2008 - What Can We Expect?

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for the overall U.S. housing market? Even though we have not experienced as big a hit locally, the housing problems in parts of the U.S. affects us all.

Most forecasters agree that both existing and new home sales and prices will bottom out in the second or third quarter; that because of a relatively healthy underlying U.S. economy. The National Association of Realtors recently reported that existing home sales and prices would stabilize in the second quarter and rise throughout the second half of the year.

According to the NAR's chief economist the slowdown has never been about the fundamentals of the economy. Consumers have the means to buy but they lack the confidence; once they see sales and prices leveling out they will feel better about getting back into the market. The number of financing options helps and tighter underwriting is exactly what we need in order to restore public confidence.

Commercial real estate continues solid throughout most of the U.S. as has been the case locally. Yes, there are some empty buildings but new building continues and there is interest on the part of investors. Just like home buyers I find that commercial investors and end-users are equally cautious and willing to sit on the sideline until they get the best deal possible. The economy is still growing, businesses are still investing and consumers continue to spend - all positive for commercial property owners. I find that most commercial investors look for cash flow rather than appreciation and who can blame them?

Multifamily would seem to be a good sector in which to be invested; one in which you would benefit from the housing slump because buyers delay in taking the leap into ownership. The problem is that more home sellers are turning to renting when they can't sell so that affects apartment and multi-family unit rentals adversely. Be careful about jumping into the rental game; do your homework.

Overall I think 2008 will be a solid year; robust or spectacular no, but sufficiently positive.

We had a bunch of snow this week so all the trails are greaaaaaat! Go to the link below for trail reports and come on up and have some fun; do drive carefully....and have a very Happy New Year!!!!!

http://www.haywardareachamber.com/snowreports.html

Life Is Good...Enjoy!

Gary Nathan and
Amanda Mavis
Woodland Developments & Realty
15617 Railroad Street
Hayward, WI 54843
715-699-4040
nathan@cheqnet.net
http://www.woodlanddevrealty.com/
http://www.haywardwaterfront.com/

Tis The Season!

This is the time of year most of us get in the mood to purchase gifts for others. And make no mistake about it, women lead men in almost every category when it comes to buying.; they control 80% of household spending. Women buy more tech, online travel, food, books, clothing, mobile phone games, home furnishings, web products....well they lead in just about every category imaginable.

And why not, they feel more pain, are more romantic, better organized, live longer, read more, talk.....OK we won't go there. Anyway most of us men like the fact that women take charge when it comes to shopping whether it's for Christmas or for any other occasion.

In my line of work women are definitely in control of the purchasing decision when it comes to homes...now I didn't say every time but certainly the majority of the time. A guy looks at a property and if the garage is big enough and he can hang a 72" plasma screen somewhere in the house he will probably buy!

Women on the other hand are looking for top-of the line kitchen finishes and appliances, dual mater suites, spacious closets, classic architecture and high-end finishes. They want that open room concept design that will promote family connection and a "tech center" that is easily accessible....like a nook in the kitchen area. Maintenance free, secure, efficient, customized for multi-use design and places in the home they can call their own. Women like to be able to see and touch; it has to feel right emotionally and yet be functional.

But for you men who are reading this; Christmas gifts should not be confused with home buying. Do Not, I repeat, Do Not buy a functional gift for her this Christmas....keep it on the emotional side and you will be just fine.

Have a blessed Christmas and drive safe....Life Is Good....Enjoy!

Gary Nathan and
Amanda Mavis
Woodland Developments & Realty
Hayward, WI
866-634-2884
nathan@cheqnet.net
http://www.woodlanddevrealty.com/
http://www.haywardwaterfront.com/

Home Gift Ideas That Are High Tech

Need some gift ideas that will bring your home into the twenty-first century? Here are a few of the latest gadgets that are guaranteed to thrill the receiver. These products will improve safety, energy efficiency, and overall quality of life, and are just plain fun.

A Watchdog Robot for $300 called "Spygee"; it's 18" tall and battery-operated. Keeps an eye on the home while you are away. From a web site you can direct the robot's movements and see what is going on in your home through it's digital eyes. It will snap still photos and records videos with sound which you can view and hear online. It sounds an alarm if anything comes into its line of sight and emails you a photo. You might be surprised to find out what goes on when you are away! Meccano at 800-77-NIKKO.

