Door County Real Estate Information

Door County was featured as a getaway in Chicago Magazine's recent issue.

The crashing waves at Cave Point headline the article which described the Door as, "...with roughly 300 miles of coastline and quaint New Englandy towns...", and, "Wisconsin's crooked-finger peninsula...".  Pretty accurate descriptions I would say.

Favorite Door County spots receiving special mention are Ellison Bay, Porcupine Road and Ellison Bluff Road---all leading to Ellison Bluff Park.

The article invites the reader to, "Picture an eagle's nest made of metal and bolted to the side of a sheer cliff.  That is what Ellison Bluff County Park offers."

Cave Point County Park in the town of Sevastopol seems an amazement and a frightening place to the writer as she describes, "...the bluffs are without barriers of any kind. A sign exhorts visitors to hang on to children and pets. Scramble along the slippery ribbons of trail at your peril. Most hikers stay up on the ledge; but you can rock-hop right down to the water, where grottos pock the limestone and sharp outcroppings offer quasi shelter should a sudden squall come up. When the wind is right, blowholes send flumes of water skyward with the force of whales spouting. Spend an hour wandering around in this misty never-never land and you’ll probably be ready to go somewhere that’s officially, well, somewhere." 

In all the years I've been living in Door County and going to Cave Point I don't think I've ever known anyone to be lost.  If you make a trip to the Door you must see Cave Point despite this writers imaginative description!

Peninsula State Park is mentioned as, "...definitely somewhere" and described as "...a prominent swatch of emerald green...", and "...the Grand Central Station of Door County attractions".  The writer gives a bit of Door County history as she writes about a cemetary where, "...stones go back to the 1700s. Increase Claflin arrived in 1834 and became the “First White Settler in Door County,” according to his tombstone...".

The writer counts among her must do list the Yardley Inn, Rowleys Bay Resort, White Gull Inn and Door County Coffee and Tea.

Here is the link for the Chicago Magazine article--enjoy.

I have the perfect excuse for you to plan a trip to Door County this month--as if you need an excuse.  the Perseid Meteor Shower.  My grand boys will be here so we're planning a camp out on the 13th to watch the show.

Not many of us will be privileged to travel into space, but we can enjoy the phenomenon of a meteor shower as it crosses the nighttime sky. Meteoroids are the debris flung from comets as they orbit the sun, a streak of light produced by the meteoroid as it reaches incandescence.

August brings a special show that will peak during the dark hours of August 12 to 13--the Perseids.

The Perseid meteor shower is so named because it appears to fall from the constellation Perseus that appears in the northeast sky in mid-August. This shower, which is produced by the space crumbs of the comet Swift-Tuttle, has been observed for almost 2000 years. The comet Swift-Tuttle takes about 130 years to make one trip around the sun.

The earliest recording of Perseid activity comes from the Chinese who documented the wonder in 36 AD. Some have referred to the Perseids as the “tears of St. Lawrence” since his feast day is August 10.

The best way to enjoy the Perseids is to leave the lights of the city and find a dark spot in a park or any safe area that is in the direction of the Perseus constellation (we have lots of these in the Door!). Make sure oncoming headlights will not ruin your night vision. Binoculars are not needed; your eyesight will be enough.

If you can’t manage your viewing on the magical night of the most activity, up to 60 meteors an hour, most viewers will be able to see at least a few from the beginning of the month up to August 22.

Have a great week and fantastic weekend!

A wise real estate mentor once told me, "As your business grows, time will be the most valuable thing to you..it will be the thing you have the least of but need the most of".

My high school principal was famous for telling kids who made it to his office because of some mischief they were in, "You can take my money, but don't take my time".

What does time have to do, really, with real estate.  Well, sellers who want to sell will trade time for money, or money for time. 

If a seller is hoping to get to another location by a certain date they may sacrifice money by listing the property for a lesser dollar amount that may result in a quicker sale and the ability to meet their timeline.  Or, if they are in no hurry to sell they may take the position of wanting to list the property for a little more money and wait for the buyer to come along who might pay that amount.  Or, they may try to time the market--get the property for sale when they think the market is coming up.

In any of these cases be careful.  Consult with a Realtor who will give you a true picture of the market and advise wisely on pricing strategies; and if anyone tells you that they can "time" the market be sure to ask them how they'll do that.  Call me at 920-823-2219 and ask for my "Seller's Survival Guide".  It's filled with things you should take into consideration if you are looking to sell you property.

Unheard of in the past, today banks are deciding to settle for less on outstanding mortgage loans than the borrower owes.  When this happens we have what is becoming very common, a short sale. 

A number of conditions can cause the short sale but most often this happens because the borrower is for whatever reason no longer to make their payments, and, the house is worth less than what is owed on the loan. 

