www.joshsteinland.com

February 28th, 2010. February has come and gone, and Melissa and I are getting very close to parenthood. We had a busy Saturday. I opened up the office in the morning, and then in the early afternoon we went to the Michigan Tech Women's basketball game. They defeated Saginaw Valley in a pretty close game. In the evening, we went to the Michigan Tech hockey game where State Wide had rented the President's Skybox for the evening. A good time was had by all, and it sure was fun way to watch the game. If you haven't already noticed, I FINALLY have the deer cam automatically refreshing! All you have to do now is sit back and watch, and the webcam will automatically update for you every 10 seconds. This will make it much easier to enjoy the action. Have a great week!

February 26th, 2010. Friday went by pretty quickly. I reduced the price on my beautiful cabin listing near Covington. All of the paperwork came back, and the acreage near Kenton is officially closed. Congrats to buyer Brett and seller Dennis. We had friends over tonight to play Monopoly, and it ended up lasting for about 4 hours. We have a busy day tomorrow, so I had better get to bed.

February 25th, 2010. The sun came back out today, which always seems to be a blessing up here in the winter. I had to go mess with the deer feeder in the morning, and it seems to be working again. In the afternoon I went out to Rabbit Bay to check on the timber harvest that officially began yesterday. I was really pleased with how everything looks. Please check out the 'Forestry Journal', to see the latest video update.

February 24th, 2010. Light, fluffy snow continues to fall. I spent the day in the office. We're closing Friday on the Kenton parcel. Eight days from originally showing the property until closing, not bad. The loggers have moved their equipment into the property for the timber harvest, so I'll get out there at some point tomorrow to take some pics and videos. I've had e-mails from people wanting to know how they could make a donation to the deer feeding project. To make it easy, you'll notice a new link on the left (Help feed a U.P. Deer), and also a 'donate' link below the cam. Paypal is very easy and secure. No obligation, but donations of any size will go along way in assisting with the feeding program. The nighttime viewing is great when the motion light is on, but the infrared lens is still lacking once the light goes off. I have ordered an infrared illuminator to try and improve this. Take Care!

February 23rd, 2010. Our nice weather is about over, and the snow is starting to fall. We're supposed to get several inches overnight. Today we closed on the large parcel with 1100 feet along Lake Superior in Keweenaw County. Congrats to buyer Robert and seller Al. If you are reading this at night, you are noticing that the new deer cam is up and running. The night viewing is vastly improved, I'm very happy. The only thing I don't like is that the cam is making the feeder appear about twice as far away as it really is. I already have a new lens on the way that will bring it in closer. I'm still waiting for help in getting my image to refresh automatically. Hopefully someday soon I'll have this thing to the point where I'm happy with it. Have a nice day!

February 22nd, 2010. I know that this nice weather can't last much longer. My truck battery has been acting kind of weak lately, and this morning it was dead. So I ended up putting a new battery in it today. I sent out the paperwork for a new listing today. I'm still making slow progress on my 'short sale' in Hancock. Do you know how to e-mail a picture? Do you have a nice picture? Are you really going to make me come up with every picture for 'pic of the day'? E-mail me a nice pic at josh@statewideofhoughton.com. Thanks!

February 21st, 2010. The sun continued to shine throughout the weekend. Saturday I met up with some clients to show them around a property that they recently purchased. We had a nice time looking at their newly acquired piece of the Keweenaw. By the way, check out the price reduction on this foreclosure waterfront lot on Portage Lake. This is one of the best deals on Portage. Sunday was a good reminder to myself how dangerous it is to snowmobile alone. Just before dark, I was heading south out of Keweenaw county when I got the brilliant idea to take a shortcut off the main trail. Long story short, I got my snowmobile extremely stuck, and I ended up knee deep in freezing cold water. I had no hope of getting it out myself, so I had to walk quite a distance to the main trail. I finally flagged down three young riders, and they helped me pull the machine out. I then got home as quickly as possible, since I was dripping wet and plenty cold. No more riding alone off trail for me. Time for the last week in February!

February 19th, 2010. Another nice day in the Keweenaw. I got the paperwork together for a quick closing on the Kenton parcel. I'm also looking at a couple of new properties that I should be listing soon. I read in the paper that another snowmobile went through the ice on the Portage Canal. If you are a snowmobiler, STAY OFF THE CANAL! The Portage Canal has a major current, much like a river, and does not freeze well. The bridge is lowered specifically so you can safely snowmobile across, so why risk your life? People have gone through the ice literally every year since I've lived here. Anyhow, we rode up to Copper Harbor tonight with some friends and had a great dinner at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. I'm so happy that the Lodge is open during the winter now. They have the nicest fireplaces around. Have a nice weekend!

February 18th, 2010. Today I covered a couple hundred miles in the truck. It was another sunny day, which made for a beautiful day on the road. I had a showing on my 4 acre listing in Kenton. We ended up writing a purchase agreement on the spot, and I already got the deal signed and accepted in the afternoon. Happy buyers and happy sellers are what it's all about. You'll notice a new 'guard' on the deer feeder that I put on tonight. The deer previously were able to reach in with their tongue and pull feed out. That was a problem in two ways. One was that their saliva would freeze on the moving parts, and cause problems with the feeder getting stuck. The other is that overnight, they were nearly emptying the drum on their own. Now they shouldn't be able to reach it with their tongue, and the feeder can broadcast the feed like it is supposed to. By the way, the feeder is programmed to go off at 8:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 3:00 pm. You can usually expect to see deer shortly after any of those times. They have definitely learned to come eat when they hear the sound of the feeder going off. Have a nice Friday!

February 17th, 2010. We had some sunshine today, which is always a nice sight. I had to go to Watersmeet today, which took up a good chunk of the day. We officially closed on the 50 acre parcel near Elo, so congrats to Jim & Lynn! After closing down the office tonight, I went to a card game with some other local businessmen. It was pretty fun. It is amazing how those guys can be so successful at business, yet be so bad at cards ;) There is a new poll question for you to vote on.

February 16th, 2010. Another day has flown by. Most of the morning I worked at home on taxes. After a couple of hours in the office, I went up to the hospital to meet Melissa for a scheduled appointment. The baby's heartbeat still sounds great, and Melissa's measurements are right on schedule. Today we got a tour of the birthing facility. Her due date is April 13th, and I have a feeling that it will be here before you know it!

February 15th, 2010. We really ended up getting a lot of snow. It was nice snow though, real light and fluffy. I sent out the closing statements today for a closing that will occur on Wednesday. Today I ordered a new webcam, one with night vision. Once it gets all set up, the after dark viewing should be much improved. I'm hoping to have the new one up and running sometime next week. I spent about 4 hours tonight working on income taxes, one of my least favorite times of year. Have a nice day!

February 14th, 2010. Happy Valentine's Day! Saturday we went to a birthing class all day. We both learned a lot. The more I learn about the whole pregnancy process, the more amazed I am. It truly is a miracle. We spent most of Sunday watching the Winter Olympics. You'll notice that many of the links on the left side of the page are in different locations. I got rid of a few links that were rarely used. You'll notice that the links are much more organized now. I've put all of the links that pertain to real estate in one segment, non-real estate links in another, webcams, and then forestry. I'm sure you'll quickly get used to the changes, and it will make it much easier for new users to navigate. Speaking of new users, please send a link to my website to one of your friends, I'd appreciate it. Lets have a great week!

February 12th, 2010. It was a nice sunny day in the Keweenaw. I had appointments all morning, and then in the afternoon Melissa and I went for a ride to the cabin. Around 4:00 pm, I had deer within 5 feet of me on the deer cam again. If you actually saw this today, e-mail me at josh@statewideofhoughton.com, and let me know. Melissa took some pictures. I'm looking at buying a new webcam with infrared night vision. I'm still in the process of trying to justify spending that kind of money. We'll see what happens. I've had people ask what I'm feeding the deer. It isn't corn. I'm actually feeding a high protein pellet mix, that is endorsed by the DNR and Keweenaw Whitetails. This pellet mix is much healthier than corn, and gives deer what they need to make it though the long winters. Unfortunately it keeps clogging up in my feeder, so I've had to go out there every other day to make it work. I made some modifications today that hopefully will keep it working, so I don't have to drive 75 miles round trip every other day. It is a lot of work trying to keep you all entertained ;)

February 11th, 2010. Today we had a closing on a nice parcel near Baraga. Congrats to Becky! Later in the afternoon, I also closed on the foreclosure lot on Rice Lake. The buyers of that lot got a very good deal. After work, Melissa and I went over to some friends for dinner and to play cards. I'm sure you saw deer on the website yesterday, as they were out there pretty much all day long. I'm pretty tired tonight, so I'm going to head to bed.

February 10th, 2010. If you were watching the deer cam today at about 3:00, you saw something pretty neat. I've been having lots of problems with the feeder, so I was working on it this afternoon. While I was working on it, a curious and obviously hungry deer began approaching me. She ended up within 5 yards of me, while I threw her a little feed, that she gladly ate. It was a very cool encounter. Deer behave very differently in the winter, when filling their belly is their one and only priority. Tonight I was working on getting paperwork completed for a 'short sale'. For the few of you that don't know, a 'short sale' is when the house sells for less than what the owner owes the bank on the property. It is a long and tedious process. It is almost comical to me how banks operate sometimes. You send them everything they need, and then wait for weeks without any updates or information from them. Then, when they finally e-mail you forms that they need from you, the e-mail says that they need everything back and signed within 3 days or else the whole deal will be terminated. We wait forever, then they need it now. But, they have all of the power in these situations, so all we can do is exactly what they ask in order to keep the deal moving forward. Closing statements across the country have all changed now as well. The idea was to make them clearer for buyers and sellers, but many could contend that they are now less clear. With the constant changes and evolution of this industry, I know one thing for sure. Now more than ever, you really need to work with a real estate professional.

February 9th, 2010. I spent most of the day in the office. We are getting some calls from first time home buyers who are anxious to get in on the action before the program expires. The program has been extended to April 30th. If you'd like to learn more about this opportunity, you can search for it online, or simply click here. This really is a great opportunity. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Take Care!

February 8th, 2010. Back at it. Got a call today about a potential new listing on Rice Lake. I get a lot of questions from people wanting to know how our market has been. This is what I've seen. The residential market here has still been quite steady in sales and value (I'm talking about Houghton/Hancock in particular). Recreational properties have seen the most change. Land still seems to be selling well, the main difference is that there is a lot more land for sale than what used to be available. This is starting to move some of the land prices down, but only slightly. What it boils down to is that with more land available, the properties that are particularly a good value are the ones that are going to go. If a property isn't priced right, it is likely to stay on the market. Another big difference is the average sale price of land. It seems that many of the less expensive properties (25K and below), are becoming more attractive. The larger parcels seem to be selling at a slower pace. This leads to my opinion about the waterfront market. Waterfront properties have slown down quite significantly. I mainly believe that this ties in with the trend that people just haven't been wanting to spend big money on vacation properties. I think that our vacant land values have stabilized, but I do think that waterfront values may still dip a little. This is my current take on our market. All in all, we definitely can't complain compared to many other areas in Michigan, or the country for that matter. Our market overall is very stable as compared to many areas. Slow and steady wins the race?

February 7th, 2010. I'm sure that many of you watched the Super Bowl. It was a good game, and the Saints deserved the victory. Not much else happened this weekend. I originally thought I was going to be showing some property, but the buyers had to cancel. Melissa is looking more pregnant by the day, and the baby has really been kicking a lot. Time to get ready for another week.

February 5th, 2010. The weeks keep flying by. We officially closed on the Lake Linden parcel, and we also closed on the lots near Tamarack City. After leaving the office, I went up to Copper Harbor to check out a foreclosure property. We stopped at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge to warm up for a bit on the way back. The lodge is open year round now, which is a great thing. Nothing like a big crackling fireplace on a cold winter day. Houghton is staying very busy with Winter Carnival. Get out and enjoy the beauty of winter!

February 4th, 2010. I got plenty of exercise today. I went out to Rabbit Bay to mark the cutting boundaries on my new timber management project. I covered about 3 miles through the snow and thick woods today. It always feels great to spend a day in the deep woods. For this project, I'm planning on showing you the entire process from start to finish. I've created a Forestry Journal, and will be providing pictures and videos along the way. For future reference, you can find the link on the left side of the main page, near the bottom under the "Forestry" column. Please enjoy today's video. I'll sleep good tonight!

February 3rd, 2010. We had pretty nice weather today. The sun doesn't come out all that often in the snow country, so it sure is a nice break when it makes an appearance. We wrote a counter offer today on the house near Dollar Bay that I'm working on selling. I put some brighter bulbs in the floodlight for the deer cam. It is still dimmer than I'd like, I'm going to have to try to change some settings in the cam itself to see if that will help. Tonight we met some friends and walked around the MTU campus for 'all nighter'. Tonight all of the student organizations are working around the clock trying to finish up their ice sculptures. Winter Carnival is a great time in Houghton!

