Winterizing Your Lake House
Ah, but I’ve already tricked you. Because the headline, for 99.85% of those reading this, doesn’t apply. There were olden times where we’d use our lake houses in the summer … Read more
George Williams College X Topography
In the winter of 1996, during my senior year of high school, I stole a prop sign off of the George Williams College campus during the filming of the Keanu … Read more
Outing Sells
This was a nice little sale for the buyer and the seller and the market. My most recent lakefront sale, this of a classic cottage (with updates) on Outing on … Read more
Lake Geneva Market Update
I take no pleasure in the storms that have battered Florida. Not for the storms from the years before this year, not for the storms this year, and certainly not … Read more
Pier 166 Sells
I think a lot about my clients. I think about the buyers and the sellers, the new to the market types and the long time owners. I think about the … Read more
8 North Lake Shore Sells
Sometimes, sellers sell and move away. They had their fill and then they push away from the scene and slink into the night. Enough, they say. They move to the … Read more
Lake Geneva Representation
Let’s think about the way a typical buyer or seller finds their agent. Someone knows someone who knows someone they should call. This referral might be based on some sort … Read more
Circle Parkway Sells
What is it that you want? Do you want a sanitized existence smothered in perfection? Do you value things and places that make you feel sterile and secure? Do you … Read more
Lake Geneva Lakefront Market Update
Oops I did it again. That’s what she said in that song and it was intended to be light hearted and flirty, I think. It was supposed to be fun. … Read more
Bay Colony Sells
This time of year is pretty interesting when it comes to the commitment levels of vacation home buyers. It’s easy in September to take the view that summer is over. … Read more
Lake Geneva Market Update
I find it difficut to write this summer. In part, it’s because I see a dislocation in the market that I’d rather keep between me and my clients. Want to … Read more
241 Circle Parkway
Just look at this place. It’s amazing. It’s available. It’s looks like what summer feels like. And it’s only $899k. If you love beautifully restored cottages near the water you … Read more
Aloha Lodge Sells
I’m pretty happy to report my latest lakefront sale. This one is of yet another iconic property, making it the latest in a long line of iconic lakefront properties that … Read more
8 North Lake Shore Drive
In the olden days it was decided that a home on the lake might as well have an address that was their pier number and a Lake Shore Drive that … Read more
Basswood Vacant Lot
Here’s something brought to market by my agent Karen Rappaport that you might want to know about… Smack dab in one of the most esteemed neighborhoods on the south shore, … Read more
Bay Colony South Condominium For Sale
As you likely know, my dad sold real estate part time for most of his adult life. That job led to an accumulation of random keys in his office, which … Read more
Lake Geneva Market Update
No one in their right might would ever suggest that summer is nearly over on July 11th. But here I am, wondering about my mind, thinking that July 11th might … Read more
Lake Geneva Independence Day
Sometimes, when my neighbors are lighting off fireworks at all hours of the night, I like to close my eyes and pretend that those fireworks are bombs. Like real bombs. … Read more
Gimmick Central
There are several ways in which I’m aware of my age. For starters, when I play tennis on a Monday I’m still sore on a Wednesday. That’s not entirely unique, … Read more
Williams Bay Tornado
That was quite a storm last night, perhaps the worst one I’ve seen here. Some meaningful tree damage on the village lakefront in Williams Bay and around the lake, but … Read more
Lake Geneva AI Launch
Well, I can’t keep it a secret anymore. It’s time to share with you the thing on which I’ve been working. It’s groundbreaking. It’s transformational. It’s otherworldly, really. And lest … Read more
Lake Geneva Price Reductions
The Lake Geneva market has hit its summer stride. A few sales, a few bits of inventory, a few new contracts, and a massive outpouring of constant and considerable price … Read more
Lake Geneva Lakefront Market Update
I’m tired of the rain. It’s been sunny and then it’s been rainy and once it’s a little sunny it’s immediately a lot rainy. The rain is necessary, I suppose. … Read more
Memorial Day Weekend
Well, my 17th issue of Summer Homes For City People is finished. You should be able to find it around the lake this weekend, although the rainy day today is … Read more
Lake Geneva Inventory Study
In the spring and early summer of 2023, the lakefront market introduced a meaningful supply of new inventory priced between $3.2M and $7M. Historically that price range would not operate … Read more
Science, Pfft.
