About Joel Smetanka

I am a lifelong Minnesotan.  I grew up in Bloomington, attended both the U of M Twin Cities and the University of Minnesota Duluth, graduating from UMD in February 1983.  I absolutely loved my time in Duluth, and in fact I now own a cabin on a lake 30 miles north of the city, so I get back there as often as I can.

I've lived in Burnsville since 1985, and my wife Joy and I have raised 3 kids here.  When I first got out of college I worked for a couple of different companies that were in the music and video distribution business, and I spent most of my time traveling around the country as a sales manager.  That period lasted about 15 years, and gave me more than my fill of business travel!  I love that fact that now, no matter how long my real estate workday lasts, I always wind up at home, rather than at a hotel or in an airport waiting for a flight home. 

What I enjoy about real estate is the constant variety of the clients I deal with, the types of properties I help them to buy & sell, and the never ending changes that both technology and economic conditions bring to my business.  There's never a boring day in real estate. 

In addition to my real estate business I am a real estate investor.  I did one house flip when the real estate market was slow, buying, completely renovating and reselling a home in Bloomington, and since 2013 I've been a rental property owner, with several duplexes in Minneapolis. 

My real estate interests are in primary residences, vacation homes, and rental properties (I don't do commercial).  They are the things that I have both a personal and professional interest in, and because I own all 3 kinds of properties I pay close attention to all those segments of the market.  If you've wanted to look into the vacation home or rental markets, I'd love to share my experience in those areas with you.  The rental market in particular is one in which it's nice to be able to learn from someone else's experience before you jump in.

If you're looking for an agent but aren't quite sure what to do, reach out and let me explain the process.   I'll do my best to answer any questions you may have.   My real estate motto is "no hype, no pressure, just results".  My philosophy is that people make the best decisions when they have both good information and perspective, and I do my best to make sure that my clients have both. 

I'd love the opportunity to put my passion and experience to work for you.