In reviewing the real estate market this past year, there have been plentiful listings on the Whitefish Chain and other lakes in the area. Currently, there are 151 listings on the Whitefish Chain of Lakes with 41 sales year to date. During 2007, there was a total of 73 sales. Although this year is not yet complete, it appears there is a good percentage number less than previously. At this current rate of absorption, there is approximately a four year supply of properties available for sale. This situation makes it an exceptional time to buy on this premiere chain of lakes. Some sellers need to move on and make a move for a number of reasons. My prediction is in about a year, buyers will be kicking themselves for not taking advantage of the current inventory. There have been times in the... 10/26/2008

Quoting Martin Niemöller's famous poem in which he remembers how fragile our liberty is,   "The Nazi's came for the Communists and since he wasn't one, he did nothing. Then they came for the trade unionists, and he wasn't one, so he did nothing. Then they came for the Jews and the Catholics and he again did nothing. Then, when they finally came for him, there was no one left to defend him."     Do not buy the lies, DO NOT STAND BY and watch as your freedoms are taken away! 10/25/2008

     Barack Hussein Obama has been "delivered to us" (in the words of MSNBC's Chris Matthews) as a kind of political savior who will end our national divisions, bind up our historical wounds, and infuse us with "hope" by delivering "change."     People desperate for "change" will do regrettable things. The people of Russia wanted change from the Romanov Czars. The people of Germany wanted change from the mess of the Weimar Republic -  they ended up with Hitler.  The people of Russia wanted change from the Romanov Czars - they got Lenin and Communism.   The people of Cuba wanted change from Batista - they got Castro. Well.... change is what they got. "Be careful what you wish for" is often the most important lesson of human history. 10/23/2008

    A few days ago I was contacted by e-mail for a job with Kincaid Furniture as a Regional Manager for my area. Sounded interesting and I responded asking for more information. They got right back to me and the job was part time from home- taking checks from their customers, keeping accounts and then sending them the orders, etc. At $2000 /month base pay and 10% of all sales it sounded good - too good, something was not right.  I Googled Kincaid and my area and sure enough they had furniture in 6 stores - all reputable.      The e-mail was from a Kincaid store  in North Carolina with a contact name and address. I Googled the address and got an email for a different name and  forwarded what I had received so far, asking if this was from them>the email was admin@kincaidfurntures.net   Th... 10/23/2008

    Chuck Norris is a pretty cool guy.  His shows had family oriented content, you clearly knew who the bad guys and the good guys were and the good guys always won. He is a conservative Hollywood star with 40 years in the business. He expresses concern about how the pool of conservative "tough guys" seems to be drying up in Hollywood. He also states that there are those like actor Gary Sinise and others who have been meeting quietly in restaurants and private homes, forming a loose-knit network of entertainers who share common beliefs like supporting U.S. troops and traditional American values. This group is not large in number and they meet rather secretively  because they support U.S. troops and traditional American values.  What has this country come to? Below are some quotes from C... 10/16/2008

Readers: This is mere speculation not fact, so do not panic yet. "Hillary Clinton Confirmed To Supreme Court" Do you think that this is a plan in the works if Obama gets elected President? There was that little meeting with Bill and wouldn't it be fun to know where the conversation went that day.  Usually there is something offered in return for support - when warring sides meet.  Could this be it? Washington Times Washington Post New York Post 10/15/2008

Staging is an art form. In viewing a prospective house to purchase, only ten percent of buyers can see what it could be. The other ninety percent can only see what is there. When a stager is able to convey how a family could live in the house - it is art. When a stager is able to demonstrate to others a lifestyle, cozy family times around the fireplace or reading a favorite book on the deck in the lazy days of summer - we have art. Can anyone create art - of course! Are some masterpieces and others quite elementary - yes. To have your home show like a masterpiece - call Re$ale Design & Home Staging . 10/13/2008

    Terry Anderson, an African-American talk show host in Los Angeles, provides a list of 39 things Democrat presidential hopeful Barack Obama claims are facts, but further investigation shows they are not exactly correct. You don't need to dig too far on Obama to find some very interesting things.     Senator Obama is easily sailing through his campaign without media scrutiny, while reporters rummage through Gov. Sarah Palin's past in order to discover anything that may hurt her politically. First we started with the idea that Sarah was not the mother of the Down Syndrome child, but that her daughter was.  Then we shockingly find that her daughter is pregnant and yet the Christians decide to have compassion rather than condemn. Apparently not the reaction that others were expecting.  M... 10/13/2008

    The last Fall Women's Health Speaker Class was on breast cancer, a topic that has probably affected most families.  Dr Troy Duininck,  who gave an overview of cancer, stated that one in eight women get breast cancer and in 2007 there were 178,480 new breast cancer cases that were diagnosed.  He said that in Minnesota there were about 3000 new cases and that Brainerd St Joseph's hospital had 72. Duininck also said that 85-90% of breast cancer cases are not heriditary.      In my family my Grandmother, aunt and sister all had breast cancer. Doctors recommend that women have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 and I do. The Brainerd hospital is getting a breast specific gamma imaging machine that will give doctors a better look at the cancerous cells  to better assist their patie... 10/10/2008

What did our founding fathers say about religion and America? George WashingtonFarewell Address, 1796"And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." John Adams"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other." Benjam... 10/04/2008

                                                     How do you keep visitors & Realtors at open houses and showings from using your nicely folded, perfectly hung, and oh so clean and dry towels?  I have read that some suggest tying them in ribbons or raffia and therefore signal that they are off limits.  Does everyone know how to read raffia?    A sign "Do Not Use Towels" along with "Do Not Use Toilet or If in the case of an Emergency :  please close lid & flush (or maybe flush and then close lid)", "Do Not Sit on Bed" ,  "Don't kiss the Mirror", "No eating or drinking in  any room", & "No smoking right outside the door and then throwing butt on doorstep" (still referring to the cigarette here) - might help!       What I do is provide a wicker or metal holder with lovely paper guest to... 10/04/2008

