The first thing we need to find out if you are thinking about buying a property at an auction conducted by an auction company, either in person or online, or are you thinking of buying a property at a sheriff’s sale?

Auctions and sheriff’s sales can be intimidating and there are dangers lurking.  There are good buys possible, but getting truly good buy without placing yourself in significant financial risk requires thorough preparation and homework.  The key is to find out as much as possible about the property, including the title, and the extent of any repairs needed as well as their costs–before you place a bid on the property.

Over the next couple of weeks we will examine the differences between auctions and  sales and how you might prepare for each.  If ever you have questions about these processes, or homes, please do not hesitate to call me at 920-823-2219.

Driverless cars sound like something out of science fiction, but they are predicted to be available just a decade from now.  Will they appear in the Door?

It’s not surprising when you consider that you can buy a car in 2010 that can steer itself, accelerate and brake to maintain a safe driving distance from cars ahead, and detect and avoid collisions with other cars on all sides.

Driverless cars were demonstrated in 1997 on a California freeway. Eight cars successfully operated one car length apart at 65 miles per hour, according to a Wall Street Journal story.  How do you think they’d fair on Highway 42 through Ephraim on a hot Sunday afternoon!!?

In 2007, six cars negotiated the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Urban Challenge and followed all traffic rules in an urban environment with other vehicles. At the event, the General Motors vice president of research predicted that driverless cars would be on the road by 2018. If this comes true, we could have a completely driverless system in place by 2036, say Journal experts. The obstacles are legal, not technological.

This summer, Volkswagen will demonstrate its technology by running a driverless Audi at racing speeds up the twisting Pikes Peak road.

VW’s new global positioning systems can keep cars within two centimeters of their desired positions on streets and highways.

Driverless cars have advantages over cars of today. Computer reactions are faster. Driverless cars can safely operate more closely together, potentially tripling highway throughput. This would eliminate traffic congestion and reduce the need for new road construction.

Even more important, driverless vehicles will bring mobility to all. Not everyone is physically capable of driving a car and passing the driver’s test.

If state and local authorities work with car makers to set standards and work on the transition, driverless commuting and travel will become reality.

The cities would install wireless communication systems at major intersections and highways, which would be much less costly than building additional  roads and high-speed rail systems to handle traffic. 

The last paragraph catches my attention–I attended a town board meeting last night and heard out County board representative say that the five-year master plan for the county contains a $2million dollar road budget.  Never-the-less, I think driverless cars are a longer time off in Door County.

Either way, you are a winner.  If you elect to pay the seller top dollar for a perfect property, or in the event you found a seller who was willing to make every repair to create a perfect property, you have a move-in ready to enjoy home or Door County vacation  escape.  You’ve traded time for money, effort and the frustration of fixing up a property. 

If you have the time and energy to repaint, refurbish and repair a property you will potentially save some money and you’ll spend  effort, expense, frustration and loss of time.  If you carry through with all the refurbishing you will have the perfect property AND you will have all the real gain and return on the property that would have gone to the seller.  You are in total control.

Refurbishing work limited to repainting and minor remodeling may reap you significant financial and emotional rewards.  Often that’s all a property in Door County needs.   You will be amazed at the transformation a bit of landscaping, a coat of paint, some new light fixtures and a little redecorating will make.  Improvements such as these are easy to do, or easy to manage if you live away.  Smaller projects, or larger improvements such as adding rooms are easily managed by hiring a local Door County contractor, or in some cases a handyman to complete them for you. 

It will benefit the seller to put his property in top-notch condition because generally buyers are not willing or do not have the time to invest in renovations.  With fewer buyers there is pressure on sellers to make their property be the best beauty contestant.  For the buyer who appreciates a diamond in the rough, you might just get the deal or dream of a lifetime and sometimes with little effort have the perfect Door County home.

