The Squirrels Never Had a Chance

My wife and I bought this squirrel feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited in Delafield for my parents back yard this Christmas. As you can see the Blue Jay is hogging all the peanuts. The squirrels never had a chance to get their little paws on the goods--poor guys. Dad said that the Blue Jays were lined up to take their respective turns on the wreath. As soon as one left the next flew in for some goodies. In less than 2 hours they had consumed half of this wreath. I hope you had a good Christmas and just enjoyed the fun with family or friends.

Oconomowoc School District Links

As a parent I am very proud of our school system in Lake Country. I thought a few web-links would be helpful for those parents who have not found the OASD (Oconomowoc Area School District) site or for those of you who are thinking about moving into our area. Oconomowoc Schools Media presentation is a colorful look at the School District.

OAC Box Office is a great site to save to your favorites on your computer. From this site you can purchase tickets for events at the OAC (Oconomowoc Arts Center). Having attended quite a few of the "non-professional" presentations I honestly don't know why they are called non-professional, because the kids rock. The signing, dancing, choreography, set design are all professional! It is truly amazing to watch.

If your child desires to go beyond spanish as a language and comes home one day and says, "nǐ hǎo" or Good Morning in Mandarin Chinese, they can learn this exotic language right here at the Oconomowoc High School. Scroll down on the page and you will find more information about the International Baccalaureate program or IB for short.

Do you want to know a little more about your child's teacher? Well there is a link for that as well on the staff page . Here you can quickly save the email address for easy contact.

All the athletic information from schedules to opportunites are located on the easy-to-use site. As a parent you are connected to everything your child may want to involve themselves in.

Are you moving into the area and you would like to know what Elementary or Middle School area your new home is located in? The easy to locate district map will provide you with all the information you will need.

Here's hoping this helps!

Buying a Short Sale

In today's ever changing Real Estate market, as a buyer you will undoubtedly come across a "short sale". A short sale is a process that the seller's market value of the house will no longer satisfy the current indebtedness. The banks in some cases will forgive the debt. This process is called a short sale. As a buyer there are a few factors that you should be aware of before putting in an offer on a short sale. Here is a brief list of questions to consider:

1. How many mortgages are on the property? If the seller has more than two mortgages against this property then chances of you obtaining the property in a relatively short period of time are almost nill.
2. Are there any unpaid HOA (Home Owners Association) dues? If there are the listing agent should try and work with the seller to get those paid ASAP.
3. Has the seller sent in ALL of the information that the lender has requested? If the seller has not done this and included their hardship letter then move on to the next house. This is not going anywhere. You can determine much about the sellers cooperation if they have not submitted a complete packet. Partial packets to lenders are deal killers.
4. Find out who the lender or servicer is. Some lenders/servicers are slower than others. Your Realtor should be able to assist you with this.

Just because the property is in the short sale process does not mean you shouldn't think about submitting an offer, but a little extra information before the offer can make the process easier.

Good luck in your search for the perfect home. Feel free to check out my other blog at Lake Country Blog where I regularly comment on life in Lake Country.

What Difference Do It Make?

I recently blogged about a book I had read "Same Kind of Different as Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, and how much I enjoyed the book. It is a moving story of friendship, redemption and healing. I was greatly moved by the book. The publisher saw my brief review and asked if I would be willing to read the new book that the authors penned, "What Difference Do It Make?"  I said yes. Well the book arrived today so now I need to do my part. Hopefully I can get through the book in the next few days and will post my review here. From the brief introduction it looks like it will be as good as the first book.  Developing...

Oconomowoc Housing Statistics

For those of you who like the crunchy stuff here are some stats as to the state of real estate in the greater Oconomowoc area. The numbers are averages, but they give you an idea of what is happening in our city. The data is from MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and is for the greater Oconomowoc area only. Currently we have 311 homes actively for sale in all price ranges. Of the 311 homes the low is $105,000, the average is $515,886 with the high of $3.1M.

The solds in this sampling were from January 1, 2009 through today, July 17, 2009. There were 112 sales in that time frame with the low of $85,000, the average of $253,923 and a high of $995,000.

With that many homes on the market it is a good time to purchase a home in the city! If you would like more data or have questions about this data, feel free to contact me at ghanon@shorewest.com or you can call me at 1-888-HEY GLEN, toll free.

Ahh the Lake Life...

Over the fourth of July we spent a little time at the lake and I have to say that this is one of the best times we have as a family. The boys can spend all day on the lake sailing and we can just relax and enjoy the warmth of Wisconsin in the summer. Probably the best part of being together as a family is after dinner playing dumb card games. Our only entertainment are silly games, but we are all together and I guess that is what makes those times at the lake the most special. No cares, at least for the moment, no telephone interruptions, just fun and family. Those breaks are essential, no matter what line of work one is engaged in. Those fun times are always highly anticipated and never seem to last long enough but I guess that is why they are the fondest memories. Ahhh the lake life....

The Condos at Pabst Farms

Oconomowoc WI--

Centrally located the condos at Pabst Farms are a perfect addition to the single family homes. Of the 10 units that are constructed only 3 remain for sale. This aerial view shows the proximity to Summit Elementary School (on Valley Road) which is located at the top right of the picture. The homes on the bottom right comprise the western edge of Eastlake Village--a single family development. The condos blend in very well to the neighborhood feel of Pabst Farms. Everyone who attended the open house on Saturday and Sunday were impressed with the quality of construction in the units. Pella windows, tiled showers, Kohler fixtures, granite counters, underground sprinklers are just a few of the "standard" features of these very upscale condominium homes. As a Realtor holding open homes it is always interesting to hear what people think and say off the cuff. The other comment that comprised most of the attendee's was that these condos "don't feel like condos they feel like a home" That is due to the fantastic floor plans that this developement offers. So if you are in the area and want to see some outstanding condo-homes you should stop by on Saturday or Sunday from 1-2:30 or give me a call and I can set up a time for you to see these units at your leisure. You can reach me at 262-567-4349 or the Toll Free number 1-888-HEY GLEN. www.heyglen.com

Viva La Chilli's

The other day the boys ( my two sons) and I had lunch at Chilli's and I have to say what keeps me coming back are those darn chips. Those are a meal in themselves. This Chilli's is nice and close to work so taking time off for lunch is easy. As we walked inside the restaurant, I noticed past clients, friends etc. so I started making the rounds saying hi. When we finally sat down, Robert said, "So is that what happens when you get old?" I guess what he meant was knowing more people, but I couldn't help to focus on the "old" comment. We have lived in Oconomowoc now for 22 years and it is fun to see new places like Chilli's pop up in our little community. Pabst Farms is just around the corner and the new Pick N Save is sure nice too. I love fresh fruit and great meats and personally I can't wait for the Brennans Market to open this fall. If you are thinking about a move to Oconomowoc give me a call and I can help you find the right place to call home. You can reach me via email at ghanon@shorewest.com or feel free to call me at the office, 262-567-4349, or maybe we will just bump into each other at Chilli's!