10 Ways To Help Your Minneapolis Duplex Sell After The Super Bowl

Snow doesn’t matter. If it’s cold but above 5 below, the temperature doesn’t matter. The spring housing (and duplex) market starts the week after the Super Bowl.

If you’re either thinking about or already plan to sell your duplex this year, is it ready?

To be sure, here are 10 things you can work on to ensure you get the maximum return when you’re ready to list.

1. Clean like a buyer’s inspector is moving in. Not “looks fine.” Actually clean. Vacuum cobwebs from joists, clean basements and mechanical rooms, wipe off the tops of boilers, behind furnaces, clean out window wells. Buyers read dirt as deferred maintenance—even when it isn’t.
2. Fix the small stuff you’ve been ignoring. Got a leaky faucet? Missing outlet cover? A loose handrail? Fix them.  These don’t kill deals—but they help create an impression of value.
3. Get your paperwork tight. If you can’t prove it, buyers assume the worst. Have this ready:
   • Current leases
   • Rent roll
   • Utility responsibility breakdown
   • Certificates of occupancy / rental licenses
   • Improvement list with dates
4. Make the numbers easy to understand. Buyers don’t want to “figure it out.” Show:
   • Actual rents collected
   • Actual expenses paid
   • No funny business, no “pro forma optimism”
   • Strong, honest numbers beat inflated ones every time.
5. Paint neutral, not trendy. You are not redecorating—you are removing objections. Warm whites, light greige, soft gray. If it screams “personal taste,” repaint it.
6. Improve lighting everywhere. Bad lighting makes good buildings feel sketchy.
   • Replace burnt-out bulbs
   • Match color temperature
   • Add lighting in basements, hallways, and entryways
7. Tidy up the exterior like rent and value depend on it
   • Trim bushes and saplings away from the building
   • Clean gutters
   • Power wash siding, walks, and steps
   • Fresh mulch goes a long way
   • Curb appeal goes a long way toward creating a terrific impression in a buyer’s mind.
8. Handle tenant communication professionally. Surprised tenants kill showings.
   • Give proper notice
   • Explain the process
   • Offer reasonable showing windows
   • Keep things respectful
   • Happy tenants = smoother sale = better offers.
9. Stop “investor-decorating” and start “buyer-proofing”. That means:
   • Don’t do the cheapest of everything.
   • No missing trim
   • No exposed wiring
   • No “temporary” fixes
   • No half-finished projects
   • Unfinished work always looks worse than original condition.
10. Talk to a duplex-specialist Realtor before you list. Not after. Not once it sits. A true duplex specialist helps you:
    • Decide what’s worth fixing—and what isn’t
    • Price it for competition, not ego
    • Market to owner-occupants and investors
    • Understand the potential tax ramifications of selling.
    • Understand options to that may help mitigate any tax consequences.

The best money you make on a duplex is usually before it hits the market. You don’t always win by making your duplex fancy.
You win by making it clear, clean, honest, and easy to buy.