In real estate everyone, regardless of skills, knowledge or ability considers himself or herself an expert. My neighbor told me the house should sell for more; my plumber told me real estate sales are picking up, the bartender at Joe’s said…

“Sales” is about self-promotion, and in real estate “sales” everyone promotes himself or herself to the level of expert.  People who see real estate as a “sales business” are experts only for the purpose of driving their sales numbers.  Those who see their work in real estate as an opportunity to provide a valuable service gain skills, knowledge and expertise so they can provide you with the best service. 

When you consider an agent to help you with your Door County purchase examine the area of focus and concern.  Is the agent fully focused on you and yours needs; if the focus is on the sale, be careful.  The conversation should be about you, and your wants and needs.

Buyers, as you are deciding on an agent to help you achieve your dream a few questions you might ask are:

Can you provide me with testimonials from people you’ve helped by a home here?  This is the ultimate proof of a happy buyer.

Do you have other business interests? Do you do this full-time or part-time?  As a buyer you want an agent who works full-time in real estate and who does not split their time among other jobs.

What do you read? Mixed among the novels should be some solid reading on business and real estate, otherwise your agent isn’t staying up-to-date on changing laws and practices.  Your agent should also have a good knowledge of the county and its towns, keeping themselves current on tax reassessments and zoning matters.

How many homes do you preview each week?  You want an agent who is out seeing and showing the inventory of homes, not someone sitting behind their desk waiting for the next phone call. 

Sellers, if you are considering the sale of your property ask your potential agent some of these: 

Will you lower your commission?  If the agent cannot defend their own worth how can they protect your property’s equity. 

What is your internet promotional strategy?  I would not even consider an agent who does not have their own site and blog.

What other things do you do besides real estate, what are you involved in? Many agents are part-time, chances are they are doing real estate to supplement their income, or supplementing their real estate income with another job.

How large is your data base and how do you use it?  It’s great to have a lot of names, but how the agent markets to those contacts is important.

Perhaps the most important question for interviewing either a selling agent or a buyers agent is, “How do you measure success”.  Answers about selling a certain number of homes, or dollar values of homes should set off an alarm.  The correct answer would be, “By the number of happy, satisfied clients”.  With that answer you will be working with an agent who is service-minded and who will truly be Focused on What’s Important to You!

Lisa Bieri Sells Door County

What must achieve to make your dream come true?  Realizing a dream is a bit like eating an elephant;  the only way to do it is one bite (step) at a time.   Breaking your dream down into all the component pieces, the 5W’s for success may help.

Who: Who is going to do what? Who is going to do the initial research on the internet?  Who is going to interview the real estate agent?  Who is going to view the properties?  Who is going to arrange the financing?

What and Where:   What are you looking for, what is your ideal location, what are the ideal features of your home?

Why:   Why do you want a home or property here in Door County.  By now you’ll be clear on this.

When: This may be perhaps the most important.   Timing can be everything.   Are you trying to time the market? Forget about that, most of us don’t know that the market hit bottom until its on the way back up.  If a home in Door County is your “dream”, and you are looking at it for the enjoyment it will bring you then the only way to turn that dream into a reality is to take action. 

Without action, you have a dream.   With action you’ll have your dream come true.

One last thought, learn to be flexible.  Life and property searches do not always allow us to travel in a straight line. In fact, we rarely travel in a straight line.  The detour may be better than the interstate in terms of making your Door County dream come true!

Door County Daffodils

It’s time to decide on the ideal home or property. What is your dream? Have some fun thinking about this.  Be like a child with the toy flyer and make a list of everything you want in your new home, make a list of the best places.  Draw a picture, use whatever tools will help you color in all the details of your dream.  Make lists of dislikes too.

The next step in the “process” is to prioritize:
• Make a list of your top three “must haves” in the home or lot;
• Make a list of the top three “I cannot accept” items;
• If your list is longer than three, next prioritize the next 5-7 “would like to haves” and the next 5-7 “I cannot accept” items.

Now, review your list.  If you can achieve 3 of the “must haves” or “would like to haves”, and avoid 3 of the “I cannot accept items” you have found your dream home!

