Ramsey County

Ramsey County, located in Minnesota, is the county seat for St. Paul, which is also the state’s capital city. The County government, with more than 4,000 employees and a budget of $520 million, owns real estate throughout the county.

Challenges

• Ramsey County sought to sell a county-owned office and former jail property called the Ramsey County Government Center, ideally located in the City of St. Paul overlooking the Mississippi River.
• The County had unique restrictions on the sale as it sought to retain partial use of the property and locate a buyer willing to accommodate the County’s space need.

Solutions

• NorthMarq Investment Services was retained to craft a sales and marketing strategy for the property.
• A marketing plan was executed that placed the offering in the hands of investors, users and developers of real estate throughout North America and Europe.
• NorthMarq brought in offers from across the country and as far away as London. Many of these were first-time buyers to the Twin Cities market.
• NorthMarq Investment Services was able to maximize the price for the County through a competitive bid process.
• Ramsey County was able to retain partial use of the property and allow for redevelopment of the property to a higher and better use.