Marty Erlandson\’s Blog

Good Wisconsin hunting land is hard to come by, let alone a good deal.   Here’s an opportunity to own almost 30 acres of primo Vernon County forest with a geodesic-style dome cabin.   This could be a full-time residence, but I consider it more of a getaway than home.   Not to mention what’s on the side of the cabin–”Get-A-Way”.     There are over 3.5 miles of professionally made trails throughout the 30 acres for countless hours of nature walks, 4 wheeling or even horseback riding.   At the end of one of the trails is a double-decker hunting stand for complete comfort while waiting for the 30 pointer to come strolling by.  

Check out the virtual tour on my website for a video of the home.  

Monroe County Wisconsin Housings Statistics:

41 homes in the City of Sparta alone!   Prices are skewed with a $20,000+ sale for a major fixer upper up to a beautiful country home in the high $230,000′s.     However, sales for the county are down from a year ago with over 130 from a year ago.   I had a couple of great showings on a farm listing in the town of Glendale, but unfortunately the buyers just couldn’t put the money together:(   There was a working dairy farm in Monroe County that did sell in the past couple of months, but it took a $110,000 price reduction to get the job done.  

Vacant land sales in Monroe County have been similar to other land sales throughout Southwest Wisconsin.   Primary sales are smaller lots ranging from $15,000 – $50,000 with only a handful of larger acreage parcels sold.   This somewhat surprises me with the great deals to be found around Elroy, Kendall and surrounding areas.

Contact Marty at Erlandson Realty for all your Monroe County real estate needs.

All information deemed reliable from the La Crosse area’s Realtor’s Association and South Central Realtor’s Association.

La Crosse County Wisconsin Housing Statistics:

We’re doing better!   So far we’ve seen 332 single family homes sold in 2009 vs. the 2nd quarter of 2008.   Prices are stabilizing with a vast majority of sales under $200,000.   Home sales above $300,000 very slow with only 14 sales above that mark.   Of course, most of these homes were within the city limits of La Crosse, Onalaska and Holmen.   First-time homebuyers really took advantage of the $8,000 tax credit in this area!   I can’t imagine how much instant equity was built with all these sales.

We had a very interesting article in the local newspaper today regarding vacant land lots in La Crosse County.   According to the paper, there are nearly 2500 vacant residential lots available!    There were only 21 vacant land sales in La Crosse  County  this quarter, some with drastic price reductions and others at asking price.   Quite frankly, I’m thinking  some of the developers are going to take it in the shorts while trying to fill these huge sub-divisions.    

Contact Marty at Erlandson Realty for all your La Crosse County real estate needs.

All information deemed reliable from La Crosse Area Realtor’s Association and South Central Realtor’s Association.

Home sales in Vernon County have not been as bad as the general public might expect.   We just aren’t hit as hard around here as other parts of the country.   Compared with 2008 (38 sales) with more to hit the books, we’ve seen 30 single family homes ranging from $17,000 (tear down on  a couple  acres) up to $250,000 (updated farmette).   One of my favorite properties sold this past quarter was a 55 acre valley with smaller home.   It’s hard to find such a nice valley setting without flood plain issues!

Vacant land sales have slowed compared to 2008 (13 sales) with only 5 sales recorded thus far.   The largest parcel was over 100 acres of woods and meadows with small cabin.   It appears to be a great hunting property and I’m sure the new owners will have years of enjoyment.   Other parcels were smaller building sites in and around Westby and Viroqua.

I was involved with a relative bargain of selling 35 unsurveyed acres in the town of Sterling for $90,000.   This sale had some major issues as the tax records say the property is 35 acres.   After diligent homework by the Buyer, he came the conclusion the property could be as little as 28 acres without road easement.   He asked for a survey but neither Seller or Buyer was interested in coming up with that additional expense.   Needless to say, the Seller decided to slightly reduce his price to complete the sale.   We still don’t know how much acreage the property consists of!  

Contact Marty at Erlandson Realty for all your Vernon County real estate needs.   1-888-800-9786  

All information provided by the local MLS board involved the La Crosse Area Realtor’s Association and South Central Realtor’s Association.  

Report: Mortgage trouble isn’t hurting state, La Crosse
By The Associated Press

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MILWAUKEE ” Although national economic growth will be slashed by about $166 billion because of mortgage problems, none of that decline will come from Wisconsin, according to a report released today by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The report prepared for the group by Global Insight Inc. said the gross metropolitan product of every city in the state will increase next year by just as much as if the crisis had not happened.

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GMP measures the total value of all goods and services produced in an area.

The areas studied, and the gross metropolitan product growth expected next year, include Appleton at 2.7 percent, Duluth, Minn.-Superior 2.6 percent, Eau Claire 2.8t, Fond du Lac 3.1, Green Bay 2.9, Janesville 3.3, La Crosse 3.1, Madison 3.4, Milwaukee 2.5, Oshkosh 2.7, Racine 2.3, Sheboygan 2.6 and Wausau 2.6.

Even so, Jim Diffley, who prepared the report for Global Insight, said housing starts statewide will fall to about 20,200 next year, down 12 percent from this year’s estimate of 22,600.

The study includes Wisconsin’s Kenosha County in the Chicago area, which it said will be losing $3.9 billion, while parts of west-central Wisconsin are included in the Minneapolis area, which is not expected to lose anything because of the crisis.

“In 2008, the (national) economy will grow at a rate of 1.9 percent, a full percentage point lower than would have been the case without the mortgage crisis,” the report said.

Diffley said the result is better in Wisconsin because area prices and mortgage values did not climb as much or as rapidly as in other parts of the country.

House prices will remain stable in Wisconsin next year, he said, whereas without the credit crunch and economic slowdown caused by the mortgage crisis, they would have increased 2 percent to 3 percent.

Nationally, home prices will fall 7 percent in 2008, the report said.

The report was released before a meeting of mayors from across the country in Detroit.

TravelWisconsin.com rates the Kickapoo River – West Fork as one of the top five trout fishing streams in the state.   According to the site, “In the southwest, the Kickapoo River West Fork is a 24-mile spring-fed waterway in Wisconsin™s unglaciated Coulee Country near La Crosse. The Kickapoo Valley™s other trout streams and tributaries are surrounded by hilly countryside, Amish farms, orchards, and produce stands.”  

Have real estate prices leveled in Southwest Wisconsin?

Welcome to Marty Erlandson’s Blog! This blog will provide you with valuable information, tips, and general insight into the real estate market in Viroqua.