News | Stapleton Realty

Will Waiting to Buy a Home Actually Save You Money? Let’s Look at the Numbers.

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2023-09-22T10:45:52-05:00September 22nd, 2023|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, Lake Homes, News|

Mortgage interest rates: it seems like all anyone can talk about these days. And with good reason. The basic equation of housing affordability boils down to just two main factors: home price and interest rate, which together make up that seemingly overwhelming number that is your monthly mortgage payment. One of the things we hear almost daily from the homebuyers we work with is, "I hear that rates might be coming down, and I think I should wait." But while current interest rates might not be as enticing as they were two years ago and are expected to fall as the economy goes through a correction, that doesn't necessarily mean you should [...]

Eco-Friendly, Energy-Efficient Homes Attract Buyers

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2023-09-22T10:44:22-05:00September 22nd, 2023|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, General, News, Selling a Home|

Are you planning to sell your house? If so, you may be surprised to hear just how much buyers value energy efficiency and eco-friendly features today. This is especially true as summer officially kicks off. In fact, the 2023 Realtors and Sustainability Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows 48% of agents or brokers have noticed consumers are interested in sustainability. So, if you’re considering selling your house, why does this matter to you? It helps you know what you can do to make your house even more appealing to today’s buyers. According to Jessica Lautz, Deputy Chief Economist and VP of Research at NAR: “Buyers often seek homes that either lessen their environmental footprint or reduce their monthly [...]

Why Do I Need a Realtor?

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2023-09-22T10:42:43-05:00September 22nd, 2023|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, General, Lake Homes, News, Selling a Home|

Most of us will buy and sell a home or property at some point in our lifetimes. When the market is “hot”, we might be tempted to think we could sell it easily to the neighbor or put a sign out in front and have it sold quickly. It might be easy to get interest in your home in an active market, but a Realtor helps you value your home, so you are getting the most for your home. They help you to choose the offer with the most benefit in your situation and timeline. Most importantly, they help you to disclose all that is legally required of you and structure [...]

Get Ready: The Best Time To List Your House Is Almost Here

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2023-04-04T13:22:25-05:00April 4th, 2023|General, Lake Homes, News, Oconomowoc, Selling a Home|

If you’re thinking about selling this spring, it’s time to get moving – the best week to list your house is fast approaching. Experts at realtor.com looked at seasonal trends from recent years (excluding 2020 as an uncharacteristic year due to the onset of the pandemic) and determined the ideal week to list a house this year: “Home sellers on the fence waiting for that perfect moment to sell should start preparations, because the best time to list a home in 2023 is approaching quickly. The week of April 16-22 is expected to have the ideal balance of housing market conditions that favor home sellers, more so than any other week [...]

How to Make Your Dream of Homeownership a Reality

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2023-04-04T13:15:48-05:00April 4th, 2023|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, General, Lake Homes, News, Oconomowoc, Selling a Home|

According to a recent Harris Poll survey, 8 in 10 Americans say buying a home is a priority, and 28 million Americans actually plan to buy within the next 12 months. Homeownership provides many financial and nonfinancial benefits, so that interest is understandable. However, it’s unlikely all 28 million Americans will accomplish that goal in the coming year. Experts project a total of around five million homes will be sold in 2023. Why is there such a big difference? It’s partly because there can be challenges to buying a home. In the same survey, when asked, “Which of the following are preventing you from pursuing homeownership at this time?”: 34% answered, “I don’t have enough saved for a [...]

Mortgage Rates Are Dropping. What Does That Mean for You?

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2023-01-18T13:42:26-05:00January 18th, 2023|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, General, Lake Homes, News, Oconomowoc, Selling a Home|

Mortgage rates have been a hot topic in the housing market over the past 12 months. Compared to the beginning of 2022, rates have risen dramatically. Now they’re dropping, and that has to do with everything happening in the economy. Nadia Evangelou, Senior Economist and Director of Forecasting at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), explains it well by saying: “Mortgage rates dropped even further this week as two main factors affecting today’s mortgage market became more favorable. Inflation continued to ease while the Federal Reserve switched to a smaller interest rate hike. As a result, according to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 6.31% from 6.33% the previous week.” So, what does [...]

Sellers Market?

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2023-01-18T13:44:07-05:00January 18th, 2023|General, News, Oconomowoc, Selling a Home|

If you’re thinking about selling your house, you’re likely hearing about the cooling housing market and wondering what that means for you. While it’s not the peak intensity we saw during the pandemic, we’re still in a sellers’ market. That means you haven’t missed your window. Realtor.com explains: “. . . while prospective home sellers may lament that they missed their prime window, in reality, this is still a terrific time to sell. In fact, according to a recent Realtor.com® home seller survey, 95% of sellers who sold their home in the past year got more than they paid for it. Nonetheless, some of the more prominent pandemic trends have changed, so sellers might wish to [...]

History of the Boat Parade

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2022-10-05T10:38:31-05:00October 5th, 2022|General, Maureen's Musings, News, Oconomowoc|

The Oconomowoc Boat parade has a long history of entertaining hundreds of people over the decades. A lot of hard work and creativity has gone into the creation of boats over the years. The parade‘s original date is uncertain as to when it began, but there was a day time parade with no lights in the 1970’s. In 1972 the Bill Chapman boat won 1st place with the “Good Ship Lollipop”. The parade then took a hiatus for a few years, and began again in earnest in 1989. That was the year the Reitbrock boat won 1st place. The next year, in 1990, the Zeutzius boat was decorated as a French Café and [...]

Is the Market Still HOT?

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2022-10-05T10:36:03-05:00October 5th, 2022|Buying a Home, First-Time Home Buyers, General, News, Oconomowoc, Selling a Home|

Many people watch the real estate market with great interest. It is fun to imagine what we could sell our homes for or to see what the houses near us are selling for. Without question, these past months have been some of the hottest months in real estate in the Lake Country in years. We have seen a much smaller inventory, which has driven the prices for what comes for sale up. On top of the increased prices, multiple offers have come in with greater than asking offer amounts, escalator clauses and no contingencies. Many buyers have thrown up the white flag for the moment in hopes “things will calm down.” [...]

Celebrating 40 Years

Bonnie Lewis-Tschannen2021-07-06T16:59:37-05:00July 6th, 2021|General, News, Oconomowoc|

Being forty years in the business is not just about experience, it is mostly about the relationships and the help we have been able to provide to the people we work with. In those years, we have created developments, listed many homes, businesses or land for our clients and helped them to find the same. Selling a property, especially a home, is about connecting the needs and lifestyle wants of our clients with the right fit for them. It is this experience that informs and guides our work to this day. While most of the Realtors at Stapleton Realty have not been here for all of those forty years, we benefit from [...]