Thank You Salvation Army Bell Ringers!

As they do every year, Bob Erickson and George Bisbee spent a few hours last Friday ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. Not only did they have a fun time seeing and chatting with lots of old friends, as well as making new ones, Thrivent Financial was doing matching funds up to $125,000, for our district! By the end of the day, the buckets contained over $220,000, and with the matching funds, totaled over $340,000!!!!! That is a whole lot of money that goes to those in need. A HUGE THANKS goes out to ALL Salvation Army Bell Ringers!

Thanksgiving in Jacksonport!

Bob and I had such a wonderful day on Thanksgiving Day; I wanted to share some of our day with you. We have a ritual that begins with breakfast at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant. We then take a walk. This year we walked in Whitefish Bay Dunes State Park and Cave Point. It was spectacular! There has been so much moisture that liken has grown on the trees. The trees looked as if they were budding! Lake Michigan’s waves were huge and crashing on the shore.






After our walk, we went to the Jacksonport’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We have not missed one of their parades! Each year the parade gets a little larger, but it is still so short that the participants turn around and make another pass through town!





Our sincere wish from Bob and me is that you too had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Enjoy our pictures!

All the best and enthusiastically………..
Connie

Happy Thanksgiving!

According to Lawrence Yun, the Chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS, it will take a long time before we can say the economy is back to normal. However, as demonstrated by those buying in Door County in 2010 and with whom I’ve worked, with housing at its most affordable level in decades, and with a 30 year rate at 4.5% or lower for a second home property, it is a great time to buy.

I encourage all of you as you plan for 2011 to seriously consider taking advantage of the lower rates and the decrease in prices. It may and probably will, save you 10% over the terms of the loan.

In closing, as you give thanks on this Thanksgiving Day, include Door County for all it's beauty and charm and the peace it provides you. I am so fortunate to live and work here. Thank you for your confidence in my real estate abilities, I am grateful for the referrals you send me. When you know anyone who wants to buy or sell Door County property, give me a call.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Crafty Ideas for Winter Curb Appeal

Yes, it's still possible to create great curb appeal when it's cold and gray outside.


By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

During summer months when gardens are in bloom and the sun is shining bright, curb appeal comes naturally to many homes. But when the autumn chill turns to winter cold and the sun sets earlier in the day, it becomes more difficult to create that inviting exterior look that grabs buyers from the curb.

Fortunately, it is possible to create striking winter curb appeal without expensive or complicated exterior changes, says Charlene Storozuk, a home stager and designer with Dezigner Digz in Burlington, Ontario—a city that averages 51 inches of snow per year. It just requires a little creativity.

She and other home-design experts offer these eight tips:

1. Add splashes of green and purple. Plants, grasses, and evergreens can liven up a home’s winter landscape. Experiment with tall grasses, such as fountain grasses, that survive harsh winters. And in late fall and early winter, plants from the cabbage family add a vibrant purple color. Make the front door the focal point with a large wreath adorned with a colorful ribbon. To finish the look, place large, colorful planters filled with evergreens beside the front door, suggests Elizabeth Lord, broker with Carolina Farms & Estates LLC in Rock Hill, S.C.

2. Give it seasonal sparkle. Transform an unused bird bath or fountain into a seasonal display by adding twigs with red berries. Or fill frost-resistant urns with twigs, winter greenery, and sparkly baubles (sold at most craft stores), Storozuk says. For extra sparkle, roll twigs in glitter and incorporate a gazing ball—a mirrored glass ball available in various colors—into the display.

3. Make the garden statuesque. Roman- or Greek-themed outdoor sculptures can add class and elegance to a garden in winter. Be sure to use frost-resistant statues so they don’t crack, Storozuk says. Place the statues strategically throughout the garden to draw buyers’ eyes around the outdoor space.

4. Light it bright. During the winter, it’s more likely that buyers will be viewing home after sunset. Use clear flood spotlights to focus on the home’s architectural features, Storozuk says. Keep exterior lighting fixtures at maximum wattage and clean them regularly. When snow covers the ground, Michele Thompson, broker-owner of White Fence Real Estate in Vevay, Ind., takes photos of listings at night with all of the interior lights on—the light bounces off the white snow to create a warm, inviting glow. For the best results, turn off the flash, and use a tripod to avoid blurring, she says.

5. Show off the lifestyle. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you can’t use the deck. Shovel your backyard sitting area and leave your grill uncovered so buyers can envision themselves using the space, Storozuk says. If the home has a hot tub, leave that open and running during showings as well.

6. Make the deck an extension of the house. Set up your outdoor tables and chairs just as you would in warmer months. “Home owners often cover their furniture and place lawn objects haphazardly on the deck,” says Kitty Schwartz, president and owner of Classic Home Staging in Katonah, N.Y. For added appeal, she adds a weatherproof cafe set with pillows that play off of interior accent colors. “Glancing out onto this type of vignette can make the indoor space feel larger and more interesting,” she says.

