H2OME ~ The Blog of Homewaters Real Estate: February 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Search Results Currently Down

We're very sorry for the inconvenience but we are experiencing some issues with our website, www.homewaters.net. No searches are pulling in results at this time. Our developers are working to resolve the issue and should have it fixed shortly. Thank you for the patience and thank you to those of our users who contacted us to let us know of the issue! It didn't take long for the phone to start ringing. Great to hear from those who love using our site.

Monday, February 27, 2012

5435 Oakridge, Beaverton, MI Wixom Lake!!!!

5435 Oakridge, Beaverton, MI 48612

Wixom Lake!!!!

$279,000

5435 Oakridge, Beaverton, MI

MLS #155616

Stunning Wixom Lake home! 2,446 sq feet of gorgeous, easy living w/ this 3 bedroom, 3 bath. 66' of frontage w/ a fabulous view of the lake! Beautifully landscaped lawn is level to the water. New steel seawall, docks, & 2 permanent boat hoists w/ custom made covers. Patio door steps you into the family room w/ a 13' wet bar perfect for entertaining! Kitchen offers granite counters, stainless appliances (including a double oven), hickory cabinets, center island, & ceramic tile floors. Open kitchen & living room w/ floor to ceiling windows maximizes your waterfront view. Peaceful living room w/ wood staircase to master bedroom loft. Master offers a panoramic view of the lake, 8x13 walk-in closet w/custom shelving & a luxurious bath w/ whirlpool tub. Main floor has 2 additional spacious bedrooms w/ large closets & 2 baths. Concrete drive, 28x40 finished garage, sprinkler system for a lush lawn, afternoon shade, concrete patio, & newer well complete the package.

Click here to learn more about this Wixom Lake Home!!!

5435 Oakridge, Beaverton, MI

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Friday, February 24, 2012

Waterfront Homes For Sale on Secord Lake and Smallwood Lake, Gladwin County

Waterfront Homes For Sale on Secord Lake and Smallwood Lake

Secord Lake

There are currently 62 active listings for Secord Lake ranging from $49,000-$339,900

Welcome! Visitors are welcome in Gladwin, Michigan especially the kind that like to stay and play awhile! Come with your family, your friends or just yourself and I'll bet you'll make new friends while you're here!
Secord Lake is an approximately 2,000 acre serene and picturesque all sports lake,inside Gladwin County and located in Gladwin, Michigan. The lake takes in Secord Township and is formed by the Tittabawassee River system. It would take many hours of boat travel to see the entire lake! You will find miles of shoreline and much sandy swimming!
Many people enjoy Secord Lake with pontoons, ski boats, jet ski's, fishing boats and it's not uncommon to see a canoe or kayak during the quieter times. Don't forget to check out Lost Arrow Resort on the Water, a beautiful waterfront resort that boasts a fabulous restaurant serving many fine foods including farm raised venison. The resort also offers trophy whitetail hunting, a sporting clay course, fishing, indoor pool and spa!

Below are featured listings for Secord Lake:

3946 Four Seasons, Gladwin, MI $99,900

4426 Lakeview, Alger Michigan $110,000

1518 Loebrich, Gladwin, MI $49,000

3761 Jennings Court, Gladwin, MI $125,000

Click Here to search more available listings for Secord Lake

Below are featured listing for near by Smallwood Lake:

385 Elevation, Gladwin, MI $29,900

30 Walnut, Gladwin, MI $79,900

894 Rivers Terrace, Gladwin, MI $119,900

764 New Trail, Gladwin, MI $149,000

Click here to search more available listings for Smallwood Lake!!

Sonya Loose
- Associate Broker, REALTOR® ABR, GRI, SFR

Homewaters Recreational Real Estate
Direct Line: (989) 429-2600
Fax: (775) 205-6839

www.thegladwinrealestate.com
www.sonyaloose.com
Find me on Facebook!
2010 Realtor of the Year: Clare/Gladwin Board of Realtors

Waterfront Homes For Sale on Wixom Lake, Gladwin County!

Waterfront Homes For Sale on Wixom Lake

Wixom Lake

Wixom Lake

There are currently 58 active listings on Wixom Lake ranging in price from $19,900-$624,000

Welcome! Visitors are welcome in Beaverton, Michigan especially the kind that like to stay and play awhile! Come with your family, your friends or just yourself and I'll bet you'll make new friends while you're here! Wixom Lake is an approximately 2,000 acre all sports lake, inside Gladwin County and located in Beaverton, Michigan. The lake takes in Billings and Tobacco Township and is formed by the Tittabawassee River system and is also fed by the Cedar and Tobacco Rivers.
It would take many hours of boat travel to see the entire lake! Many people enjoy Wixom Lake with pontoons, ski boats, jet ski's, fishing boats and it's not uncommon to see a canoe or kayak during the quieter times. Be sure to check out "Pontoon Alley", a local and very popular area to spend the afternoon on Wixom Lake! Pontoon Alley boasts a shallow, sandy bottom swimming area with a very festive atmosphere!
Public access (DNR Launch Site) on Dundas Road on the Tobacco River side of the lake.

