Ham Lake, MN Real Estate Market Statistics 1st Quarter 2009

Believe it or not, the unique Ham Lake name wasn't the first choice by the settler's to the area. Incorporated in 1974, Ham Lake became a city after over a hundred years of humble but steady growth. The area was first settled in 1855 by a group of Scottish men on the southwest side of Ham Lake. The original name of the community was Glen Carey, which is the Scottish translation of “beautiful valley”. Following a prairie fire in 1857, the first settlers moved but the community was resettled again. The new Scandinavian settlers had a hard time with the pronunciation of Glen Carey and soon the fledging community was known as Ham Lake...most probably because the lake in the area has a unique "ham-hock" shape. Anoka County officially was recognized Ham Lake as a township in 1871. In the early 1900’s Central Avenue (Highway 65) was a slow commute as it was a wagon trail through the sand and swampland. And we think going through stop light after stop light slows traffic. Though it was graveled and paved at some point, it 1954 before was expanded to four lanes.

Those four lanes are in full use now as more and more people look to buying acreage, executive, luxury and lakeshore homes in the Ham Lake area. The real estate market remains sluggish in Ham Lake, MN like many other Anoka County communities but some homes are selling. There are bright spots across the board with homes selling in all price categories under $400,000. However, new construction sales are at a standstill with zero homes sold in the first quarter of 2009. The average Cumulative Days-on-Market (CDOM) is up for the first quarter in Ham Lake at 249 days compared to 158 for all of 2008 but the numbers appear to be skewed this quarter by a couple of properties that lingered on the market for nearly two years.

Inventory is down in Ham Lake from the levels seen in 2008. There are currently 110 homes active on the market compared to 126 in January of 2008. Homes continue to take months to sell and there are more Ham Lake homes than Ham Lake buyers. Homeowners considering selling a home in the Ham Lake area must consider the average time to sell a home in the Twin Cities north metro is approximately 6-8 months. Right now inventory levels indicate there is about 24 months of inventory. Having your home properly priced and prepared for showings will be essential if planning to sell a home in this Anoka County community in 2009.

First Quarter 2009 Ham Lake residential real estate statistics for single family homes:

Under $200,000~ 35 Active Listings, 7 Pending Listings, 3 Sold Listings, CDOM 381 (All existing homes)

$200,000-300,000 ~ 31 Active Listings, 6 Pending Listings, 5 Sold Listings, CDOM 157 (New Construction Subgroup ~ 1 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)

$300,000-400,000 ~ 29 Active Listings, 4 Pending Listings, 7 Sold Listings, CDOM 283 (New Construction Subgroup ~ 7 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)

$400,000-$500,000 ~ 15 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (New Construction Subgroup ~ 2 Active, 1 Pending, 0 Sold)

$500,000 and Up~ 20 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 1 Sold Listings, CDOM 77 (New Construction Subgroup ~ 7 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)

Lakeshore available in the City of Ham Lake6 Active Listings

Ham Lake lakeshore price range: $235,000-$945,000

2 Homes on Coon Lake
2 Homes on Lake Amelia
2 Home on Little Coon Lake


**All Statistical information based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE of MINNESOTA, INC. for the period of 1/1/09 through 3/31/09.

Copyright 2009 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/