February 2nd, 2010. So far I've still been keeping myself busy preparing for upcoming closings. I have the motion light set up for the deer cam. I already saw some deer on it tonight. The cam doesn't seem to be displaying it as bright as it seemed with the naked eye. I'm going to put some more powerful bulbs in it within the next day or two. The biggest problem right now is that the automatic feeder isn't working even with a new battery. I don't know if it just isn't made to operate in the cold, or whether I may need to get a new feeder all together. This is already getting to be an expensive project to broadcast these deer, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. Take Care!

February 1st, 2010. February is here! I'm very happy to see that there has plenty of action on the 'deer cam'. I'm still trying to get it to automatically refresh, so you'll have to manually refresh it for a little while yet. The best times to see deer are usually in early morning or late afternoon, but I've actually been seeing them many times throughout the day. I also know that some of you have been having some problems viewing the new 'bear den cam', so I fixed the problem today. Check it out again if you haven't, I was just listening to the cub squawking as I'm typing this. Tonight I had a showing on a home on Portage Lake, but it failed to impress any of us. Have a good day!

January 31st, 2010. January is here and gone. We're one month closer to becoming parents. This weekend I got the crib put together, and a changing table. As the baby room materializes, it all becomes very real that we are getting close. I've got plenty to do this week, and I'm ready to get at it. Lets all have a great week!

January 29th, 2010. Today Melissa had the day off, so she went with me down to Baraga to pick up some "State Wide Real Estate" hats that I ordered. We stopped at the cabin for a bit on the way back. It was a beautiful day out (a comfy 9 degrees), I wish I had remembered to bring my camera. Tonight I ended up meeting a buyer at the office to write an offer on a house. Hopefully the deal ends up coming together. I noticed today that there was some action on the 'deer cam'. Have a great weekend!

January 28th, 2010. Single digit temperatures are keeping the Keweenaw frozen. There hasn't been many deer on the cam for a couple of days, I guess they are just staying in the swamps, where it is slightly warmer, and out of the wind. This week has mostly consisted of paperwork, but at least it is 'warm' work. Melissa's belly continues to grow, as we near the April 13th due date. Our life is about to change forever!

January 27th, 2010. It was extremely cold today! This morning I met with landowners to go over the forest management plan. Everything is moving along smoothly. I hope to get things started next week. I ended up showing a couple of houses in Dollar Bay today, and the showings went well. The buyer is trying to meet the deadline to utilize the first time home buyer tax credit. Let it snow!

January 26th, 2010. The colder weather is here, and for some reason, I like it better. It just seems less sloppy out when things are frozen. Today I got everything finalized for two upcoming closings, and I have more to prepare for tomorrow. Tonight at home I spent several hours preparing a management plan and contracts for an upcoming timber harvest that I'm excited about. I love forestry. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Stay Warm!

January 25th, 2010. Today the new carpet got installed on the stairs, and in the baby's room, and it looks great! Nothing like the smell of new carpet. I kind of think that his room looks nicer than ours now. I'm still working on getting the webcam perfected, which will include slightly brightening the image. I also ordered my flood light today, which will hopefully allow for some good viewing after dark. People have been seeing deer on it throughout the daylight hours, which is great. Our mild weather is supposed to be about over, with a major cold snap coming our way. This will be a good thing for my upcoming forest management project. We need to get the roads froze in, which will minimize any damage done to the soil. Take Care!

January 24th, 2010. I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend. Our weather has been very odd, it rained pretty much all day on Sunday. I'm seeing quite a few deer on the new "Upper Peninsula Michigan Deer Cam". Keep watching for improvements, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. We got some house projects done this weekend, tearing out some carpet, rebuilding the railing on the staircase, and painting it. We're all set for new carpet on Monday. So far your #1 name for our baby boy is Landon, thanks for your votes. I'll leave the poll up for a little while yet. Have a good Monday!

January 22nd, 2010. As you can see there is a new addition to the website, the "Upper Peninsula Michigan Deer Cam". This is my very own webcam that I'm excited to entertain you with. Please be patient as there will be a few adjustments to improve it over the next week or so. I'm working on getting the image centered on the homepage, and also so it will refresh the image automatically for you. I'm also hoping to get a light for night viewing soon as well. I usually see deer throughout the day, so you should have no trouble viewing our U.P. whitetails. Have a great weekend!

January 21st, 2010. The temperatures finally dropped back down to where they should be. We woke up to single digits. I had to run to Baraga in the morning, and then I stopped at the cabin for a bit on the way back. I looked at some lots this afternoon up in Centennial Heights. I should be writing an offer on them tomorrow. I spent most of the evening getting paperwork going on the new timber harvest. I'm thinking about starting a "Forestry Journal" documenting all the steps involved in managing the timber on a piece of property. Have a nice Friday!

January 20th, 2010. The days seem like they are going by quickly. I went out to Rabbit Bay this morning to show some loggers a forest that I'm going to be managing. Hopefully we'll be able to make something happen out there yet this winter. I spent the second half of the day in the office. I entered in three new vacant land listings, which are all priced quite well. They'll be on the website by tomorrow. Thanks to those of you who have voted on the baby name. If you haven't voted yet, please do!

January 19th, 2010. Today I have a very important poll question for you. We still have a long ways to go, but we have a few names for our baby that we are considering. I've posted them on the poll question, and we are very curious to hear your opinions. Please vote to help name my son!

January 18th, 2010. I got a lot of odds and ends done today. I ordered some new State Wide hats that I give out to friends, family and clients. I've been doing some research getting ready to install my webcam over my food plot. By the way, I've really been enjoying the new Bear Den Cam, I hope you've checked it out. I found a couple of older electrical outlets in my house that weren't grounded, so I replaced them with GFI outlets today. After Melissa got off of work, we went and picked out new carpet for the baby's room, and decided to get new carpeting for our stairs while we were at it. We're working on coming up with a list of baby names that I'm going to share with you soon.

January 17th, 2010. I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend. Ours was relatively warm and mild. I'm very excited about the latest edition to the website. Under 'webcams', you'll notice the new "Bear Den Cam". There is a webcam inside of a bear den, that you can view and listen to 24/7. She is actually supposed to be giving birth to cubs any day now, so be sure to check it often. I hope you'll enjoy.

January 15th, 2010. Today I officially got the deal accepted on a 80+ acre parcel with over 1,000 feet along Lake Superior shoreline, so congrats to Al and Robert. I'm very excited about the fact that I ordered a webcam for my cabin today. Hopefully within a couple of weeks, I'll have a great new webcam on here, where you'll get to watch lots of deer and other wildlife all day long. Tonight we had our belated office Christmas Party, which was a great time as usual. I didn't stay too late, as I have to go look at a potential timber harvest tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

January 14th, 2010. I covered a lot of ground today, over 200 miles to be exact. I met up with a buyer in Covington, and then we drove over to Ewen to look at this 320 acre parcel, and this 297 acre parcel. The only way to show these types of property this time of year is by snowmobile. Because of the deep powder, it isn't a good idea to put two people on the snowmobile to break trail, so for each parcel I would go by myself to make trails throughout the property. Then I would return to put the buyer on the machine with me and take a nice ride around to check out the property. The showings went pretty well, we'll see what happens. On the way back, I stopped in Baraga to check out a house that I will be listing soon. I also stopped at my cabin on the way home, and found a shed antler from one of the bucks that is still hanging around the area. Anyhow, it is nice to be home, it was quite a day.

January 13th, 2010. Today was a day of accepted offers. I officially got the deal together on the house in Sylvan Estates, seven lots near Tamarack City, and 3 lots up by Centennial Heights. I spent the majority of the day in the office setting the paperwork in motion for all of the new transactions. My sister-in-law and her friend came over tonight to play a board game with us. Time to hit the hay and get ready for a long day tomorrow. Take Care!

January 12th, 2010. I just now noticed that I had been typing 2009 for all of this year's journal entries, which I just now corrected. Why didn't anybody e-mail me and tell me this? I'm sure some of you must have noticed. Anyhow, 2010 continues to be off to a great start. I got the offer accepted today on the 50 acre parcel near Elo, so congrats to Jim and Lynn! This morning I wrote an offer with a buyer on 7 lots near Tamarack city. I got my snowmobile going today. I drove it to work which is always fun. Later in the afternoon I had a great showing on 40 acres near Jacobsville. Have a nice day!

January 11th, 2010. I know the website was down most of the weekend, so it is good to be back. Real estate continues to be very busy. I wrote two purchase agreements today, one on some residential lots in Houghton county, and one on a large piece of waterfront in Keweenaw county. I also went and looked at a house that I'll be listing in Houghton. By the way, here is good price on a 20 acre parcel that I listed about a week ago. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great week!

January 8th, 2010. I hope you had a nice Friday. There must be some sort of sporting event in Houghton tonight, as the town seemed very busy. We officially got the deal together on the foreclosed lot on Rice Lake. I also had the closing today for the beautiful home in Houghton, so congrats to Bob and JoAnne. Tonight we went to dinner at "The Library" with some friends. We received a gift certificate for Christmas, so we made good use of it. I have my snowshoes ready for lots of land showings tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend!

January 7th, 2010. It has been plenty cold, but that is the norm for this time of year. I'm optimistic that the deal on the house in Sylvan Estates is going to come together. Today I put together closing statements for a fairly big closing tomorrow on a house in Houghton. I had a few hours free in the afternoon, so I went down to check on the cabin. There is still quite a bit of deer sign around. Later on, I met with a client who is seriously looking to purchase some land. We're going to look at a piece on Tuesday that I think will work perfectly for him. I hope your Friday goes by quickly!

January 6th, 2010. Lots of real estate action. Today I showed a place in Dollar Bay. The showing went well. My Rice Lake foreclosure parcel is likely to come together now as well. I talked to several different buyers today, people are definitely looking. I looked at the final MLS stats today, and once again I closed the most land deals in the U.P., so a big thank you to all of you that I did business with this last year, and in years past. I'm looking forward to 2010 being the best year yet!

January 5th, 2010. I'm back to work, and work is busy. Today we signed the closing papers on the lot in Tamarack City. I'm really getting a lot of inquiries from buyers, so I expect some new deals to come together very soon. In fact, I just received a call from a buyer while I was typing this. I received an offer today on my house in Sylvan Estates (on Crestwood Drive), so we'll see where that goes. It feels good to be home!

January 4th, 2010. We made it home! We had a real nice time downstate. We visited lots of friends and family. I even did some snowmobiling on the family farm. We ended up having a bonfire out in the woods, which is something we haven't done in over 10 years. The roads were so-so on the way home, we ended up pulling a girl out of the ditch, and she seemed very grateful that we stopped. The wind was coming off Lake Superior so hard that I could barely open my truck door. Anyhow, we're glad to be home, and I'm ready to get back to work. Have a great week!

December 30th, 2009. Greetings from Mackinac City! In all my years of traveling through here, I've never actually stayed the night in this town. We decided to drive part of the way tonight, so we'll only have a three hour drive tomorrow to get to my family farm. The lady at the front desk here at the Holiday Inn was really nice, and gave us a free upgrade. We have a nice big room with a fireplace, living room, kitchen, and all kinds of nice stuff. We're going to bed so we can get back on the road in the morning. December is almost over!

December 29th, 2009. Today we received an offer on the foreclosure lot on Rice Lake. We'll see what happens, but I'm optimistic that we'll find a way to get it together. In the afternoon I went on my last bowhunt of the year, and it ended up being a heart pounding hunt, so check out the hunting journal for all of the details. Melissa and I are getting all packed up to head downstate soon for the belated Christmas parties with my family. Take care.

December 28th, 2009. I had 5 different inquiries from buyers today. I like starting off my week like that. I'm expecting to receive an offer on my Rice Lake foreclosure lot tomorrow. Tonight I had the rack from this year's buck scored by an official CBM (Commemorative Bucks of Michigan) scorer. The buck qualified for the CBM record books, so that was pretty neat. Have a great day!

December 27th, 2009. I hope that everybody had a Merry Christmas. Ours was very nice. It was actually raining here on Christmas day, which is quite unusual. We still have more Christmas parties to attend this weekend, so we're not quite done with the holiday season. Don't forget to e-mail me some pics if you have any nice ones for 'pic of the day'. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Only about 10% of our visitors are actually voting, so if you haven't, please do. If you can click your mouse, you can vote, it is that easy!

December 24-25th, 2009. Merry Christmas!

December 23rd, 2009. It is almost Christmas! The other day I was contacted by another local realtor, and her and her clients were unable to locate one of my listings on Rice Lake. I met them out there today to show them around the parcel. The lakefront lot is a foreclosure, and is the best buy on the lake right now. It sounds like her clients are planning to write an offer, so if you have been watching this one, you better spring into action. Tonight we had some friends over to play some games/cards, and we really had a great time. I also wrapped up my christmas shopping today, so now I'm ready for the big day. Have safe travels if you are going to be on the road for the holidays.

