| |
peggy wester: Things Are MOVING in Ozaukee and Washington County Real Estate!! - 04/09/12 05:18 PM
We’ve seen a 49% increase in the number of single-family homes that have sold in Ozaukee county during the first quarter of 2012 over the same time last year and a 30% increase in Washington county. While prices have remained steady or slipped a bit, this is a strong indicator that buyers’ confidence in the housing market is indeed improving.
With inventory moving at a much quicker pace and some properties even receiving multiple offers, this is the time for anyone thinking about buying a house to get out and buy a house.
… (2 comments)
|
peggy wester: Goodwill Plans to Come to Grafton! - 02/04/12 11:19 AM
Looking for a place to donate clothes you no longer wear or items such as furniture, electronics, and housewares? Or are you looking for some gently used furniture, electronics, household items or clothes for yourself or your family?
Goodwill is hoping to open a retail and drop-off location in Grafton! If all goes as planned, the store should be opening in June, and will be located in the former Sears building on Wisconsin Street, just a short distance south of Highway 60/Washington Avenue. This is a great addition to the community as this will be the only location in Ozaukee County.
If … (3 comments)
|
peggy wester: Winter Farmers Market in Port Washington - 01/20/12 01:38 PM
As I write this, the beginnings of a snowstorm are happening outside. It's bitter cold and those fine snowflakes are falling. You wouldn't think this would be the time of year for a farmers market in Wisconsin -- but it is!
Beginning Saturday, January 28, and continuing the last Saturday of each month through May, is the Port Washington Winter Farmers Market. What sorts of goodies will be sold at this event?
You will find beef, pork, yellow perch, bread, lettuce, preserves, sorghum and honey, maple syrup, chips and dips, butter, cheese and yogurt will be available -- and … (0 comments)
|
peggy wester: Reacting with Grace Versus the Alternative - 01/15/12 11:31 AM
I've learned a thing or two from some colleagues and myself over the past several years on how and how not to react to different situations in the real estate business.
Got an offer that's not quite what you were hoping it would be? Appreciate that you got an offer. There's a buyer out there that wants to buy your seller's house. Work together to come to agreeable terms. Getting angry at the buyer or the agent who wrote the offer only sets everyone off on the wrong foot from the get go. That's just counter-productive.
Lost a buyer due … (5 comments)
|
peggy wester: It's Not Nice to Tease - 01/12/12 09:11 PM
Dear Mrs. Buyer,
I received your voicemail the other day that you and your husband wanted to buy a house in Ozaukee County. You said you found me on the internet, liked my bio, and were excited to work with me! You left your number, saying you looked forward to hearing from me. I was out and about putting up some "open Sunday" signs and thought it'd be best to call you when I got back to the office -- much easier than trying to talk while driving.
About 20 minutes later, I called the number you left but got … (5 comments)
|
peggy wester: Gimme a Break -- Just for Today - 11/15/11 09:32 AM
I need a break -- a break from the emails, the phone calls, the market reports, the showing feedback, the questions, the anxiety, the fear, the meetings...
Not a long break. Just for today.
I don't know how some people do it. They just keep going and going and going. Not me. My brain is mush. My focus is gone.
Time to relax and take a breath. Time to enjoy the sunshine and very mild temperatures we have on this late fall day. Time to have a day of nothing. No plans. No goals. Just enjoying the time.
I'll be back tomorrow, … (9 comments)
|
peggy wester: To Be a Team Player, You Have to Play By the Same Rules - 11/11/11 08:36 AM
"We're a team."
I seem to hear that a lot these days.
This real estate market we're in presents us with issues we could never have dreamed of just a few years ago. A lot of times I end my day just scratching my head wondering what tomorrow will bring with this or that transaction.
Yet as challenged as we might feel by what we face each day, communicating with each other helps generate ideas on how to handle certain situations, how to grow our business, and how to better serve our customers and clients. It provides support and reminds … (2 comments)
|
peggy wester: Starting the Day with Some Extra Chai! - 11/11/11 07:54 AM
It's Friday and I decided to start my day at Starbucks. Brought my laptop with me to get some work done before heading into the office where things can get a little hectic.
