Shorewood MN Real Estate

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Much has happened here since the ice age. A woolly mammoth might not even recognize the place.

Real Estate in Shorewood Was Just Dirt and Ice!

At the peak of the Wisconsin glaciation, a glacier advanced over an ancient river bed in the area that is now Lake Minnetonka. The glacier filled the river valley with ice. Sediment that was scraped up by the advancing glacier was deposited on top of the ice in the valley. More rocks and dirt were added on by subsequent glaciers. The result was huge blocks of ice covered by sediment , all hidden under the glacier. When the last glacier receded about 10,000 years ago, the big ice blocks melted, and the piles of sediment fell to create numerous depressions called kettle lakes. Because the blocks were so close together, a composite of kettle lakes was created. This is the labyrinth maze of lakes, islands, points, and bays that we now call Lake Minnetonka.

After the ice left, the area became inhabited by various tribes of burial-mound building Indians. These were prehistoric tribes that were not the same as the Dakota who later inhabited the area. Many battles were fought to wrest control of the lake and the prized hunting grounds surrounding the lake. Procuring Lake Minnetonka real estate is a lot easier now than it used to be!

Prehistoric tribes were replaced by Dakota Sioux, Iowa, Ojibwa, and Cheyenne, who all occupied parts of the area at one time or another. All of these tribes considered Lake Minnetonka to be of spiritual significance.

The 1800’s

As whites on the East Coast started to look westward, Fort Snelling was established on the Mississippi in 1819. The Indians managed to keep the lake a secret until a couple of teen-age boys discovered it by canoeing up Minnehaha Creek in 1822. The treaty of Mendota transferred 2 million acres of land, including Lake Minnetonka, to the U.S. government, in exchange for money. Many of the Indian chiefs refused to sign this treaty because they wanted the lake they called “Big Water” excluded from the deal. The treaty was enacted anyway. This was the first time Minnetonka lakeshore real estate was “sold” for money.

Europeans from New York settled in the Excelsior area in the mid 1850’s. A few locals who owned some real estate in this area did not want their neighborhoods to be swallowed up by annexation, so they banded together and formed what we now know as Shorewood. The area prospered, attracting upper-class vacationers to elegant hotels and resorts that sprang up all over. Real estate speculators did very well here at this time.

Shorewood MN Real Estate Today

Today, Shorewood is a western suburb of the Minneapolis, and is a primarily residential community situated on the southern shores of Lake Minnetonka, and on the northern shores of an excellent trout fishing lake called Christmas Lake.

Over one hundred years later , real estate is still a good investment here. According to the Northstar Regional MLS Minnesota real estate statistics, you could purchase about five dozen single family Shorewood homes today. You will pay on average, $932,240 per home. The average number is skewed downward somewhat by some bank owned properties currently for sale. About a dozen of these homes will be sold to you between 300-400K. If you want some affordable ones, Shorewood usually has about one to two dozen townhomes, for an average asking price of about $500K. All-one-level Shorewood townhomes are becoming very popular.

Shorewood Executive Homes for Sale

Perhaps you only want to buy one home today, but you want it to be a big one. About a dozen Shorewood MLS listings will have over 4000 finished square feet. You might be tempted by a big old 1921 colonial, a restored estate on Smithtown Road with guest house, new construction by JMA Builders, a nice Landschute home on Christmas Lake, a sharp Pillar home in Water’s Edge on Manor Park, an executive home in Arbor Creek built by Legran Homes, a brand new upscale home by RVC in Manor Woods, or a luxury estate that I hand-picked especially for you.

Shorewood Lake Homes on Lake Minnetonka or Christmas Lake

Should you buy your next Minnesota lake homex on Christmas Lake? Yes! Why? This is incredibly clear, with a Secchi disk reading of 18.8 feet! In fact this lake is so clear that it will test your fishing skills; you will spook the walleyes if you are not careful. )If you buy a house here, I will tell you how to catch them. Otherwise, I don’t think I should give the secret away. The locals would be upset!) But I will tell you that this lake is full of rainbow trout, as well as a few brown trout. This lake is well hidden from the highway by trees, and is unknown by many people who live in the area. Another reason you should buy a lake home on Christmas Lake is their scarcity. Right now, there are only five available single family homes on Christmas, including a Landschutte home and a home that was designed by Keith Waters and is only a few years old.

You won’t go wrong with a home on Lake Minnetonka either. That one is a no-brainer! Right now, there are only four available, including one on Shady Island, and another on Island View Road.

Your Shorewood REALTOR and Lake Minnetonka Real Estate Specialist

Whether you are selling or buying, you will admire my enthusiasm for this area and my tenacity for achieving results. I have built my career in the Shorewood area by building a reputation based on client satisfaction, repeat customers, community involvement, and expertise in the Lake Minnetonka market. The fact that I live in this area helps too. My professional and personal history here goes almost all the way back to the ice age! Call me at 612-296-0007 for a consultation or a free market analysis! I look forward to your call.

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