madeline island: Don't Count on Riding the Madeline Island Ferry Until After Easter
- 04/10/14 03:31 AM
Don't Count on Riding the Madeline Island Ferry Until After Easter
The Ashland Daily Press has made it official (via the Madeline Island Ferry Line) that travelers to and from Madeline Island should not expect to see ferry service resume until after Easter, at the earliest. The demise of the "ice road" between Bayfield, Wisconsin and the Island has forced the resumption of windsled travel, but that doesn't mean that ferry service can begin yet.
The ice is so thick this year, perhaps as much as three or four feet thick, that it isn't possible to get across the bay … (5 comments)
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madeline island: Vacant Land Sales Will be a Sign of a Sustained Real Estate Recovery
- 04/03/14 11:41 AM
Vacant Land Sales Will be a Sign of a Sustained Real Estate Recovery
My friend and real estate colleague, broker Liane Read (whose company, "Sea to Sky Premier Properties", sells real estate in Canada's Southern Gulf Islands, including Salt Spring Island) writes an excellent blog about her area market. I just finished reading her exceptionally well-written April 2014 Market Report and I happened upon something she wrote which I agree with one hundred per cent.
In her most current market report, Li wrote "I've always thought that raw land sales mark the turn into a true sellers market". And the same holds true for … (1 comments)
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madeline island: 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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madeline island: We Made Sales All Winter While Other Area Realtors Were on Vacation
- 04/03/14 01:14 AM
We Made Sales All Winter While Other Area Realtors Were on Vacation
For as far back as I can remember, real estate agents on Madeline Island and on the mainland (Bayfield and other northwest Wisconsin towns) have been giving their clients the questionable advice that "no one comes up here to buy in winter, so you might as well take your property off the market until next April or May".
If you bought into that bad advice last autumn, you made a major mistake.
Between mid-September of 2013 and today, buyer interest in real estate on Madeline Island and in the Apostle … (4 comments)
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madeline island: Once You've Tested the Market, You Need to Act Upon the Results
- 03/30/14 01:11 AM
Once You've Tested the Market, You Need to Act Upon the Results
I've had quite a few recent conversations with homeowners in the Apostle Islands and South Shore area lately, all of those conversations centered around the search for a price that will bring results. These would-be sellers have something in common, and that something is frustration.
The situation appears to be worse on the mainland, compared to our recent market upturn on Madeline Island. Properties in Bayfield County, particularly those priced at over three hundred thousand dollars, aren't exactly flying off the shelves. A lot of sellers appear to be stubbornly holding … (0 comments)
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madeline island: Outstanding Value on Madeline Island - 951 Snow Place Lane
- 03/22/14 04:48 AM
Outstanding Value on Madeline Island - 951 Snow Place Lane
Here's a Madeline Island listing that has been completely overlooked by buyers. 951 Snow Place Lane, LaPointe WI combines large, private acreage with a comfortable home, close to the Town of LaPointe and right next door to the Madeline Island Airport, all at a remarkably low price.
This property is bank-owned. The bank wants it sold. We rarely see bank-owned properties for sale on Madeline Island, but this one is filled with desirable features.
Spacious Year-Round Home, 3 Bedrooms and 3 Baths 24 x 36 Insulated and Heated Utility … (1 comments)
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madeline island: Why Discount Brokerage Models Don't Work in Most Vacation Home Areas
- 03/09/14 04:02 PM
Why Discount Brokerage Models Don't Work in Most Vacation Home Areas
A customer whom I've exchanged emails with for nearly two years finally approached me the beginning of this year, wanting to list his property. After a pretty thorough discussion of the local market and the likely prospect of achieving a sale, this fellow asked what our commission rate would be to list and market his property and to bring the transaction to the closing table.
After I quoted him a commission figure, the tone of the entire conversation changed. The customer's response was basically that he expected us to … (2 comments)
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madeline island: Wisconsin Court of Appeals Issues Major Ruling on Zoning Jurisdiction
- 03/04/14 11:17 AM
Wisconsin Court of Appeals Issues Major Ruling on Zoning Jurisdiction
This Wisconsin Appelate Court ruling seems to have the attention of everyone on Madeline Island. In late 2013, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals issued a ruling (in the case of Hegwood vs. Town of Eagle Zoning Board of Appeals) which will likely have a significant impact on shoreline property owners in the Town of LaPointe.
