About Columbia County, WI

Agents beware! If you are advertising your properties on Craigslist, you are a TARGET! I am the victim of a Felony crime in my state. A person (yet to be arrested) has posted a fraudulent ad on Craigslist under the Casual Encounters category (who knew THAT was there?) offering no strings attached, a nude photo (not me) and information related to my status as a broker. It also provided my e-mail address (which contains the name of my business), written in a "less than obvious" format and the offer for sex in "vacant properties."

Now, first let me say that I live in a small town, and my reputation is pristine. People know me here, and that's the way I like it. I am not, nor have I ever been a prostitute. I am a happily married mother of two little girls. The person who posted this ad knew full well how damaging something like this could be. They also did homework on me. According to my web state, I received 99 hits to my site last night. I received 27 e-mails from interested men, too. Some included photos.

Some of these "men" are still harassing me, even though Craigslist has removed the post. All in all, it was only live for about two hours. I had no idea this was happening until this morning, when I checked voice and e-mail. WOW. By the way...I find it ironic that while I was being hunted down for a "quickie" last night, I was busy giving a speech to the Lodi Christian Women's Club.. The topic? "How to Stay Safe on the Internet."

I have been contacted today by one of the men, no doubt agitated by my lack of response last night, looking to "view properties" (3Br, 2 BA on the East Side of Madison.) Is it me, or am I no longer safe? A woman was killed last year here while showing property to a man who became agitated when he realized that the agent was showing him a vacant lot. She was a go getter, and offered to show him another home in the area. She is dead. I could be dead, too.

I am removing my ads from Craigslist, and will find alternate ways to market my listings to benefit my sellers. Know that this is happening and protect yourself!!! Craigslist sent me the "standard auto response" to my inquiries into fraud several times. Twice they politely replied that the posting had been removed. Finally, after explaining that I had contacted law enforcement and am being stalked...they sent me the IP address of the perp. I now know where he lives and he will be prosecuted.

Watch your back out there! We are all working so hard for our clients...this is the last thing you'll ever see coming, and believe me: it's not fun. I am a Mom, a respected member of my community, a business owner and a hard worker. This will be in the local newspaper. Everyone will know. The person who did this obviously intended harm, and I am the last person on earth who deserves it.

I care, therefore I blog. Watch it out there. Craigslist is the largest marketplace for prostitution and sex trafficking on the Internet now. It is disgusting. Google "Craigslist Sex" and see for yourselves! There are dozens of articles, lawsuits and exposes. Read them, and stay safe...if you can.

My market is the Wisconsin Dells area and a popular local paper is the Wisconsin Dells Events. On Saturday, January 3^rd the front page article was titled "Housing not selling like it used to". There was a large picture on the front page associated with the article of a house with a For Sale sign from my office. It was not my sign but it was one of my associates. She was not interviewed for the article. Instead the reporter chose to interview 3 other Agents. The jist of the article was that the market was in bad shape. One of the agents interviewed made a statement that 2008 has been the worst year for him in his 35 years of selling.

I just do not know what benefit statements like this have. All statistics show that 2008 was a down year, but not the worst year. The agent whose listing appeared in the article was less than pleased. The house was only on the market for 30 days and she has had good buyer interest, the listing is definitely not representative of a down housing market.

We are attempting to counter this negative article. An agent in town wrote a letter to the editor giving some local statistics that show the market is down but not in crisis. I interviewed with the reporter this week and provided her statistics from our MLS that show property values actually increased in 2008 over 2007. The number of properties sold is down about 35%, but values are holding. My opinion is that this is a great market for buyers. Inventories are up giving the buyer some great selections, values are holding giving the buyer security that their investment will be a good one and mortgage rates are really low.

I think that all REALTOR's need to be very careful of what they say to the press. These articles have an effect on buyer and seller decisions. If we are going to give opinions about the housing market make sure that the statistics support the opinion.

I am happy to report that our condohotel project is still going strong at the Polynesian Resort in the Wisconsin Dells.

With the news of massive flooding and the draining of Lake Delton spreading like wildfire, the Dells remains busy. Less then 10% of all businesses were affected by the weather, and most of those have accomodated to the new conditions.

Here at the Polynesian Resort, we SOLD OUT last weekend! The roads are open, come visit the Dells!

Think you're ready to own your own condohotel here at the Polynesian? Ask for information on how you can own a newly renovated condo for as low as $125,0000, and a suite as low as $165,000. Over $20 million will be spent on adding 20,000 square feet to the indoor water park, building a 10,000 square foot convention center, adding kitchenettes to ALL rooms, with granite counter tops, stovetops, microwaves and dishwashers. In addition, there will be all new bedding, beds, furniture and flat screen tvs.

Think you are ready to invest in real estate here in Wisconsin Dells? YES YOU CAN!