For about $200 you can put in an alarm sensor that will call you and tell you that your garage door is open, the pipes are nearly frozen, your power has been off for over an hour or if there is some unusual movement in your home plus a "bunch" more. It will text message or email you as well. Go to alarm.com

For under $700 there is a SmartSense Ventilation System that can be installed in your HVAC that will improve indoor air quality by automatically turning a network of fans on to boost fresh air. It removes pollutants and minimizes mold and mildew growth. Go to Broan-NuTone.

One of my favorites - Help in the Kitchen! No need to wait at the grill or oven to see if dinner is ready. A two-part thermometer beeps or speaks when your food is ready or almost ready. One part goes into the food and the other wireless part stays with you...it works up to 330 feet away. The Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer is just $60 from Oregon Scientific at 800-853-8883. OK for those who really know me this is a great gift for Shari since I don't really cook much.....still one of my favorites!

For a couple of great ideas check out the Weather-Sensitive Sprinkler System from Cyber-Rain or the Aura Wireless Lighting Controls from Lutron Electonics Co. And finally for you serious wine lovers...go to CellarTracker (314-667-5328) for the ultimate in Ultra-Organized Wine Cellars.

We have enjoyed winter-wonderland weather this past week; may you enjoy your weekend with loved ones and friends!

Life Is Good....Enjoy!

Gary Nathan and
Amanda Mavis
866-634-2884
nathan@cheqnet.net
www.woodlanddevrealty.com
www.haywardwaterfront.com

THANKS FOR THE EXPERIENCE!

One of the true joys of working in real estate is the opportunity to meet people and to help sellers and buyers reach their desired goal. The end result is always great but the journey is equally rewarding. Well, two of my friends from Hayward went the extra mile and provided me with a wonderful gift after a successful close on a real estate transaction. It has taken awhile for me to take advantage of this marvelous gift but yesterday Shari and I spent the night at the Rittenhouse Inn, a
B & B in Bayfield; many of you are probably familiar with it. No, we did not get to see innkeepers, Jerry and Mary Phillips, but we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the 117 year-old mansion and were treated to a sumptuous dinner and a relaxing evening by the fireplace in our room.

This escape for a day was a lifetime experience and a real value. For those of us who are fortunate enough to live full or part time in this great north woods we need to count our blessings. Real estate here is a real good value and can provide that great escape experience. Thanks H & D!

The fresh snow is refreshing and my friends tell me skiing is wonderful. Have a great weekend!

Life is Good….Enjoy!

Gary Nathan

Show Me

SHOW ME

If you have been in the habit of reading my blog you know that I am a pretty optimistic person when it comes to real estate…. and life in general. Some folks get a little annoyed because they don’t see the glass half full, half empty or may not think there is any water in the glass at all. So if you are one of those that say “show me” or “give me some proof” that there is anything to be positive about please read on.

Wisconsin home sales have outperformed most states through the last three quarters; our local markets, as I have said in the past, are less volatile than markets elsewhere in the country. We don’t get the big upswings nor do we suffer the big falls. Other regions of the country had declines in the median price of homes while Wisconsin homes actually increased about 2.4%. Since sales peaked in 2005 statewide median prices have continued to rise, an increase of about 7.5% since the first quarter of 2006 according to the Wisconsin Realtors Assn.

Sawyer County home sales for Quarter 3 of 2007 tallied 101 which is sixteen more than the same quarter last year; the median sales price rose from $165,000 to $180,000 in the same period. It’s also important to point out that median prices have grown 32.2% since we came out of the last recession in late 2001. Housing and real estate in general continues to be a solid investment. Keep the faith!

Yahoo…We are expecting 8 to 16 inches of snow over the weekend so strap on your snowshoes, oil and gas up the blower and snowmobile and get ready to RUMBLE. Have a great weekend everyone………….Life is Good, Enjoy!

Gary A. Nathan
Amanda Mavis, personal assistant

Dire Predictions!

The media is really good at grabbing us with dire negative predictions whether it is in real estate, oil prices, stock market moves, the weather or what have you. Locally we are not immune to the trouble that faces others in the real estate market, or anything else for that matter, but we need to consider the following.

First and foremost who said life should always be easy and a big picnic….ok I just had to get the philosophical stuff out first. In the nearly 30 years that I have lived in this area the majority of the time, year in and year out, real estate sales have boomed, there has been steadily rising price appreciation on property, or at least value has held, and there has always been strong demand for our up-north escape lifestyle.

