Relocating to Coon Rapids? Here is how a referral works.

Starting with what I cannot do

Most of what goes wrong in a long-distance move goes wrong at the handoff: nobody owns the introduction, so you end up cold-calling names off a search results page. I would rather own it. I cannot be your Minnesota agent, but I can be the person who found them and who you can call when you want a second read.

Things that surprise people moving out of Florida

• Licensing in this industry is granted state by state, not federally. A Florida licence carries no authority in Minnesota, and a Minnesota licence carries none in Florida — which is why an introduction, rather than representation, is the only honest offer on this page.
• Minnesota levies a tax on income; Florida does not. It is a change worth modelling against the housing cost before you commit to a price range, and it is a question for your own tax adviser rather than for any real estate agent.
• Closings in Minnesota generally run through a title or escrow company rather than requiring an attorney as a matter of course — structurally closer to what you are used to in Florida than not.
• Florida’s homestead exemption and its Save Our Homes assessment cap do not follow you. Minnesota has its own property tax treatment, its own exemptions, and its own rules on how fast an assessment may rise. Confirm the specifics with the local taxing authority.

Three steps, and what each one commits you to

Where I stop, on purpose

I will not treat the introduction as the end of my involvement when that suits me and the beginning of it when that suits me better. What I owe you afterwards is honesty and a returned telephone call. What I cannot offer is supervision of another brokerage’s agent, because I have no authority over them at all. I would rather draw that line now than have you rely on something I am unable to deliver.

If there is a Florida property on the other side

There are two possible orders and they carry different risks. Sell first and you know your number but may need somewhere to live; buy first and you have somewhere to live but two sets of carrying costs until the Florida property closes. Which suits you is a conversation for you, your lender and me, and it is far better had before you are emotionally attached to a particular house in Coon Rapids than after.

What to ask the agent I introduce you to

• Have you worked with buyers who were selling in another state at the same time? Ask for the mechanics of how they handled it rather than for a reassurance that they have.
• How are deposits handled in Minnesota — who holds the money, what amount is customary, and at what point does it stop being refundable? Get that answer before you write the cheque rather than after.
• What does a normal contract-to-close timeline look like in Minnesota, and what most often blows it up?
• If the property is listed by your own brokerage, what happens to my representation, what does Minnesota law permit in that situation, and what exactly would you be asking me to sign?

Other cities in Minnesota

• Maple Grove
• Rochester
• Burnsville
• Woodbury
• Saint Paul
• Lakeville
• Plymouth
• Minneapolis
• All of Minnesota