RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Crosslake is Haunted

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!

Agents and staff at our Crosslake office hand out candy to students from the 

Crosslake Community School.

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.

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.

If I do this, I’m sure I will think of other ways to use the extra hour between now and the time we move our clocks ahead, and even though I’ll have to go to bed an hour earlier, or lose an hour of sleep, using that extra hour might be worth it. What would you do with an extra hour of awake time?

Contributed by Brad Wallace, Marketing Director at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

According to an AOL & Nielsen content sharing study, over 27,000,000 pieces of content are shared online each day, with 23% of all social media messages including links to content. (Nielsen defines content as published articles, videos, and photos.)

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. 

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”.

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.

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

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. 8^th. St. Edwards Church will put on their famous turkey dinner with all the fixins’ for the hungry hunters. The next week, Saturday, Nov. 15^th 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.

Our real estate business at RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty in Longville is moving right along. Listings, showings and closings are happening. Pricing is key! The good news is that folks can accomplish their plans. As the “neighborhood” changes, those folks moving on to their next stage of life are welcoming in those who will carry on the “life at the lake” traditions!!!

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 

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