Top Real Estate Agents in Minnesota (2026)

FastExpert ranks its agents based on their number of successful sales, real customer reviews, and years active. We collect each real estate agent’s transaction history to provide the most accurate data in our directory of top agents. We like to use the data of the last three years of closed sales as a reference point, as it shows how well the agent is doing now - not 10 years ago.

We only show true and accurate data, and our agents cannot buy their way into a higher ranking. At FastExpert, you’ll always see the most accurate and up-to-date rankings with our top real estate agents.

According to the Minnesota Department of Real Estate as of May 2020, there are a total of 8,986 licensed real estate agents.

Total real estate agent fees (including seller and buyer’s agents) range from 4-6% of the total home sale price.

This is split between the seller’s agent and the buyer’s agent. So if a home sells for $500,000 and the commission is 5%, the total fee is $25,000 with $12,500 for each agent.

The home seller usually pays for this fee, but that can vary depending on what both sides agree on.

If you want to see if a real estate agent is licensed in Minnesota you can visit the Minnesota Department of Real Estate website and look them up by name. This will give you their license number, type, and the cities they are active.

The seller commonly pays the realtor fee.

You will usually see the fee included in the final closing costs for the property sale. On average, total commissions are about 4-6% of the total house sale price, with half going to the seller’s agent and half to the buyer’s agent. This is negotiable and is something you should discuss with your agent before you decide to work with them.

When looking to hire a real estate agent in Minnesota, it’s essential to interview a few agents and choose the one that fits your needs best.

When interviewing, there are some questions to ask to ensure you get information that will help you with your decisions.

Be sure to ask about where they have worked in the past, what their average price point is, how they like to communicate, and how much they charge for commission. For a full list of recommended questions, see our blog post, Essential Interview Questions to Ask a Real Estate Agent.

Minnesota real estate agents do much more than just put a sign in front of your house. A good Realtor will work with you from the moment you decide to sell your home to after you hand over the key.

This includes things like working with appraisers to set the right listing price, staging, having pictures taken, preparing the listing, online marketing, open houses, working with individual showings, answering questions, negotiating, closing paperwork, and so much more!

If you don’t think hiring a real estate agent is worth the money, think about this - according to the National Association of Realtors, in 2021 the average home sold FSBO (for sale by owner) sold for 32% less than the average home sold with a Realtor.

Hiring a top real estate agent for selling or buying a home in Minnesota will save you time and money. Here are four reasons you should consider hiring a real estate agent

1. It’s their job and they have the time and resources you likely don’t have to do it well. 2. They know the market. The best real estate agents live and work in the same area for years, they know it well and can help address your questions and concerns. 3. They are good at negotiating. They work as the middleperson between you and the other party so you can stay behind the scenes. 4. They do the hard work for you. They market your home, make phone calls between interested parties, handle documents, and negotiate the best deal for you.

When browsing through the top Minnesota real estate agents, you’ll need to know what makes a great real estate agent before making a decision. Here we’ve listed out the qualities that make a great agent to help you narrow it down!

Professionalism: A top real estate agent takes themselves seriously, and handles every situation with professionalism. Responsiveness: A top real estate agent is your go-to for any questions or concerns you may have when it comes to the purchase or sale of your home. Listens to you: A real estate agent is always personable with their clients. Knowledgeable: A professional real estate agent doesn’t live in the dark ages.

Home Buyers and Home Sellers need not worry about finding an agent in Minnesota. At FastExpert, we take the time to separate the professionals from the agents you should avoid.

Both us and our neighbors just moved into our houses in the last year and the fence between our two houses is falling down. They have a dog and I would really like the fence repaired so that the dog doesn't get in our yard but they say that that part of the fence is on our property. I think it is right on the line so shouldn't we both own that section?

Zoltan Peresztegi: Your neighbor is likely mistaken, and there is actually a law that backs you up.

If the fence sits on the boundary line between your two lots, it is a shared "division" fence, and in California the Good Neighbor Fence Act (Civil Code section 841) presumes that both neighbors benefit equally and are equally responsible for the reasonable cost of maintaining or replacing it. Whose side the posts happen to lean toward does not change that. So "that part is on your property, so it is your problem" is usually not how it works for a fence right on the line.

Here is the clean way to handle it:

- Confirm the line. If either of you is unsure where the boundary actually runs, a survey settles it. Your property corners may already be marked, or a surveyor can locate them.
- Put it in writing. The law expects the neighbor who wants to do the work to give the other 30 days' written notice describing the problem, the estimated cost, and the proposed split. A simple, friendly note that mentions the equal responsibility rule often gets cooperation fast.
- Get a couple of bids so the "reasonable cost" is documented.

The law does allow the split to be adjusted if making it 50/50 would be truly unfair (say one neighbor wants a fancy upgrade), but the starting point is shared cost. Since you both just moved in, leading with the statute plus a fair, documented offer is your best shot at a repaired fence and a good long term relationship next door.

I am Zoltan Peresztegi, a South Bay and Los Angeles real estate professional, not an attorney, and fence law varies by state, so if you are outside California check your state's shared fence statute. Happy to point you to the right local resource if you tell me where you are.

Zoltan

David Patsel: It is owned by 1 person. It cant be owned by both. You can usually tell if the previous owner installed the fence by looking at the inside of the fencing vs the opposite side. I recommend that your realtor that helped you purchase, contact the listing agent and ask the seller who does the fence belong to

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I keep hearing about this lawsuit and commissions changing. Does this mean I don't have to pay the buyer’s agent anymore? How do I bring this up with my realtor without it being awkward?

Keith Jean Pierre: You do not have to pay the buy-side commission any longer but if you do not have a buy-side offering, you are going to have significantly less traction in terms of offers on your property as most buyers are not looking to pay the compensation to their agent.

Phong Tran: You are probably hearing about changes tied to the NARn commission lawsuit settlement it does not mean buyer’s agents are free it just means commissions are more negotiable and not automatically offered the same way. You may still pay your agent directly ask the seller to cover it or negotiate a mix. The easiest way to bring it up is just be direct and ask your agent how they are handling compensation now and what your options look like any good agent will expect that question and will not find it awkward.

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I'm selling an inherited property under a conventional loan and the buyer's lender just came back $46,000 under our $455,000 contract price even though a nearly identical unit sold for $459,000 just a few months ago, so I'm trying to figure out if there's a normal way to push back on an appraisal that far off before I assume the deal is falling apart.

Zoltan Peresztegi: Mateo, a $46,000 gap on a $455,000 contract is significant, but it is not automatically a dead deal, and having a genuinely comparable sale at $459,000 already recorded nearby is exactly the kind of evidence that can move an appraisal. The first thing to check is your appraisal contingency deadline, because whatever you decide to do needs to happen inside that window, not after it.

The most direct option is to have your buyer's lender request a Reconsideration of Value, sometimes called an ROV, where the lender formally challenges the appraisal using specific sold comparables rather than opinions. To be useful, those comps generally need to be closed sales, not pending or active listings, within roughly the last six to twelve months, in the same market area, and genuinely similar in size, condition and lot. Nationally these requests only succeed something like ten to fifteen percent of the time, so it is worth trying given your comp, but you should not treat it as your only path forward.

At the same time, start the parallel conversation about splitting the difference. Common outcomes are the seller coming down to the appraised value, the buyer covering some or all of the gap in cash, or both sides meeting in the middle. Since this is an inherited property, ask your agent how much flexibility actually exists on the seller's side, since that can depend on whether there is a mortgage still being paid off or whether the sale proceeds are being split among multiple heirs who need the full agreed price.

Pull together the actual sale details on that $459,000 comparable yourself if you can, the address, the closing date, square footage and condition, and hand that to your agent and lender right away so they are not starting from scratch. I am a real estate professional, not a lender or an appraiser, and appraisal review timelines can vary by lender, so confirm your specific deadline and process with your loan officer today rather than waiting. My own experience is mostly in the Los Angeles market, so for the Duluth specifics, lean on your local agent and lender who know that market. That said, gaps like this are more fixable than they feel in the moment, especially with a comp like that already sold nearby, so don't panic yet. I'm Zoltan Peresztegi, and I hope that helps you have a clearer conversation with your team this week.

Zoltan

Joe Foxx: A $46k gap hurts, but it does not mean the deal is automatically dead. Appraisals can be challenged, and price can be renegotiated.

On a conventional loan, the lender will only fund up to the appraised value (with the buyer's down payment and loan limits). Your options are usually: (1) ask for a reconsideration of value with better comps, including that nearly identical $459k sale if it truly matches and closed recently, (2) renegotiate the contract price toward the appraisal, (3) have the buyer bring cash to cover some or all of the gap, or (4) walk and relist if the buyer cannot or will not close the difference. A good listing agent (or you, with an appraiser's help) packages the rebuttal: closed comps, condition notes, and why the subject is equal or better. "Nearby sold for more" alone is not enough if the appraiser already considered it and adjusted for differences.

Move fast. Appraisal disputes have short windows, and buyers get nervous when the gap is this large. Get the full appraisal report, line up the comps in writing, and decide your walk-away number before the next conversation. Inherited sales sometimes appraise light if condition, updates, or HOA/dues differ from the "identical" unit, so check that too.

I am not your appraiser or attorney. Have your agent or a local real estate attorney help you run the reconsideration path and any contract amendment before you assume you must eat the full $46k.

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We love our rose bushes and have put a lot of effort into maintaining them over the years. They hold a lot of memories for us. We're downsizing and want a piece of this house to take with us. Can we dig them up and take them to our new home?

Jan Leopold: For properties in Breckenridge, CO. The main factors are timing, size, and how carefully they’re dug up. Roses usually move best while dormant, which is typically early spring before new growth starts or fall after they’ve gone dormant. That reduces shock. Try to take as much of the root ball as possible, prune the top growth back some so the roots have less to support, and replant them quickly.

Older, larger roses can be moved, but they are harder to transplant successfully.
Own-root roses usually adapt better than grafted roses, though both can be moved.
It can be smart to do both: transplant the whole bush and also take cuttings as backup.

Best option: Moving them before photos and before showings, if at all possible. So buyers never see them as part of the property.
Next-best option: if you want them to stay for a while, tell your agent before listing so the roses are clearly excluded in the MLS remarks, disclosures, and contract paperwork.

Amanda Courtney: Legally, any plant in the ground is a fixture and stays with the house. If you want to take your roses, you must list them as an "Exclusion" in the sales contract. To avoid a deal-breaker, the "Expert Move" is to dig them up and put them in pots before you list the house; once they are in pots, they are "personal property" and you can take them without any special paperwork.

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Looking to retire and move. Where are the best retirement communities?

Chris Yochum: Reno Nevada is the best place on earth if you ask me. Other that Reno, some good options are Tampa Florida, Sedona Arizona, and Las Vegas Nevada. Some things to consider when retiring is affordability, taxes, weather, activities available and access to good healthcare.

Lynne Pruell: The "best" retirement community is subjective and depends on personal preferences, such as climate, cost of living, healthcare, activities, and proximity to family.

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