FAQ
Is Highcroft Woodbury's most expensive neighborhood?
Quick Answer
Among the neighborhoods covered on this site, Highcroft consistently sits at the premium end of Woodbury's price range, driven mainly by larger executive-style homes on bigger, often elevated lots rather than any single feature like schools or location. That said, 'most expensive' isn't a fixed title — pricing shifts with the broader market, individual lot premiums, and which specific homes are listed at any given time, so it should be treated as a general positioning rather than a guaranteed rank. Always confirm current pricing against active MLS listings before drawing conclusions for your own budget.
Key Takeaways
- Highcroft generally prices at the top of Woodbury's neighborhood range, largely due to larger homes and bigger, more elevated lots rather than one standout amenity.
- Price rankings between neighborhoods shift with market conditions, so 'most expensive' is a general pattern, not a fixed or guaranteed title.
- Lot size, elevation, and finish level within Highcroft itself create a meaningful price spread — not every home there is priced the same.
- Comparing neighborhoods by price alone misses trade-offs like commute time, walkability, and HOA structure that also affect total cost of ownership.
- Active MLS data, not general reputation, is the only reliable way to confirm current pricing for any specific home or block.
- Higher purchase price in Highcroft typically comes paired with higher ongoing costs — larger heating bills, more landscaping, and bigger property tax assessments.
Buyers ask this question for a practical reason: they want to know whether Highcroft is worth touring at all, or whether it's simply out of range before they even schedule a showing. The short version is that yes, it generally sits at the top — but the "why" behind that, and what it actually means for your search, matters more than the label itself.
Why Highcroft Tends to Price Higher
Highcroft's position at the top of Woodbury's price range isn't the result of one dominant factor — it's the compounding effect of several things that tend to travel together in real estate. The homes themselves are larger on average than what you'll find in most of Woodbury's other neighborhoods, which immediately pushes up both the purchase price and the ongoing costs of owning the place. Bigger homes mean more square footage to heat in a Minnesota winter, more roof to maintain, and more finished space that buyers are paying for up front.
Lot size compounds that effect. Highcroft's lots tend to be more spacious and often elevated compared to the tighter, flatter lots common in older or more centrally located Woodbury neighborhoods. Elevated, larger lots are more expensive to develop in the first place — more grading, more infrastructure per home — and that development cost gets built into the price buyers eventually pay. It also delivers something buyers are willing to pay a premium for directly: more privacy and separation from neighboring homes, which is a genuinely different feel than a standard suburban lot.
Finally, there's the buyer pool itself. Highcroft draws a disproportionate share of move-up buyers and relocating executives — people who've already built equity in a previous home or are relocating with a corporate compensation package that assumes a higher price point. That demand profile supports higher prices in a way that a starter-home-heavy neighborhood simply doesn't see, independent of the physical homes themselves.
Price is a pattern, not a promise
Neighborhood-level pricing reflects averages across many homes and points in time. Any individual listing in Highcroft could price below a comparable home in a nominally less expensive neighborhood, depending on condition, lot specifics, and how motivated the seller is. Don't let a neighborhood's reputation substitute for looking at the actual comparable sales.
What "Most Expensive" Doesn't Tell You
It's worth being precise about what a claim like this actually means, because "most expensive neighborhood" gets thrown around more casually than the data usually supports. A few things to keep in mind:
- It's a range comparison, not a fixed ranking. Neighborhood price tiers can compress or shift as the broader Twin Cities market moves. A strong seller's market can lift prices city-wide and narrow the gap between neighborhoods; a slower market can widen it. Treat any neighborhood's position as directional, not permanent.
- It's an average, and averages hide spread. Highcroft itself contains real price variation — a smaller, older home on a standard lot within Highcroft can price well below a newer, larger home on a premium elevated lot two streets over. The neighborhood label is a starting point for your search, not a substitute for looking at individual comparables.
- Price per square foot can tell a different story than total price. A larger home in Highcroft might have a lower price per square foot than a smaller, more finished home in a different neighborhood, even though the total purchase price is higher. If you're comparing value rather than just budget fit, ask your agent to pull price-per-square-foot comparisons, not just headline prices.
Dave's Local Insight
When a client tells me they've "ruled out" Highcroft based on price before we've looked at a single listing, I usually suggest we pull a handful of active comparables together first. More than once, a client has found a Highcroft home that priced closer to their original budget than they expected — usually an older or smaller home on a standard-sized lot rather than the elevated showpiece lots that anchor the neighborhood's reputation.
Comparing Price to Total Cost of Ownership
Purchase price is only part of the budget conversation, and this matters more in Highcroft than in some other Woodbury neighborhoods because the gap between purchase price and ongoing cost tends to be wider there. A larger home costs more to heat through a Minnesota winter. Bigger lots mean more landscaping, more snow removal if you're not doing it yourself, and often a steeper driveway that takes a bit more effort to keep clear. Property tax assessments generally track home value, so a higher purchase price typically means a proportionally higher annual tax bill as well. And many sections of Highcroft carry a homeowners association with dues that reflect its more planned, premium development style — another recurring cost worth confirming before you make an offer, not after.
Before assuming Highcroft is out of reach — or in reach — verify these
- Pull current active and recently sold comparables in Highcroft specifically, not just a general neighborhood price range
- Compare price per square foot across a few neighborhoods, not just total listing price
- Ask about HOA dues and covenants for the specific section of Highcroft you're considering
- Estimate ongoing costs — heating, landscaping, property taxes — alongside the purchase price, not as an afterthought
- Confirm your pre-approval reflects a realistic monthly payment at Highcroft's price point, not just the top of your approved range
Bottom Line for Your Search
If your budget puts you at the edge of Highcroft's typical range, don't let the neighborhood's general reputation make that decision for you either way. Ask your agent to pull the current active listings and recent closed sales specifically for Highcroft, and look at the spread rather than a single average number — there's more room in there than the shorthand "most expensive" suggests. And if Highcroft turns out to be genuinely out of reach, neighborhoods like Stonemill Farms offer a similar larger-lot, newer-construction feel at a more moderate price point, without asking you to give up everything that draws buyers to Highcroft in the first place.
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Written by Dave Brown
REALTOR®, LPT Realty
Dave Brown is a REALTOR® with LPT Realty who has spent his career helping families buy, sell, and settle into life in Woodbury, Minnesota and the surrounding East Metro. He writes Woodbury Living as a local resource first and a business second — every guide is meant to leave you better informed, whether or not you ever work together.
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Highcroft
Woodbury's more premium, executive-style neighborhood — larger homes on elevated, spacious lots, popular with move-up buyers and executives relocating to the East Metro.
Stonemill Farms
A newer, larger-lot Woodbury neighborhood at a more moderate price point than Highcroft, popular with families wanting space without the top-tier price premium.