There have been so many people asking about renting the condos that after discussions with the builders, they have decided to offer a rent-to-own option.

$1200 for 1 Bedroom units

$1500 for 2 Bedroom units

All the condos have an attached garage, Meadowbrook Village clubhouse with fitness center, entertainment facilities, swimming pool, hot tub, Wi-Fi, Tennis Courts and more amenities. If you purchase and close this summer, you can have a 2010 membership to the Willow Run Golf Course in Pewaukee (which surrounds the Meadowbrook community). What a perk!

Contact Rebecca Sprague at rebecca@shorewest.com for more information on rent-to-own and on Meadowbrook Village. If you want a quick peek at these new construction condos, go to

www.condoswisconsin.net/Meadowbrook.html

Seven different floorplans, check out each unit to see which one works for you!!

Normally there are chairs, tables and umbrellas around the pool. Might have been taken in because of the storm. June 2010 has been very rainy and stormy. Ask the residents of Eagle, Wisconsin.

Great place for bi-coastal residents! How about urban professionals who enjoy city-life within reach, but green space to relax. Discover Pewaukee.

New owners, new builders. They want to move the models and finish existing condos before they start the next phase of this community. As an incentive, Models A, B,C & F are $10,000 below the existing price for new finished units. That means model A is $129,900, etc.

Go to our website at www.condoswisconsin.net/Meadowbrook.html for the correct prices. There is a new brochure there in a pdf format for you to download that shows the floor plans of each unit and photos from the models.

Don't forget the perks!! Central Clubhouse for Meadowbrook Village owners and their guests include an outdoor swimming pool, hot tub, locker facilities, exercise room, entertainment area with fireplace, small kitchen and bar, set-up for dining and large flat screen tv for those special events. Did I mention free WI-FI? There are even two tennis courts!

Within a mile of the Lake Country Recreational Trail for bikers, hikers, joggers and skaters. And don't forget Pewaukee Lake Beach in downtown Pewaukee. If you like a sandy beach, that is the place to go.

Also a Golfer's special. Buy a new condo this summer and receive a 2010 membership to Willow Run Golf Course, which borders the Meadowbrook community on two sides. www.willowrungolf.com

Ask me, Rebecca Sprague, for more information about these special incentives.

Open Tuesdays 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Saturday and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00 pm (unless it's a holiday - like 4th of July). Our sales office is in the clubhouse!  rebecca@shorewest.com  / 262-567-8351 or 262-567-8302 x132.

What a great promotion! The builders at Meadowbrook Village condominiums in Pewaukee, Wisconsin want to crank up the business, now that the tax incentive is over. They are offering a 2010 golf membership to the Willow Run Golf Club that borders the Meadowbrook community.

Check it out!! Free golf for a year.

The 18-hole "Willow Run" course at the Willow Run Golf Club facility in Pewaukee, Wisconsin features 6,376 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71 . The course rating is 70.0 and it has a slope rating of 115 on Blue grass.  Designed by Dewey Slocum, the Willow Run golf course opened in 1966. Brian Zinda manages the course as the Golf Professional. www.willowrungolf.com

Other benefits include the Entertainment complex with exercise room, Wi-Fi, entertaining facilities, outdoor hot tub and swimming pool, kitchenette and bar.

Contact Rebecca Sprague rebecca@shorewest.com or 262-567-8351 for more information

Okauchee has never been a big village. I remember walking about a mile to the "downtown" area, to Tweeden's Drug store, and debating whether I wanted a malt, a sundae, or a comic book. Tweeden's is long gone but other businesses have popped up in it's place.

In the old Tweeden's spot is Glenda's restaurant. A couple of doors down is Bella's Cafe (fairly new business). The Avenue bar is still around. So is the Okauchee Barber. Another new business is the Lakeview Salon in the old Four Season's building. Debilyn Vuk has taken over and has walk-in service and mulitiple chairs and hairdressers. Very reasonable prices. There's even a manicurist.

