madeline island: 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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madeline island: Madeline Island Ferry Line Adopts Policy Requiring Passenger Masks
- 04/14/20 06:50 AM
Madeline Island Ferry Line Adopts Policy Requiring Passenger Masks
Yesterday the Madeline Island Ferry Line posted a policy requiring passengers using the on-board passenger cabins "to wear a mask covering the mouth and nose".
The Ferry line meets the definition of a "common carrier" under Federal Maritime Law (see Federal Maritime Commission rules, 46 CFR, subsection 530.0). This rule which pertains to "a vessel operating on the high seas or the Great Lakes", gives the Ferry Line broad authority to make and enforce regulations on Lake Superior dealing with passenger safety and conduct while on board.
This is a proactive step towards protecting passengers from … (0 comments)
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madeline island: COVID-19 Has Reached Bayfield County, Wisconsin
- 03/20/20 12:44 PM
COVID-19 has Reached Bayfield County, Wisconsin
A good friend and client of mine who lives in Bayfield, Wisconsin emailed me this morning,"yesterday I noticed the Bayfield County Health Department notice reported that COVID-19 moved into Bayfield County".
He went on to report that "A high school student traveled to an infected area and brought a treat home to us. The City has been shut down for a week".
Sad News for Bayfield County and the surrounding area. I'm not aware of any confirmed cases of the virus on Madeline Island as yet.
… (2 comments)
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madeline island: Town of La Pointe, WI Closes Municipal Buildings
- 03/19/20 02:26 PM
The Ashland Daily Press has reported that all municipal buildings in the Town of La Pointe, Wisconsin were officially closed yesterday until further notice, presumably because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The closing will be in effect until further notice. Meetings in municipal buildings are canceled, except for those scheduled by appointment.
Numerous similar closings are being reported along the south shore/Apostle Islands region, from Ashland and Odanah to Madeline Island, Washburn and Bayfield. The Red Cliff Tribe of Lake Superior Chippewa closed its "Legendary Waters" Casino today, following a similar move by the Bad River Tribe at their own casino. The … (0 comments)
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madeline island: 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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madeline island: Midwest Real Estate Data is Coming After Pocket Listings - Stay Tuned
- 10/22/19 06:43 AM
Midwest Real Estate Data is Coming After Pocket Listings - Stay Tuned
Inman News published this news story yesterday and it's already sounding an alarm among agents who live off of "pocket listings". MRED (out of Chicago) has had a longstanding policy opposing pocket listings. Now MRED has taken the next step, asking NAR to adopt a nationwide ban on pocket listings.
Whether you agree or not, pocket listings are considered anti-competitive. In some cases, pocket listings may even be a Fair Housing violation. Asking NAR to adopt a national policy against pocket listings is a big deal, and it will impact agents all over the … (2 comments)
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madeline island: Craigslist Rental Scam Complaint Reported to Police on Madeline Island
- 04/13/16 05:47 AM
Craigslist Rental Scam Complaint Reported to Police on Madeline Island
In our Madeline Island Real Estate Blog, we've tried to warn readers about the perils of using Craigslist to advertise properties for sale or for rent. And we also routinely warn consumers about the lack of safety or consumer protection when responding to Craigslist real estate ads.
Now, it appears the La Pointe (Wisconsin) Police Department has posted a warning on Facebook about a rental scam on Craigslist which targets people searching for a place to rent on Madeline Island. [see below]
The warning from the La Pointe police department states that a Craigslist ad is attempting to rent a … (7 comments)
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madeline island: A Crib Dock Can Add Value to Your Waterfront Property Shoreline
- 04/11/16 06:33 PM
A Crib Dock Can Add Value to Your Waterfront Property Shoreline
In our geographic area in northwest Wisconsin (the Apostle Islands region of Lake Superior), it's not uncommon to see what are sometimes described as "permanent docks" or "crib docks" along the shoreline. Among the twenty-one Apostle Islands, Madeline Island is home to perhaps a couple hundred of these crib docks.
Construction of these crib docks generally consists of oak cribs, pinned together with heavy iron spikes and filled with large brownstone boulders. The rock-filled cribs are then "topped" with planking, allowing a dock surface that can be equipped with mooring cleats or dock … (7 comments)
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madeline island: Spring Snowfalls Hamper Showings in Bayfield WI and on Madeline Island
- 04/09/16 07:07 AM
Spring Snowfalls Hamper Showings in Bayfield WI and on Madeline Island
It's pretty unusual for a real estate agent to have a brisk showing schedule in early April on the shores of Lake Superior. But it's happening this year. We're seeing a healthier than usual amount of prospective buyer traffic in the Apostle Islands area this spring. There's just one problem.
It's snow.
Snow, and lots of it, is slowing down real estate agents in our Madeline Island Realty office and in some instances it's causing showing appointment cancellations in the Bayfield and Madeline Island area. Heavy, wet snows in the past 36-48 hours are making it difficult … (2 comments)
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madeline island: A Damp and Musty Smell in the House Cost This Owner a Sale
- 04/08/16 06:06 AM
A Damp and Musty Smell in the House Cost This Owner a Sale
This happened just a couple of weeks ago. Prospective buyers (clients of mine) were viewing a waterfront vacation home listing in our area and they appeared to be close to making an offer.
