We
have scientific evidence that the RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty office in Crosslake
is possessed by hungry, scary, candy grabbing, flesh eating ghosts and goblins.
If you don’t believe it, check out these pictures. They invaded the office in
bright daylight…the gall of these ghosts!
A blog about real estate listings and events in Alexandria MN, Longville MN, Nisswa MN, Crosslake MN, Walker MN, Brainerd MN, Breezy Point MN, Pequot Lakes MN, Hackensack MN. Also covers the Brainerd Lakes Area, the Gull Lake Chain, The Whitefish Chain, the Woman Lake Chain, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs Lake, Pelican Lake, Minnesota Vikings, Twins, Wild, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Lynx, Minnesota Tourism, Explore Minnesota, Minnesota Golfing, Skiing, Boating, Snowmobiling, Hunting, Fishing.
Friday, October 31, 2014
RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Crosslake is Haunted
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Buying Your First Home ~ Part Six
At
RE/MAX
Lakes Area Realty,
we are in the business of making dreams come true, and for a lot of people,
making a dream come true involves buying your first home. In order to help you
with that decision, we’ve come up with a series of articles…useful tips that
will help you be prepared when buying your first home. Check back here often
for the next article in the series, and be sure to subscribe to our blog!
Tip 6: Get
Prequalified or Preapproved?
If
you're considering the purchase of a new home, you may be concerned with the
issue of finance. Attaining the right mortgage is a key step in the home buying
process, but it doesn't have to be a stress-inducing one. Most lenders offer
prequalification, pre-approval or both to help you know where you stand. Here
is the difference between prequalification and preapproval:
Prequalification:
prequalification is a preliminary estimate of how much you can afford to pay
for a home based on information you provide. Because credit and employment
information aren't validated for prequalification, it can only be considered a
rough idea of a monthly mortgage payment and loan size. This can be a useful
guide as you begin the home buying process, however.
Preapproval:
preapproval is a written commitment from a lender to finance your home purchase
up to a set amount. This indicates that the lender has taken a close look into
your financial history and has agreed to lend you a specific amount of money,
reliant on certain details like a finalized sales contract and professional
inspection. Pre-approval indicates to sellers that you are a serious homebuyer.
Regardless
of which option you utilize, or even if you take both steps, you'll be able to
shop with much more confidence. Why wait until you find the perfect home to
discover problems with obtaining a mortgage?
If
you would like more information on how either process can help you get into the
home of your dreams, give us a call at 218-963-9554 or email us at
remaxnsw@uslink.net We’ll be happy to
put you in touch with a RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty agent who can answer any of
your real estate questions.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Don't Waste the Extra Hour
Daylight Savings Time is upon us this
weekend, as we turn back our clocks one hour in the middle of the night on
Sunday. Most of us will turn back our clocks as we go to bed, and sleep the
extra hour we’ve been given back that was taken away this spring. Sounds like
the right and sensible thing to do…after all, sleep is important and when an
hour is taken away, we spend the rest of the day being tired.
I don’t have a set waking time every
day, but I’m thinking I need to change that. For those of you who do have a set
waking time, you may want to consider what I’m about to propose, which is this;
instead of wasting that hour sleeping (the effects of losing an hour in the
spring have long worn off), use it during your waking hours. In my head, here
is how it would work. Let’s say you have your alarm set for 7:00 AM. On Sunday
morning, instead of leaving it set at 7:00, back that up to 6:00. As long as
you maintain that, from Sunday, November 2nd, until March 8th, 2015, you will have an extra 60 glorious minutes to do whatever you want. Here
are some ideas I have for that extra 60 minutes:
- Write a blog article about being awake when the rest of the world is sleeping.
- Catch up reading the stack of “Field and Stream” magazines that I subscribed too and haven’t had a chance to read.
- Start an exercise routine for the first time in my life.
- Google myself…since that only took five minutes, Google everyone I work with.
- Buy Rosetta Stone and learn a foreign language. (this will probably take every extra hour I have, so if I do this, the rest of the list doesn’t mean a thing)
- Memorize all of the songs I sing in the band so I don’t have to use a teleprompter on stage during a live performance.
- Call an old friend I haven’t talked to in a long time. Of course I will have to apologize for waking him up so early, so our renewed friendship will naturally get off to a rocky start.
- Watch the show I recorded the night before and fast forward through all of the extremely annoying political commercials that are on TV right now. (I can hardly wait for the good ‘ole days when all we had to watch was a bunch of annoying pharmaceutical ads instead)
- Catch up on all of the emails in my inbox, and finally delete the ones I will never read again but had to keep just in case I might.
- Write some notes to the older folks in my church who are now unable to attend due to health problems. Let them know that I miss them and will try to visit soon. (If this extra hour fell at 2:00 PM instead of 2:00 AM, I could visit them right before they take their afternoon nap.)
- Write a blog article about going to bed an hour earlier than I usually do, because if I didn’t I’d lose an hour of sleep that I used to get before I started this crazy experiment.
Contributed by Brad Wallace, Marketing Director at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Buying Your First Home ~ Part Five
At
RE/MAX
Lakes Area Realty,
we are in the business of making dreams come true, and for a lot of people,
making a dream come true involves buying your first home. In order to help you
with that decision, we’ve come up with a series of articles…useful tips that
will help you be prepared when buying your first home. Check back here often
for the next article in the series, and be sure to subscribe to our blog and get all of the updates by email.
Tip 5: Selecting
a Real Estate Agent
If
you're considering buying or selling a home, selecting a real estate agent is
the first important decision you will have to make. While there are many
qualified real estate agents out there, it's important to decide on a
professional who will understand your needs and individual preferences, someone
who you can respect and trust. Nearly four out of five homebuyers and sellers
enlist in the help of a real estate professional or broker. Whether you're
looking to buy a new home or sell the one you're in, choosing a professional
who best fits your needs is vital. Here are some questions to consider when
choosing an agent:
·
How
long have they been a real estate professional?
·
Do
they work full or part time?
·
How
long have they been working in this particular area?
·
What
type of homes do they usually handle?
·
How
much of their business comes from repeat customers or referrals?
·
How
many homes did they sell last year?
·
How
often can you expect to be updated, regardless of any progress?
Above
all you should choose an agent that you feel comfortable with. Your real estate
professional will be your guide through the entire process of buying or selling
a home, and can be a valuable resource. Make sure that whomever you select is
well suited to your demands.
We’d
love to hear from you and have the opportunity to discuss why one of our agents
may be right for you. You may also find it worthwhile to explore our website at
www.lakesrealty.com It has plenty of information to cover your real estate
needs, and you can also view our agent’s profiles. Our site allows you to
perform very detailed searches using search fields typically reserved only for
real estate agents, so it's a great place to start.
Don't
hesitate to call us at 218-963-9554 or e-mail us at remaxnsw@uslink.net with
any of your real estate questions. We would be delighted to help you make the
process of buying or selling a home a really smooth one.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Buying Your First Home ~ Part Four
Tip 4: Use a
Real Estate Agent
If
you are currently in the market for your first home, you may be curious as to
how a Real Estate Agent can help you. You are about to be making an important
decision for your future, a great investment of both money and time. Our agents
at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty have a wealth of experience helping first time
buyers like you make sound, informed decisions.
Here
are some ways that you can benefit from the help of a real estate professional:
- Agents can help establish a plan for a home that fits your needs. Style, size, amenities, and other preferences will help determine what kind of home is best suited for you.
- They will help you to determine realistic spending limits. They can often explain alternative financing options or introduce you to a mortgage counselor. Agents can arrange to have you "pre-approved", which can help improve your positioning in negotiations.
- Their access to all home listings within the multiple listing service (MLS) enables them to evaluate based on your affordability and the qualities you desire.
- They have access to information on taxes, real estate values, utility costs, and municipal services, all of which can aid you in your decision to buy.
- They provide direct service by working for you as a buyer's agent, helping to negotiate the best terms and price for you.
- They can make you comfortable with the closing process and they will obtain closing figures in advance for your review.
- They can recommend home inspectors, pest inspectors, and surveyors, and can help arrange inspections.
These
are just a few ways that a quality real estate agent can help you in your
journey towards buying your very first home. More information for first time buyers can be found on our website at www.lakesrealty.com or by calling us at
218-963-9554. We’re confident that we can provide the kind of exceptional service
that will make this process an exciting one.
Friday, October 24, 2014
A Tank of Gas?
So last week my wife ran into some vehicle
troubles. This was the last straw for her. There wasn't going to be another “let’s find a nice used one that can make it through the
summer” or “Let’s get this one through the winter and we can get something
better next spring”. That only works 3 or 4 times. It was time to
get a new vehicle.
So of course, that was going to be my
task. So I put my boxing gloves on, threw in my mouth piece and was
prepared for battle. Ok, maybe not, but let’s be real, the experience
should be something to get excited about, not dread! But I tried to be
optimistic and went in with an open mind.
The thrift shopper in me didn't look for
a new vehicle right away, I had to look for something slightly used first. In doing so, I found exactly what I wanted. It was the style
and color vehicle my wife wanted with just a few miles on it, PERFECT!!
So I walked into the dealership, told the salesman I want to purchase that
explorer. I told him, I need a vehicle before the weekend, and I want to
get a deal done today (this is on a Friday). This is where the fun began
(and I just walked in the door!).
I told the salesman to give me their
best price on the vehicle because I didn't want to play around. He told me he would have to speak with his sales manager and get back to me. I
had an appointment to get to so I left.
I returned an hour later and asked the
salesman if he had that price for me yet. It was at that moment that he
slowly fumbled with some papers he had on his desk, and pushed one across to
me. He was trying to present to me a list of comparable vehicles that
have sold and that were still for sale. The average price on those
vehicle miraculously was $3000 higher than what they had their listed for, yet
theirs had still been sitting on their lot for 60 days (in the real estate
world that would be like having your home listed for 6 months). He then
started trying to explain the list to me and say how competitive their price
was. I tried to be polite, but cut in and asked him if the price he was
going to offer me for the vehicle was $3000 higher than what they had it listed
at. He looked at me in awe. He replied and said no, I would have to
offer him a price first before they would talk numbers with me.
Knowing they were not going to talk, I
made an offer $1900 under what their asking price was. I thought it was
respectable but obviously something they were not going to do. The savvy
salesman in me just wanted them to counter and give me something to work
with. The response I received irritated me. He said, “No, I can't sell it for that, you'll have to come up.” He wouldn't even counter my offer. I thought to myself, “in the real estate world, if the seller
says no, that means end of negotiations. I might as well write up a new
purchase agreement on a new house because they probable aren't going to work
with you.” I liked the vehicle though. So I upped my price to $900
under what they had it listed for. This is where the deal started to turn
south for me.
The sales manager said, “No, I can't do
it, you'll have to come up”, and he walked away. It was at that time that
I could tell the salesman was getting a little nervous that he was going to
lose his deal. He looked at me and said, “Mark, offer him $400 under list
price and for a full tank of gas.”
I will let you think about that for a
minute.
Did you see it yet?
I was completely sold on the $400 under
list price. I liked the vehicle, and it was at a competitive price.
BUT
A TANK OF GAS?!?! If I ever buy a vehicle
from a dealer and they do not fill the tank, it would be the last time I would
ever buy a vehicle from that dealer. To me, it would be like buying a
house and having the sellers ask if the price included the light bulbs.
Yeah it’s just a tank of gas, and they probably would have filled it
anyway. It’s the thought that they would attempt to use it as part of
the negotiation that burned me up. After I heard that, I was done.
There are so many occasions that people
lose sight of the big picture and focus too heavily on small affairs.
There can be so much more to a sale than just how much you make off the
product. To me, it is all about the experience and the
relationships. I would rather pay more for a product, and buy it through
someone I enjoy working with, than buying the same product for less, through
someone that just considers me as another number. I ended up working with a dealer down the road. Their price was competitive, the staff was great, and we actually ended up with not one but two brand new vehicles. At RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty, you will never be a number...you will be treated like the friend you will become; from beginning; to end; and beyond.
Contributed by Mark Pietig a Real Estate professional at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Nisswa. Call our office at 218-963-9554 and talk to Mark about your Real Estate needs. You may also email Mark at mark@pietigproperties.com or visit his website at www.pietigproperties.com for more information.
Beware of the Big Bad Wolf
All we can say is, if you hate scary stuff around Halloween, you probably won't like this. On the other hand, if you don't go, the WOLF will probably get you anyway, so you may as well pump up your courage and go! Oh...DON'T take a flashlight with you...it's best to not see what's coming. To find out more, click HERE!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Bandie Says Goodbye
Being a Realtor is
all about building relationships, and sometimes those relationships aren't just
with the human race. Recently, one of the agents at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty,
told me about a special relationship with a mother Loon affectionately named Bandie.
Bandie got her name because of a metal DNR band around one of her legs. The
story was told to me like this:
Bandie has been
coming back to the same nesting area on the Whitefish Chain for 12 years. All
of these years have been spent with Bandie's sole mate, a Loon by the name of
Big Bob. Bandie and Big Bob have successfully raised many Loon offspring during
their summers on the Whitefish Chain. The whole family would play in the waters
just off of the boat docks, and everyone could tell the family enjoyed showing
off for them. Bandie wasn't shy at all, and on several occasions, Bandie would
swim beside people while they were sunbathing on an inner tube or some other
floatation device. Big Bob would always be around too, being more stand offish
than Bandie, but you could tell Big Bob was keeping his eye on Bandie and their
offspring, making sure they were safe. Year after year, Bandie and Big Bob
would get their offspring ready to fly south for the winter, and after many
failed attempts at running across the water trying to take flight, Bandie and
Big Bob would watch with pride as take off and sustained air time would finally
take place with one of their young ones. Each year about this time, the family
leave's one by one, with Big Bob going first. A few days later their offspring
take off and head in the direction of their father. Bandie stays behind for a
while, watching her family head for winter grounds to the south. Like many snowbirds heading south for the winter, Bandie always
seems a little reluctant to leave her home on Whitefish, but when she finally
decides it's time, she always says goodbye. This year while my agent friend was
taking a short video of a beautiful sunset, Bandie decided it was time to
leave, and her goodbye was caught on this video. Will Bandie and Big Bob return
next year? I sure hope so, because relationships turn into friendships, and
these friends would certainly be missed if they failed to return. In the
meantime, we do have Bandie's goodbye loud and clear, so enjoy this video, and
we'll see you next year dear friends!
Contributed by Paul Bunyan, a legendary retired ax man and storyteller who has a home on Ox Lake in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Paul knows several RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty agents, and we are proud to call Paul our friend and neighbor.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
RE/MAX Magazine Wins 2 Industry Awards
"ABOVE" Recognized For Best
Employee-Based Publication, Excellence in Custom-Published Magazines!
DENVER, CO – ABOVE, the
RE/MAX network magazine, has been recognized by two prominent organizations for
its creative custom content and superior writing. The quarterly publication
highlights the accomplishments and civic contributions of successful RE/MAX
Affiliates.
ABOVE was recognized with the silver award for Best Employee-Based Publication in the Content Marketing Awards (CMA), beating out Porsche’s Carerra Magazine, which received an honorable mention. The team that produces ABOVE also received recognition from APEX Awards for Publication Excellence (APEX) in the Custom-Published Magazines, Journals and Tabloids category for the second time.
“These prestigious awards reflect the high quality of ABOVE magazine, which is a perfect fit for the high quality of our Associates,” said RE/MAX, LLC CEO Margaret Kelly. “ABOVE expertly captures the entrepreneurial spirit of our 96,000 agents and highlights their many achievements. It gives them another avenue to exchange their best ideas and create even more success for each other."
Always innovating, ABOVE debuted in print in 2011 and quickly expanded to a digital version. An ABOVE website was launched in 2012, along with online-exclusive ABOVE Extra features. Seventy-five thousand print copies are delivered quarterly to RE/MAX offices in the U.S. and Canada and the digital edition can be accessed by agents in more than 6,500 RE/MAX offices around the world.
