Eagle River, WI

Air Leaks in Your Basement? How to Find and Seal Them

Many overlook their basement as a source of heat loss. Cold air enters your basement just as it does the rest of the house through air leaks that are both above and below ground. Air filtering into your home can be sucked into your furnace causing it to work harder and longer.

Plug large gaps in basement walls

Polyurethane foam in a can is ideal for plugging openings 1/4-inch to 2 inches wide, check for them around pipes and vents that pass through basement walls to the outside.

A standard 12-ounce can sprayed in place will slowly expand to about twice its size, making it a good choice for large cracks. After it dries, cut off excess foam with a utility knife or putty knife.

Plug small gaps in basement walls

Caulk is generally best for the smaller gaps, such as those cut around electrical boxes. Silicone costs the most and works well when sealing nonporous materials, such as metal flashing. Acrylic is less messy to work with and cleans up with water. Use high-temperature caulk around vent pipes that get hot, such as those for the furnace or water heater.

Seal air leaks where foundation meets the wall

In most older houses with basements, air seeps in where the house framing sits on its foundation. Spread a bead of caulk between the foundation and the sill plate (the wood immediately above the foundation), and along the top and bottom edges of the rim joist—the outermost piece of framing material that runs along the top of the sill plate.

Seems the President's rant this morning was nothing more than a campaign speech as I don't think anyone in Congress is ignorant enough to allow the damage of this plan to go forward. The President is back to his class-baiting division techniques in an effort to conquer the election. Pitting opposing groups against each other so he may rise above. It's a technique that worked well in the last election and seems he's back to his modus operandi.

Sadly, for his own political gain, this does nothing to get the country back on track. We have millions hurting in economic turmoil and a 1.5 trillion dollar tax hike does nothing to help. It merely increases the size of government and lines the pockets of the people who support him while hurting, or even devastating, those that don't.

When you look at our country and it's realized tax rate of approximately 51% you clearly see that they are more than halfway towards their goal.

If anyone in Washington was serious about this fiscal problem, they'd cut corporate welfare, foreign welfare and end the trillions of dollars going overseas. These would be sound policies that would bring about prosperity and engender greater freedoms.

Sadly, the likelihood of this ever happening is next to nil as big government must continue to grow to fund the status quo. In that respect we already know, from experience, the ends will almost always justify the means.

Eagle River WI will be hosting this years Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond HockeyNational Championships again this year the weekend of Feb11-13,2011!

The 2011 Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships are set for Feb. 11-13, 2011 on Dollar Lake in Eagle River, Wis. The event is in its sixth year and is one of the highlights of the season.

This event takes place on tucked away Dollar lake just outside of Eagle River, WI. Thanks to the local fire department and the MANY volunteers this community is able to clear OVER 800,000 sq. feet of ice and create approximately 24 hockey arena's for the big event! Last year we hosted 250 teams equaling close to 1500 participants. This is an amazing undertaking and a truly wonderful community event!

The winter wonderland that IS Eagle River WI is really only a tank of gas away ( or two ) from Minnesota and Illinois and is a very affordable place to take your family for some good fun and some great entertainment! I believe last year about 24 states had teams present so you can come and root for a local team or your own home town team.

Affordable ... Fun and not far from home! So, come to Eagle River WI and take place cheering on your favorite team, do some shopping and if you decide you want to get away here permanently CALL ME, your local real estate expert! I would love to show you some great real estate buys so next year during pond hockey you have your own digs for the weekend!

To see more info about me and the real estate market in Northern WI click here.

Now here is a list of the events this weekend for The 2011 Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships are set for Feb. 11-13, 2011 on Dollar Lake in Eagle River, Wis.

If you want to see a video on how this event is shaping up as of February 8,2011 just click here and SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND!

Copyright©by Julie Paez, All Rights Reserved, "The 2011 Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships are set for Feb. 11-13, 2011 on Dollar Lake in Eagle River, Wis ".

Market Statistics for 500K plus properties in the Greater Eagle River WI areas of Vilas and Oneida Counties in 2010

I have been hearing a lot of questions regarding the higher end markets in my areas lately and there is bittersweet news for those sellers as well as those buyers.