Who will share this dream home with you?  To be a really successful dream, all your fellow dreamers will need to own the dream too. Share your must haves and cannot accepts with your family, experts, and people you trust and respect.  Talk about your plans and your dream, test it, and modify it until it is perfect.

I sold a house last year for a lovely couple who had recently retired and seemed to be so excited to begin the new chapter in their life.  I put their house on the market in April and we sold it in June. They had been indefinite about their plans to this point, so after the closing I asked what they were going to do now, what were they going to do with this large sum of money that had just come into their possession.  The husband spoke up and said, “I put money down on a house on a lake in Minnesota, if I’m not sitting on my front porch I’ll be out on the lake fishing.  Mary and I talked about this, and I decided it’s right for us”.  To that, Mary said, rather loudly, “You did what? If that’s your plan you’ll be doing it by yourself”.  A dream can turn to a nightmare if you force your dream on someone who does not want it.

Next week, Part 3.

Buying real estate is really no different.  To have a successful, happy, stress-free and profitable experience, you need a plan.   

The process, the plan,  begins with you!

Why are you buying Door County real estate?  Are you buying a home, a Door County condo, a piece of vacant land, or an investment property?  What are your plans for the real estate, how do you envision using it?  What are your expectations of the real estate—income, enjoyment, appreciation, a lot of work or will it be maintenance free?  What is it inside you that drives you to buy Door County real estate—is it a first-time home, a new home, a vacation home, a place for generations to come, a place to invest your money?  These are a  lot of questions to ponder, but finding the answers will be  well worth your time.

Have you ever heard, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there”?  We could look at properties for days on end.  You’ll become frustrated sorting through the same old properties on the Internet.  Without prior thought when you get to Door County, or decide to go out and look for your first home, you’ll spend a lot of time viewing real estate that just isn’t right for you.

The first step to buying or selling real estate in Door County, or anywhere for that matter, is to take control of your dream.  Ask yourself the questions in this post, then talk about them with your Realtor.  Honestly, it will save you frustration, time and perhaps even money.  If your Realtor does not take the time to consult with you, if your Realtor does not offer to help you lay out a plan there’s only one thing to do…run out of the office and find a new Realtor!! 

Next week, Part 2.

You definetly need to add White Gull Inn’s Cherry-Stuffed French Toast to your Door County Bucket List. If you are on Facebook, I just set up a Door County Bucket List page last week–search Door County Bucket List, click “Like” and follow me there for all the best things to do in Door County this summer. If you are not on Facebook–sign up–it’s easy, all you need is an email address and a password you create!

Have a great Sunday!

If you are a buyer, your Realtor might simply answer that the market is great, that it’s a great time to buy. Or they might say that you as a buyer have great opportunity because there are lots of properties on the market, interest rates are low and sellers are motivated.

To the seller the answer may be that it’s a great time to sell because of the favorable interest rates for buyers, or the answer might be that if you need to sell you should, but if you are looking for top dollar it is a bad time to sell.

Any of those answers are generalities, and usually the buyer or seller asking the question already has a preexisting belief and interprets the answer to the question to support that belief.

If you are motivated to sell, or buy, then you should ask about the reality of the market. A good Realtor should be prepared to educate you on, the reality of the current market in their own area. Your Realtor can provide MLS statistics that include average list prices, sale prices and length of time on market. These can be valuable in helping you establish or justifying the price you will pay for a property or the price you will offer your property to the market at.

The answer, “sellers are motivated”, may be interpreted by buyers that most properties are at fire-sale prices.

“Low interest rates and the incentives for buyers” over the last year may be interpreted by sellers as easy money for buyers. We’ve seen offers fail for the lack of a counter from the seller because the buyer’s offer was just too low. We’ve seen offers fail to come together because the seller perceived a higher value for their property than the buyers were willing to pay, or more importantly, than the reality of the market would bear.

