Sellers often get confused when their lake home doesn’t sell. Asking questions helps to get rid of the confusion, but some questions are better than others. Glenn Phillips, CEO of Lake Homes Realty, discusses questions to avoid asking when your lake home doesn’t sell.
“How Many Views?” Sellers ask how many views their property has, but this can be deceptive. There’s no good answer to this question for sellers. If a property has millions of views, they’ll wonder why it hasn’t sold. If it doesn’t have any views, they wonder why it’s not getting exposure. The only number of views that matters is the one that buys the property.
“Can We Promote It ‘Better’?” Some agents promote homes better than others, so this can be a valid question. However, if the property is populating in the MLS and other websites, the consumer knows it’s there; they just aren’t willing to buy it.
“Have an Open House?” Buyers for lake homes typically come from some distance away. This means they won’t arrange their weekend around your open house schedule. They know if your home is for sale and they’re coming into town, they can see it.
“Should I Change Agents?” Has your agent properly promoted and priced your home and given sound advice? If they’ve done all this, you probably already have a good agent. Once they bring the buyers, it’s on you to get the negotiating going.
After Exposure, Price Fixes Everything. When asking yourself why your house hasn’t sold, the answer is almost always the price. An appropriate price will answer all of these questions.
Be the Best VALUE. This doesn’t necessarily mean the lowest price, but being at a price that people are willing to invest in your home. Buyers are ready to buy lake homes but aren’t willing to overpay.
Talk with your agent when confused about why your lake house isn’t selling. Every agent would bring a buyer if they knew one that would get a transaction. An unsold home always boils down to price. Visit lakehomes.com to connect with expert lake agents ready to help get your home sold.
As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, it’s approaching that period of the year when preparations are needed to ensure your lake home is sealed and well-maintained for during the off-season. Taking proactive steps can be a time- and cost-saving measure as winter approaches and temperatures drop. Lake property owners who plan to leave their homes unattended during the off-season, make sure to complete all the tasks on this checklist before securing your lake cabin for winter.
For the inside of your lake home, there are a number of tasks to complete. Most are obvious, whereas some are often overlooked but are nevertheless crucial for ensuring your home’s safety during the off-season. Here is a list for your home’s interiors:
Turn off your water heater.
Throw away all perishables.
Unplug all of your appliances.
Check your fireplace—make sure there are no places where animals can find an entry or where cold air can enter.
Exposed pipes can become frozen; be sure to insulate pipes in unheated parts of the house and open cabinets to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
Set your thermostat at 55 degrees Fahrenheit for both day and night.
Cover your furniture to prevent sun damage.
Make sure all windows and doors are completely closed.
To ensure your lake cabin’s exterior is primed and ready for the cold and harsh winter elements, make sure these important items are marked off your list.
Outdoor equipment and furniture should be brought indoors.
Mow the lawn on your last visit during the summertime; winterize the lawnmower.
Make sure no tree limbs are hanging over your house that could potentially fall and damage it.
For more information on prepping your property for the off-season, check out Lake Homes Realty CEO Glenn S. Phillips’ tips for winterizing your lake home.
Take a trip down memory lane with this enchanting oldies Christmas playlist! Featuring timeless hits from the golden era, these songs bring the magic of the holidays to life with vintage charm and warmth. Whether you’re decorating the tree, enjoying a cup of cocoa, or reminiscing about treasured holiday moments, this playlist is the perfect soundtrack.
Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Frank Sinatra
O Holy Night – Bing Crosby
The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
Blue Winter – Connie Francis
Caroling, Caroling – Nat King Cole
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas – Bing Crosby
I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Frank Sinatra
Mary’s Boy Child – Harry Belafonte
The Happiest Christmas Tree – Nat King Cole
Silver Bells – Dean Marting
Merry Christmas Baby – Otis Redding
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Dean Martin
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Fran Sinatra
Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams
Jingle Bell Rock – Brenda Lee
Sleigh Ride – The Ronettes
Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season – Andy Williams
The First Noel – Frank Sinatra
Winter Wonderland – Johnny Mathis
Deck The Halls – Bing Crosby
Ring Christmas Bells – Ray Conniff
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love
Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry
Someday At Christmas – Stevie Wonder
We Wish You The Merriest – Frank Sinatra
A Marshmallow World – Dean Martin
Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) – Bing Crosby
Frosty The Snowman – The Ronettes
Run Rudolph Run – Chuck Berry
Jolly Old St. Nicholas/The Little Drummer Boy – Ray Conniff
If Every Day Was Like Christmas – Elvis Presley
Did you enjoy this playlist? Be sure to check out our other playlists!
