Karen Frederick, Lake Property Specialist

When George Wolcott arrived in town in 1837 and built his sawmill, he could never have envisioned what was to come in the town that bears his name. With a population of under 1000 year round residents, Wolcottville is located in LaGrange and Noble Counties and is the hub of lake activity. Our "one stoplight" town offers what you need. We have an office supply store, florist, grocery store, liquor store, car wash, gas station, bank, several hair salons and a barbershop. There are several restaurants and taverns. With a dozen lake choices, you willl find a place to fish, ski, boat, swim, kayak, or just float on a raft. In the winter there is ice fishing, skating, sledding and snowmobiling. There is year round opportunity for hunting.

Our government is a three member town council. Town services include water and sewer and a town Marshall. We have the Johnson Township Volunteer Fire Department. The post office is on Main Street. Wolcott Mills is our local elementary school and the students attend Lakeland School Corporation.

When it comes to housing, you have a wide range of choices. There are farmhouses with acreage, cabins in the woods, and subdivisions. On the lakes, you can live in a seasonal cottage or a year round home. In town, there are many historical homes that offer a glimpse into the past with ornate woodwork, formal areas, and multiple fireplaces. There are also apartments and rental homes.

LaGrange County Indiana is a great place to live or visit. (LaGrange County Convention and Visitors Bureau) It has something for everyone. Small town living that embraces its history while planning for the future. Old-fashioned rural charm is evident everywhere. Over 1500 farms with livestock and croplands, beautiful seasonal gardens, and sprawling wooded areas are the perfect backdrop for a view that may include a passing horse and buggy, people out for a leisurely stroll, or bicyclists. 37 percent of our population is Amish, but modern industry is also evident as our businesses and industries take advantage of our unique location. Our county offers access to Indiana 9, State Road 5, State Road 120, US20, and the Indiana Toll Road I 80/90.

If you want recreation; we've got it! We have over 70 local lakes for fishing, boating, skiing, tubing, swimming, or just floating on a raft. There's also the Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area. We have several campgrounds. In the winter, the lakes are great for ice fishing, ice skating, and snowmobiling. There are plenty of places for hunters. We have a great public park system, a nature center, wildlife preserves, golf courses, and facilities for various sports.

If you want shopping, our location is convenient to Fort Wayne for department stores. Sturgis, Angola, and Kendallville have supermarkets and chain stores. But, what LaGrange County really has to offer is the quaint little shops, festivals and craft fairs, a seasonal farmer's market and roadside stands, and the family owned smaller stores where you are greeted by name. Fresh baked goods, produce, handcrafted woodworking, quilts, candles, antiques... the list is endless and you can find "one of a kind" items.

Here are some additional links with extensive local information.

LaGrange County Homepage

LaGrange County Chamber of Commerce

LaGrange County information from the US Census

Town of Shipshewana

Town of Topeka

Healthcare:

Parkview LaGrange Hospital

Schools:

Lakeland School Corporation

Indiana Department of Education Data for Lakeland Schools

Prairie Heights School Corporation

Indiana Department of Education Data for Prairie Heights Schools

Westview School Corporation

Indiana Department of Education Data for Westview Schools

Howe Military School

Indiana Department of Education Data for Howe Military School

Local Organizations:

ARC Opportunities

LaGrange County Habitat for Humanity

Mentor Moms

It's only mid February, and many of us have already given up on or forgotten about those promises we made to ourselves. Exercise more, lose those pounds, be more organized, find time for family and friends... the list is endless. If your resolutions included helping others by volunteering or making donations, you still have a chance for success. There is a worthy local cause that is gearing up for another successful year!

Why Help Habitat for Humanity?

Can you imagine the feeling of knowing that your donation helped a family realize the American Dream of home ownership? You can help provide simple, affordable housing to members of your community. You can help eliminate substandard housing in your hometown. This is the mission of Habitat for Humanity. It's not a give away program. The recipient families are partners in the building process. They spend hours working on their home and the homes of others. They are given no interest mortgages and their repayment goes to building more homes.

Proven Record of Success

Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 and has built 225,000 homes worldwide providing housing for over a million people. They have affiliates in all 50 states and over 100 foreign countries. Indiana has 71 Habitat affiliates. In Lagrange County this year, 1,302 volunteer building hours completed the 16th and built the 17th home in our area. They are currently collecting on 14 mortgages and have never had a foreclosure.

How Can You Help?

You can donate your time and skills by serving on committees for family selection and support, construction, publicity, fundraising, and site selection. You can make monetary, building supply or land donations. They even accept vehicle donations. You can provide items for the Annual Benefit Auction. For a complete list of committees and items that are needed, visit the LaGrange County Habitat for Humanity Website. You will also find photos of homes that have been completed and contact information. They are having a "Committee Call-Out" meeting on February 20th, at 7:00 p.m. at their office downtown. Come for the meeting or call 463-8519 and put your spare time to good use in supporting this worthy cause.

You can keep your New Year's Resolution. Don't give up; get involved!

I ran some numbers to compile statistics on what happened in the LaGrange County market during the month of January and what is currently available for sale.

(Numbers in parentheses are same month last year) In January 2008, there were 15 (12) homes sold with an average sold price of 131,000 (105,135). They spent an average of 172 (178) days on the market, and were originally listed at an average price of 140,886 (113,100). There were 19 (36) new homes listed for sale this month at an average list price of 168,950 (160,277).

(Numbers in parentheses are average list prices). As of January 31, 2008, there are 229 homes currently for sale (177,245). They have been on the market an average of 192 days. 63 are lakefront (290,042). 23 are channelfront (152,860), 74 are on ski lakes (273,695) or lakes with access to ski lakes (189,569). 31 are on non-ski lakes (161,935) 16 have association or deeded access (130,962). 131 homes have no lake access (133,402).

I also had a chance to chart some historical data on home sales of lakefront properties in our county. This has been added to my Local Market Stats page along with the historical data for all home sales.

Lakefront LaGrange County Homes

*These figures are based on data supplied by the Northeastern Indiana Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service for the period starting 01/01/1999 to present. This data may not reflect all real estate activity in the Market and is compiled from information that is input by many members and may contain errors that affect results so the accuracy of these figures can not be guaranteed.

Please note: when compiling averages with the small number of homes in a monthly period a single home that was on the market for a very long or short period of time can change average days on market quite a bit. This effect is especially true for average sales price when a single home sold very low or extremely high that month.

I offer these statistics to give you a general idea of what is going on locally so you can make informed decisions about the sale or purchase of a home. For market analysis of a specific home you would like to buy or sell, contact me and I would be happy to run the numbers for you.

I pulled some figures to get an idea of how our market has "fluctuated" in the past from year to year and to get an idea of long term trend. Basically, in our area there has been an average gain of around 4% every year since 1999. Last year we had a 30% drop in the number of homes sold, but the average price still rose 3% from 2006. These figures reflect stick-built, modulars, manufactured, and single wides. In the last few years we have seen an increase of foreclosed homes which tend to sell for less than market and can drag down the average price. Here's a chart:

Historical Data

LaGrange County Homes

*These figures are based on data supplied by the Northeastern Indiana Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service for the period starting 01/01/2004 to present. This data may not reflect all real estate activity in the Market and is compiled from information that is input by many members and may contain errors that affect results so the accuracy of these figures can not be guaranteed. But, they will give you a general idea the history of our local market.