Savage MN Archives - Living in Minneapolis, Minnesota

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The city of Savage wasn’t named for anything terrifying – it’s actually named after Marion Willis Savage. Marion Savage owned the champion race horse “Dan Patch” in the early 1900’s and if you live in or move to MN you will likely hear that name from time to time. If you know the origins you’ll be ahead of nearly 90% of the people that live there! You’re welcome!

There is a street on the State Fair grounds named after the horse and Prior Lake HS (which serves kids from Savage) named their football stadium after the horse as well.

Savage is what I would consider a bedroom community (if you haven’t heard that term before it simply means a place that people live but don’t work there).

I stopped into the library to check it out and while I was in there I spoke with the librarian to see if I was missing something – a central downtown that I had somehow overlooked?? The librarian agreed with me that Savage is really a community that just grew up in the farm fields as the area near Minneapolis developed rather than growing up around a central downtown.

“City center”

So Savage is by definition, NOT a walkable community, cars will be a major part of your life in Savage.

Instead of a downtown area, there is one central point that I would consider the “civic center” of Savage. You’ll find the Savage library (which is large, modern and pretty – it seems like an enjoyable place to spend some time), the town hall, the post office,& the police and fire stations all in this one area.

A bonus that I noticed when looking at their web site, the city offers free notary services to residents. That could be your tipping point when weighing your options!

Housing

Before I ventured out to Savage I looked at the homes listed in the MLS to get a sense of the range and what types were available for sale right now – there are some really beautiful townhomes that are in the low to mid $200’s, and prices go up to the mid $700’s for homes. The most expensive listing right now in Savage is for the remnants of a farm and will likely be sold for land development at close to $1M.

Single family home prices in Savage Sept 2021

Median price for townhomes in Savage September 2021

I added this because I think there is good value in moderately sized homes.

Shopping

Shopping in Savage is limited to a few smaller shopping centers as compared to nearby Burnsville which has an abundance of stores, shopping centers, chain restaurants and a mall. If you live in Savage you’re likely to get your groceries at the Super Target, the HyVee or Cub Foods. If you like Costco like I like Costco, rest assured that there is one Savage adjacent in Burnsville.

Schools

Savage is served by 3 different school districts, so again, this is a case where if you have a preference for a particular school district you should verify the school boundaries and that your home lies within the district that you want to have. The three districts that serve Savage are:

Prior Lake – Savage district 719
Burnsville-Eagan-Savage district 191
Shakopee District 720.

There are 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school serving Savage. In addition, Savage has a Spanish immersion school, an alternative school, and 2 early learner schools.

Parks

black and brown miniature schnauzer lying on green grass field — Photo by Sebastian Coman Travel on Pexels.com

Savage does have a few parks, and I think that there are often play lots for kids in the subdivisions, but they may lean heavily on the regional park that borders the south side of the city – Murphy-Hanrehan Park.

It’s a very large park and it made me think a bit of my other favorite regional Park – Lebanon Hills in Eagan. The Park offers a LOT of activities – Boating, Camping, Single Track Mountain Biking, Fishing, Hiking, Snowshoeing, Snow Mobiling, x-ctry Ski Trails, and 2 off leash dog parks – you can buy a day or an annual pass for the dog parks. One of the dog parks at Cleary Lake allows the pups to go for a swim. Savage does have one other dog park (I believe this one is part of the Savage Park district rather than the regional park, but it is Free.

Unlike other suburbs, Savage doesn’t have an aquatic center or anything like that, but they have a partnership with LifeTime Fitness for use of their indoor and outdoor pools.

Property Taxes

For this one I will defer to the Scott County MN web site because property taxes in Savage vary by which school district the home is in and the value of the home. So you can get an estimated rate quite easily on their site if you are curious as to how they vary.

Fences, Chickens and BEES

And to answer my always asked questions: YES you CAN have a fence! The city regulates the type, workmanship and height depending on where it will be on your property, so you’ll have to check that out. Also – YES – you can have YARD BIRDS. Chickens and BEEKEEPING are allowed.

Savage is a great place to consider if you want a quieter lifestyle & don’t particularly care if the city provides a bunch of amenities which you may be able to easily access in nearby communities. If you want a relatively easy commute to either Minneapolis or St. Paul, or need to be able to get to the airport without a lot of hassle, this is a good option. Home prices in Savage are more affordable in pockets than they are in other parts of the metro and may be a good place to look if you are a first time buyer or if you just don’t have thee budget to live in other more expensive areas of the city.

Teodora Pogonat

2023-11-19

We had a really great and thorough experience with Mary. We moved from Austin to Minneapolis and she helped us with every single logistic, big and small. She went above and beyond in helping us view homes, giving recommendations, thorough knowledge and explanation of every question we had, and even answers to questions we didn't know we needed to ask. Mary went and viewed homes for us while we were remote, pointing out everything she saw and even smelled. She watched out for us and pointed out things that we should pay attention to, especially since we came from a warmer environment and having no knowledge of what we need to know for living in a northern climate. Mary also had the unique experience of knowing the Texas real estate lingo to help translate the equivalent terms for us to equate the process from our previous state's lingo and process. Overall it was a smooth and seamless experience with Mary and I take comfort in knowing we were well taken care of and protected during the whole process.

