1. Price it from real sales
Price is the biggest decision you'll make. Start with what homes like yours have actually sold for, not list prices or online estimates. Our monthly market reports show median prices, days on market and inventory for every city we cover, and the net proceeds calculator shows what you'd keep after the Minnesota deed tax and closing costs. We'll also give you a free, no-obligation home value, even if you sell it yourself.
2. Check your city’s rules
Some Twin Cities cities require a housing evaluation (Truth in Sale of Housing, time of sale or point of sale) or a sewer inspection before you list, show or close. Minneapolis, for example, requires a Truth in Sale of Housing report before the home can be shown. See which cities require what, with each city’s own link.
3. Prepare the disclosures
Every Minnesota seller owes the buyer certain written disclosures before a purchase agreement is signed: known material facts (or an agreed waiver), wells, septic systems, radon, lead-based paint for homes built before 1978, methamphetamine production, and association documents for condos and townhomes. Our FSBO paperwork checklist lists each one with the law and the official form or publication.
4. Get the house ready
Clean, declutter, fix what an inspector will flag, and take bright, wide photos on a sunny day; most buyers decide whether to visit from the photos. See what to fix and what to leave.
5. Market it
A yard sign, an online listing and an open house are the basics. The MLS, which feeds most home-search sites, accepts listings only from licensed brokers. Write the ad about the home, not about who should live in it: the federal Fair Housing Act and the Minnesota Human Rights Act apply to private sellers too, so avoid phrases about the kind of buyer you want (HUD fair housing).
6. Showings and safety
Schedule showings by appointment, ask for the buyer’s name and phone number beforehand, put away valuables and prescription medicines, and have a second person at home. Many buyers will want proof of a loan pre-approval or funds before a showing.
7. Offers and the purchase agreement
Minnesota has no state-required purchase agreement form. The standard forms agents use are licensed to them, so for a by-owner sale have a real estate attorney draft or review the agreement, including contingencies (financing, inspection, appraisal), earnest money, the closing date and who pays which costs. Buyers working with an agent now sign a written agreement with that agent, and you decide whether to offer anything toward the buyer’s agent (NAR); settle that in writing before you sign.
8. Closing
A title company or attorney orders the title work, prepares the deed and your settlement statement, gets your loan payoff, files the electronic Certificate of Real Estate Value (eCRV) and collects the state deed tax (Minnesota Department of Revenue). If there are wells on the property, a Well Disclosure Certificate is filed at closing (Minnesota Department of Health).
General information, not legal or tax advice. A Minnesota real estate attorney or title company should prepare or review your purchase agreement, deed and closing documents.
Sources
Checked November 2, 2026.