In a matter of days, they’re coming. I mean, they’re already here, they’re just sleeping. Or they’re not even alive, but they will be, and soon. Any day now. The … Read more
Lake Geneva Lakefront Sales
The lakefront market has had itself a nice little week. Inside of the last seven days we’ve had two lakefront sales and another fresh lakefront contract. Spring is springing and … Read more
Another Off Market Lakefront Sale
Last year 58% of all known lakefront transactions traded off market. The reason this matters is rather simple. If you’re a seller, it’s a trend that cannot be ignored. There … Read more
Salesmanship
I once wrote a description about a house that angered the owner of the house, my client. He read my description and told me he was disappointed in me. Mr. … Read more
The Village Supper Club Fish Fry Review
My dad is the cheapest man on planet earth. Lots of people say this about their dads, but those people would be wrong. Did your dad ever order a TV … Read more
Lake Geneva Lakefront Market Update
March it says. March. It doesn’t mean stroll. It doesn’t mean you should saunter or dawdle or wander. It says March. It’s a command, dammit. March! Such an aggressive month, … Read more
Lake Geneva Commissions
Well, that just about does it. The National Association of Realtors settled the BOMBSHELL commission lawsuit last Friday and now everything has changed. Six Percent Commissions Are Toast, some of … Read more
Summer Regret
A man called me last spring about this time. He had spent his childhood here and now that he was growing quite old he felt an oddly powerful desire to … Read more
Lake Geneva Market Update
The year is still young, but it’s March 1st and that means the year isn’t quite as young as we think. With two full months of 2024 under our belts … Read more
Stick Season
There’s a marginally popular song today where some guy whines about how it’s stick season in Vermont and that he’s sad because his friends are gone and his girlfriend dumped … Read more
Pier 501 Sells
I’m thrilled to have completed the transaction at pier 501 in Fontana. This sale is the fourth lakefront sale on Geneva to close over $9.5M in the past eight months, … Read more
2024 Lake Geneva Outlook
In early January of 2023 I wrote my market forecast and suggested that inventory would remain tight in 2023 and that pricing would be difficult for buyers. I added that sellers … Read more
Lake Geneva Average Lakefront Sales Price
Even as the market normalized during 2023, we still managed to keep our average sales price in line with the prior year. One of the many reasons I don’t like … Read more
Lake Geneva Cash Deals
While some are busy struggling to explain how property taxes work, let’s discuss the actual Lake Geneva market. Maybe someday I’ll write an article on how property insurance works, but … Read more
Lake Geneva Off Market Deals
If you pay attention to our lakefront market, you know there is a rather heated debate about the persistence of off market transactions. While many market participants decry the practice, … Read more
Summer Homes For City People
The new winter issue is now available. Perhaps you’ve grabbed a copy around town, or perhaps a mailed copy has found its way to your mailbox. If neither of those … Read more
George Williams College
By now you’ve read the articles in Crain’s and the Tribune, so I don’t need to tell you that Aurora University has found a buyer for their cherished George Williams … Read more
Lake Geneva Total Front Feet Sold
Something the market doesn’t discuss very often is the relationship between the lakefront homes sold and the total addressable market. You can see the total front feet sold tends to … Read more
Lake Geneva Price Per Square Foot
Average and median price per square foot held in the $650-800 range for the four years of 2017 to 2020. In 2021 both the average and median gapped above the … Read more
Lake Geneva Price Per Front Foot
Lake Geneva’s favorite metric continues to be one of my least favorite: The Price Per Front Foot. I generally disapprove of the importance that the market places on this defining … Read more
2023 Year End Review
After a decline in 2022 that was likely caused by limited inventory, our overall lakefront sales volume rebounded in 2023 to nearly match the cycle high set in 2021. Most … Read more
Happy New Year
It’s close enough to say that, right? I think it is. Something that’s always bothered me is how certain words or phrases ebb and flow in their use and popularity. … Read more
Lake Geneva Market Update
I admit to you that I find the market to be boring during this time of year. Yes, there are still sales. An aged piece of lakefront inventory closed yesterday, … Read more
Cheerleader
It can be exhausting to continually cheer for something for a long, long time. This is why Cubs fans were so relieved in 2016 when we finally won the World … Read more
Kid From The Bay
When you’re a kid from the bay you ride your bike to Geneva Street but never across it. You visit Lake Geneva when you’re 45 and still think of it … Read more
Lake Geneva Lakefront Market Update
A long, long time ago, my wife packed her bags and I packed a huge desktop computer and we drove to Siesta Key. It was the day after Thanksgiving and … Read more
Happy Thanksgiving
My deaf, blind dog woke me up early this morning. She wakes me up early every morning, though lately it’s not as early as it was this past summer when … Read more
Folly Lane Sells