Are you in the process of selling your lake home? If so, one thing you want to avoid is the stress and suffering that can follow by not taking proper steps for a smooth process. Two main reasons lake homes typically don’t sell are lack of exposure and price. Lake Homes Realty CEO Glenn Phillips explains how to maximize this suffering; that way, you can hopefully avoid these mistakes when pricing your home!
After Exposure, Price Fixes Everything – This refers to the price at which the house is sold.
Overprice: If you think of pricing the house because of things you put into it or anything along those lines, think again. That has nothing to do with the market; these are simply wants due to emotional attachment.
Planning “The Haggle”: If you plan to go high so the buyer offers lower, resulting in a middle-ground number you’d still be happy with, you should reconsider it. Our data tells us that homes that are appropriately priced come in at the list price or slightly above. If it’s overpriced, they tend to drop significantly over time.
“Test the Market”: Generally when people test the market, they never figure out how they are going to score it. What is the test? Is it one week? Two weeks? Testing the market usually ends up being an excuse to overprice, and the test almost always fails.
DOM (Days on Market): The longer the home sits on the market, the longer it becomes a problem for consumers.
“Death Spiral”: Consumers are more informed now than at any other time in history. The more things you use, the more likely you are to be caught in this death spiral that is hard to escape.
Nobody wants to maximize their suffering when it comes to selling. If you stick with these different steps, it’ll definitely happen. One of the best ways to avoid this is to price appropriately. If you aren’t sure the best way to go about that, reach out to a lake agent at LakeHomes.com. They would love to be involved in the process with you.
Here are slow cooker recipes that are sure to please this Thanksgiving:
Mac-N-Cheese
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Turkey
Stuffing
Pumpkin Cake
Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude. It is a holiday that fills the house with friends and family. Thanksgiving has plenty of traditional foods that you can find on most tables that day. However, that often means you have a few family members who spend half the day in the kitchen and miss out on family activities. These slow cooker recipes are perfect for making a delicious meal while being more flexible on the big day.
Mac-N-Cheese is a quintessential side dish, especially in the South. It is creamy, cheesy, and decadent. There are plenty of ways to make mac-n-cheese, but using a slow cooker is one of the ways to make it extra creamy and gooey.
There are a few tricks when it comes to slow-cooker mac-n-cheese. To ensure it doesn’t curdle over a long cooking time, you must find a recipe without eggs. Also, take the extra time to shred your own cheese. It’s a little more work, but it is oh-so-worth it for this dish. Follow this recipe from Southern Bite to make the ultimate Thanksgiving side dish.
Potatoes are an essential side dish for almost any meal, regardless of whether it’s the holidays or not. But mashed potatoes are seen on many tables for Thanksgiving. Not only that, but they can be a topic of conversation. How people prefer their mashed potatoes is very important to them; just refer to this episode of Friends.
This crockpot mash potato recipe from The Recipe Critic will surely please any preference. They are also mind-blowingly easy! With five ingredients, this will take you out of the kitchen to enjoy time with your friends and family. A quick tip to consider is to try different types of potatoes for different flavors.
Every meal deserves a vegetable, even if it’s smothered in onions and cans of soup. A green bean casserole is a great way to incorporate some veggies that everyone will want to eat. The best thing about this recipe is that it feeds a crowd. The serving size is 20, so there will be plenty for you, your family, and leftover to-go plates. The Magical Slow Cooker has one of the most amazing recipes for a saucy green bean casserole.