The serious buyers and sellers who are counseled by a good Realtor see their deals go together and consummate with closing. The buyers and sellers took their time to learn about the true market values from their Realtor and used their knowledge to move forward.

Sellers would of course always like to get more money, and buyers of course always want to pay less. The important thing is to understand the market, understand the statistics and make the deal—because no one wins when there is no sale.

So, “How is the market”, or “What is the market doing”? The reality is that the “market” is the price point at which sales are being made—closed. The “market” is not over-priced properties—because those properties are simply for sale and on the sidelines. The “market” is not listings under-valued by buyers—those buyers are on the sidelines.

Getting the deal and being a winner in the Door County real estate market means that your Realtor has taken the time to inform you on the “market conditions” at any given time. If you are a seller, you price your property “to” the market. If you are a buyer, you make your offer “at” the market. In a scenario such as this, both parties will have achieved their goals and can move forward with the next phase of their life. Everyone else is not in the market; they are on the market and on the sidelines.

If you want to get IN the market, contact me today at Lisa@HomeInDoorCounty.com or visit my website at www.HomeInDoorCounty.com.

When it comes to Door County real estate, take off your rose-colored glasses because they are the cause of more financial pain and hardship than any other aspect of real estate.

I am an optimist; I absolutely believe that my attitude sets my altitude. And I often choose to look at certain aspects of life through rose-colored glasses because they are a symbol of hope, and we must always have hope. Yet, if we rely strictly on hope without preparing and facing reality, there is a chance our dreams and ambitions will never materialize. If we rely only on hope, we are most certain to be overwhelmed with disappointment if we fail to achieve our dream.

In the world of real estate you need to combine your hope and dream with a big dose of reality. I remember a story of a family being held in a prisoner of war camp, the father realized the dire circumstances, but chose to make their captivity into a game for his son—he knew that he must combine the reality of the camp with hope for a new life outside the prison for his son to survive. It was his hope, combined with his acknowledgment of the present circumstances that allowed that family to survive their imprisonment and eventually leave the camp together.

In real estate, in Door County, sellers and buyers need to not only hope to sell their property, not only dream of a new Door County home, but must look the reality of the market square in the eye. We may live on a little peninsula, but we live in a world economy when it comes to vacation homes.

Buyers have a multitude of real estate choices not only in Door County, but all over Wisconsin, in Michigan and Minnesota, and really all over the country. Door County is a beautiful place and the lifestyle can’t be beat—but—we have competition. If you don’t think so, pick up any travel magazine. I’ve had more buyers than ever before tell me this year that they are looking at other locations in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Especially at this time, sellers have to give the buyer a lot of good reasons to choose their Door County property from among the many selections in Door County and other vacation destinations throughout Wisconsin and neighboring states. Door County’s beautiful scenery, our safe communities and our fantastic lifestyle may lure the buyer here, but more than ever buyers are not viewing their real estate purchase through rose-colored glasses. They expect a property that offers the highest value and highest quality.

Buyers, you also must look reality squarely in the eye. A seller cannot be expected to tie up their property in a contract while you shop for a mortgage. To be in your strongest negotiating position, talk with your lender and get pre-approved—this makes you almost like a cash buyer.

Sellers must be prepared to accept the reality of what the market will pay for their property, and buyers, you should be prepared to pay a fair value for the property. A deal goes together, a property sells and a home is bought, because it is a fair deal for both parties. Until both seller and buyer feel comfortable that each is getting and giving a fair price, there is no deal and no sale.

So, if your goal is to sell your Door County property this year, if your dream is a new home in Door County, take off your rose-colored glasses and put your ego aside. Sellers focus on making your property the most attractive and take the advice of your Realtor and position it correctly in the market. Buyers, if you make a low-ball offer, expect the seller to ask you to justify your offering price—and then be prepared to do so. Prepare for your offer by asking your Realtor to show you comparable properties and then make your offer based on data and facts, and you will be in that new Door County home before the summer arrives!

Hope for the sale, dream of that new home, and then prepare. If you are prepared, you will be successful!