Below are featured listings on Wixom Lake. Click on the address to learn more about them.

3974 Lutzke, Beaverton, MI $30,500

5435 Oakridge, Beaverton, MI $279,000

5444 Heron Cove, Beaverton, MI $149,900

4237 Grant, Beaverton Michigan $39,900

681 Quillette, Beaverton Michigan $624,000

627 Quillette, Beaverton, MI $140,000

5278 Mallard Court, Beaverton, MI $139,000

Click here to search for more available listings on Wixom Lake

Waterfront Homes For Sale In Sugar Springs, Gladwin County!

Waterfront Homes For Sale In Sugar Springs

Lake Lancer & Lake Lancelot

There are currently 56 active listings on Lake Lancer and Lake Lancelot ranging in price from $44,888 - $357,000.

Lake Lancer & Lancelot offer 1,000 acres of water fun with Lake Lancer at 780 acres and Lancelot at 230 acres. These two lakes are private and are for residents of Sugar Springs, a planned community with over 3,200 platted acres. There are 15 private beach clubs along the shores of the lakes for association members only. Some of the beach clubs offer restrooms, showers, swimming, picnic areas and boat launches. Fisherman enjoy the tranquility of the lakes and the Northern Pike, Walleye, Bass and Panfish that can readily be caught from both Lake Lancer & Lake Lancelot. Lake waters are tested annually and treated several times per year to control weeds and infestation allowing boaters, skiers, jet skiers and swimmers to enjoy the waters! Lake Lancer and Lancelot are in Butman Township within Gladwin County.

Below are featured listings on Lake Lancer and Lake Lancelot:

Click here to search available listings in Sugar Springs

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Classy Little Cabin

Every once in awhile I come across a great river property. More than often it seems it's on the North Branch Au Sable River. I've had the pleasure of representing some pretty neat waterfront cabins on the river and this one ranks high on the list for personality and...value!

See more details at Home Waters Recreational Real Estate. Mark Bear bear@homewaters.net

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Homewaters on Pinterest

For those who already spend time on Pinterest, you know how addictive it can become. It's a terrific way to share random photographs of the things you love or dream of. Homewaters, L.L.C. has our own Pinterest page and a number of Boards including Homewaters Flavor which highlights our own style and that of the properties we get to represent, Dream homes which shows some examples of homes that we and our clients dream of owning, Great Northern Michigan Builders which shows the work of some of our favorite contractors and Our Home Waters with great photography of some of our favorite bodies of water and more. Click the Pinterest logo and take a look when you get a chance.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Stunning AuSable River Log Home price dramatically reduced!

The owner of this spectacular full log home just game me the go ahead to reduce the price by $40,000! Now $429,900, the home is situated on a bank overlooking some of the best water on the whole system between Stephan and Wakeley Bridges. Known as "The Holy Water" by many, this section of river is renowned for it's broad gravel bottom and open casting. It's also tremendous hatch water and second to none for those who prefer to cast dry flies to rising trout from April Hendricksons to August Tricos.

for more details click Here. To set up your own private showing, contact Chad Brown at chad@homewaters.net

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Feeding Bald Eagle on The AuSable River

In a few weeks, we'll have the pleasure of selling a spectacular home on The North Branch of The AuSable River to a couple who have been searching for their dream retirement home. This photo was taken two years prior from the window of that home. It's not photo shopped but an original photograph of a feeding mature bald eagle and a white tailed deer crossing the stream. Scenes like this are what make northern Michigan so spectacular and why our company is possible. Thank you to all those who have chosen to work with Homewaters, L.L.C.! We look forward to helping you find your Home Waters.....

Gladwin County Real Estate Market Conditions for January 2012

Sonya Loose

Real Estate Market Conditions for January 2012

Gladwin County is located in rural Northern Michigan and is conveniently located within 3 hours of Detroit and 2-2.5 hours of Flint and Lansing making it easy to come "Up North" for the weekend. But, we encourage you to stay longer. After visiting Gladwin you will want to spend much more time here! Gladwin, Michigan is an area popular for its scenic lakes (including Wixom Lake and Secord Lake), plentiful state land, quaint parks, Amish communities and down town shopping. Gladwin is primarily a second home/resort community due to the amount of waterfront homes. Gladwin, Michigan has real estate to accommodate every buyer from very affordable cabins to luxurious homes. As a life long resident of Gladwin County I know the area well and the real estate market even better!

3946 Four Seasons, Gladwin

Secord Lake Waterfront

MLS # 156560 $99,900

3987 Curtis Road, Coleman

Custom Built Ranch

MLS # 156582 $169,000

The real estate market conditions in Gladwin, Michigan along with most areas of Michigan, remain challenging, but appear to be stable! There is a slightly improving economy, less days on market but a lack of qualified buyers remains. If you are interested in buying your first home or your vacation home, it is a fabulous time to buy! Interest rates are low for qualified buyers, there is a lot of inventory to choose from. Homes are more affordable then they have been in years! Buyers: Get in the market early and avoid other buyer competition. Sellers: Selling season is just ahead and your home needs exposure so get it on the market today if you are serious about selling. Homes do sell all year long!

