The Cost of Renting Continues to Climb

The Cost of Renting Continues to Climb

Naturally, affordability is a concern for anyone deciding whether they'll rent or buy their next home. Buying a house is a significant undertaking and involves a number of costs and responsibilities that renters don't have to worry about. That, however, doesn't necessarily mean that renting is always going to be the more affordable option. In fact, rent has been climbing for years and continues to increase, according to a recent analysis from ABODO.

The analysis determined that the average renter last year paid $1,001 per month for a one-bedroom home and the average month-over-month increase was .67 percent. In short, the average rent increased about $85 from where it was at the beginning of last year to where it ended up at the end of the year. Still, when looked at on a state-by-state basis, rental prices vary greatly.

For example, the average rent in states like Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina is far lower than it is in areas like the District of Columbia, California, and New York.

Rents in the Hayward area tend to be lower than the metro areas of Madison, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities.  Additionally the Hayward area has little to offer in terms of rental opportunities, just ask anyone who has recently moved here. Many who seek to rent for awhile often find it financially beneficial to purchase since our area has many affordable homes to offer.

Free Ice Fishing Weekend

Free Fishing Weekend

Come Ice Fishing in Hayward this weekend! (January 21-22,  2017)

This weekend, the Wisconsin DNR is holding a free fishing weekend. There is no need for a fishing license or trout stamp. You can fish almost anywhere! The only place you can't fish is in spring trout ponds. Just remember to be very cautious when you head out onto the ice and that all other usual and seasonal regulations are in force. Get more info or find events across the state at the DNR website by clicking here.

Test out your luck and maybe you will find another hobby to enjoy in Hayward!

2017 Seeley Big Fat Race

2017 Seeley Big Fat Race

One of the many winter events in the Hayward area is this weekend! The 2017 Seeley Big Fat Race will be held on Sunday, January 22nd.

Here is the description of the race from CAMBA...

"The Seeley Big Fat Race is a low-key, self-supported, 15-mile fat bike race with a Le Mans style start and finish in Seeley. Take a chance along the course to win a prize, or just flat out haul tail and see how you do at the end of the day. Be sure to bring water, food, tools and anything else you might need on the trail, as you are on your own." 

Its a race with a definite twist and you're not going to want to miss it. Register or find out more by clicking here. 

Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs (AWSC) is Coming to Hayward!

Over 200 representatives of the (AWSC) are coming to Hayward January 5-7, 2018 to hold their Winter Directors Meeting. We are excited to have them here to see what a Winter Wonderland Hayward is.

Here is the press release from the Sawyer County Alliance:

"On January 8th representatives from each of the 72 counties in Wisconsin voted to hold their January, 2018 meeting in Hayward.  The AWSC is made of 625 snowmobile clubs from throughout the state with a membership of more than 42,000 snowmobile enthusiasts.  The Sawyer County Snowmobile and ATV Alliance will serve as host for the event, with help from the Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce and the many local businesses that benefit from snowmobiling.  Visitors will be staying at Flat Creek, Comfort Suites and the LCO Hotel and Casino.  More than 200 people are expected to attend, with plans calling for a number of guided snowmobile rides on Saturday.  Steve Bethke, Sawyer County Director, expressed hope that these representatives will go back home with a positive impression about snowmobiling in Sawyer county.  "Our goal is to have them share their experiences with their local clubs so that future trips to our area occur" said Bethke"

Tips For Selling A House In 2017

Selling a home can be challenging in any year. Even if market conditions are perfect for homeowners who want to sell, just the act of finding a buyer, shopping for a new place, and organizing a move can be overwhelming. Add in lower for-sale inventory, higher mortgage rates, and economic uncertainty and it may seem like too much to take on. Fortunately, there's no shortage of help available to guide you through this year's real estate market.

A recent article on Trulia breaks down some of the top tips for selling a home in the new year. First on their list is hiring the right agent. Having a professional who knows the local market and your needs can reduce your stress level and make everything else run more smoothly. 

You're also going to want to prepare for competition. Analysts expect inventory to rise this year and that means an increasing number of homes for buyers to choose from. Making your house stand out from the pack might mean staging it according to the demographic most likely to be moving to your neighborhood. In other words, if you live somewhere popular with young families, think about staging an extra bedroom as a nursery.

You should also be sure to keep up with technology. These days, everything from virtual tours to drone photography can be used to set your listing apart.

Ultimately, though, nothing works better than pricing your home correctly from the start. With a good agent and the right price, you will be in a better position to sell your home in 2017.

Is Sawyer County Real Estate Hot?