December 22nd, 2009. Today was a nice sunny day. We sent out all the paperwork to close the deal on Froberg Road. This one only took about a week to close. I went out to the cabin today, and I have pics of lots of deer, but only one big buck, and he only comes out late at night. Melissa and her friend Janelle are out cross country skiing, and I'm waiting for them to get done so we can eat. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a good day!

December 21st, 2009. I hope your Monday was good. We officially closed on the 20 acre parcel on Bootjack Road, so congrats to all involved. I was going to go check on the cabin, but it was snowing pretty good, so I decided not to make the trip. I got a call from a visitor of the site yesterday, mostly to talk about the U.P. deer herd and other things. I always enjoy hearing from you guys. Always feel free to send me an e-mail or give me a ring. Take Care!

December 20th, 2009. Christmas is right around the corner. Saturday night we went and watched the new movie "Avatar". We really liked it. For a long movie, it seemed to go by pretty fast with all the action. Sunday night we went to a Christmas party in Copper Harbor. Good food and good friends always makes for a good time. My smoked venison sausage always seems to go over well. Paul Lewis out in Bootjack makes it, and does a fantastic job. Have a good Monday!

December 18th, 2009. Did you have a good Friday? I'm not exactly sure why, but there was a lot of traffic in Houghton today. There is also a lot of snowmobilers traveling in to enjoy our ample snowfall. Melissa wrapped Christmas presents pretty much all day. Tonight I'm making a bacon chicken ranch recipe in the slow cooker, and it smells good. Have a great weekend!

December 17th, 2009. Today I went down to the cabin. I was in the treestand at around 2:00 pm, and bowhunted until dark. You can read the details in the hunting journal. Now I'm home and ready to eat some popcorn. I bet the stores will be busy with Christmas shoppers this weekend. Maybe I'll be one of them. Have a good Friday!

December 16th, 2009. This morning I went to check my trail camera at the food plot. I was pretty excited when I saw a picture of a beautiful 10 pointer that I have never seen before! Check out 'pic of the day' to see him. I'm planning on bowhunting tomorrow. We officially closed the waterfront parcel near Jacobsville, so congrats to Dave and Mary. Take Care!

December 15th, 2009. I spent most of the day in the office. We got the paperwork out to close the 20 acre sale on Bootjack Road. The Pelkie property deal is official, so we're getting the wheels turning on that one too. I spent about 4 hours in front of the computer tonight. Every year I take all of my hunting footage, put it together, and make a DVD. It is a lot of work, but my friends and I enjoy watching it. Have a good day!

December 14th, 2009. The sellers are going to accept the offer on the Pelkie parcel, so congrats to all involved. We finally got the land division application approved for a sale on Bootjack Road, so it will be nice to finally wrap that up. In the afternoon I checked my trail camera at the food plot, and I have lots of deer coming, including 3 bucks, but no big ones. There are two new bucks on the buck pole, so check them out if you like. Cya!

December 13th, 2009. I hope you had a good weekend. Our winter storm finally passed us by. I spent Saturday in the office working on various things. Saturday night I ended up sending out a purchase agreement on this 10 acre parcel near Pelkie. Saturday night our friend Janelle bought us dinner at the North Shore. Her and I had a bet about whether the baby was going to be a boy or a girl, and I won. Sunday my buddy Ross and I went down to the cabin to do some snowplowing, and I couldn't believe the deer sign! I've decided I'm going to try to put in a late season archery hunt when I get the chance. Enjoy your Monday!

December 11th, 2009. Finally Friday. This morning consisted of the usual snow removal. I also had a buddy of mine who was stuck in Hancock, so I came and pulled him out with my truck. At the office today I made progress towards selling a 40 acre parcel near Craig Lake. Tonight we went to Holiday Party #2. I'll be working in the office tomorrow. Have a fun weekend!

December 10th, 2009. The nasty weather continues. It looks like we fast forwarded into February. I hunted hard the last couple of days, and posted new footage on the hunting journal. There is also a new buck to check out on the buck pole. My Jacobsville waterfront deal hit a small bump, so we'll end up closing next week instead of this week. I need to redo the closing statements tomorrow. My wife was happy that I brought home a Christmas Tree tonight. She always insists on a real tree, so that is what she gets. ;)

December 9th, 2009. Brr! It is cold and nasty out. Baraga got hit a lot harder with the snow than Houghton did last night. Many schools and businesses were closed today. I actually went hunting tonight, and saw lots of deer, and one buck. I got some good video that I'll post soon. Stay warm!

December 8th, 2009. We woke up to another six inches of snow. After moving snow all morning, I winterized and put away my ATV for the winter. In the office today I got paperwork finalized for another upcoming closing. In the afternoon I went and checked out some bank foreclosure properties. Buyers are always curious about foreclosures, but unfortunately, most of them are beyond help. We are bracing ourselves for a severe winter storm that is supposed to be on the way. There is a new poll question for you to vote on, it is about Tiger Woods, who seems to be getting a lot of attention lately.

December 7th, 2009. The snow keeps falling. Monday was relatively quiet. I'm starting to see an increase in e-mails from potential buyers, so that is a good sign. There is a new buck to check out on the buck pole. There is also a new entry in the Hunting Journal, complete with video. I sit and freeze for hours on end just to bring you a couple minutes of footage, so I hope you are enjoying it! ;)

December 6th, 2009. I hope your weekend was good. If you were in Houghton, you got pounded with snow! We have over 14 inches of fresh powder at our house. Saturday night we went to a work Christmas Party for my wife. One party down, many more to go. Sunday I finally got to go out hunting with a muzzleloader, and I did get some footage of a buck. I'll post it on the hunting journal soon. By the way, we closed on Parcel's A and B on US 41, so congrats to Dawn!

December 4th, 2009. Greetings from Marquette! This morning we woke up to several inches of fresh snow. However, we couldn't let it keep us from going to Marquette as planned for a little shopping. Once we neared Baraga, the weather cleared up and was nice the rest of the way. I did get the signatures and deposit for the Tamarack City lot, so congrats to Lou! We're getting ready to go have some dinner at Casa Calabria, and then we'll be heading back to the Keweenaw in the morning. Have yourself a great weekend!

December 3rd, 2009. This morning I sent out a purchase agreement for my lot in Tamarack City. I'm just waiting to receive the signatures back. After that I went down towards Mass City to take additional pics of this really nice listing. I'm working for the client as a buyer's agent. After that I got one of my muzzleloader spots ready. I checked my trail camera at the cabin, and I had pics of does, bucks, a coyote, and a bobcat all in the last three days. We're supposed to really start getting the snow anytime now. I'm ready for winter!

December 2nd, 2009. This morning I went out to Rabbit Bay to look at a potential timber sale. It looks like I got the job, so I'm looking forward to doing some forest management. I'm also hoping to write an offer on my lot in Tamarack City tomorrow. Today was a good test for my cell phone booster, and it certainly makes a significant difference. I was able to talk clearly in areas where I normally can't. After work tonight, my buddy Ross came over and helped me, and we got a much needed project done at my house. I'll be covering a lot of miles tomorrow, checking out real estate. Take Care!

December 1st, 2009. Happy first day of December. I got a cell phone signal booster installed in my truck today, which is very useful in my job. We had an appointment with our baby doctor this afternoon, and everything is going smooth. After work tonight, we met some friends at the "Lode Movie Theater" in Houghton. We watched that new movie, "The Blind Side", which was very good. It is certainly worth going to see if you haven't. Have a nice day!

November 30th, 2009. I swear that I can remember being excited about summer being here, and now it is almost December. Can you believe it? We got a little more snow today, but it isn't accumulating much yet. I got some work done today, and made some appointments for this week. I went to Surplus Outlet in Houghton to get a new winter coat. I was surprised at how great the prices were there! There is definitely no reason to leave town for holiday shopping, support your local businesses. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Take Care!

November 29th, 2009. I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving, and a nice weekend. We finally did get some snow on and off throughout the weekend. Melissa had to work today, so I surprised her and made dinner (this doesn't happen very often). I tried a good slow cooker recipe that I found online, and it turned out great. Check out the recipe here if you are curious. I've got a quite a bit going on this week, and I'm looking forward to it. Have a good day!

November 25th, 2009. I spent most of the day being excited about having a son. I worked in the office until about noon, and then headed down to the cabin. I saw about 7 deer tonight, but no bucks. I hope you all have a good Thanksgiving, and be safe if you are traveling!

November 24th, 2009. IT'S A BOY! We had our ultrasound today, and everything looked good. We were easily able to tell that it was a boy, so we're both excited. Now we have to start thinking about names. Maybe he'll like to hunt and fish?

November 23rd, 2009. I got lots done today. I was in the office all day, and we have everything sent out for three upcoming closings. I've also been answering some questions from potential buyers. I'm also going to be re-listing my house in Sylvan Estates, at a much improved price. It will sell now. Melissa and I are excited for tomorrow, as we are going to have our first ultrasound!

November 22nd, 2009. I hope that you all had a good weekend. Saturday Melissa and I went down to the cabin. I went out hunting that night, and you can see the video on the hunting journal. It was an unseasonably warm weekend. Sunday I stayed home and watched football, and I was shocked to see my Detroit Lions win their second game of the season! Anyhow, be sure to keep e-mailing me pics, I'm going to be needing some for 'pic of the day'. Have a good Monday!

November 20th, 2009. This morning I got the deal accepted on this beautiful house in Houghton. Congrats to Bob and JoAnne! That is always a good way to start the day. I spent the rest of the day in the office, and I am officially caught up. Looking forward to some sunny weather this weekend, and then hopefully snow next week. Here is a new, super affordable property near Kenton. There quite a few new pics to check out on the buck pole. There is also a new poll question for you to vote on. Officially caught up.

November 19th, 2009. It was nice to get back to work. I had a third showing on a great house in Houghton. We made a counter offer tonight, and we're hoping to have it accepted by tomorrow. I also entered in a new listing today. I drove down to check on the cabin, and everything looked good. I'm really looking forward to getting some snow soon. Many people cringe when I say that ;) Check out the buck pole for a new entry, and also the hunting journal for a new video from my trip downstate. I enjoy making these videos, so I hope that you enjoy watching them.

November 18th, 2009. I'm back! As you know, I've been gone for awhile. I ended up having to drive downstate to pick up the truck that I recently purchased. I took my hunting stuff, and decided to spend a few days hunting the family farm like I used to. It was a good time. I saw quite a few deer. I really like my new truck! It sure feels good to be back home. I have lots of catching up to do. Talk to you tomorrow!

November 12th, 2009. I hunted at the cabin this morning, and then headed back into the office. Co-worker Kevin found his buck, so congrats to him. Not much going on at work, I did get a call on an 80 acre parcel near Gay. It was another warm and windy day. I'm getting extremely anxious to pick up my new truck. I'm still trying to figure out if my buddy is going to be able to drive it up, or if I need to go get it. Have a good day!

November 11th, 2009. This morning I went down to Kenton, to list a new four acre parcel on National Forest Highway 16. I'll post the pics and details soon. It was interesting, when I was hunting tonight, I started to smell smoke. Pretty soon, it was really smokey, and there were ashes landing on me while sitting in my treestand. Soon I heard fire trucks in the distance. There is a guy that has a house about a mile south of my cabin, and his house caught fire. I hope he is okay. I had deer on the food plot, and they didn't what to think about all the smoke.

November 10th, 2009. I spent most of the day in the office, getting things ready for a couple of closings coming up soon. After that, I went hunting tonight, and then took down my treestand afterwards in the dark. Some of my spots are public land, so I like to get my gear out of there before rifle season starts. Tomorrow I have to head to Kenton to take pics and put up signs on a new listing. Have a nice day!

November 9th, 2009. The phone was pretty quiet for a Monday. I did get enough e-mails to keep me busy, however. In the afternoon, I went hunting. It was extremely windy, and I didn't see anything. I did have a great hunt on Sunday though, you can check out the details and a video on the hunting journal. Now I'm just watching some Monday Night Football. I just got an HD TV, and I must say the difference is pretty impressive. Take Care.

November 8th, 2009. I hope that you had a nice weekend. Is was pretty warm here. Saturday I had a second showing on one of the homes that we looked at on Thursday. After that I went down to the cabin hoping to hunt, but it was way too windy to be sitting in a tree. I did hunt on Sunday, and got some good footage of a nice buck that I'm looking forward to posting tomorrow night. This will be the least week of archery season, before rifle season starts next Sunday. I'm ready for a productive week.

