Viroqua Wisconsin: Mary Strang ~ Viroqua, WI Real Estate (RE/MAX Hill Country)

New Listings for the Month of June in Vernon County, Wisconsin totaled 30 listings and this is double what was posted for last month.

The price range went from a low of $40,000 to a high of $349,000.  What do you get for the money?

At the low end of the price range is a 3-bedroom manufactured home located in the small rural subdivision developed just for mobile home owners, which comes with a Lot that is 1.517 ACRES!  The listing remarks say:  Remarks:3 BEDROOM SINGLE WIDE HOME ON PRIVATE ACREAGE, HOME HAS A FULL BASEMENT, GARDEN SHED AND A CAR PORT. LOCATED IN A RURAL SUBDIVISION MINUTES FROM VIROQUA.

Over on the higher end of Vernon County property for sale, is a fabulous custom home.

Agent's remarks are:  BEAUTIFUL WALK OUT RANCH WITH 2 CAR ATTACHED & 2 CAR DETACHED GARAGE. THIS HOME EMINATES WARMTH WITH ABUNDANT NATURAL LIGHT WOOD FLOORS & OAK TRIM THROUGHOUT LOWER LEVEL FAM RM OFFICE 4TH BR & LOTS OF STORAGE 3RD BATH PLUMBED LARGE MAIN FLR LAUNDRY SET ON 10.7 PARTIALLY WOODED ACRES OPTION TO ADD ADDITIONAL ACREAGE OR SPLIT.

Sold MLS Listing for the Month of May totaled 10 the price range was from a $41,000 for a 2 bedroom bungalow home in Viroqua, which sold in 107 days. The high sale for June was an A-Frame home with a Mississippi River view and it sold in 30 days for $232500.

There are currently 141 active MLS Single Family listing available all across Vernon County.  If you looking for a home in Viroqua or in Vernon County take the guesswork out of your search. Get the experience you can depend on... Contact Mary Strang at RE/MAX Hill Country I am here to assist you.

608-606-2999.

Are you searching for homes to buy in Viroqua or Vernon County Wisconsin

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-606-2999

About the author:

Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang.  All rights reserved... " Market Watch June'09:  the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed.

Bring the fly rod, golf club and snow skis too!

Here's a great weekend get away place or it could be perfect for a year round home. Sited on 1/2 acre, has frontage bordering the Coon Creek trout stream.

This move-in ready little cottage. It features 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, an efficient galley style kitchen and a living room with a wood burning fireplace.

You will also get a lot of enjoyment from the the 4 season room and the screened in porch where you can sit with family and friends to take in the beautiful views over looking the stream and the valley. Just hop over the fence to the trout stream and cast your line. Also, if there's any golfers or skiers in the bunch... then the proximity to Timber Coulee Golf Course and Ski Hill is a real plus, it is less than 1 mile away.

Are you searching for homes to buy in Viroqua or Vernon County Wisconsin

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-606-2999

About the author:

Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang.  All rights reserved... "Trout Fishing Property"  the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed Listing agent: Linda Sherry

Recently I was showing a fixer home to a couple and we all knew that the basement would most likely be a Basement Disaster. We weren't prepared for what we saw!

My standard reply to who goes first into the basement is always, Boy's First!  There is no way I am going to lead the way down those steps. I am phobic for all things that live in the dark such as, bats, rats, and white spiders. Not to mention mold, asbestos, bacteria and other contaminates in that standing water.

Yikes... so how do you sell a home with a basement like this? Guess you have to price it cheapo, or clean it up. To me it looks like this basement has not been cleaned forever and this is what about 100+ years of neglect in ones basement looks like. I ask you, would you buy this home based on seeing this basement?

Are you searching for homes to buy in Viroqua or Vernon County Wisconsin

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-606-2999

About the author:

Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang.  All rights reserved... "Basement Disaster"  the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed.