The main course of Thanksgiving is the turkey. But turkeys take hours, if not days, to prepare and cook. What if you could throw that bird in the slow cooker and not worry about it? Well, now you can! To do this, you will need a smaller turkey, which is better suited for a small gathering. You can cook this turkey in just four hours, according to Cafe Delites. It will come out supple, juicy, and moist.
Then, you can use the drippings in the crockpot to make homemade gravy. You’ll need the drippings, butter, flour, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. This will make your holiday the most effortless it has ever been.
It’s understandable if you want to keep the turkey traditional by baking or frying it. So, maybe you can compromise by making the stuffing in the crockpot. Yes, that’s right. Of course, this Thanksgiving fav is typically stuffed into the turkey, but who says you can’t just make it on the side?
This recipe from All Recipes lets you do that with seven ingredients. It takes a little under five hours, but it is incredibly worth it. Now, there is a debate between the regions on whether stuffing or dressing is better. Either way, we didn’t want to leave out the dressing lovers. Here is a slow cooker dressing from Southern Living that will become a new tradition for your family.
No meal is complete without dessert. And what could be better than a slow-cooker pumpkin cake? Is your mouth watering already? With just three ingredients, it’ll be simple to whip up and yummy for your guests.
Spicy Southern Kitchen’s recipe has five minutes of prep and a two-hour cook time so that you can put it on right before dinner, and it’ll be fresh and warm by the time it’s ready to be served. It’s rich, moist, and spicy. It will pair perfectly with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel syrup.
Free up space in the oven this Thanksgiving and pick a recipe to throw in the slow cooker. It’s a time of fellowship, so planning these crockpot recipes can give you more time out of the kitchen. Set it, forget it, and spend time around the table this holiday season.
Yes, you can! Cafe Delites offers a convenient method for cooking a smaller turkey in the slow cooker in just four hours. This results in a tender, juicy, and moist turkey. Plus, you can use the drippings from the slow cooker to make homemade gravy, making Thanksgiving meal preparation more effortless.
Absolutely! Dessert is an essential part of Thanksgiving, and you can create a delectable treat in a slow cooker. Spicy Southern Kitchen provides a recipe for a slow cooker pumpkin cake with just three ingredients. With a brief prep time of five minutes and a two-hour cook time, it’s a convenient and delicious choice for Thanksgiving night. Pair it with ice cream and caramel syrup for a perfect dessert. For more dessert ideas, check out the Dessert Crockpot Recipes for the Holidays on the mentioned blog.
Follow All Recipes’ Recipe: Use All Recipes’ slow cooker stuffing recipe with seven ingredients, taking less than five hours to prepare. It’s perfect for both stuffing and dressing lovers at your Thanksgiving feast.
Living life at the lake provides fun, laughter, memories, and more! Even when it comes time to sell, memories will be made in the process. Glenn Phillips, CEO of Lake Homes Realty, goes into detail on why you shouldn’t price in those memories when selling.
“Gateway to Memories”: People buying these lake homes can already picture their own memories that they will be making at the house. Buying a lake home doesn’t come from the need of simply having shelter. It comes from the desire to have these amazing experiences that come along with it.
Whose Memories?: You, as the seller, have important memories at that lake home. While they are important to you, they aren’t that important to the buyer. The buyers are wanting to create their own memories. However, you have an emotional attachment as the seller, making you think it has more financial value. Try to separate that due to the buyer not having that attachment.
Selling? Depersonalize (and Protect!): You have many things in the house that bring memories. You might want to put these things away; that way, it gives buyers a different feel to the home. You should also protect those valuables. You don’t want something happening to them while buyers look at your home.
Buying is Desire: You want to do things to where you aren’t pricing in memories. However, make it a way for the buyers to imagine creating their own memories in the house.
Selling is a Business Transaction: Think of your lake property as a stock. If you bought a stock at a certain price, it doesn’t necessarily matter. At the end of the day, it’s what the market says it’ll pay. You can always enjoy the memories later and not price how you feel depending on the memories.