Here are the latest real estate market conditions for Gladwin, Michigan and the surrounding areas of Beaverton, Harrison, Clare, Rhodes, Bentley, Wixom Lake and Secord Lake. In January I had 5 closings and have 3 pending going into February.

The Clare/Gladwin Board of Realtors currently has 883 homes for sale through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and 82 of those were new to the market in January. The number of new listings is 25 more than last month. The average asking price of the homes currently on the market is $103,778 and the average days on market for those homes has been 319 days. These stats are only slightly different than the last 2 years clarifying my theory that the Gladwin, Michigan real estate market conditions are stable! Residential asking prices range from $8,900 - $950,000.

During the month of January we saw 28 homes sell/close in Gladwin, Michigan. This is 13 less than in December. The average asking price was $83,390. The average sales price was $75,881 and the average days on market for these homes was 174 days. The sellers received an average of 90.9% of their asking price. The average days on market is 37 days less than last month.

In Gladwin 24 homes expired from the market unsold in January. The main reason homes don't sell during their listing period is that they were priced incorrectly for the real estate market conditions and or condition of the home. In any market it is imperative that a listing be priced as competitively as possible for its condition in order to have the best chance of selling. To learn more about why homes expire from the market visit this link to a page on my website. If you're thinking about selling your Gladwin area home one very important fact to know about your real estate market conditions is the absorption rate. The absorption rate will tell you how long it will take for the current inventory of homes in Gladwin, Michigan to be absorbed by the market if no other homes come on the market. The absorption rate for January is 2.6 years! If you want your Gladwin, Michigan area home sold you need to know this number to help you price your home accordingly.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Top 5 Reasons NOT to list your home with Homewaters, L.L.C.

There are a lot of real estate companies out there to choose from and we're not naive enough to think we're the perfect fit for every seller. Everyone has their own tastes and personal preferences and we just may not be a great fit for every seller. We thought we'd step right out in front and expose some of our weaknesses. Here are some of the top reasons Homewaters, L.L.C. may not be the right firm for you.

1. You hate when your REALTOR is constantly calling to let you know about showings, marketing efforts and feedback from potential buyers. It's so annoying to get input that might actually help you sell your home in a reasonable amount of time for a fair price.

2. You realize that Homewaters, L.L.C.'s marketing strategy is so effective that you're going to have to deal with buyers actually wanting to see your home. The thought of highly qualified buyers coming through your house on a regular basis just makes you cringe!

3. You enjoy being told what you like to hear and not what you need to know in order to effectively sell your home. You'd rather stay in your current home for the next few years rather than have a professional agent guide you through the selling process with an actual strategy in place.

4. Your sister's boyfriend's mechanic is a REALTOR and is willing to list your home for 2%. You're certain that, even though he hasn't actually sold a home in three years, he'll put in extra effort because of the close relationship he has as the mechanic to your sister's boyfriend and you'll save so much money in commissions!

5. Those people at Homewaters, L.L.C. are just so darn nice, it makes you sick. Always smiling and keeping a positive attitude while guiding you through the sometimes difficult process of selling a home... ughhhh. You just can't stand people who can keep a cool head and overcome any obstacle to bring transactions to a smooth and painless closing. You long for chaos and ineffectiveness!!

If, on the other hand, you don't share these sentiments, take a moment and contact one of our agents or brokers and let us help you achieve your real estate goals in 2012. Just click the image above to find the agent that's right for you.

Searching the Internet

Your dream is a getaway on a lake with a beach or to be on your favorite trout stream. Maybe you've been planning an up north retirement home. Second homes are becoming more and more popular with Americans. One of the challenges of second home buying is being aware of trends in the housing market in which you want to buy a home. Utilizing the Internet can be of tremendous value. Use the Internet to research the area and to look at listings. Contact a real estate agent who specializes in the type of property you want to buy, is located in the area you desire and can help you get an inside view of the market.

By visiting the Home Waters Recreational Real Estate website, you'll find that a wealth of information is available at your keyboard and monitor. Our user friendly property searches will guide you to a vast array of properties throughout northern Michigan. Use our agent directory to find the agent who specializes in the geographic region which interests you most. Contacting an agent will provide you with the additional personal service that can make your property search a lot more rewarding.

Become a Home Waters preferred member and sign up to enjoy some premium features. You can set up an automated search of properties and keep track of your favorites. It's free, why not sign up today? Need assistance? Contact us and we'll set it up for you!

Mark Bear is a Realtor covering Crawford, Otsego and Oscoda Counties. In addition, he specializes in the Au Sable River watershed. Visit Mark at his Facebook page

Mark Bear ~ bear@homewaters.net
Phone ~ 989-889-5037