Fargo-Moorhead REALTORS®
Meet Jim & Shannon — independent Fargo-Moorhead REALTORS® who work for you, not the transaction. 78+ verified 5★ Google reviews, serving the FM metro & MN lakes since 2012.
What Is Modern Market REALTORS®?
Modern Market REALTORS® is an independent, owner-operated real estate brokerage and home-search platform for North Dakota and Minnesota — the Fargo-Moorhead metro and the Minnesota lakes region. Founded in 2012 by husband-and-wife broker-owners Jim Christl and Shannon Barnum, it pairs a free, no-sign-up MLS search — live NorthstarMLS listings, verified price cuts, and honest market data — with owner-led service: a broker-owner personally handles every buyer and seller, from first showing to closing.
Jim Christl — Co-Founder, Broker
Broker, REALTOR®, and co-owner of Modern Market REALTORS®. More than two decades in Fargo-Moorhead and Minnesota lake-country real estate — pricing, valuation, market analysis, and negotiation. Jim works directly with buyers and sellers, alongside Shannon, from first offer to closing — and answers his own phone seven days a week.
Phone: (701) 205-5517 · Email: jim@modernmarketrealtors.com
Shannon Barnum — Co-Founder, Associate Broker
Associate Broker, REALTOR®, and co-owner of Modern Market REALTORS®. More than two decades representing Fargo-Moorhead buyers and sellers — home preparation and staging, marketing, negotiation, and contract-to-close. Shannon works directly with clients, alongside Jim, from first showing to closing day.
Phone: (701) 491-2000 · Email: shannon@modernmarketrealtors.com
By the Numbers
- 14 Years — Serving FM Metro, independent since 2012
- 78+ Verified 5★ Reviews — Google-verified, not curated
- ND + MN Licensed — Two states, one team
- FM + Lakes Area — Metro + MN lake country
Our Promise to You
- We work for you. Not for our pipeline numbers.
- No upfront fees, no marketing surcharges, no "service fees."
- Your timeline is the timeline. We won't push you to buy or list before you're ready.
- We'll tell you when a home is wrong for you — even if you love it.
- Buyer representation is typically at no cost to you — in most transactions the listing side pays.
- We'll show you the math behind every recommendation, in plain English.
- Local. Independent. Every closing keeps expertise and investment right here in ND + MN.
How We Work Differently
Traditional agents optimize for a fast close. We optimize for the right outcome — even if it takes longer.
Traditional agents tell you what you want to hear. We tell you what we'd do if it were our own home.
Traditional agents are already onto the next deal. We work every client ourselves, start to close — no hand-offs, no junior agents, no assembly line.
How We’re Different
National portals like Zillow and Realtor.com are advertising marketplaces — they syndicate MLS listings nationwide and sell buyer attention back to agents. Modern Market is the opposite: one local brokerage’s own search, powered directly by the NorthstarMLS feed and built for the buyer and seller, not the ad model.
| Modern Market REALTORS® | Zillow & national portals | |
|---|---|---|
| Listing data | Direct NorthstarMLS feed — current | Syndicated — can lag the MLS by hours to days |
| Sign-up to search | Never — full search, no account | Log-in walls for details & saved searches |
| Who you reach | The broker-owners, Jim & Shannon, directly | A lead routed to whichever agent paid |
| Coverage | ND + MN — deep, local market data | National — shallow local depth |
| Cost to you | Free to search; buyer rep typically at no cost | Free to browse |
The Tools Built Into Our Search
Free to use, no sign-up required — most powered by live NorthstarMLS data, all built into Modern Market.
BuyPulse™
BuyPulse™ is Modern Market REALTORS®' live market-data brand for Fargo-Moorhead. On every listing, it answers one question with verifiable NorthstarMLS facts: what is the market actually doing around homes like this one? Cohort statistics — active similar homes, median days to pending, and share of sales closing at or over list price — computed from real closings, not estimates. Information, not opinions.
Offer-Ready Score™
The Offer-Ready Score™ is part of M Markdowns, Modern Market REALTORS®’ collection of price-reduced homes. It rates each one 0–100 on verifiable NorthstarMLS facts: time on market versus the area’s typical pace, the size and recency of price cuts, whether a previous sale fell through, and conditions flagged on the MLS listing itself. The score highlights the M Markdowns listings where the numbers suggest a buyer has the most negotiating room — describing the listing’s public track record, not any seller’s intentions.
M Premiere™
M Premiere™ is Modern Market REALTORS®’ early-access tracker for homes entering NorthstarMLS during the critical first 96 hours on market. Well-priced homes in Fargo-Moorhead frequently receive their strongest buyer attention in that opening window. M Premiere surfaces new inventory the moment it lists — so buyers can act before a home becomes widely discovered.
M Markdowns™
M Markdowns™ is Modern Market REALTORS®’ real estate tracker of homes for sale with verified MLS price reductions across the Fargo-Moorhead metro and Minnesota lake country. Every reduction is sourced directly from NorthstarMLS — minimum $2,000 drop to filter noise.
M Re-Intel™
M Re-Intel™ is Modern Market REALTORS®’ monthly market intelligence brief for the Fargo-Moorhead metro and Minnesota lake country — a first-hand read on inventory, pricing, and pace from REALTORS® Jim Christl and Shannon Barnum, backed by live NorthstarMLS data.
Market Heat Index
The Market Heat Index is Modern Market REALTORS®’ 0–100 read on how hot the Fargo-Moorhead housing market is, where 100 is the most seller-favorable. It combines three live NorthstarMLS signals — months of supply, how close homes sell to asking price, and median days on market — into a single score and a plain-English verdict (buyer’s, balanced, or seller’s market) for the metro. It answers, with real data, whether it’s a buyer’s or seller’s market right now.
