Jim Buchta
Reporter
Residential real estateBuchta has taken breaks from those beats to edit the Star Tribune's Real Estate sections and Travel, and to ghost write a book about getaway homes. He also has an intense interest in architecture, agriculture and the environment. He lives part-time on a tree farm and has a particular expertise in building science and food.
Latest from Jim Buchta
Meet the new CEO of the Twin Cities-based real estate behemoth you may not know exists
HomeServices of America, one of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy companies, is behind local names like Edina Realty.
May 2, 2025
Competition for Twin Cities homes between $250K and $500K is fiercer than ever
Houses in that range sell faster and for the asking price or more, outpacing other brackets and fueling fierce competition between first-time, move-up and downsizing homebuyers.
April 26, 2025
Ever-changing mortgage rates putting more pressure on Twin Cities homebuyers
Tariffs threw the economy into turmoil, including volatile interest rates during what’s already the busiest time of year for house hunting.
April 17, 2025
An inside look at some of the expensive houses for sale in Minneapolis
Across the metro, there were enough homes for sale in the $1 million-plus bracket during February to last nearly five months, the deepest supply of listings in any price range.
April 11, 2025
Now is the best time in years to go house-hunting in the Twin Cities
While it’s still technically a seller’s market, houses are taking the longest to sell in at least seven years.
April 5, 2025
Move over, Airbnb! Midterm rentals are the new game in Twin Cities and beyond.
Stays of longer than a vacation but not quite a year are gaining popularity rather than short-term lodging or long-term leases.
March 13, 2025
A beginner’s guide to downsizing
Twin Cities experts give guidance on how to declutter and consolidate a lifetime of belongings and move to a smaller space.
March 3, 2025
Trump administration eyes sale of historic Wellstone building, other federal offices in Minnesota
Elon Musk’s cost-cutting effort is also looking to terminate the lease for the Indian Health Service office in Bemidji.
February 27, 2025
Q&A with first female president at Alliiance, an architectural leader in airport design
Mamie Harvey, a 25-year employee, gives a glimpse into what it’s like working on “big puzzles.”
February 27, 2025
Minnesota’s priciest and most affordable ZIP codes in 2024
Data from Zillow and the Minneapolis Area Realtors tell the story of last year’s housing market in the Twin Cities and beyond. Upper-bracket buyers spent freely in cities like Edina and Minnetonka Beach, while everyone else dealt with high mortgage rates and few listings.
February 13, 2025
Industrial buildings still stars of the Twin Cities commercial real estate world
The overall vacancy rate for warehouse space in the metro ended 2024 at 4.6%, two percentage points below the national average and a fraction of the double-digit vacancies plaguing office buildings, according to Colliers.
February 6, 2025
A car wash on every corner: How subscriptions are driving the boom in the Twin Cities
These high-tech, tunnel-style, drive-thru car washes are all over the metro suburbs and making big money.
January 25, 2025