November 6th, 2009. Today was a very busy day. In the morning I went to the waterfront home near Bootjack that I'm selling for a final walkthrough. I helped the buyers unload their U-Haul, and then we headed back to Houghton to finalize the closing. After that I sent out a purchase agreement for a deal I'm working on for a waterfront parcel near Jacobsville. I also listed some acreage near Kenton today as well. In between all of this, I finalized the deal on buying a new truck. I hope to have it up here next week. It was a productive day, and I'm looking forward to a good weekend. Enjoy your weekend!

November 5th, 2009. I got confirmation today that I'll be getting a check from the insurance company for my truck damage. I've decided to get a new truck. Hopefully I find one soon. Tonight I showed four houses. A couple of them were very nice, we'll see what happens. I'm hoping to do plenty of hunting this weekend. I got some pictures of some nice bucks that are starting to show up around the cabin. Hopefully I'll have some nice video footage for you by Monday.

November 4th, 2009. Today I finalized the details for my Friday closing. I also set up some showings for Thursday night. I was excited to finally get out in the woods again tonight. I'm hoping to hunt quite a bit before rifle season arrives. Check out the hunting journal for a new video of a buck.

November 3rd, 2009. I've been getting prepared for some showings later this week. Tomorrow an insurance appraiser is coming to look at my truck so they can decide if they are going to approve the estimate that I recently had. I'm starting to think about getting a new truck, we'll see. We had a check up this afternoon at the hospital. The baby's heart is still beating strong, and in three weeks we are going to have the first ultra sound. We are planning on trying to find out whether it is going to be a boy or a girl. By the way, there is a new poll question for you to vote on. Also the buck pole is new and very much improved. Now you can leave comments on pics if you like. There are two new deer on there as well. If you have any nice deer pics, be sure to e-mail them to me.

November 2nd, 2009. I got lots of work done today. In the morning I went out to Jacobsville to finalize the 20 acre sale. After that I checked out a waterfront parcel that I am doing a market analysis on. I stopped by the office of DPM assessing to drop off the land division application for the 20 acre sale. I have seen many 'for sale by owner' deals have future problems because the seller didnt' know this was required. In Michigan, if you are selling off a part of your property that is less than 40 acres, you need to confirm that you have the right to make land divisions, make sure that the division meets all of the township requirements, and then go through land division application process with the township. Anyhow, got lots of office work done after that. I'm anxious to get out in the woods and do some hunting soon.

November 1st, 2009. November is here! My buddy Gary left for home this morning. It has been fun having all of the company up here, but it is still nice to get things back to normal. Yesterday was my 30th birthday, but I was at the cabin, so Melissa had a party for me tonight. Lots of good friends showed up, and everybody had a good time. This morning I got the offer accepted on 20 acres out of the 40 acre listing near Jacobsville. I'm anxious to get in the office tomorrow and get everything organized. By the way, here is a very nice new listing just south of Houghton. Have a productive week!

October 29th, 2009. Another rainy day in the Keweenaw. Tonight Gary went hunting and didn't see a thing. I had work to do, so I spent the afternoon in the office. It was good to get caught up. I've got a big closing coming up next week. They finally got the street project done in downtown Houghton. All of the detours are gone, and traffic can flow smoothly once again. Time to get going. we're all going bowling at the Mine Shaft tonight.

October 28th, 2009. I've got a couple of deals in the works, but I'm still trying to get them together. We received another offer on this great waterfront buy in Keweenaw county, and we plan to counter offer it tomorrow. We're also still back and forth on this 40 acre parcel near Jacobsville. I did however put a deal together on my last highway parcel near Baraga. I currently have all four parcels under contract. The weather for hunting isn't very good right now, as it warmed up signficantly. Gary went out tonight, but didnt' see anything. I'm looking forward to getting some snow (lots of people cringe when I say that).

October 27th, 2009. Today we counter offered on the Jacobsville 40, we'll see what happens. I also put up signs and took pics of a new listing near Tapiola. I dropped my deer off at the taxidermist, so now I won't get to look at him until next spring. On the hunting journal, I updated yesterday's brief slide show with a better video, that includes the recovery. Be sure to check it out, or just click here to see the new video. Have a good day!

October 26th, 2009. Today I was still smiling about my successful hunt last night. I ended up writing an offer today on one of my 40 acre listings near Jacobsville. Gary is out hunting right now, and I'm giving myself the night off. Be sure to check out the hunting journal, as I have the story, and a short video slide show with pics of the buck. Take Care!

October 25th, 2009. What a weekend. Saturday night after hunting I had an unfortunate incident. On the way back to the cabin a buck ran out of nowhere and I hit it hard with my truck. My truck has lots of damage, but seems driveable. I'll have to get some estimates to get if fixed. On Sunday after I decided that my truck wasn't leaking any fluids, I drove it down to one of my hunting spots. It was raining and nasty out, but at 5:15 pm, I shot my biggest buck ever! I got a beautiful 8 pointer with a 17 inch spread, and it weighed 206 lbs! I'm extremely happy, especially since my season has been so slow. I'll post pics and videos on the hunting journal soon, so keep checking in. :)

October 23rd, 2009. Lots of rain and wind today. We're supposed to get some snow accumulation overnight, and I hope that we do. I entered in a couple of new listings today. One was a bank foreclosure on Rice Lake, the other is a 10 acre parcel near Tapiola. My buddy Gary is supposed to be up sometime tomorrow night. We plan on hunting hard, and I hope that we some deer. The snow should help. Have a fun weekend!

October 22nd, 2009. Today was productive. I sent out another purchase agreement for another one of my highway parcels near Baraga. I have three of them under contract right now. We got our awards from State Wide Corp today, and our Houghton office was the #1 office for the first time! I'm glad to see our office continue to grow. I'm taking a few days off from hunting until my next hunting buddy shows up this weekend. I'm impatiently waiting for the deer movement to improve. Enjoy your Friday!

October 21st, 2009. My company left this morning, so I headed back into the office and got a lot done. I've got a couple new deals that I'm hoping to get under contract by the end of them month. Everybody on Shelden Ave is anxiously waiting for the weather to dry up so that they can finalize the street constructions, and we can get back to our normal driving patterns. There is a new 'poll question' for you to vote on. Have a good day!

October 20th, 2009. I can't believe that we are nearing the end of October already. Tonight was Jim's last hunt, he saw a few bucks, but nothing too big. We officially closed on the property on Brooks Road, so congrats to Kurt. They are calling for plenty of rain for the next few days, so I might not be out in the woods too much. Take Care!

October 19th, 2009. I hope that you are having a good week. My buddy Jim and I managed to lock ourselves out of the cabin this morning, so we had to drive up to see my wife at work to get her key. After work today I had a really good showing on this Portage Lake parcel. Hopefully they'll end up writing an offer. Jim went hunting tonight and didn't see a thing. Maybe we should try fishing instead.

October 18th, 2009. This weekend consisted of mostly hunting. My buddy and I have been hitting the woods hard, but not seeing much. This fall is off to a really slow start for me. I have some real estate to take care of Monday, and I'm looking forward to it. Have a good week!

October 16th, 2009. I hope you had a good Friday. I felt kind of silly today. My buddy Jim was supposed to be coming up for some hunting, and he was supposed to be here by noon. So I came out to the cabin, started cooking a roast, brought pastys, and waited...and waited... Come to find out he had told me that he was coming out on SATURDAY. Oops. Needless to say I had a pretty large dinner for myself. I did go hunting tonight, but the weather was very nasty, and the deer weren't moving very well. Have a great weekend!

October 15th, 2009. I got quite a bit done today. My hunting spots are all ready. I have my buddy Jim coming up tomorrow, and he'll be hunting with me for a few days. I spent some time in the office getting everything set. Tomorrow we are supposed to close on the 9.8 acre parcel on Brooks Road. I also received a deposit today on one of my land contract parcels on US 41. Be sure to check out the hunting journal for another new entry and video. I've posted two new videos in the last 24 hours, so make sure you check them both out if you haven't yet. I got some fantastic footage of a coyote. Have a good Friday!

October 14th, 2009. Another nice, cool fall day. After hunting last night, I stayed the night at the cabin. Between noon and 1:00 PM today, I saw 6 deer out the window on my rye plot. I took some pics that I'll eventually post. I've got so much good video to share, I'm just trying to get caught up on the hunting journal. I did put together my video for the weekend of hunting in the lower peninsula. It is going to take about an hour to upload on youtube, so I'll post it on the hunting journal in the morning. Keep checking, it will be there soon. Have a good Thursday!

October 13th, 2009. It is great to be back in the Keweenaw. We had a really nice weekend down in the lower peninsula. We had a 101st birthday party for my great grandmother. She still lives independently and is sharp as can be. We stopped at the hospital on our way back just in time to see our cousin Allison's newborn baby, Mason. I also managed to go hunting three times. This morning I got caught up in the office, and then went hunting in the afternoon. I have lots of great video footage to share with you, I hope to have it posted by tomorrow night. Take Care!

October 13th, 2009. It is 12:30 AM and we just got home. It was a long drive, with lots of heavy snow. Had a great weekend, but need some sleep, so I'll check in with more details tomorrow night.

October 9th, 2009. We made it to lower Michigan. I'm looking forward to going hunting with my brother tonight, but I sure hope the weather improves at some point. It is just steady rain down here. They are actually calling for a chance of snow back home in the U.P. this weekend. Anyhow, we've got lots on our plate while we're down here, so I'll probably check back in with you when we get home. Have a great weekend!

October 7th, 2009. We're all set to hit the road for a few days. I didn't get the deal together on the place in Dollar Bay. I got a few things done around the house. It is that time of year when you should change the filter on your furnace, as cold weather is coming. I went hunting tonight, but it was uneventful. I'm surprised how many green leaves are still out in the woods. By the way, thanks to those of you who voted and nominated me for the 'people's choice' real estate agent. Thank you!

October 6th, 2009. Another day of constant rain. It is pretty frustrating weather when I'm itching to be out hunting. Today I wrote an offer with the buyer that I showed the place to in Dollar Bay last night. I'm optimistic that the deal will come together, as it is the perfect place for this buyer. Tonight I watched the Detroit Tigers completely blow their entire season. It was a heck of a game, so congrats to the Twins, as they surely deserved to win it. Lots of buzz about that deer pic from yesterday's "pic of the day", what a nice deer. There is a fun poll question for you to vote on. Please vote.

October 5th, 2009. It was a nice Monday. Today we closed on a 40 acre parcel near Jacobsville. Before dinner tonight I had a good showing in Dollar Bay. During the day I went to check on a couple of my trail cameras out in the woods. Wait until you see 'pic of the day', I got a pic of a beautiful north country 10 pointer. Great pic of a great deer. Also, here is a fantastic 320 acre parcel I just listed near Ewen. Very nice property. Take Care!

October 4th, 2009. It was a rainy, uneventful weekend. I went hunting on Saturday, but didn't see anything. No real estate happenings this weekend either. I guess that it is nice to relax once in awhile. I have plenty to get done this week before we hit the road for lower Michigan to visit my family for a long weekend.

October 2nd, 2009. The weather turned bad fast here. Extremely windy and rainy, so unfortunately I won't be able to go hunting until it clears up. This morning I drove to Ewen and put up signs and took pics of a new 320 acre listing. The hunting journal is back! I go through a lot of work to capture close proximity videos of these deer, so please enjoy!

October 1st, 2009. October is here! This morning we had the site evaluation for septic approval on the parcel on Brooks Road. It passed with flying colors. In the afternoon, I was ready to go hunting. I had a pretty enjoyable hunt, and I'll be posting the details along with videos on the hunting journal tomorrow night. I love fall!

September 30th, 2009. Lots of new listings. I listed a couple more 40 acre parcels near Jacobsville. Here is a property I'm excited about. How about 20 acres for 15K? There are actually 4 different parcels to choose from. I've personally never seen 20 acres listed for that price. Thank you to those of you that e-mailed me some congrats on the baby news. We'll take all the advice we can get, you can always e-mail me at josh@statewideofhoughton.com. Well, tomorrow is the first day of October, which means the opening day of archery season. Any of you that know me understand what it means to me. I'll be spending many hours in the woods this fall, and I'm looking forward to bringing back video footage to share with you. Have a great October!

September 29th, 2009. Today I drove just shy of 200 miles, taking nice fall pics of listings, to make them stand out a little more. I also entered in four new listings in the office this morning. Well.....as some of you figured out, the sound on the 'pic of the day', was the sound of a baby's heartbeat. Melissa and I are expecting our first child. She is due in April, and we are very excited!!!

September 28th, 2009. Very nasty weather today. 40 degree temps, and extremely windy. We really needed the rain though. I was supposed to have a septic evaluation this morning, but we cancelled it because of the weather. Be sure to check out pic of the day today! It is an audio file, so give it a listen, and see if you can figure out what it is!

