craigmische.com on activerain

Acreage and Lake Minnewaska

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:11:22 -0600

501 Feet of Lakefront on Lake Miltona

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:09:22 -0500

New Elementary School Set To Open In 2009-10

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:27:09 -0600

This new elementary school will be called Woodland Elementary and will replace Washington School in the 2009-2010 school year. The location of Woodland is on the east side of Alexandria on McKay Avenue.

Commercial Construction in Alexandria, MN

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:39:15 -0600

You wouldn't know that we are in a recession based on commercial activity in Alexandria. Here are 2 projects (Gate City Bank and an addition to the Douglas County Hospital that will essentially double it's size) and there are others such as a new elementary school and an addition to the Minneosota Lakes Maritime Museum.

40 Seconds About 1 Reason Why People Live On Lake Latoka

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:39:29 -0600

Fall on Ash Street

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:50:33 -0500

200 Feet of Level Lakeshore and a Nice Cottage Too

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:50:55 -0500

For Sale: Level lakeshore (200 ft) with south/southeast exposure and a recently updated, well-kept year-round cottage on the largest lake in Douglas County, Lake Miltona. The lot is a private .76 acres with a nice variety of trees. Alexandria is nearby but isn't too close. You feel like you are 'up north' when you are at this lake home.

15491 Dittberners Creek, Miltona, MN
MLS 08-1116
List Price: $441,000

Which Direction?

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:49:17 -0500

This morning I posted to my blog looking for feedback about real estate directional signs. I can't stand them and think their usefulness is minute. Part of my distaste for them is that I think they are eyesores to the real estate we are marketing and city workers and/or kids love to remove them.

Any thoughts from the Realtors here at activerain?

Alexandria's Lake Rowley?

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:40:53 -0600

Lake Rowley Geneva is 630 acres and conveniently located on the eastern edge of Alexandria (not only is it a short trip to local schools, shopping, medical facilities, etc. but on the east side of Lake Geneva is The Geneva Golf Club and Weston Station). It is well known for its bass and crappie fishing and being part of the Chain of Lakes.

First named "Rowley", the name was changed to Geneva for Switzerland's Lake Geneva (which is also known as Lake Léman). In 1884, J. H. Letson built and operated a hotel on Lake Geneva's shores (4 years earlier he had built the Letson house where the Alexandria Hotel is now located in Alexandria). The Great Northern Railroad ran past it and a station was built and named 'Geneva Beach'. Tourists from St. Louis and other cities in southern and eastern states traveled to Lake Geneva in great numbers with their trunks and stayed all summer. Now the railroad is the Central Lakes Trail, offering 55 miles of a smooth, tarred trail for biking, walking, running, rollerblading, skateboarding and more.

To date, the highest sale in the MLS for a home with lake frontage on Geneva is $625,000 (closed in 2008). The highest sale price for a bare lot with 100 feet of frontage on Lake Geneva is $325,000 (closed in 2005).

Public access is on the southwest corner and northeast corner of the lake. There is a fishing pier available to the public at the southwest access.

Lake Geneva Information | Map | Real estate for sale on Lake Geneva

Five Reasons to Love Lake Carlos (Alexandria, MN)

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:09:13 -0600

Alexandria has many, many beautiful lakes. In fact, from most places of employment, you can walk out the door and be at a lake within 5 minutes (while Alexandria is a popular, bustling community, traffic isn't a factor in Alexandria). It is tough to choose one as a favorite, but if forced to do so, I'd choose Lake Carlos. Here are 5 reasons I like it. 1. County Road 11. Each time I turn onto it off Carlos Darling Drive, I immediately relax. 2. Three Havens Grocery. It is kitschy and is convenient for a newspaper and cup of coffee or missing ingredient for a recipe 3. It's big. It's the biggest on The Chain (2,520 acres). If it is a busy day on The Chain, just head to the northern end of Lake Carlos. Most boaters out for a tour will cut across Carlos half way up the lake. 4. Carlos State Park 5. Bike rides around the lake and through the Park.

Lake Monitoring and Secchi

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:42:27 -0500

Minnesota’s Citizen Lake-Monitoring Program (CLMP) is the largest and oldest volunteer lake monitoring program in the country. Volunteers in the CLMP currently use a Secchi (pronounced sec-ee) disk to measure the clarity on hundreds of Minnesota’s lakes. The expanded program, including the collection of water chemistry samples for analysis along with Secchi transparency collection, was conducted in several counties. A total of sixteen lakes were selected for monitoring in 2005 by volunteer lake monitors. Among the 16 were Alexandria's Latoka, Lobster and Mary. All equipment and analytical costs for the samples were provided for and paid by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).

