chequamegon bay: 2021 Construction Materials Prices are on the Rise
- 02/13/21 02:39 PM
2021 Construction Materials Prices are on the Rise
While we're all pleased that historically-low mortgage interest rates are poised to propel the real estate market forward in 2021, it's important to be aware that their are also market factors which will put a dent in new construction profits this year.
One of the biggest challenges faced by builders in 2021 will be the cost of building materials. The second-home market in northwest Wisconsin is not exempted from those challenges.
Construction-related commodities like lumber, copper pipe and wire, steel used in concrete rebar and other building materials are poised to rise in price. Alongside those … (2 comments)
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chequamegon bay: New Cellular Phone Tower Completed on Red Cliff Tribal Property
- 02/03/20 05:11 PM
New cellular phone tower completed on Red Cliff tribal property
For more than two decades, I've griped about the poor (largely nonexistent) cellular coverage on Madeline Island and in neighboring Bayfield, Wisconsin, as well as most of the Chequamegon Bay and Apostle Islands area. And wirelesss Internet coverage in and around Bayfield and LaPointe, Wisconsin has been equally bad.
As far back as August of 2009, I blogged about the problem in my Madeline Island Real Estate blog, in a post entitled "Cellphone Secrets - How to get a Cellular Phone Signal on Madeline Island.
But times have finally changed. The new 300-foot … (2 comments)
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chequamegon bay: See our Madeline Island Realty ad in the Island Gazette on March 24th
- 03/03/18 12:31 PM
See our Madeline Island Realty ad in the Island Gazette on March 24th
As of the end of 2017, we completed our sixth consecutive year in which we made at least one Madeline Island/Bayfield sale at or above $500,000. And in the last eight years, we made nine upper-bracket sales between $500,000 and $1.5 Million in our service area.
No other real estate brokerage in the Chequamegon Bay/South Shore area has matched our record in upper-bracket sales. We know that upper-bracket sellers face greater challenges in achieving a sale than those who are selling a mid-priced home. All of those sellers deserve a … (0 comments)
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chequamegon bay: The Perils of Showing North Country Vacation Homes in March
- 03/17/16 01:24 PM
The Perils of Showing North Country Vacation Homes in March
When you list and show vacation properties, especially during winter and early spring months in the northern United States, doing the job properly requires a certain amount of fortitude.
After packing your car (or SUV) with warm clothes, boots lined with Gore-Tex and Thinsulate, gloves, hats, scarves, an emergency kit and the usual electronic gear (iPad, smartphone, laptop, portable printer), you are ready to venture forth.
But even the most careful preparation for a late winter showing doesn't mean you won't encounter a few surprises. In the case of our trip to Bayfield and Madeline Island on … (5 comments)
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chequamegon bay: Perhaps the Best Remaining Building Lot at Roy's Point in Bayfield WI
- 03/16/16 01:58 PM
Perhaps the Best Remaining Building Lot at Roy's Point Shores in Bayfield WI
Listed for sale by Madeline Island Realty - Lot 9, Creek Trail, Bayfield, Wisconsin 54814, adjacent to Roy's Point Marina
We have heard others, including a competing local Bayfield, Wisconsin real estate agent, who have described this vacant buildable lot as "the best of the remaining lots at Roy's Point Shores". It may even be the best available lot of its kind in the Apostle Islands area.
Lot nine, Creek Trail in Bayfield, Wisconsin features a gorgeous, private building site and a partial Lake Superior view. The 1.63 acre wooded lot is platted … (5 comments)
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chequamegon bay: With Vacation Homes, Expect Time on Market to be Longer
- 03/13/16 11:17 PM
With Vacation Homes, Expect Time on Market to be Longer
Every so often, a prospective buyer points to the "Days on Market" number on the MLS data sheet and asks, "why has this property been on the market for such a long time?" I believe that many of these would-be buyers are looking for another way to ask, "what's wrong with this house?"
But market times can be much longer in a vacation home/recreational area, particularly when tourist activity is unquestionably seasonal. With few exceptions, in our Apostle Islands real estate market (in northwest Wisconsin), our tourist season is six months long, with the remaining winter months … (4 comments)
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chequamegon bay: Is There a Market for Upper Bracket Homes in Bayfield & LaPointe WI?
- 01/02/16 05:25 AM
Is There a Market for Upper Bracket Homes in Bayfield & LaPointe WI?
That's a good question, and the answer may surprise you.
About a month ago, one of my clients asked me point-blank, "Is there really a market for upper-bracket homes in this area?"
