ABOUT US
Minnesota Home Guys Mission
“Provide the most trusted home buying service in the Minneapolis metro area. We strive to provide the simplest, highest integrity, most transparent service possible. We exist to serve you.”
Our Story
Minnesota Home Guys is a real estate solutions company based out of Minneapolis founded by Jaden Ghylin and James Kolde. We’re a family-owned company, and we run our business with family values. The owners of Minnesota Home Guys have bought and sold over 500 homes and have worked through just about every possible situation in real estate.
Our priority is helping homeowners like you find solutions for that property that you just need to get rid of — whether you’re going through a divorce, facing foreclosure, can’t seem to close the sale, or just simply need to be DONE with your house once and for all.
We’ll work together until we find a win-win solution for everybody.
Minnesota Home Guys was formed through the bonds created at this backyard boot hockey rink in Savage Minnesota. Five of the original members of the Minnesota Home Guys team originally met and continue to play at this backyard rink
Jaden Ghylin
Owner & Co-founder
Jaden has been working in real estate since 2005. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and has a talent for helping people work through all sorts of difficult problems, and his passion is real estate. Jaden currently lives near Tampa, FL with his wife and 3 children. He’s a born-again Christian and is actively involved in his local church. In his free time he loves to hang out with his kids. Favorite Bible verse is Proverb 3:5-6.
Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
James Kolde
Owner & Co-founder
James is from the Twin Cities and has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry as well as Fire Fighting. James enjoys the challenges of renovating and updating a home, and providing solutions for the seller as well as future buyers. James spent 20 years as a part-time firefighter and spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan supporting the troops as a Civilian Fire Fighter on base. He grew up in the Burnsville area but currently lives near North Branch. James has a talent for finding fish and when he gets a moment of free time, loves to be on the water. He spends his spare time playing in a local hockey league, hanging out with family and friends, and traveling with his wife, Jen.
“I like meeting people, and I hope I can make them feel comfortable with their decision to sell us their home.”
Luke Winter
Chief Operations Officer
Luke joined the Minnesota Home Guys in 2021. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and brings management & construction experience from working in a heavy industrial field for 10+ years. Luke also has nearly a decade of real estate experience. His motivation comes from building a meaningful business that adds real value to our customers and the local community. Luke lives in Eagan with his wife and two daughters. Weekends for Luke are filled with outdoor activities and getting together with friends & family.
Jen Kolde
Director of Office Operations
Jen is what we like to call our “home base,” running everything in the office. She has lived in Minnesota and been married to James for over 20 years. Together they have a grown daughter who is in the National Guard, and will add a son-in-law, Owen, to the family in October 2023! James and Jen enjoy traveling, spending time with friends and family, and hanging out on the lake. Jen has a background in non-profits, event planning, customer service and office program/project management.
Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
Jill Warner joined Minnesota Home Guys in May of 2023. Her background is in business and her passion is real estate! Jill’s specialty is problem solving and helping as many people as she can. She currently lives in Cannon Falls, MN and enjoys being outdoors, hunting, fishing, kayaking, renovating houses, and spending time at her cabin in Northern WI. Most of all, Jill loves traveling! She lives her life by the mantra, “The world needs who you were made to be!”
Brad Sauer
Property Specialist
Brad joined the Minnesota Home Guys in 2017 but has been in real estate investment since 2014. He has a background in sales and customer service and truly enjoys meeting new people. Brad lives in Savage, MN and has been married to his beautiful wife for over 25 years. Together they have two daughters, and a dog. In his spare time Brad enjoys spending time at the lake with family and friends in the summer, and testing out new recipes in the kitchen!
Matt Tepp
Property Specialist
Matt joined the Minnesota Home Guys in June of 2018 straight out of college and started on his real estate journey. A graduate from the University of North Dakota with a degree in communication, Matt enjoys meeting new people, learning more about client’s stories and thinking outside of the box on how to help them with their needs. Matt currently lives in Minneapolis with his German Shepard, Hank, and enjoys going to his local Lifetime, golfing with his dad, and hanging out with friends in his free time.
Mumtaz Walli
Controller
Mumtaz, a CPA, joined our team to lead the accounting and finance division. She brings with her extensive experience in the accounting and finance field including 17 years at Northwest Airlines, Inc. Mumtaz is originally from Tanzania in East Africa. She has lived in Minnesota for about 30 years. She has two grown children – Curtis and Siri and lives in St. Petersburg, FL. For fun she loves to travel and practice yoga. She also enjoys playing badminton and pickle-ball.
Kay Edlund
Property Specialist
Kay joined Minnesota Home Guys in the Fall of 2019. Kay is passionate about helping people in both the Twin Cities area and northern Minnesota. Kay lives in Savage and has been married to her wonderful husband, Mark for over 20 years. Together they have 3 children, Alexandra (and son in law Derek,) Cassie, and Ben, a dog Maddie, a hamster Taz, and a bearded dragon named Jerry. Before getting into real estate, Kay ran an in-home daycare while raising her three children in Savage. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her grandkids and with her friends and family at her cabin in Aitkin, Minnesota.
Sara Brown
Property Specialist
Sara, a born and raised Minnesotan comes to us with a strong sales and customer service background in residential real estate. Sara married her high school sweetheart (Tim), they live in Lakeville with their two teenagers (Logynn & Brody) and let’s not forget their little dog (Gordy). Logynn & Brody are 11 months apart, Sara had 2 full term babies before her first Mother’s Day! She is beyond proud of her family, just ask! Sara is secure in her beliefs and knows where her strength comes from. (Phillipians 4:13 – I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.) She is a courageous MS (Multiple Sclerosis) warrior that is very open about her daily struggles that she doesn’t let slow her down. “I’m here to help” has always been a slogan for Sara and she stands by that everyday.
