General

With a fall market fully underway, the Lake Geneva vacation home market is already bearing some fruit that might allow someone to reasonably expect a decent fall sales season. Typically … Read more

If I didn’t know better, I would aggressively call the lakefront condo market on Geneva dead. This individual vacation home market at Lake Geneva hasn’t had a pulse for nearly … Read more

Some of my worst childhood memories directly involve wine. That might be true for many people, but for me, the bad memories have nothing to do with the possible affects … Read more

I routinely take pictures of my feet. What’s worse, I then send those pictures to people. Regular people. People who just want to get through their day without having to … Read more

The lakefront market on Geneva has been one of starts and stops this year. There have been eleven year to date sales, with sales occurring in what can’t really be … Read more

I’ve been known to rave about the lakefront park and pier system at the Harvard Club. I believe this association lakefront to be the most idyllic such park on the … Read more

If it weren’t for a head cold that has me feeling momentarily dour and ornery, I’d be in a pretty fine mood. You see, September rolled in yesterday, and there’s … Read more

Michigan, Michigan, Michigan… Oh how I’ve tried to stay away from needling you and your easily hurt feelings this summer. Our relationship got off to a tumultuous start last year, … Read more

Earlier this year, my older brother landed a job working in a tall building in Chicago. And as with his previous job in the same city, I asked that he … Read more

My father, a school teacher by profession, opened Geneva Lakefront Realty in the summer of 1977. At the time, he operated by renting a desk inside of the Hotton and … Read more

Sometime during the winter of 1996, I decided that at the tender age of 18 I should be a Trustee in the village of Williams Bay. Why I decided this … Read more

And so it goes, the easy rhythm of a Lake Geneva summer, and the seemingly easier rhythm of sales at Abbey Springs. As another yawn inducing August real estate market … Read more

The latest tale of real estate brilliance, vacation home style, comes courtesy the Wall Street Journal. The good intentioned Wall Street Journal published an article called 10 Summer Home Mistakes, … Read more

I think there’s plenty of reason to believe that the elevated foreclosures (putting it mildly) on a national level are no longer representing some form of short lived, but severe, … Read more

Normally, I prefer to write market updates on individual pockets of the Lake Geneva vacation home market. I think the market here is easily broken down into segments that when … Read more

Summer sounds like a lot of things to me, that much is not even the least bit profound. No matter where you live, summer most obviously sounds like something. It … Read more

I’m not a fan of Delavan Lake. In fact, if you took me out on a boat on that lake, the only way you’d get me to swim in it … Read more

An article from my Wednesday Wall Street Journal caught my eye, and for obvious reasons. “The Shrinking Second Home”, written by Juliet Chung, possessed a title that looked promising to … Read more

As if you really need a reason to come to Lake Geneva this weekend. You can see the primary reason out of your office window or living room french door, … Read more

As of this morning, there are 40 true lakefront homes available for sale on Geneva Lake. This number is up from my last market update, though the two or three … Read more

Not including the pending sale at 1014 South Lakeshore Drive in Fontana, the clear and obvious trend for those seeking large lakefront estates on Geneva has been to build them … Read more

The Bella Vista Suites in Lake Geneva didn’t begin life with that name. In 1999 the building was built under the auspices of “The Meridien”, and the property operated under … Read more

Within most lake access associations, there are desirable areas, and areas that probably should be avoided if you’re looking to make a wise purchase. This much is not profound. Many … Read more

I’ve lived most of my life in the shadow of the Congress Club. Not a figurative shadow mind you, rather a literal one. The lakefront home where I enjoyed my … Read more

I was showing houses in Fontana’s Country Club Estates yesterday, and thought it fitting to comment on the state of the market there. The association has long been a stalwart … Read more

The pier looked lonely to me. Prematurely lonely. I pulled up, the old Evinrude choking on fumes, squinting to make out the sign that hung over the end of the … Read more

I am an unabashed lover of the cottage. I selectively try to steer my clients towards them, and I love nothing more than watching an old neglected Lake Geneva cottage … Read more

It would be without merit to make the argument that Lake Geneva is anything but an idyllic locale. Blue water and white sails tend to make any setting look pastoral, … Read more

There was a time when I was everything to the Bay Shore Condominiums in Williams Bay. Bay Shore needed me. While everyone else thought Bay Shore wasn’t worthy, I helped … Read more

In keeping with Williams Bay’s efforts to confuse and misdirect, in hopes of remaining the most anonymous of the three famed lakeside towns, this weekend Art in the Bay comes … Read more

When I first started selling real estate, I drove a black 1992 Cadillac STS. It was a car more befitting a 58 year old Realtor rather than an 18 year … Read more

I’ve been pleasantly surprised this year by the strength of the lakefront condo market on Geneva. Condominiums are, in my opinion and in the opinion of banks and appraisers everywhere, … Read more

