Buying a home in Rochester, Minnesota in 2026 is not as simple as scheduling a showing online and making an offer. The market moves quickly, the process has more moving parts than most buyers anticipate, and the decisions made in the first few weeks can either set a buyer up for success or create problems that are genuinely hard to undo, according to Alex Mayer, a Rochester MN real estate agent with eXp Realty and a four-time winner of Best Real Estate Agent in Rochester MN.
Mayer, who has spent a decade watching buyers navigate the purchase process, has identified three mistakes that surface repeatedly, not because buyers are careless, but because the process is widely misunderstood. “We’re dealing with people’s homes, their finances, and their families. That’s the trifecta of things that make people emotional. And when emotions are running high, mistakes happen,” Mayer says.
The first mistake is registering on a third-party website like Zillow, Realtor.com, or Redfin without researching who calls. According to the National Association of Realtors, the average real estate agent completes 3.92 transactions per year. “When people are registering on these third-party websites, there’s a very good chance the agent calling them is a more junior or less experienced agent in the market. They’re paying for leads. Their goal is to get you to sign with them, fast,” Mayer explains. He advises buyers to research agents by reading reviews, checking professional credentials and awards, and having a phone conversation before committing.
The second mistake is calling the listing agent directly, a practice that can lead to dual agency, which Minnesota permits. “That agent is trying to sell that house. They do not represent you, even if they technically do. It is very difficult for any agent to fully advocate for a buyer when they also have obligations to the seller,” Mayer says. He cites a recent example where a buyer who worked directly with a listing agent felt pressured to push the purchase forward and ultimately canceled. Mayer’s standard practice is to refer unrepresented buyers to an agent at a different brokerage when they inquire about his listings.
The third and most foundational mistake is starting the search without understanding the market first. Many buyers enter the process reactively, looking at homes before financing is in place and making offers without knowing what makes them competitive. “A reactive buyer goes out there, looks at a house, maybe falls in love with it, and then starts trying to figure everything else out. A proactive buyer already knows what types of financing are available. They understand what makes up a mortgage payment, including taxes, insurance, and in some cases mortgage insurance. They know how to structure a competitive offer,” Mayer says.
Mayer walks every new client through a 60 to 90-minute overview covering financing types, mortgage payment components, effective property searching, what to pay attention to at showings, how to construct a winning offer, and what to expect from accepted offer through closing. “I tell people I’m going to give them all the bad news first. I want them entering the market with their eyes wide open, because a buyer who understands the process is a buyer who is taken seriously by listing agents on the other side,” he adds.
In the current Rochester market, buyers are often competing with other buyers rather than negotiating primarily against a seller. That dynamic changes how an offer needs to be structured, which financing options are most advantageous, and how quickly a buyer needs to be ready to act. “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. You have to slow down at the beginning to actually be ready to move quickly when it counts,” Mayer says. For buyers entering the Rochester market this year, that mindset shift from reactive to proactive may be the most valuable thing they can bring to the process.
Rochester is not a generic market. It is shaped by the presence of Mayo Clinic, by the seasonal influx of buyers that follows major hiring cycles, and by a community where top-producing agents tend to know each other well. The buyers who do best in this market are those who treat preparation as a prerequisite rather than an afterthought. More information is available at rochesterareahomesbyalex.com or through market insights on YouTube.