BuySmart
BuySmart is Modern Market REALTORS®’ buyer representation for the Fargo-Moorhead area — local REALTORS® Jim Christl and Shannon Barnum guiding you through pre-approval, showings, offer strategy, negotiation, inspections, and closing. No pressure, no handoffs, and buyer representation that's typically at no cost to you. The goal is simple: buy smart, buy right.
SellSmart
SellSmart is Modern Market REALTORS®’ data-driven home-selling approach for the Fargo-Moorhead area — homes priced from live NorthstarMLS comparable sales (not an automated estimate), marketed with professional photography and maximum online exposure, and negotiated by local REALTORS® Jim Christl and Shannon Barnum. The goal is simple: sell smart, sell fast — top dollar with the fewest days on market.
The MLS Advantage
The MLS Advantage is Modern Market REALTORS®’ full-service alternative to a flat-fee MLS listing: your Fargo-Moorhead home goes on NorthstarMLS — the same feed that powers Zillow, Realtor.com, and every agent’s search — with data-driven pricing from live comparable sales, professional marketing, and negotiation handled personally by broker-owners Jim Christl and Shannon Barnum. Anyone can put you on the MLS for a fee and leave you the rest; the MLS Advantage is built to net you more even after commission.
BuyReady
BuyReady is Modern Market REALTORS®’ directory of well-known local home-services companies for Fargo-Moorhead buyers — home inspectors, title companies, movers, contractors, and lenders — to help you move from offer to keys with the resources you need.
ListReady
ListReady is Modern Market REALTORS®’ directory of well-known local home-services companies for Fargo-Moorhead sellers — painting and drywall, remodelers, property maintenance, home inspectors, and movers — to help your home show, list, and close at top dollar.
Why Homeownership Matters
- Stronger Schools — Homeownership stabilizes the property-tax base that funds Fargo Public, West Fargo, and Moorhead Area Schools.
- Stronger Neighborhoods — Homeowners volunteer locally, vote in city elections, and stay long enough to invest in their street and block.
- Lasting Family Wealth — For first-time and growing families across the Midwest, a paid-down home remains the single largest source of intergenerational stability.
What Our Clients Say
“Amazing people and work. With this being my first time buying a home they made the process so easy and stress free. From the start to finish, whenever I had a question they got back to me right away — no matter the time — and most importantly they were knowledgeable. I definitely felt like they put my needs first. This team is the best, and from my personal experience I will be choosing them on my next home. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!”
Rated 5.0★ across 78+ verified Google reviews — read them all, each linked to its original Google review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Modern Market REALTORS® free to use?
Yes. Searching every active listing on modernmarketrealtors.com is completely free, with no account or sign-up required. You see full listing details, photos, price history, and live market data without handing over your email or phone number.
Do I need to create an account or sign up to search homes?
No. Modern Market is one of the few real estate sites where you can search the full MLS, see verified price cuts, and use every tool without creating an account. We don’t put listings behind a sign-up wall.
How is Modern Market different from Zillow or Realtor.com?
Modern Market is a local, owner-operated brokerage — not a national advertising marketplace. Our search is powered directly by the NorthstarMLS feed, so listings and price changes are current instead of syndicated on a delay, and when you reach out you talk to the broker-owners, Jim and Shannon, not a lead sold to whichever agent paid for it.
What areas does Modern Market REALTORS® cover?
We’re licensed in North Dakota and Minnesota and serve the Fargo-Moorhead metro — Fargo, West Fargo, Horace, Moorhead, Dilworth, and surrounding Cass and Clay County communities — plus the Minnesota lakes region, including Detroit Lakes.
Who owns Modern Market REALTORS®?
Modern Market is independently owned and operated by husband-and-wife broker-owners Jim Christl (Broker) and Shannon Barnum (Associate Broker), who founded the brokerage in 2012 and personally represent every client — no handoffs to a junior agent or transaction team.
What are BuyPulse, the Offer-Ready Score, and M Premiere?
They’re free tools built into our search. BuyPulse shows how a listing’s price compares to similar recent sales and active homes — the data, so you can judge value for yourself. The Offer-Ready Score grades price-reduced homes on how much negotiating room the numbers suggest. M Premiere surfaces brand-new listings within their first 96 hours on the market.
What is the MLS Advantage when selling with Modern Market?
When you list with Modern Market, your home goes straight onto NorthstarMLS — the feed that powers Zillow, Realtor.com, and every agent’s search — so it reaches the widest pool of real buyers from day one instead of sitting on one company’s private page. Full detail is on our MLS Advantage page.
Our Location
1306 24th Ave S, Moorhead, MN 56560 · Walk-ins welcome by appointment
Explore More on Modern Market REALTORS®
- Buy a Home — Your buyer's agents, first showing to close
- Sell Your Home — Pricing, marketing & sharp negotiation
- Relocating to Fargo-Moorhead — New to the metro? Start here
- Read All 78 Reviews — Verified 5★ Google reviews
- Browse Homes for Sale — Search every active MLS listing
- Contact Jim & Shannon — Call, text, or send a message
Listings courtesy of NorthstarMLS as distributed by MLS GRID
Based on information submitted to the MLS GRID as of 10/13/2026, 12:00 AM CDT. All data is obtained from various sources and may not have been verified by broker or MLS GRID. Supplied Open House Information is subject to change without notice. All information should be independently reviewed and verified for accuracy. Properties may or may not be listed by the office/agent presenting the information.
IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Modern Market REALTORS® — Jim Christl (Broker) & Shannon Barnum (Associate Broker). Serving Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo, Horace, Detroit Lakes, and Minnesota lake country. Call (701) 205-5517.