Selling a rental property in Duluth, MN

Who handles the paperwork in Duluth

Duluth is the county seat of St. Louis County. Deeds are recorded by the county Recorder, which keeps a searchable index the public can use. The city handles rentals through its Life Safety Division, which sits in the Fire Department.

What is different for a landlord here

In Duluth no owner may let a tenant live in a unit that is not licensed. When a rental changes owners, the new owner must apply to transfer the license within 30 days of the change. A license also cannot be moved to a different unit, so it belongs to the building. If your license has lapsed, tell us up front. A buyer needs to know before the closing, not after it.

The buildings and the tenants

Duluth has three colleges, so many houses near the campuses are student rentals, often on leases that start and end on the same dates each year. Kenwood and Chester Park are two neighborhoods where that is common. If your lease ends in the summer, the date can change what the building is worth to a buyer. The steep streets above downtown, in the Hillside neighborhoods, carry their own repair bills: retaining walls, stairs, and old foundations.

What we would ask you

Send us the address and number of units, who lives there and on what lease, whether the Duluth license is current, and what repairs you have put off. A rough idea is fine for a first talk. We are based in Duluth, MN, and have no office in the other towns, so we start by phone. We are the buyer you deal with, we own rental property around here ourselves, and the person who calls you back decides the number. It comes in writing with the math explained, and you choose the closing date.

Keep reading

Back to the start page. Then read about the Duluth license and handoff list, selling with tenants in place, and security deposits at the sale. Asking what we would pay commits you to nothing.