How We Target Remote Lake-Home Buyers in the Central Minnesota Area (And the Unique Systems We Use to Get Sellers the Highest Price)

By Mike Fish, Broker/Owner – Minnesota Real Estate & Management

If you’re thinking about selling a lake home in the Brainerd Lakes Area, one of the most important realities to understand is this: your buyer is almost never local. Over the last several years, roughly half—sometimes as many as 75%—of my buyers have been from outside Minnesota. Many come from the Twin Cities, and several recent buyers have flown in from places like California.

Because the Central MN lake-home market is driven heavily by out-of-state and remote buyers, the way we market and sell a property has to be completely different from what a typical brokerage does.

At Minnesota Real Estate & Management, we’ve built a proven system that not only reaches these buyers—but gives them the confidence, trust, and information needed to make fast, strong offers. Below are the key ways our approach stands out.

1. We Go Beyond Standard MLS Marketing – Way Beyond

Most brokerages rely on a basic set of tools:

• Photos

• Video tours

• Drone footage

• Listing on the MLS

While all of those are important (and we certainly do them at the highest quality), they are simply the starting point. Remote buyers need significantly more information than someone buying locally.

That’s where our unique strategies come in.

2. Guided Inside & Outside Walk-Through Videos (Where We Sell the Property)

This is one of the most powerful marketing tools we use—and something 99% of brokerages do not do.

In addition to the standard MLS video, I personally record a guided walk-through of the home—inside and out—where I speak directly to the camera and sell the property.

I highlight:

• The story of the home

• Key features buyers would miss in photos

• Improvements, updates, and layout details

• The lifestyle the home and lake offer

These videos are not placed on the MLS (rules don’t allow it), but they are sent immediately to every interested buyer and every buyer agent.

This allows a remote buyer—hundreds or thousands of miles away—to feel connected, informed, and confident. Many decide whether to schedule an in-person visit solely based on these guided walk-throughs. And in several recent cases, buyers have written offers sight unseen because of them.

These videos alone have helped me sell multiple lake homes—even in January—because buyers could “experience” the property in its full summer glory.

3. Detailed Lake Profiles: Buyers Are Buying the Lake, Not Just the Home

Remote buyers rarely understand the Brainerd Lakes Area the way locals do.

That’s why we create separate lake profile videos and written lake profiles for each listing. These include:

• Lake size & depth

• Water clarity

• DNR data

• Reputation and vibe

• Activities and boating

• Fishing quality

• Nearby amenities

• Historical property values

• Comparisons to other local lakes

We attach the lake profile to the MLS as a supplement and send the video to every potential buyer. This gives remote buyers the context they need to trust their decision—because in lake real estate, the lake is just as important as the home.

4. We Move Lightning Fast for Remote Buyers

Out-of-state buyers often compete with locals who can walk into a property the same day. So we make sure our buyers never fall behind.

We offer:

• Immediate virtual showings

• Live FaceTime walk-throughs

• Recorded follow-up tours

• Measurement checks

• On-site inspections and evaluations

Because we act quickly, we’ve written full-price (or higher) offers:

• Sight unseen

• Before a home hits the market (coming-soon status)

• Same-day a home lists

• On lake homes up to—and over—$2.7M

Remote buyers win because we’re set up to respond with speed and detail.

5. A Huge Advantage: STR Income Analysis for Buyers

Since we operate one of the most successful vacation rental management companies in Central Minnesota (60+ properties, 4,000+ bookings), we bring an additional layer of value:

• Income projections

• Occupancy strategies

• Licensing guidance

• Improvement recommendations

• Seasonality expectations

• VRBO/Airbnb income potential

For many buyers who want a lake home and income on the side, this is a big driver in their decision to buy—and a major selling point for our sellers.

6. Unique Offering: We Will Show Your Home to Any Buyer—Even If Their Agent Can’t Make It (No Referral Fee, No Strings Attached)

This is something I’ve done for years, and it has directly resulted in numerous sales.

If a buyer’s agent from the Twin Cities or out of state has a client who wants to see your home but the agent can’t drive up for the first showing, I personally show the property to the buyer with zero referral fee and zero strings attached.

This eliminates delays, keeps momentum going, and ensures your home doesn’t lose a ready buyer simply because their agent is busy or out of town.

For any second showing where the buyer is preparing to write an offer, the agent is required to come up—but by then, the interest is already strong.

This simple system has helped sell countless lake homes that might otherwise have been missed.

7. Strong Online Presence + Targeted Metro & Out-of-State Ads

We run targeted ads (especially to the Twin Cities metro), making sure buyers see:

• Property walk-through videos

• Lake profile videos

• Brand messaging

• Full listing details

But the purpose isn’t just marketing.
It’s credibility.

Remote buyers want to trust the broker who guides them through a six- or seven-figure purchase. Our online presence creates that trust before they ever pick up the phone.

The Bottom Line

Selling a lake home in Central Minnesota requires a specialized strategy—one built around remote buyers, speed, information, and trust.

Because we are an independent, non-franchise brokerage, we’ve been able to create and refine our own systems over the years—systems that repeatedly help our sellers net more.

These include:

• Guided “selling-style” walk-through videos

• Detailed lake profiles

• Fast virtual showing capabilities

• Immediate follow-ups with remote buyers

• STR income projections

• First-showing support for buyer agents (no referral fees)

• Targeted out-of-state ads

• In-depth supplemental documentation

When you choose the right listing agent in this market, it can easily mean $100,000 or more in your pocket.

I’m Mike Fish, Broker/Owner of Minnesota Real Estate & Management, and I appreciate you taking the time to read this. If you’re seeing this online, feel free to subscribe, reach out anytime, and let me know how I can help with your lake home plans.