Why the heck should you choose me as your real estate guide?

Hi.

My name is Andrew French and I’ve spent my whole life learning about properties.

My grandpa once told me, “The only thing of any real value is a piece of land.”

My first memories as a kid are roaming the outbuildings and farm fields of his farm in the prairie lands of western Minnesota.

My parents moved us around a lot, but I always enjoyed exploring the new home and backyard. I especially enjoyed our time in Two Harbors, when we would hike around Gooseberry Falls State Park after church. The beauty of those waterfalls inspired my love of nature.

Obsessed with the landscape, I became a landscape designer in the Twin Cities, working with the natural stone of the Midwest to create patios, walkways, and walls, as well as the beautiful native plants that provide habitat and sustenance for birds, bees, and butterflies species.

I hiked and backpacked on the Superior Hiking Trail, drawing on my experiences in nature for urban and suburban design inspiration.

I grew excited about a sustainable living design methodology called Permaculture, attended a Permaculture Design Course in Western Wisconsin and became a certified Permaculture Designer.

My interest in small-scale food production grew too large too ignore, so I bought a farm in Western Wisconsin and became a small-scale organic farmer, working the land for many years. I grew nutrient dense vegetables and raised ducks, rabbits, chickens, geese, turkeys, goats, cows, and pigs on pasture for discerning customers in the Twin Cities Metro Area, including Stillwater and Hudson.

I began to work as a designer and land planner with a local land planning company. As a lifelong computer nerd I used Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for land planning and became an expert in utilizing this software for farm-scale analysis. I obtained a degree in Geoscience with a focus on Natural Resource Conservation, and studied geospatial data analysis.

I became a NRCS certified Technical Service Provider (TSP) for Pollinator Habitat Design and Implementation. TSPs help landowners, including hobby farmers, design and implement conservation programs on their land.

I was elected to the Land Planning Commission in my township. We were charged with updating and revising the Land Use Plan for our township. This gave me a deeper understanding of how local government manages resources.

As a lover of rivers, streams, and lakes, I signed up to be a Wisconsin Water Action Volunteer Coordinator, and collected water data from the surrounding streams. This helped me understand the interaction of agriculture and our freshwater resources.

Somewhere along the way, I grew addicted to fly fishing, which really complemented my love of kayaking. I also love yoga and trail running.

Many years ago I went through an internship in sustainable building up at Hunt Utilities Group, near Brainerd, MN, where I learned about several sustainable building methods, including strawbale and cob. HUG campus now has built several ground-breaking, ultra-insulated residences, and produces a stream of innovative building solutions.

Since then I’ve learned a whole lot more about building and renovating structures in cold climates.

I’ve built my own cabin and renovated my properties, and helped my dad build several buildings as well.

It was only natural that I became a real estate agent. I bring expert knowledge of property, geography, spatial data analysis, and sustainability to the table.

As your guide, I’m excited to help you buy or sell the property of your dreams!

I can be your Sustainable Real Estate Guide! Lets talk.