Your Team for Homes and Lakeshore Property in Otter Tail County!
Some partnerships just fit. Combined, the husband and wife team of Tom Verhelst and Karen Zell are an incredible asset to those looking to buy or sell a home in the beautiful West Central town and lakes communities of Ashby, Battle Lake, Clitherall, Dalton, Erhard, Fergus Falls, Henning, New York Mills, Ottertail, Perham, Underwood, Vining and beyond. While Minnesota is known for 10,000 lakes, Otter Tail County is known as the area of 1000 lakes. So whatever your dream living situation is…town, farm or lakeshore, Tom and Karen will help you find it. There is something for everyone here in Otter Tail County!

Tom and Karen recently made a move to Keller Williams Realty Professionals, the nation's second largest real estate company. While Tom and Karen each brings their own strengths, they reinforce each other, making more resources available to clients with a high level of service.  We welcome you to get to know the team!

Tom Verhelst
Tom began his real estate career in 1977 with CENTURY 21® Vista, specializing in residential, lakeshore and rural property sales in Ottertail and the surrounding counties. He has successfully handled over 2,000 real estate transactions, making him the #1 producing agent for CENTURY 21® Vista®, as well as for the Lake Region Association of REALTORS®.

Tom is one of only 3 local agents who hold the Certified Residential Specialist designation (CRS) as well as holding the GRI designation. He has also earned the prestigious Centurion award from CENTURY 21® International, every year, as a result of his continuous sales success. Tom is also a recipient of the Quality Service Award for offering exceptional service to his clients. This award is given to only the Top 2% of all CENTURY 21® agents, worldwide, who have a proven sales record. Tom has also served on the board of the Lake Region Association of REALTORS® in various capacities, and he was voted REALTOR® of the Year by the local board.

Tom has built a reputation for client satisfaction and is devoted to making your real estate experience as enjoyable and trouble-free as possible. He makes this promise whether you are buying, selling or relocating.

Karen Zell
Karen is no stranger to Otter Tail County.  As a child, she spent her summers at the family cabin on West Battle Lake. 

After graduating from St. Olaf College in 1984, Karen spent ten years in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.  In 1994, she made a permanent move to live in Otter Tail County and purchased a restaurant on Otter Tail Lake: The Graystone.  While summers were extremely busy, Karen found she needed to find a way to fill her spare time in the winters.  Interior painting, building a home and "Staging" homes for sale filled that void, while peaking her interest in area real estate.  After almost 14 years, she sold the restaurant and entered the real estate business.  She is very familiar with the area and has been in the "people-pleasing" business all her life and brings a wealth of community contacts to the team.  She loves all the beautiful lakes that Otter Tail County offers, and enjoys helping people search and find the perfect match for their needs whether it is a home on the lake, in the country or in town!  Karen still enjoys working at a restaurant one night a week for "FUN" and also is the Youth Group Leader at her church. 

Together
Karen and Tom enjoy life on the Otter Tail River and spending time with their two daughters skiing and traveling.

If you work with the team, here is what you can expect:

BUYING A HOME - Tom and Karen are each committed to taking the time to walk you through the transaction, address all of your concerns and assist you with all paperwork and negotiations. Your complete satisfaction is their highest priority.

SELLING A HOME – The team will sell your home, for a fair price, with the least amount of inconvenience to you. They accomplish this by relying on many years of marketing experience and utilizing the marketing tools that the Keller Williams system has to offer. These sophisticated marketing tools expose your home to the largest market possible.

RELOCATING – Let’s face it…moving is difficult! Let Tom and Karen make your transition as smooth as possible. The team has a broad knowledge of the area the real estate market, which they are happy to share with you. And, if Tom or Karen doesn't have all of the answers to your questions, they know where to go to get them.

“Being new to the area, we had a lot of questions! Tom and Karen were so helpful. We felt well taken care of, and were really pleased with the new home they found for us!”

D & S Ellingson, Battle Lake, MN