September 27th, 2009. The last weekend of September is here and gone. Saturday was spent out to the cabin. We got the kitchen cabinets/countertop installed. It really looks great, I'll post a pic this week. I checked my trail camera pics today, and didn't have pics of any bucks at one of my favorite spots. I'm thinking that the early part of the season might be kind of slow, but of course I'll be out there no matter what. I was VERY happy today that Detroit Lions FINALLY won their first game in almost two years. I have a busy week ahead of me.

September 25th, 2009. Today we closed on the hobby farm on Old County Road, so congrats to all involved. I worked on some hunting spots, and then got caught up in the office. I have several new listings to enter in next week. I'm hoping to install my kitchen sink/cabinets at the cabin this weekend. October is almost here!

September 24th, 2009. We covered a lot of ground today. My cousin Marcus and his friend came up to visit. We went up to Copper Harbor in the morning. The colors are barely starting to change. In the afternoon we went fishing, and I caught a 20" bass. It makes me wonder if it is the same 20" bass I caught earlier this summer, since it was at the exact same logs/spot that I caught it before. I guess I can't know for sure. We had dinner at the Parkview in Twin Lakes, and then stayed at my cabin. Marcus is the first person to sleep in the newly finished loft. I also got a picture of a nice buck on my trail camera, so I was happy about that. Have a good day!

September 23rd, 2009. It was a beautiful fall day. I've got lots of closings coming up. I went down to Jacobsville today to put a couple of new 40 acre parcels on the market. I also went up to Copper Harbor today just for a scenic drive. Tonight I showed this beautifully wooded parcel near Lake Linden. My cousin Marcus is on his way up here, so I'll try to spend some time with him this week as well. The fall colors are starting to change up here, but we still aren't even close to the peak.

September 22nd, 2009. We officially closed on the Pelkie Road parcel, so congrats to James and Marcus. Since it was the first day of fall, I was determined to get out in the woods today. After getting my work done, I went and checked out one of my hunting spots, which was looking good. I hung out at the cabin for a bit before heading back to the office. My cabinets and kitchen countertop is supposed to be in any day now, and I'm looking forward to installing them. I can't wait until October 1st!

September 21st, 2009. Summer is officially over! I love fall, and I'm glad that it is here. Today we sent out the closing paperwork for the hobby farm on Old County Road. I also had to go to the health department today to get the paperwork rolling for a septic evaluation of a vacant parcel that I have under contract. I am able to oversee the whole process, which is convenient for buyers that are out of the area. After closing the office, I showed two different waterfront homes. The buyers are a very nice couple, and I enjoyed meeting them. There is a new poll question for you to vote on, so please do. Enjoy the fall season!

September 20th, 2009. Another weekend gone by too fast. Saturday was spent in the office, and then in the afternoon I went over to my sister-in-law's house to roof the garage she is building. Sunday Melissa and I went out to the cabin get some stuff done. We ate dinner out there and enjoyed the peace and quiet. I've got plenty of work to do this week. By the way, I saw a nice buck tonight on 'wildlife cam #2', at about 7:00 pm. Be sure to check those webcams from time to time. I hope your weekend was great.

September 18th, 2009. I hope you had a good Friday. Today we closed on the house in Ahmeek, so congrats to Carrie on her first home! I sent out the paperwork to list a 320 acre parcel near Ewen. Not much excitement tonight, I have to work in the office all day Saturday. Our friend Janelle stopped over and we enjoyed some Ravioli from Gino's. Now I'm watching the Tigers play an important game. Enjoy the weekend!

September 17th, 2009. Today was a good day. We got the deal together on the property on Brooks Road. I got the paperwork ready for a closing on Friday. By the way, here is my new listing near Mass City. After work, my buddy Ross and I got my hunting stand all set at the new Otter River spot. After that we went to the cabin, and got the 'buck pole' all done. It looks good, I'll post pics soon. The weeks keep flying by, enjoy your Friday!

September 16th, 2009. Today I presented the offer for the property on Brooks Rd, I expect a response tomorrow. I officially got the deal together on this great waterfront home near Lake Linden. Congrats to Sharon. After work today I went out toward the Otter River to set up a new bowhunting spot. It ended up being a lot of work. I used my chainsaw to make an ATV trail over 1/4 mile through some of the thickest terrain you can imagine. I didn't even get the treestand set yet, as I ran out of daylight. I'm excited about the property, however. My arms are feeling pretty heavy after all of that, so I'm sure I'll sleep good tonight.

September 15th, 2009. The temps dropped a little today, which made it feel more like fall. I spent most of the day at a new property I'll be listing near Covington. The property has 920 acres, a small lake, and a beautiful cabin. It is one of the nicer properties I have been on. On the way back, I went to Sandy Lake to take additional pics of a listed property for a potential buyer. Upon returning to the office, I e-mailed out a purchase agreement for my recent showing on Brooks Road. I drove 286 miles since yesterday. I cover a large area up here, but I enjoy it all. Take Care!

September 14th, 2009. I hope you had a good Monday. Today I listed a 63 acre piece of land near Mass City. I'll have details on here soon. I stopped at the cabin for awhile since I was down that way. My rye/oats food plot is already about 5 inches high, even without rye. I got trail camera pictures of one buck there, and got a picture of a nice 8 point at one of my other spots. I also got pics of coyotes and sandhill cranes. Trail cameras are pretty fun. I shot my bow for a little bit, and everything is looking good. Take Care!

September 13th, 2009. Another nice, warm weekend. Saturday I got the opportunity to fly around the Keweenaw peninsula in a private plane. It sure is amazing to see this place from the air. I got lots of great pics, and even flew over my cabin and some other properties to take pics. I'll be posting some soon. Not much happened Sunday. Just enjoyed the opening weekend of football. The Lions didn't win, but of course, they haven't won since 2007. I have to start working in the woods, I really wish the temperature would cool off, but we'll see what happens. Make it a good week!

September 11th, 2009. Real estate continues to be busy. Today I wrote an offer with a buyer on a very nice 300K+ home on Torch Lake. We are supposed to have a signed acceptance tomorrow. I also sent out a purchase agreement on another parcel on US 41 between Houghton and Calumet. After a good day of work, we went up to the Harbor Haus in Copper Harbor with friends. The dinner was the best we've ever had up there. I wanted to buy them dinner in exchange for helping me build the deck. I'm looking forward to a fun day tomorrow. Enjoy the weather!

September 10th, 2009. Today was pretty uneventful. I got the paperwork going for the deal that I put together yesterday. The warm weather continues. It is hard to believe that archery season is just a few weeks away. I still have work to do in the woods. We also really need some rain. I'm waiting to get the green light to close on the house that I sold in Ahmeek. Tonight Melissa and I had dinner at Gemignani's in Hancock. Tonight was the season opener for the NFL, so I've been enjoying the game. Have a very good Friday!

September 9th, 2009. I hope that everyone is having a good week. I showed some properties today, and we ended up getting an offer accepted on a nice parcel on US 41 between Baraga and Houghton. I feel very fortunate to have been so busy this year. Today I got my exhaust system replaced on my truck, and also picked up my ATV from the shop, so now I'm ready to get back in the woods. I'm really hoping for some rain to help get my food plot growing. Anyhow, I just enjoyed a nice dinner, and now we're watching the Tigers on TV. Have a good day!

September 8th, 2009. Today was a good day. I got a lot done at the office, and then had a great showing on this beautiful parcel on Brooks Road. The showing went very well, and I'll be surprised if they don't make an offer. In the afternoon, I had a closing on a house in Houghton. I've got a few new deals in the works, which makes me happy. After work tonight, a buddy and I went up to the Keweenaw to do a little pike fishing. I usually don't get out fishing much this late in the summer, but it really was nice since the weather is so warm. We landed quite a few pike, including a couple of decent ones. I lost one at the boat that was about 29 inches, and my buddy had a really big one follow the lure up to the boat, but it didn't hit. On the way home we were driving through Eagle River, and just outside of town a HUGE black bear was crossing the road. He stopped in the ditch and just stared at us when we stopped. He was the biggest black bear that I have ever seen in the wild, so that was very exciting. You never know what you might encounter in the Keweenaw.

September 7th, 2009. I hope that everybody enjoyed their Labor Day Weekend. Our weather here was some of the nicest we've had all summer. We went to a cookout on Saturday, and then Sunday we went out to the cabin. I brought my chainsaw and cut down a couple of dead trees near the cabin. We had some friends show up, and we had quite a fire all night. Other than that, we just really enjoyed the peace, quiet, and weather. There is a new poll question, so check it out. Enjoy the short week!

September 4th, 2009. I sure got a lot done in the last 48 hours. We got the deck all finished. It sure adds a lot of enjoyment being able to sit outside on the deck and enjoy the peace and quiet. I also had my farmer come over to the cabin today to disc and plant my food plot. This year I planted rye and oats. I have some properties to show this weekend. Here is one of my new commercial/residential properties in Houghton. Nice price for this location. Anyhow, the weather has been great the last couple of days, and it looks to be a nice weekend. Be sure to get out and enjoy the holiday weekend!

September 3rd, 2009. I'm really tired so this is going to be short. I quit work at noon today, and my buddy Ross met me out at the cabin. We worked until dark and got my deck built at the cabin. It is really nice, and I'm very happy about it. We had a nice bonfire, and we still have some stuff to wrap up tomorrow. Enjoy your holiday weekend!

September 2nd, 2009. It was a busy and productive day. I am still in the negotiating stages on one of my Jacobsville 40's. Another couple came in today and wrote an offer on this other 40. We already got the offer accepted, so congrats to all involved. I listed three commercial parcels near Houghton, and today I went and put signs up on them. It was quite a bit of work finding a spot that wasn't too rocky to dig through. At 1:00 we closed on the 17 acre parcel on Bootjack Road, so congrats to Paul. After closing the office tonight, I showed a house in Tamarack City, and two in Lake Linden. I think we may be writing an offer on one of the Lake Linden houses. I like busy days!

September 1st, 2009. September is here! One more month until archery season. I can't wait. I got my lumber dropped off at the cabin so I can build my deck. I sent out a purchase agreement today for one of my new 40 acre listings in Jacobsville, and I have another buyer coming in tomorrow to write an offer on the other 40. It is always good to be busy. I'm watching a deer on the wildlife webcams as we speak, be sure to check them out. The best time to view deer is at dusk and dawn. I'm glad you are enjoying me site, please e-mail the link to a friend. Thanks!

August 31st, 2009. We are offically at the end of August. Another short but sweet summer. It was a very nice day today. After work, I went down to the cabin with a load of gravel in the back of my truck. There was one low spot in the parking area of my cabin that I have been wanting to fill in, so after about an hour of shoveling it out of the back of my truck, it is much better. I also ordered my material to build a deck. I have been noticing that the apple trees are really loaded with apples this year, and some of them are already dropping. Plenty of deer tracks around my apple trees is always a nice thing to see. I hope you had a good August!

August 30th, 2009. Another weekend that flew by. I was in the office all day on Saturday, and got a couple of good leads. The phones have been ringing pretty steadily with buyers. Sunday I showed a house in Hancock, but it wasn't a good fit for my buyer, so we're going to look at other houses this week. I wanted to work on a hunting spot, but I couldn't get my ATV started, so I managed to get it in the back of my truck so I can drop it off at the shop tomorrow. It is getting to be that time of year where I'll be using it a lot. I have a feeling that this is going to be a productive week. Take Care!

August 28th, 2009. Lots of rain. After work today, Melissa's friend from college and her husband arrived for a wedding this weekend. They are staying with us for the night. We took them down to the cabin, and then we had a good dinner at the Parkview in Twin Lakes. By the way, be sure to check out the new and improved "Wildlife Cams". I put two different wildlife cams on the same page, so you can watch them both at once. Check it out, they tend to get pretty entertaining the further we get into fall. I'm scheduled to be in the office on Saturday. Enjoy your weekend and stay dry!

August 27th, 2009. The weather was nice today, and we need to enjoy it, as summer is winding down. Here is my new listing between Lake Linden and Gay that will please the pickiest of buyers. Very, very nice parcel. In the morning I listed some prime commercial property in Houghton. I'll have it up and running soon. In the afternoon I drove out to St. Cyr subdivision near Skanee to set up a lockbox for this spotless cabin on Lake Superior. There are two showings on it this weekend, so we'll keep our fingers crossed. Have a nice Friday!

August 26th, 2009. Today we closed on the 40 acre parcel near Covington. That one sure didn't last long. I went out toward Lake Linden later to put up signs and take pics of my latest listing. I was extremely impressed by the property, and I'm looking forward to selling it. I had to vacate the house for several hours tonight while my wife hosted a "Party Lite Candle Party". I think it is an excuse for women to spend money, but that is just my guess. I guess I really can't complain considering how much I put into the cabin. Anyhow, I know that they all had a good time, and that is most important. Time to get ready for another day. See ya!

