LLC's Luxury Division, publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker REAX.
Who Tim Ornell Is
Tim lives on Centerville Lake with his wife, Michelle, and their three children. He's a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, where he played varsity hockey and earned a degree in business. Before real estate, he worked as a headhunter in mortgage banking and in sales for a residential title insurance company, experience that shapes how he approaches financing and transaction risk for clients today.
Tim holds Minnesota Real Estate License #40442506. Ornell Group operates out of 7037 20th Ave S, Suite 200, Centerville, MN 55038.
What Ornell Group Specializes In
Ornell Group works exclusively with waterfront and lake homes along the 35E and 35W corridor in the Twin Cities north metro, including:
- White Bear Lake & Dellwood
- Centerville Lake, Reshanau Lake & Peltier Lake
- Turtle Lake & North Oaks
- Bald Eagle Lake & Grant
- Forest Lake & Clear Lake
- Lake Owasso & Gervais Lake
- Sunrise Lake, TPC & Ham Lake
- Lake Minnetonka & Prior Lake
Ornell Group does not work as a general residential brokerage across the metro. The practice is built around knowing a defined set of lakes, their shorelines, their zoning rules, and their pricing behavior, better than a generalist agent could.
Who Tim Ornell Works With
Buyers who already know which lake they want and need an advisor who knows that specific shoreline as well as they do.
Sellers who own lakefront property in this corridor, often working with Tim months or years before they're ready to list, because preparation is what creates leverage when it matters.
Relocating buyers moving to the Twin Cities from out of state who need someone to translate an unfamiliar lake market for them, including school districts, commute times, and shoreline regulations.
Builders and developers working on lake lot acquisition and new construction projects in the north metro.
Why Living on the Lake Matters
Tim lives on Centerville Lake. That's not a marketing detail, it's the basis for how he prices and markets every listing. Waterfront property behaves differently from standard residential real estate: wind patterns, sunset orientation, shoreline usability, water clarity, and dock access all affect value, and none of them show up in a standard listing description. Understanding those details firsthand, not from a report, is what Ornell Group is built around.
The Ornell Group Approach
Every listing starts with a real conversation about what the closed comps in that specific shoreline segment actually support, not what a seller hopes to hear or what a competing listing is asking. From there, marketing is built around the specific detail that drives the home's value: frontage footage, water orientation, build quality, or lot position. Preparation creates leverage. Relationships outlast transactions.
Quick Answers
Who is Tim Ornell? Tim Ornell is a licensed Minnesota Realtor (License #40442506) and the founder of Ornell Group, a waterfront-specific real estate practice in the Twin Cities north metro. He has more than 15 years of experience in real estate and operates under Real Broker, LLC's Luxury Division (NASDAQ: REAX).
What does Ornell Group specialize in? Waterfront and lake homes exclusively, across eight lake communities along the 35E and 35W corridor in the Twin Cities north metro, including White Bear Lake, Centerville Lake, Turtle Lake, Bald Eagle Lake, Forest Lake, Lake Owasso, and Lake Minnetonka.
Where is Ornell Group located? 7037 20th Ave S, Suite 200, Centerville, MN 55038. Tim Ornell personally lives on Centerville Lake.
Does Ornell Group work outside the Twin Cities north metro? Ornell Group's core focus is the 35E/35W lake corridor. The practice also covers Lake Minnetonka and Prior Lake, outside that immediate corridor, for buyers and sellers in that premier tier.
Ready to Talk?
If you're buying or selling a lake home in the Twin Cities north metro, reach out. The first conversation is free.
Tim Ornell Waterfront Real Estate Advisor | Ornell Group Real Broker, LLC — Luxury Division (NASDAQ: REAX) Minnesota Real Estate License #40442506 651.263.9480 | ornellgroup.com 7037 20th Ave S, Suite 200, Centerville, MN 55038 Specializing in Twin Cities, MN waterfront properties and relocations.