The new owner of this unique contemporary home will enjoy country quiet just one mile from Viroqua. With it unobstructed southern views one can truly enjoy life in the country. The property includes 7.5 organic acres. As part of an organic farming estate the property is surrounded by 50 acres of land with covenants requiring organic gardening and farming. This unique home boasts energy efficiency, custom built-ins, custom milled woodwork, lots of south facing windows plus special quiet spaces for reading or just alone time. In-floor heat and a Soap Stone wood stove keep this home toasty warm on chilly evenings. A forced air system also allows for central air conditioning. The living area of this home features an open plan with front entry, living room, dining area, kitchen and an entertainment room that could also be used as a main floor bedroom. There is a half bath on the main floor and a pantry off the kitchen. This home was very thoughtfully done and encourages carefree country living. A large built-in cabinet can feature your art- work and books while also providing storage, phone, computer desk and even a built in wood box. On the upper level you'll find a wonderful master suite with walk in closet plus an adjacent area with a higher ceiling space for enjoying the views and relaxing even more! The upper level also has two bedrooms, full bath with vanity and several built in cabinets. The laundry area is also located on the second floor for your convenience.

Outside the possibilities abound! With two covered porches, a 25 x 35 pole building, a hoop greenhouse (24 x 12), which is wood heated and earth sheltered, plus a small orchard, vineyard and asparagus patch one can enjoy. The fields are open and horses are permitted, as are other animals. Note: covenants do address animal and pet issues.

While enjoying country living on this property it will be hard to believe Viroqua is just a mile away. This home has been beautifully landscaped with perennials and a variety of trees. With the open fields and woods close to the home there are lots of opportunities to connect with the good earth while also enjoying the deer, turkey, coyote, fox, pheasants and song birds that are so abundant.

Asking $219,000

Are you searching for homes to buy in Viroqua or Vernon County Wisconsin

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-606-2999

About the author:

Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang.  All rights reserved... "Green Homes around Viroqua"  the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed.Listing agent Jean Driscoll.

SOLD and CLOSED

Monday was a happy day for Scott and Mary.

Congratulations to them, they were able to close on their purchase of an Amish built log cabin and 100 acres of wooded land. They purchased this property primarily for recreational use and hunting land! Some day they may retire here and I do hope they enjoy their land for many years to come.

Hooray for Scott, may there be many, many years of happy hunting. This sale was especially sentimental and a little maudlin for me because it was once  a part of my own former country home. I sold the entire property which consisted of 185 acres about 9 years ago. That buyer turned sellers and honored me a second time with a relist and opportunity to sell it again!

Thank you too, as over they years we became good friends and my has time passes by so very quickly.

Are you searching for homes to buy in Viroqua or Vernon County Wisconsin

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-606-2999

About the author:

Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang.  All rights reserved... "Happy Hunting Scott"  the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed.

Selling a country home that has large acreage? Or maybe an investment property, or even a farm property, it is important to know and understand what capital gains are in Real Estate and their tax ramification. This blog post helps a property owner with an easy way to calculate any gains that you might have if the property being sold is not a primary single family home. 

What do you do?

Leave it or blow them out? It often amazes me when you show a home and the owner has thoughtfully left several glass jar candles burning away.  Whether for atmosphere or to scent their home, was it really that thoughtful or was it more likely thoughtless? I guess I believe rule number one is never leave anything burning and unattended when you are not home. The question then becomes, who is responsible for the candles when it is time to leave the home after the showing is over. If they are not blown out and the house catches fire then what? Has that homeowner assumed the agent would put them out? Is that homeowner coming back right away or will they forget they are blazing in the house and risking a fire? It all makes me worry about the liability of the home burning down and could that become the Realtors fault by failing to blow out those candles?

My Answer: I blow them out. I would also tell the homeowner, since you are leaving the home unattended, to not light any candles for showing, please. It might also be a surprise for some homeowners to learn that many buyers are actually turned off by scented candles.  There are also some buyers who may have allergies and others may feel they were there to perhaps hide other smells. So the best advise: Just turn on all the house lights and open up all the window treatments, it is less risky and less costly to all.

Are you searching for homes to buy in Viroqua or Vernon County Wisconsin

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-606-2999

About the author:

Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang.  All rights reserved... "Candles left burning"  the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed.

Abandoned Farm...To some that is such a romantic image. Years ago, I briefly worked for a real estate company, which was legendary for their liberal usage of this particular phase.

They frequently ran ads with that specific heading because it made the phone ring. Apparently those 2 words strung together seem to conjure up images of escaping city life, or the opportunity in someones mind to save and restore an old farmstead. For others it might mean starting over in a new place with a much simpler lifestyle. Life down on the farm...whatever the caller's reason, it does grab a buyers attention and the phone did ring. That firm was actually a developer/investor and their abandoned farms were mostly carved up parcels of land. Sometimes the first questions a buyer would ask was, "What shape are the buildings in?" More often than not, there actually weren't any buildings at all... just parcels of farm land being broken up and sold off with easy financing available when needed.

