For $2.25M, a concrete compound in Farmington ‘ideal for doomsday preppers’

To be honest, there’s not much anyone can do to completely protect themselves against a zombie apocalypse.

But for an all-consuming fear of tornados, terrorists or some other out-of-control catastrophe, a house with a bunker, safe room or bomb-proof shelter might be on the house-hunting wish list.

Mississippi this year launched a lottery aimed at awarding grants to help homeowners build their own storm shelter/safe room that’s FEMA, or Federal Emergency Management Agency, approved.

But for those not looking to move, check out one of these Minnesota home listings:

Not far from Farmington, a small farm town that’s about a 30-minute drive from downtown Minneapolis, there’s a bona fide military outpost. The nearly 27-acre compound houses 11 buildings, including a concrete “bunker” with 60-ton blast doors that make it “ideal for doomsday preppers,” according to the listing.

For $2.25 million, it can be home.

“There’s nothing like it,” said listing agent Andy Voyen of Edina Realty.

No, that’s not one of the seller inclusions on the current listing.

The U.S. decommissioned and removed the armaments in the 1970s, but most of the buildings are still intact and have since renovated or converted into other uses. The current owners, who bought the property in 2016 and shared it with family, have been busy putting their own Moroccan-style touches on the compound.

The building used as the primary home has more than 3,500 square feet, including three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a three-car garage. There’s also a guest house with six bedrooms.

The former mess hall is now an “event space” that has a commercial-grade kitchen and spiral staircase, which leads to a rooftop patio with views of the property’s extensive gardens and fruit trees.

Several of the structures — above and below ground — were originally connected, but not all of them are currently in use. At least one of the underground spaces was filled with sand, in part to prevent people from sneaking into them. And there’s a large, partially underground water silo that’s still accessible via a concrete access hole at the top of the mound.

Voyen said trying to find a buyer for the property has been a true test of his marketing skills because it could be residential, commercial or a combination of both. It’s within a multiuse zoning area.

“The challenge right now is finding a buyer who has the vision and need for so many buildings and so much space,” he said. “It could be a good learning center for education purposes or retreats.”

He’s done dozens of showings, and there’s been no shortage of interest. One buyer submitted a letter of intent to buy it, but that deal didn’t come to fruition. Some buyers have contemplated it for use as a cannabis operation, but most are considering it for a family compound, he said.

“I’m not expecting this to be a standard residential listing,” he said. “This is going to be a very slow process. We have to wait until we find the right buyer who has the vision for the property.”

Recently, Voyen said he’s shown the property five times in a single week.

Speaking of Cold War relics, the Stone House on Mille Lacs Lake is a storybook up-north retreat that conceals a feature from an ominous time in history: an underground bunker. A local bank had used it at a time when regulations required such institutions to keep records off site.

That bomb-proof, hidden vault remains virtually intact with bullet-proof windows, three-feet thick foundation walls and the original FBI fire doors. The latter help keep the temp at a steady 55 degrees, making it perfect for its current use as a wine cellar, said listing agent Lauren Janoski of Coldwell Banker Realty.

A Burlington Northern stone mason built the original stone structure, known as Stone’s Throw, in 1935. The mason built many of the grand buildings along the railroad in and around Banff, Alberta in Canada. Stones quarried from the lake make up the exterior, and there are more than 100 heart-shaped stones embedded throughout the structure.

After expansions and upgrades, the home is now nearly 7,000 square feet with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a carriage house that could become a guest house, office or studio.

The property, which was previously a short-term rental, includes nearly two acres and more than 400 feet of shoreline protected by a terrace engineered to withstand fierce waves.

It’s listed for $2.75 million.

This Eden Prairie estate, styled after homes in the European countryside, both looks like and has the amenities of a castle befitting of royalty.

In addition to virtually every luxury possible — including a basketball court, beauty shop, stream, swimming pool and private ski hill with tow rope — it has its own “secret” bunker. There’s no moat, but there is another layer of protection: It’s in Bellerieve, an exclusive gated community with only a few other homes.

The house, which has more than 12,500 square feet of living space, is on a nearly 5-acre private lot overlooking the Minnesota River Valley.