In a nutshell, the ruling effectively negates town zoning jurisdiction over property in shoreland areas (defined as within 1000 feet of a lake or 300 feet from a navigable stream). The ruling would hand … (2 comments)
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madeline island: How Do You Perform a Home Inspection at Twenty Degrees Below Zero?
- 02/27/14 01:15 PM
How Do You Perform a Home Inspection at Twenty Degrees Below Zero?
Every day brings a new experience in this business. This morning, we were scheduled to have a home inspection performed at one of our Madeline Island home listings. That inspection had to be postponed, due to the "Polar Vortex".
The forecast last night for LaPointe, Wisconsin was for temperatures of eighteen to twenty below zero. And nighttime lows are predicted to remain in the subzero category for the next four or five days.
At temperatures like those, it's just plain unsafe to "un-winterize" a home in order … (1 comments)
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madeline island: NEW LISTING - Lot 6, Cramer Lane, North Shore Heights, Madeline Island
- 02/23/14 10:50 AM
NEW LISTING - Lot 6, Cramer Lane, North Shore Heights, Madeline Island
Check out our newest listing on Madeline Island, with deeded lake access and a hillside lake view from the front of the lot, looking west towards Hermit and Basswood Islands in the Apostle Islands area of Lake Superior.
Are you searching for that ideal building site with dynamite views, unmatched privacy and affordable property taxes?
Lot six in the North Shore Heights development on Madeline Island just may be what you've been looking for. It's a twenty-minute drive north of the Town of LaPointe, Wisconsin on Madeline Island, close enough to … (3 comments)
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madeline island: Don't Fool Yourself With Google Searches on Your Keywords
- 02/08/14 12:11 PM
Gail Robinson has written a superb post, reminding us all that Google search results are not always accurate, as they are skewed by the user's history of past searches. Gail also provides some valuable information about using StartPage.com, and in her comments she writes about using the Incognito function available on Google Chrome to gather accurate information about search rankings.
A series of searches using Chrome "Incognito" and StartPage.com confirmed what we already suspected, that Madeline Island Realty appears at the top of page one for searches of "Madeline Island Real Estate" and "Madeline Island Homes". We're also pleased to … (5 comments)
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madeline island: Madeline Island & Ashland County Mirrors 2013 Statewide Sales Rebound
- 02/01/14 01:47 PM
Madeline Island & Ashland County Mirrors 2013 Statewide Sales Rebound
2013 statistics for home sales in Ashland County showed robust gains similar to those reported statewide, according to the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA).
The median home price in Ashland County, WI (as compiled and reported by WRA monthly) rose to new, higher levels in mid-2013 and remained there for most of the balance of the year.
With a countywide population of just under 16,000 people, you'd expect that there wouldn't be all that many reported home sales per month in Ashland County, Wisconsin. Over most of 2013, monthly reported … (2 comments)
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madeline island: Comparing Similar Great Lakes Second Home Communities - Door County WI
- 01/26/14 09:07 AM
Comparing Similar Great Lakes Second Home Communities - Door County WI
When comparing new and existing home costs in similar recreational or second home communities on (or near) the Great Lakes, we tend to narrow our search to a handful of choices that are reasonably close to home. Many of our customers think of Minnesota's "North Shore" (the Minnesota shoreline on Lake Superior between Duluth/Two Harbors and the Grand Marais area) as a basis for comparison with the Apostle Islands (Bayfield and Madeline Island).
My preference is to look to the east end of the State of Wisconsin as … (0 comments)
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madeline island: Meanwhile, Back in Minnesota, We Just Sold Another Condo Unit in Edina
- 01/23/14 11:34 AM
Meanwhile, Back in Minnesota, We Just Sold Another Condo Unit in Edina
In winter, the bulk of our business tends to shift between our Madeline Island office and our office in the Minneapolis & Saint Paul metropolitan area. Although business has been strong throughout November, December and January on the Island, we're seeing a considerable volume of real estate sales activity in the Twin Cities as well.