I did not last long at that particular company and move along to a more rewarding career.

Nonetheless, I still have the opportunity to sell an abandoned farm, but in my case, it really is one! Just last Friday, I showed this one pictured here. The home was intriguing and we wondered how long it may have been abandoned and by whom and why? It appeared neglected and run down, but still had charm. So what shape were the buildings in? Well they were all mostly neglected and pretty derelict. I would say the outside grounds held more appeal to me. There were some wonderful perennials and mature plant life doing well in the front yard. It was fun for my client and me to poke around the barn and sheds taking note of all the rusty farm things and a good amount of debris that would need to be cleared away. It came with 4 acres of land, appeared to have a newer well, and we both agreed with the a lot of soap and water, some energetic elbow grease and at least 50 gallons of paint splashed liberally all around, you might be able to actually move into that old farmhouse place. Asking price only $79,000   

Are you searching for homes to buy in Viroqua or Vernon County Wisconsin

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-606-2999

About the author:

Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang.  All rights reserved... "Showings around Vernon County"  the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed.

Here is a Charming Country Home... it's affordably price and has many updated features. Such as newer French Door to the deck, newer kitchen and newer baths. All is in good condition with 3 possibly 4 bedrooms guaranteeing comfort and convenience to everyone.

Interior: There are 3 entryways; across the entire front of the home is an old fashion covered porch, also know as a veranda. Over on the garage-side of the home is a most convenient entry just step away from the garage and driveway. Finally there is the sunny deck just off the kitchen reached by way of patio sliding doors making it handy for the barbeque grill and a picnic table. Both the living room and the dining room are located across the total front of the home. The both rooms open up into each other thus adding a spacious atmosphere to the living area of this home. With original, sought after Mission style woodwork and hardwood floors in good condition, it is what many homebuyers are looking for. Located in the dining room is an open staircase, also with Mission period wood details that leads to 3 spacious bedrooms on the second level. At the rear of the home is an updated Kitchen, which has new attractive new cabinetry and will be a pleasant surprise. To the left is deck; to the right is an enclosed porch with room to hang up jackets and leave your boots. There is also access to the lower level living space byway of the kitchen. It is the location of a spacious family room and extra large full bathroom.

Exterior: With almost 4acres of land there will be plenty of room for large vegetable gardens or perhaps to raise a few animals. The yard is level and mostly grass lawn, except the portion directly behind the home, which is has some woods on the hillside. The owner built a Clary Pole shed, which is approximately 7 years old and is 30X40. The property fronts on a dead end road, so there is very limited traffic making it a great location for children to play or dogs to run. The location is nearby several favorite Trout streams; one being the West Branch of the Kickapoo and the other is Knapp Creek. It is also an easy few minutes drive into Westby by way of County Road P or cut across over Carlson Ridge Road and save a few miles. Asking: $159,900

Are you searching for homes to buy in Viroqua or Vernon County Wisconsin

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-606-2999

About the author:

Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang.  All rights reserved... "Located in Rural Westby"  the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed.

Any of us older Realtors who are worth our salt, know that your standard household toilets all have a date stamp under their lid. This is the manufacturer's stamp of when that particular toilet was manufactured. I tried to search out on Google to see exactly why they are stamped, as over the years, I never heard of a toilet recall. Nonetheless, I could not find anything as to why.

I guess it is just a kind-of a toilet's birthday.

It's been a handy bit of info to pass along; if the tank is still original and was put into the house when it was built, then it is possible to get a rough idea of the age of the home. You can simply lift up the toilet lid and check out that date and know about how old that home might be. The first time I learned about this it was at least 20 years ago. Back then I was really impressed; gee I confess I really did not know that the darn thing had a date on it. Since then, I have had the privilege of passing along this little tidbit of trade information. Looking kind-of clever and astute, I would guess because most future home-buyers would not even begin to think that lifting the toilet lid up had any connection to the age of the home. Just one of those things you learn along the way.

Are you searching for homes to buy in Viroqua or Vernon County Wisconsin

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-606-2999

About the author:

Mary Strang is the Broker-owner of RE/MAX Hill Country Realty located in Viroqua, WI. Home to Organic farming, a small rural city population of about 4000 and a great place to live! Copyright © 2009 by Mary Strang.  All rights reserved... "A Toilet's Birthday"  the blog post was written by Mary Strang is believed accurate but may not be guaranteed.