Viroqua Wisconsin: November 2008

Open House on Sunday, 11/23/08 From 12 Noon to 1:30 P.M.

Awesome & then Some! Here is a cozy cedar shingle sided home that's a real charmer, an added plus is this type of siding is also considered Green! Being made from wood, it is a renewable resource and presents a very natural look to this home that blends in well with its woodsy surrounding environment.

If you need 4 bedrooms but would really like 5; this one has that size and potential! Additionally there are 2 full baths to boot, one on each floor, hooray! First impressions are known to be important and you will be pleased with this one's appeal! A newer full panel glass front door welcomes you and allows you to see the warm, comfy interior. The living and dining rooms both have refinished maple hardwood floors offering a unique look that is very inviting. The first floor level also has a snug front den which is used as a home office, as well as, a generous sized room to the rear of the home. This room is useful as a 4th bedroom or family room. On the second floor there are 3 good sized bedrooms, all with closets. A stackable laundry area has been installed in a former hallway linen closet... how convenient!

Restful scene really unfolds in the oversized backyard. It is perfect for picnics, a location for gatherings with friends and ideal area to plant a huge garden. There is a one car garage and a private driveway for additional parking. This home is a perfect place to create memories; happiness is only a call away!

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599

Saturday morning, I attended a free film presentation at Vernon Square; our locale cinema donated one of their theater rooms for the event. The film's title was "Keeping the Lights On".This documentary film, which has won several local film awards, presented the events that lead to locally defeating a proposed Coal Ash landfill being located in Vernon County. For more than the past year it has been a hotly debated topic.  Many homes in Viroqua and around the county, especially in Harmony Township were the land fill was proposed, had protest signs in their yards, all proclaiming their opposition for the plan.  Additionally, numerous meeting were held to let the public know what was taking place and to educate the residents as to the negative effect it would have for health, water quality, our way of life, and the environment.

Only recently was it announced that the plan to buy several farms or take them by eminent domain is over.  Thus ending the battle between the community and Dairyland Power plant which had been seeking a location to bury hundreds of tons of fly ash a day..  Lower cost no doubt was why they preferred to dispose of it in a landfill rather than finding ways to recycle it. It's likely the powers at the power plant did not realize how local farmers would united with the community to prevent this from happening here.

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599

New Price... $107,000... This walkout ranch was built around the late 70's and has plenty of roomy spacious living.

The Residence: This classic ranch floor plan comes with 3 bedrooms down the center hallway and a well-located hall area bath on one side of the home. The good-sized split-room design of the main floor bath is a handy feature for a busy household. It features a vanity sink at the front half of the bathroom and at the rear a private bathing area. The living room is bright and sunlit with light flooding in from the large triple pane picture window. Easy care laminate flooring has been recently installed. The dining area is open to the living area and adjacent to the galley kitchen, conveying an open spaciousness to this home. There is plenty of cabinetry with ample countertop space in the kitchen for the busy cook. In the lower walkout level are 2 additional sleeping rooms and a rec room. Additionally there is a sunroom that has sliding glass doors leading out to the back yard. A newer ¾ bath has been installed with an oversized shower stall and vanity, which is adjacent to the laundry room.

The Exterior: The home has vinyl siding and a large terrace deck off the front door. The attached one car garage is being used as a workshop area but can be converted back to garage space without much effort. Additionally, there is also a one car carport in front.

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599

A big old red barn is probably one of the first things most people think of when you imagine a farm. Many barns are being torn down each year because they are no longer serving any purpose for the landowner.

When I drive by one and the view is just right, I cannot help pulling over and taking a photo.

Perhaps they just no longer satisfy the needs of a modern farmer. Keeping an old barn in good condition and preserving them is the goal of the Wisconsin Historical Preservation Society.

       Help Save a Barn and a cows home.

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599

Open House on Sunday, 11/23/08 From 12 Noon to 1:30 P.M.

Here is a wonderful 4 bedroom, 2 bath home in Viroqua. The Sellers are relocating out of State and would like anyone looking for an affordable home to plan on attending this open house Sunday the 23rd of November.

The home has orginal hardwood floors in the living area and dining area. The mainfloor 4th bedroom could be used as a family room or office. There is also potential for a 5th bedroom at the rear of this home. New price is $115,000

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599

Without any great notice or fan-fair, finally on Friday Decker Street was re-opened to traffic.

It is a pleasure to see all those flashing roadwork signs removed and taken away. The roadwork that has been going on since early last spring appears to now be completed and over. It should help get traffic back to normal along highway 56, which is Decker Street and it should lessen all the traffic that was on Main Street. The good news might be short lived because next spring Vernon County raodwork Phase III will begin. That's the addition of an extra lane between Viroqua and Westby.