CMA is respected as a leading awards program that recognizes communication professionals and their impact within an organization. This year alone, it received more than 1,100 entries. Among the winners were many well-known organizations, including Allstate, GEICO, Sherwin-Williams, United Airlines and Walmart.
The APEX awards recognize professionals who write, edit and manage business communications and strategies. From social campaigns and websites to printed magazines and newsletters, more than 122 categories are available.
ABOVE was recognized with the silver award for Best Employee-Based Publication in the Content Marketing Awards (CMA), beating out Porsche’s Carerra Magazine, which received an honorable mention. The team that produces ABOVE also received recognition from APEX Awards for Publication Excellence (APEX) in the Custom-Published Magazines, Journals and Tabloids category for the second time.
“These prestigious awards reflect the high quality of ABOVE magazine, which is a perfect fit for the high quality of our Associates,” said RE/MAX, LLC CEO Margaret Kelly. “ABOVE expertly captures the entrepreneurial spirit of our 96,000 agents and highlights their many achievements. It gives them another avenue to exchange their best ideas and create even more success for each other."
Always innovating, ABOVE debuted in print in 2011 and quickly expanded to a digital version. An ABOVE website was launched in 2012, along with online-exclusive ABOVE Extra features. Seventy-five thousand print copies are delivered quarterly to RE/MAX offices in the U.S. and Canada and the digital edition can be accessed by agents in more than 6,500 RE/MAX offices around the world.
CMA is respected as a leading awards program that recognizes communication professionals and their impact within an organization. This year alone, it received more than 1,100 entries. Among the winners were many well-known organizations, including Allstate, GEICO, Sherwin-Williams, United Airlines and Walmart.
The APEX awards recognize professionals who write, edit and manage business communications and strategies. From social campaigns and websites to printed magazines and newsletters, more than 122 categories are available.
Buying Your First Home Part 3
At
RE/MAX
Lakes Area Realty,
we are in the business of making dreams come true, and for a lot of people,
making a dream come true involves buying your first home. In order to help you
with that decision, we’ve come up with a series of articles…useful tips that
will help you be prepared when buying your first home. Check back here often
for the next article in the series, and be sure to subscribe to our blog at the
bottom of the page.
Tip Three: First
Time Home Buyers Must Do’s
1. Do Your Homework
The
perfect home won't find you by itself. The key step in buying a home is doing
the proper research. Educate yourself on local schools, neighborhoods, and the
kinds of homes available. By reading available materials and talking with
experts, you can start to put together your idea of the perfect home. Visit our
website at www.lakesrealty.com for a lot of this valuable information.
2. Start Planning
Most
decisions benefit greatly from proper planning, and home buying is certainly no
exception. Start a filing system with sections such as home buying, home
financing, and service providers. By forming a home buying plan you can more
easily focus on the most important factors and help give structure to the
entire process. Our website is a great resource for property information.
3. Get Pre-Qualified
Getting
prequalified for a loan normally only requires a short phone conversation with
a lender, and can greatly help your home search. Prequalification does not
guarantee you a loan, but it does provide you with an estimated monthly payment
and a price range to use as a guide when shopping for homes. Being prequalified
can also often indicate to sellers that you are a serious, prepared buyer.
4. Look for Value
When
shopping for homes, it's important to consider potential value. Even if you're
not planning to sell the home some time down the line, it's a good idea to
consider the future value of the home. Protect yourself against things like
falling prices and gradual shifts in the nature of the neighborhood. You may
not think of a new home as a means to make money, but it's an important
investment that requires caution.
5. Decide What You're Looking For
Settle
on the home features that are important to you (paved driveway, hardwood
floors, architectural style, etc.) and make an ordered list. Having well
established guidelines will help narrow down your search and will prevent you
from being shown properties that lack your key amenities. It can help you make
the decision not to buy an attractive property that doesn't really fit your
needs. Our website has a search feature that allows you to filter thousands of
listings based on attributes that you select. If you know you want a wood sided
home with gas heat and a garage, you can get the results you're looking for.
