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I have made the decision to simply live vicariously through my sister and her family. I mean, why not? With all of this hunting and fishing that goes on in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; one can only hope to get invited to tag along.
I am certain however I fit in to the category of the "Some Don't". I could be so lucky to experience the thrill of the hunt as these elusive family members have! Let's take for example the photo below.
2011's Deer Hunting Season proved to be a great success by the "Some Got It"! Not one but two bucks on opening day cannot be called anything but good luck! Not to minimize the skill of the hunter but, really?
And let's not forget the 322lb. bear that was taken during the 2011 Bear Hunting Season! Pictured below are Brady, Eli and Milo Schaefer. Above is my sister Polly Schaefer. Avid hunters and fishermen! Way to go!
Despite this weekend's cold front and rainy weather my sister and her family are enjoying their free time playing in the sand on Baraga County's Lake Superior. A mile and a half of sandy beach and not a soul around this time of year. We have both grown up there as we were forced as kids to visit the cabin on the lake every weekend, whether we liked it or not. I guess its paid off, especially for my sister as she catches yet another mess of fish! Lake Superior offers several "hot spots" for fishing. Keweenaw Bay is spotted with ice shanties for most of the winter and Huron Bay prizes itself in spring Walleye fishing!
The air was warm and the sun spectacular as it reflected off the snow this past weekend in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Saturday brought us a perfect winter day as Bruce, Ricka and their son Garrett and I headed to Kenton and Skanee looking for the perfect parcel.
Obviously I need to sell property in order to support my family, but I can honestly say the best part for me is always, without fail, the people I meet and the experiences we share. Saturday was a great opportunity for us to put our snowshoes on and walk some of this 40 acre parcel located adjacent to 1000’s of acres of Ottawa National Forest. It was 30 degreees and we barely needed a jacket during the short trek through the woods! We looked at a small cabin with a sauna in Kenton.
Skanee brought us the same wonderful weather as Kenton. In Skanee we looked at a cabin with a suana on 40 acres. These 2 very small communities are located approximately 45 miles from each other and both offer great reacreational opportunities to enjoy. And although they sound the same they are completely different properties; different cabin style, lay of the land, proximately to small town amenities, and the type of recreation is slightly different as well. While Skanee offers Lake Superior and Huron Bay, Kenton offers several inland lakes, rivers and streams. Skanee has Commercial Forest Land while Kenton is in the National Forest. Both beautiful areas non the less.
How will this family know when they have found that perfect property? I believe they will know by how they feel when they get there!
It’s an election year, the media is killing the real estate industry and I continue to ask myself…is it really that bad? Fortunately for us we live in the Western Upper Peninsula where the real estate market holds steady; in fact, according to the Michigan Association of Realtors, the Western and Central Upper Peninsula had actually increased 4.3% in real estate sales from 2006 to 2007. Go figure!
“Hip, Hip Hurray!” is all I can say given this information. Everywhere I go local consumers ask the same question, “How’s business?” Business is good! We realized more sales in ’07 then we did in ’06. How can this be when the national average of real estate sales is down and foreclosures are high? There are pockets around the nation that have not been affected by this real estate down time. For the most part; “the sky is falling” throughout our nation, but not here in the beautiful U.P!
Sellers are nervous. They think it is a terrible time to put their property on the market when it is the furthest thing from the truth. The residential market has always been down in Baraga County. It is no different today then it was 10 years ago. Our vacant land, waterfront and camps and cottages continue to hold their own.
One thing I know for sure is this; if I had more properties to sell, I would sell more property!
We’ve been increasingly busy at Up North Realty! Where some markets are down our vacant land, waterfront and recreational properties are holding steady. We were off to a slow start at the beginning of the selling season and now heading out of it with much success! Last minute shoppers are trying to beat the cold weather and looking to purchase waterfront getaways and vacant hunting land.
We spent our day talking with the many people that are involved in two waterfront cottage sales we have going. There were site evaluations to schedule, backhoe operators to contact, home inspectors, the title company, local lenders, other Realtors and most importantly the buyers and sellers. There is a lot of planning and preparing for the closing. I for one am glad it’s Friday!
The day was magnificent with color and sunshine. Temps hit 62 today, and in my opinion is considered a perfect autumn day in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. There has been no time this week for bird hunting or bike riding!
This morning brought on a lot of pressure with getting our brochure deadline met! With modern technology however, it makes getting it all put together a lot easier. Once the pages are laid out, the text is written and the photos are resized, it is all just a click away to the publisher. The Keweenaw Multiple Listing Service provides five issues each year. The fall brochure will be distributed in a about a week and a half. Contact us for your free copy!
