Before Real Estate
Tim worked as a headhunter in the mortgage banking world, recruiting talent for mortgage banks and executive-level positions in finance and accounting. Before that, he worked in business development for a residential title insurance company, building relationships with lenders, realtors, and mortgage bankers to drive deals to closing.
That combination means Tim spent years on the financial infrastructure side of real estate before he ever represented a buyer or seller directly. He understood underwriting, title work, and lender relationships before he understood showings and listing presentations.
Why That Background Matters Now
Most agents learn the financial mechanics of a deal on the job, transaction by transaction. Tim came in already fluent in how financing actually works, what slows a closing down, and where deals tend to fall apart on the lending or title side. On lake homes specifically, where financing can get more complicated due to property type, septic systems, or shoreline considerations, that fluency matters more than it does on a standard suburban sale.
More Than 15 Years in Real Estate
Tim has been in real estate for more than 15 years, with over a decade as a licensed Realtor. He's a Twin Cities native and a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College. That local, lifelong familiarity with the north metro, combined with the financial background, is part of why Ornell Group's advisory work starts well before a listing goes live. Tim isn't just reading comps. He's reading the deal the way someone who used to structure financing for a living reads it.
Family and Faith
Tim lives on Centerville Lake with his wife, Michelle, and their three children. He's raising his kids in the same lake communities he serves, which means the families he works with aren't an abstraction. He's living the version of lake life that many of his clients are trying to buy into. Faith and family inform how he runs the business day to day, including a direct, honest communication style rather than a sales-heavy one.
Why This Matters to You
If you're choosing an agent for a lake home purchase or sale, the person guiding that decision should understand both the lake and the financial mechanics behind the deal. That combination is the foundation Ornell Group is built on.
If you want to talk through a potential purchase or sale with someone who's seen both sides of these transactions, reach out.