6. Relax
You
don't have to make an offer on the first home you see. Make sure to look at
other listings in the area to get a feel for the marketplace. When you decide
to make an offer on a house, consult with your real estate professional so that
all of your questions are answered.
7. Shop Around for Your Mortgage
Deciding
on the financing for your home can be as important as choosing a home itself.
The first step is deciding what kind of loan best fits you: a fixed rate
mortgage, or an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM). There are benefits to each form
of loan, and your real estate professional can provide you with more
information. Next you'll want to begin to shop around for different lenders.
8. Protect Yourself
Be
careful when signing a contract on a home that allows you to find financing,
have the home inspected, and work through any problem areas that may arise.
Paying for a quality home inspection is absolutely crucial! You can save
yourself thousands in repair costs by being sure of what you're getting into.
More
information for first time buyers can be found on our website at www.lakesrealty.com, or by giving us
a call at 218-963-9554. We’re confident that we can provide the kind of
exceptional service that will make this process an exciting one. Don't hesitate
to contact us with any questions you may have.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Don't Do It!
It's that
time of year when a few of our clients are thinking of taking their property off the
market until Spring, by either letting their listing expire, putting it on
hold, or cancelling all together. I personally feel, that if a property is not
listed as available for sale on our great RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty website (www.lakesrealty.com), and it’s not being marketed
through our vast syndication system, (Zillow, Truila, Homes.com, Realtor.com,
etc) or the Multiple Listing Service, (MLS) you could lose that one person that
will show great interest in your property. Most people tend to have a little more
“free time” during the winter months to search online, and in this day and age
of the internet, that is where close to 90% of the searches begin. You also need to remember that we are a four season recreational area now, and we don't see near the drop off in people during the winter months as we used to. So, think long
and hard and talk to your agent before you take your home off the market…this time of year and all through
the winter, the real estate market is a lot hotter than you think!
Contributed by Colleen Murray a Real Estate professional at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Crosslake. Call our office at 218-692-9938 and talk to Colleen about your Real Estate needs. You may also email Colleen at murray@crosslake.net for more information.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Buying Your First Home - Part 2
At
RE/MAX
Lakes Area Realty, we are in the business of making dreams come true,
and for a lot of people, making a dream come true involves buying your first
home. In order to help you with that decision, we’ve come up with a series of
articles…useful tips that will help you be prepared when buying your first
home. Check back here often for the next article in the series, and be sure to
subscribe to our blog at the bottom of the page.
Tip Two: Using
Advanced Search Tools for Home Buyers
If
you are currently in the market for a home, you will find our RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty website at www.lakesrealty.com an excellent resource. The site is
continually updated with new and valuable information to aid in your decision
making process.
The
search features allow you to filter thousands of listings based on attributes
that you select. You can simply search for houses in a certain area and price
range, or you can look for houses that fit your specific style. You can draw a
map area and search that way if you want. If you know you want a log house with
gas heat and a garage, you can get the results you're looking for. If you’re
looking for a home on a specific lake, all you have to do is type in the name
of the lake, and every listing that is currently on the market will be
displayed for you to look at. Most real estate websites including the big well
known national sites don't and can’t offer that degree of choice.
The
favorite’s folder allows you to save the individual listings that you find
appealing. You can save favorites from different searches, giving you the power
to organize your favorite listings however you see fit. This is a great way to
put in order those specific listings that interest you most. Again, you may
save as many favorites as you wish.
With
our email alert service, you can be updated via e-mail as to new listings that
match the criteria of any saved search. You can also check out our “Hotlist”
button for all of the new listings that just came on the market. You can do
that as often as you like every day!
The
agents at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty always
strive to make the home-buying process as smooth as possible. With the tools we
provide and with the click of a mouse we can get you started in the right
direction. Please do not hesitate to contact us at 218-963-9554 or email us at
remaxnsw@uslink.net. Again, thank you for your interest. We look forward to
hearing from you.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Buying Your First Home - Part 1
At
RE/MAX
Lakes Area Realty, we are in the business of making dreams come true,
and for a lot of people, making a dream come true involves buying your first
home. In order to help you with that decision, we’ve come up with a series of
articles…useful tips that will help you be prepared when buying your first
home. Check back here often for the next article in the series, and be sure to
subscribe to our blog at the bottom of the page.