Following a third showing of the property, the buyers immediately informed their agent that they noticed a "damp, musty odor" inside the house. When this happens, alarm bells go off inside a buyer's head. Mildew? Mold? To a buyer, there is an immediate presumption that something is wrong.
Upon follow-up, the buyers admitted that they were not sure what exactly they were noticing, but the words … (4 comments)
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madeline island: Pricing Second Homes Can be a Real Challenge
- 03/26/16 11:21 PM
Pricing second homes/vacation homes is often more complex and more challenging than putting a price on a primary home. Seller motivations are different, time frames are different, even the level of urgency is different.
The most recent edition of The Residential Specialist magazine (pubished by CRS, the Council of Residential Specialists in Chicago) features an article by Donna Shryer entitled "The Fine Art of Pricing". The article is well-written and the information it contains certainly applies to primary homes. But second homes are a different matter.
The article states that sellers want and need data, preferring an evidence-based approach to pricing. Unfortunately, we find over and over again that … (3 comments)
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madeline island: 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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madeline island: 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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madeline island: Showing Activity Heats Up on Madeline Island and Bayfield WI in March
- 03/06/16 02:08 AM
Showing Activity Heats Up on Madeline Island and Bayfield, WI in March
A Market Report from Madeline Island Realty
After a couple of very quiet months, we are seeing a revival in property showing activity on both Madeline Island and in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Things were very quiet in our Apostle Islands real estate market during January and February of 2016, but that hiatus seems to be coming to an end.
For the first time since early to mid-December, property inquiries by prospective buyers appear to be on the rise. Most of the buyer interest is in homes, but there have also been inquiries about vacant land, particularly large parcels … (2 comments)
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madeline island: The Essential Elements of a Shared Driveway Agreement
- 02/05/16 11:30 PM
The Essential Elements of a Shared Driveway Agreement
Shared driveways and roadways are popular in our market area (Madeline Island and Bayfield, Wisconsin) for a number of reasons. Fewer driveways along a stretch of county or town road means a more pristine appearance to a residential neighborhood. With fewer breaches in the road, inbound and outbound traffic from multiple dwellings are funneled into one outlet.
Fewer trees are cut when every home doesn't require its own driveway. There is less damage to wildlife habitat and there are fewer culverts buried alongside the roadway at driveway outlets.
The flip side of these benefits is about the potential for disputes between … (2 comments)
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madeline island: 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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madeline island: Fifteen Years Since Our Office First Joined a Multiple Listing Service
- 12/24/15 11:19 AM
Fifteen Years Since Our Office First Joined a Multiple Listing Service
I remember quite well the day that our company, Madeline Island Realty, became the first real estate brokerage on Madeline Island to join a Multiple Listing Service (MLS). It was at the beginning of 2001 that I begain having discussions with the folks at Northwest Wisconsin Multiple Listing Service in Eau Claire, Wisconsin about becoming a member. At that time, nobody on Madeline Island or in nearby Bayfield, Wisconsin had an MLS membership or uploaded their property listings to a Multiple Listing Service.
At that time, in our sleepy little corner of … (2 comments)
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madeline island: Six Hard Truths About Selling Your Vacation Home
- 07/31/15 01:19 AM
Six Hard Truths About Selling Your Vacation Home
Here are six important truths that many sellers overlook in their quest to sell a second home. Ignore these at your own risk, but remember that you've been warned!
The more time your home spends on the market, the worse it looks to prospective buyers. Fifteen years ago, we would see quite a few "perennial listings" here on Madeline Island which remained on the market year after year without a sale. Being on the market for more than a year can be risky. After a long time on the market, such properties become "shopworn" in … (5 comments)
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madeline island: August is Decision Time - Want Your Vacation Home Sold in 2015 or Not?
- 07/28/15 01:07 PM
August is Decision Time - Want Your Vacation Home Sold in 2015 or Not?
In the northern United States, where shopping for a vacation home is a seasonal affair, the beginning of August is something of a decision-making moment. In our northwest Wisconsin real estate market (the South Shore of Lake Superior, including Madeline Island and Bayfield, Wisconsin), August marks the beginning of "crunch time". For many reasons, the price and condition of your home listing at this crucial time of year will make or break the success of your listing.
We often remind our sellers that they need to pay close attention … (0 comments)
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madeline island: Madeline Island Receives a Mention on Door County Daily News Website
- 04/14/15 07:44 AM
Madeline Island Receives a Mention on Door County Daily News Website
I was pleased to notice that an article on the Door County Daily News website about Washington Island (located just north of the Door Peninsula in northeastern Wisconsin) mentioned Madeline Island. The mention appeared in a link to Barry Adams' April 12, 2015 article in the Wisconsin State Journal, entitled "On Wisconsin: Getting to know the Badger State a Little Better".
Adams' article in the State Journal referred to Madeline Island as "the largest island of the Apostle Islands where students take an ice boat to school in Bayfield during the winter". … (3 comments)
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2021 Construction Materials Prices are on the Rise
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