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599

Tucked away amongst the rugged hills of Southwest Wisconsin... is an old centruy farm. It is hidden on a high prominent ridge-top back-road, just over the Crawford County line in nearby Soldiers Grove.

This farm comes with 27 acres m/l consisting of a mix of open and wooded land. This property dates back to 1861 when the original land grant was recorded in the abstract. It consists of the old farmhouse with an attached summer kitchen, several sheds and a 30x60 classic red dairy barn. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. Some modest remodeling has been completed, which includes a new roof, new replacement windows, and a new 500' deep well install less than 2 years ago.

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599

Well... it is now down to the final 2 choices... which will it be? I think this is the most difficult moment a buyer faces during the home buying process. It is that silent time when a Realtor just has to wait it out until the buyer actually knows which it's going to be. It's the final decision between the 2 contending homes. Will it be house number #1 or house number #2?

In the bygone sellers market, there wasn't enough time to catch your breath, analyze the pros and cons and explore your options. By the time you figured all that out the house was sold.  But not today... buyers have the luxury of taking their time and they are doing just that. Many are getting confused by looking at too many homes and after many months of looking, still aren't able to make any choice. Lately I have noticed that when it is time to make the final decision, it seems like many buyers are going into gridlock and don't know what to do.  Why do they find it so hard to make a decision? Well maybe there is more to it than just picking which house. Here are a few helpful tips when confronted with making a home buying decision:

Identify other benefits: Other than needing a place to live, what other exact benefits and function does owning that particular home over the other one have. Does the home offer enough parking, enough privacy for all family members, and how will the floor plan of the home function for the household members.

Gather additional information: There is more going on in home ownership than the house style and condition. Here are a few extra things to consider besides the house. What about the neighborhood?  Is there street noise, are most of the neighboring homes single families or are some rentals? Is there any heavy industry nearby, sidewalks to shovel, steep road, landfills or treatment plants nearby?  

Identify your timeline early: The fact is homeownership is a great way to build security and wealth but it might not be for everyone is understandable. It is important to know exactly how long you plan to take to find a home.  Are you buying a home for economical or emotional reason? Are you tired of renting and want a place to call your own. Plan a timeline and make a commitment to following that timeline to buy.

 Take Action: After you have looked at all the homes available and narrowed it down, it is time to make the decision. Essential it comes down to which one, measured by how well it stacks up to your needs and your willingness to compromise. Simply it is just a yes or no answer so go ahead...Make the Decisions.

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599

Many here are thanking AR for the leads they have closed on. I have yet to have that pleasure. Of course, I believe this will eventually happen for me too. You see because of AR, I have gotten several email requests about my area. I also have had a few phone calls asking more details about land and farms of which I have posted. However, I still cannot be certain that any appointments could be attributed directly to my AR blog and that is OK.

In time, I am certain this will come. But I do know this, on Friday I will close on a sale with a wonderful couple from Chicago.  They read the Mother Earth magazine article about "9 great places to live You've never heard of." Viroqua made that list, they decided to make Viroqua their new home and I am now lucky enough to now call them new neighbors and friends. 

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599

Have you ever noticed that in real estate, listings frequently tend to run in streaks?  The streak is not the numbers of listings an agent gets. It is more about the type of listings that come in at the same time. Once you list a property that is out of the ordinary, or one which runs more toward the bizarre or different; it's funny how you often get a lot more of them right away.  Unexpectedly and all of a sudden you're the neighborhood expert on Dome Homes, Atypical A-Frames, and Yurts.  

Right now I'm on an Earth-home Extravaganza for the second time in my career. To date, I have sold at least 5 earth homes, a few Dome homes, and lots and lots of other homes too unusual to classify.  What sets them apart?  Most of these not so ordinary homes, in my opinion, have one thing it common. It's the original home owners. They typically seem to be super creative, have a strong need to be different and were usually willing to use a lot of found and recycled materials. I have discovered these so called "off the wall dream homes" are fascinating, funky and fun to work on. During the hippie 70's "groovy things" were built into those earth homes, such as meditation rooms or towers, time capsules holding little treasures and truth windows so you could peak into the interiors of the walls and see how they were constructed. The earth homes pictured here were sold by me a few years ago. The one below I fondly named the Eco Prairie Castle and I took that photo from a top a hillside across the Valley. The one above has a solar envelop on the front of it.  Predating the green home movement of today both of these homes were built in the mid 70's.

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

call Mary Strang  therteam.com  RE/MAX Hill Country Realty 608-637-3599