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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Have you ever noticed how many walking trails and parks there are in the Lake Geneva area? I haven’t really, but I know it’s a lot. There’s one big walking … Read more
In case you couldn’t tell, this was a really special property. I was proud to represent this lovely seller and their stunning farm. Sometimes selling a property isn’t an easy … Read more
Does anyone want to be my neighbor? I’ve listed one of the upper two bedroom condominiums at my 323 Broad Street building, and as you can see from these photos, … Read more
Risk is inherent in life, but it’s often ignored in residential real estate transactions. It shouldn’t be.
I should, at this date in summer, be doing little but plodding through my work days and enjoying what I know to be a very short summer. I should work … Read more
Want to know what Lake Geneva should be in the future? Look to its past, because it already told you what it is.
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
Well, here we are. On the cusp. Don’t forget, this isn’t it. This is the cusp. This isn’t summer. This is a dress rehearsal. This is the weekend where you … Read more
Real estate isn’t really that hard. Buyers buy when they’re confident and they sell when they’re fearful. Nothing else really matters.
The market knows what comes next. In case you forgot, summer is what’s next. And it starts in nine weeks, ready or not.
Managing Directors, Those Bored and Successful, My Wife and Children, My Mother Who Reads These Posts, and my Fellow Lake Geneva Admirers: We meet electronically this morning at a moment … Read more
I think it’s cute that the city of Lake Geneva is installing an ice rink this winter. The ice rink will complement the ice castles that are currently being built … Read more
When you’re part of an industry that puts significant focus on calendar year performance, you tend to look up in late October and realize you’ve run out of time. In … Read more
After a market downturn occurs, we must set our aim towards the goal of complete and thorough recovery. If that goal is to return a specific market segment to full … Read more
It’s been three years since I had my homepage video filmed. That was a terrific video, if I do say so myself. But this last week’s weather was so perfect … Read more
For each of us, there is something unique in our story, some important event in our past, or in the past of our parents, or our grandparents, or our great … Read more
There’s nothing that makes me hate my chosen profession more than leafing through a local glossy magazine. There are lots of glossies here, most notably that Summer Homes For City … Read more
A Wednesday reminder that my listing at W4396 Basswood Drive is still available. I just reduced the price of this home to $8,495,000, and it’s now offered at an extreme … Read more
I don’t really know exactly how Hamburger Helper works. I assume it’s just a powder mix, with some starch to bind and some salt to flavor. Maybe a dash of … Read more
If you’ve noticed that I haven’t written as much about individual market segments of late, you’re perceptive. I haven’t. It isn’t that I haven’t had thoughts, or that the market … Read more
Last weekend, it was hot. You know that. I know that. It was super hot. Smoking hot. Summer hot. If you were here, then you were less hot than the … Read more
I was born in Elkhorn. Raised in Williams Bay. Then I lived in Linn Township, Geneva Township, Delavan Township, Fontana, and now Walworth Township. I am the embodiment of local. … Read more
If you think the vacation home market at the lake is active, you should check out the market for sub-$350k single family and condominium residences that lack lake access. That … Read more
I love my kids. I really do. Of the few things in this life of which I’m certain, that condition is firmly assured. But I can’t stand driving anywhere with … Read more
Sometimes, dive bars aren’t where it’s at. They’re fun, the irony of it all, of the dated this and the out of style that. But once in a while you … Read more
It’s fun to see the media make a fuss about a sale on Geneva Lake. First up, please know that the media itself doesn’t pay such close attention to … Read more
I called ahead. It was 5:50 pm and I figured I’d arrive at Popeye’s with my party of six sometime just after 6. I learned many weeks ago not to … Read more
It feels like it wasn’t so long ago that I wished for more snow. For more cold. For more winter. Shortly after wishing, all of that came true. Briefly. Since … Read more
It is no secret that the South Shore Club is an exclusive development. Anything numbering just 40 in total would be viewed as exclusive. While this is known, what isn’t … Read more
(Lake Geneva lovers to the left of the podium, smiling and clapping, standing. Michigan lovers to the right of my podium, scowling, sitting, glaring. Me, walking, shaking, waving. My hair … Read more
One year ago, I wrote my year end market reviews and worried about 2017 inventory. 2016 had been a terrific year, but without inventory there was no way that 2017 … Read more
In the South Shore Club, there are 40 total lots. Most are built on, a few are not. At present, there is one new construction underway. To date, there had … Read more
Buyers have a unique tendency to focus on one or two aspects of a purchase, and in doing so, convince themselves to proceed with the transaction. This is true of … Read more
In the news this week, more of the continuing saga surrounding Stone Manor. I suppose most of this story is my fault, so I should take some time to explain … Read more
Halloween is a stupid, fake holiday. There, I said it. It’s absolutely the worst fake holiday there is. I’ll take Sweetest Day over it, and I don’t even know when … Read more
I already know the sort of fall you like. I know the sort of fall everyone likes. It’s the fall we had last Saturday. Sunshine, 70 degrees, bright leaves and … Read more