7. Create a photo display of sunnier days. Show buyers what the outside of the home looks like during other seasons by displaying some landscape photos in frames or using a digital photo frame with a slide show of images. “This will give a sense of what the property looks like at other times of year,” Storozuk says. If the home has a garden, make a list of what’s planted where. “Perennials can be expensive,” she says, “so treat them as a selling feature.”

8. Don’t forget to clear a path. If the ground is covered in snow, the simplest and most important thing you can do is shovel the driveway and sidewalks and keep the home’s patios and decks as clear as possible so buyers can get a sense of their true size.

Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine Online November 2010 with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Door County Real Estate Market Statistics 2010

Fall has been, and continues to be, very active….much more than in 2009. The one big difference between 2009 and 2010 is that I’ve not had one Buyer say to me: “I think I’ll wait”, “The economy scares me”, “I think my job may be in jeopardy.” Quite the contrary, 2010 Buyers are buying because our prices have decreased somewhat and the interest rates are great.

To see the up to the minute stats on the market as of October 1, 2010, CLICK HERE.

Tell all your friends to visit my web site, www.ConnieErickson.com regularly for up to date market information.

Architecture Coach: A Different Kind of Dining Room

By Barbara Ballinger

Despite rumors of its demise, the dining room is not disappearing, but going through a transformation as homes get smaller and more energy-efficient and low-maintenance.

Often thought of as a place mostly for enjoying holiday dinners and birthday celebrations, the dining room is morphing into a friendlier, more intimate space as home owners try to maximize existing square footage rather than add on.

One popular trend today is to take down a wall between the dining room and kitchen to fashion one big, casual cooking and eating space, which can also be used for watching a movie or using a computer, says interior designer Janell Rasper of Callen Construction Inc. in Muskego, Wis.

Those who build from scratch today often go for a simpler approach: In addition to fewer bedrooms and smaller garages, people frequently opt for more casual living and eating spaces, an open great room with a corner for dining, or a smaller dining room, according to the most recent New Homes Started survey from the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C. “Home owners worried about costs are interested in making trade-offs today,” says Stephen Melman, NAHB’s director of Economic Services, Economics and Housing Policy.

Tom Hackett of Orren Pickell Designers & Builders in Lake Bluff, Ill., says his firm regularly scales back on the size of most dining rooms and lowers once-high ceilings for warmth and intimacy. More dining rooms also have become multipurpose with bookshelves, a bar, or paneling that opens to a desk for an at-home office. And some of these rooms are placed at the center of the house so they lie within the main traffic flow to attract attention and use, Hackett says.

You can help your buyers and sellers analyze a dining room’s importance by discussing the following possibilities, based on how they live. The ultimate goal: to feed the eyes and make the space functional.

Click to read the full article.

Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine Online November 2010 with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

5 STEPS TO OBTAINING A MORTGAGE

Today’s stricter lending environment means that processing a mortgage application is more complex than ever, given the number of steps that lenders, underwriters, and mortgage insurers must all complete before home buyers truly have their financing in place.

To help ensure the process goes smoother, you can also take steps of your own. It’s a good idea to discuss the process with your Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR), even before shopping for homes. By planning ahead, you’ll be in a much better position to negotiate and move forward on a purchase—and avoid any unpleasant surprises regarding your mortgage.

1. EVALUATE AFFORDABILITY
Lenders and mortgage insurers look at a variety of factors, but the two most important are your monthly mortgage payment and your total debt loan, relative to your gross income. As a home buyer, it’s also important to consider additional expenses, beyond your mortgage payment, that can impact how much home you can afford. Depending on your situation, these other expenses could include property taxes, mortgage insurance, homeowners insurance, home maintenance expenses, homeowner association fees, parking expenses, and utilities.

2. DISCUSS YOUR OPTIONS
Deciding what type of mortgage is best for you depends on your personal situation, your financial scenario, and your future plans. For example, if your down payment isn’t large enough to qualify for a conventional loan, an FHA mortgage can be an excellent option. Alternately, you may qualify for an attractive program offered at the national or local level. Mortgage programs are always changing, so ask your ABR about current options.

3. INTERVIEW LENDERS
Your ABR can provide several recommendations, based on past home buyers’ experiences. Rates and fees are typically very competitive between lenders, so it’s often more important to focus on other factors including the level of service provided and how well they’ve executed transactions for other buyers. The type of mortgage you are seeking may also impact your choice of lender, since some are more familiar with certain mortgage programs than others.

4. GET PREAPPROVED
Completing a loan application with one or more lenders will help confirm whether your intended mortgage financing plans will work out as hoped, or if you must modify your plans. It’s important to understand since pre-approvals are contingent upon the lender receiving full documentation; your pre-approval does not guarantee that you have a mortgage. Still, it’s an important first step that will also put you in a better negotiating position with sellers.

5. COMMIT TO A LENDER
As soon as you are under contract to purchase a home, commit to working with one lender to complete your mortgage application. You will probably be charged a fee at this point because this is when the lender starts incurring processing expenses on your behalf. Show your lender that you are serious about working in partnership with them by submitting all the required documentation as quickly as possible.

Following these five steps will greatly improve your results in getting a mortgage. Count on your ABR to provide more detailed information on each step on the process and answer any questions.