While I don't frequent this place as much as I used to or would like to, apparently I'm here enough for the employees to greet me by name as I enter the door and prepare my drink without having to ask what I'll have. That kind of service never gets old.
What made today's visit even sweeter was having the barista hand me my usual chai tea one size … (2 comments)
|
peggy wester: Come Out and Enjoy Grafton's 4th Annual Pumpkin Fest! - 09/30/11 12:36 PM
Fall has definitely made its presence known here in Grafton with the chillier temps and changing colors. It also means it's time for Grafton's Annual Pumpkin Fest. So take some time the weekend of October 6-8 to enjoy the many activities! Admission is free.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 65:30-7:30 pm Scarecrow building in the Paramount Plaza.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 76:00 pm Food, beverages and a performance by Loo$e Change.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 88:00-11:00 am Grafton Lions Club Pancake Breakfast at the Zaun Pavilion in Lime Kiln Park 10:00 am-1:00 pm Family scavenger walk in Paramount Plaza10:00 am-4:00 pm Art show in Paramount Plaza10:30 am-Noon & 1:30-3:00 pm North Shore Academy of … (2 comments)
|
peggy wester: What I Ask of Myself - 09/16/11 11:59 AM
I recently wrote a couple blog posts, What I Ask of My Buyers and What I Ask of My Sellers. Time to turn the table on me. Here's what I ask of myself -- my check list of what I owe my buyers and sellers.
Be Honest-- Tell the truth about the current market conditions. If your house is priced higher than the market can handle, I will tell you. I will provide you with the feedback we receive from private showings and open houses, whether it's positive or negative. If your expectations of what you want in a house is not … (2 comments)
|
peggy wester: A Letter to My Dad - 09/06/11 10:33 PM
September 6, 2011
Dear Dad,
Remember the last time I sat down to write you a letter? It was just under 15 years ago, the night I got home from your wake -- struggling to get down on paper the countless thoughts, questions and fears that swarmed around in my head. They called it a eulogy. I called it my "goodbye to Dad."
I don't know where these years have gone. How is it that we have not seen your smile or heard your voice for 15 years? How is it that out of nowhere, for no apparent reason, that … (7 comments)
|
peggy wester: Just Forget About It...At Least for a Little While - 08/22/11 05:23 PM
Sometimes it's best to just forget about it.
Forget about the challenging home inspection. Forget about the low-ball offers. Forget about the whining co-workers. Forget about the failed well test. Forget about the seemingly endless "The buyers really liked the house but they decided to write on something else" comments.
Forget about the seller's pressures to "Bring me an offer!" Forget about the buyer picking apart the living room wall paint color and the kitchen cabinet handles. Forget about the expired listing. Forget about the feelings of failure. Forget about the frustration. Forget about the negative economic reports.
Forget about … (5 comments)
|
peggy wester: Custom Condo in Sheboygan Open Sunday, July 31 - 07/30/11 01:12 PM
If you are looking for a condo that is different from anything else you've seen yet full of classic charm and character, you must see this home in Sheboygan at the open house Sunday, July 31, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
This unit was designed by its award-winning interior designer owner.
Glass tiled fireplace with custom-built mantel and bookshelves Custom-built cherry kitchen cabinets, buffet and butcher block island Custom-designed, one-of-a-kind, hand-forged iron railing Cherry hardwood and ceramic tile floors Cathedral ceiling Deep claw foot tub Oversize shower stall First-floor laundry Attached 2-car garage Private herringbone patterned patio Integrated sound system … (4 comments)
|
peggy wester: What's It Going to Cost You to Wait to Buy or Sell?? - 07/23/11 11:32 AM
For any seller or buyer out there who is not yet 100% committed to selling or buying, consider the gamble you're taking in waiting.
If rates increase even one point, the cost in waiting is tremendous. And some of the buying power is lost.
