A Fixer-Upper on Norway Lake With 64 Feet of Swimmable Shoreline

Norway Lake sits near New London in west-central Minnesota, the kind of Northwoods-feeling lake country that's close enough to the Twin Cities for a regular weekend drive but still feels genuinely removed once you're under the pines. This particular stretch is mature-tree, established-cabin territory — the lots around here have been lake properties for generations, not new development.

Here's the honest version: this is a 1,152-square-foot home, two bedrooms, one bath, built in 1965, and it needs updating — the listing doesn't hide that, and neither will we. What it has instead of polish is the thing you actually can't manufacture: 64 feet of level shoreline with a genuinely excellent swimming area, positioned close enough to the water that the lake views feel like they're right outside every window. A gas fireplace and two wall furnaces handle heat, and the septic and well are already compliant and private, respectively — the unglamorous infrastructure that actually matters is done. Across the road, two additional lots come with the sale, including a 30x60 pole shed built in 1993 with an office and dog kennel space, plenty of room for boats, pontoons, and all the lake gear a property like this accumulates. Worth noting: the listing states some photos are virtually staged, so treat interior styling shots as a preview of potential rather than the home's current condition.

At $425,000, or $369 a square foot, the math here is straightforward: you're paying for the lot and the shoreline, and the house is the project. That's honest pricing for a genuine renovation opportunity on a lake where new listings with this much level, swimmable frontage don't come up often. Get a contractor's eye on the place before you finalize a budget, and confirm what work has and hasn't been done to the wall furnaces and septic system recently. Listing courtesy of Kristi Jo Block and Christian Block, eXp Realty.