Inflation

I have a friend who is remarkably smart. It bothers me that he’s so smart. Have a thought? It’s wrong. How could he know it’s wrong? Because he’s smart. While … Read more

Dartmouth Woods

Here’s a dazzling lakefront home ideally situated between Williams Bay and Fontana along Fontana’s north shore. You’re going to love these wide-water views spanning from Conference Point to the Fontana … Read more

Lake Geneva Lakefront Homes For Sale

Walcowis Sells

There’s this road on the south side of the lake whose name generates some interesting commentary and even more interesting pronunciations. Walcowis. If you think it derived from an ancient … Read more

Freedom?

Covid was hard on Michigan. Tim Allen wants you to return to normal, while at Lake Geneva we never departed from it.

Lake Geneva For Sale

RIP

My favorite tree has died. There is nothing more that can be said.

Risk On

Risk is inherent in life, but it’s often ignored in residential real estate transactions. It shouldn’t be.

Birches Sells

My latest lakefront sale, this one in the Birches. Proof the market tends to avoid what it would rather not understand.

Wind

The wind kicked up again. It was calm two days ago, and calm the day before that. But then yesterday it picked up and today it’s stirring. The wind is … Read more

Lake Geneva Real Estate

Home

There’s so much talk about taxes and sunshine, I wonder if anyone remembers the concept of home.

Regrets

Regrets are a part of life. Thankfully, Lake Geneva ownership isn’t one of the sources of regret. And for that, we can all be thankful.

Chicken

If you’re negotiating to buy or sell real estate, honesty is important. But it’s not just honesty from your broker, it’s your honesty that matters, too.

Bad Decisions

Hot markets make buyers do terrible things. Don’t do those things. You can easily void making these mistakes by focusing on one thing and one thing only.

Glenwood Springs Fontana

Lake Geneva Development

Development is good and necessary. Or is it? This hot market is bound to product some bad development, and we should prepare for the coming fight.

Thanksgiving

What a curious thing it is, this year. I sit here at this desk worrying about which customer will buy and which customer will sell, worrying about the June water … Read more

Crain’s Lake Geneva

Let’s discuss a new article on Lake Geneva real estate in Crain’s Chicago Business.

Categories Uncategorized

Improvement City

The City of Lake Geneva is nice. But it could be a whole lot better. Step one in a multi-step plan to improve the city.

The New Math

Lake Geneva new construction costs. A discussion of how it all might make sense, and how increasingly no one really cares if it does.

Mountain Towns

Ski Towns are more popular today than ever before, but will the new owners actually enjoy living full time in a vacation destination?

South Shore Club Sells

Looking for inventory in the South Shore Club? So was this buyer. He asked me to find a home for him, and last week we closed. Sometimes, it really is that simple.

Over

What just happened? Is it still summer? I remember the summer days. I remember seeing them through my car window, and out of this office window. The gas station was … Read more

Inventory Issues

The lakefront market was hot this summer, but now it’s raining and the stock market broke from its melt-up trend. What happens next?

Endless Summer

The license plate said that. ENDLESS SUMMER. If you capitalize it, then it seems like some sort of horror film. It screams at you and demands things of you. But … Read more

Black Point Sells

When it’s all said and done, I should probably look back at this market with some appreciation. With my eyes growing dim and the sunlight barely leaking through my bedroom … Read more

Youth

What is it about youth that we so envy? Do we envy youth because of our own cherished memory of it? Is it that we can imagine a time in … Read more

Force

Years ago, I wrote often about the need to carve out time and dedicate that time to the enjoyment of this place. It was the time of our lives, after … Read more

Lake Geneva Lakefront Homes For Sale

Memorial Day Weekend

During any year, we celebrate this weekend. We celebrate in our remembrance, but we do not confuse meaningful reflection with the absence of celebration. This is a weekend that matters, … Read more

May

Corona is everywhere and no one should leave their homes. If you do, you might get it, which is to say we’re all going to get it, because without herd … Read more

Lake Geneva Real Estate

If

This morning, I decided to do the thing I’ve done for nearly all of the past 24 years worth of mornings. I woke up, cleaned up, dressed down, and drove … Read more

Orchard Lane

There’s a thing about houses that the market, as a whole, often forgets. In the pursuit of function over form, the market hastily changes the classic lake homes of Lake … Read more

Vacation Home Markets

In the good times, underlying market weakness is hard to see. During a crisis, there’s no hiding what makes most vacation home markets weaker than Lake Geneva.

Indian Hills For Sale

At the Lake, the off-water market lake access market is made up of three very important and distinct sub-markets. There are homes with slips. Homes with views. Homes with proximity. … Read more

Wednesday

I took a walk yesterday. The last time I took a walk in the middle of the day was so long ago that I cannot remember it. Of course there … Read more

Monday

Why do we even bother giving the days names? I read this in a tweet over the weekend and I thought it was funny. But then I also thought about … Read more

Reminisce

What an odd time to be alive. I’m glad to be alive during it, because the alternative seems worse. I think all of this social distancing and economy destroying is … Read more

Sail Lake Geneva Wisconsin

Lake Geneva Quarantine

I’ve been contemplating what, if anything, to write about the current state of things. Things, as a point of fact, are bad. Individually, I’m fine. I have a nice house … Read more