So as a seller, you have to decide. Do you get your house priced where it needs to be to get it sold now, even if that means selling at a lower price than you would like? Or do you keep it priced where it's at and risk losing some buyers in the near future?
And … (3 comments)
|
peggy wester: Looks Like It's Time to Get Off the Fence, Mr. Buyer - 05/01/11 08:08 PM
I remember those days when we hardly had the sign in the yard, if at all, and already there were multiple offers on a home. Ahhhh....
I also remember those days when we had the sign in the yard for days, weeks, months, even years(!) and there weren't any offers on the house. Gulp....
The experts tell us it will be a few years for the housing market to make a full recovery, and I would say I agree with them. But I would also say I sure am getting a kick out of watching things improve, slowly though it … (4 comments)
|
peggy wester: Short and Sweet -- Price MATTERS! - 02/20/11 10:39 AM
Probably one of the most common areas of discussion between a seller and their agent is price. Is the seller pricing their house to sell it or is it priced based on what they want or need to net from the sale?
Sometimes no matter what stats, blog post, or newspaper article I show a seller, they just don't see that a house has to be priced to sell. It doesn't matter to a buyer how much they need or want to walk away with at closing.
The other day a past seller had posted her opinion on pricing on my Facebook … (4 comments)
|
peggy wester: Use your iPhone or Android to Find Your Dream Home! - 01/17/11 06:19 PM
Wondering what other handy use you can make of your iPhone or Android? How about search for your dream home?!
Shorewest, Realtors® just released an Android application and updated the iPhone application. The app allows you to:
search for a location (Android GPS required) search for active and sold listings & open houses check out recently viewed homes sync "MyShorewest" profile search for agents by name save your favorite properties The free application is available through the ‘Market' on your Android-powered device and on iTunes http://www.apple.com/itunes/?cid=OAS-US-DOMAINS-itunes.com for your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
Just another great tool to help make … (1 comments)
|
peggy wester: EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 1, 2011 -- Wisconsin Requires Carbon Monoxide Detectors - 01/11/11 03:21 PM
Effective February 1, 2011, all single-family and two-family homes in the state of Wisconsin will be required to have a carbon monoxide detector installed. This law was signed by former Governor Jim Doyle on March 10, 2010. (All existing multi-family structures were required to have carbon monoxide detectors installed effective April 1, 2010.)
What is carbon monoxide? It is an invisible, odorless, poisonous gas that cannot be detected by humans, but can cause death within a few minutes. It is oftentimes called "the silent killer," causing more than 2000 deaths each year.
This new law requires one detector to be … (2 comments)
|
peggy wester: Random Reflections on 2010 - 12/10/10 10:03 AM
We're just three weeks from the beginning of yet another year. So guess what I've been doing lately? Reflecting. I am embarrassed to say what my real estate production has been in 2010, but it has prompted me to sit back and ask myself, "What happened?"
Here's what I've learned.
1. I am not a tour guide. If a buyer has a house to sell but doesn't either have the house on the market or ready to put the house on the market today, we won't start looking at houses. If the buyer does not have or refuses to get … (6 comments)
|
peggy wester: What Do You Do When Emotions Run High?? - 12/06/10 12:05 PM
Emotions seem to be running high with buyers and sellers these days.
I state the obvious when I say the market is tough out there. It can be brutal sometimes. And this has pushed levels of frustration, sensitivity, and even anger to a new high.
Sellers don't understand how a buyer can't see the value of the work they've done to the house over the past several years. And buyers wonder how the seller can't see that the dated carpet and knicked up counters need some attention.
How can I help my buyers and sellers--and quite frankly me--keep these emotions in check?
… (4 comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peggy Wester Real Estate Agent Ozaukee & Washington County Real Estate
Cedarburg,
WI
More about me…
Shorewest Realtors
Address: 1245 Cheyenne Ave #103, Grafton, WI, 53024
Office Phone: (262) 375-4108 x 325
Email Me
 Listings
Links
Archives
|
;)
;)
;)
