Minneapolis/St.Paul landlord friendly?

Question

Hi Everybody,

I'm looking into the Minneapolis/St.Paul market and was trying to find out whether it's a landlord friendly city, all I've found are these articles that were helpful but didn't mention Minnesota or specifically Minneapolis/St.Paul.

http://capstonecapitalusa.com/the-most-friendly-8-landlord-states/

http://www.rentersinsurance.com/2012/03/8-states-where-rental-laws-favor-landlords/

Could anyone tell me how long it takes to evict a tenant ?

How much would taxes be for a 100k house?

What would your standard house insurance be for a 100k house?

Thank you in advance,

Johanna

Marc Jolicoeur · Answer

If you want the best low maintenance tenants, offer great rentals in safe neighborhoods, with great schools.

Personally I prefer many suburbs rather than Minneapolis or St Paul due to the schools ratings. Some parts of both large cities are great and some parts are a bit risky.

Sharon Sweeny · Answer

Eviction laws in Minneapolis are tenant-friendly, mostly because of the possibility of freezing to death if you are suddenly put out of your house during winter. (Homeless shelters are full during winter.) The referees in civil court try to set up payment plans and encourage landlord and tenant to settle in conference prior to court hearing.

You usually get a hearing date within a week or two after filing ($364 or so per case). If tenants do not honor terms of payment plan or settlement, landlord then activates the writ. It usually takes the sheriff about a week to show up and escort them out.

Landlords are required to store tenants belongings left behind for 60 days and to surrender them to the tenant when asked for them. However, landlords are allowed to sell belongings (don't know the details of what or when) to cover the reasonable cost of storing said belongings.

Don't know about taxes or insurance on a $100,000 house. I suspect it depends on neighborhood, etc. A licensed realtor should have better answers.

Elizabeth Sawyer · Answer

If you're looking at the market in Minneapolis/St. Paul, study your neighborhoods very, very carefully.

John Woodrich · Answer

@Johanna R. That house isn't in a very good district but all property taxes are expensive there.  The city must be eating a lot of money, all properties are high.

Johanna R. · Answer

@John Woodrich Wow, is the 37K house in a really good school district?

John Woodrich · Answer

To give you an example on how much it varies based on cities in MN, I have a house that I purchased for $37k, taxes are $1400 per month and insurance is $1100.  I have another house 15 minutes away, different city, that is worth $180k, taxes are $1800, and insurance is $800...  It Varies a lot by city in MN, some cities vote referendums to put more money into the schools, other cities operate theaters, etc.

Johanna R. · Answer

@Elizabeth Sawyer Thanks, yes every market, every neighborhood and down to every street needs to be investigated! It is part of the fun;)

@John Woodrich Thanks for your input. In KC my house in the City worth 113k taxes = 875.00 and insurance 451.92, my 150k house in the burbs taxes =1385.30 and insurance 777.00/ yr. Both rehabbed w/ new everything, so it varies everywhere.

@Shane Hedeen Thanks for lmk about the Avg. cost of home is higher than the other cities in the Midwest. It is a great city w/ lots of potential.

@Marc Jolicoeur Thanks I'm a NYC girl so I feel more at home in the city areas and also like the upside potential more but Burbs might be a consideration.

Shane Hedeen · Answer

Lots of great info given already - property taxes vary wildly by city. Nothing that you can't find when looking at properties online. Insurance is the same way. Will vary wildly depending on age of home and what you are insuring.

I would say the bigger questions I see are this - do you want to be buying a home at a distance in an area where you are more likely to have to evict?

There are certainly homes in this market around $100,000. That said, you won't probably find too many people on BP who choose to live in those homes, as they are in C/D areas. Some choose to rent in those areas, some won't. All personal preference, but average home values in the market here are much higher than $100,000. It's a much higher demand and higher valued market than many others in the midwest, because of many things like our schools, jobs, safety, etc.

Folks are totally right that it is more of a tenant state than landlord state. Like @Elizabeth Sawyer mentioned, neighborhoods vary drastically even within Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Important to work with someone who knows the areas and what you're seeking.

John Woodrich · Answer

I haven't had to evict anyone yet but can confirm some of the estimates above.   The costs for property taxes will vary widely across the city.  I assume you are trying to get a ROI or cap rate calculation going, if so I would estimate $1,800 for taxes and $1,000 for insurance.  You can adjust the property tax amount as you look at houses.  As far as insurance goes, I have newer and more expensive houses where I pay $800 a month for insurance but they also have newer wiring and may generally be in a better state of repair.

Good luck with the search!

Johanna R. · Answer

I see its so its not as cut and dry as more Landlord friendly states, sounds like they will try to resolve it as best as possible erring more onto the tenants favor. Thanks@Sharon Sweeny

Minneapolis/St.Paul landlord friendly?

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