Top Posts of 2011 - Madeline Island Real Estate Blog by Broker Eric Kodner, Madeline Island Realty   Looking back over the year 2011, it's appropriate that we recap the year.  As a part of that recap, I wanted to list what I considered to be our most thought-provoking (and most read) ActiveRain posts of the past year. Here's my list:   http://activerain.com/blogsview/2619456/sellers-have-you-considered-all-your-alternatives-   http://activerain.com/blogsview/2590627/the-risks-of-working-with-a-seasonal-agent   http://activerain.com/blogsview/2589959/fewer-realtors-fewer-working-agents-more-part-time-agents-what-this-could-mean-to-buyers-and-sellers   http://activerain.com/blogsview/2591027/what-exactly-do-you-mean-by-number-one-   http://activerain.com/blogsview/2527916/if-you-liked-i... 12/18/2011

  Why We List our Madeline Island Properties for Sale on NorthstarMLS in Minnesota and Wisconsin   Every so often, someone asks me why Madeline Island Realty lists our properties for sale on NorthstarMLS in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, rather than on either SAAR (Superior, Wisconsin MLS) or on Northwest Wisconsin MLS (in Eau Claire, Wisconsin). In 2001, when we first opened our Madeline Island Realty office in La Pointe, no one on the Island was participating in a Multiple Listing Service.  In fact, when we joined Northwest Wisconsin MLS, our competitors were laughing about it.  That situation gradually changed, particularly after those local agents discovered that their sellers expected to see their homes listed on MLS.  So the standard of practice in our area was actually elevated... 12/18/2011

  Madeline Island Real Estate Market Report - Month of November 2011 Ends with Further Downturn in Average List Price According to statistics from the Trulia website, the average list price of a listed dwelling on Madeline Island dropped to $383,729.  The new average price in the 54850 zip code area represents a 0.4% drop from the previous week. Continued weakness in pricing can be attributed to a number of factors, including the typical winter seasonal slowdown in Madeline Island tourist and visitor traffic.  A lack of available mortgage lending in rural northwest Wisconsin is also a contributing factor. At the same time as list prices appear flat or slightly declining, there continues to be a fair amount of buyer interest and activity from buyer prospects looking at both homes and vac... 12/13/2011

  The Challenges of Staging a Home for Sale in a Remote Second Home Area or Recreational Destination   Browse the blogroll on ActiveRain on any given day and you'll see countless posts about the value of staging in the home selling process. Unquestionably, home staging can be valuable in presenting a home at its best.  There's even ample evidence that professional staging can bring a higher price at sale.  Home stagers will gladly quote you statistics which bear this out. Now, put yourself in the shoes of an agent who sells homes in a remote area, at least eighty miles from the nearest professional home stager, a three-hour round trip for that nearest available professional. One of our two real estate offices is located on Madeline Island, in the Apostle Islands region of Lake Superior.... 12/13/2011

  September 2011 Madeline Island Anishinaabeg Gathering Wins Duluth - Superior Community Foundation "Touchstone Award"   The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation recently presented its Touchstone Award to the Madeline Island Anishinaabeg Gathering, which took place on the Island in late September.  The purpose of the gathering was to recognize Madeline Island's importance to the Anishinaabeg.  Speakers included Winona LaDuke and included tribal elders, historians and community leaders. In conjunction with the gathering, the Madeline Island Museum held an open house, with a special book signing by author Dr. Thomas Vennum.      12/04/2011

  More About Madeline Island Soils, Vegetation and Forests   Madeline Island woods and waters form a unique ecosystem that you won't find very many places on earth.  Our woods are categorized as boreal forest, which is essentially the southern edge of a taiga, with vegetation similar to the forests of Canada, Finland, Scandinavia and western Russia.  This boreal forest is home to balsam fir, white spruce, western hemlock (also referred to as hem fir), white pine, white cedar, white birch, quaking aspen and balsam poplar.  There is also a fair amount of red oak and maple in various parts of the Island. Madeline Island is home to the Thimbleberry, similar to the raspberry except for the fact that thimbleberries are slightly more tart, with pale red, pulpy, soft fruit that is excellent for... 12/04/2011

  Madeline Island Praised on GoArticles Website   On the GoArticles.com website, you'll see a recent entry entitled "Not Your Average Beach Property", praising Madeline Island and stating, "places like Madeline Island, Wisconsin are great spots to own beach property".  The author is Alyson Dunn, a frequent contributor to the GoArticles website. The article also refers to the National Geographic Explorer survey which ranked the Apostle Islands (including Madeline Island) as one of the "Top Places to Visit". We especially like the added attention which articles like these bring to our Island!           12/04/2011

