Buying Home - Where to Pick? - Northern Minnesota

[CoryRobertLowe]

I'm fortunate to be living in the land of 10,000 lakes. I'm currently renting in the Brainerd area. I work remote, so I can live anywhere. I'm super blessed.

 

Any considerations regarding how to pick a spot to start looking for houses? I want to be next to different lakes, so I can enjoy fishing them. There are so many lakes, but then driving distance becomes a consideration.

 

I feel like I'm too close to the situation, and I have never purchased a home before.

 

How do I pick a spot?

 

Thanks!

 

P.S.

Reposting from here (I put it in the wrong section):

 

 

 

[BassinBrett]

There are so many different lakes in MN to choose from. I would say driver around a check out some of the area when you have a day off. Garrison is by Mille Lac lake which is the Smallmouth hot spot.  I hear Rainy Lake and Lake of the woods are good too.  You are going to have to just go a see.

[Swamp Girl]

I've bought a few homes, so here goes: I bought my last home, even though it looked like a granny decorated it back in 1937, and hadn't been cleaned since then because:

 

A. It came with wrap-around woods. I've only had one bad neighbor in my life and that was more than enough. Now I want a woody buffer in every home I own.

 

B. It had great bones. I didn't care about the grime and dated finishes. I cared about a good foundation and frame. So, I told the home inspector to focus on that and he gave it an a-okay and when the home was demoed, I could see that he was right. I didn't spot a single knot in the wood of the frame. Not one. And the basement is dry and crack-free.

 

Some other HUGE pluses:

 

Dead end road. 

 

Big trees. Sure, you can plant trees and they'll be big in 50 years, but big trees today are great.

 

The neighborhood. Visit it at different times of the day. Get out and just listen. Do you like what you hear? Plus, knock on doors and ask your maybe-neighbors about what it's like living there in the summer. On weekends too.

 

The degree of shoreline development. The more homes you see, the lousier the water quality will be. 

 

If you're buying lakefront, is it a lake that is used by jet skiers and wakeboard boaters? Unless you plan to jet ski or own a wakeboard boat, those are big negatives, for they're noisy and erode shorelines. 

 

 

LAST POINT: You're young, so buy an imperfect home and work on it. Make it yours.

 

P. S. - That bass you're holding appears to be heavier than three pounds.

[gim]

I just am now seeing this otherwise I would have responded weeks ago.

 

Honestly, one of the best options is exactly right where you are already: the Brainerd Lakes area.  There's a bunch of lakes, big and small, plus the river.  Mille Lacs is half an hour away too.  My wife's family is from the Brainerd area and I am relatively familiar with it.  Brainerd/Baxter is a big enough city with entertainment and dining options too, but it's not overly bigger like the Twin Cities.

 

I don't know if you're a golfer or not but that area has some of the most spectacular golf courses in the state.   I've played most of them at least a couple times.

 

The one downside about this area is that it's a popular summer vacation area on the weekends and during holidays.  It's like a mass entry on Friday and a mass exodus on Sunday.  But if you live there, you will have these lakes mostly to yourself during the week.

[CoryRobertLowe]

21 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I've bought a few homes, so here goes: I bought my last home, even though it looked like a granny decorated it back in 1937, and hadn't been cleaned since then because:

 

A. It came with wrap-around woods. I've only had one bad neighbor in my life and that was more than enough. Now I want a woody buffer in every home I own.

 

B. It had great bones. I didn't care about the grime and dated finishes. I cared about a good foundation and frame. So, I told the home inspector to focus on that and he gave it an a-okay and when the home was demoed, I could see that he was right. I didn't spot a single knot in the wood of the frame. Not one. And the basement is dry and crack-free.

 

Some other HUGE pluses:

 

Dead end road. 

 

Big trees. Sure, you can plant trees and they'll be big in 50 years, but big trees today are great.

 

The neighborhood. Visit it at different times of the day. Get out and just listen. Do you like what you hear? Plus, knock on doors and ask your maybe-neighbors about what it's like living there in the summer. On weekends too.