Another option the borrower and lender may look at is to modify the loan—perhaps lower the interest rate, add the missed payments to the end of the mortgage and/or waive late fees.  This is usually the first course of action and if the lender finds that a modification is not going to work then they will consider a short sale and see how much of the loan they can recoup.

Foreclosures are an expensive and timely process for banks.  Usually foreclosed homes are in very poor shape thereby further decreasing the value.  If the loan modification does not work then working through a short sale with the borrower eliminates the legal costs to the bank of a foreclosure.   And for the borrower a short sale is almost always a better option than a foreclosure.  Both will affect the borrower’s credit, but the effects of a short sale can last only two or three years; the effects of a foreclosure will last seven years or more.

If you are a borrower and troubling with your mortgage payment, or if you know someone in this position I urge you to call me for a private consultation today, I know that the current economic conditions have caused many unbearable stress and heartache.  We can get your home sold and avoid foreclosure.

If you are a buyer, the length of time it takes to buy a short sale is longer than a traditional purchase, and you will likely need to purchase the property in “as is” condition, but with some patience you could find a great opportunity awaiting you and in the process help another family on the road to recovery.

Call me at 920-823-2219 or email me at Lisa@HomeInDoorCounty.com to discuss avoiding foreclosure of your Door County property and how ewe can accomplish a short sale for you.

Summer has arrived in Door County!  We had stretch of days that were warm and sunny--perfect for the beach.  It's raining this morning, but I have high hopes for another warm and sunny day because when I was a little girl and dismayed by rain on a summer morning my grandmother always said, "Rain before seven, gone by eleven".  As I recall she was usually right.

If you'll be in Door County, or if you're already here, you might run into a few places where some road construction is occuring.  My wish for you is that the only Door County construction zone that slows you down is just like the one in this photo...have a great day!

This morning I had the pleasure to attend the unveiling of the fantastic tiled mural depicting life in the Sevastopol School District communities of Jacksonport, Egg Harbor, Valmy, Carlsville, and Sevastopol  The mural was a year-long project headed by the Artists in Education (AIE) committee at Sevastopol.

To avoid missing too many  names, I will name only two members of the committee from the school—Chris Aufdermauer, elementary art teacher, and Ashley LaVick, high school art teacher.  These two educators worked with students, volunteers and the artists in residence, David and Jeanne Aurelius, to create the masterpiece.

The project started last summer with Mrs. Aufdermauer  traveling our communities and taking photos of landmarks, businesses and activities.  When the school year started each student had the opportunity to create the design for at least one tile—they began with a drawing of their choice.  Then the drawings were laid out to form the pattern for the mural with the water, Lake Michigan on one side and the Bay of Green Bay on the other, and all the communities between.

There are single tiles of fish, girls on horseback, deer in the woods and boats in the water.  There are buildings that contain up to six tiles like the depiction of the school or the Peninsular Research Station.  Some of the highlights for me are:  1) The West Jacksonport sign prominently displayed at the top middle of the mural with a baseball player swinging his bat (I’m from West Jacksonport and baseball is a big tradition there; 2) the large pumpkin patch with a huge colored butterfly in the middle of it—the patch and butterfly are the contribution by the kindergarten class; 3) Ralph Smith’s saw mill at Lily Bay—the saw mill a well known gathering place along the lakeside; 4) perhaps my favorite, and the most touching is the red barn that depicts The Farm and the fabulous likeness of Carl Scholz standing next to it.  Mr. Scholz  was an educator, principal and superintendent at Sevastopol for well over 30 years, and he was one of the original founders of The Farm.  His long service to Sevastopol and his continued dedication to education and conservation make this another well deserved honor.

David and Jeanne Aurelius own Clay Bay Pottery in Ellison Bay.  Their first mural at Sevastopol, 15 years ago took them on a journey of 17 more murals in schools around the state.  This Sevastopol mural is their 19^th.

If you are in the county and would like a look at the mural, stop by the school and see it in its place of prominence in our lobby.  If you are an art lover, or a Door County lover and would like a peek at the mural this summer—I just might be able to get you in to see it!

The folloiwng article is by one of our Sevastopol sixth grade journalists and describes a bit of the process, and be sure to check out the photo links at the very bottom of this post.

Sevastopol’s Artists in Residence
Written by: Cory Carlson, sixth grade

The tile Mural has taken one of the last steps. There were 20 to 30 helpers total that put 3 coats of underglaze on the 362 tiles, after students put on the sculptural relief that gives it detail.  This last step took about 3 weeks. The underglazing adds color, which has an effect that makes the tiles come alive and stand out more.  Then Ms. LaVick and Mrs. Aufdermauer put 40 tiles in the kiln at once where they were fired at approximately 1850 degrees for 13 to 14 hours.  Then the kiln had to cool down for 13 to 14 hours. Then they kept on putting more tiles in the kiln for about 5 weeks. Dave and Jean Aurelius took about 100 tiles up to their art studio for some of the tiles to get fired in their kiln so it would get done faster. After all tiles have been fired in the kiln once, Dave Aurelius and helpers dipped all the tiles in a big bucket of clear glaze. The tiles then were fired again in the kiln, but this time they were put at 2165 degrees so the glazes could get bright and shiny.

