Can we keep what we paid for the house out of the public record?
Answered by Chris Deutsch, Founder & Editor
Licensed Minnesota Realtor #20382264 ·
The short answer
Mostly no on the price — and anyone promising otherwise is selling you something. Minnesota requires a Certificate of Real Estate Value when property sells, and sale prices end up in the public record. Plan around that instead of fighting it.
On stage The 60-second answer
Captions on · Transcript below
The stage is set.
Chris's video answer is on its way. Until then, the short answer above says the same thing.
The transcript posts with the video.
The longer answer
What you can control is the name attached to the story. Title can be held by a trust or an entity, so the public line reads like paperwork instead of like you. Setting that up correctly is attorney work — I'm not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice — and it needs to be in place before closing, not after.
The rest of privacy is process: no chatter, showings and negotiations handled without your name making the rounds. The price becomes a public number eventually. It doesn't have to come with a public narrative. That part I run quietly as a matter of course.
The next department over
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From the editor's desk
“As Founder and Editor, I review, correct, and stand behind every answer.”
Is your situation more specific than the market? That's the one worth talking through.