Shelly White
Sales Manager
Shelly joined Minnesota Home Guys with over 20 years of experience in real-estate and client development. Locally born and raised, Shelly currently lives in Lakeville with her 5 amazing kids Grace, Truman, Devyn, Faye, and Stella. Let’s just say they keep her a bit busy and laughing all the time. Family is the most important thing in the world to her and she is proud to be a part of the family here at Minnesota Home Guys. Shelly is passionate about helping people with all their real estate needs. With her background in Interior Design and personally flipping over 30 properties, Shelly loves what she does every day!
Paul Gilliam
Disposition Manager
Paul joined the Minnesota Home Guys in 2021. Paul has owned and operated a small business, and also worked for some of the most prestigious Fortune 50 companies. In 2018 he sold his company, and followed his passion into the real estate industry. Paul lives in Plymouth with his wife and 5 boys. He doesn’t get much free time with 5 boys, but when he does he enjoys attending Wild or Viking games, being on the water, and getting some downtime up at the cabin with family and friends.
Josh Zinda
Property Specialist
Josh joins the MN Home Guys with two decades in construction and 10 years in real estate investment as an acquisition’s specialist. He his General Contractors License and completed over 400 rehabs. He loves connecting and meeting new people. He is from Stevens Point, WI and now lives with his wife in Minneapolis in the North Loop. He played semi-professional football for the Minnesota Sting for 5 years and now enjoys watching football, going to restaurants, cooking, and painting as a hobby.
Tom Dawson
Property Specialist
Tom joined the Minnesota Home Guys in early 2023. Originally from St. Michael, MN he now resides in Otsego, MN with his wife (Maggie) and three children (Finley, Hadley & Lachlan). He has had the privilege of working with numerous individuals and families as they navigated the ever changing real estate marketplace. Tom is an avid Minnesota sports fan and currently plays on and manages his own men’s soccer team.
Kaylee Hansen
Inside Sales Manager
Born and raised in Minnesota, Kaylee brings to Minnesota Home Guys her spark for life, her education and experience in sales, and her ‘can-do’ attitude! Kaylee knows sign language, loves to dance, and travel is her passion. She was on the high school dance team and competed competitively. Wisconsin Dells, and Florida are favorites on the travel list. She loves to hang out with her fun-loving Boxer, Jasmin.
Tanner Rautio
Inside Sales Manager
Tanner was born and raised in small town MN, but he’s always seeking new adventures like paddleboarding and hiking. Most recently, he joined the Minnesota Home Guys! Involved in his community throughout childhood, Tanner was in 4-H, HS Track & Field and volunteered at the animal shelter. He’s a proud Dad to his Australian Shepherd, Harper. He loves making new friends, and has a passion for forming new relationships. He strives for making the next day better than today!
Minnesota Home Guys Site Crew
Left to right: Ted Reimer-Construction Assistant, Steve Zastrow -Construction Manager, Caelan Woog, Construction Assistant
Steve and his site team are the magic in the field. They make sure every property we purchase is ready to transfer ownership. This team has a ‘can-do’ attitude, and when faced with a challenge, they only see options resulting in solutions. They face each day with optimism and a bit of humor making each one better than the day prior. We are grateful for our construction crew!
"Handsome" Hank Tepp
Professional Stick Fetcher
Hank joined us April 2019 might look like a big, scary German Shepherd but he’s really a 100 lb love bug! Hank’s specialties are barking at inanimate objects and collecting sticks. If you ever need to build a fire, Hank is your guy! Hank loves everyone at Minnesota Home Guys and is so excited to be part of the family!
Minnie
Guard Sausage/Security Advisor
Minnie is the sibling to Farley and is our current head of security, or so she likes to think. She enjoys tagging along to the office, lying around and taking naps. Occasionally you’ll catch her barking at the UPS guy (and then rolling over for him to pet her belly) or begging for treats. It’s been recently discovered that she and Farley got into the Christmas stocking stuffers, and had quite a good time. #DidntDoIt
Farley
Minnie's Instigator
Farley is James and Jen’s Golden Retriever who lives up to his namesake ‘Chris Farley’. He loves to travel with James to our site visits, and then come to the office and say ‘hi’! He’s goofy, dopey and just soooo lovable. He’s never met a stranger he didn’t like. It’s been said, he and his sibling ‘Minnie’ recently got into all the Christmas stocking stuffers and had a real good time! Who said he’s the instigator? #NotMeSaidHe
Core Values
Honesty – We are up front and forthright in everything we do
Transparency – We explain all of your options, even if it means not working with us.
Integrity – We always say a deal has to work for all parties, or it’s not going to happen. If we think you will be better off selling through a different avenue, we let you know that up front. People come first in our business. We are here to help you find the best solution.
Customers First – Our goal is to make selling as simple and stress-free as possible. We will go the extra mile to make sure the sale goes smoothly for you. This may mean giving extra days or weeks to move, providing professional movers, taking care of unwanted items left behind, paying back taxes or mortgage payments, taking over mortgages, taking care of inspections and repairs required by cities, whatever it takes to get it done, we have seen and done it all
Education – We strive to educate sellers about the process of selling and inform them of all of their options.
We are located in Bloomington, MN a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul at 10800 Lyndale Ave S, Suite 275, Bloomington, MN 55420.