August 25th, 2009. Today we closed on the 95 acres on Copper City Gay Road, so congrats to all who were involved. Later I listed a really nice piece of land outside of Lake Linden, I'll go take pics of it tomorrow. After work tonight my buddy Ross and I went out to the cabin and finally completed every last piece of trim in the cabin. I'm ready to put a bed up in the loft. Next up is building a deck. Interesting results in yesterday's poll question. At this time 97% of potential buyers want the price listed in a real estate ad. Good advice if you are trying to sell your property by owner. If you are ashamed to put the price out there, it is probably too high. Have a nice day!

August 24th, 2009. It was pretty uneventful for a Monday. I'm all set for a couple of closings this week. I always check out the real estate listings in the classified ads in our newspaper. I notice that many times, the 'for sale by owner' properties never have a price listed. Why is that? If I were looking to buy real estate, the price is a pretty important factor. With that in mind, please vote on the new poll question, as I'd like to get some feedback on this. I've noticed some real estate agencies in other areas do this as well. Also, only about 20% of the traffic is actually voting, so if you haven't been voting, do it. Thanks!

August 23rd, 2009. It was a busy and productive weekend. Saturday I wrote an offer on my 17 acre parcel on Bootjack Road. The seller plans to accept the offer on Monday. Later in the afternoon I replaced the sideview mirror on my truck, and replaced a burned out daytime running lamp. Saturday night we went to a nice wedding reception at the Ramada Inn in Hancock. Sunday I got some trim work done at the camp, and then I ended up getting three different treestands set and ready for archery season. I still have more stands to go, but I'm glad to be making progress. Also, if you have been looking for an inexpensive parcel overlooking Lake Superior, click here. Enjoy the last full week of August!

August 21st, 2009. We had to roll up our sleeves a bit, but we got the hobby farm deal together, so congrats to all involved. Here a couple of new listings near Jacobsville. This a nice 40 acre parcel on Jacobsville Road, and this is an affordable 10 acre parcel on Bootjack Road. There was already a showing on the 10 acre piece today. I entered in my new listing on Tamarack Waterworks road today. Melissa's parents got us an Applebee's gift certificate for our anniversary, so we met some friends for dinner and used it tonight. I need the weather to dry up so I can start getting my bowhunting stands set. We are also going to another wedding this weekend. Busy summer!

August 20th, 2009. We're still in negotiations for the hobby farm. We'll find out tomorrow for sure whether or not we have a deal. Here is a new listing that is one of the most inexpensive parcels in the Keweenaw, and with seller financing available, it is a very easy way to have a place up here. I got the paperwork finalized today for two closings that I have next week. Later in the day, I went up to Copper Harbor to check out some properties. It was a cold, rainy, foggy day. I'm looking forward to some better weather, as I have lots of outdoor projects to get wrapped up. Have a great Friday!

August 19th, 2009. I wrote an offer on the hobby farm this morning, we have a counter-offer, so we'll see what happens. You all know how much I enjoy my cabin, so I think that you need a cabin of your own. This cabin near Ontonagon has a price reduction, and is a very affordable way to start enjoying the U.P. I listed three parcels near Jacobsville today, and also took pics of a new listing near Lake Superior tonight. I'm hoping for another productive day tomorrow.

August 18th, 2009. The temperature dropped dramatically today. I had a good showing on this hobby farm near Calumet. We officially closed on the 40 acre parcel near Bootjack, so congrats to Darrell and Kathy. After work tonight, my buddy and I went down to the cabin and installed a 'directional light' that I hadn't gotten around to installing yet. I'm thinking about ordering the materials to put a deck on the front. Archery season starts October 1st, and I have a lot of things I need to do between now and then. Take Care!

August 17th, 2009. It feels good to be back to work. Typically I'm not much for sitting in the office, but today was kind of nice since it was pretty hot outside. The temps are supposed to drop back to the 60's by tomorrow. I'm pretty well caught up with being gone, now I have some listings to put on the market. I'm also supposed to show my hobby farm near Calumet tomorrow. Tonight we had the in-laws over for dinner, and had pork chops on the grill. We better start making the most of the summer weather, since it will be gone before you know it. Have a nice day!

August 16th, 2009. We are home! The wedding yesterday was in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Meijer Gardens. It was a beautiful wedding, and everything went smoothly. I got to see many people that I haven't seen in about 10 years. Driving back from Grand Rapids today made for a long drive. I expect to be very busy on Monday, getting caught up with work. Tonight I also went to take down signs from my recent sale near Covington, but unfortunately somebody had stolen my signs. I don't know what people enjoy about stealing real estate signs, but I usually lose about 10 per year, which starts to add up. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to a busy week in real estate. Take Care!

August 13th, 2009. Greetings from Lower Michigan! We are enjoying nice weather down here. We arrived last night at about 8:00 pm, and then unloaded hay until about 10:30. We've been running around today visiting friends and family. Later I have to go up to Cadillac to try on my tux for Saturday's wedding. Wednesday morning before we left I officially got the deal accepted for the 95 acres near Copper City. Today I am sending out a purchase agreement for a waterfront home between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor. Enjoy the rest of the week!

August 11th, 2009. Today was a wonderful, beautiful day in the Keweenaw! Lots of happenings in real estate right now. Today was also our 2 year wedding anniversary! It is hard to believe it has been two years already. Tonight the entire team at State Wide Real Estate (including spouses) enjoyed a cruise on the Keweenaw Star. If you have never done it, I highly recommend it. It was probably the nicest night so far this summer, and everybody had a great time. After that we had a late dinner of delicious pizza at the Ambassador. Tomorrow morning I have one deal to get wrapped up, and then we are heading downstate to my family farm. I found out that I will be unloading hay as soon as we arrive tomorrow evening. I'll probably be without internet for a couple days, so I'll check in as soon as I can. Bye!

August 10th, 2009. Today was pretty busy. I didn't quite get the deal together on the Copper City property, but I expect to by tomorrow. In the afternoon I looked at a nice new house that I'll be listing in Laurium. Later on I met with a seller who owns some prime commercial property near Houghton that I'll be listing as well. There are more listings than buyers right now, but I'm still selling plenty of real estate, so I can't complain. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Take Care!

August 9th, 2009. I hope you had a good weekend. Friday night I stayed at the cabin, but didn't really get any work done. Saturday the weather wasn't very good, so it ended up being pretty uneventful. Sunday afternoon I showed the 95 acre parcel near Copper City. I've been getting lots of interest on it, and I finally wrote a good offer on it. I expect a response from the seller on Monday. After that, I went fishing down by Twin Lakes, but didn't catch much. I'm going to have a busy Monday. Have a great week!

August 6th, 2009. Today was very productive. I went up to Copper Harbor to take pics and put up signs on a new listing. I also have a deal cooking on some acreage near Lake Linden. Later in the afternoon, I wrote an offer with a buyer on my residential listing in Ahmeek. The seller has already verbally accepted the offer, I just need to get her signature tomorrow. After that I received an offer on my Covington 40 that I listed two days ago. I expect an acceptance on that offer as well. I have showings planned for tomorrow. Have a great Friday!

August 5th, 2009. Lots of calls from buyers today. This is my new 40 acre listing near Covington. I already had a couple calls on it today, and I don't expect it to last long. After closing down the office, I showed a waterfront home on Portage Lake. The showing went well. Later tonight I checked out a new survey that was just done on a lot I own near Tamarack City. Enjoy the day!

August 4th, 2009. This morning I entered in my new listing near Covington. I'll have the details posted tomorrow. After that, I went out to the cabin to start putting up trim in the loft now that the carpet is down. I got the end wall completely done, and I have just a little bit left to do before it is done. I'm looking forward to the day where I have no work left to do out here, but I don't know if that day will ever come. Melissa and her sister also came out to the cabin tonight, and did some work. We had a nice bonfire tonight. Everytime I am here I never want to leave. I have a busy day of real estate tomorrow, so time for bed. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a nice day!

August 3rd, 2009. This morning I had to run out to the cabin to let the guys from Kirkish Furniture in to lay the carpet in the loft. While the door was open, a bat flew inside, and it was pretty interesting getting it out. Once we had that over with, they did a nice job, and the carpet looks great. I'll post a pic later this week. Back in the office, I had plenty to do, and I still have plenty to do tomorrow morning. We did close on the waterfall property in Eagle River, so congrats to all involved. Anyhow, I have to see how much I can get done this week, as we have to leave for another wedding next week. Summer is a busy time of year. Take Care!

August 2nd, 2009. Is it really August already? Every summer seems to go by faster. I had so many things that I wanted to get done by fall, and I have a long way to go. The wedding in Canada this weekend was a lot of fun. Those Canadiens sure know how to have a good time. On the way back home today, we stopped near Covington to take pics and put up signs about a 40 acre parcel I just listed down there. Anyhow it is great to be home, and we're ready for another week.

July 31st, 2009. Greetings from Canada! We made it to Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, for our friend's wedding. We stopped in Marquette to do a little shopping on the way. It ended up being about a 5 hour road trip. We just returned from a nice dinner, and now we're ready to rest up for the big day tomorrow. By the way, here is an extra nice cabin on Lake Superior in Baraga County that I just listed. I was very impressed by this place. We're looking forward to a fun weekend, I hope yours is good as well!

July 30th, 2009. I sold a property today, which is always a good day. We got an accepted offer on this 10 acre parcel on Pelkie Road, so congrats to Marcus and James. Here is a six bedroom house I just listed in Mohawk, which is a lot of house for the money. Also, I'm pleased to have listed this fantastic 411 acre parcel near Copper Harbor. I've spent a lot of time on this property, and it is truly special. This property has over 3/4 mile frontage on the beautiful "covered road" stretch on the way to Copper Harbor. We're getting packed up to hit the road to Canada tomorrow. Have a great Friday!

July 29th, 2009. This morning I put up signs at the new house listing in Mohawk. Today I also listed a 411 acre parcel on the 'covered road' near Copper Harbor. Here is a really nice place on over 600' of Lake Superior Frontage. This is a very quiet area, and is priced to sell. Melissa and I are headed to Canada this weekend for a wedding, these summers sure fly by quickly. We're at that age where we have lots of friends that are getting married. Talk to you tomorrow.

July 28th, 2009. I drove more than 200 miles today listing new properties. I went and looked at a very nice cabin on Lake Superior, north of Skanee. Later on, I listed a house in Mohawk (north of Calumet). I'm looking forward to closing on the waterfall home in Eagle River this week. Tonight we had a gift certificate for the North Shore Pub & Grill, so we enjoyed that. Now I'm pretty tired and ready for another day tomorrow. Take Care!

July 27th, 2009. Monday was busy as expected. I have had four inquiries on this acreage north of Houghton. If you are looking for land, this is absolutely one of the best buys out there. After lunch I drove down to Jacobsville and listed a really nice place on 600' of frontage on Lake Superior. Details to follow soon. I have more listings to look at tomorrow. Have a good Tuesday!

July 26th, 2009. My brother made it back to the L.P., but we sure had a fun weekend. Saturday we scouted a couple of new bowhunting spots, and even set a new stand. In the late afternoon, we decided to fish for a few hours, and did very good. We caught two bass and several pike in no time. We did a lot of topwater fishing for pike this weekend, which if fun. Check out the video of a couple of pike caught this weekend. I also posted this video in the hunting journal. On the real estate side, check out this new waterfront listing near Copper Harbor. This parcel is priced to beat anything else up there for that size of lot. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. I already have lots of appointments scheduled for this week. Take Care and enjoy the pike video!

July 24th, 2009. Friday is here and gone. I actually ended up having a somewhat busy day at the office. A couple came in and listed a residential lot in the city of Houghton. In the afternoon we closed on the property on Oneco Road, so congrats to Craig and Ashley, who will be building their first home there. After that my brother Adam and I went down to the cabin, and then enjoyed a great dinner at Henry's in Rockland. We hope the weather hold up for us to go fishing tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

July 23rd, 2009. It was a very fun day. After getting out of the office in the afternoon, my brother Adam arrived. They are calling for some rainy weather this weekend, so we decided to take advantage of tonight's great weather. Even though we got a late start, we went up to Keweenaw county. It was a beautiful night, and we probably landed at least 20 pike. The biggest was about 28". We heard coyotes howling in the woods nearby, and we also saw a deer swim across the lake, right past our boat. It really was an enjoyable evening. I've got a closing tomorrow, and then we'll see what the day brings.

July 22nd, 2009. I finally got one of my closings scheduled today. Friday we'll get the deal wrapped up. Tomorrow I've got some office stuff to do, and then I'm looking forward to my brother arriving from lower Michigan. Hopefully the weather isn't too bad this weekend, as we're hoping to do a little fishing. I'm anxious to show you my new waterfront listing in Copper Harbor, the details should be ready by tomorrow. Have a good Thursday!