Not only do we have a great supply of real estate to choose from but we have more financial products available at our disposal today than we have had in history. So you might be saying that is why we have sub-prime mortgage problems, truth is approximately 1% of borrowers are affected by the sub-prime situation. Call any local lender and ask them if they are bullish on our local real estate market; tell them I put you up to it! Don’t expect any “dire predictions”.

Yuk, Mother Nature teased us with a little snow last week and yet I know we need it for winter tourism. Make it a great week; for the fun of it since I am going away over Thanksgiving why don’t you call Amanda and give her some good advice on how I might improve my BLOG. Be gentle! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone………

Life is Good….Enjoy!

Gary A. Nathan and Amanda Mavis

CHRISTMAS ISN'T THAT CLOSE!!!!

CHRISTMAS ISN'T THAT CLOSE!!!!
Go Green??

My daughter came home from college and was telling how all the stores had Christmas decorations up the day after Halloween; I don’t mean to one-up her but I noticed the holiday shopping season in many stores got under way before the pumpkins were ready to pick. By the way, why was she in the stores and not in class???

Americans will spend about $4-5 billion this year; wow that is a lot of lead painted, or should I say tainted, toys. How about some Eco-friendly ideas? There are some local stores as well as some “green” web sites that you can consider this year. Try www.newdream.org/holiday/ which is a group that helps consumers choose “responsible” giving instead of just loading up on stuff. There are some pretty creative and inspirational gift ideas and a holiday help book.

I pick on tree huggers sometimes but there is a neat site at http://www.treehugger.com/ that you can find anything from shoes to compost toilets to lighting to creating renewable energy and pretty good discussions on food…my favorite sport.

If you need a dose of social justice, and we can all use some, try http://www.coopamerica.org/.
No happy holidays from me yet…..but do have a good time shopping!

Come up and see us but drive with caution; our own national holiday season, “The Great Deer Hunt”, has begun.

Life is Good, Enjoy!


Gary A. Nathan and Amanda Mavis

BEFORE YOU BUY A HOME

There is much help available today if you want to buy a home but you will want to consider the following.

First you need to determine how much home you can afford. So how do you do that? A good rule of thumb is that you can only afford to buy a home that is equal in price to approximately three times your gross annual income. So for guys like me who work on commission that can be a moving target!

Secondly and to be more exact you should consider these six factors: 1.) income; 2.) the amount of cash you have available for a down payment, closing costs, and the cash reserves required by your lender; 3.) credit history (your credit history smart guy not your lender); 4.) the type of mortgage; 5.) outstanding debt; 6.) current interest rates. I did pretty well on this list until number 5…ugh!

The long and short is that you should get pre-qualified or pre-approved with your personal lender for a home loan. They can help you find out how much home you can buy and in the end it makes you a more credible buyer. And the more credible you are the better you can negotiate.

We continue to be blessed as our drought conditions have been all but taken care of with the many inches of rain received in September and October. There isn’t a dry pair of shoes in my closet.

Have a great weekend and plan to come up and see us in beautiful Sawyer County!

Life is Good, Enjoy!
Gary and Amanda

Near-Water Development

There is much discussion and concern as to the amount of development near lakes, rivers, ponds and wetlands.

In addition, there are the issues of landowner rights, public rights and resource stewardship. Obviously there is an effect on both those who are developing their land and those whose land is affected by the development - not to mention the economic well-being of the community. The days of putting up your garage wherever you wish are gone; from my perspective that isn’t all bad given the adverse effect building might have on our natural resources.

Yours truly is for controls provided all landowners are treated the same and that the “arbitrary rulings” are taken out of the equation when it comes to development. When we have goals that seem to contradict each other, a scientific basis for assessing effects of development and effectiveness of mitigation measures helps ensure fair and constructive decision-making. Yet, I have heard some say we can't believe the scientists and engineers; now that's perplexing to me. Who can we rely upon if not the experts?

There is potential for adverse effects where ever and whenever we develop. The complexity of these issues underscores the need for sound engineered watershed plans rather than depending only upon the approaches of the past. With better understanding and implementation of such plans, both the critics and the proponents will be better able to protect our water resources for generations to come.

