Minnesota Resources

News Specific to Minnesota:

MAR's Purchase Agreement is Harmful to Consumers - Minnesota Realtor Association has promulgated a new purchase agreement that is costing home buyers millions.  We recommend getting an attorney and avoiding this form.

Minnesota Attorney General's Office is Misleading Consumers - The Minnesota Attorney General's Office has got it all wrong on the section of their webpage dedicated to housing.

LICENSING.  Is your real estate professional licensed?

Minnesota Judicial Branch - Determine if an attorney is licensed. 

Real Estate Broker and Salesperson Licensing Laws -

Minnesota Department of Commerce Licensing Lookup Tool- Appraisers, Real Estate Sales Persons and Brokers, Title Insurance Agents and Companies, Notaries,  and Mortgage Officers and Companies.  This site is difficult to navigate and often provides incomplete, inadequate or possibly even inaccurate information.  However, it is a starting place.  Interestingly enough, prior to turning this function over to private entities, the Commerce Department's internal site functioned far better and provided much better data.   We suggest that you call the Licensing Division to verify the licensing status of your real estate professional.  Their number is 651-296-6319 for all licenses EXCEPT Mortgage Originators.  For Mortgage Originators a number is not provided so please call the General Number: 651-296-2488 (if you find the number please e-mail it to info@caare.org).

CERTIFICATIONS.  Does your real estate professional have any meaningful certifications?

Certified Real Property Law Specialist - Attorney Certification.  This is a rigorous certification program and details about the education, experience and examination requirements can be found here.

LICENSING COMPLAINTS.  Does your real estate professional have any licensing complaints?

Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board - Search for disciplinary actions against attorneys.

Minnesota Department of Commerce Enforcement Actions - Here you can search for licensing violations against the following real estate related professionals:  Appraisers, Real Estate Sales Persons and Brokers, Title Insurance Agents and Companies, Notaries,  and Mortgage Officers and Companies.

Note: our searches of this site have resulted in inaccurate or incomplete results.   Our first search of a known enforcement action yielded bad data.  So in addition to this site, please call the Commerce Department to determine if an enforcement action has been filed against a real estate professional.  Their number is 651-296-2488.

ETHICAL RULES

Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct -  Attorneys. 

Realtor Code of Ethics - The National Association of Realtors is only a trade association, it is not a governmental authority.  We don't give much credence to this "code of ethics" in that it serves its association's members more than it does the consumer.