John Kelly

I’m delighted that you stopped by to visit my Twin Cities real estate website. My goal as your Saint Paul area real estate agent is to make information as accessible as possible so you can make well-informed decisions.  I would love it if you could take the time to explore my entire website. But I realize many visitors are here for specific information.  You are just one click away from receiving the nitty gritty details on cash rebates for home buyers and reduced commissions for home sellers.

IBR Realty is Minnesota’s largest and most successful discount real estate company. If you are selling your home, I will provide excellent service, and my reduced fees will save you thousands of dollars.  Only the fees are reduced; never the service.  In fact my my internet presence is search engine optimized, which enables my listings to receive better internet exposure than even the most expensive Twin City real estate agents can provide.  You shouldn’t have to choose between high quality service and  an affordable commission structure.  Contact me today and find out how to put my 22 years of experience to work for you.

If you will be buying a home try this Minnesota home search link to browse listings, order Saint Paul MLS listings, Minneapolis home sales reports, and customized lists of homes in surrounding communities. Don’t forget that buyers can also save money by working with a discount real estate broker. My buyers typically receive substantial cash rebates because my low overhead allows me to pass on some of the savings to them.

My Service Areas

Frequently, out-of-town visitors ask me about “what neighborhoods I specialize in.” This is hard to answer, as I am constantly criss-crossing the metro to help clients buy or sell homes. As a Saint Paul real estate agent, I often help clients sell one home in one end of the Twin Cities, and help them buy a home on the other end. Most Twin Cities real estate agents experience this phenomenon. With all of the good data that is available, and the excellent freeway system, a short drive to the opposite end of Minneapolis or Saint Paul is a non-issue for most agents. I have lived in this area for a long time, and, quite frankly, I would be comfortable living in any Minneapolis or St. Paul neighborhood. How do I know this? I have experience with home sales in just about all of the metro Minnesota communities. Therefore, I don’t think you are going to go wrong buying a home in any of our neighborhoods. The data on crime, school district performance, and home re-sale histories all prove this point.

Regardless, an important part of my job is to help you find the right property in the neighborhood that best suits your needs for price, commuting time, and other factors. However, a quick overview of the site will tell you that I have a special fondness for real estate in Saint Paul, Mendota Heights, Eagan, Lakeville, Rosemount, and other southern suburbs in Dakota County. If you decide to tour these areas, you will feel the same way. You will enjoy the eclectic mix of urban Victorian architecture, or the green and open spaces as you drive south into Dakota County.

As a Twin Cities REALTOR, why do I like this part of the metro so much? Well, for one thing, I live here! Also, it’s easy to find homes here. There’s something here for everyone.

A City with a Checkered Past!

If you were looking for a guy that you had not seen in a few months, you usually thought of two places: Prison or St. Paul. -Alvin “Creepy” Karpis

Former Governor Jesse Ventura once stated that the Saint Paul road system was designed by a “bunch of drunken Irishmen.” Of course, he was met with a small firestorm of outrage and public censure for making this indelicate remark. But the locals all know that the St. Paul street map is interesting, to say the least. Streets do not fall along a boring grid like they do in Minneapolis; they are neither alphabetized nor numbered in an orderly fashion.

Some conspiracy theorists surmise that the confusing street plan was laid out to help mobsters avoid capture by federal agents. This idea seems outlandish, until you consider that famous criminals like Baby-Face Nelson, Ma Barker, Alvin Karpis, and John Dillinger all found a safe haven in Saint Paul. In fact, Police Chief John O’Connor allowed famous prohibition-era gangsters to live here without fear of prosecution, as long as the brothels and gambling establishments made payoffs to the police. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

But did the city really design the streets for the benefit of the gangsters? A more plausible explanation for the street plan might be found by looking at the way the river meanders through the city. The shape of the river and all of those bluffs probably made a grid-type layout impossible. The unique layout of roads only complement the beauty of the river and the homes. If the streets were arranged like a tic-tac-toe board, it just wouldn’t be the same. Besides, City Hall has cleaned itself up, so I don’t think there will be any more shenanigans in the planning department!