Without disclosing the details, I can say unequivocally that there have been showings and offers in the past two months on homes priced at over $500,000. Despite a lull in top-bracket home sales on both Madeline Island and in Bayfield (WI) since midsummer of 2015, we have continued to receive showing requests for homes priced between $500,000 and … (2 comments)
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chequamegon bay: More News About Springtime in Bayfield, Wisconsin
- 03/30/15 04:50 AM
More News About Springtime in Bayfield, Wisconsin
My friend Bob Durfey is a keen observer of nature and his regular emails to me are always a treat. Bob wrote me last week about the return of scheduled car ferry trips from Bayfield to Madeline Island by the Madeline Island Ferry Line, and he also wrote about the first trips of the local fishing tugs which ply the waters of Chequamegon Bay once the ice is finally gone in spring.
Bob also takes great photos. When it comes to conversations about food, he's a master at tantalizing anyone in the room … (4 comments)
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chequamegon bay: Madeline Island Ice Road Coming to an End for the Winter Season
- 04/03/14 10:42 AM
Madeline Island Ice Road Coming to an End for the Winter Season
I received unofficial news that the "Ice Road" from Bayfield, Wisconsin to the Town of LaPointe on Madeline Island is nearing its end for the 2013-14 Winter season. Warmer temperatures and deteriorating beach approaches on both ends of the ice road have taken their toll on the ice road during the past couple of weeks.
A winter storm warning is in effect for the Chequamegon Bay/Apostle Islands area, including Bayfield and Madeline Island, with snow accumulations predicted to be up to a foot of wet, heavy snow. The Madeline … (2 comments)
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chequamegon bay: Market Report - What Sold in 2013 on Madeline Island (and What Didn't)
- 12/22/13 11:08 PM
Market Report - What Sold in 2013 on Madeline Island (and What Didn't)
Our Year end Market Report for 2013 real estate sales on Madeline Island is good news for almost anyone planning to sell a home in the 54850 zip code area. Here are some of the highlights:
Buyers had plenty to choose from in 2013, with burgeoning property inventories available. If buyers couldn't find something on the market that suited their needs, they probably weren't looking all that closely. Sales were up in all price ranges, with sold properties ranging from the mid-$100,000 bracket to nearly $800,000. Probably the most … (0 comments)
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chequamegon bay: If You Offer a Market Report Newsletter on the Web, Shouldn't it be Up to Date?
- 11/03/11 02:56 AM
If You Offer a Market Report Newsletter on the Web, Shouldn't it be Up to Date?
We recently became aware that one of our Bayfield County competitors offers an online newsletter on their website. A click on the tab brings you to that real estate newsletter.
Unfortunately, the "Market Update" available there is from 2006.
Claiming to be an "Advisor" to buyers and sellers is a lofty goal. But when you profess to offer relevant market information, shouldn't that information be gathered from within the past six months? Or at very least, shouldn't it be about the 2011 market?
A great … (6 comments)
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chequamegon bay: More Real Estate Opportunities on Madeline Island Than We Have Seen in the Past Three Decades
- 10/20/11 04:56 PM
More Real Estate Opportunities on Madeline Island Than We Have Seen in the Past Three Decades
It can be argued that we are seeing today some of the most remarkable real estate opportunities on Madeline Island in decades. Here are the ingredients which have come together to make this possible:
Inventory - Many property owners who acquired their homes and lots in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s are now retiring. These owners are ready to cash out and move on. It's a sort of "changing of the guard", with a new generation of buyers discovering Madeline Island and making it … (0 comments)
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chequamegon bay: Garbage in, Garbage out - Slow Broadband in the North Country
- 07/31/10 06:32 AM
Broadband consumers have forgotten the old adage, "garbage in, garbage out".
In a world of fast processors and Web-optimized browsers, there is an air of unreality about "wireless broadband". In rural and low population density areas, it's often more like worthless broadband.
Obviously, the tasks you perform online will only crank as fast as your wireless broadband signal allows. When your wireless signal is weak or nonexistent, you may not be able to download files & programs, or upload information to the Web, without difficulty.
Advertised signal speeds and upload speeds are wildly exaggerated. It seems the wireless business is its own little kingdom where companies are … (2 comments)
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chequamegon bay: Is Lake Superior Ice Formation Being Affected by Global Warming?
- 01/05/09 10:12 PM
A recent University of Minnesota Duluth study claims that Lake Superior is a prime example of global warming and its effects.
The "ice road" to Madeline Island begins to break up in Spring of each year.
