Home on Trout Lake of the Whitefish Chain

I hope everyone is doing well. It's another beautiful winter day here in Crosslake Minnesota. My bride and I went to see Gran Torino last week. What a great performance by Clint Eastwood! I'm not a real big fan of the Oscar's anyway, but he got screwed this year. I think it's one of the best performances I've ever seen him give!

Well, it's time for the great big Jaycees ice fishing extravaganza again. Tomorrow, thousands of hopeful fisher people will take to the ice on Hole in the Day bay on Gull Lake. It's quite the site to see all of those people on the ice at one time. No need to worry about the ice being too thin this year either, which is a great thing. I've heard the fishing isn't all that great right now. If you're out for Walleye's I think your best bet is after dark. Good luck to everyone tomorrow, and stay warm.

Don't forget, Crosslake Winterfest is coming up February 6th through the 9th...should be a good 'ole time!

Check out this house on Trout Lake...beautiful!!!

http://glarmls.fnismls.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=2a64736a-4103-4f27-b5e3-91e9666e916d&Report=Yes

Shirt Sleeve Weather

Wow! It's kind of warm today, and I like it...but, since it's not spring, there is no need to get excited about it. I did see a guy cross country skiing today in running shorts though. I think he was pushing it!

Squeaky Snow

I love the sound of squeaky snow. You know, the sound that snow makes when you walk on it during really cold weather? Well, that's what we've had the past few days, but it looks like that's going to end. I don't mind it getting warmer, don't ya know, but warmer weather brings slush and dirty snow. The warmer weather would be fine with me if it stayed that way, but we've still got a lot of winter left, so I wish it would just stay cold and not warm up until spring is really serious about sticking around. If you have a black vehicle like I do, we will at least have the opportunity to get it washed because the car wash places will re-open for at least a little while. They close when it's this cold, which is a real pain, because my car looks like crap. Nothing I can do about that though expect not buy black car the next time. Hey, there are a couple of snowmobile events coming up. One of them is in conjunction with Crosslake Winterfest in February. Here's a link http://www.ideal-sno-pros.org/events.html

Stay warm!

Fireworks on the Ice!

Hey...don't miss the fireworks on the ice at Breezy Point Resort tonight at 7:00. You can feel the shockwave in your feet...ooo, ahhh!

Snow, Snow, and more Snow

Well, if you like snow, this is a great winter for it. The snow machines can be heard through out the night, and the cross country skiers and snow-shoers are having a great winter too. I'd say we have close to 18 inches or more of packed snow on the trails. Here's a link to the Ideal Sno Pros: http://www.mnsnowmobiler.org/index.php?pageid=92&clubdetails=598 You can find a link to trails on their web site.

We've got some pretty good ice on the lakes, and I've heard the fishing is getting better. Not great, but OK if you know where to look. My son is catching fish, but that's nothing new...he always catches fish. Now, if I could just get him to bring some to his Mom & Dad.

We've got some great winter festivals coming up, starting with Ice Fest in Breezy Point this weekend. For a list of all the fun, check this out: http://www.breezypointresort.com/recreation/events/icefest.html

Crosslake is also having Winter Fest starting the 6th of February. Lot's of stuff going on that weekend as well: http://crosslakewinterfest.com/ I'll write more about this when we get a little closer to the big weekend.

It may be cold, but we've got some hot Real Estate deals right now. If you're interested email be at brad@pedersonteam.com.

Thanks for reading...I'll write at you later!

Brad

Lot's Happened

Ok, so I wasn't real good at my first attempt at doing a blog, but that's going to change starting today. I won't bore you with over a year's worth of stuff that happened in my life, but I will say that the wedding of my daughter was the highlight of 2008. She married a great guy, and we're very glad to have him as part of our family.

Peaking Leaves & Real Estate

Hello to everyone. This is my first attempt at a Blog, so here goes! First of all, it's a beautiful fall day today. It's 70 degrees and sunny. The leaves are peaking, and if you've ever been to our beautiful area, you know how vibrant the colors can be. There are several drives you can take, or if you really want to see the colors, hop in boat and go for a ride. If you haven't been here, I whole heartily invite you to visit. We have two new great motels in Crosslake...Whitefish Lodge & Suites, and Pine Peaks Lodge & Suites. Also, just to the north of my Real Estate office on Rt66 in Manhattan Beach, you will find the historic Manhattan Beach Lodge on Big Trout Lake of the famous Whitefish Chain. They've got rooms also, as well as a first class restaurant & bar. If you want to look at the colors by boat and you don't own one, there are two marinas that would be happy to rent you one. While you're enjoying your stay here, you may decide you want to become a permanent resident. If so, let me know, and I'd be happy to show you around. I'm a Real Estate Agent at The Real Estate Company of Crosslake. I've been living here for more than 25 years, and both of my kids graduated from the local high school where I was a school board member for 14 years. I guess what I'm trying to say, is I know the area, and I'd be happy to fill you in.



The title of this post is "Peaking Leaves & Real Estate". I've covered the leaves, now it's time to cover the Real Estate portion of this post. Here it is in a nutshell. Don't believe what you hear on the news or read in the press about how bad our market is. Sure, there are areas of the country that are really hurting, but there are also areas where the market is pretty strong, despite what the "experts" are telling us. As an example, I heard Brian Williams on NBC say last night, that the slumping housing market is also affecting the auto industry, because those sales are down as well. He didn't offer any proof as to how the housing market is affecting the auto industry but he said it, so it must be true, right? Here is what I know. I know we've got a lot of inventory, but I also know homes are selling. If you're a buyer, you should be very excited about finding a home right now, because this is the first buyers market that we've seen around here in over 15 years. I'm a buyers agent. I work only with buyers, so that makes me an expert in matching up the right property with the right buyer, and I do it pretty well. I tell all of my potential buyers this...sellers are willing to look at any offers right now, but most are not desperate to sell, so don't expect them to give their property away. Sellers will look at offers though, so don't be afraid to make one. These homes aren't going to be on the market forever, and if you're interested in owning your own lake cabin, you should act now. Because it's October, or market naturally slows down, so sellers are more willing to negotiate.



That brings me to the end of my first post. I won't be back here for at least a week. I am having shoulder surgery on Friday to take off a bone spur. I expect to be back in the office sometime early next week, so let me know if you have any specific questions about anything, and I'll get back to you. Also, in the future, I'll fill you in on community events as well. Thanks for reading!