A couple of weeks ago the Wisconsin Realtors Association  Press Release stated that for January 2016 the housing market in Wisconsin was HOT. According to our statewide data  units sold are up about 10% from 2015 and sold prices are up about 10% as well. Big picture housing for the state is up, but is this true for Sawyer County ? 

Below is a chart from the last 4 years of MLS (Multiple Listing Service) data for Sawyer County.   The data is broken into nine broad categories to help give a wide overview for the sales in Sawyer County over the past few years. 

If you like this data and want more like it feel free to contact us and one of our agents can get you information specific to the property you are looking to sell or purchase.

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Amanda Mavis
Woodland Dev. & Realty

Should you get pre-approved?

Over the next couple of weeks/months I thought it would be fun and informative if we could hear from various local experts in the real estate field.  Hayward has many amazing, smart and savvy business people and I think we can benefit from hearing some of the real estate advice they have to offer.  

If you have a topic or and article you would like to us to write about let me know and I will see what I can put together.

For this blog post we have the privilege of hearing from one of our local lending experts.  She has some great wisdom and advice and many years of experience in the lending business.  Her name is Angie Ruid and she is with Community Bank of Northern WI.  If you'd like to reach her or get more information I've posted her contact information at the end of this article.

Thanks Angie for helping us out with our first guest blog post!


Should you get pre-approved?
Many buyers are not aware that by getting “pre-approved” by a lender can actually
speed up the process of their mortgage loan application. In today’s lending
environment with mortgage regulations being tighter than they have in the past it’s
important for buyers to understand that buying a home can be a lengthy process.
By obtaining a pre-approval from a lender you are not only letting the seller know by
presenting the pre-approval letter with the offer that you are a serious buyer, but it also does speed up the loan process with your lender. By providing your personal
information along with your income and asset to your lender ahead of time allows the
lender to pull your credit and determine your credit worthiness prior to you making an
Then once you have the accepted offer the process is much more simplified.
Documentation supporting your income and assets would be collected from the lender
along with the accepted offer to purchase. Once the file is complete with all necessary
documentation including appraisal, title, inspections, etc. the file would then move to the final underwriting stage. At the time of final approval a “Loan Commitment” letter can then be issued to the buyer to remove the financing contingency on the offer to
Should you have questions about how to get pre-approved or about the mortgage loan
process, please don’t hesitate to contact me. With over 25 years in the mortgage
industry, I have the products and knowledge to make your home buying experience the best it can be!

Angie Ruid
Vice President - Mortgage Lending
Phone (715)634-3055
NMLS#747120

2015 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

NAR 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

The National Association of REALTORS^® recently released its 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report and there are some interesting new trends emerging this year. One fascinating trend is that in almost every region of the United States, buyers were trading up and buying bigger homes. According to the new report, 42 percent of all buyers traded up in the size of their home, up from 40 percent in 2014. In the 2014 report, buyers reported that they were looking for homes similar in size at 31 percent compared to 29 percent in 2015. One reason for this shift is that people finally have more equity from selling their previous homes in order to buy a bigger one. Sellers also reported that they sold their homes for a median of $40,000 more than they purchased it, up from $30,100 in 2014.

See the 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers and related information at http://www.realtor.org/reports/recent-home-buyer-profiles

Read Highlights from the 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers at http://www.realtor.org/reports/highlights-from-the-2015-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers

• At 30 percent, the primary reason for purchasing a home was the desire to own a home of their own.
• Eighty-seven percent of buyers recently purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker.
• Eighty-eight percent of buyers would use their agent again or recommend their agent to others.
• Only eight percent (down from nine percent) of recent home sales were FSBO sales. This is the lowest share recorded since this report started in 1981.

See the infographic portraying the characteristics of home buyers and sellers at http://www.realtor.org/infographics/infographic-2015-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers

Fun For All at the Birkie

The American Birkebeiner Ski race isn't just for die-hard ski enthusiasts there are lots of fun events that the go on the two days prior to the big ski race.  Last night, one of those fun events, was the Giant Ski Race. Teams of 6 brightly adorned, decorated and decked out racers slide down Main Street on two giant skis competing for the best time.

Below is a video of the top two teams racing for the win. 

Video by bluemoosevideos on YouTube

Afterwards there were some fun shenanigans - skiing down the new Birkie bridge.

RIS Media Reports: "Mortgage Rates Hit New Lows"

RIS Media reports that for 2014 mortgage rates have hit new lows.
Currently local rates are hovering around 3.125% - 3.4% for a 15 year note and 4% - 4.5% for a 30 year notes.  Northwest WI has many highly qualified and excellent lenders. If you are looking to finance your purchase be sure to contact one of our local lenders.
Local Lender List

To see the full RIS Media article click on the link below.
Mortgage Rates Hit New Lows/