Notes:

Father Pietro Angelo Secchi, an astrophysicist, was requested to measure transparency in the Mediterranean Sea by Commander Cialdi, head of the Papal Navy.
Secchi was the scientific advisor to the Pope.
Secchi used some white disks to measure the clarity of water in the Mediterranean in April of l865. Various sizes of disks have been used since that time, but the most frequently used disk is an 8 inch diameter metal disk painted in alternate black and white quadrants

Miracle Treat Day

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:19:28 -0500

Improve the lives of sick and injured children by visiting your local Dairy Queen (Dairy Queen system has been a national sponsor of Children's Miracle Network (CMN) since 1984) and buying any Blizzard Treat of your choice on Thursday, August 9th. Proceeds from every Blizzard purchased will help children at your local Children's Miracle Network hospital.

Glenwood's Grove Lake

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:41:22 -0500

Grove Lake is a lake of 376 is located in Pope County near Glenwood. It has a maximum depth of 31 feet and water clarity of 18 feet which very good. There is a nearly 12 acre property with 150 feet of level lakeshore for sale for $205,000. And, it isn't just a bare lot. There is a nice 2 bedroom home with an attached garage. View a flyer for this property here.

Fishing:

The fish community in Grove Lake is typical of small, densely vegetated lakes in west-central Minnesota. Northern pike, largemouth bass, and sunfish provide ample fishing opportunities. The average size of northern pike is small, averaging about 18.5 inches in length and 1.4 pounds. The bluegill population is exceptional. About 80% of the fish captured in trap nets were 6 inches in length or greater and 17% exceeded 8 inches. The size structure of the largemouth bass population is relatively good. Over one-half of the fish captured were 12 inches in length and 11% exceeded 15 inches.

Walleye should be considered a bonus fishery. Gill net catches averaged 3.2 fish/net, which is within the normal range for this type of lake. Most of the fish captured were less than 19 inches in length. Average weight of fish captured was slightly over one pound. Walleye stocking efforts have failed to provide a relatively good and consistent fishery.

July's Lakehome Sales

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:01:52 -0500

These statistics are from the Greater Alexandria Area Association of Realtors for the month of July. Most of the highest price lake values (Lake Carlos, Lake Darling and Lake Le Homme Dieu) are in Area 2. You can view the active listings for these lakes at lakecarlos.com , lakedarling.com and lakelehommedieu or lehommedieu.com.

Resorters at the Alexandria Golf Club

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 10:58:23 -0500

Here is the Resorters schedule for today and the remainder of the tournament at the Alexandria Golf Club:

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1 Match play for Men's Championship (Top 32); All Men's Executives; Senior, Masters, Juniors 5:30 p.m. – 26th annual Putting Contest. 7 p.m. – Long Drive Contest
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 Match play for All Men's Regular, Men's Executive and all 1st Flight Senior, Masters, Ladies and Junior Divisions
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 Match play for all remaining golfers
SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 Semifinal and final matches

This is the course that Tom Lehman played while he was growing up and he is a past Resorters Champion.

Buy a Lake

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:41:11 -0500

Most bare lots on Maple are going to cost you $300,000 and up in today's market. But, this morning I was walking through Art in the Park and found a booth that is selling topographical wood carvings of various lakes. Now, you can buy an entire lake for just a few hundred dollars. Maple Lake or Big Chippewa Lake, for example, and the cost is less than $200.

Cottage Tour

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:33:10 -0500

From 3-7 pm tomorrow, you can tour 5 outstanding lake cottages (4 on L'homme Dieu and 1 on Carlos). Advance tickets are $20 (available at Elden's,Pete's, Trumm Drug & Yesterday's) or you can purchase at any of the cottages for $25. Proceeds will will benefit Elder Network, a non-profit with the mission of meeting emotional, social, mental health respite caring needs of older adults by utilizing the services and talents of trained volunteer peer counselors. For more information call (320) 763-9084 or send me an email I will get the information for you.