Remember back in January of 2010, when I declared the lakefront real estate market would only have a good year if our inventory built to proper levels? I said we’d … Read more

I’ve written at length about the trouble that I see looming for the upper end lake access associations. The price point of $800k to $1.5MM, as it pertains to off-water … Read more

It’s funny how simple sayings, no matter how incorrect they may be, can dig into our subconscious and become a recognized staple in our written and spoken word. In case … Read more

It’s no secret that Lake Geneva vacation home owners have developed a sincere disdain for price reductions. Just yesterday I was going over some listings with a customer, and as … Read more

Ah, the lazy days of summer. Typically, I’d assign that moniker to the days of August. Days when the heat is no longer a surprise, and high humidity is expected … Read more

People, so I hear, like country clubs. As social and blabber mouthed as I am, I actually do not like country clubs. It’s not that I don’t like them, I … Read more

View Larger Map I can remember the scene very well, but I cannot remember the frequency of the occurrence. This is a true statement for many of my childhood memories, … Read more

When I was in fifth grade, I won a “scholarship” to a camp for “writing” an “essay” about the environment. I think I wrote about salamanders, but I might not … Read more

I spent a portion of my weekend at the South Shore Club. Unfortunately, I wasn’t lounging poolside. Nor was I preparing lunch for friends and family at the clubhouse Viking … Read more

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my elongated fourth of July weekend, and if you’ve been Lake Geneva based for the last three days, there’s a good chance you know exactly what … Read more

In the very small world of very small single lane lake associations surrounding Geneva, the Lake Geneva Club is surely my favorite. On a refreshingly hot Sunday during Memorial Day … Read more

There is little doubt that Lake Geneva is a town that was made for summer. In that same vein, there is little doubt that the fourth of July weekend was … Read more

It brings me immeasurable joy to watch my son Thomas fish. His skill is increasing daily, and unfortunately his appetite for fishing is only surpassed by his appetite for whining … Read more

Everything you need to know about real estate you could learn from my most recent lakefront condo sale. Not really everything, but real estate savant status is reserved for me … Read more

I’ve had a feeling over the last two weeks, or maybe three, that the mid-range of our lake access market has been coming to life. After a very long 2008, … Read more

The series of tubes that Senator Stevens and I like to call the internet is buzzing with reports of another housing slump. Bloggers and think tanks and pundits are engulfed … Read more

I awoke this morning to a rumble of thunder. I do love sleeping on dark, drizzly, rumbling mornings, but alas, I am not retired nor am I the sort that … Read more

In football, it’s best to employ a quarterback with a short memory. The same thing goes for pitchers in baseball. Unless your Ted Lilly and you deliver eight and a … Read more

Aside from one lakefront priced in the mid $2MM’s on the south shore of Geneva, I think the best values available in the Geneva lakefront market exist in the entry … Read more

Uh oh. Some Curry guy was quoted in the Tribune this morning- but that’s not “uh oh” worthy. It seems there’s a bit of a sales problem across the violent … Read more

Just as there are times when I like watching people golf more than I actually like playing golf (particularly true after one of my famous bunker-to-bunker sand shots), the reality … Read more

An article from yesterdays Wall Street Journal caught my attention, and for obvious reasons. The article “Why Relaxing Is Hard Work” shed some light on what is an eternal struggle … Read more

I sat on my parents pier for a while on Sunday, basking in the familiar sounds and scenery of an early summer afternoon. Thomas walked up and down the pier … Read more

Last night I really wished I had been a real Blackhawks fan. It’s not that I wasn’t thrilled to see the team win, it’s just that I’m not a Blackhawks … Read more

I’m hearing some Realtors deliver some classically breathless sales pitches lately. “Buy now before it’s too late!!!” Or this oldie but goodie: “Things are turning around, and you don’t want … Read more

I generally don’t like to write odds-and-ends style posts, but from time to time, they are necessary. As you might have guessed, today represents one such time. There’s a lot … Read more

A Sunday rerun about boathouses. You’ve seen them. Perhaps in person, probably in pictures, and certainly at other lakes around the country. Ranging from primitive lakeside storage sheds to utilitarian … Read more

I have been wrong before. I was wrong when I waited until the fall of 2006 to list my last home in Geneva National, as the market slipped through the … Read more

As I compile and organize a plethora of published articles under the category of “Stories and Ideas Dave Curry Reported First”, I now have another article to stash away in … Read more

But Dave, Memorial Day Weekend doesn’t start until Friday after work! Oh, how wrong you are. For those committed to maximizing their Lake Geneva vacation time, Memorial Day weekend starts … Read more

There are times, like this week, where I fear my upbeat posts will lead to some market confusion. That’s not to say that I think I can sway the market … Read more

There’s an emotion present in real estate that is very difficult to describe. It’s a feeling that I’d like to think is unique to being a Realtor, but I know … Read more

