4 Featured Homes in Minneapolis & Edina: What Makes Each One Different

Bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage only tell part of the story when you are comparing homes in Minneapolis and the nearby suburbs. Two properties at similar prices can offer completely different locations, layouts, levels of renovation and day-to-day lifestyles.

I spend a lot of time selling homes in Southwest Minneapolis, around the Minneapolis lakes and in Edina, and these four current listings are good examples of that. They range from a character-filled Kenwood home near Cedar Lake to a move-in-ready two-story in Edina. Rather than simply running through the listing details, I wanted to explain what I think is particularly interesting about each one after spending time in the homes and working in these markets.

Prices and availability are current as of publication and can change. Follow the individual property links for the latest listing information.

2510 W 22nd Street: Historic Kenwood Without So Many of the Old-House Compromises

Kenwood, Minneapolis | $995,000 | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 3,405 sq. ft.

One of the things I like most about 2510 W 22nd Street is that it gives you much of what people are looking for in an older Kenwood home without feeling overly quirky or dated.

The house was built in 1909, but it has been renovated and maintained in a way that preserves its historic character while making it work much better for modern life. That distinction matters in this part of Minneapolis. Older homes can be beautiful, but floor plans designed a century ago do not always line up with the way people live today.

A good example is the living space. I have been through plenty of expensive older Minneapolis homes where buyers walk in and eventually ask a surprisingly basic question: Where would we actually put the television? Formal living and dining rooms can be beautiful without providing the comfortable everyday gathering space many buyers want.

This home has an addition at the rear that creates a genuinely useful living room with enough space to picture how you would actually live there. The updated kitchen is another major piece of that equation.

There are also two features I don't take for granted when looking at older homes in this price range: a main-floor bathroom and a true primary suite. This home has both.

Then there are the details you aren't likely to find twice. One bedroom has a built-in loft arrangement that can accommodate a large bed below and creates an additional tucked-away space above near a skylight. For kids, guests or sleepovers, it is one of those spaces that is much more memorable in person than it sounds on a feature sheet.

The outdoor areas are interesting as well. Rather than a conventional grass-heavy backyard, there are multiple finished outdoor spaces, including brick and cedar areas, a sauna and additional storage. Buyers wanting a huge lawn may prefer something different, but that's also less yard to maintain—and nearby Kenwood Park provides a substantial amount of public green space.

Why I Think the Location Is the Real Story

As much as I like the house, its location may be the hardest thing to replicate. You're positioned between Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles, with excellent access to the trail system.

That trail access changes how connected this location feels. You can leave the house on a bike and connect toward the North Loop and downtown while still coming home to a residential neighborhood surrounded by lakes, mature trees and parkland.

For me, that's the defining combination at 2510 W 22nd: historic Kenwood character, a house that has been modernized without losing that character, and immediate access to some of the best outdoor infrastructure in Minneapolis.

View 2510 W 22nd Street photos, details and current availability »

3835 Washburn Avenue S: A Different Kind of Linden Hills Home

Linden Hills, Minneapolis | $850,000 | 3 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | 2,033 finished sq. ft.

3835 Washburn Avenue S is interesting for almost the opposite reason.

When buyers tell me they want Linden Hills, we are usually looking at homes that are many decades old. That's part of the neighborhood's appeal, but not every buyer wants the maintenance, floor plans or renovation decisions that can come with an older Minneapolis house.

This home was built in 1993, which makes it an unusual offering for the neighborhood.

You aren't buying it for original 1920s woodwork. You're buying it because you want Linden Hills and the lakes while also wanting a more modern layout and construction.

One of my favorite features is the wall of windows at the rear of the home. The larger windows, higher ceiling and natural light give the living space a different feeling than many older homes nearby. The kitchen has an eat-in area, and the home also has a primary bedroom and private bath. Let's also not forget the attached garage.

There is another part of this house that I don't think should be overlooked when comparing the listed square footage: the basement.

It is a block unfinished basement with an egress window already in place. A buyer can simply use it for substantial storage, or there is an opportunity to finish several hundred additional square feet for another bedroom, family room, office, gym or some combination of those uses.

A Block-and-a-Half From Bde Maka Ska

The location is a huge part of the value proposition here. You're roughly a block and a half from Bde Maka Ska, putting the walking and biking trails around the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes within very easy reach.

Downtown Linden Hills and Lake Harriet are also nearby, along with the commercial areas around 44th & France and 50th & France.

To me, this house occupies an interesting niche: someone who wants the Linden Hills/lakes lifestyle but doesn't necessarily want a century-old house. You can move in, put your own finishing touches on it and decide later whether finishing the basement makes sense.

View 3835 Washburn Avenue S photos, details and current availability »

4921 Trillium Lane: A Move-In-Ready Edina Alternative

Edina | $799,900 | 4 bedrooms | 4 bathrooms | 2,555 sq. ft.