The market statistics for the $750,000 plus market in the greater Eagle River WI areas of Oneida and Vilas Counties showed improvements over the 2009 year in volume but not in price. Here are those statistics:

• In 2010 there were 19 over $750,000 list price homes sold. The average sale price was $855, 789. the average sq footage in those homes was 3516. The average lake frontage was 198 feet and the average original list price was $1,057,403. That gives a list to sell ratio of roughly 81%
• In 2009 there were 17 over $750,000 list price homes sold. The average sale price was $1,032,205. the average sq footage in those homes was 3600. The average lake frontage was 290 feet and the average original list price was $1,238,352. That gives a list to sell ratio of roughly 83%
• Of the homes sold in 2009 two were on the Eagle River/Three Lakes Chain. In 2010 there were also two sold on the Eagle River/Three Lakes Chain.
• Overall, in 2010 twelve of those homes sold were in Vilas County and seven of them were in Oneida.

Now for the plus $500,000 market in the Oneida and Vilas County markets. Again, volume was up but price was down. Here are those statistics:

• In 2010 there were 58 over $500,000 list price homes sold. The average sale price was $638,455. the average sq footage in those homes was 3080. The average lake frontage was 208 feet and the average original list price was $821,371. That gives a list to sell ratio of roughly %79.6.
• In 2009 there were 41 over $500,000 list price homes sold. The average sale price was $756,421. the average sq footage in those homes was 3177. The average lake frontage was 254 feet and the average original list price was $880,226. That gives a list to sell ratio of roughly %86
• Of the homes sold in 2009 five were on the Eagle River/Three Lakes Chain. In 2010 there were eight sold on the Eagle River/Three Lakes Chain. So, our chain over the last 2 years has held about 12% - 14% of the plus 500k market.
• Overall, in 2010 28 of these homes were sold in Oneida County and 30 of them were in Vilas County.

What does this mean? Well, the higher end market for the Greater Eagle River WI areas of Vilas and Oneida Counties in 2010 did show signs of improvement in regards to volume. Properties priced to sell are selling and volume is clearing our.

As a Seller you need to do a lot of work on the front end regarding pricing, staging and in understanding the mind set of today's Buyer so you have realistic expectations as to what to expect from them.

As a Buyer you need to understand that there is NO BETTER TIME to buy and that when you see something priced well - jump on it. Other buyers are looking for the same things as you and they will recognize it also. Interest rates are still down and if you don't get off the fence soon, you will miss the boat! You can ask for Buyer's Agency if you need guidance in our complicated market

As always it is in everyone's best interest to hire a local professional - like me - to help guide you through the process. Remember - I am a Michigan licensee and also work in Forest County so if you have questions about those markets and not just Vilas and Oneida Counties please feel free to give me a call or visit www.eagleriverhomefinder.com for additional information .

So, again, here are the Higher end Market Statistics for the Greater Eagle River WI areas of Vilas and Oneida Counties in 2010, please contact me with any additional questions you might have.

Copyright©by Julie Paez, All Rights Reserved, " Higher end Market Statistics for the Greater Eagle River WI areas of Vilas and Oneida Counties in 2010".

Each winter, volunteers headed by the area firefighters, put in more than 700 "man hours" to cut nearly 3000 12-inch-thick ice blocks from a local lake, haul them to downtown Eagle River, Wisconsin, and build a huge ice palace.

Eagle River's Ice Palace has become a popular attraction for motorists, snowmobilers, locals and visitors, as dozens of people stop each day to photograph the 20-foot high structure along Highway 45 North.

I visited it recently in the afternoon and while I attempted to photograph and do a video of it ( attached here below ) at least 3 cars pulled up to get their photo op. A great site to see! It sits right off the main snowmobile trail so everyone has access to it's splendor. Please click here to see my video of the 2011 Eagle River WI Ice castle.

The ice palace is a cool facade that is at once transparent and opaque, depending on the light, and it comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, different each year.

Locals have been constructing this castle on and off since the late 1920s, with a few years missed in the '40s, probably due to World War II, and is now constructed annually, weather permitting, on the weekend closest to New Years, according to Pat Weber, chief of Eagle River area's Volunteer Fire Department.

When asked how the ice palace got its start to, Thomas speculates, "there probably weren't a lot of things to do in the winter back then; and, since my grandfather was cutting the ice anyway, and probably had some ice leftover, he began building the early structures."

Hanke may have begun modestly, but the ice palace has grown, developed and evolved ever since.

According to Thomas, the local Lion's Club took over construction of the ice palace when it became too big of a project for a small group of individuals. Then, about 10 years ago, the Eagle River volunteer Fire Department took over the project for the same reasons.

"It's a wonderful project," comments Fire Chief Weber. "We take pride in our community - and we do the ice castle for the same reasons were volunteer firemen - to serve the community and the people of the area," he says.

For more Information on the Eagle River WI local ice castle, pelase go to this website for additional information: http://www.eagleriver.org/icecastle.asp