  2865 North Shore Road, La Pointe, Wisconsin 54850 - Wheelchair Accessible Home - Listed by Broker Eric Kodner, Madeline Island Realty   Luxurious one-level home on Madeline Island offers more features than you’d typically see in many Island homes. Situated on North Shore Road, north of Benjamin Boulevard, the three bedroom dwelling features in-floor heat, large pantry, center island kitchen with Wolf gas range, Subzero refrigerator/freezer, double ovens and bake center with its own Italian marble surface, ample master bedroom with large and luxuriously-appointed bath, eye-catching “display loft” in foyer, stone pavers in driveway and much more. Another attention-grabbing feature is the fact that this one-level home is designed with accessibility in mind. All doors have lever handles. ... 12/04/2011

  Want More Rentals of Your Madeline Island Home? Try Marketing Your Own Property   I speak with Madeline Island homeowners frequently about their frustrations dealing with summer rentals.  Sure, they get a decent number of rental days per season, but many of these homeowners would like to see more rental volume.  Most of these homeowners rely solely upon their property manager/rental agency to do the marketing.  And that may be one reason why these homeowners are frustrated with their rental income figures each season. I'm not knocking Madeline Island home rental agencies here.  I'm only suggesting that they could always use a little help with the marketing side of things. We've noticed a few Island homeowners who have created their own websites for the purpose of boosting the marketin... 12/04/2011

Average Madeline Island Listing Price Drops in November to $385,305 - Madeline Island Real Estate Market Report According to the Trulia website, as of November 23rd, 2011, the average listing price for a home listed in the 54850 zip code was $385,305.  That figure was down from the late October report, when the average list price was $430,574. Trulia reports that there are currently 64 homes for sale on Madeline Island, including one in some stage of the foreclosure process. Most of the drop in list prices during November came during the first ten days of the month. Once December has arrived and tourist traffic has slowed significantly, list prices tend to level off throughout most of the winter season. Most Madeline Island sellers seem to feel there's little incentive to cut prices du... 12/04/2011

Madeline Island Makes Yahoo Travel List of "10 Dreamy Islands Unknown to the Average U.S. Traveler"   Word travels fast in the world of travel. The Yahoo Travel website has picked up the news story about Madeline Island (part of the Apostle Islands of Northwest Wisconsin) making the "World's Most Secret Islands" list.  The article bears the subtitle "10 Dreamy Islands Unknown to the Average U.S. Traveler". The list of islands in the Yahoo post is an impressive one, including islands in Micronesia, British Columbia, France, Maylaysia, Brazil, Thailand, Scotland and Virginia. The Yahoo post follows other recent articles in the Chicago Tribune and on the SmarterTravel.com website.   11/28/2011

  Madeline Island Praised Again by the Chicago Tribune   The Chicago Tribune Travel Section has again lavished praise on Madeline Island, in a "Top Ten" online article entitled "Most Secret Islands on the Globe". I'm not at all certain that Madeline Island is a secret anymore, at least not to Minnesotans and Wisconsinites, but the PR value of this feature article is much appreciated!  Madeline Island made the top of this impressive list, which included islands in the Bahamas, Brazil, Thailand, Scotland, France, Malaysia, Micronesia, British Columbia and Virginia. The article mentions "the lovely but sleepy lagoon at Big Bay Town Park" and includes a photo of the lagoon view from the bridge connecting the park entrance with the exquisite sand beach.  A virtually identical article appeare... 11/27/2011

  Ten Fun Facts About Madeline Island, Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands Area of Northwest Wisconsin   Ordinarily, I'd post this on my Madeline Island Real Estate Blog, but since so many of my Madeline Island real estate clients (and our tourist visitors) come from the greater Minneapolis - Saint Paul area, I figured there would be plenty of interested readers.   Here goes..   Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area.   The surface area of Lake Superior is approximately the size of South Carolina.   There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover the entire land mass of North America and South America to a depth of several inches.   Madeline Island is fourteen miles in length and three miles wide.   Madeline Island is one of the most prolific Bald Ea... 11/27/2011