July 21st, 2009. Another day. I'm seeing a noticeable increase in buyer inquiries the last few days. I'm still working on a couple of closings, one of them is getting increasingly complicated. That is one thing I have noticed this year is that none of the deals seem easy anymore. Tonight I drove up to Copper Harbor to take pictures and put up signs of a new waterfront listing. I'll enter it into the MLS tomorrow. Take Care!

July 20th, 2009. Today was a very nice day. I had plenty of errands to run. I picked out the carpet for the loft in the cabin. I closed out a deal today. The hobby farm on Rousseau Road is now sold, so congrats to David. I have a couple of more closings that I hope to wrap up by the end of the week. I've also scheduled some upcoming showings with buyers, so I'm looking forward to that. If you are still thinking about selling, it is not too late to list. If you are thinking about buying, right now is a great time! We've got banks with money to lend at very good rates. If you don't want to work with a bank, we've got sellers willing to do seller financing. If you don't own a piece of the upper peninsula, you should!

July 19th, 2009. It feels great to be back in the Keweenaw. The weekend went by pretty quickly, but it is always nice to be back home. I have plenty to do this week before my brother arrives on Thursday. July is a great time of year, enjoy your week!

July 17th, 2009. Another fun day in the twin cities. Today we arrived at our friend's condo in Minneapolis. After catching up for awhile, we went out to dinner at a nice place called 'the news room' in the downtown area. We walked around and visited a few other places. This is a really nice city. Their condo is in a really tall building, so it is neat to see the nighttime city lights as I type this. We have plenty of things planned for tomorrow, so I better get to bed. Enjoy your weekend!

July 16th, 2009. Hello from Minneapolis! The drive wasn't too bad today. The temperatures are pretty cool here, but I hear that they are even colder back in the U.P. It is always interesting for me to look at real estate brochures from other areas. It is amazing how low our prices are compared to most of the country. Especially when you consider the beauty of our land, and the quality of life. Anyhow, we're staying with Melissa's relatives tonight, and then we'll be spending the rest of the weekend with our friends John and Danielle. Have a great Friday!

July 15th, 2009. Today we officially closed on the 20 acres on Rice Lake road, so congrats to Justin! Today I learned that I shouldn't be distracted on the cell phone while backing up with my truck. I forgot how close I was to a light pole, and ended up with my side view mirror on the ground and a nice dent in my truck. Insurance should cover it. Later I looked at a nice new waterfront home that I'll be listing in Jacobsville. After that I got everything wrapped up so we can hit the road. We'll be on the way to Minneapolis all day. We'll check in from Minnesota!

July 14th, 2009. I didn't have any appointments today, so I spent some time at the cabin. It seems that in the summer, weekends are usually busy with showings, so you kind of take a day off whenever it presents itself. I did get the paperwork back on a waterfront listing near Copper Harbor. Tomorrow I have an appointment to look at a potential new listing near Jacobsville. Right now I'm enjoying watching the MLB All Star game. I'm still excited for our road trip this weekend. Make sure you take a fun trip this summer if you haven't already!

July 13th, 2009. The nice summer weather continues. I've got a couple of closings coming up this week, and then we are off to Minneapolis for the weekend. I sent out a purchase agreement today on one of my listings, I'm just waiting to get the signatures back. After work, I went down to one of my favorite lakes to do some fishing. It started off very windy and slow, but I ended up landing a couple of pike and a couple of bass. Any day of fishing is a good day. Speaking of fishing, please vote on the new poll question. Have a good day!

July 12th, 2009. It was a very nice weekend. Saturday morning I ended up showing this townhouse in Houghton to two different buyers, and both showings went well. The offer I wrote on Friday night isn't looking good, as it seems that there was a better competing offer. Later Saturday I showed a couple of houses up in Keweenaw county. Sunday I went up to Copper Harbor to pick up my camper and deliver it to a friend who is buying it from me. I've had a lot of great memories with that camper, and I really hate to see it go. But now that I have the cabin, I've come to the realization that I'm just not going to be using the camper anymore, and I hate to see it just sitting around. Have a great week!

July 10th, 2009. I covered a lot of ground today. I showed waterfront properties all over the Keweenaw today. It was a long day, but we saw some great properties and had a good time. The buyers are very nice. We ended up writing an offer in the office at 10:00 pm on one of the places, so we'll see what happens. Tomorrow morning I have another waterfront showing with another buyer, so I better get to bed. Take Care!

July 9th, 2009. It was a busy day. This morning I showed this fantastic piece of waterfront between Houghton and Baraga. In the afternoon, I met with a client to address an offer that we received. Later I showed a couple of houses in Hancock, including this house on Quincy Street, that is a very good deal at 99K. Tomorrow I'm going to try to pick out some carpet for the loft at the cabin. The weather has been great, summer in the U.P. is fantastic. Have a good day!

July 8th, 2009. The weather was very nice today. In the morning, I met a buyer down in Baraga who bought some property from me in December. He needed a clearer idea of the property lines, so I came down and showed him. The rest of the day was spent in the office, where I scheduled some nice showings coming up that I'm excited about. It sounds like my brother should be coming up to visit later in the month, so I'm looking forward to that. Take Care!

July 7th, 2009. This morning I had a closing on a house on Water Street in Hancock. I also received an offer today on my listing in Sylvan Estates. After that, I went down to the cabin to get some work done. I installed the cedar log ladder for access to the loft, and I put down the last piece of flooring, so now it is ready for carpet. The grass grows fast out there, so I had to mow it again. By the way, if you enjoy the site, please e-mail the link to a friend, as I'd like to keep increasing traffic. Thanks!

July 6th, 2009. The phones were busy today as expected. I'm hoping to write an offer tomorrow on my new land listing near Copper City. I've got a couple of closings scheduled this week, so I was in the office quite awhile getting everything squared away. Here is a new poll question for you to vote on. Be sure to use the 'today's new listings' feature on the site, as it is very useful, and you won't find it on most other sites. I hope you had a good Monday!

July 5th, 2009. What a beautiful weekend! We rented a cabin with some friends at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge for the entire weekend. On Saturday we did some fishing, and probably caught about 8 pike. Everybody got a little bit sunburned. The fireworks in Copper Harbor were fantastic as usual. This year was probably the best weather we've had for fireworks in many years. I'm expecting to receive a lot of calls on Monday, as it is usually a busy day after the holiday weekend. I hope your 4th of July was good as well. Take Care!

July 2nd, 2009. The holiday weekend is almost upon is. After office hours this morning, I traveled down to Ontonagon county to check on a logging operation. I was about as far in the wilderness as you can get between Victoria Dam and Ontonagon, and I unfortunately got a flat tire. 30 minutes of mud, mosquitoes, and ticks later, I got my spare tire on and made it back to town. We had burgers on the grill tonight, and we're ready for a fun weekend. Here is new listing that is priced right. Have a fun and safe weekend!

July 1st, 2009. July is here! Summer sure is a great time of year. I'm anxious for the weather to straighten up so I can get back out on the lakes and go fishing. I mentioned earlier in the week what a great deal I had on some Copper City property. The property can be split, so here is a more affordable version of the acreage. It is nice to see that interest rates are creeping down again. I have people tell me that they were under the assumption that you can't get a vacant land loan. Wrong! I work consistently with a lender that loans on vacant land with low downpayment, and long term fixed rate interest. If you were ever thinking about buying land up here, this is the year to do it!

June 30th, 2009. It seems like we wait forever for summer to arrive, and now July is already here! Here is a nice new hobby farm listing in a great location between Houghton and Calumet. After work tonight, my friend and I went up to Copper Harbor to check out a couple of new listings. The weather is still very cold and rainy, but everybody is happy knowing that the holiday weekend should be nice. We've made plans to be in Copper Harbor for the 4th. There is a new poll question, please vote on it!

June 29th, 2009. The week is off to a rainy, cool start. This morning I went out to a new listing on Portage Lake to put up signs and take some pictures. In the afternoon, I entered in another new listing before heading up to Tamarack Waterworks Road to show a neat little house. It looks like the weather is going to be wet most of the week, but hopefully should clear up in time for the holiday weekend. Thank you to those of you who e-mailed pics for 'pic of the day', keep them coming!

June 28th, 2009. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. The weather this weekend wasn't very good for outdoor activities, but we still had fun. Friday I got the deal accepted on a 40 acre parcel near Bootjack, so congrats to Darrell and Kathryn! I entered in a few new listings this weekend, and I have more to enter on Monday. Here is a fantastic buy near Copper City. I have a feeling that the listing will have an accepted offer by the end of the week. Saturday evening we went up to Copper Harbor and had a fantastic meal at the Harbor Haus with some friends. Unfortunately there was a bad car accident up that way, I guess we'll find out more about it in the paper on Monday. Anyhow, I continue to get calls from sellers and buyers, so the summer is off to a great start. There are a lot of properties on the market this year, but they continue to sell as long as they are priced right. Aggressive pricing is the key this year. Have a great week!

June 25th, 2009. This morning I listed a wonderful property with over 1500' on Portage Lake. I'll enter it in the MLS on Monday. In the afternoon I wrote an offer on 40 acres that I expect to get accepted tomorrow. I'm also listing some nice property in northern Houghton county, and a hobby farm between Houghton and Calumet. In the afternoon I drove up to Lac La Belle and Copper City to put up some real estate signs. We had a really fun evening with lots of friends after that. By the way, thanks to those of you that sent in pics for pic of the day, keep them coming! I'm ready for Friday!

June 24th, 2009. The warm weather continues. Melissa's parents visited us at the cabin this morning, and then we had to head back to Houghton. I had a deal together on this Rousseau Hobby Farm, but it looks it may have hit a snag. It looks like this property will be available again, so you may want to jump on it, as I've been receiving lots of inquiries. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. I know you must have at least one scenic picture on your computer, so please e-mail it to me at josh@statewideofhoughton.com, so I can use it for "pic of the day". Have a nice day!

June 23rd, 2009. Today was the warmest day so far this year. I spent the day working on the cabin. I don't have too much left to do, but I figured I might as well make some progress. I finished the tongue & groove in the loft, and got most of the flooring down up there. It will be easier to have company once the loft is finished. Melissa and I went to eat in Rousseau tonight, and it sure tasted good after a long day of work. I'm usually showing property on weekends, so sometimes a random weekday is easier to sneak out to the cabin. Back to the office tomorrow. Stay cool!

June 22nd, 2009. Monday went by pretty quickly. I spent the morning in the office, getting paperwork going on some closings. The offer on the hobby farm on Rousseau road is officially accepted, so congrats to David. I didn't have any appointments in the afternoon, so I decided to go fishing near Twin Lakes. It was a beautiful day on the water. I caught 2 pike, 2 bass, and missed quite a few. One of the bass was 20" long, very heavy, and probably a close tie for my biggest Largemouth ever. It was a beautiful fish. I'll try to get a pic of it on here soon. After fishing, I ate a delicious pasty from Krupp's Resort in Twin Lakes. I love summer!

June 21st, 2009. It was a warm, beautiful weekend. Friday night I went out to the cabin to get some work done. Saturday morning I showed this nice land contract parcel just off the shores of Lake Superior. Melissa met up with me at the cabin in the afternoon, and a couple of friends came down as well. We went and had a delicious dinner at Henry's Never Inn in Rockland. In hopes of spotting some wildlife, I took some two track roads on the way back to the cabin. It paid off, as we ended up seeing a wolf cross the road, and then it stood in the ditch and stared at us for a couple minutes before running off. It was a pretty neat encounter. Back at the cabin, we had a nice bonfire. At one point, some sort of Keweenaw critter started rustling around in the woods behind us. I've never seen two Finnish girls run so fast in my life. It was probably a raccoon, but I got a good laugh watching the girls hide inside the cabin. Anyhow, I'm ready for another week of action. Take Care!

June 19th, 2009. Not too much to report today. I just got all the paperwork rolling for the deals that I put together this week. Bridgefest is off and running. Other than some scattered rainshowers, the weather turned out pretty nice. In the afternoon I got some work done at the cabin. I have two showings this weekend, and am looking forward to having some fun in between. Enjoy your weekend!

June 18th, 2009. Another day, another deal. Today I got a deal accepted for a 24 acre parcel just north of Hancock, so congrats to Craig and Ashley! Later this afternoon I showed a new house in Lake Linden, it was a second showing, so we'll see what happens. Also, for those of you that enjoy an occasional game of solitaire (hopefully not while you're at work), I have a new and improved version here on the website. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Have a great Friday!

June 17th, 2009. Another day, another deal. Today I wrote a very good offer on my recent hobby farm listing on Rousseau Road. I have no doubt that the deal will be accepted. In the afternoon I had a closing on a nice home in Calumet, congrats to Jack and Karen! Everybody in Houghton is gearing up for bridgefest this weekend. It might be a little bit rainy, but it still looks like it should be warm. Right now I'm watching the Detroit Tigers lose another game. They need to get in gear. Take Care!