According to a recent article in the Duluth News-Tribune, the Lake Superior winter ice cover has, in general, diminished over the last thirty years, with a corresponding rise in average lake water temperature. And another study by a local Bayfield resident who researched weather data back to 1857 claims that today we are seeing an average of forty-five fewer ice-covered days in our area of Chequamegon Bay than there were in the … (1 comments)
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chequamegon bay: Ferry Service Between La Pointe & Bayfield Shut Down on New Year's Day
- 01/02/09 05:06 AM
Yesterday, the Madeline Island Ferry Line shut down service between Madeline Island and the Bayfield mainland.
Cars and trucks on the Lake Superior ice, just off the Bayfield, Wisconsin shoreline
This weekend, there will be "limited" windsled service across the two miles of Chequamegon Bay ice, with Saturday trips departing the Island at 9 am, 11:30 and 4 pm. Saturday windsled runs will depart Bayfield at 9:15, 12:15 and 4:15 daily, for the time being [schedule subject to change].
On Sundays, the planned windsled schedule is as follows: Trips depart La Pointe at 9, Noon and 4 pm. Trips depart Bayfield at … (2 comments)
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chequamegon bay: I've made a friend through Localism.com
- 06/12/08 08:57 AM
Last autumn, I wrote a post on a subject that's always fascinated me. The post was about a piece of Chequamegon Bay area history that has been mostly forgotten, the Barksdale explosives plant, operated by DuPont in the Washburn, Wisconsin area for decades during the twentieth century.
Northwest Wisconsin's Best-Kept Secret for Decades: The Barksdale Explosives Plant
As with most Localism.com posts, I never expected to get much (if any) response in the way of comments. My purpose was to provide Localism readers with a bit of area history they might find intriguing.
And then, my post received a comment from John … (8 comments)
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chequamegon bay: "Bayfield In Bloom", a Month-long Celebration of Spring on Lake Superior
- 04/30/08 06:32 AM
The sixth annual "Bayfield in Bloom" celebration is on its way!
From May 16 through June 15, Bayfield will be alive with springtime events and activities. The event kicks off with an on-location broadcast of "Garden Talk" at the Bayfield Lakeside Pavillion, with Wisconsin Public Radio personality Larry Meiller. Garden Talk features an "Ask the Experts" segment and audience members are invited to participate as part of the studio audience.
Other special events during the month-long celebration will include
Chequamegon Bay Birding and Nature Festival, May 16-18
Twenty-seventh annual 10K "Apple Blossom Run", May 17
Bayfield County Orchard Tours, May 24
Bayfield "Bloomin' Yard … (6 comments)
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chequamegon bay: More Resources for Madeline Island and Other North Country Gardeners
- 04/30/08 05:44 AM
Yesterday, I posted about the challenges and how-to's of gardening on Madeline Island. For that matter, gardening anywhere in the far north can be a challenge!
I'm following up with a post about resources for gardeners who want to tackle gardening on Madeline Island.
There's a quote from a Clint Eastwood movie where he says, "This is an island. If you didn't bring it with you, you ain't gonna have it"! And that's certainly true when it comes to gardening or landscaping on Madeline Island. You could hire a nursery company to deliver what you need, but you may want to consider transporting … (0 comments)
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chequamegon bay: Gardening on Madeline Island Can Be a Challenge, But It's Worth The Effort
- 04/29/08 05:01 AM
One of my clients asked me about the feasibility of having a vegetable garden, with maybe a few flowers, on Madeline Island.
I could write a book on the subject. Maybe I should.
The good news is, La Pointe Township is in USDA Hardiness Zone 5. That means you'll have a longer growing season than nearby Hayward, Wisconsin. The reason for the isolated Zone 5 classification is the moderating influence of being surrounded by Lake Superior. Once the water warms up in spring and summer, it holds thermal energy and the prevailing winds from the west and south cause a … (0 comments)
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chequamegon bay: Ashland, Wisconsin Receives EPA Study Grant
- 04/20/08 12:54 AM
Ashland, Wisconsin has received a $200,000 grant to evaluate sites that contain potentially hazardous substances. The grant was awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency last week.
Ashland is one of seven Wisconsin communities to receive such a grant from EPA. The city plans to use the funds to evaluate a handful of key sites, including the Clarkson coal dock. An earlier assessment of the same area revealed contamination by coal dust, oil residues and wood treatment chemicals.
The city of Ashland is taking steps to reclaim its waterfront from many decades of industrial use. The lure of tourism has done much to spur City and County … (4 comments)
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2021 Construction Materials Prices are on the Rise
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