When we were out wandering in the Minneapolis warehouse and riverfront district last weekend the proprietor of Above the Falls Sports canoe and boat rental talked about how much he loved living in downtown Minneapolis. They sold their south Minneapolis home to move downtown and he said that while they miss some things about where they used to live, they love being downtown and on the riverfront.
When I told him I was working with clients who want to buy a downtown vacation condo, he grinned and said it is a great place to be! The North Loop is a great place to enjoy river sports... there even is a free water ski show every week, and the Twins baseball stadium and transit hub is just a short walk... and did I mention the growing number of restaurants and shopping boutiques?
I sold a riverfront condo earlier this year that an out-of-town couple had originally purchased as a vacation condo... and found out they loved living downtown so much they were trading it in for a bigger condo to make their permanment home. What this vacation condo had was a fantastic river view, close to the Stone Arch Bridge trails and the Guthrie Theater.
If you are thinking about buying a vacation condo, keep in mind that you will be paying monthly association fees even when you aren't there. The flip side is you also don't have to worry about maintenance and security when you aren't there. Think of a vacation condo as a vacation destination, not as an investment. That doesn't mean it can't turn out to be a good investment, but buy it first because you plan to use it for your own enjoyment.
Think about how you want to spend your time... think about being close to transit, trails and skyways... also keeping in mind that not all skyways are always open so check hours and accessibility for the times you will expect to be using them.
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - Minneapolis Realtor