I’ve decided, in the wake of the Cubs miserable, awful, embarrassing performance this week, to make every post a sad one. Monday, Multiple Offer Sadness. Today, Construction Sadness. Friday, likely, … Read more
When times were particularly bad and getting worse, I hatched a particular theory. The theory supposed that in spite of the various factors that we know prod consumers to buy … Read more
We know lots of things. We know that if we don’t cut our grass once a week it will grow too tall and too thick, and when we cut it … Read more
Of the things we know to expect during an autumn here, 95 degree sunshine is not among them. The heat is rare, but in a summer devoid of any lasting … Read more
In a recent Lake Geneva Regional News article, City of Lake Geneva Alderman John Halverson, when discussing the state of the Lake Geneva Riviera and a desired multi-million dollar referendum … Read more
There is some thought, rampant among those who cannot yet know, that a night is a night is a night. The night it dark here, just like there, in fact … Read more
When I listed this property last August, I knew exactly what it was. It wasn’t the most perfect house on the lake. The kitchen wasn’t exactly the current style. But it … Read more
When you’re a Realtor, you’re supposed to want to do everything you can to sell anything you can. You’re supposed to pay attention to every segment within your market, to … Read more
I had a dream last night. In the dream I was just myself, no one else. I wasn’t able to fly, or able to breath under water; nothing terrific like … Read more
I’ve been writing 2017 on my checks with solid consistency for the better part of a month now. There are no more sixes that have been scratched into sevens. It’s … Read more
That headline is clunky. But it’s only clunky because it has to be. Lake Geneva is the general term for our market. Unfortunately sometimes it’s too generic, like when people … Read more
I admit when it comes to events that I lack enthusiasm when compared to some of my enthusiastic competitors. Chili Cook Off Dinner This Friday Night! I can’t bring myself to … Read more
The entry level lakefront market is a perplexing little market. On one hand, it’s obvious that a cheap lakefront on Geneva will always find an audience. This is unavoidable. On … Read more
There are homes that you know. Stone Manor. You know this place. You know the Driehaus property and the Wrigley cottages. You know where the Pritzker’s live at their Casa. … Read more
I was the first broker to try my hand at selling the new Harbor Watch condominiums on downtown Lake Geneva’s waterfront. I believe the year was 2002, because I was … Read more
When the Chicago Tribune talks about vacation homes, it likes to talk about South Carolina. And then also about Uruguay. If not those, then Arizona, maybe Florida. Sometimes, Michigan. Other … Read more
When you sell a car, you can sell it one of two ways. You can either sell it because you’ve already bought another car, one that you now love very … Read more
The South Shore Club at Lake Geneva is old now. It’s been here for a long time, or for a lifetime, assuming the life is young and the long time … Read more
When I was a kid, I’d walk to Gage Marine. It wasn’t far from my house, and so I’d walk down the shore path, across those green lawns, up those … Read more
There are many reasons to frequent this blog. If you wanted to know what my latest hobby is, for instance. How else could you know? You could call me and … Read more
At this age, I have developed many bad habits. I shamefully subscribe to the theory of food discovery that dictates I eat one piece of pizza to find out if … Read more
It’s gray again. It was gray yesterday, too. The same gray as this gray. There is no different variety of gray now. The only change comes later, when the gray … Read more
One easy way to gauge the strength of a market is to look at those homes that are under contract and consider their market history. Some would look only to … Read more
My kids like to make time-lapse videos. Some people make time lapse videos over the course of an entire day. The sun comes up, quickly, then it moves across the … Read more
In 1992, a small one bedroom condominium in Geneva National sold for $92,300. I imagine how happy the new owners were. They’d come up to golf and to swim, to … Read more
The real estate market in 2011 was pretty bad. It was fun, if bad, because sellers wanted to sell and buyers, though fewer than now, wanted to buy. It was … Read more
I’m just going to say that it makes sense. It makes sense that the lakefront condo market remains stuck in neutral. It doesn’t make sense because of some large demographic … Read more
My grandmother was not necessarily a memorable fashionista. The was too old by the time I was old enough to recognize style, and by then I recognized that she veered … Read more
I must apologize for being so preoccupied over recent days. It was one week ago today when I glanced at the Lake Geneva Regional News and first learned that the … Read more
As I grow more distanced from my youth, I remember things as though they happened on a movie screen. I remember being dropped off at the limestone steps of Northwestern Military … Read more
Sadly, I hear the same things over and over again. This is this life. Why can’t you sell my house, why can’t you find me a house, why can’t you … Read more
I put a new graph on this new site, on the home page down at the bottom. It aims to smooth out the rough edges of our lakefront pricing by … Read more
The business of real estate is a very big business. Prior to the last decade and a half, the big business players in the world of real estate were actually … Read more
I’ve driven to Marco Island at least twice. I don’t think I’ve driven there more than that, so it must be at least and at most, twice. The days were … Read more
Even when it seems to me that there are lots of cars here, there aren’t really lots of cars. They meander past heading to one direction or from the other, … Read more