St. Paul and Minneapolis REALTORS ®: The Asbury Group
Click to read about the Asbury Group's Business Philosophy.
Andy Asbury, Minnesota REALTOR®
Andy is a 3rd generation REALTOR® who grew up just outside of Minneapolis, in Edina. Andy was practically born into real estate, as his father, mother, and grandmother were all involved in the industry. In fact, Andy worked part-time helping his father with marketing for his real estate business during high school and college.
Creating brochures for his father's listings at a young age helped lay the groundwork for Andy's future endeavors. Andy went on to college at the University of Minnesota Duluth and got a job at an advertising agency after graduation. There Andy built websites and created award winning marketing materials for local businesses. Andy met his lovely wife and returned to the Twin Cities area where he joined the family mortgage company, TAG Mortgage. Using his experience in Duluth, Andy assisted TAG Mortgage with their marketing efforts while also working on home loans for customers.
In 2004, Andy decided to become a full-time REALTOR® and put his marketing abilities to the test. He began by marketing new construction condominium developments such as 3rd Avenue Place, 1800 Clinton, the Phoenix on 3rd Avenue, and Olin Crossings. For this work, Andy needed to thoroughly research the local condo market and developed an intimate knowledge of the local projects. It was during this time that Andy discovered his passion (okay obsession) for the loft and condo market and continues to focus on it.
Andy currently lives in the Downtown Minneapolis area with his wife of 6 years, DeAnna, and their dog Sheba. He continues to serve the Minnesota loft and condo market, and for over two years Andy owned and operated the #1 lofts and condos site in the Minneapolis area. With his new site, MinnesotaLoftsAndCondos.com, Andy looks forward to becoming the premier source of information for loft and condo buyers in Minnesota.
• Lofts and Condos Specialist
• Graduate of Real Estate Institute
• Accredited Buyer's Representative
• Realtor®
Jim Asbury, Broker
Jim has been practicing residential real estate in the Twin Cities area for over 30 years and has had a very exciting and successful career. In 1975 Jim began in real estate with the largest firm in the area, Bermel-Smaby, and hit the ground running with production levels that were off the charts. For all five years Jim was there, he lead the company as a Sales Leader and ranked within the top 2% of their Realtors®.
With a deep understanding of real estate and a passion for the business, Jim decided to open up his own brokerage in 1980 called Sun Home Realty. It was an exciting time in his life and he enjoyed building an organization of his own. The company grew to over a dozen Minnesota Real Estate agents and built a solid reputation in the industry.
As interest rates skyrocketed and real estate iced over in the mid 1980's, Jim decided to put his fate back in his own hands in 1984 and made the move to The Realty House in Edina. There he was able to defy the odds and thrive in what was described as a frigid real estate market. Jim became a broker with the Realty House and other than a two year switch to Burnet Realty in the early 90's he has remained there. The Realty House provided the type of environment he was looking for. It is a smaller brokerage with approximately 75 agents but ranks in the top 10 brokerages in all of the Twin Cities for sales volume. Over 90% of Jim's business has been from the referrals of satisfied clients, and to date Jim has sold more than 1,000 homes and has found incredible success in always putting his client's needs first. Throughout Jim's 30+ years of serving the Twin Cities he has had the privilege to work on behalf of many well known individuals like NBA star, Kevin Garnett, and hit music producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, to name a few.
Jim has always had an innovative approach to real estate and has stretched technology to serve his clients and colleagues. Over the years, Jim has built tools for the real estate industry which included 1-800-fax-home which was a toll-free way of locating builder's spec homes throughout the Twin Cities. The first computer automated appointment service used by real estate offices to outsource their appointment scheduling process and today is quickly becoming the defacto standard for scheduling process and His most recent entrepreneurial endeavor was starting a mortgage company in 2001, which he still enjoys and co-owns with his daughter in-law, DeAnna Asbury.
Jim continues to help buyers and sellers find success in yet another market shift and he enjoys the opportunity to work with his son, Andy, in the business. Together, Jim and Andy have successfully marketed four condominium projects in Minneapolis and have devoted their energies to serving the urban market. Jim brings a world of experience to this dynamic team and helps guide The Asbury Group through challenging situations.
Jim has many awards and designations that show his dedication to his profession and is able to represent his clients with service and experience that is unmatched in this market. Some of his designations include:
- CRS - Certified Residential Specialist since 1978
- GRI - Graduate of Real Estate Institute
- SRES -Certified Seniors Real Estate Specialist
- CSP - Certified New Home Sales Professional
Jim and his wife of 38 years, Lynne, raised their family in Edina and currently live in Bloomington. They have three grown children and are enjoying their new found role as grandparents. Outside of work, Jim enjoys playing golf in the summer and spending time with his family up at the cabin in Nisswa.
Amy Haugen, Lofts and Condos REALTOR®
Amy was born in St. Paul, and has lived her entire life in the Twin Cities area. She has been married to her husband Stan for 32 years, has two grown daughters, and one talented son-in-law—who happens to be Andy Asbury!
Amy spent over 20 years in sales and marketing working with a diverse group of clients throughout the United States. She was a Pricing Analyst in the commodity markets until her husband suffered a major brain injury, and she quit her job to care for him. When Stan was well again, Amy decided to pursue a real estate career, and soon joined Andy and his father in the family business.
Amy is thrilled with her decision, as she is able to spend time with her husband and work with her family. Amy finds being a Minnesota real estate agent very rewarding because she's able to help people with one of the most important decisions in their lives.