 

The degree of shoreline development. The more homes you see, the lousier the water quality will be. 

 

If you're buying lakefront, is it a lake that is used by jet skiers and wakeboard boaters? Unless you plan to jet ski or own a wakeboard boat, those are big negatives, for they're noisy and erode shorelines. 

 

 

LAST POINT: You're young, so buy an imperfect home and work on it. Make it yours.

 

P. S. - That bass you're holding appears to be heavier than three pounds.

Thanks @Swamp Girl. Great answer!

[MN Fisher]

Having lived in Northern MN (Bemidji), I have to agree with Gim - Brainerd lakes area is a fantastic place.

 

If you really do want to shift locations - Leech Lake area would be my second choice.

[gim]

Proximity to quality healthcare would be important to me too, depending on age.

[Swamp Girl]

29 minutes ago, gim said:

Proximity to quality healthcare would be important to me too, depending on age.

 

So true. I kid you not: When I was first home shopping in Maine, I found a 2200 sq. foot home atop a cliff overlooking the ocean and that home had three ponds for $229,000, but it was so far from quality healthcare that I passed. 

 

I still think about being perched on that cliff, high above the waves, and having three fishing holes too. Sigh.

[WaskaCrank12]

I live in the Alexandria area (about 1 hour 45 minutes southwest of Brainerd) - Brainerd and Alexandria have almost identical populations - in Alexandria there are a number of beautiful lakes ranging from a few hundred acres to about 9,000 acres in size (some of the lakes are connected so you can go lake to lake) - plenty of things to do - proximity to highway 94 to either go west to Fargo or east to the Twin Cities - I think it is probably a similar distance to the Twin Cities from both Alexandria and Brainerd (128 or so miles) - Alexandria does not have the proximity to a lake as large as Mille Lacs - as @MN Fisher mentioned the Leech Lake area is beautiful

 

I moved here from the east coast - here are some house buying things to possible consider:

---living "on" a lake (ie, property that has direct lake front access) drives the cost up significantly

----taxes and "assessments" are significantly higher if you own lake front property

-----you need to take in to account (if you buy lake front property) that boats, PWC, kayaks, ect....will be buzzing around when the water is liquid and ice fisherman, trucks, ice fishing houses, augers, ect....will be buzzing around when the lake is frozen -- and they can be buzzing around 24/7

 

Certainly there are pros to living "on" the lake - you can walk down, lower your boat lift and cruise out on to the water (although there is a cost to putting that dock/lift into the water in the spring and taking it out of the water before it freezes over).

 

I did lots and lots of research before buying. I live half a mile from a lake (I can easily walk, ride my bike to the lake) and I am about 15 minutes from a DNR ramp - so it is easy to drive the boat down and dunk it in the water. I would say every 40 yards closer you get to the lake (from my house) the prices of homes increase rapidly . 

 

I would add:

---my dad gave my brothers and I this advice when it came to purchasing a home - buy the least expensive place in the nicest neighbourhood you can get in to (I did that - and as people in the neighbourhood have added on three car garages, big decks, nice landscaping, ect... - the value of my property has risen quite a bit without me doing much to it).....as they say - location, location, location

-----I agree fully with @Swamp Girl - find a home with "good bones" (ie, rock solid foundation, solid/newer roof, good windows, no water/flooding concerns, good insulation) and then embrace taking on projects like painting/making it your own -- check out big ticket items like the furnace/well (I have well water)/septic tank/deck/roof/ect....for defects or approximate timeline they may need to be replaced -- because when you buy the house these all become your responsibility to maintain/replace

-----Be honest with yourself about the size of property/length of driveway that you are excited about maintaining --- it takes time/effort/equipment to maintain and show pride of ownership for your home (I have 1.5 acres and embrace/enjoy the yard work that comes along with that - many people would not want that) 

-----I believe these things were said before - drive into the neighbourhood at all different times day/night to see/hear what it is like - ask people who live there why they chose that neighborhood ?, would they chose it again ?, what is the best part of living here ?, what are the challenges of living there ?

