Community profile: Brainerd, Minn.

A house is a house, unless it's a house on a lake. The Brainerd area of north-central Minnesota has plenty of houses on plenty of lakes.

Homes along the larger lakes, such as Gull Lake and Whitefish Lake, command prices in the six figures. However, plenty of smaller lakes with good water clarity and accessible shoreline have homes that buyers don't have to be wealthy to afford, according to a couple of real estate agents based in the Brainerd area.

That last line is key to finding the right lake home, according to these agents, and it's not necessarily self-serving.

"If we're talking about people from the Cities looking to buy property Up North, talk to an agent from up there," advised Brett Streiff, broker and co-owner of Weichert Realtors Tower Properties, Brainerd. "Figure out who knows the area. Interview multiple agents, two or three people at least."

Sandy Smith, broker-owner of Kurilla Real Estate in Nisswa, Minn., said lakes-area agents need to know not only the area but also all the government regulations enacted to protect the lakes. An uninformed agent might unwittingly lead a buyer into murky waters, he and Streiff said.

Smith listed some of the major topics governed by regulations, which change often:

•Setbacks from the lake or bluff;

•Dock restrictions;

•Shoreline vegetation removal;

•Auxiliary structures;

•Activities permits;

•Well and septic issues.

Before getting into all of that, however, one must find a house with a lake and a shoreline that will suit their purposes.

"If they're just looking to have decent fishing and to have a lake where they can do some recreating, most of those people will end up in the Brainerd-Nisswa area because of the amenities we have here," Smith said.

East and West Twin lakes, Mayo Lake, Little Hubert Lake, Gladstone Lake and Upper Hay Lake, all in the Brainerd-Nisswa area, have nice cabins on good lots priced between $200,000 and $300,000, Smith noted.

Streiff has found an emerging market in the Pine River area.

"It's a small town with a lot of nice lakes up in that area" with names like Emily, Mary and Ruth, he said. "There are a lot of smaller, affordable lake homes, second homes."

"For sellers up in my areas, I would say make sure that you price things good. If you try to get too much you're going to end up losing money," he advised. "A good agent will let their client know what fair market value is."

Streiff has found that buyers' goals for lake home ownership are evolving.