Start with the payment
Price is one number. Your monthly payment is principal, interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance, and HOA dues if there are any. Ask your lender to show you all of it.
Buying with me, start to keys.
- Talk first
Text me the towns, the monthly payment you're comfortable with, and your must-haves. A short call saves weeks of scrolling.
- Get pre-approved
Talk to a lender before we tour. A pre-approval letter tells you your real budget, and sellers will want it with your offer.
- Search and save
Use my FlexMLS search below. Save the homes you like and text me which ones you want to see. I set up the showings.
- Walk it with the boring questions
Furnace and water heater age, the roof, the windows, and how the yard drains after a thaw. Those cost more than paint.
- Price the fix before you offer
If a house needs work, I can get a real repair or remodel number through H&H so you know whether it still makes sense.
- Write the offer
We look at recent sales nearby, the condition, and how long it's been listed. Then we set the price, earnest money, contingencies, and closing date.
- Inspection to closing
Inspection, appraisal if you're financing, final walk-through, then keys. I track every date in the purchase agreement and tell you what's next.
Search homes
See what's for sale right now.
This opens my FlexMLS search. Save the ones you like, then text me which ones you want to walk through.
Opens on Rochester listings. Change the city inside FlexMLS for other towns.
Opens FlexMLS (NorthstarMLS) in a new tab.
- Rochester
- Kasson
- Byron
- Pine Island
- Oronoco
- Chatfield
- Saint Charles
- Lake City
- Plainview
Where I show homes.
Rochester is home base. These are the towns around it I cover. The search opens on Rochester listings; change the city inside FlexMLS to see the others.
- RochesterOlmsted CountyHome base. Mayo Clinic, downtown, and everything from older houses near the center to newer subdivisions on the edges.
- ByronOlmsted CountyWest of Rochester on Highway 14, between the city and Kasson.
- KassonDodge CountyFarther west on Highway 14. Buyers usually look here for more yard. Kasson vs Rochester.
- MantorvilleDodge CountyThe county seat, just north of Kasson.
- Dodge CenterDodge CountyWest on Highway 14, past Kasson.
- StewartvilleOlmsted CountySouth of Rochester on Highway 63.
- OronocoOlmsted CountyNorth of Rochester on Highway 52.
- Pine IslandGoodhue and Olmsted countiesFarther north on Highway 52.
- ChatfieldFillmore and Olmsted countiesSoutheast of Rochester on Highway 52.
- Saint CharlesWinona CountyEast of Rochester along I-90.
- PlainviewWabasha CountyNortheast of Rochester.
- Lake CityWabasha and Goodhue countiesOn Lake Pepin, northeast of Rochester.
Also Elgin, Winona, Austin, Preston, Spring Valley, Lanesboro, and other towns nearby. Text me where you work and how you feel about a drive, and I'll tell you which towns fit.
Moving here for Mayo?
Plenty of people buying in Rochester are starting a job at Mayo Clinic, and some are shopping from another state. If that's you, your time here is short, so we plan it.
Before you fly in, send me your start date, where you'll report to work, and how you plan to get there. I'll line up showings in a tight window so you see the right houses in a day or two instead of a week.
If you don't know the area yet, renting for a year is a fair call, and I'll tell you if I think it fits you better. When you're ready to buy, the same rules apply: pre-approval, a short list, and a real number on any fixes.
I also post videos on my YouTube channel.
Buying your first house.
Look at Minnesota Housing
Minnesota Housing's Start Up program is for first-time buyers, meaning no ownership in a home in the last three years. It can pair with down payment and closing cost loans of up to $18,000 (2026 figure). You apply through a participating lender. Minnesota Housing lenders.
Keep a repair cushion
Set money aside for the first year in the house. Water heaters and furnaces don't check your calendar.
File for homestead
After you move in, file a homestead application with the county. In Olmsted County the deadline is December 31 for the next year's taxes. It affects your property tax and your eligibility for the state property tax refund.
More in First-time buyer questions I get in Olmsted and Dodge County.
Financing, in plain terms.
Pre-approval, not pre-qualification
A pre-approval means a lender has looked at your income, assets, and credit. That's the letter sellers want to see with an offer.
Compare lenders
I'm not a lender. Talk to two or three and compare their Loan Estimates line by line: rate, points, lender fees, and cash to close.
Earnest money
When your offer is accepted, you put down earnest money. It's held in trust and applied to your purchase at closing. The amount is part of the offer, so we decide it together.
Contingencies
Common ones are inspection, financing, and appraisal. If you need to sell your current house first, that's a sale contingency, and it changes how a seller reads your offer.
Radon
Minnesota sellers have to give you a radon disclosure and the Health Department's "Radon in Real Estate Transactions" pamphlet. The Minnesota Department of Health recommends every buyer test before buying.
Buyer questions.
Do I pay you to help me buy?
Commission is negotiable, and it's spelled out in a written buyer agreement before we tour homes. In some deals the seller pays part or all of it. We go over it at the start so there are no surprises.
Can you show me houses outside Rochester?
Yes. Byron, Kasson, Stewartville, Pine Island, Oronoco, Chatfield, Saint Charles, and other towns nearby. Text me the towns and your budget and I'll set the showings.
Can I see homes listed by other brokerages?
Yes. The FlexMLS search shows homes listed by other offices too, and I can show you any of them.
What if the house needs work?
Don't guess. Through my work with H&H Construction, I can get you a real repair or remodel quote before you write an offer, so you know if the house still makes sense at that price.
If you can price repairs, do I still need an inspection?
Yes. A quote prices what we can see. An inspector goes through the systems and finds what we can't. Use both.
I'm moving for a job at Mayo and can't be here for every showing. Can we still do this?
Yes. Tell me your dates early and send your list. We'll plan showings for the days you're in town and narrow things down before you arrive.
How fast do I need to move on a house?
It depends on the house. Redfin's August 2026 numbers put Rochester at a median of 20 days on market, so the good ones don't sit long. I still won't push you into one that doesn't fit.
Read more in Morning Thoughts.
Buying · First-time buyer questions I get in Olmsted and Dodge CountyPayment, towns, inspections, and what a fixer really costs. Plain answers for a first house.ReadBuying · Kasson or Rochester? What buyers trade when they leave city limitsYou're usually trading some drive time for more house or more yard. Here's how I'd weigh it.ReadBuying · What buyers miss on the first Rochester showingPaint and cabinets get the attention. The furnace, the grading, and the real cost of a fix matter more.Read