I noticed Muskey Mike's has their own store, across the street from where they used to be, in the old Hornbostel's building (I think it was a 'sweet shop' in my parent's day). Everything to make you day fishing on the lake comfortable -- yes that means liquor too.

The hardest thing about returning to the old hometown of Okauchee, is seeing your "church" turn into condos. Well, the school turned into condos, the church turned into an entertainment center/clubhouse. What's the difference? The builder kept the mission-style architecture, but it still breaks my heart.

So little Okauchee is growing up. Time for me to get out of the past.

Private entry main level ranch condo. Designers touch adds elegance to your new home; six-panel doors, resilient Berber carpet, bronzed lighting and custom window treatments. Cobblestone gas fireplace with oak mantle is your focal point in the living area. Open concept bistro kitchen and breakfast bar provide entertaining ease. Pantry and ample closet space for storage. Master suite with walk-in shower. Spacious bedrooms. Cement patio for relaxing. Beautiful landscaped vistas, ponds, natural wetland surround Autumn Woods for your walking pleasure. Clubhouse provides entertaining space! Easy Hwy 16 access. $179,900

MLS#1139779

www.rebecca.shorewest.com or email rebecca@shorewest.com

Directions: Hwy 16 west of Oconomowoc- bypass exit Oconomowoc. East to Autumn Woods- first building on right enter back garage.

Private entry exposed ranch condo. Two bedroom suites on the main level and 3rd bedroom with full bath on the lower. Great floor plan! Open kitchen, hardwood floors with maple cabinetry, breakfast bar and dining space. Pottery barn colors very attractive! Cathedral ceilings in the living area, gas fireplace and patio doors out to the deck for sunset views. Master bedroom suite, walk in closet and tiled bath. Exposed lower offers space for guests or kids. Third bedroom or office, full bath and family living area. Plenty of basement space and the 2+ garage! Why compromise moving out of your house? Easy I94 access and Pabst Farms development for shopping. $229,900

Directions: I94 exit Hwy 67, west on Cty B, right on Silver Lake St to Bolson Dr, end of street.

MLS#1141627

Or go to www.rebecca.shorewest.com

I live west of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin - about a 15 minute commute to work each day, if I'm going into the office. However, as a real estate professional knows, you are running from property to property, either selling, listing or keeping current on the environment. The office is usually an end of the day for me.

But thousands of workers commute into the city (Milwaukee) from the western suburbs every day. One of the perks of suburban living is the easy commute on I94, except during road construction. But to give credit to the department of transportation, they usually shut down during the night-time hours. It makes the commute to Milwaukee a fairly easy way to travel.

What I didn't know, was that the Bus Lines offer routes from Goerke's Corners (Brookfield) and Meadowbrook (Pewaukee). You can save the gas, the environment, your car, etc. by checking out the Milwaukee Bus Transportation. It may be another alternate commuting option. I plan to offer this option to my commuting condo buyers at Meadowbrook Village Condominiums in Pewaukee as a location perk. You would think as a former Milwaukee city resident, albeit many years ago, I would have remembered riding the bus everywhere and it's convenience. Maybe I need a "greener" attitude.

Located about 30 miles west of Milwaukee, Okauchee lake is a popular spot for weekend and summer water fun. There are still plenty of Okauchee Lake cottages for rent around the lake for weekend use.

When I was growing up, my grandparents (and my parents) had year-round homes on Okauchee Lake. However there were plenty of cottages in the area (1960's) where we only had "friends" in the summer time.

Nowadays, most of the area lake homes are year-round homes. But every now and then an older cottage comes on the market just prime for re-modelling.

Okauchee is a growing community. The Lakeview Beauty Salon in downtown Okauchee is a wonderful place for all generations of women. Walk-ins accepted. Bella's Cafe opened up next door to Lakeview.

There is a push for village incorporation. One of the first round-a-bouts is located downtown.

