The curious thing about Lake Geneva is that the market would potentially be fine even if another new customer never followed his roads to our roads and purchased a lakefront house. No new buyers, no problem. Never, ever, a new buyer who needs figure out our scene in order to buy it. If no one ever came here again, we’d still have a market.
That’s obviously not entirely true, but at times it sure does seem like we needn’t another new buyer. We have enough, and they’re the people who are already here. One of my favorite transactions to assist in is the buyer who is new to Geneva Lake looking to capture something ideal. That buyer, someone with no prior experience here, hasn’t yet been confined to his developed tastes. He’s a blank slate, a clean canvas, and that buyer can look at this market without geographic bias. That’s a terrific sort of buyer, one that I highly value.
But that’s not the traditional buyer here. That buyer exists, of course, but that buyer isn’t what keeps this market humming. What keeps this market on the move is the lakefront ownership group. Those 600 or so discerning lakefront owners; that’s our market. One year they might wish for a big estate, with 800 hydrangeas and no fewer than 375 rose bushes. But three years later they may long for the simplicity of a lakeside cottage, still with a slate roof, of course, but a cottage nonetheless. A pure lake experience, tidy and controlled. Who could tend to 800 hydrangeas?
Yesterday, a new sale on this Great Lake. The last time Clear Sky Lodge sold it was my listing as I represented Bank of America in the liquidation of that valuable asset that they came to own by way of court proceedings. That sale in 2012 was for $3,700,000. Clear Sky sold again yesterday, this time without my involvement, which has put me in a sullen mood for such a lovely Friday. The price? $5,715,000.
That’s a lot of money for this old log house, but I won’t say it wasn’t worth it. The house is rare and intensely magnificent. The location desirable, the views sublime, the logs super loggy. I like this sale for the market, but it’s a bit of a loss leader. The appreciation from 2012 of more than 50% isn’t reflective in the broad market. Some homes have appreciated this much, others have not. This is why it’s difficult to take individual sales and suppose that they are meaningful to the broader market segment.
If you’re sad that you missed out on this house, I have the next best thing available at Clear Sky Lodge, with tennis court, swimming pool, canopied slip, and beautiful privacy listed at $2.99MM…
The trend of lakefront owners swapping homes is nothing new. It’s a common theme here, but it appears to be on the rise. When the markets were bad I encouraged would-be-sellers to sell low and buyer lower. I argued it was, in fact, a better situation than it would be to sell high and buyer higher. Very few people listened, but those that did have found the new market to be rewarding.
The key for the lakefront market now remains inventory. We need more of it. Ready made inventory, easy houses with large lots. Others with small lots. We need all of it. If you’re a buyer on the hunt, let’s hunt together. If you’re a seller considering a move, you know who to call. (It’s me. Call me. Or Email, that’ll be easier. Text is fine, too.)