Hi all,
There's lots of great info on neighborhoods, and now I'm interested in some must-haves, nice-to-haves, etc., while I shop for a new home.
Background: Wife and I are planning to move between February and May of 2026. We are in our late 30s and expecting our 1st child in August 2026. We are moving from Boise, ID and she already has family in MN (between Minnetonka and SLP). I've only visited in the winter and am aware of just how much colder MN will be.
So when looking for homes, what are some must and nice to haves such as fireplace, attached 2-car garage, etc?
For the fireplace, for example, would we be better off with a gas or wood fireplace? How bad would a detached garage be?
Do all homes have a basement? If not, should we get a home with a basement?
Patio? Deck? Mud room? What else?
Our budget is around $450k. Thanks.
At the least you definitely need a basement anywhere in the Midwest
Must have: basement, driveway (east, west or south of house for the sun to assist with melting snow), proper grading to drain water away from house, house tested for radon (if high, add a radon mitigation system)
Nice to have: egress windows in basement, garage (attached would be great), mud room (or an area where you can add a hall tree with bench), central air conditioning (the humidity in the summer is intense), whole house dehumidifier (if you struggle with humidity), whole house humidifier (if you're prone to dry skin or nose bleeds from low humidity in the winter), leaf guard (or similar) on gutters
Remember that you will need to clear your driveway and possibly sidewalks of snow. If you have an alley, you may need to contribute to the block fund for snow removal. You may want a house with a small driveway, no sidewalks and no alley.
The north side of your house/garage will grow moss.
This is great. Particularly the sidewalk/alleyway tip. Hadn’t thought of that.
Don’t do leaf guard unless you KNOW you don’t have issues with ice dams. They are a magnet for ice and snow and usually leak. You’re better off with at most a first story roof and having it cleaned/cleaning it every fall. Source: my friend’s foundation failed because of leaf guards.
If you’re looking in Minneapolis proper, you’re unlikely to find a ton in your budget that has an attached garage. Ours is not attached either and truly it’s no biggie. What is nice is having a “2.5” car garage - gives us space for both cars + bikes + kayak + mower/shed stuff in the garage.
detached garage is totally fine in my opinion. It keeps frost and snow off the car and you don't have to worry about street parking with plowing. I highly recommend a basement, especially with a kid. If you can afford it, add a steam shower to one of the bathrooms. The cost can vary a lot depending on the bathroom layout etc. We got one relatively cheap and it is awesome in winter.
Not every house has a basement, a lot do but not everyone. I have a house with a fireplace. I don’t use it now because it needs to be fixed but I did not grow up in a house with a fireplace.
OP have you decided on what areas you're open to? $450k can provide a wide variety of amenities based on where you're looking (e.g. in Edina you'll not get much, but if you go further out of the city, Minnetonka for eg, you'll get a lot more house, land, and more likely to get more amenities)
We are casually looking around Minnetonka, Hopkins, st Louis park.
If you can wait, I'd hold out until spring to house hunt. Winter is a very slow season for home listings. If you're looking at Minnetonka, stay on the east side for homes that are in the Hopkins school district. Minnetonka district homes will show a significant price premium, but you can still open enroll to Minnetonka schools if you wish.
Hopkins, SLP, and South Minneapolis won't have much for attached garages, so I'd count that as a bonus if you find one. In a similar vein, a shed would be a huge plus for me, since most homes won't have huge garages, and are quickly taken up by a car (or two if you're lucky) and recreational gear (strollers, bikes, kid trailer, lawn mower, snow blower). It's nice to have a shed to store all of that stuff.
A mudroom space is essential since you'll need a spot to kick off snowy boots and wet snow gear after sledding or shoveling/snow blowing. Gas fireplaces are great and can kick out some good extra heat in the winter.
Almost every home here has a basement, though not all are created equal. Many will be low ceilings, some with higher ceilings and can be finished off, some will come that way. We had ours finished a few years ago and it's been a godsend for work-from-home and extra space for the kids and friends.
Outdoor space, whether it's a patio or deck is a must-have for me. We get some great spring, summer, and fall weather and you'll want a spot to enjoy those days.
I'm in SLP and we love it here, south Mpls, Hopkins, Minnetonka and the area are really great areas to live. Good luck!
Counterpoint : in the winter houses are listed for less and you avoid the bidding wars and inspection waivers. I’ve also found that people who list in the winter are more eager to sell quickly so that’s to the buyer’s advantage.
I disagree. Both Edina and Minnetonka will not have a lot of viable options for 450k
I have a toddler and am looking at houses in the surrounding suburbs, and a big must have for me is a playground within 0.5 miles walking distance of the home. That might be something to consider if that's important to you guys, too. Fortunately, 90% of the houses we looked at have this - love the parks system in MN!
Mudroom is super helpful for all the winter gear and tracking in snow/dirt etc.
Majorly second this. We didn’t think about how we really only use our back door (since we enter through the garage) and there is zero coat and shoe storage space at our back door - it just opens into our kitchen and makes us nuts in the winter. We LOVE our house and neighborhood, but this is the reason we occasionally poke around Zillow for something else.
if it’s an older house, make sure there is enough storage. Specifically a coat closet! Our 1930s house doesn’t have one
My house is around the same age and it’s wild to me how they don’t have any place for coats! I get that people had fewer things and lived in smaller spaces in general, but there was still winter in Minnesota back then! Where did the big heavy wool coats go?!
As others have mentioned, attached garages are relatively rare in the Twin Cities, so you'll very likely have to compromise on that.
Another thing that I think is much more important due to the typical age of the houses in the area, is finding a house that's already been upgraded to modern electrical wiring and a decent quantity of (all three-prong) outlets throughout the house.
Your garage door should face south or east.
Do you have pets? If you have or ever plan to get a dog in the you’ll definitely want a house with some sort of door (back door, patio door, whatever) that goes directly to your yard, inside the fenced area if the yard is fenced, or that you can fence in. This is nice to have with kids too, but essential for letting dogs out to go potty, especially in the winters.
Mudroom Closets on closets
Well. If you wanna live around Saint Louis park or Minnetonka you're gonna have to narrow down the "must haves" list at that budget. It's so so so so expensive out here.
Double paned windows in the bedrooms at a minimum
We moved into a house with a wood burning fireplace and had it converted to gas. It allows us to set our thermostat lower and just heat the room we’re in in the evenings. I couldn’t imagine not having a gas fireplace now
I'd mainly focus on location, overall size of house, and layout.
Most of the other things you listed can be easily/cheaply addressed - eg fireplace, patio, deck. Those could be added/adjusted after you close for a relatively low amount so wouldn't recommend considering them "deal breakers".
No busy streets, no corner lots (snow removal)
A detached garage means hauling groceries outdoors during the coldest months.
If your budget is $450k it would be weird if you still had to walk outside to get to your car.
Not if you are living in Minneapolis or St. Paul. Even St. Louis park , Edina and Richfield have a lot of homes with detached garages
Yeah, in my neighborhood in Minneapolis the alleys make it awkward to have an attached garage. Very few houses have a driveway in the front but they're out there. I've seen attached garages under the house too
If i have a lot of groceries I park on the street out front while unloading and then move the car around back when done. Not ideal, but my backyard/garage layout is very curvy and very long and so front parking for a lot of unloading is more efficient, for me.
Not if you’re in either city - $450k is barely above a starter home. Detached garages, alleys. Especially if in a great neighborhood
I have an attached garage and need to have the overhead door open to bring in groceries so I don’t see much difference.
If you can, you'll want a 3 car attached garage. 2 stalls for cars and 1 stall for toys and other stuff.