(I just tested my fragile back by making an igloo in the front yard. With my kids, of course, because if I was making an igloo in the front yard in the absence of children, that would be very strange. A post from last year about our lake loving pal Thom Felicia.)
Thom Filicia gets it. He gets what I write about all the time. He gets what I’ve been trying to explain to buyers since 1996. He gets what a lake house is supposed to be, and why they’re so darn valuable to the person who owns them. In Sunday’s Chicago Tribune, Thom says “As much as I love NYC and my apartment there, I really cherish my weekends in the country, where I can truly kick back and relax…” We need to doctor up this statement to apply it to your situation, so let’s replace NYC with Chicago and “in the country” with “at the lake”. The piece goes on to describe how Thom uses his weekend place as a retreat and “entertaining hub”. Our Queer Eye for the Straight Guy friend just plain gets it.
It’s already late January, and though we’re freezing our collective tuckuses off, in a mere 90 days we’ll be basking in full fledged spring. Green grass and pink flowers, unsalted roads and unfrozen lakes. It can’t come too soon. 90 days might seem like an eternity, but in the real estate world, it’s hardly any time at all. If you’re a buyer, you’d do well to be active in this market right now. Yes, right now while it’s freezing cold. Right now when you can really look at real estate and really see it for what it is. The neighbors unpainted garage? You sure can see it now while the lilacs are dormant. Come Spring, that ugly unpainted wall will be disguised in a flowering purple mass, and you won’t know any different. Best to come now and really see what you’re getting yourself into. Yes, wise buyers will be active right now, as the possible benevolence of sellers tends to dry up when spring arrives. Negotiate a deal now, in the dead of winter, but see if you can close in April. That way you negotiate now, and buy later. It works out perfectly, and you’re going to be primed to enjoy an entire summer season at the lake. If you’re waiting for the mythical market “bottom”, keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and pretty soon your 11 year old son who loves to fish will be 19 and he’ll only love college girls.
So get up here, and discover what Mr. Filicia and countless others already know. There’s something magical about a lake house. Not just any old lake house mind you, just the right lake home, at the right price. I’d love to be able to help.