Richard McDonough - Lakes Sotheby’s International Realty

09/03/2026

Just listed in Houlton, WI 🏡

This restored 1931 American Four-Square sits on 3.17 acres beneath mature oaks, just north of Hudson — six bedrooms, hardwood floors, an updated kitchen with new granite counters, and a four-car detached garage with a bonus upper level that would make a great studio, office, or guest suite. No HOA.

📌360 144th Ave, Houlton, WI 54082
📌6 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 2,728 Sq Ft | 3.17 Acres | Built 1931
📌Listed at $800,000

Full listing details and photos: https://www.homes.com/property/360-144th-ave-houlton-wi/0mn10041whvw4/

Questions or want a private showing? Send me a message or call 612-819-3518.

09/02/2026

If you want to understand Stillwater, come to Lowell Park on a late-August evening.

The river going gold, music drifting from somewhere, kids negotiating one more ice cream, the bluffs holding the last of the light.

Four generations of my family have measured summers by this park — and I've watched more than a few of my buyers make their final decision not in a house, but right here, watching this town be itself.

People think they're buying square footage. They're buying evenings like this. It's my job to make sure the price honors both.

Last stretch of summer, Valley friends — go collect an evening.

09/01/2026

Stillwater's median list price hit an all-time high this week: $1,082,500.

The median price of the homes that actually came on the market? $679,000.

Same zip code, same seven days, $403,500 apart. That gap is the story.

A record median measures what's sitting, not what's selling. Nine homes were absorbed in 55082 this period — seven of them in the bottom half by price. The top quartile added two listings and cleared none.

Meanwhile: 30% of active listings have cut their price. Zero percent have raised one.

Two markets in one zip code. Under $500K is moving in 28 days. Above $1.2M is taking 84.

Full breakdown, segment by segment, in this week's Valley Ledger — link in comments.

09/01/2026

How much of the paperwork from your past renovations could you find today?

If you’re thinking about selling your St. Croix Valley home, buyers will have questions about that new roof, finished basement or updated kitchen. When was the work completed? Who did it? Were permits pulled? Is there a warranty?

Our latest blog explains which records to gather, how to compare your improvements with public property records and what to do when something is missing. It also shares an easy way to organize everything by project so the information is ready when your home goes on the market.

Start gathering what you have, and reach out if you’d like our team to review the improvements with you.

Practical steps for St. Croix Valley homeowners to collect permits, warranties, and contractor records before listing.

08/29/2026

A little home hunting before the Great Minnesota Get-Together?

Make the most of your weekend!

Stop by the Open House in Stillwater, then head to the Minnesota State Fair for the food, entertainment, exhibits, and summer traditions that make this time of year so special.

Come for the fair, stay for the community—and maybe discover a home you’d love to come back to.

08/28/2026

The $500 decision that saves Valley sellers five figures: the pre-listing inspection.

Here's the sequence nobody enjoys: buyer falls in love → buyer's inspector finds surprises → buyer's fear reprices your home overnight, with maximum leverage on their side. In a balancing market, that renegotiation is where hard-won price disappears.

Now reverse it: we inspect FIRST. Small items get fixed for hundreds, not negotiated for thousands. Big items get priced in on OUR terms, disclosed with estimates, drama removed. Buyers reward certainty — and inspection-clean homes hold their contract price at a rate that still surprises my sellers.

It's step two of my listing preparation, right after the walkthrough. Selling in the next year? Start here: 612-819- 3518.

08/28/2026

Is it still a good time to sell your luxury home in the St. Croix Valley?
Short answer: yes — if it's genuinely a luxury property and you launch it right. 🏡

The overall market has softened in 2026 (inventory's at a two-year high), but scarce assets — river frontage, view bluffs, historic Stillwater homes, true acreage — don't follow the average. They run on scarcity, not momentum.

In my new guide, I break down:
✅ Why fall is one of the best (and least crowded) windows to sell in the Valley
✅ The prep sequence that protects your price at closing
✅ Why your ceiling buyer probably isn't local — and how global marketing fixes that
✅ The private "Quiet Listing Network" for sellers who want zero public exposure

📞 Curious what your home is worth right now?
Call or text me at 612-819-3518 for a private, no-obligation Equity & Strategy Review.

08/27/2026

Some streets in this town are museums that people happen to live in.

Walk the North Hill and you're walking the 1880s — Queen Annes and Italianates built by lumber money, wraparound porches engineered for July evenings, woodwork no one alive can afford to reproduce. My whole life these homes have been the backdrop; for 33 years they've also been my work, and the honor of that has never worn off.

Here's what stewarding these homes has taught me about value: a Victorian here isn't priced like a house. It's priced like the LAST of something — because it is. Condition, faithfulness of updates, and the story all move the
number in ways a square-footage model will never see.

If you own one of these and have ever wondered what stewardship has earned you — that's my favorite conversation in real estate.

08/26/2026

MN State Fair

The Great Minnesota Get-Together opens today.

Twelve days.

Food on a stick, the Midway at dusk, Grandstand shows, the art building, the largest boar in the state, and crop art — which remains, in my entirely biased opinion, the single most Minnesota thing that has ever existed.

But if you want my honest recommendation: go early and walk the livestock barns.

That's where you'll find the 4-H kids — from Washington County and every other county in this state — who've been up since before five, hosing down a steer, re-bedding straw, running a comb through a heifer's topline one more time. A lot of them sleep out there on cots next to their animals for the whole run.

Some of those families have been showing at that fair for four and five generations. As a fourth-generation Stillwater guy, that's a thing I understand in my bones.

Those kids are learning what a year of work looks like when it comes down to eight minutes in a show ring. Best thing at the Fair and it isn't close.

Tip: discounted advance tickets are usually available at Cub Foods and other outlets right up until the gates open — worth grabbing before you go.

See you out there. Leave earlier than you think you need to.

08/25/2026

Do your houseplants need a little attention as summer winds down?

Our latest blog covers how to choose plants for the natural light in your home, from easygoing pothos, snake plants, and ZZ plants to statement-making Monstera and fiddle-leaf figs.

You’ll also find a simple seasonal checklist for moving patio plants inside, adjusting water and fertilizer, and styling your greenery throughout your home.

Find the full guide on our blog and get your plants ready for fall. 🌿

Practical, down-to-earth tips for choosing, styling, and caring for houseplants as summer ends in St. Croix Valley.