Make it a great weekend and Happy Halloween; I’m headed to North Dakota to visit family. If you’re traveling this weekend please drive safely!

Life is Good, Enjoy!

Market Update

For the most part, except for building and home real estate sales, the market continues to chug along and real estate is just 5% of the overall economy. Despite the negative reports that we all receive there are many reasons why I continue to be optimistic about the reported “crisis” in the real estate market. In part because we have had another great year and the fourth quarter pipeline of business is very strong. I see this as a time of opportunity; you make money when you buy – not when you sell. That is, if you buy right it sets you up for profit when you sell. On top of that you get to enjoy the use of the property while you own it.

Why the continued optimism? Typically, home owners who are in the market for the long-term nearly always come out on top in building wealth. Mortgage rates are historically favorable, there is a wide selection of inventory and the worst in the credit crunch appears to be over. There are more jobs, incomes have increased and there is more wealth. Finally, and I have written this before, there is a pent-up buyer demand.

The HACC Wine Tasting is tonight! Good news, we have had a ton of rain in September and October so our lake and pond levels are really up compared to earlier this summer. We won’t have to put on that dock extension after all or worry about pulling our boats off the lift.

Have a great weekend; come on up and see us!

Life is Good, Enjoy!

Gary A. Nathan and Amanda Mavis

Moratoriums

A growing number of communities have enacted moratoria on new development, more particularly on new land divisions and subdivisions. The stated purpose is typically to eliminate development pressures during those times that municipalities are in the process of doing land-use planning. Some towns apparently are using Smart Growth to prevent growth which could lead to some negative results. There have been challenges to the enactment of moratoria as to whether or not it is legal.

There is legitimate reason for moratoria, purposes such as insufficient sewer capacity or water supply but sometimes it appears moratoria is enacted out of fear that development is going to “happen in my back yard” and I just don’t like it.

A moratorium can have devastating impact on the housing market and the overall economy. New development helps fuel and create new opportunities for many jobs including land use planners, surveyors, architects, lenders, appraisers, lumber companies, carpenters, electricians, title companies….well you get the drift.
Not only can it cause a downturn in the local economy it can reduce land value and have an undetermined long-term effect.

The public health, safety and welfare must be considered and much thought and discussion must take place before municipalities consider moratoria on development. Keep in touch with your local Town Boards and the County as future plans unfold.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the fall colors!

Life is Good, Enjoy!

Gary Nathan

Wilderness Lakes Class

Thought I should give you and update if you have not been following the Wilderness Lakes Class meetings in Sawyer County. There was a very large crowd that turned out for a Sawyer County Zoning public hearing last month, probably as a result of a Northland Area Builders Association (NABA) mailing to about 2500 land owners. NABA felt that Sawyer County did not properly notify the public of this newly proposed lake class since the newspaper notices did not include the list of lakes affected by the proposal. The NABA went on to say they were concerned because any change could greatly affect property owner rights as well as the value of the property.

The list of lakes affected was unveiled the morning of the hearing; at the time of the hearing only named lakes were scored. One Hundred Forty -Two (142) privately owned named lakes would become Wilderness Lakes. 141 of these lakes are currently Class 3 lakes requiring just less than 2 acres to build. One of the lakes, Island Lake, is currently a Class 1 lake. The Wilderness Class would require 5 acres to build, 300 feet of frontage (600 feet for multiple family dwellings), 700 feet of depth and side setback minimums of 60 feet for a total of 120 feet. The reclassification would roughly affect 78% of the lakes in Sawyer County.

There is certainly agreement to preserve the wilderness quality of the land surrounding the lake. The NABA disagrees with the proposal in its current form; they say that managing pollution through dilution does nothing to improve current levels of pollutants from failed septic systems, fertilizers and unmitigated shorelines. The also feel the proposal lacks the basis of protecting public health, safety or welfare and the burden of protecting the water is not distributed fairly amongst all property owners.

The NABA calls for the enforcement of current Zoning laws that are intended to protect the waters and shoreline and the use of Storm water Management Plans for new construction when impervious surface standards exceed 15% on properties within the watershed of a lake. Stay tuned!

Looks like we are at or near the peak for fall colors; Life if Good, Enjoy!

