LakePlace.com in the News

Special Agents – Real Estate Agents Who Specialize In Niche Properties
By Nancy Crotti
Star Tribune Homes

Like any business, real estate has those who run with the pack and those who find a niche. This month we'll feature a few agents who choose to focus on lakeshore, urban and suburban properties.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin, some agents sell nothing but lakeshore property. Wade Hanson took that notion one step further. His company, LakePlace.com, is a real estate brokerage that acts as a conduit between web-surfing buyers and sellers, and includes about 50 local real estate offices in the deals.

We elected to work with other agencies rather than against them," says Hanson. "An interested party contacts LakePlace.com about a property and we direct that buyer to a local expert in our network of lakeshore specialists.

Brothers Kevin and Dave Swan teamed up to form an environmentally conscious lakeshore development company, Legacy Land Group, about 18 months ago. Kevin came from corporate sales and Dave from a large development company to create the firm that buys land and prepares it for lakeshore construction.

"When we go into a project, we don't make decisions based solely on the bottom line," Dave Swan says. He asks himself, "What are the best interests of this property and its long-term future?" Swan tries to look at a property as if he were selling it to his family or friends, determined to develop a project that "30 years from now, the owners would be absolutely thrilled." If that's not possible, the Legacy Land Group will not take the land.

The Swan brothers also install community septic systems in most of their developments rather than individual systems, which are much less expensive but harder on the land. "I guess 25 years from now, when I go back to a place, I want to have peace of mind that we did all we could to preserve the land and create a great place for people to relax and enjoy their investment," Dave Swan says.

Legacy Land Group currently has developments on the Island Lake Chain east of Chetek, on Lake Eau Galle an hour east of St. Paul and a third on Bony Lake, north of Hayward.

Far from the lakeshore, Jim Seabold of Coldwell Banker Burnet's downtown St. Paul office specializes in urban condominiums and townhouses. Seabold helps developers establish condominium sizes, architectural styles, floor plans and prices. His sales team handles most transactions. "I sell a few [condos], but my main focus is to make sure that we're designing condominiums and townhomes that consumers will want," Seabold says. Current projects include Western Row in St. Paul's Amsey Hill and Victoria Park at West Seventh and Otto Streets.

A move to the suburbs led Dianna Johnson to her specialty, upper-end homes in Edina and Eden Prairie. An agent with Coldwell Banker Burnet's Edina regional office, Johnson taught school for seven years before going into real estate in the late 1970's.

Selling luxury homes can differ from marketing moderately priced properties. Wealthier buyers and sellers tend to be savvier because they usually have been involved in more business transactions, according to Johnson. She adds, "Because you have fewer people who can purchase at that price, the time on the market is generally longer."

Whether it's lakeshore property, urban condos or high-end suburbia you seek, having a knowledgeable agent who specializes in your desired area can help ease the entire home-buying process.