Right Brain Brewery Tour!

Happy New Year!  This holiday season I got the gift of someone else's gift - does it get any better?  My friend Jenn took Joe, John, and I on a tour of Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City which she received as a gift from a former co-worker.

Now, I have some vast and fairly technical drinking knowledge of beer, but the process is something I don't have quite the same experience.  For those reading who are similar to me in that, go on a brewery tour!  

It was very informative, thirst-quenching, and eye-opening!  I had visited Right Brain as a customer before, but there were many things I had not realized on my own about their business in general.

Leif was our tour guide (that's him --->), and he did an excellent job.

One of the most interesting pieces to me - "We've worked hard to reclaim and re-use as much of the old building as possible, while at the same time creating a warm and inviting atmosphere suitable for beer drinking and conversing."  No flatscreen TV's, no cheesy big beer brand advertisements, just a chill place to enjoy a good beer with friends.  Some hard laughs have been had at RBB, playing Apples to Apples while sipping a "Flying Squirrel".  

Oh!  And they've added food!  (I like food).  "Nibblers", as well as homemade waffle sandwiches.  We had the "Fluffer Nutter" which is Fluff and Hazelnut spread (infused with the RBB "CEO Stout") between two warm freshly-made waffles.  As you can imagine, it was terrible (sarcasm).  Kudos to Chef Mike.

Click here for info on taking the RBB tour - DO IT.

Time to break out the ice fishing gear... on some lakes

If you're anything like me, all your ice fishing gear is ready to roll for the upcoming season!  The last few years haven't been the best but we already have fishable ice on many lakes.  Be careful, though, as many of the larger, deeper lakes are still going to take some time to get there.  Click HERE for a link to the DNR fishing report which gives some detail on various lakes and their ice conditions.  How do you know when it's safe to get out there?  Here's a great image showing some basic ice thickness safety standards.

Keep in mind this is for hard, black ice.  Ice that is "spongy" or air filled is much less safe.  If you're going to chase walleye this year with tip ups, try adding a couple of beads or a very small colored blade immediately above a brightly colored (chartreuse or orange) #10 or #8 Octopus hook.  It's been a deadly combination for me over the past few years and may work on your waters too.  Good luck out there this season and be safe!

Humans Were Never Meant To Hibernate

LOVE that!  It's almost officially winter, but this means the emergence of one of the best seasonal sports ever - skiing!  It's one of my favorites, and I find it so funny that we humans adapted to this cold and blustery season with the idea of sliding around on boards and going fast!  This area is home to some great downhill resorts, but one piece that less people realize, is how many great opportunities and facilities we have to Cross Country Ski in Northern Lower Michigan!  All of the big resorts have the space, and many have the freshly-groomed corduroy to boot!  So beautiful.  Be careful out there.

Visit TraverseTrails.org for trail info in the TC area
Check out SkiNordic.org for more info, and trail guides for the big resorts.

Gladwin and Clare County Real Estate Market Snapshot

November 2013 Real Estate Market Snapshot for the Gladwin and Clare County Area Homes

 Molasses Riverfront

1894 Fornier Road, Beaverton, MI

$99,900

MLS #160377

Active Listings: 889 (67 new listings came on the market in November)

Average Asking Price: $106,803

Average Days on Market : 254

Range of Asking Prices: $7,500-$875,000

Sold: 63 Sold in November (77 sold in October)

Average Asking Price of Sold Listings: $73,330
Average Selling Price of Sold Listings: $66,477

Average Days on Market of Sold Listings: 215 (1 days more than October)

Sellers Received: 90.6% of their asking price

Total Residential Sales Volume: $4,546,509 (down from $6,036,000 in October)
Listings Sold by Price Range
0-99,999: 52 (down 4 from October)
100,000-199,999: 13 (down 2 from October)
200,000-299,999: 1 (down 1 from October)
300,000-399,999: 0 (same as October)
400,000 and above: 0 (same as October)

Sold!!  Beaverton Home with Private Wixom Lake Easement!!

**104 Homes Expired off the Market in October

Absorption Rate = 1.1 Years

*This information was provided by the Clare/Gladwin Board of Realtors. The report was generated from the Multiple Listing Service, where all CGBR members' transactions are recorded. The report covers all the members' residential transactions for the month of January. Although there are no geographical boundaries defining members' service areas, the majority of CGBR transactions take place in Clare and Gladwin County.

New Listing in Sugar Springs! Vacant Waterfront at Lot 97 Huntington Way, Gladwin

New Listing at Lot 97 Huntington Way, Gladwin, MI

Sugar Springs Waterfront Lot-Lake Lancer

$79,000

MLS #160428

Ready to build your dream home? This large lot with 100' of waterfront on all sports, private Lake Lancelot. The lake offers wonderful fishing, boating activities and great swimming! The lot is located in a neighborhood of desirable homes on a paved road. Enjoy all the amenities of Sugar Springs which include a championship golf course, indoor salt water swimming pool, restaurant/pub, tennis courts, air strip and more. Gorgeous waterfront views await, start planning your build today! 

Click HERE to visit my website for more information.

Smallwood Lake in Gladwin! Price Reduction at 174 Lockwood Drive

Price Reduction at 174 Lockwood Drive, Gladwin, MI

Smallwood Lake Waterfront!!

$83,900

MLS #159069

100' on all sports Smallwood Lake! The view is just breathtaking at this year round home or get away cottage. Walk into the open kitchen and large dining room with a picture window that offers a beautiful view of the lake. Oversize living room is great for gathering or extra sleeping space. 2 bedrooms and 1 full bath are in this 1,200 sq foot home with knotty pine throughout the main rooms. Separate laundry/mechanical room for extra convenience. 2 Car detached garage for parking or storage. Fenced and gated yard with a small blacktop driveway approach. The updated, extensive decking will surely be a favorite spot to entertain or sit and relax and take it all in! Gazebo in front and steps to the water. Smallwood Lake offers all sports boating and jet skiing activities as well as great fishing! Wood seawall and permanent dock are here but do need attention. This one is priced to sell! 

Click HERE to visit our website for more details!!

Introducing Blake Bernard, our newest Sales Associate

We're very excited to introduce our newest member of the Homewaters team, Sales Associate Blake Bernard.  As with all of our other sales staff, we try to identify individuals with exceptional backgrounds and match them with a territory that best suits their passions.   

Blake earned his degree in hospitality from Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont.  He played collegiate tennis and golf, while working and skiing at Killington Ski Resort while attending Poultney.  He loves to share is love of tennis by teaching it at The Grand Traverse Resort and he's also the Varsity tennis coach for Traverse City West High School. 

His passion for skiing, golfing, tennis, and the resort lifestyle lead us to create a unique position for Blake. He'll be specializing in the marketing and sale of resort properties throughout northern Michigan working with buyers and sellers to match them with the resort and property that best suits their needs.  

In addition to resort properties, Blake will be the exclusive representative for Homewaters in Leelanau County where he and his wife live.  It was his love for Leelanau that brought him north and we're excited to have someone so passionate about the region representing our firm.  

If you or anyone you know is interested in resort property in northern Michigan or any property in Leelanau County, reach out to Blake.  Like all our other sales staff, he's extremely professional, very dedicated and will ensure the process of buying or selling is an enjoyable one.  To learn more about Blake and his areas of service just click his image above.
Welcome aboard, Blake!