TL;DR
A couple relocating from Chicago found their next home on Parker’s Lake in Plymouth, with room to work remotely, a yard for their dog, and family nearby. CJ Norman helped them explore homes through detailed live video tours and in-person visits before they purchased a five-bedroom, five-bath lakefront property. Closing earlier than planned brought additional carrying costs but allowed a gradual move and time to make the home their own.
- Location
- Plymouth
- Lake
- Parker’s Lake
- Finished area
- 4,101 sq. ft.
- Bedrooms / baths
- 5 / 5
- Garage stalls
- 3
- Lot
- Over ½ acre
Coming home to the Twin Cities
After years living in other cities, most recently Chicago, the buyer had always planned to return to the Twin Cities. Parents, siblings, nephews, and cousins were already here. Moving back meant being closer to all of them rather than planning visits from another state.
His partner was open to Minnesota, and their relationship grew into an engagement as they planned their future together. The search became a chance to put down roots, gain more space, and build a different daily routine than renting condos in Chicago had allowed.
Why Parker’s Lake fit better than limiting the search to Lake Minnetonka
Lakefront living was important, but a Lake Minnetonka address was not essential. Several family members already lived on Lake Minnetonka, giving the couple opportunities to spend time there and go boating with relatives.
That opened the search to a home on Parker’s Lake in Plymouth. It offered a dock, a beach, a large yard, and substantially more interior space than the Lake Minnetonka options they were considering around their budget. The smaller lake and quieter feel appealed to them.
The choice came down to how they wanted to live. They could have waterfront access at home, room for their dog, and space to work remotely while staying close to family and the rest of Plymouth.
How did they tour Twin Cities homes while living in Chicago?
CJ Norman used detailed live video walkthroughs to help the buyers explore homes from Chicago. During FaceTime or Zoom calls, the buyer could direct the tour, ask to revisit a room, and decide what to look at next.
That made the tours a conversation about the property rather than a quick pass through it. For serious contenders, including the home they ultimately purchased, they arranged in-person visits and combined those trips with seeing family.
The process gave them a way to narrow the search from a distance and spend their time in Minnesota on homes that warranted a closer look.
Finding space for work, their dog, and a new chapter
The Plymouth home offered 4,101 finished square feet, five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a three-car garage on a little over half an acre of lakefront property. That was a meaningful increase in space from their Chicago rentals.
Remote work meant a daily office commute did not dictate the location. Instead, the home needed enough room to work comfortably without feeling cramped, along with a yard for their dog and direct access to the water.
The neighborhood felt quiet and tucked away to them, while their family was within roughly a 20-minute drive. The property combined the space they wanted with the connections that had prompted the move in the first place.
Buying earlier than planned when the right home appeared
The couple had expected to move the following spring, but this home became available much sooner. There were competing offers, so the opportunity required quick decisions and last-minute travel rather than a leisurely visit schedule.
CJ helped them navigate the search and purchase while they were still out of state. The inspection was relatively straightforward, and they closed in mid-July.
Buying early meant carrying the home’s costs before fully moving in. For this couple, the tradeoff also brought flexibility: they could move gradually, trip by trip, over the following months instead of coordinating everything around one moving day.
A home in good condition with room to make it their own
The house was already in good condition, but the couple saw opportunities to personalize it from the beginning. Their plans were about shaping the home around their tastes and routines, not simply fixing a property that was not ready to live in.
They completed several renovations, including a kitchen transformation inspired by a professional chef’s kitchen. The home they chose gave them both the space they needed and a starting point for the changes they wanted.
What other Chicago-to-Twin Cities buyers can take from this move
The right destination may become clearer when buyers separate the lifestyle they want from a single lake or city name. For this couple, proximity to family, a yard, waterfront access, and enough room to work from home led them to Parker’s Lake in Plymouth.
The story also shows how an out-of-state search can combine live virtual tours with focused in-person visits. Buying sooner than expected worked for these buyers because they were comfortable with the extra ownership costs and valued a gradual transition.
CJ Norman of Norman Homes at Pemberton Real Estate helped them connect those priorities with a home in the west suburbs of Minneapolis. The result was a lakefront setting where they could settle in, personalize the house, and begin their next chapter near family.
