Moving to the Twin Cities

A local’s guide to Minneapolis-Saint Paul and the metro

I have lived here my whole life. This is what I tell people moving in from other states, before they start scrolling listings from a thousand miles away.

Mariah LowinskeTwin Cities REALTOR®

How the metro is laid out

Two downtowns, Minneapolis and Saint Paul, sit about ten miles apart with the Mississippi River running between and through them. Around both, a ring of freeways, I-494 on the south and west and I-694 on the north and east, loosely marks where the inner suburbs give way to the outer ones.

Most people end up choosing a direction before they choose a house. Where you work, how you get to the airport, and whether you want to be closer to lakes, river bluffs or open land usually decide it. The west and southwest suburbs, the east metro and the river towns, and the northern suburbs each feel different to live in and to own a home in.

Minnesota also has more than 11,000 lakes, and a lot of them are inside or near the metro. If being near water matters to you, start with my lake homes guide.

What winter really means for a house

Winter here is real, and it changes how you should look at a home.

The driveway and the sidewalk are yours to clear. A long driveway or a corner lot is a lot of shoveling, or the cost of someone else doing it.

Snow emergencies move your car. Minneapolis and Saint Paul both declare snow emergencies with street parking rules. A garage or off-street parking matters more than it would elsewhere.

Heating, insulation and ice dams. I look at the age of the furnace, the attic insulation and signs of ice damming on the roof edge. Your inspector will too.

You can buy in winter. There are fewer homes for sale and fewer buyers competing. The trade-off is that snow hides roofs, decks and yards, so we ask more questions.

Commutes, taxes and the details

Getting around. Metro Transit runs buses and two light rail lines: the Blue Line connects downtown Minneapolis to the airport and the Mall of America, and the Green Line connects the two downtowns. Most of the metro still drives, so test your commute at rush hour before you buy.

Property taxes vary by city. Two similar houses a few miles apart can have noticeably different tax bills. I pull the current taxes on any home you are serious about.

Homestead your house. If the home is your primary residence, you apply for homestead classification with the county after you buy. It can lower your property tax, and it does not happen automatically.

Researching schools or neighborhoods. I am not allowed to steer you toward or away from any area, and I will not rate schools or neighborhoods for you. If schools matter to your search, the Minnesota Department of Education report card and each district’s own boundary map are the places to look. I will help you find the official sources for anything else you want to research.

Buying a home before you move

Live video tours. I walk the house on video with you, open the closets, run the water, and show you the street, the neighbors’ lots and the parts the listing photos leave out.

An aerial view. With permission from the seller or listing agent, I can fly the property so you can see the lot, the drainage and what is around it.

Visit once, well. Most out-of-state buyers make one trip. We line up the finalists so that trip counts.

Sign and close from a distance. A lot of the paperwork can be signed electronically. We talk through the closing plan with your lender and title company early.

Planning a move to Minnesota?

Tell me when you are moving and what you need. I will help you figure out where to look before you spend a weekend flying in.

Call or text612-423-6899

Emaillistinglensmn@gmail.com

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