This weekend in Alexandria

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:54:43 -0500

It will be a busy weekend in the Lakes Area. If you aren't going to be at Waterama, be sure to stop by Art in the Park on Saturday and Sunday. Held for 31 years
at City Park on the shores of Lake Henry, there is arts and crafts but also has live music, food vendors and more. If you aren't going to it, avoid this part of CR-42 like the plague as traffic is very slow (for Alexandria anyway). Shuttles are offered from Runestone Community Center. This is advisable. You park and hop on an air-conditioned shuttle that drops you off at the entrance.

Also happening this Saturday is the 4th annual Iron Horse Animal Ride. Animal lovers are hopping on their motorcycles and riding together to benefit the Lakes Area Humane Society. If you are interested in participating or just would like a little more information, call (320) 759-2260.

Alexandria lakeshore

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:25:10 -0500

There are 153 lakefront properties for sale in Alexandria right now ranging from a $72,500 RV in an association on Lake Mary to a 5 bedroom home with acreage and Lake Latoka lakeshore for $1.9 million.

From most places of work, you can drive to a lake in 5 minutes or less. And if you want to get out of town, Alexandria is approximately a two hour drive to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport.

Interlachen Drive

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:23:02 -0500

2 properties (a home and a bare lot) are currently for sale on Lake Carlos' Interlachen Drive. If you love, or even like , Eddy's Interlachen, this location is tough to beat. No need for the fluorescent Eddy's vest (given to anyone who has too much to drink in return for their keys).

The Andersons

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:20:23 -0500

Did you know that one of the oldest family-owned businesses in Minnesota is the Anderson Funeral Home? It was started by a Swedish immigrant, John Anderson, in 1872.
He learned his skills as a carpenter and cabinet maker during his school years in Sweden. When he was 25, he and his young bride, Anna Greta, arrived in New York and made their way to a little settlement called Alexandria (Anna's 2 brothers had moved to Alexandria 2 years earlier). Immediately, John set up shop as a cabinet maker and because of his skill, people would ask him to build a casket when a family member died. A sign that someone had died was a horse drawn carriage with a pole out out the back at his store (the pole was used to measure the length of the deceased).

Last year, the Andersons left the historic location at 7th and Jefferson and moved to a new building on County Road 44. A piece of ~~Alexandria~~ Minnesota history on a high traffic .62 acre corner lot is now for sale for $349,000.

[visit the Anderson Funeral Home web-site]

Bella's on Broadway

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:08:24 -0500

Late last week, I was heading south on Broadway and while at a red light, watched the exterior sign for Bella's on Broadway (the sister restaurant of Café Bella in Glenwood) being installed. Earlier this week, I passed by on foot and peaked inside through the window. By the looks of it, they are only a few weeks from opening.

Lake lot for sale on Lake Irene (update)

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:02:58 -0500

referred to in new book 'Cabins of Minnesota'
Memorial Day 2007 photos
Lot 3 has sold
Price Increase : Lot 15 is now $189,000 and Lot 4 is $199,000.
Lot 11 has sold
Lot 2 has sold

FAQ

* How big are the lots?: The average lot size is of the lots for sale is 1.7 acres.

* Are the lots level?: The lots on the north end have level lakeshore. The elevation increases as you move south on the development.

* Are the lots wooded?: All but 3 of the lots are wooded.

* Sewer and Water: Public sewer will be available for connection in the future. New homes will need a private septic system installed until the public system is available and will be required to connect to the public system once it is in place. There are no plans for public water so Sunny Brook on Lake Irene owners will need a private well.

* The Road: The old NW Irene Road has been removed and relocated to the rear of the property and has been paved.

Condo on Lake Carlos

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:59:11 -0500

It is uncommon for a home to be for sale in Blake's by the Lakes but as of this week, there is a 3 bedroom/3 bath unit for sale.

Lake Carlos is located 5 miles north of Alexandria and is one of the main lakes on Alexandria's beautiful "chain of lakes". This large lake covers 2,520 acres with a maximum depth of 163 feet. The shoreline consists of rolling glacial hills covered with mixed hardwoods. Carlos is a very popular walleye fishing lake.

Welcome Home Troops

Craig Mische (Lakes Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:57:26 -0500

After a 22 month deployment to Iraq, members of the 1st Brigade Combat Team returned home to Minnesota and were escorted through the city by fire trucks, law enforcement vehicles and motorcycles. People lined the streets cheering, waving flags and applauding. It was followed with a brief ceremony at Citizen Field which was packed with people.