Joe Houghton - Minnesota Property Group

We start with a conversation, usually by phone or over coffee, so I can understand what you're trying to accomplish and what your timeline looks like. For sellers, I'll walk the property, give you an honest assessment of value and any prep work worth doing, and lay out a pricing and marketing plan. For buyers, we'll define your search criteria, get financing squared away, and I'll set up a custom search so you see the right homes as soon as they hit the market. From there I handle the details — showings, negotiations, inspections, closing — and keep you informed at every step.

I'm a licensed Associate Broker, which requires education beyond the standard real estate license, and I've been a full-time Realtor since 2002. I'm also a licensed residential building contractor in Minnesota. That combination is unusual — when I walk a home with you, I'm evaluating the structure, systems, and construction quality, not just the finishes. It changes how I price homes for sellers and how I protect buyers from expensive surprises.

Commissions in Minnesota are negotiable and depend on the specifics of the transaction — price point, property condition, and the scope of marketing involved. I'll walk you through exactly what I charge and what you get for it in our first conversation, so there are no surprises. Buyers should know that compensation structures are discussed and agreed to in writing up front.

I started as a full-time Realtor in 2002 and built my business the slow way — one client at a time, mostly through referrals and repeat business. Along the way I became a licensed residential builder, which grew out of my interest in how homes are actually put together. More than 1,600 homes sold later, I still work the same way: personally, start to finish, with every client.

Just about everyone — first-time buyers, move-up families, downsizers, luxury and lakeshore clients around Lake Minnetonka, relocation buyers new to the Twin Cities, sellers navigating a purchase and sale at the same time, and buyers building new construction. Most of my work is in the west metro: Plymouth, Wayzata, Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Edina, Medina, and the surrounding communities.

A recent one that stands out: helping a family sell their longtime home and buy their next one in the same stretch, coordinating both closings so they never had to move twice or carry two mortgages. Buying and selling at the same time is one of the most stressful things people do, and getting the timing right for them was genuinely satisfying.

Hire someone who does this full time and has been through more than one market cycle. Ask how many homes they've sold, not how many years they've been licensed — those are very different numbers. And ask them to tell you something you don't want to hear about your home or your plan. An agent who only agrees with you isn't protecting you.

What's your real timeline, and what's driving it? What's your budget — not just the purchase price, but monthly comfort level? If you're selling, are you willing to do any prep work, or do you want to sell as-is? And if you're doing both at once, which side needs to close first? You don't need firm answers to all of these, but thinking them through makes the first conversation far more productive.