  Madeline Island Soil Geology and What it Means to a Home Buyer   Madeline Island buyers, particularly those looking at buying a lot and building a home, should be informed and aware about the Island's topography and soil geology.  This information will help a buyer make better, more informed decisions about where and what to build. The geology of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands dates back to the earth's early history.  All of the Apostle Islands are part of the Chequamegon Sandstone (or Brownstone) formation, part of the Bayfield group of Cambrian sandstones.  Chequamegon sandstone has a reddish-brown hue because of the presence of small amounts of iron ore. On top of the ancient sandstone underlayment, much of Madeline Island is covered with impermeable red clay soil.  There ar... 11/27/2011

How to Classify Madeline Island Lakeshore Property by Bank Height and Shoreline Features   I've never seen anyone blog about this before, but I believe prospective Madeline Island buyers would find it valuable to be able to classify and differentiate between waterfront lots based on factors like bank height and beach type. The vast majority of our Madeline Island real estate buyers are looking for either Lake Superior frontage, lake access or a water view. Most folks want to see the lake, to be able to walk the beach and wiggle their toes in the sand.  They want an affinity to the water.  That's all part of the cache and the "sizzle" which goes along with buying island property. Madeline Island's shoreline offers such a wide variety of beach shoreline types, as well as tremendous variat... 11/27/2011

More Information About Renting Your Madeline Island Home - What Kind of Dwelling Should You Buy if You Want to Maximize Rental Income?   Every so often, a buyer prospect will ask us "what kind of dwelling should I buy if I want to rent my home during the summer?"  Here are a few tips that will help you make an informed decision about getting into summer rentals:   Waterfront homes (or homes with a water view) generally rent better than interior homes.  They usually receive more bookings per year and the nightly/weekly rate is higher.  An exception would be condo or townhome units in downtown La Pointe, or homes and cottages within half a mile of the Madeline Island Ferry dock.  These also rent very well during summer. If you're planning to rent in the "fringe" portion of the tourist se... 11/26/2011

Why You Should Consider Buying an Income Producing Property on Madeline Island   Our Madeline Island community is unique in many ways, but maybe one of the most significant features of our Island is the shortage of commercial lodging available in what is widely regarded as a resort and recreational community. Back in 2006, when we sold the Madeline Island Motel on Colonel Woods Avenue, that facility was the largest motel operation on the Island.  And since 2006, there has been a conspicuous lack of large-scale hotel/motel construction on Madeline Island. Visitors rely on other lodging resources if they wish to stay on Madeline Island.  Many visitors reserve campground space at either Big Bay State Park (requiring a Wisconsin State Park sticker) or at Big Bay Town Park.  Other visitors ... 11/26/2011

  Advice to Madeline Island Buyers - Make Sure You Have a Confirmed Showing Appointment   The seller of a home priced at over a million dollars will want you to schedule a confirmed showing appointment with the listing agent or broker, in order for you to view their property. Why do you need to schedule a confirmed showing appointment?  And what does that mean? Sellers, please don't be offended, but the owner of a million dollar home will need to know who you are.  They will require some basic information about you, such as a telephone number and address.  They want to make sure you are a real prospect.  And they generally want their listing agent to provide them with such basic information before a showing is scheduled. If you're a walk-in visitor to an area real estate office and the ... 11/25/2011

  Real Estate Market Update - WRA Reports Declining Median Sale Prices in Northern Wisconsin   For a fourth straight month, Wisconsin’s monthly home sales volume exceeded last year's sales, yet median sold prices continued to fall, according to statistics published by the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA). The number of existing home sales increased 13.5 per cent in October compared to October 2010, however median sale prices fell 7.8 per cent over the same period, to $129,000. Northern Wisconsin Sales Volume lags behind the rest of the State Of particular interest to homeowners in northern Wisconsin should be the fact that all regions of the State of Wisconsin have showin double-digit increases in sales except for the Northern part of the State (which includes Ashland and Bayfield C... 11/23/2011

  Madeline Island Featured Among "World's Most Secret Islands" by Smarter Travel and the Chicago Tribune   SmarterTravel.com and the Chicago Tribune have rated Madeline Island among the world's ten or so "most secret" island destinations.    Madeline Island (LaPointe, Wisconsin, part of the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior) topped the list, followed by:   -Tangier Island, Virginia   -Staniel Cay, Bahamas   -Fernando de Noronha, Brazil   -Isle of Mull, Scotland   -Pulau Ubin, Maylaysia   -Koh Yao Yai, Thailand   -Kosrae, Micronesia   -Ile de Ray, France   -Salt Spring Island, British Columbia   Madeline Island has made news in the Chicago Tribune before, beginning with an article by Alan Solomon in the Tribune back in 1997 when Solomon featured Bayfield, Wisconsin and Madeline Island in ... 11/22/2011