Pricing a lake home can be difficult, especially when you begin to think of all the memories made there. If you’re still struggling with this today, reach out to one of our lake market experts at LakeHomes.com. They know the ins and outs and would be more than willing to help you in the process.
When you think of selling a lake home, or any home for that matter, you probably think of negotiating. Whether you’re great at it or if your skills could use a little practice, it’ll probably come into play. Lake Homes Realty’s CEO, Glenn Phillips, goes over 5 key tips for when the time of negotiating arrives.
Any Offer is Better than NO Offer!: Don’t get upset because somebody made a low offer. The people you should be upset with are the ones who didn’t make an offer at all. Having a low offer just means you have some started.
Don’t Get “Stuck” on Single Points: In negotiations, don’t let one thing hold you up. You should let it ebb and flow.
Agent Commission: You want an agent who brings their value.
Seller’s Compensation: If the buyer has made an offer and wants some compensation to help cover costs, figure out how that fits in.
Closing Costs: Similar to the seller’s compensation, find out how this will fit in with the negotiations.
Personal Property: Is there a boat, interior decor, whatever it might be, there is a way to find opportunities to help make the other party happy.
Cash Only Means Less Closing Risk: If the buyer makes a big deal about it being a cash offer, from the seller’s perspective, cash offers only matter if it is de-risking the deal. If you’re selling, you’re getting cash from somebody regardless.
Restructure Offers: Being able to find ways to work with the offer or make it mutually beneficial can help more than people might realize.
Be Creative: You can come up with some angle for a home that people might not think of. There are plenty of ways to be creative to help everyone.
Negotiating is something that comes along with buying or selling a home. However, if you take these tips into consideration, it can truly help with the process. As always, if you’re looking for more information regarding negotiating or have any other real estate questions, reach out to one of our lake experts at LakeHomes.com.
A rustic kitchen evokes a sense of warmth and comfort, making it a preferred design choice for lake homes. The appeal of this aesthetic lies in its ability to blend natural materials, weathered finishes, and cozy elements that resonate with the serenity of lakeside living. From painted cabinets and reclaimed wood beams to stone finishes and farm tables, rustic kitchens embrace simplicity and cultivate a welcoming atmosphere where family and friends can gather.
Often nestled in scenic, rugged landscapes, lake properties offer an exquisite backdrop for this well-renowned style. Whether in the rolling hills of the Upper East, the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest, or the scenic Midwest, a rustic kitchen design seamlessly connects your indoor space with the natural beauty outside. Beloved for its timeless appeal and relaxed approach, a rustic kitchen style fosters a symbiotic connection to nature through organic textures and earthy tones, balancing aesthetics and functionality. These tried-and-true applications promise to bring rustic warmth to your lake home and help you design the kitchen of your dreams.
The true essence of the modern rustic kitchen lies in its innovative mix of raw and natural materials. Hardwood floors, exposed reclaimed wood beams, and knotty wood cabinets bring warmth and authenticity, while natural stone backsplashes and countertops add a touch of rugged elegance. The materials themselves are stunning to look at while offering longevity and durability.
Incorporating textured backsplashes using stone or even hand-painted tiles can add visual depth to your kitchen. In the Pacific Northwest or western regions, where nature-inspired designs are favored, these elements reflect the rugged landscape. This stacked stone backsplash, for example, mimics the natural elements of its lakeside environment.
Using reclaimed wood for cabinets and shelving brings character and a unique story to your kitchen. Whether from an old barn in the Midwest or driftwood from the Pacific Northwest, the texture and grain of reclaimed wood create a lived-in feel. The imperfections in the wood grains add depth and highlight craftsmanship, a hallmark of rustic design.
Here, a mix of reclaimed woods, stone, handmade tile, and living finishes that will wear well over time lend a sense of age while providing a striking contrast to the clean-lined modern silhouettes of other furnishings. A lustrous soapstone countertop brings a sleek edge to a rough-sawn white oak island and a rustic coffered ceiling crafted of reclaimed wood.