Did you know this year there have been three homes listed over $10M sell on Geneva Lake? Did you know that all three were my listings? I guess now you … Read more
Commissions
You’ve likely seen the headlines out of Kansas, which is a statement that no one in Wisconsin had ever uttered before the recent ruling against several large national brokerages and … Read more
Lake Geneva Market Update
As a professional over-thinker, I have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking. In a world where the top performing agents in the world say that everything is INSANE and … Read more
Time Zones
I’m in Spain right now, sitting in a home crammed perilously into the side of a very old cliff, perhaps 500′ or more above the Mediterranean Sea below. It’s quite … Read more
Fontana Club Condo For Sale
If you knew me in the year 2000, then you knew I sold the Fontana Club Condominiums when the building was new. Or maybe you didn’t know that about me … Read more
Lake Geneva Sales
My son is contemplating going to law school. When I was 20, I did not contemplate this. I was contemplating whether or not I had a house I could sell … Read more
Lake Geneva Market Update
Over the past many months the market in our lakefront and lake access market has been dislocated. The dislocation, due to the absence of accumulating open market inventory, led to … Read more
999 Snake Road Sells
By now you may have heard about my latest sale. While the out of towners attempt to lecture the locals on how to market and sell properties, I’m just here … Read more
Lake Geneva Lakefront Market Update
I have a friend who ordered a fancy new car two years ago. It was the sort that has a roof you can remove, ideally during sunny stretches of weather, … Read more
Stoney Hollow
Stoney Hollow at Pier 74 is a magnificent stone and slate Tudor located on Snake Road at the end of private Folly Lane. This premier estate is offered with the … Read more
The Loch Vista Club
One month ago, I listed a great cottage on Lower Loch Vista for $689k. Then I had 16 or more showings over the following two days. Yesterday, I sold that … Read more
700 Club Sells
Few people know that I first sold this house in late 2021 in the high $7s. It was an off market sale that never made its way to the MLS, … Read more
Loramoor Sells
There’s a thing about a quiet sale at Lake Geneva, and that is that it’s not really all that quiet. I can try to keep things quiet, for the protection … Read more
Lake Geneva Market Update
At this point in the summer there are things that we all know. We know that the Harold Smith deal fell through, or at least it was under contract and … Read more
New Lakefront Listing
Simple lakefront perfection is yours with this turn-key lakefront home on 100 feet of impossibly level frontage on Geneva’s South Shore. This immaculate six bedroom home is positioned at the … Read more
Loch Vista Club
Is there a more perfect lake cottage? I don’t mean in Williams Bay. I don’t mean in Walworth County. I mean anywhere. I suppose there could be, but I doubt … Read more
Work From Home
If no one had to work in a physical office with co-workers and a communal CLIFF BAR dispenser, then it made good sense that people might move to Whitefish, Montana. … Read more
Wisconsin’s Top Agent
In a market with a whole lot of marketing subterfuge, it’s good to know there’s still a way to calculate the top agent. I’m proud to represent the Lake Geneva … Read more
Lake Geneva Market Update
By now you know that Harold B. Smith’s estate, Aloha Lodge, is under contract. Find me a market in the Midwest that can sell homes over $30M that isn’t Lake … Read more
Ye Olde Bar And Hotel Fish Fry Review
It was a last minute decision, really. Earlier in the day I had decided that I’ve had enough of the fish fry scene for one spring. It was over for … Read more
Summer Homes For City People
Well, it’s that time again. The fifteenth issue of Summer Homes For City People is now complete. As is my usual course, I approached this day with equal portions of … Read more
Big Foot Inn Fish Fry Review
There’s an old saying that says, “Sometimes if you want to feel young you should eat fish fry around 5 pm at the Big Foot Inn.” Considering my 2023 has … Read more
Lake Geneva Sales Update
On Twitter, I follow two particularly financial types who hold tight to diametrically opposing views. One thinks the stock market is on a fast race to the moon, and no … Read more
Lake Geneva Rentals
I can’t fully explain to you how pleased I am that the Lake Geneva lakefront market doesn’t care about rentals. What a relief that is to remove rental concepts from … Read more
Abbey Ridge For Sale
One of my two complementing agents, Jessica Genrich, just listed this rather fantastic Abbey Ridge residence that includes a separately deeded Abbey Harbor boat slip. This immaculate unit has been … Read more
Lake Geneva Off Market Lakefront Sales
If you read my winter edition of Summer Homes For City People, you know that off-market sales accounted for 0.00% of our 2017 lakefront volume. And if you know that, … Read more
Abbey Springs Yacht Club Fish Fry Review
In April of 2018 I bought an Abbey Springs Dining Membership so I could eat at their lakeside restaurant and review the fish fry. Back then the membership was $200 … Read more
Mars Fish Fry Review
Many men who are the same age as my father shipped off to war at the same time my dad drove off to college. While many of those good men … Read more