My son Thomas is suffering from an unfortunate episode of poison ivy poisoning. Seems strange and perhaps incorrect to write it that way, but he’s not suffering from the poison … Read more

With another Lake Geneva summer already underway, I thought a nice refresher on piers would be nice. Enjoy your Sunday, which is an impossibility if you’re not at Lake Geneva … Read more

I’m growing quite bored with the Lake Geneva foreclosure market. It’s becoming increasingly predictable and I find myself unenthusiastic as a result. The foreclosure trouble that continues to plague the … Read more

Today, for the first time this year, I had that feeling. I walked into Walmart to buy some poison ivy cream for my afflicted son, and had a very familiar, … Read more

At 9:49 am, August 30th, 2007, I sent the first email. For the next 32 months, I’d encourage visits to the lake, update them on the status of inventory and … Read more

I subscribe to the real estate belief that maintains that smaller associations are, at least generally, better associations. If I was given the choice between owning a vacation home in … Read more

I was ironing my shirt this morning, when a couple different things dawned on me in rapid succession. The first thing I noticed is that I really only wear white, … Read more

The DNC propaganda machine known as Yahoo! News has provided me with a bit of a lift this morning. An article titled “From Hamptons to Tahoe, Summer Home Sales Edge … Read more

As an individual affected by real estate ADHD, I have a great appreciation for all different types of homes, and that appreciation is growing and becoming more widespread each year. … Read more

I made Paella yesterday. I made it for my mother, seeing as how it was her day, and all. I’ve made Paella before, many times actually, and though each time … Read more

The long time bread and butter portion of the Lake Geneva real estate market is suffering. The entry level lake access market, defined for the sake of this article as … Read more

There are moments that occur on an alarming number of days where I feel like I’ve run out of things to write. I was going to write “say”, but I … Read more

After I fawned all over buoys earlier this week, I figured I’d show some respect for the boat slip. I do, at times, spell boat slip as boatslip, and there … Read more

I have a proclivity towards jealousy when I read about other resort towns hosting festivals. Not festivals that involve small transportable tea cup rides or miniature Ferris wheels, rather the … Read more

Just like the broader vacation home market at Lake Geneva, the lakefront market statistics are not in line with the lakefront market activity. Yet. The lakefront market as of this … Read more

For all their idyllic bobbing, buoys get a bad rap. A harbor filled with moored sailboats has captivated many a photographer and more than a few artists, but the little … Read more

The lakefront condo market on Geneva isn’t the most robust individual market in our broader vacation home market. That’s the way someone who likes to write words tells someone else … Read more

Among my many variations of undiagnosed ADD is a rare hybrid form of real estate ADD. This form of real estate ADD is, unfortunately, not contagious. If it were, I … Read more

As a function of my job, I talk to lots and lots of Realtors. Some of the talk is business related, and much of that talk is focused on what … Read more

The Sunday rerun this week is a post I wrote last year about what I see as the death of the real estate business. The article appeared here first and … Read more

I don’t know Neil Ulman. My first introduction to him wasn’t an introduction at all, as I just read an article he wrote in the Wall Street Journal. My first … Read more

No superfluous prose today, for a number of reasons, but most importantly because the boy with cancer who I wrote about several weeks ago died last night. It just puts … Read more

Every year, around January, I think it would be a good idea for my business to handle some rentals. January normally provides a Lake Geneva Realtor with plenty of time … Read more

To the most seasoned lake lover, the municipal boundaries that surround Geneva Lake are of little consequence. To others, the skinny lines that divide Fontana from Linn Township mean much … Read more

A few completely unrelated items prior to the post today… First off, remember when I said I was going on a diet like a month ago? I lied. I meant … Read more

If HGTV’s goal is to destroy the real estate profession, they’re hosting yet another show that will help them easily reach that goal. Selling New York is the newest incarnation … Read more

Horse racing is pompously called the “sport of kings”. Bunk. The Masters claims to be a “tradition unlike any other”. Hogwash. I grew up playing a sport that is truly … Read more

A couple weeks ago, a new lake access listing in Oakwood Estates hit the market. I had a couple of buyers who I thought might be interested in it, and … Read more

For all of the analysis that modern day buyers put into their vacation home search here, you’d think most buyers boast a double major in mathematics and real estate. Most … Read more

Dear March, I’m sorry. There, I said it. I’m not really sure why I felt that I had to lash out at you like I did, but no matter what … Read more

I figured I’d follow up yesterdays inventory update with the sales update for the first quarter. While volume at Lake Geneva is historically low during the first quarter of the … Read more

I’ve been saying all throughout the first quarter of this year that the health of our market, at least in terms of volume, would be largely dependent upon the inventory … Read more

Among a dwindling throng of reasonable Realtors who take the opinion that the market, while in moderate health, is bumping along a bottom trough, I am the self appointed Captain. … Read more

I bought my first car when I was 15. It was a truck actually, and I was still 6 months shy of my 16th birthday when I became the proud … Read more