Matt Ditzler
If you’ve met Matt Ditzler, you know him as a successful real estate advisor with Engel & Völkers in Wayzata. Hard-working, personable, and sharp, Matt brings an energy to his work that clients quickly recognize. What you may not know is how his unique path—from small-town roots to theater stages to poker tables—shaped the way he approaches life and business today.
Matt grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his grandfather was a cheesemaker and his father a financial controller with Kimberly-Clark. His dad’s work often meant relocating to different cities, fixing problems at manufacturing plants before moving on to the next. That kind of constant change could have been unsettling, but for Matt, growing up in the 80s felt more like an adventure. “I feel fortunate. It was a great decade—it really was like Stranger Things.”
Instead of following the family path into dairy or corporate work, Matt pursued theater. He earned a BFA in Theater Arts from Wesleyan University in Illinois and, while he enjoyed acting, he found greater fulfillment directing and working behind the scenes with sound design. After graduation in 1996, he and his theater friends chose Minneapolis as home base. “To pay the bills, we all worked day jobs. On weekends, I picked up freelance gigs as a sound tech—outdoor festivals, venues around town, even First Avenue. I loved the unpredictability of live performance. Every show was different, every crowd unique.”
That unpredictability nearly took Matt on the road. A tour producer offered him an eight-month contract—a career-making opportunity. “It was a lot of money and it would have led to more work. But I’d seen that life, and I realized I didn’t want it for myself. Turning it down was a crossroads moment for me.”
Staying in Minneapolis turned out to be the right move. With the guidance of a mentor, Matt found his way into real estate—a profession that tapped into his work ethic, love for people, and knack for reading situations. “In real estate, just showing up every day makes a difference. A lot of people don’t. I also genuinely like people, especially small business owners. They’re the life blood of our country. And I see myself as a fiduciary for my clients—I advise them to make the decisions that are in their best interest, even if it means I don’t get paid. Integrity in business always comes back around.”
That philosophy connects directly to another of Matt’s passions: casino games. “Real estate is just like poker. There’s luck, there’s math, there’s the psychology of reading people, and there’s negotiating from a place of strength or weakness. Both are endlessly complex, and that’s what I love about them.”
At the table or in a closing room, Matt Ditzler brings the same mix of hard work, people-first values, and unwavering integrity. And just like in poker, his success comes not just from playing the hand he’s dealt, but from how well he plays it.