Real Estate Services of Duluth

What Real Estate Services of Duluth does

Real Estate Services of Duluth is a traditional residential and commercial real estate brokerage founded in 1981 and headquartered at 1018 E 4th St in Duluth, Minnesota. The firm has been solely woman-owned since 2005 when Karen Pagel Guerndt acquired it from prior owner Vern Emerson. It operates through licensed REALTORS who represent buyers and sellers in property transactions, with the brokerage earning commissions on closed deals. The technology stack is standard for the industry, centered on an IDX/MLS-integrated website (resduluth.com) that surfaces property listings across Duluth neighborhoods and surrounding northeastern Minnesota communities, supported by a mortgage calculator and an educational blog.

The company targets individual home buyers and sellers in the Duluth metropolitan area, including first-time buyers, estate sellers, and small residential investors. Supporting products include a neighborhood guide, a mortgage estimator, and educational content published on the company blog. Distribution is direct, through agents who provide in-person showings, negotiation, and transaction support; marketing relies on organic content and social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X).

The revenue model is commission-based on closed transactions, with rates that are negotiable and not publicly disclosed. There is no disclosed revenue figure, no external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiary structure; the firm operates as an independent single-office brokerage. Geographic reach remains concentrated in northeastern Minnesota, spanning roughly 30+ Duluth micro-neighborhoods plus surrounding towns such as Hermantown, Cloquet, Proctor, Two Harbors, and Ely.

Name

Real Estate Services of Duluth

Legal name

Karen Pagel Guerndt

Website

https://resduluth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Real Estate Services of Duluth is a woman-owned, traditional residential and commercial real estate brokerage founded in 1981, serving individual home buyers and sellers across the Duluth, Minnesota metropolitan area and surrounding northeastern Minnesota communities through licensed REALTORS and an MLS-integrated website.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Brokerage

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes) (BPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buyer Representation Services (BPAJAAAJ), Seller Representation & Listing Services (BPAJAAAK)

Keywords

• Residential real estate brokerage
• Home buyer representation
• Home seller representation
• MLS property listings
• Local real estate agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Commission: Traditional real estate brokerage earning commissions on property transactions. Agents represent buyers and sellers in residential property transactions, with commissions typically split between listing and buyer agents.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Real Estate Services of Duluth is a traditional residential real estate brokerage that represents buyers and sellers in property transactions across the Duluth, Minnesota metropolitan area. Services include property listings, showings, market analysis, negotiation, and transaction support delivered through licensed REALTORS, with supporting MLS/IDX listing access, a mortgage calculator, and a neighborhoods guide on the company website.

Product overview

Real Estate Services of Duluth is a traditional real estate brokerage offering a single unified service rather than a platform-based architecture. The core offering is residential and commercial property buying, selling, and listing services, powered by MLS (Multiple Listing Service) property listings access. Supporting the brokerage services are a mortgage calculator tool, neighborhood guide resource, and an educational blog. The company has been serving the Duluth, Minnesota area since 1981 and is currently woman-owned and operated.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Brokerage Services Traditional residential real estate brokerage providing buyer and seller representation in property transactions across the Duluth, Minnesota area, including property listings, showings, market analysis, negotiation, and transaction support.
• MLS Property Listings Access Online property search portal with MLS/IDX integration providing access to residential and commercial property listings across the Duluth area for prospective buyers.
• Mortgage Calculator Tool Online tool that helps prospective buyers estimate monthly mortgage payments based on property price, down payment, loan terms, taxes, and insurance.
• Neighborhoods Guide Online resource providing detailed information about Duluth-area neighborhoods, including Hermantown, Proctor, Cloquet, and surrounding communities, with market statistics and area highlights.

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Emerging players

• Move2Duluth Group: Local Duluth-area real estate team focusing on relocation buyers. Comparable as a direct competitor in the same neighborhoods, but differentiated by a narrower relocation focus vs. the subject's broader buyer/seller service.
• eXp Realty (Minnesota operations): Cloud-based national brokerage with a growing Minnesota agent base. Comparable as a residential brokerage, but differentiated by its low-overhead, agent-centric model that can attract agents in the Duluth market at lower cost.

Broad incumbents

• Edina Realty: Legacy Minnesota residential brokerage with statewide coverage and a large agent network. Comparable because it offers the same buyer/seller brokerage services in the Duluth region with a similar agent-based, commission-driven model.
• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lakes & Homes: National franchise brokerage serving the Northland/Duluth region. Comparable because it provides the same residential brokerage services, drawing on a national brand to compete in the same local market.
• Keller Williams Realty (Duluth area): National franchise with an agent-centric model and profit-sharing structure. Comparable because it competes for the same residential buyers and sellers in the Duluth region, though it is typically larger and more systematized.

Regional players

• Re/Max Results: One of the largest RE/MAX franchise networks in Minnesota with a strong presence in the Twin Cities and Duluth areas. Directly comparable as a residential brokerage serving the same Minnesota geography with a traditional agent-based model.

Others

• Zillow (Premier Agent / Zillow Homes): Major online real estate marketplace that funnels buyer/seller leads to local brokerages and agents. While not a direct brokerage competitor in the traditional sense, it is a critical channel for buyer inquiries and a structural competitor to traditional brokerages' listings.

Direct peers

• Coldwell Banker Northland Realty: National franchise brokerage with a strong Duluth/Northland Minnesota presence. Most directly comparable as a similarly-sized traditional residential brokerage serving the exact same neighborhoods.
• Lake Superior Real Estate Help-U-Sell Metro Realty: Independent and smaller-franchise brokerage serving the Duluth area. Most directly comparable as a similarly-sized local residential brokerage with overlapping neighborhood coverage and similar agent-based transactions.
• Century 21 Gilderman & Associates: National franchise brokerage operating in the Duluth/Northland area. Highly comparable because it provides the same residential buyer and seller representation services in the same local market with an agent-led model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/resduluth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/real-estate-services-of-duluth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Real Estate Services of Duluth