We just participated in the sale of another unit at "The Yorker" Condominiums in Edina, Minnesota, our second sale at The Yorker in just over six weeks (and our fourth sale at … (0 comments)
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madeline island: More About Choosing a Preferred Location For Your Madeline Island Home
- 01/22/14 01:46 AM
More About Choosing a Preferred Location For Your Madeline Island Home
Over the past three-plus decades, I have owned a wide variety of properties on Madeline Island, ranging from vacant land and waterfront, to a condominium unit and our Madeline Island Realty office in downtown LaPointe, to other commercial properties and a log home on Islewood Road. One of the most important advantages that experience has provided to me is some actual knowledge about various Madeline Island neighborhoods and property types, and what it's really like to own here.
At the end of the seventies and into the early … (0 comments)
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madeline island: Logistics of Setting up a January Property Showing on Madeline Island
- 01/19/14 11:44 AM
Logistics of Setting up a January Property Showing on Madeline Island
I'm writing this post on my bed at a motel in Ashland, Wisconsin. Tomorrrow, I've got two property showings on Madeline Island. One of the showings is a waterfront home on Lake Superior, and the other is an interior log home on the Island.
The drive to Ashland from Minneapolis was pretty uneventful, at least until we got to the Duluth - Superior area. Once we crossed the Blatnik bridge into Wisconsin, we ran into snow and fairly high winds, with low visibility that made driving slippery and … (2 comments)
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madeline island: Add Accessibility Features to a Summer Home & Corner the Rental Market
- 01/06/14 08:31 AM
Add Accessibility Features to a Summer Home & Corner the Rental Market
Vacation and second home markets often lack accessible rental lodging for short-term summer renters who need it.
For example, week-to-week and short term summer home/condo rentals are a high-demand item on Madeline Island in the Apostle Islands of northwest Wisconsin. But if you needed to find a short term summer rental that's wheelchair accessible or has interior features tailored to the needs of someone with limited mobility, you might find that more of a challenge than you'd expect.
The need for accessible lodging, as well as housing, is poised to expand hugely … (1 comments)
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madeline island: Mainland Agent Tells Client There's No Market for Homes over $200,000
- 12/31/13 01:20 AM
Mainland Agent Tells Client There's No Market for Homes over $200,000
I received a phone call from a frustrated waterfront homeowner last week, who related the following story to me. Her home on Lake Superior hasn't sold, hasn't had a single showing in the past year. And when she asked her Bayfield, Wisconsin area listing agent why, the agent replied, "there's no market for your home". The listing agent reportedly went on to claim that "nobody's buying anything over $200,000 this year".
No market?
Nobody's buying over two hundred thousand??
That's utter nonsense.
Wouldn't it be … (2 comments)
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madeline island: Why do Most Buyers Wait Until the End of the Year to Make an Offer?
- 12/29/13 05:27 AM
Why do Most Buyers Wait Until the End of the Year to Make an Offer?
We appreciate our buyer clients and we finish each year grateful that we have buyers with the vision and the desire to own a second home/vacation home on Lake Superior.
At the same time, buyer behavior sometimes leaves agents scratching their heads. Buyers can be quirky. Maybe they don't mean to be, but they are.
For example, the majority of our buyers finally make a buying decision at the end of summer, often even well into autumn. They often spend months browsing listings on the … (0 comments)
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madeline island: SOLD - 933 Nebraska Row, LaPointe WI Listed by Madeline Island Realty
- 08/06/13 10:31 AM
SOLD - 933 Nebraska Row, LaPointe WI - Listed by Madeline Island Realty
One of Northern Wisconsin's most celebrated historic estates, Woods Manor on Madeline Island is now a Closed Sale. This remarkable pedigreed property combines the ultimate Lake Superior view with classic architecture and Gatsby-era style.
The property was co-listed by Wayzata Lakes Realty and the buyer was procured by Madeline Island Realty. This most recent upper-bracket pending sale on Madeline Island mirrors the 2012 sale of Coole Park Manor (formerly Brittany Bed & Breakfast Inn) on Old Fort Road.
Just over three months ago, I posted an … (1 comments)
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