Frequently Asked Questions

The Sullivan Group is a team of five local REALTORS, Pat Sullivan, Carol Dietz, Trevor Houn, Joe Halbmaier, and Sarah Krocak, working together at RE/MAX Advantage Plus in New Prague, Minnesota. The team has been serving buyers and sellers in New Prague, Montgomery, and the surrounding South Metro since 2013, and closes around 100 transactions a year. Behind the five agents is an in-house marketing coordinator and an in-house transaction coordinator, so clients get a full team instead of one person juggling everything alone.

The Sullivan Group has operated as a team since 2013, but the experience behind it goes back much further. Pat Sullivan started in real estate as an investor in 2002 before building the team. Combined, the agents bring decades of local experience: Carol ran her own business for 26 years before real estate, Trevor has 25 years in construction, Joe spent 24 years as a business owner, and Sarah has lived in Montgomery for over 30 years.

The Sullivan Group's primary market is New Prague, with deep coverage across Montgomery, Jordan, Prior Lake, Lonsdale, Belle Plaine, Elko New Market, and St. Peter. The team regularly works throughout Scott County, Le Sueur County, Rice County, and Dakota County, plus relocation moves coming out of the Twin Cities metro into southern Minnesota.

With one agent, your transaction stops moving the moment that person is unavailable. With The Sullivan Group, you get five agents plus an in-house marketing coordinator and an in-house transaction coordinator working behind the scenes, so showings, paperwork, and questions keep moving even when your specific agent is at a closing or out for the day.

The Sullivan Group closes roughly 100 transactions a year across New Prague, Montgomery, and the South Metro. That volume is a team total, built from five agents working their own client relationships with shared marketing and transaction support behind them.

Buying a home with The Sullivan Group starts with a conversation about your budget, timeline, and what you actually need in a home, followed by getting pre-approved with a local lender. From there, your agent sets up a home search, schedules showings, and helps you build a competitive offer once you find the right home. After an accepted offer, the team's in-house transaction coordinator helps manage inspection, appraisal, and closing.

Pre-qualification is a quick estimate based on what you tell a lender about your income and debts, with no verification involved. Pre-approval means a lender has actually checked your credit, income, and assets and given you a real number sellers can rely on. In New Prague and the South Metro, most sellers expect a pre-approval letter before they'll take an offer seriously.

There's no single answer that fits every buyer. It depends on your timeline, your financing, and what's happening in the specific neighborhood or town you're looking at, which can shift month to month even within Scott and Le Sueur County. The most useful next step is a conversation with one of our agents about your specific situation, rather than relying on general market headlines.

As of late 2025, the median home price in New Prague was around $374,500, though prices vary by city, neighborhood, and home condition across Scott and Le Sueur County. Beyond the purchase price, buyers should plan for closing costs, a down payment, and possibly earnest money, all of which a local lender can walk through with real numbers based on your situation.

Yes. Trevor Houn brings 25 years of construction experience to the team, which gives buyers a practical eye when evaluating new construction or older homes that may need work. The team also has experience with rural and acreage properties throughout Le Sueur County, including USDA-eligible areas.

Yes, regularly. Sarah Krocak in particular works with a lot of first-time buyers and walks through every step without making anyone feel behind for not already knowing how the process works. The whole team treats first-time buyer questions, even the basic ones, as exactly the kind of question they're there to answer.

Your home's real value depends on recent comparable sales nearby, current condition, updates, and what's actually happening in your specific neighborhood, not a generic citywide number. The most accurate way to find out is a free, in-person home value evaluation with one of our agents.

Zillow's automated estimate is built from public records and recent sales data, so it has no idea your basement is finished, that you replaced the roof two years ago, or that the comparable home down the street had outdated everything inside. A local agent who has actually walked through your home and seen recent sales firsthand can give you a far more accurate number than an algorithm guessing from the outside.

Time on market depends heavily on price, condition, and the season you list in, so there's no single number that applies to every home. Homes priced accurately from day one and marketed well typically move faster than homes that start too high and get adjusted later. The clearest way to get a realistic timeline for your specific home is a conversation with our team.

Start with the basics: declutter, handle small repairs that buyers tend to notice first, and get professional photos taken before the listing goes live. Just as important is pricing the home accurately from the start instead of pricing high and waiting to see what happens. Our team can walk your home with you ahead of listing and point out exactly what's worth fixing and what isn't.

That depends on your home, your timeline, and what's happening in your specific market right now, which can vary even between New Prague and a neighboring town. Rather than relying on general "the market is up" or "the market is down" headlines, the most useful step is getting a current, home-specific evaluation from a local agent who knows your street, not just your county.

Every listing gets professional photography, placement on the MLS, and syndication out to sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Homes.com. The team also promotes listings through social media and its own buyer network built from years of working in New Prague and the South Metro.

Moving to New Prague from the Twin Cities usually means more space for the money, a slower pace, and a real small-town identity built around genuine Czech heritage and events like the annual Dozinky Festival. Commute times into the metro vary depending on which part of the Cities you're headed to, which is something our agents can talk through honestly based on where you'd actually be driving.

Scott County tends to have more suburban growth and new construction activity closer to the metro corridor, while Le Sueur County leans more rural, with acreage properties and a slower pace of development. The Sullivan Group works across both, so buyers and sellers get the same team whether they're looking at a subdivision lot or a property with land around it.

Getting started is just a conversation. Call, text, or message the team through the contact page, and someone will follow up to talk through your timeline and goals before anything else happens. There's no pressure and no obligation in that first conversation.

You'll work directly with one agent matched to your situation and area, whether that's Pat, Carol, Trevor, Joe, or Sarah, but you're never just relying on one person's calendar. Behind every agent is the same in-house marketing coordinator and transaction coordinator, so your transaction keeps moving even when your specific agent is busy with another client.