You Should Know This

Until recently studies indicated that women spoke more words than men; can’t imagine this could be true. Women supposedly turned out about 20,000 words a day compared to men at a mere 7,000 per day. Another study indicated it was more like 6,000 to 8,000 for women and 2,000 to 4,000 for men. Now that’s more like it. But, noooo someone had to come along and do another study; where do people find the time? Recent research indicates that women churn 16,215 words per day compared to …….are you ready..…..drum roll please………15,669 for men. Now that’s more like it, specific numbers, none of this round off to the nearest 1000. It caused at least one woman to quip, “What it really means is not that she talks too much, it’s that he doesn’t listen enough!”

Just a few more must-knows to end your week. Did you know that most lipstick contains fish scales, baby Robins (birds) eat 13 feet of worms a day, fingernails grow four times faster than toenails and every human has a distinct tongue print? Finally, did you know that 166,875,000,000 pieces of mail are delivered each year in the U.S.? I wonder if that includes all the lost mail.

So what does this have to do with real estate? Absolutely nothing, but now you will think twice before hitting the delete button on my boring blog; it may cause you to wonder just what insightful weekend conversation bits you might be missing.

Make it a great weekend, the colors are turning quickly and Stone Lake Cranberry Fest is just around the corner.

Life Is Good, Enjoy!

Gary A. Nathan &
Amanda Mavis, Gary’s personal assistant who does all the real work……..

Holding Back

For the most part the market is fairly good for us in Sawyer County while the rest of the Country appears to be in the tank; that is if you believe everything you read and everything you hear on the networks.

According to a recent report by Lawrence Yun, who does research for the National Realtors Assn., there is a pent up demand on the part of buyers. The US has added 4 million jobs since mid-2005, wages have risen 7%, aggregate national income is up $1.35 trillion and wealth has grown significantly.

So, many people have the means to purchase homes but it appears that some are just holding back because of uncertainty. Mortgage rates are certainly attractive especially with the announcement yesterday and the stock market is chugging along. Consumer confidence is up, business confidence is up, inflation continues in check and home sales are brightening across the country.

What do we make of all of this? From my perspective we can’t always compare what is happening locally with what is in the national news. If you are a buyer, be patient and prudent. If you are a seller, be patient and persistent. In the end owning your own home is still a great investment!

Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget that Fall Fest is in Hayward this weekend and Cranberry Festival in Stone Lake is Saturday, October 6. Check out www.haywardareachamber.com or www.haywardlakes.com for a calendar of events.

Life Is Good, Enjoy!
Gary

Building Green

Green building has gone from a buzzword to front shelf demand by many people wishing to build or purchase a new home. This is a result, of course, of the heightened awareness for environmental and conservation concerns. According to the Wisconsin Builders Association (WBA) there is a Green Built Home (GBH) program that signifies an environmentally friendly standard of home building that also keeps costs reasonable. Now there is a definitive checklist of what constitutes a green building that consumers can use. The checklists for new home projects and remodeling projects make it easy for consumers to determine what aspects of a project will comply with the GBH requirements.

GBH focuses its efforts to meet meaningful environmental, health and energy standards and provides a form of building certification. The comprehensive checklist categorizes the three basic requirements that each building project must meet: energy efficiency, indoor air quality and erosion control standards. Builders agree to follow a list of features including site and land use, landscape conservation and storm water management, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor air quality, plumbing and water conservation, waste reduction, recycling and disposal, builder operations and efficient use of space.

The long and short is that GBH-certified homes have less of an impact on the environment and owners will realize greater value. You can get more detailed information regarding enrollment and certification at http://www.greenbuilthome.org/.

Fall has arrived in our County and peak colors aren’t far away so come on up and visit! Have a great weekend.

Life Is Good, Enjoy!
Gary Nathan

All the World’s a Stage

All the World’s a Stage

In the July issue of Home Delivery there was an excellent blurb about staging one’s home for selling. This is good stuff even for those of us in the “north woods” who may be selling our homes or thinking about selling in the near future.

“Does your home have a façade only a homeowner could love? Selling a home can be an emotional experience, and people can lack objectivity when it comes to their own abode. Presenting a home in its best light is always important, but it’s imperative in a competitive market. Professional advice and assistance can make the difference between “Wow!” and “Whaaa?” - a recent industry study found that staged homes sold for 6.9 percent more than homes that were not staged. Another study compared listing times before and after staging. Homes that had first been offered for sale without staging were on the market an average of 4.5 months; the same homes sold within a week, on average, after being staged.”