Dave Englund

2023-11-14

Adding to my wife's comments... We discovered Mary through her very informative YouTube channel in our long-distance search for a place to spend summers away from the heat of central Texas. We knew nothing about Minneapolis, but Mary provided OneHome/MLS access a month before our 3-day visit from which we identified a preliminary set of properties to visit. Once in town, we changed course (homes or condos, this neighborhood or that) and added to the list more than once. She spent three days that included all day Friday, all day Saturday, and late into a Sunday afternoon, ending in texting an offer while on our return flight. We thought we were looking for the perfect space, but what Mary recognized was that LOCATION was more crucial to our bigger picture than the physical characteristics of the property. She watched our reactions as we visited more than a dozen properties, questioned and advised, and ultimately suggested that we might want to revise (or recognize?) our real goals. Her ability to identify precisely what we were looking for, even before we fully comprehended it ourselves, speaks volumes about her commitment to her client's needs above her own. Her invaluable support culminated in a recommendation we now realize was exactly right all along. Thank you Mary for your dedication and keen eye for detail. We are immensely grateful and now consider you to be our (first and only) friend in Minneapolis.

Joanne Englund

2023-11-07

We decided to buy a place in Minneapolis having only visited it once. Mary listened when we said what we wanted and paid attention to our responses as we checked out several condos and houses. She then guided us to the perfect place in the perfect setting. She knows this town and we are very grateful for her!

Erin Proctor

2023-10-08

Mary is amazing! We found her via YouTube while researching areas for our move to the Twin Cities. After watching a few videos we got the feeling that she would understand and appreciate what we were after, and we decided to reach out and see if she could help us. From the very first email, we knew she was the right realtor for us. As first-time homebuyers moving to MN from out of state, we felt she really understood what we were up against. We had quite a wish list and she helped us figure out which items were most important and what we could expect from the MN market. She was so patient with us and our never-ending questions, and she did a great job educating us and walking us through the difficult parts. We found our house on the second day of our search and Mary went to work with the offer. It was not an easy negotiation but this is where Mary really came through. She is the realtor you want in your corner! The effort she put in behind the scenes, dealing with an odd listing agent and crabby sellers, was truly remarkable. Every time there was a bump, Mary was in contact explaining our options and helping us navigate a tricky transaction while managing our stress and putting our minds at ease, assuring us that she would get us through to the other side. I honestly feel that we could not have done this without her. We’re so happy that we found this house, made this move, and had such strong support from our agent the whole way through. Her YouTube channel is a great resource for exploring potential Twin Cities neighborhoods, and we still enjoy watching and learning about the area and the new life (and weather) we’re going to experience. We definitely recommend checking her videos out, and when you’re ready to start getting serious about your move, we could not recommend Mary highly enough.

Carol Myers

We found Mary on YouTube when planning to relocate to Minneapolis. Her expertise in the real estate market and warmth made house hunting an enjoyable experience. Best of all, Mary helped us find our perfect home!

Daniel Donoghue

2023-10-01

I came to Minneapolis not knowing a single thing about the real estate market and without any contacts. After a long day of looking at apartments, my wife called around 8pm. She had stumbled upon a very appealing property listing, but I was leaving town the next day. I did a really quick search on the internet for a realtor and took a leap of faith on Mary based on some positive reviews. She responded to an online message immediately, sorted out our interests, and by morning had arranged a showing of the property. By that afternoon we entered a purchase agreement, but only as a result of some intense negotiation on Mary's part because of multiple bidders. Since then, Mary has become a good friend. I would like to emphasize Mary's delightful, warm personality. However, her professionalism, hard work and integrity are where my mind goes in providing this review. If you find yourself in my shoes, looking for someone to trust and rely upon, call Mary Schumann.

Meg Donoghue

2023-09-21

New to Minnesota and not knowing anyone, we reached out to Mary Schumann based on glowing reviews to show us a property in which we were interested. From the start Mary was very professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. She helped us successfully navigate and win in a double offer situation, answered or got answers to all our questions throughout the waiting period, and represented us at the final walk through and closing as we were not able to attend ourselves. We highly recommend Mary to anyone who is looking for a realtor, she is very kind, quick to respond to all requests and concerns, and helpful in every way possible throughout the process.

Holly Culbertson

2023-08-23

Mary has been fantazmous! We researched several realtors and stumbled upon Mary’s YouTube channel and found her to be down to earth, informative, trustworthy, and helpful. We reached out and she helped us with everything. We moved from FL to MN and Mary made our virtual experience easy, she was responsive and proactive, went above and beyond with the process, and made us feel at ease for being unable to be present in person. She communicated at every moment of the way. We would recommend Mary to anyone looking for homes anywhere she is willing to be a realtor because she is phenomenal!

Joey Dale

2023-07-21

Mary just helped us relocate from Florida to the Twin Cities, and the experience could not have been better. We discovered her initially on youtube while researching the area, and I sent her in email asking for some specifics. I wasn't really sure I was going to get any meaningful answer, but boy was I wrong. Not only did Mary respond with a bunch of helpful info, but she did it in less that 15 minutes. I was completely blown away. Fast forward two months, and we are in town, and meet face to face. Mary answered all of our questions, gave us a bunch of additional prospective, and was a delight. After that we headed back home confident that we were in good hands. While looking at homes, Mary was consistently one of the first showings when our prospects hit the market, and provided invaluable insight and prospective. She was attentive to our feedback and helped further refine our search. After we came in second place the second time, and were feeling discouraged, she was quick to reassure us that eventually we would be successful, and would be better off. Our next offer was accepted and we couldn't have been happier. She made sure to be onsite for the inspection and was able to answer any questions we had. Long story short, if you are looking to relocate to the Twin Cities metro, you need to have Mary Schumann in your corner.

Natasa Dragovic

2023-07-20

Mary is an amazing realtor! I came across Mary's Youtube channel initially and she seemed very knowledgeable. That was important to me because I moved from out of state and wasn't familiar with the area. She helped the transition be quick and smooth. We visited 15 apartments in one day because of my time constraints. She is on top of things and will make you a priority. Quite happy in my new home.

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Savage MN – a bit of a secret on the south side…