Tip One: You're
Not Alone
If
you're thinking of buying a home for the first time, you're probably a bit
overwhelmed by the idea of it all. You have to think about whether or not to
use a buyer's agent, how to secure a mortgage, and what exactly it is that
you're looking for in a home. Most people forget to do one important thing:
breathe.
The
search for your first home can be stressful, so try not to put it all on your
shoulders at once. Even if you haven't decided whether or not to use a real
estate agent, we’d be happy to help you get started. Sometimes the most
important thing is getting pointed in the right direction. If you're
interested, our website has tips for first time homebuyers that you may find
useful. Please call us at 218-963-9554 if we can be of help to you during this
exciting time.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Be Careful What You Share
We came
across this blog post from Oakley Sign Company. Oakley Signs is an authorized
sign provider for RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty. Even though it is geared towards
being careful about what Real Estate agents post, we thought this would be a
good thing to share with everyone. There are a lot of rumors floating around the
internet every second of every day, so if we could just stop a few of them,
that would be a big step. Read and enjoy…
Pause Before You
Share: Snopes.com

Indeed, it is the ease with which we share content which makes
our online lives more interesting, informative, and entertaining. But along
with all of this instant sharing comes an unfortunate downside: The ability for
misinformation or scams to spread like a brush fire.
When you share a news story that turns out to be a hoax, or
accidentally promote a scam under the guise of a fundraising effort, it can
hurt your credibility. Your personal and professional reputation
mingle together online, and while it can be tempting to share everything that
captures your attention in the interest of forming bonds with your friends and
followers, you might do well to pause before you post. A few too many bogus
shares and you can go from "trusted friend and resource" to "Facebook
crackpot" in a hurry.
If you come across something that seems too good or too
outrageous to be true, take a moment and check to see if the latest viral news
item is a scam. There's a resource online called Snopes.com
which sorts a lot of what's true from what's false online:
http://www.snopes.com/info/whatsnew.asp Ask yourself if what
you're about to share has larger ramifications, and verify a few facts before
you share.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Minnesota Was Made for Harley's
Two weeks
ago (remember the weekend of 80° weather?), Matt Werneke, a real estate agent
at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Crosslake, and his Bride, set off on their
motorcycles for a look at the fall colors around the lakes area. In Matt’s
words, he says “we could have not picked a better day…warm weather, no wind,
and plenty of sunshine. Our trip totaled 200 miles from the Whitefish Chain, to
Aitkin, McGregor and around Lake Mille Lacs, with two stops at Father Hennepin State Park, and Mille Lacs Kathio State Park, where we took some great
pictures. We then topped it off with an early dinner at Grand Casino Mille Lacs and were home by 6:30 pm. The Maple trees have peaked, but the colors as
of this writing are still breathtaking. So come up and enjoy!”
Contributed by Matt Werneke a Real Estate
professional at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Crosslake. Call our office at
218-692-9938 and talk to Matt about your Real Estate needs. You may also visit
Matt's website at www.yourbestcatch.com for more information…and, Matt wants
you to know: “I am never too busy for your referrals”.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Boating in the Fall
The Gull Lake Chain is beautiful all year round, but Patrick Wiebusch, Broker/Owner at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty, proved that boating in the fall may be the most beautiful time of the year to be on the lake when he took this picture. No word if he dropped a line looking for Walleye, but if he did he probably caught a few. Those fish have the feed bag on right now, so get out there and enjoy life!
Contributed by Patrick Wiebusch, Broker/Owner at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty. Call our office at 218-963-9554 and talk to Patrick about your real estate needs. You may also visit Patrick's website at www.lakehomeshowcase.com for more information.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
FORE!!
