In the latest report on existing home sales in the Twin Cities metro area, there was a bright spot: Pending sales of houses in the $500,000 to $1 million price range rose 6 percent to 159, and there last month there were 23 rather than 24 pending sales of houses priced at $1 million and more, according to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors.

Recent upper-bracket sales include a house owned by former Wilds defenseman, Kim Johnsson, who recently sold his 5,000 house in Golden Valley for a little more than $1 million - apparently the only $1 million plus sale in that city since 2008. The house was listed for just under $1.5 million, about $100,000 less than he paid for it at the peak of the market in 2006. The deal was handled by Lakes Sotheby's International Realty. Johnsson, who is from Malmo, Sweden, reportedly owns another house in Edina.

Here's a look: