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Housing in Lake

A typical Lake home is worth roughly $210,000

Home prices around Lake have risen about 38% over the past 5 years. Builders were permitted 2 new homes in 2025.

Typical home value
$210K
▼ 0.7% in a year · MN $351K
Estimate
2-bedroom rent
$980
a month, utilities in · HUD
Median tax bill
$1,511
MN $3,357

What kind of housing town is Lake?

Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Affordability

A typical home costs 2.8 years of income

Less than across Minnesota (3.9 years). Try your own numbers below.

You could afford about
$300,000
Typical Lake home $210K

That covers a typical Lake home, with $89K to spare.

The typical home, each month
$1,250
Loan $1,040Tax $140Insurance $60

A two-bedroom rents for about $980 a month here, $270 less than owning.

Where your budget reaches nearby

An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lake’s typical property tax (0.81% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.

The homes

89% of Lake households own their home

Half of Lake’s homes were built before 1985.

Owners and renters
Own 89%Rent 11%

Minnesota: 72% own.

1985
typical home built · MN 1979
$1,511
median property tax bill · MN $3,357
0.81%
of a home’s value, a year in tax · MN 1.02%
14%
of homes are seasonal or vacation homes

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024.

Price trend

Home prices up 38% in 5 years

The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Lake rose 38% over the past 5 years, about the same as across Minnesota. Last year prices fell 0.7%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Lake home at roughly $210,000 today.

Lake areaMinnesota
−50%0%+50%+100%+150%200120052010201520202025
−0.7%
past year
+38%
past 5 years
+60%
past 10 years
Estimated value

Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $210K.

Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Lake, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.

Renting

A two-bedroom rents for about $980

Renters already here pay a median of $1,087.

Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included

Studio$680
1 bedroom$880
2 bedrooms$980
3 bedrooms$1,270
4 bedrooms$1,460
11%
of households rent · MN 28%
56
renter households
64%
of renters spend 30%+ of income on rent · MN 48%
15%
of the median income, for a two-bedroom
$1,087
median rent paid today · Census

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Roseau County, MN): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

New construction

2 new homes permitted in 2025

Builders were permitted 2 new homes in Lake in 2025, all single-family houses. That's 1.1 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Minnesota (3.8). Over the past 10 years, Lake has permitted 47 homes in all.

Single-family2+ homes per building
051015 200020052010201520202025
2
new homes permitted in 2025
0
2026 so far (Jan–Aug)
1.1
per 1,000 residents · MN 3.8
47
homes in the past 10 years
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Residents−110
New homes+35

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Lake's population fell by 110 even though 35 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Minnesota: 2.2 new residents per new home.

Every year as a table
YearNew homesSingle-family2+ per buildingValue
2026 (Jan–Aug)000—
2025220$683,000
2024752$2 million
2023220$400,000
2022660$1.2 million
2021990$2.1 million
2020880$1.9 million
2019000—
2018550$1.1 million
2017330$776,000
2016550$1.3 million
20151174$2.2 million
2014330$691,000
2013440$881,000
2012440$852,000
2011000—
2010000—
2009000—
2008220$322,000
2007880$931,000
2006660$698,000
2005440$465,000
2004550$582,000
2003440$465,000
2002440$465,000
20011394$1.2 million
20001394$1.2 million

Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Next door

Lake vs. its neighbors

Lake is the 2nd least expensive of 3 neighboring towns. Tap one to see its housing page.

Compare more
TownTypical value1-yr change2-bed rentNew homes 2025Median income
Lake$210K*−0.7%†$9802$76,190
Warroad$225K+0.2%$9700$50,625
Moranville$190K*−0.7%†$970—$87,500
Cedarbend—−0.7%†$9700—

Typical value: Zillow Home Value Index; * Census median home value where Zillow has none. † FHFA price index change where Zillow has none. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. New homes: Census building permits.

Neighbors talk housing

What Lake buyers, sellers and renters are saying.

Town Square →
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Is Lake still affordable for young families?

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Start the conversation

Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer.

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