We buy houses in Hermantown, MN

What is different about selling in Hermantown?

Hermantown sits just north and west of Duluth. It became its own city in the 1970s when the old Town of Herman wanted to avoid being taken in by Duluth. Many families moved here from Duluth in the 1950s looking for more room and lower taxes, and the city kept growing from there.

The east side has bigger lots and the west side is more rural. Housing runs from small older homes to newer ranches, split-levels and houses on acreage.

How does the legal side work here?

Hermantown is in St. Louis County, the same county as Duluth. Probate cases go through the county's district court in Duluth, and deeds are recorded by the county Recorder. The Minnesota process is the same as it is for any Duluth address.

Neighborhoods and areas in Hermantown

Maple Grove Road and Arrowhead Road. Two of the main routes through the city.

Arrowhead Road and LaVaque Road. Where some of the old Jackson Project houses still stand. The project built nearly ninety homes in the 1930s for families moving from poverty in larger cities.

The Miller Hill border. The shopping area that spreads from Duluth across the city line.

Haines Road and the Mogie Lake area. Names from Hermantown's early settlement history.

City sewer, city water, wells and septic

Not every Hermantown house is on city water and sewer. The city buys its water from Duluth, and the sewer system keeps growing as neighborhoods ask for it, but plenty of homes still use a private well and a septic system. If yours does, a buyer will ask about both. Minnesota requires a seller to give written well and septic information to a buyer.

A septic system that needs work is one of the things that can slow down or sink a normal listing. We buy the house as it is, so a tired septic system is something we plan for and not something you pay to fix first.

Bigger lots, outbuildings and acreage

Some Hermantown properties come with a pole barn, a big garage, sheds or a few acres. Those can be a plus, and they can also be a lot of upkeep when an owner is aging or has moved away. We look at what is on the land as well as the house.

Situations that come up in Hermantown

Many sellers here are not in trouble. They are moving for a job, closing on a new house before the old one sells, or downsizing from a place that got too big to heat and mow. Others are heirs of a family home. Others are people going through a divorce who need one clean sale instead of months of showings.

If a hard date matters to you, like a job start or a closing somewhere else, a direct sale gives you certainty on that date. If you have time and the house is in good shape, you may do better listing it. We will tell you which way we think it goes.

What a buyer will ask about a well

If your house has a private well, the buyer will want to know where it is, how old it is and whether the water has ever been tested. Keep any records you have, such as a well log or a test result. If you do not have them, that is fine. Tell us what you remember, and we will work from there.

The same goes for the septic tank. Know where it is, when it was last pumped and whether anything has gone wrong. Those answers help any buyer, and they help us make an offer that fits the house.

A family home to sort out

When a parent who lived in Hermantown dies, the home often goes to children who have lives elsewhere. A Minnesota court has to name someone to act for the estate before a sale can close. You can ask us for a number before that is done, and you do not have to empty the house first.

Hermantown, Duluth or Proctor?

Hermantown sits next to Duluth and Proctor, and the three are easy to mix up. The city decides which services you get and who you pay taxes to. If you are not sure which city your house is in, the county tax record will show it, and we can help you check.

Related reading: Selling a house during a divorce and Selling a house that needs repairs, exactly as it stands. Also see What a cash offer on a Duluth house actually works out to.