
Photo by Davel5957/Getty Images
Minneapolis skyline
You’ve seen the headlines—the housing market is hot. And even if you have no desire or need to move, a healthy local real estate landscape is good news for all of us.
We Twin Citians are proud of our bragging rights—good schools, noteworthy universities, an enviable health care system, excellent parks, endless bike trails, world-class museums, all the pro sports teams, even 10,000 lakes. And let’s not overlook the roster of Fortune 500s that call Minnesota home.
The challenges of the last year have certainly put a strain on these attributes and also kept all of us closer to our physical homes than ever before. As a result, our homes are now busy hubs where we live, work, play, and relax. While we have an ongoing concern for what tomorrow holds, not only for the physical health of our neighbors but for the overall health and safety of our cities, we continue to be invested in living in our cities—urban, suburban, and semi-rural.
The current home market activity is especially boosted by first-time buyers and others taking advantage of low interest rates. And then there’s the impact of the game-changing work-from-home variable, which is prompting people to look for new solutions. With the boom on our brain, we connected with local pros to look at the trends driving where—and how—we live now.

Photos by Spacecrafting
four pictures of neighborhoods
Selling in Minneapolis? People Will Line Up to Buy Your House
What's making the Twin Cities a seller's market. Read More »
How the Counties Stack Up
Many factors play into where we choose to live— parks and lakes, high-performing schools, retail, restaurants, business districts, even the dreaded commute of pre-2020. Here’s how our Twin Cities metro stacks up. Read More »
City Appeal—Suburban Zip Codes
Affordability meets city access meets urban vibe meets suburban appeal. Buyers are drawn to the charm of established neighborhoods, suburban schools, and business districts occupied by independents. Read More »
The Building Boom
New housing has hit levels not seen since 2006. Read More »
How WFH Is Changing Our Idea of Home
The home office is becoming a must have. Read More »
The Market Is Hot
Call it the Roaring ’20s of real estate. Last year, the pandemic sent what was already a seller’s market into overdrive. Hear's what realtors are seeing. Read More »
Condos in the Downtown Minneapolis Core
The condo mania of 2004 to 2006 is long gone. Nearly all of the construction cranes you see today are for new rental apartment complexes. The only condos under construction in downtown Minneapolis are so expensive that no one will tell you exactly how much the units cost. Read More »
Creating Communities
Is White Oaks Savanna a city? No. You could retire there, but it’s not a retirement community. It’s what developers call a sanctuary. Read More »
A Seller's Market
Many homes are selling fast—here are a few that flew off the market this year. Read More »
Style to Sell
Tips from Jay Nuhring, interior stylist of Prudden Company. Read More »
Photo Finish
Few things seal a home sale deal better than professional real estate photography, says Mike McCaw of Spacecrafting. Read More »
Originally published in the May 2021 issue.