-----Get the home inspected by a licensed inspector 

--------Purchase a home that fits YOU the best ---- What is most important to you ? What are your must haves ? What are your deal breakers ?  (ie, cracked foundation, water leak issues, damaged roof, ect...) What are your "I'm ok with that quirk" ?, "I am ok with taking on that project")

 

Wishing you the best of luck in your search !

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

5 minutes ago, WaskaCrank12 said:

buy the least expensive place in the nicest neighbourhood you can get in to

 

SO TRUE! Listen to Mr. 12 and Mr. 12's Papa!!!

[DaubsNU1]

To date I have purchased four homes. None on a lake, so I cannot help you there. 

 

My 83 year old Dad is a retired carpenter...he used to build houses from the ground up. He later concentrated on finish trim (kitchens, bathrooms, remodels, etc.). He is also great with plumbing, electrical, and auto maintenance (that is a whole other thread). 

 

Had the honor and privilege of having Dad along when looking at all my houses before purchase. He's been doing this long enough to know the good from the bad...sometimes even when we pulled in to the driveway. One house...he wouldn't even let me and the wife out of the car. "Just back out, lets drive away right now..."   HA!

 

@Swamp Girl & @WaskaCrank12 have great advice above. 

 

I will add the following:

• Bring a good flashlight, and shine that thing in and under places you would normally not look. Check out the attic looking for adequate insulation, bats, mice, racoons, any droppings that might indicate holes and entrance points. Look in cold-air return ducts, pay close attention to the furnace / HVAC, basement, crawl space, laundry room and dryer vents. 
• Bring a black light(!). Current house smelled really nice when we looked, and purchased. A week in to ownership wife got the carpets cleaned...and things started to smell bad. It was almost as if the sellers had been trying to mask something...wife broke out the black light, and could see animal urine pretty much everywhere(!). We pulled all carpet, pad, and each and every staple...enzyme killed the floor, then Kilz-ed it, new carpet, and new paint. Ugh. 
• Get it inspected! Good home inspection company, and you might even get a structural engineer to have a peek. Our house had some small cracks in foundation. Engineer had a look and everything checked out good. 
• Check windows carefully. We had issues with some defective Pella windows that rotted from the inside out. I would personally check and make sure every window in the house worked, and was not rotting, or had damage. Windows are expensive. Good windows are priceless. My Dad still has original windows in his house from 1971...they are wonderful. 
• Make sure you aren't in a flood plain, and your insurance will be able to cover the house. My wife found the "perfect little old farm house..." about a mile from the Platte River here in Nebraska. It was said to be outside the "100 year flood" area (whatever that meant). The house needed lots of work, and in the end, we decided to pass on that property. It was a good thing...just three years later the "100+ year flood" happened. Nuff said. 
• Check the power outlets. Some older houses don't have the three prong outlets, and could have faulty wiring. Bring an outlet tester and test as many as you can. Check the breaker box. Sometimes renovations / additions are not done correctly, and can lead to issues down the road. 
• Get the water checked. Our current house has it's own well. Our real-estate agent demanded a water test in the purchase agreement...test came out great, but something I would not have thought of. 
• Get the septic system inspected (if you have one). 
• Bring a friend, or a relative. There were many times I had on rose-colored glasses when looking at a house / property. Having Dad there really helped me see things I would have missed. 

Good luck with your search!!

[gim]

I generally agree with what @WaskaCrank12 posted.  If I was seeking a home in "northern MN" I wouldn't necessarily have it on lakeshore property.  That means almost nothing to me, and the cost is much higher.  I'd rather pick out a nicer property not on the lake instead and then go to the lake of my choosing to fish or recreate on.  When I retire, there's a decent chance I move to this area.  Unfortunately that's not for another 20 years.

 

Alexandra area isn't bad.  But given a choice, I'd still take Brainerd over it.  My opinion is probably biased on this selection though given that I'm more familiar with Brainerd/Baxter than Alex and my in laws are there.