Do you like to golf? Do you hate trying to golf when there is snow and ice on the ground? If so, you better hurry up and get on the course! Patrick Wiebusch, Broker/Owner at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty, likes to golf about as much as he does helping his clients buy or sell a home. So if you like to golf, you have about as much time as the fisherman do to enjoy these last few days of non freezing your keister off weather. As a bonus, you're going to enjoy some of the best fall colors a person can find while on one of our beautiful golf courses in the area. This picture was taken by Patrick at the 11th hole on the "Classic" at Madden's Resort. The Classic is closed for the season, but Pine Beach East at Madden's is open the rest of this week. With MEA/fall break weekend upon us, now would be a good time to call Madden's for a tee time. BTW, if you're looking for a list of world class golf courses in the area, check out and follow our Pinterest board HERE.
Contributed by Patrick Wiebusch, Broker/Owner at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty. Call our office at 218-963-9554 and talk to Patrick about your real estate needs. You may also visit Patrick's website at www.lakehomeshowcase.com for more information.
Beautiful Fall Drive
A few days ago, Brandon Pederson, a real estate professional at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Crosslake, was on his way to a clients house to meet with them. He decided to put his phone on his dash and take this beautiful video of the fall colors. We may be past "the peak", but we still have some breathtaking scenes like the one Brandon shot. So enjoy this video, and if you want to see this every day on the way to and from your home, give Brandon a call and he'll help you find what you're looking for.
Contributed by Brandon Pederson, a Real Estate professional at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Crosslake. Call our office at 218-692-9938 and talk to Brandon about your real estate needs. You may also visit Brandon's website at www.pedersonteam.com
Friday, October 10, 2014
Wait!! Just Stop and Fish!
At a time when most people in the Longville, Walker, Hackensack area have pulled in their docks, winterized their boats, and oh...I know this sounds tough...closing up their lake
place for the season, the fishing is about as good as it gets! So get back out
on the water and experience the great fishing this time of year. You may need a
coat, but that's a possibility in June too!
Contributed by Sean McDonald, a Real Estate professional at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Longville. Call our office at 218-363-3398 and talk to Sean about buying or selling property. You may also visit Sean's website at www.findyourlakeshore.com
Falling In Longville
Once
everyone got used to the fact that it was going to get cold again…things
started humming. Like little squirrels we are scrambling all over to get our
places “winter protected”. Some say the winter will be colder and snowier than
last…how could that even happen with low temps like we had not had in anyone’s
memory? We were saved by the 1 1/2 feet of snow we got, just before going into
the deep freeze!! The Farmers Almanac sums up their winter prediction this way: "Colder is just almost too familiar a term," Editor Janice Stillman said. "Think of it as a refriger-nation." OUCH!
But,
once Spring got here, our perennials came back better than ever…go figure! And,
all the holidays, when company comes up, were glorious.
For activities, fall fishing is at its finest
now. In Longville, the Deer Hunter’s Banquet will be held Saturday, Oct. 18th
over MEA weekend, with many folks coming up north to enjoy the peacefulness of
the fall. The Banquet, held at Patrick’s Fine Dining, will be host to about 200
people, including children! It is a family event, enjoyed by the kids as well
as adults.
Next
on the agenda is Deer Opening, of course, on Nov. 8th. St. Edwards Church will put on their famous turkey dinner
with all the fixins’ for the hungry hunters. The next week, Saturday, Nov. 15th
is the famous Does Only Champagne Brunch. Held at Patrick’s Fine Dining. This event will host about 200 women. There
is a wonderful brunch, champagne, music and a style show by Studio 5.
Contributed by Pat Boen, a Real Estate professional at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Longville. Call our office at 218-363-3398 and talk to Pat about buying or selling property. You may also visit Pat's website at www.patboen.com
Friday, October 3, 2014
It's a Wonderful Night for a Moondance
Jason Pinski, a real estate agent in our RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty Longville office, would like everyone to know about the 2nd annual Harvest Moon Festival taking place at Moondance TOMORROW! Jason will be there having a good time, so how about you? Are you going? For a complete schedule of events, click HERE, and as you're driving through Longville, stop in and talk to one of our agents about the great real estate opportunities that are available. We're located on the main drag in town, so just look for the RE/MAX sign...you can't miss us!
RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty, Longville |
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