Since joining Andy and his father Jim, Amy has helped them work on several new construction condominium developments. This experience gave her unique insight into both sides of a condo transaction, as well as experience working with condo associations. Amy now shares this wealth of knowledge with her clients.
Amy is very proud to be working with her son-in-law Andy and his father, who has over 30 years as a REALTOR® in the Twin Cities area.
Contact Minnesota real estate agents, The Asbury Group today to get started on your loft and condo search. Amy can be reached directly at 612-280-3941 or amy@mnloftsandcondos.com.
Eric Solberg, Lofts and Condos REALTOR®
Eric Solberg lives the urban life to the fullest and likes to share his passion for the Twin Cities with everyone he meets. You can often find Eric taking advantage of the light rail, riding his bike along the Midtown Greenway or catching a Minnesota Wild game in downtown Saint Paul. In fact, Midwest Home Magazine recently published a feature article on Eric about loft and condo living, including tips for prospective buyers and how they too can experience the enjoyments and excitement of city living.
Apart from his love for the Twin Cities, Eric is also known for his experience as a true marketing powerhouse. Upon graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a degree in Marketing, he landed a job with one of the top condominium and multifamily housing contractors in the country. By combining marketplace insight, an understanding of consumer trends and customer needs, Eric helped generate new business opportunities for the company with some of the nation’s largest retail corporations and real estate development companies. It was at this time that Eric fully realized his interest and passion in the local real estate market.
Eric then put his skills to work for a global consumer research & advisory company, where he managed the delivery of cutting edge consumer insights and marketing strategy for a premier group of Fortune 1000 clients. His innate ability to listen to people, identify their true needs and desires and provide relevant solutions made Eric an invaluable asset to numerous organizations and their business initiatives.
Real estate has always played a big part in Eric’s life and it was with Andy’s team of Loft and Condo Realtors he sensed a great opportunity to maximize his marketing wit, interpersonal communication skills and marketplace knowledge for the benefit of today’s homebuyer. Like Andy, Eric hails from a long line of successful real estate agents so it’s no surprise the trade comes naturally to him. He can proudly claim 5th generation Realtor for the Solberg family! Eric’s father, Glenn Solberg, is a top-producing Realtor in the Twin Cities Southern Metro Area bringing over 30 years experience. Growing up around real estate, Eric learned from his father what it takes to delight clients and the relationship continues to add depth to his skill set.
Eric knows the importance of a strong relationship and strives to serve his customers with the attention and commitment they deserve. Working with Eric you will experience a level of communication and professionalism not typically found in the real estate industry. If you are looking for a Realtor that will exceed your expectations, look no further. Eric can be reached at 612-203-3016 or eric@mnloftsandcondos.com.
Joe Kirkwood, REALTOR®, Lofts and Condos Leasing Agent
Joe was born and raised on the east coast of Australia in a small town called Port Macquarie. Growing up, he was always very active in sports like golfing and surfing and won numerous awards for his athletic achievements. He still enjoys golfing in Minnesota and plays to a 4 handicap to this present day. Apart from being a scratch golfer, he is also well known among family and friends for being an excellent cook. Joe has a passion for cooking and loves to treat guests to delicious meals in his newly remodeled gourmet kitchen. Joe lives in the Lake Nokomis neighborhood with his wife, Maggie, and their dog Roo.
Joe met Andy through mutual friends and Andy recognized his drive and personality for working with people. Andy convinced Joe to get his Real Estate license in 2006 to assist him with the leasing side of his condo business. Joe now helps place quality renters in lofts and condos with homeowners who wish to hold onto their investment. Joe has become a very successful agent and a great asset to the team. His rental expertise rounds out the Asbury Marketing Group’s services, helping people who aren’t ready to purchase a condo, but want to live the lifestyle. Matching renters with property owners is what Joe does best!
The Asbury Group Business Philosophy
You may find that the Asbury Group is a little bit different from other real estate firms you've worked with in the past. They truly care about you, the client. The REALTORS® at the Asbury Group have a genuine desire to see you and your family prosper, so they'll do whatever it takes to get you there.
Andy and his team strive to "always do what's right, moral and ethical. Always treat everyone fairly and act in every client's best interest. Truly help others to prosperity." Indeed, Andy is true to his mission, as he volunteers in the community and makes helping others one of his company's top priorities. Andy believes that "it is more important to help others than to profit from others." He sees his clients as more than a means to an end—he sees them as people, and cherishes the responsibility he has in helping them buy or sell a home.
Agents with the Asbury Group take their role seriously and continue to develop strong relationships with clients and associates in the industry. As Andy says, "We know we can be the most visible and knowledgeable real estate group in the urban market and improve the lives of many with our insight, connections and guidance."
To sum up their business philosophy, Andy says that "we exist to serve those who are looking for more out of a real estate transaction, and we are committed to always delivering service and results that are far beyond the industry norm. We know how important the process of buying and selling a home is, and at the end of the day we hope that those that have engaged us on their journey feel rewarded, blessed, and will always think of us as their trusted advisors and friends."
In addition to providing top-notch customer service, the Asbury Group is also focused on utilizing innovate marketing strategies to get their clients' properties seen by as many motivated buyers as possible. With Andy's experience with marketing and graphic design, the Asbury Group is able to create dynamic marketing materials, including the website you see here. Technological expertise, the latest SEO techniques, and specialized knowledge of Minnesota's loft and condo market are what you'll get if you choose to work with Andy and his team on your next Minnesota real estate transaction.
To get this innovative team of St. Paul and Minneapolis REALTORS ® on your side, contact us today.