For buyers who specifically want to be within the Edina Public School District while remaining very close to Minneapolis, 4921 Trillium Lane provides a useful comparison with the Minneapolis homes in this group.

This is a 1968 two-story, but its current condition is very different from what the construction date might suggest. The house underwent an extensive renovation in 2023 that included the kitchen, bathrooms, mechanical systems, plumbing, electrical, flooring and finishes. More recent improvements include Hardie siding, soffits, fascia and gutters, along with a fenced backyard and pergola.

That's important because buyers shopping around this price point can face a decision between paying less for a home that needs significant work and paying more for one where much of that work has already been completed.

Here, the kitchen is clean and modern, the windows and living spaces feel updated, and the primary suite includes a private bathroom and walk-in closet. There are three bedrooms on the upper level plus another bedroom and full bathroom downstairs. Upper-level laundry is another practical feature.

The backyard is also legitimately usable. The pergola creates a defined outdoor sitting area while leaving plenty of yard beyond it for recreation, gardening or simply having some space. Attached two car garage is a big bonus

Why Compare This With Southwest Minneapolis?

I work with plenty of buyers who look at both Southwest Minneapolis and Edina. Trillium is a good example of why those searches sometimes overlap.

You're still very close to Southwest Minneapolis and the lakes area, while Southdale, the Galleria and the France Avenue corridor are nearby. The property is located within the Edina Public School District; buyers should always independently verify current school assignments and boundaries for a specific property.

For someone who values that combination and doesn't want to take on a substantial renovation immediately after closing, this is the kind of Edina property I think is worth comparing directly with similarly priced Minneapolis options.

View 4921 Trillium Lane photos, details and current availability »

720 W 53rd Street: When You're Buying the Minneapolis Lifestyle as Much as the Square Footage

Lynnhurst, Minneapolis | $599,900 | 3 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | 1,486 sq. ft.

720 W 53rd Street illustrates something I talk about with buyers all the time: if your only goal is maximizing square footage for the money, you can almost certainly buy a larger house somewhere else.

That's not really the point of this particular home.

This is a stucco two-story with the character people often picture when they start looking at older Southwest Minneapolis homes. It has three bedrooms on one level, lots of natural light and a very functional layout for its size.

The kitchen has been renovated previously and is perfectly usable as it sits. A buyer who prefers a different look could eventually change cabinetry, counters or finishes without needing to rethink the entire house.

Recent practical improvements matter too. The home has a newer roof, a new sewer line completed in 2026, updated kitchen appliances, fresh interior paint and updated lighting.

The Location Is What Makes This One Different

Walk about a block and you're at Minnehaha Creek and the tree-lined trail system. Head the other direction and everyday conveniences are unusually close: Kowalski's Market, coffee, restaurants, a pharmacy, dry cleaning, neighborhood services and the public library are all nearby.

That's a combination buyers ask me for frequently and one that isn't available everywhere in Minneapolis: the ability to walk to groceries and restaurants while also being a block from one of the city's major natural and recreational corridors.

It doesn't feel like living next to a large commercial district. It still feels residential. Yet you can leave the car at home for a surprising number of everyday errands.

You're also positioned near the southern edge of Minneapolis, making both Edina and Richfield easily accessible.

At approximately 1,500 square feet, this isn't the house for someone whose first priority is getting the largest possible home for $600,000. I think it's much more compelling for a buyer who values character, a manageable house and backyard, access to Minnehaha Creek, and the ability to walk to much of what they use every week.

View 720 W 53rd Street photos, details and current availability »

What These Four Homes Say About Buying in Minneapolis & Edina

What I like about putting these four properties next to one another is that there isn't an obvious "best" choice. They solve different problems.

At 2510 W 22nd, you're paying for a renovated historic Kenwood home with excellent Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles and trail access. At Washburn, you're getting something relatively unusual for Linden Hills: a newer home near Bde Maka Ska with a more modern layout and unfinished space still available to expand into.

Trillium offers another alternative: a substantially renovated Edina home with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, a usable backyard and very little that needs to be taken on immediately. And at 720 W 53rd, the value proposition shifts toward a smaller character home in a location where Minnehaha Creek, trails, groceries, restaurants and everyday services are all close at hand.

This is also why I don't think buyers should compare homes simply by price per square foot. Particularly in established Minneapolis neighborhoods, you're buying some combination of the house, lot, architecture, condition, renovation quality, block, neighborhood and access to everything around it.

Looking at Homes in Minneapolis or Edina?

If you're trying to decide between an older Minneapolis home, a renovated property, Edina or one of the surrounding suburbs, I'm happy to help you compare the tradeoffs. I've spent more than 20 years working with buyers and sellers throughout Minneapolis and the surrounding Twin Cities market, and a big part of the job is helping buyers understand the things that aren't obvious from the MLS sheet.

Contact Mike Seebinger and the Seebinger Group at DRG »