The wonderful architecture found here reflects the flamboyant and colorful characters of the people who lived here. There are more than 1600 St. Paul properties on the National Historic Register. In fact, the Landmark Center, the very building where the Alvin Karpis trial convened, is itself an architectural marvel. However, if you really want to see St. Paul architecture, you should take a tour through some of the neighborhoods and wonderful homes for sale.

Featured Communities

The Macalester/Groveland neighborhood (Saint Paul MN MLS 750) is home to three colleges; The University of St Thomas, Macalester College, and the College of St. Catherine. In addition to good public schools, there are some well-respected private schools in this neighborhood, including Nativity Elementary School, and Cretin High School. At the the time of this writing, there are 81 single family homes for sale in on Macalester Groveland on the Saint Paul MN MLS.* Average asking price is $401,819, at an average cost of $207 per finished square foot. If you are looking for a vintage home or a any other specimen of classic St. Paul MN real estate, this is the place to be; the average year built is 1925. If you are lucky, you might get to bid on a Georgian Colonial, a tudor in King’s Maplewood, or a stately Summit Avenue home that features a grand fireplace.

The Highland Park neighborhood (Saint Paul MN MLS 752) sits atop of of the beautiful east banks of the Mississippi River, directly across from Minneapolis. At the other end of the Ford Bridge, you will find Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis. The tend to be newer here, and many were built in the 1950’s and 1960’s; there are not as many from the 20’s and 30’s era. Generally there are about seven dozen single family homes available in this St. Paul MN real estate market at any given time, at an average asking price of about 400K.* As expected the average year-built for these homes comes in at about 1944.* Let’s go check out some nice colonial homes with riverfront views or perhaps a handsome brick colonial on a large lot.

The “West Side” Riverview/Cherokee community (Saint Paul MN MLS 728) is actually south of downtown and borders Dakota County. It is not actually West of anything in St. Paul. Minneapolis is west of St. Paul. It is called the”West Side” because if you travel north on the Mississippi, it is the only part of St. Paul on the left (west) side of the river. It is just across from the high bridge and three other bridges from downtown. Also, because of its proximity to West St. Paul and Mendota Heights, many of the students in this neighborhood go to Independent Public School District 197 thru open enrollment, or to private schools in Cherokee Riverview or West St. Paul. Value wise, I consider this particular Saint Paul MN real estate market a very affordable place to live, with close proximity to all of the amenities the city has to offer.

However, all three of these communities have easy access to downtown, freeways, and the airport. Generally speaking, this area has more homes for sale on the St. Paul MN MLS at any given time. For example, at this moment, there are 107 single family homes for sale in the Riverview/Cherokee community. Average asking price comes in much lower here at a jaw-dropping asking price of $156,688. Top prices seldom exceed 400k in this part of the city.

To browse the inventory of homes in St. Paul, just follow this link

Driving South

If you are looking for something rural and something newer, you don’t have to go very far. Dakota County is just to the south of the Twin Cities, and is home to about 355,000 people. It covers a large area that extends all the way to Hastings, which is the county seat. On your drive South, you will pass through two inner tier metro suburbs: South Saint Paul and West Saint Paul. There are still a number of older homes here, but according to the Northstar Regional MLS,* the average year built is 1965. This northern part of the Dakota County MN real estate market generally carries about 250-300 single family listings, for an average price of about 300K. If you want more open space and are especially interested in brand new home construction, you only have to drive a few minutes more. On the left side of this page, you will find links to community and real estate information for Mendota Heights, Lakeville, Rosemount, and Eagan. You can also use these pages to search for all Dakota County homes, or homes in the greater Twin Cities metro area.

Your Full Service Minnesota REALTOR

Thanks for stopping by. I could go on and on about these fabulous Minnesota communities, but I am more interested in hearing what you have to say. I have added a blog component to the site to give you a chance to air your insights or questions. Local real estate owners already know plenty about market conditions and neighborhood issues, and have much to contribute.

Are you planning on buying or selling a home? Are you just thinking about it? Please don’t hesitate to call me at (651) 238-5649 or drop me a line. If you just want to chat about the market, that’s just fine, too! My business continues to grow from many thoughtful referrals from past clients, so I am not interested in pressuring anyone. When you are ready, I will be here to help! Sincerely, John Kelly, REALTOR Independent Brokers Realty.