Believe me the market is competitive and I concur that staging is very helpful in addition to some other ideas we have put together. For more information on designers and staging give us a call at 715-634-2110.

We have received much needed rain this week; the end of the week and weekend forecast is for sun and 80 degree weather; come see us!

Life is good, Enjoy!

Gary Nathan &
Amanda Mavis

What Can We Expect?

The market woes of last week cause many investors to ask what one can expect. Wall Street is pretty weird sometimes. Despite the fact that earnings, for the most part, are accelerating, economic growth has picked up, core inflation is down and the Fed is probably going to lower rates, we get a big sell off. Talk about reacting without thinking.

In real estate I find buyers to be pretty cautious and think through their options before making a final decision. Most do a really good job of checking out value before jumping into a real estate deal just because it “feels” right. The slowdown in the housing market has caused buyers to do more homework. Conversely it has caused sellers to do a better job of staging their homes and being more reasonable in pricing. Out of the negative we get some good positives as well.

Real Estate in our area continues to do well because we are a second home, vacation home and retirement haven. Expect that to continue!

It has been another beautiful summer, come and see us and enjoy a little bit of heaven here on earth!

Life Is Good……Enjoy!

Gary Nathan

Dad's Need Their Space Too!

Dad’s Need Their Space Too!

There is a new study by Homes & Land that shows most men want their own “space” in their house. Guess who makes the final decision 87% of the time when it comes to purchasing a home? Not hard to figure that out - it’s the opposite sex.

Dad’s have a pretty specific idea what they want and the survey indicated that the list toppers were: an office/study (translated - a place to pile all the hunting and fishing magazines); a media room (translated - Sunday football hang-out); a garage/workshop (translated - a place to hide) and an exercise room (translated that means a room with a refrigerator, vending machines, pizza oven and a set of 2.5# dumbbells).

The study went on to say that 72 percent of Dads claim their own space within the home. Go men! If men had their own way (and they don’t) they would decorate their rooms with personal memorabilia (I have a track ribbon and a 4th place bowling trophy), sports items, vintage cars, tools and photos and animal stuff.

Ok, studies are great and they do give us Dad’s lots of good ideas to dream about. Anyway, I know I won’t be allowed to do any major re-decorating at our cabin any time soon.

It’s beautiful in Hayward and real estate shopping is hot so come on up and see us! Have a wonderful weekend.

Enjoy, Life Is Good!

It’s the Environment

Sawyer County has long been a favorite destination for tourists and regular visitors who want to escape to the “north woods”. So why would one want to purchase a second home, move here permanently or retire to this area?
When asked most would say it’s the “environment”. Environment defined would be tens of thousands acres of clear water lakes and rivers, thousands of miles of shoreline, tens of thousands acres of forest lands, fresh air, natural beauty, quiet surroundings, rural atmosphere, privacy and recreational opportunities.

Many see the Sawyer County area as a great place to invest and there hasn’t been any better time than now. Inventory of homes is up, interest rates continue to be at historic lows on average, sellers are motivated and housing prices are forecasted to post positive gains.

For the most part we know that home ownership is a safe and secure way to invest and to build long-term wealth. Vacation home sales rose 4.7% last year and of second home buyers, 8 out of 10 thought it was a good idea to invest in real estate. We are in a great area since our Sawyer County market has a large percentage of vacation and secondary homes.

For twenty-seven plus years I have been blessed to live in the great Wisconsin “north woods” where I can play where I work. Come and check us out and enjoy all that Sawyer County has to offer!

Enjoy, Life Is Good!

Buyers Are Liars & Sellers Are Too!

BUYERS ARE LIARS &
SELLERS ARE TOO

It was ten years ago that I heard that phrase while working at another real estate agency. Actually that line fit me to a tee when we were seeking to buy our first cabin. We wanted perfect elevation, sandy shoreline, westerly exposure, no weeds, log cabin, real stone fireplace and privacy; all for $85,000. We knew just what we wanted. We ended up buying a modular home on a moderately elevated property with easterly exposure. The shoreline was weedy but there was sand and a wood stove instead of a fireplace. Oh, by the way, we spent only $50,000 more than we really wanted to at the time.