       The new Interstate 35W bridge which goes across the Mississippi is now open to public traffic. Thirteen months ago there were thirteen people killed as a result of the collapse of the bridge. Another 145 were injured and the lives of many were touched and changed forever.  The design of the bridge is to be a lasting memorial for all those affected by the collapse.      The concrete span includes high-tech sensors and other back up features that were not around to be used forty years ago, when the steel truss original bridge was built.  The $234 Million bridge's construction was moved along at a fast pace to accommodate the 140,000 trips a day that will be once again  be driving over this section of the mighty Mississippi. 09/19/2008

        The new ballpark for the Minnesota Twins will be called the Target Field. This is right across the street from the Target Center, home to the  NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. The retailer and the Twins will be collaborating on the design of Target Plaza which will connect the $517 Million 40,000 seat Target Field to downtown Minneapolis. This will include a pedestrian bridge and public gathering space. All this Target stuff will be just a few blocks away from the Target corporation's headquarters in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.     Go Target,  oops I meant , Go Twins. 09/18/2008

    If you ask most fishing people in the Brainerd Lakes area what their favorite fish to catch is, they will tell you the Walleye.  They make great eating and are good fighters on the end of a line. I am not much for fishing, but I agree on the eating part. Several area restaurants serve Walleye dinners. Walleye are named for their big white eyes. Adult walleye are 13 to 20 inches long. Walleye weigh an average of 1 to 3 pounds, although some may weigh 10 pounds or more. Walleye can live 10-20 years. Walleye have sharp teeth. The two long ones in the front look like a dog's teeth.           The Minnesota State Fish is the Walleye. 09/09/2008

    In my previous blogs in this series, Curb Appeal is Not A Myth and After The Call, I addressed the value of  your on-line listing and the "first glance" impression of the property. Let us rewind this blog back to where the potential buyer arrives on the scene due to your excellent directions and prominently & permanently displayed address markers.  Your For Sale sign in the yard helps them find it as well.  However these do tend to disappear, are usually unattractive and do not add to the intrinsic value of the property.  At first glance, the prospective buyers like what they see.  This looks like the house in your photos and fits the description.  The prospective buyers are eager to look inside. As you enter in the lock box code, they are glancing around - up and down and across. ... 09/09/2008

    In Virtual Curb Appeal is Not a Myth, I discussed the MLS listing photos. Now a potential buyer has made the call to see a listing.  If they are like me, they will meet you there. On the way,  they will observe the neighborhood, traffic, parks, schools, etc.  All of these things are out of your control - it is what it is.  Now, they have found the right house due to your excellent instructions and the address being prominently and permanently displayed on the maibox, fire number marker or the front door. All under your control!  Realtors' For Sale signs have a habit of disappearing.     Does what they see, look like the photos or perhaps even better in real life?  What do they see from the street? Have you ever arrived at a listing and realized that you are alone and the situation i... 08/29/2008

    According to the National Association of Realtors, 75% of people on the market to purchase a home begin their search on the Internet. Other sources put this figure closer to 85%.  It is only logical to determine then that exterior photos of your listing can instantly determine if buyers will take a second look.  Virtual curb appeal is a reality. Patchy unkempt lawns. peeling paint and poor or no photos will lose you potential buyers.  With so many houses for sale in any given neighborhood, it is crucial to invest dollars and or sweat. to get lookers inside the website.  Once in there, they should have lots to see.  Photos of staged rooms with great angles and strategic lighting will get them to pick up the phone.     For help with your upcoming listings in Central Minnesota, call Re... 08/27/2008

    We had the American Veterans Traveling Tribute stop in our area this summer.  Many of my friends fought in the Vietnam Was.  I went to college with even more veterans  who were back home and getting their education on the G.I. Bill after their service tours were over.  Some of my friends did not make it back and others who did were drastically altered by their experiences in Vietnam.     Because this was was a big part of my growing up years the Vietnam Wall is very special to me.  The traveling memorial is a small version of the wall, but at 370 Feet long & with 58,253 Names                                                     it  makes quite a statement.         The wall was escorted by motorcyclists and the police.  In some areas, there have been as many as 14,000 motorcyclists ac... 08/22/2008

   Some of my friends are in China at the Olympics. What fun I think and here I am in Minnesota.  Then they send photos - I feel even worse, I am missing all the fun and the beauty. I watched the opening ceremonies on TV and was struck by the artistry and the cohesiveness of all the performers.  Their trim figures, glowing complexions and their endurance and flexibility.What do they eat , that gives them such strength?     Then I get more photos, which I am posting here. I love Minnesota and the food that we eat.  I can watch the Olympics on TV with no problem, while chilling out with my hot-dish, pizza or chow mein. All of a sudden, my world seems much brighter and with a little moisurizer, my complexion glows.     Anyone care to fly to China for supper?                   08/14/2008

    "What is a mini-pond", you may ask "and why would I want one?". Mini-ponds are a a mini-ecosystem and you only need a container that holds at least four gallons of water.  It is a good start to water gardening without a major committment and the expense.  A large permanent pond can easily cost over $10,000.     For a container try a salvaged claw-foot bathtub, a galvanized horse trough or an old whisky barrel.  Water plants are available at larger garden centers along with some electrical accessories.  Fish can be inexpensive gold fish, one male betta ( not 2) or you could splurge on a few koi. 08/09/2008