The first  photo link shows the work in progress.  The second photo link has a few photos of the exciting all-school assembly this morning,  the unveiling and the finished work of art. Enjoy.

The Mural in Progress
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46963530@N02/sets/72157624148936274/show/

The Mural Unveiling  http://www.claybaypottery.net/index.html

We've enjoyed a fantastic Saturday and Sunday here in Door County.  Beautiful weather, lots of visitors and family, and perhaps the best Maifest celebration ever.  Tomorrow is Memorial Day; a friend sent me a short video that speaks volumes about the day.

Please pause for a few minutes to watch and reflect on our place in the world today.  Thank goodness we are what we are today--free. But, freedom is not free, a tremendous price has been paid and continues to be paid by our United States military. 

I hope you will enjoy this tribute as much as I have.

God bless our United States military men, women and families.  Click here for a Memorial Day Tribute.

Yesterday I posted the new mortgage rates on my blog; they were 4.8% for 30 years and 4.15% for 15 years.  Those are really good rates

Unbelievably this morning I received another rate alert and the 15 year fixed rate today is at 4.125% and the 30 year at 4.75%.  WOW. 

If you know anyone who has been thinking of refinancing, please pass this information along.  I receive these alerts from Bank Mutual, but they are very consistent among most any bank.

And of course, if you are thinking of a purchase in Door County--contact me!  If you are in a position to buy now we'll work hard to find the right house or condo and get you in under this wonderful opportunity.

One other thing I want to pass along.  I was contacted by the PR person for our local Board of Realtors.  She is doing an article for the local newspaper and is looking for quotes from Realtors on why now is a good time to buy.  Of course, there are all the usual reasons--rates are down, inventory is great, sellers are motivated--I did some calculations and came up with these two scenarios (before rates took this little drop).  If you are, again in a position to buy, and on the fence consider this:

"Considering only dollars and cents, if you are in a position to buy now, you should.  A $1.2 million dollar home today with a 25% down payment, at a jumbo rate of 5.75% for a 30-year mortgage would mean a monthly payment of $5,242.  If mortgage rates were to rise to 6.5%, the monthly payment would jump to $5,688.  A jump of $446 per month on your payment!  

Looking at a smaller number, say a home valued at  $200,000, with 20% down (a loan of $160,000) and  a 5% fixed interest rate for 30 years, the monthly payment would be  $859.  When rates jump to 6% that same loan will cost $959. per month.  For the smaller budget a $100 per month jump is a lot of money.  The home’s value would have to decrease to by 11%, to $178,000 for the buyer to achieve the same $859.  monthly payment."

Have a great weekend. 

Last post I wrote about hot mortgage rates.  Hold on to your hat--they are even lower today!

Jodi Kaye at Bank Mutual sent me a Rate Alert with the 15 year fixed mortgage rate at 4.15%, and the 30 year fixed mortgage rate now at 4.8%.  If you are in a position to buy or refinance--do it now!!

To quote Jodi, "Luck, is when opportunity knocks and you answer".

Have a great day and please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like me to refer you to a trusted lender.

4.25 for 15 years, and 4.9 for 30 years.  Yikes.  If you can buy you should. 

You probably know in your heart if you are ready for that first home, or a vacation home--either emotionally or financially.  But, if you have any question financially, talk to a good mortgage lender.  They will help you confirm what you probably already know.

The other benefit will be that when you are ready to buy, you'll have a preapproval all set to go.  Let me share a little story with you.

A couple of weeks ago a nice young couple was referred to me on a Saturday morning, they wanted to look at a home in Sturgeon Bay that just went on the market.  I was in town so we looked that very afternoon.  They loved the house, wanted to make an offer right away. 

This particular seller, the home was a foreclosure and bank owned, required a letter of preapproval to accompany the offer.  My young couple didn't have a letter so on Monday they went to their banker.  The letter of preapproval takes several days, and in the meantime the little house went under contract with a buyer who had their letter of preapproval.  We presented an offer, but without the letter of preapproval it was not considered.

When a bank is the seller, they don't wait for the next offer--they take the offer that is there and acceptable.  Most sellers won't wait for another offer, they'll take the bird-in-the-hand.  In cases like these, great homes at fantastic prices, the early bird gets the worm!

So, talk to your banker.  Ask them to have a letter of preapproval ready for you.  Then, when the right home comes along for you,  you'll be ready and you'll be the early bird!