There is actually a book that has been published called “Buyers Are Liars & Sellers Are Too”! It points out popular misconceptions of both buyers and sellers. Sellers often say “our property is worth this or we won’t take less than because _______”; you fill in the blank. Most buyers have it all figured out before they begin the process of finding that perfect “up north retreat”.

The lesson learned is that people often change their target as they become more educated; it’s true for both buyers and sellers; I can attest to this having been on both sides of the equation and having worked with so many buyers and sellers. It can be a fun and educational experience for all parties.

Have a wonderful weekend; it has been warm, dry and sunny in Hayward and we look forward to seeing you at our summer events including Musky Festival next week!

ENJOY, LIFE IS GOOD!

Gary Nathan

Top Ten

TOP TEN

Asheville (NC) has a population of about 70,000, but this mid-size city ranked No. 1 on a list of the most popular places to live in 2007, that according to Relocate-America’s annual top 10 list. The site attracts visitors in the process of relocating and helps them do the research before they move.
Stevens Point, WI made it in at number 7 and believe it or not Chicago was number 4….yes, Chicago, IL. Now I don’t want to pick on Chicago but everyone I know from there wants to be here; just ask Schultze!According to Relocate-America it starts by “asking visitors for nominations, which describe some of the characteristics of the cities, including people and neighborhoods, the beauty of the area, schools, activities, economic health and environmental health”. The R-A staff adds some other criteria and voila the list is complete!

Well, the staff in Michigan may be a great bunch of folks but they need to expand their search to smaller markets. The Hayward area is the place to be for fresh air, pristine waters, towering forests, activities and friendly folks. We didn’t make it but being in the “small market” also means occasional traffic lights and quiet surroundings. I’m headed home to the lake to listen to the loons!

Enjoy…..Life is Good!


Gary A. Nathan
Woodland Developments & Realty
15617 Railroad Street, Hayward, WI 54843
715-634-2110
FAX 715-634-2884
nathan@woodlanddevrealty.com

Vacation Home

Vacation Home segment of U.S. housing market shows growth in 2006:

There have been several articles recently regarding an actual bright spot in the U.S. housing market. Vacation Home sales rose 4.7% for a record of 1.07 million homes in 2006. The share of vacation-homes rose, making up 14% of all home sales, up from 12% in 2005. For comparison, primary-residence sales fell 4.1% during the time in 2006. Of second home buyers, 8 out of 10 thought it was a good idea to invest in real estate while only 57% of primary-residence buyers thought the same. Since our Hayward area housing market has a large percentage of vacation homes, this is very good news. And, based on the past few weeks of activity this is going to be a “very” good summer.

Come and see us, the forecast for the week is warm and wonderful, but please be mindful that fire danger is high. Have a great weekend and ENJOY, LIFE IS GOOD!

Chris McGrath

WILDERNESS LAKES

Sawyer County has assembled a task force to explore the possibility of creating a fourth classification for those bodies of water considered “Wilderness Lakes”, that is, lakes with special features and/or conditions. For some it will be welcomed and yet others are concerned about the economic effect as well as property owner rights; specifically the possibility of devaluation on those particular lakes that may be identified as needing this “protection” from development.

The Northland Area Builders Association has suggested that further environmental and economic impact studies be conducted by a third party(s). NABA has also suggested that property rights be addressed in addition to storm water runoff management plans. They seek to achieve greater efficiencies to protect the lakes without devaluing the land owner’s investment.

If you wish more information please click on the hyper link below to review the proposed Lake Class Development Standards, and stayed tuned. Lake Class Development Standars

It is sunny and wonderful in the north woods and the forecast for the weekend sounds wonderful…come and see us!

Have a great weekend and ENJOY….LIFE IS GOOD!



Gary Nathan

Budding Retirees

Budding Retirees

Americans age 55 and older will buy one in every five new homes this year – over $100 billion worth, that according to research done by the National Association of Home Builders.

These budding retirees tend to be wealthier than younger age groups. They are far more active and health-conscious than past generations. Because of the real estate boom many made money on previous home sales or they have a big home equity cushion in their current home.

Most new retirees (the 55+ crowd) are looking for a more “open lifestyle”. They want their retirement to be fun with some work on the side rather than work with fun on the side.

Well, there are few places more fun than the Hayward area; the opportunities are many for healthy, fun living in our wooded lake country. Come see us!

Enjoy, Life Is Good!

Gary A. Nathan