If you are a serious buyer it is important that you be kept informed. Sometimes it takes years to find that perfect piece of property. I don’t want to discourage you; however, if you do plan to purchase a second home, vacant hunting land or a Lake Superior cottage it’s good to start your search as soon as possible. It is equally important to find an agent you feel comfortable with. A good real estate agent is the key to your success in buying real estate and should keep you informed every step of the way.
From the first onset of your search we are able to set you up for automatic e-mail notification. We enter a search criteria designed for you and when new properties become available they are sent to your email inbox. You are notified within 15 minutes of new properties hitting the market! And, if email is not your bag, we still send our listings out the old fashion way, the good ol’ postal service!
It certainly has been a great day today in real estate. Regardless of the pressures and demands of the job sometimes; it is always good because we love what we do!
Many sellers often wonder why they should hire a real estate agent to sell their home, commercial property or vacant land. They may feel they that will save a lot of money if they sell their property themselves. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Seasoned real estate agents are educated and experienced in understanding the procedures and extensive paperwork involved in a real estate transaction. Bound by a strict code of ethics and by the National Association of Realtors, a good Realtor is acquainted with the local market, and understands its trends, which will result in an increase in your bottom line. As Realtors, our industry contacts are people we work with every day, professionals such as other realtors, contractors, inspectors, and surveyors that can assist in helping any problem you may have.
Realtors are experienced negotiators that can and will get you a solid price. We all like to save money, its normal. The bottom line…find yourself a great Realtor, and you’ll protect yourself and your bottom line!
I am sure we can all agree we are grateful Monday is over! I don’t know why Monday’s are so hectic but I am certain they are for everyone. Now that the hustle and bustle of paperwork is over, Tuesday brings time to sit with clients and talk about some of the details involved in buying vacant land.
One of the most common questions I answer in a day is what is CFA land or what is Commercial Forest? Simply put, when a property is enrolled in the Commercial Forest Rescourse Act (CFA/CFR) it means that a private property owner has taken advantage of the property tax reduction available by the State of Michigan. Participants pay $1.10 per acre per year in property taxes. They must:
- Have a property forest management plan in place
- Allow the public to hunt and fish their land
- Are not permitted to build a permanent structure ie: deer blinds, cabins, etc.
These are just a few basic ideas of the program. A detail of the program can be found by visiting the DNR website or by clicking on the “forest management and planning” link in the sidebar.
If you are looking for remote property with a lot of room to roam, buying next to, or very near CFA land certainly has its advantages. Especially if your budget only allows you to purchase a smaller parcel. If you are thinking about purchasing a large parcel, this program can certainly help with the property taxes.
I hope you all enjoy the week ahead and can look forward to doing a little bird hunting. Early bow season opens October 1st. and ends November 14th. in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
I had a great opportunity to leave my office today and meet up with Larry from Crivitz Wisconsin. Larry and I headed up to the Peshekee so I could show off the 120 acres I have listed on Section 28 Lake! Larry would have snatched up this property had it been rock bluff frontage. He’s looking for 20, 40 or 80 acres on an inland lake, remote and private. Power and year round access is not necessary. He would prefer southern Houghton County, northern Iron County or Baraga County location. If you have something like this please contact me if you are interested in selling.
The weather seems to be the hot topic these days. If it’s not pouring rain, it’s hotter then…well hotter then what we are used to for this time of year! L’Anse Michigan reached 92 degrees today! The weather never ceases to amaze me. They say, “If you don’t like the weather in the U.P. just wait, it will change”! The colors are vibrant in Marquette County.
My visit to Chassell was uneventful in the bird hunting department. The land looks good and with any good luck we will be putting it up on the market. I will keep you posted as things progress.
We reached over 70 degrees yesterday. We can usually count on warmer then predicted weather in the summer/fall and colder then predicted weather in the winter, and usually more then predicted snow, but we won’t go there just yet! 76 degrees today and high winds, as with yesterday, not a good bird hunting day!
Most recently I purchased a Trek 4300 WSD Mountain Bike. I spent my afternoon cycling to a wonderful, little, community oriented town called Skanee. If you’ve never visited Skanee you might want to take a trip the next time you are in the Upper Peninsula. (And don't miss visiting Witz Marina ). There was a large gathering at the local ball field for their 2nd. Annual Fall Kickball Tournament. I ran into Mike and Jean who are in the area from Capec Michigan building their new cabin. Mike and Jean purchased 120 acres on the Black Creek Road last fall. Hopefully they will let me post some pictures when it is done. Thanks guys for your confidence in Up North Realty to find you that perfect piece of property!
