Hidden Gem, Garage, Finished Basement, Historic
1948 Blue Earth Corner Lot, 2,296 Sqft, Attached Double Garage — $139,500
6
out of 10
HousesUnder150K Score
Property Merit 50% · Condition 25% · Price/Sq Ft 15% · Market 10%
| Category | Wt. | Score | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Merit | 50% | 7 | 2,296 sqft, double garage, corner lot, partial basement, main-level living |
| Condition | 25% | 6 | 1948 build, no system dates named; shed is 2017; condition otherwise unknown |
| Price / Sq Ft | 15% | 9 | $61/sqft vs $85/sqft zip median — ~28% below; 6 comps, directional signal |
| Price vs. Market | 5% | 6 | $139,500 vs $168,451 median — ~17% below zip median |
| Market Conditions | 5% | 7 | 26.4% price drops, 93.4% sale-to-list, DOM 49 — clear buyer's market |
At $61 per square foot, this house costs less than most garages cost to build. That number is the thing that made me stop. The zip median runs around $85 per square foot, and this sits 28% below that. For a house with 2,296 square feet on a corner lot with a 27 by 20 foot attached double garage, that gap is hard to ignore.
The layout is genuinely useful. Both bedrooms, the full bathroom, and the laundry are all on the main floor. If you are done with stairs, or headed that direction, this is the kind of setup you look for and rarely find at this price. There is a breezeway connecting the house to the garage, which matters in a Minnesota winter more than almost any other feature you could name.
The basement adds a family room and a 3/4 bath. That is real square footage you can use, not just storage you are paying for. The corner lot gives you yard on two sides, and there is a 2017 shed out there, 10 by 12, for the overflow.
The honest concern here is that the house was built in 1948 and the listing names no system dates. No furnace age, no water heater, no roof. The shed is new. Everything else is a question mark until you get an inspector in there. That is not a small unknown. A house this age with no update history disclosed could be fine or it could mean a significant line of deferred work sitting behind the walls and under the roof. You go in with eyes open.
What the price makes possible is a large house with a serious garage and a single-floor living setup in a small Minnesota city, all for well under $140,000. If the bones hold up under inspection, there is a lot of house here for the money. If they do not, the entry price leaves room to absorb some of it.
