General | Stapleton Realty

Sellers Market?

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2023-01-18T13:44:07-05:00January 18th, 2023|General, News, Oconomowoc, Selling a Home|

If you’re thinking about selling your house, you’re likely hearing about the cooling housing market and wondering what that means for you. While it’s not the peak intensity we saw during the pandemic, we’re still in a sellers’ market. That means you haven’t missed your window. Realtor.com explains: “. . . while prospective home sellers may lament that they missed their prime window, in reality, this is still a terrific time to sell. In fact, according to a recent Realtor.com® home seller survey, 95% of sellers who sold their home in the past year got more than they paid for it. Nonetheless, some of the more prominent pandemic trends have changed, so sellers might wish to [...]

Neighborhood Nicknames

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2022-10-05T10:41:47-05:00October 5th, 2022|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, General, Lake Homes, Oconomowoc, Selling a Home|

Reading an article earlier this month by Bob Dohr of NOW titled “ Why are Milwaukee’s suburbs called what they are?” had me thinking about how even within the City of Oconomowoc, the areas have official names and nicknames. West of Downtown and north of Wisconsin Avenue is “Merchants Plat” as it is currently known, where the houses designed by Roy Henszey for the Carnation Company executives are found along Woodland Lane Glenview Avenue. Just east of Fowler Lake you find “Presidential Row” or “The President’s Streets”, comprised of streets surrounding North Oakwood named Washington, Wilson, Madison, Harding, and Roosevelt. The flower patch is an array of flower names, Lily, Rose, Blue [...]

History of the Boat Parade

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2022-10-05T10:38:31-05:00October 5th, 2022|General, Maureen's Musings, News, Oconomowoc|

The Oconomowoc Boat parade has a long history of entertaining hundreds of people over the decades. A lot of hard work and creativity has gone into the creation of boats over the years. The parade‘s original date is uncertain as to when it began, but there was a day time parade with no lights in the 1970’s. In 1972 the Bill Chapman boat won 1st place with the “Good Ship Lollipop”. The parade then took a hiatus for a few years, and began again in earnest in 1989. That was the year the Reitbrock boat won 1st place. The next year, in 1990, the Zeutzius boat was decorated as a French Café and [...]

Is the Market Still HOT?

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2022-10-05T10:36:03-05:00October 5th, 2022|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, General, News, Oconomowoc, Selling a Home|

Many people watch the real estate market with great interest. It is fun to imagine what we could sell our homes for or to see what the houses near us are selling for. Without question, these past months have been some of the hottest months in real estate in the Lake Country in years. We have seen a much smaller inventory, which has driven the prices for what comes for sale up. On top of the increased prices, multiple offers have come in with greater than asking offer amounts, escalator clauses and no contingencies. Many buyers have thrown up the white flag for the moment in hopes “things will calm down.” [...]

De-Clutter

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2022-10-05T10:26:47-05:00July 26th, 2022|General, Selling a Home|

A rainy summer day is a perfect time to tackle some of the decluttering and prep work to get your home ready to sell. We don’t expect your closets to look like The Home Edit showed up to rainbow color-coordinated everything but items shouldn’t be falling out when people take a look…and they will take a look. Sorting things into categories: donate, re-home, trash, and keep will help you quickly move through spaces. You are sure to come across clothing or linens that are no longer in a state that should be donated but don’t toss them in the trash...start a bag to take to Goodwill and mark it “Textile Recycling Only” these [...]

How to Choose…

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2022-07-26T15:09:30-05:00July 26th, 2022|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, General, Lake Homes, Selling a Home|

When you are looking to start the process of buying or selling a home, what is your “step one”? First things first, you are going to need a Realtor. We believe that when it comes to finding your Realtor, it is very important to find someone you can relate with. The journey of buying or selling a home can be emotional, frustrating, and a bit stressful at times- but if you have someone you can trust and feel comfortable with during this process, it will make all the difference in the world. Take the time to read through different Realtor’s bios online, check out their Agency’s reviews, and maybe even meet for [...]

Northcote on North Lake

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2021-07-06T16:55:00-05:00July 6th, 2021|Buying a Home, General, Lake Homes, Maureen's Musings|

It has been Stapleton Realty’s pleasure, and good fortune, to represent a number of fabulous properties for sale over our 40 years in business. But, I have to say, having the excitement of being able to market the Northcote Estate, nestled in Chenequa will be a highlight and delight beyond works. Steeped in history, the property on almost 15 private acres having 140 feet of prime sandy North Lake frontage, tennis court, pool, petanque court, guest house, and carriage house with living quarters, is the epic of style and comfort combined. It also comes with your very own 3+ acre vineyard – to see it is to fall in love. Come and put [...]

Celebrating 40 Years

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2021-07-06T16:59:37-05:00July 6th, 2021|General, News, Oconomowoc|

Being forty years in the business is not just about experience, it is mostly about the relationships and the help we have been able to provide to the people we work with. In those years, we have created developments, listed many homes, businesses or land for our clients and helped them to find the same. Selling a property, especially a home, is about connecting the needs and lifestyle wants of our clients with the right fit for them. It is this experience that informs and guides our work to this day. While most of the Realtors at Stapleton Realty have not been here for all of those forty years, we benefit from [...]

Start of Summer

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2021-05-11T15:36:11-05:00May 11th, 2021|General, Maureen's Musings|

Oconomowoc is enjoying a flurry of activity, especially now that nice weather is upon us. Last Saturday the city was busy with the 5k/Half Marathon starting on Village Green and the start of the Summer Farmer’s Market in the parking lot across from Bank Five Nine. This Saturday there will literally be a “big splash” into Lac La Belle with the SOFA events that begin at the City Beach and go on the whole day with music and a little something for everyone (all free to enjoy). Stapleton Realty has always been a big supporter of our community and this week we had the first organizational meeting for the annual Boat Parade [...]

What is a Seller’s Market and how does it affect you?

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2021-05-11T15:43:10-05:00April 20th, 2021|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, General, Selling a Home|

Currently in the US, the majority of the housing market is a Seller’s market. Home prices are rising and inventory is tight, meaning there are not enough houses on the market for buyers. We also know that it is a seller’s market because the “DOM”, (days on the market), are very short, often less than 10 days. In a lot of areas, the final sales price is exceeding the list price.Here are a few factors that are contributing to a “Seller’s market”: Population growth- When there is an influx of people moving to a town or a specific area, the demand for housing usually exceeds the supply. This is certainly true for [...]