It is also one of the busiest lakes in the summer. That is the only drawback. Okauchee Lake has always been a popular lake for boaters, skiers, sailing, swimmers, divers, and fishermen. Respect for each is essential.

So if you are looking for a great lake to visit this summer, consider Okauchee.

And if you're looking for lake property...give me a call. I grew up on Ice House Bay and used to sail my sailboat on Okauchee.

Even if the homebuyer's tax credit has come to an end, it's still a buyer's market out there, so you need to make your home stand out from the crowd.

Staging your property doesn't require a professional. You can do it yourself if you remember a few easy steps. Declutter. Repaint. Move furniture. A good first impression is essential, especially the outdoors and the front entry, the first spaces a buyer sees.

Homes reflect the people who live there, not those who will. But you can stage your home yourself allowing prospective buyers to envision the residence as their own. Small touch-ups can make a big difference in how quickly a home moves off the market.

Lighten up the walls with a neutral color. Add "moveable" color through your furniture and accessories. Get rid of the clutter. Create a private retreat outdoors with just a couple of outdoor chairs and table. Check out a Home and Garden type magazine for inspiration. You can do it!

With just a few changes, and a little effort, you can make your home stand out.

Nowadays, neighborhood sobriquets are designed by real estate marketing gurus to make an area more appealing. In 100 years, that story will be forgotten, but the names will remain. We often forget that the names of our oldest neighborhoods hold a deep history and sense of place. Here are some favorite neighborhoods and neighborhood names, and the people, geographies, and stories from which they came.

Bucktown, Chicago  Named for the goats that Polish immigrants raised in the neighborhood. A male goat is called a buck.   

Frogtown, St. Paul  Theories about the neighborhood's name abound: because of the area's French settlers, because a Catholic priest witnessed croaking frogs in the area, or because railroad couplers were known as "frogs," and the area was full of railroad workers.   

Greenwich Village, Manhattan  Named in the 1670s for Greenwyck, the town on Long Island where the neighborhood's developer, Yellis Mandeville, had lived previously.  

Haight Ashbury, San Francisco  Named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets. The origin of the name Haight is unknown. Ashbury was a city supervisor at the time.  

The Mission District, San Francisco  Named for the nearby Spanish mission, which, while officially known as San Francisco de Asis, is commonly known as Mission Dolores, after a nearby creek.  

Park Slope, Brooklyn  Named for its location on a hill leading up to Prospect Park.  

Pigtown, Baltimore Named for the fact that it was the area where the railroad released cargoes of pigs to go to the city's slaughterhouses.  

SoCo, Austin, Texas  Named for its proximity to South Congress Avenue, which was itself named for the location where, according to legend, Mirabeau Lamar, vice president of the Texas Republic, shot a buffalo and declared the location to be the new seat of the Texan government.  

TangleTown, Seattle  Named for the fact that the area is where the city's orderly grid system of streets breaks down.   

Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn  Named after a battle in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, in an attempt to lure Irish immigrants to settle in the area.   

Watts, Los Angeles Named for the neighborhood's developer, Charles Watts.  

Wicker Park, Chicago Named for the local park, which in turn was named after the developers Charles and Joel Wicker, who donated a parcel of land to the city in the 1870s to build a public park.  

Wrigleyville, Chicago  Named for its proximity to the Cubs' stadium, Wrigley Field, which was named after the Cubs' owner, the chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., in 1926.

Some local names:

5 - O's  - Oconomowoc. If you notice, there are 5 "o"s in Oconomowoc (if you spell it right).

Icehouse Bay, Okauchee - the bay where the largest Ice house was located in the late 1880's to 1900's. I believe most lakes in Wisconsin had at least one bay with this sobriquet.

Norweigan Bridge, Oconomowoc - So called because it was the bridge from downtown over the flowage from Fowler Lake to the Norwegian Church.

I'm collecting a list of local neighborhood names in the lake country area of Wisconsin, Waukesha County. Feel free to send me any you wish.