Everyone is anxious for the ice to be off the lake. We live in an area where we get cabin fever at this time of the year and we just can’t wait for one of the first signs of spring; the ice totally melting off the lake.

Many people try to predict the exact date, people have “Ice Off” parties, and the winter blaas just seem to melt away along with the ice!

If you want to move off the lake, it is easier to just move yourself, not your house too!

I have sold three houses over past Memorial Day weekends, so if you think Realtors typically don’t work this weekend, you are wrong. The weather is supposed to be great for the next few days. There are many wonderful bargains to buy. If you want to buy a house on Lake Minnetonka, I know of many wonderful opportunities.

The Distinctive Homes waterfront tour last week was a total success. All houses that have direct or deeded lakeshore were on the tour. The property I had open was a beautiful lot on Lake Minnetonka, and many people seemed quite interested in it. 

My favorite type of house is a little house on Lake Minnetonka.

OK not that little, but something small and cozy. I adore little cabins with just a slice of lakefront.

That is one of the reasons I like visiting Big Island so much. I would love a little cabin on the Big Island, Lake Minnetonka. There, you feel like you are way up north, away from it all when you are actually right in the city. It’s the most convenient getaway I have found.

Besides that its so beautiful on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. The scenery is gorgeous.

I really do prefer a small cozy house to a big palatial mansion just because of the maintenance required. I would hate to have to clean and repair a 45 room house. Plus I love that cozy cabin feel. I love a fireplace and candlelight. It is hard to feel this cozy with 45 ft. ceilings.

What’s your favorite kind of house?

Virginia Lord

Raising the Bar in Real Estate

612.799.1700

Well well well. Excelsior has rolled out the hovercraft in its emergency services department. A “hovercraft” is a boat-like vehicle, but instead of riding in the water it “hovers” on pockets of air above water, land, and ice. It’s powered by a fan to project it forward.

Thus, it can not sink.

They use this vehicle to “save” those who may have mistakenly walked on ice that may be too thin to walk on.

Here is a video from Kare11.com about Excelsiors new Hovercraft. Click Here

Last year Hennepin County had 44 water/ice related emergencies. If you made it through the entire video you would have seen that the hovercraft itself broke down. Not only did it break down, but it broke down in the middle of the ice. Its a hovercraft. And its brand new. What can go wrong…

Hey, who’s gonna save the hovercraft guys? We need them safe and sound in case w, say, drive across the lake to visit, say, Big Island.

I can’t imagine if we would have fallen through the ice, to be rescued by the hovercraft guys, who also, fall through the ice. We would all be swimming about 3 months ahead of schedule.

Doesn’t anyone pay attention to these signs?

This ice is so thin I can’t even see it!

Virginia Lord

Raising the Bar in Real Estate

612.799.1700

We made a fun video about our adventure of driving on the ice to Big Island on Lake Minnetonka. We checked with official sources and found out the ice was over 13 inches, very safe to drive on, but it was warm out so we were still a little nervous.

Introducing our BIG ISLAND ADVENTURE!!!!!!!!

Virginia Lord

Raising the Bar in Real Estate

612.799.1700

Do you know that I am fascinated with the history of Lake Minnetonka? Well I am. I love the old stories so much I made a video about them.

This is my video called “Lake Lore.” You can only see it here!

And youtube. And google video, and I will send you a copy of the dvd if you really want one. Anyway, enjoy my first crack at movie-making skills right here! Drum roll please…..

This is exciting isn’t it? “And now, presenting…

LAKE LORE!!!!!!!!!”

Virginia Lord

Raising the Bar in Real Estate

612.799.1700

www.Virginialord.com

Oh I’m having so much fun with this blog! Now I can share all of the real-estate knowledge I have with you, my readers. I hope you will learn more of why I love real-estate and Lake Minnetonka. There is so much rich history about the like that I love to learn about. A lot of great business started around Lake Minnetonka. Did you know that Tonka Toys started in Minnetonka?

In 1947, the first TONKA brand toy trucks were designed and manufactured by the Mound Metalcraft Company, a business then located in a small schoolhouse basement near Lake Minnetonka in Mound, Minnesota, that specialized in manufacturing garden tools. With a staff of just a half dozen people, Mound Metalcraft turned out a total of 37,000 metal trucks in two designs in its first year – a steam shovel and a crane.

(“TONKA” means “great” in Sioux.).

This is one of the first toys that tonka toys built. This is a great site dedicated to the love of tonka toys.

This is a brief history of tonka trucks from hasbro, the toy company who owns tonka trucks.

Just an interesting tidbit about Lake Minnetonka.

Did you ever own a Tonka truck? I never did but I think my brothers owned a few.

Virginia Lord

Raising the Bar in Real Estate

612.799.1700

Staging
One the biggest jobs I have to do deals with telling Sellers that there house is not yet in “Model Home” condition, which is what you need in this market to get the house sold. I tend to be a “glass half full” type of person, so when I go into a house and see little things that a buyer may object to, there is a part of me that says, “don’t sweat the small stuff, this house has so many good things about it, people will overlook the little things.” Then reason chimes in and says,”do you have any idea what a challenge it would be to sell this house if you don’t mention these things right now, out-loud, to these people in front of you? It’s better to tell the owners right now that their shag carpet has to go, instead of having to tell them anyway, six months from now when the house hasn’t sold, and 10 real estate agents have mentioned it during their buyer’s showing comments! Go ahead, blurt it out, right now, of course it hurts, but you have to tell them, now!” Even though it is difficult to tell sellers they need to make changes, it is certainly rewarding when doing so helps to sell the house. 

After the sellers make these changes their house usually sells very easily.  It always sells much sooner than if the seller had made no changes at all.  And that’s my favorite part, when someone sells their house.

We used to have a market where staging would improve the price of the house. We now have a market where staging is required just to improve the likelihood that the house will sell! I do think if an agent can convince the owners they have to invest some money and time to get their house into shape, it’s not that difficult to sell a house. And when the house sells, we all live happily everafter!!!

Here is a good article about staging.

Click here for a great article about some of the do’s and dont’s of staging!

Virginia Lord

Raising the Bar in Real Estate

612.799.1700