Granite, soapstone, or quartz countertops can enhance a rustic kitchen aesthetic. In regions like Texas and the Upper East, where natural stone is abundant, these countertops can bring earthy colors and a touch of luxury to the space. The durability and natural look of stone make it ideal for lake homes, echoing the surrounding landscape. Light cedar envelopes this waterfront cottage, connecting to the natural environment beyond, and granite countertops echo the waterside hues.
Open-beamed ceilings can dramatically transform a kitchen, giving it a spacious yet cozy feel. Using exposed wood beams, especially in high-ceiling kitchens in regions like California or the Southeast, adds architectural interest and warmth. This design also reflects the connection to nature by exposing the structural beauty of the home.
Hand-hewn elm and ash ceiling beams sourced from Canada pair with metal finishes in this Colorado kitchen. Minimalist custom glass pendants bring modern contrast to a walnut butcher-block island tucked with wooden counter stools.
Lighting sets the tone in any kitchen, and rustic-style fixtures such as wrought iron chandeliers or lantern-inspired pendants are perfect for creating a cozy ambiance. In the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, where cottage-style lake homes are popular, these lighting choices complement the overall aesthetic while providing a soft, inviting glow. Here, a simple tiered lighting fixture befits the grand scale of an elegant waterfall island. Its black finish echoes in the counter stools and other architectural accents.
Using nature-inspired color tones like fresh green, watery blue, sage, soft brown, burnt umber, and warm gray enhances a rustic kitchen’s cozy, organic feel. In southeastern lake homes, where warmer climates prevail, these tones help balance the sun’s brightness, making the kitchen feel cool and calming. In contrast, Midwest or Northern regions can benefit from the warmth these colors bring during cooler months. Inspired by nature, the palette of this Lake Huron kitchen blends mossy green hues informed by the landscape and the rich orange tones of pine tree needles.
Incorporating warm, rustic kitchen designs into a lake home creates a space where nature and comfort harmonize. Homeowners can transform their kitchens into inviting retreats that reflect the scenic landscape by using natural materials like wood and stone, implementing open-beamed ceilings, and adding soft lighting. Each region offers unique resources and styles that contribute to a timeless and welcoming aesthetic, making it easy to tailor your rustic kitchen to fit the character of your lake home. For more design inspiration, visit Lake Homes Lifestyles.
Has your house been sitting on the market for some time? Have you also been questioning if it’s the price, the exposure, or maybe even the agent you’re working with? When it comes down to it, it could be the agent, or it might not be. Glenn Phillips, CEO of Lake Homes Realty, breaks down the 2 main reasons your house might still be on the market.
Exposure: Is your property known? Are people able to find it on the market? If the property has been on the market for a minute and nothing seems to be moving, you need to look at the exposure and see if your agent has done what they need to.
A) Quality Staging & Photos?: You need genuine, quality photos. Not photos that can be misleading for potential buyers.
B) On The MLS?: You can’t sell a secret. If you’re not willing to make your property be viewed by the public, more than likely, it’ll be harder for it to sell.
C) Syndicated?: After your home is on the MLS, it being on other portals can significantly help with this. This will help reach a much wider audience.
D) On LakeHomes.com?: We’re members of MLSs all across the country and can extract data to put it on there. Listing homes with us, in turn, makes it a featured property on our website.
Price: If you’re utilizing all the above steps, the only other reason for it not selling is price. Price fixes every other problem besides exposure. It fixes location, repairs, water lines, location on the lake, etc.
A) Getting Offers?: If you’re getting offers, your agent has done well. It might not be the offer you want, but what you see in the value of your home.
B) Getting Showings?: If you’re getting showings, then your agent is getting people in the door. Ultimately, this also means the exposure is working.
C) Agent Getting Questions?: Again, this means the exposure is working. This comes back to your agent doing a good job, but it is coming down to price.
More Exposure Never Fixes Price: Just because you try to market better does not mean this will take away from it being a price issue.
The bottom line when it comes to selling, price fixes most things! When selling a lake home, it is key to have an appropriately priced home, along with good exposure tactics. If you would like guidance or even someone to ask questions about this, contact one of our lake experts at LakeHomes.com today!