June 16th, 2009. Another day, another deal. This morning I showed a couple of properties out near Lake Linden. We ended up writing an offer on a 20 acre parcel I have listed on Rice Lake road. The deal has already been accepted, so congrats to Justin! Tonight I went up to Calumet to do a pre-closing walk through of a house I'm selling to make sure everything is ready to go. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a good day!

June 15th, 2009. Another beautiful day. I put up signs and entered the listing of a house in Ahmeek. Details should be here tomorrow. I've already scheduled many appointments this week. Buyers are ready to look at properties. Here is my new 840 acre listing near Rabbit Bay. That is one big piece of beautiful property. I'm very confident that I'll have some more deals together by the end of this week. I hope you had a good Monday!

June 14th, 2009. What a beautiful weekend! Summer weather is finally, finally here. Saturday a friend and I went up to Copper Harbor. We went pike fishing during the day, and had fun, catching about 15 in just a few hours. In the evening, we went out on Copper Harbor and fished very hard, until about 11:30 pm, and only caught one splake. It was actually my first splake, so that was cool. Sunday I went up to Ahmeek to visit the in-laws, and then served as 'caddy' for Melissa and her friends during their ladie's golf league. I'm ready for another week of real estate. Enjoy the weather!

June 12th, 2009. Friday! I am soooo disappointed that the Red Wings lost. I guess there is always next year. Today I entered in my new 840 acre listing, I can't wait to show you the details. Later in the afternoon today, I closed on a nice house in Hancock, so congrats to Ryan. After work tonight, Melissa and I spent time with friends. We are all enjoying the summer weather that has been reluctant to arrive. Enjoy your weekend!

June 11th, 2009. The weather keeps improving. Today I officially got the deal together on the Eagle River waterfall property. We are still in negotiations for my new listing near Gay. I have more listings coming soon. Tonight I went and looked at a potential new listing near Dreamland. After that, I went and took pictures of my new 840 acre listing near Rabbit Bay. The property was fantastic, and I saw every kind of wildlife track imaginable. After that I went and ribboned an approximate property line for a sale I'm working on out at Oneco Road. I'm excited for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals Friday night! Go Red Wings!

June 10th, 2009. My friend Gary left this morning. I had a showing on my new listing on Rousseau Road. That listing has been receiving lots of interest. I spent the rest of the day back in the office, where I wrote another offer on my new listing near Gay. I'm also working a few new listings that I'll be putting on the market soon. It feels good to be home, after being out and about for the better part of the last six days. Real estate is busy!

June 9th, 2009. The offer on the Lake Linden house wasn't accepted. It does look like my deal on the Eagle River waterfall property is finally going to come together. I also have another nice deal in the works, I e-mailed a purchase agreement out tonight that I expect back tomorrow. Today Gary and I went fishing up in Keweenaw county. We ended up catching probably about 15 pike, and Gary lost a couple of nice ones. Gary caught and released a 12" rock bass, which is extremely large for that species, and would actually qualify for a master angler award. We took a pic and released it. The weather finally started to get pretty nice by the end of the day. Have a nice day!

June 8th, 2009. It was a cold, rainy day. Gary and I didn't go fishing. I went in to work for awhile today, and ended up writing an offer on a house in Lake Linden. We expect a response on the offer tomorrow. Here is a new listing near Rousseau in Ontonagon county. As you can see by the price, it is a steal of a deal, and I've already had a few inquiries on it within the first few days. The weather is supposed to improve tomorrow, so hopefully we'll do some fishing. By the way, I know that the site was not opening for some of you the past few days, and I have corrected the error. Please let me know if it happens again. Take Care!

June 7th, 2009. How was your weekend? Mine was filled with fishing. The weather was pretty cold and windy throughout the weekend, but Gary and I still covered a lot of water. Saturday night we went to a lake near the cabin, and caught a few, including one pretty nice bass and a nice pike. Sunday morning we went to Prickett Dam and fished for several hours. We caught probably about 6 bass and pike, but nothing very big. The windy conditions made it very tough. Later in the afternoon we went towards Michigamme to fish the Craig Lake Wilderness Area. It is a non-motorized lake, so we had to carry our boat in about a 1/4 mile. We caught a couple, but it really wasn't worth the difficulty of carrying in the boat. Anyhow, we hope to do some more fishing in the northern Keweenaw this week. Also, here is a new property near Lake Linden. Have a good Monday!

June 5th, 2009. Friday was a good day. We got an offer on one of my listings in Houghton, we counter-offered, but the buyer intends to accept it. I entered in two new listings as well, I'll post the details soon. Hopefully my buddy Gary should be here in the morning. The long term weather looks a little cool, but I just hope it is not too windy for fishing. Enjoy your weekend!

June 4th, 2009. The weather was beautiful today. This morning I had a showing down in Baraga county. Once I returned to the office, we officially got the deal together on a house in Hancock I recently wrote an offer on. In the afternoon I went out to a new 6 acre listing near Torch Lake. I got some pics and put my signs up. Today I also listed a foreclosure for a local bank. The property was out near Rousseau, and I went down there tonight to get some pics. I stopped at the cabin and did some mowing, and put up blinds in the rest of the windows. I'm looking forward to some company this weekend, and we hope to do lots of fishing. Have a nice Friday!

June 3rd, 2009. We made it back safely from Green Bay. My vision was well better than 20/20, so no more follow up appointments. Today the 12 acres I had listed on Lake Annie Road closed, so congrats to the buyers and seller. Here is a very nice land contract parcel in a great location. With these terms, it should sell quickly. The weather was pretty nice today, and is supposed to be even nicer tomorrow. I have a showing in Baraga county in the morning. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great day!

June 2nd, 2009. Greetings from rainy Green Bay! We came down here tonight since I have my LAST follow up eye appointment at LasikPlus in the morning. We had a delicious dinner at Texas Roadhouse tonight, we even saw quite a few Packers players come in as well. After a little shopping we're ready for bed at the Cambria Suites. Tomorrow morning we'll be heading straight back to the keweenaw after my appointment. I'm sure the appointment will be quick, my vision is absolutely perfect, I'm very happy that I had the surgery. Take Care!

June 1st, 2009. Monday was another busy day. In the afternoon I showed 6 houses in Houghton and Hancock. We ended up writing a good offer on a Hancock house. After that I sent out paperwork to list an 840 acre parcel near Rabbit Bay. Later in the afternoon I showed a house in Houghton that would make a good student rental. After office hours tonight, I showed a nice house in Dollar Bay, and then listed a 6 acre parcel just outside of Lake Linden. Now do you know why I laugh when people ask me if real estate is moving at all? We are busy up here!

May 31st, 2009. Did you have a nice weekend? Saturday I was in the office from 10-3, and then I showed a couple of houses in Houghton. After that I went out to the cabin for the rest of the weekend. I intended to get some work done on the cabin, but sometimes I just want to relax, and that is what I did. My rye is growing, and is already taller than my knees. Here are couple more of my recent listings. This 20 acre parcel near Rice Lake is a nice buy. Have you been looking for land near Copper Harbor? This waterfront parcel is in a great location, and is really nice land. I also just listed this large parcel of land with access to Lake Superior on Friday. This one is a bargain. Well, I'm ready for more showings on Monday. Make it a great week!

May 29th, 2009. This morning I went up to Keweenaw county where I listed a great property near Gay, and another nice property just west of Copper Harbor. I showed my waterfall listing near Eagle River, and we ended up writing a good offer on it later in the afternoon. Here is a great parcel on Pelkie Road. I've sold four 10 acre parcels out of this property, and this is the nicest one yet. Here is another great property outside of Pelkie. Very quiet road, very peaceful property. Have a great weekend!

May 28th, 2009. Today I took pics and put signs up on a new listing near Tapiola. After that I drove west of Pelkie and took pics and put up signs at a new listing on Eilola Road. After that I drove to Baraga and took pics and put up signs on a parcel near Lake Superior. Then I drove up to Lake Linden and took pics and put up signs on a listing on Rice Lake road. After that I checked a new parcel I'm listing on Gregorie Road. I then went back to the office and loaded up the listings until about 8:30 pm when the buyers I showed homes to the previous night in Lake Linden came in and we wrote an offer on a house. I finally got home at about 9:30 for another late dinner. I'm ready for another busy day tomorrow. It was a gorgeous day by the way. Have a nice day!

May 27th, 2009. It is 9:30 pm and I'm finally getting home from work. This morning I had a closing on my one acre parcel near Nisula. In the afternoon I showed some houses in Houghton and Hancock. After closing down the office at 6:00, I showed three houses in Lake Linden tonight. After that, I met with a buyer and wrote an offer on a 30 acre parcel and already got it accepted. Real estate is really getting busy, and I'm getting lots of e-mails from potential buyers. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Take Care!

May 26th, 2009. The day was busy as expected. I set up showings with buyers virtually everyday the rest of this week. I sent out a purchase agreement for a parcel of land in keweenaw county day. This parcel on Oneco Road has been generating a lot of interest, and tonight I got an offer accepted on it. I didn't get everything done that I needed to today, and I have even more stuff to do tomorrow. I have four new listings coming up once I get an extra hour to get them on the market. I love being busy!

May 25th, 2009. We're back! I hope everybody had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We made the 8 hour drive back to the keweenaw from lower Michigan today. There was a lot of traffic heading back south, but the northbound traffic wasn't bad at all. I'm starting to get over my cold, and now Melissa is just starting a cold of her own. We had a great time visiting everyone down there, and the weather was fantastic. I did quite a bit of fishing, but one night was a little too exciting. I'm all alone out in the middle of one of my favorite lakes down there, and all of the sudden a big snake appeared from underneath one of the boat seats. I've never particularly liked snakes, so being in a small boat with a big one in the middle of the lake was not something I enjoyed. By the time I got done dancing around the boat trying to get him out (I'm lucky I didn't capsize), I looked behind me and realized that my pole was nowhere to be found. I lost my best pole in the bottom of the lake. I had to go buy another one the next day. There were a couple of young kids out on the lake, and they got a good laugh watching me tangle with the snake. Oh well. Judging by my e-mail inbox, I know I'm going to have a very busy week. Talk to you soon!

May 20th, 2009. We made it to lower Michigan. It feels like we drove right into summer. Temps are in the 80's today, the leaves are out, it is wonderful! We've been busy visiting with family and friends, and I'm ready to do some fishing. I'll try to check in again soon, Take Care!

May 18th, 2009. Today was very busy as we are getting ready to hit the road. To make things a little more difficult, I've come down with a really nasty cold, and I don't feel very good. Today I listed a house in Ahmeek, and sent out a purchase agreement for a parcel near Baraga. I'm going to try to get some rest tonight, and hopefully I won't feel too bad for the long drive tomorrow. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. If you haven't yet, check out the new "mackinac bridge cam". It is a pretty neat webcam. Maybe you'll see me on it? Have a great week!

May 17th, 2009. My cousin Marcus was up visiting this weekend, and we stayed very busy. We covered a lot ground fishing and touring the Keweenaw. Saturday we intended to go fishing, but severe winds and snow forced us to abandon the fishing trip. Sunday we went fishing in Houghton county and had a nice day. The sun was out and we landed some nice fish. I'll have a busy day tomorrow getting everything at work lined up so I can leave this week. Melissa and I will be traveling to visit my family farm. I hope you enjoyed your weekend!

May 15th, 2009. Yesterday we closed on the lot on Donmar street, so congrats to all who were involved. I also got an accepted offer on my one acre parcel in Nisula. I've listed three new properties, one is this waterfront home on Lac La Belle. I still think that this is one of the better waterfront buys on the market. I also listed this parcel on US-41. This is a prime location between Houghton and Calumet. I'm very pleased to show you this new listing on Oneco Road. Some properties I just know as soon as I list them that they will sell quickly, and this will be one of them. My cousin Marcus arrived last night, and we stayed the night down at the cabin. Today we went up to Keweenaw county to do some fishing for the pike opener. The extremely windy conditions resulted in us not catching any fish. It didn't really matter, and day on the water in the Keweenaw is a great day. We've covered a lot of ground in the last 24 hours, and we're planning on having plenty of fun this weekend. I hope you have a fun weekend!

May 13th, 2009. This morning I received a phone call from a landowner in Baraga county. I e-mailed him a listing agreement and hope to get the signatures back tomorrow. I'm still negotiating some counter-offers on the houses I've written offers on this weekend. Later in the afternoon, I also listed a new parcel right on US-41 between Houghton and Calumet. Tonight we had some friends over for dinner and some card games. It is warm and raining right now, but I think it is supposed to be sunny tomorrow. I hope so because I have some real estate signs that I need to put up, and some sold signs that I need to take down. Real estate is really moving right now, and I'm actually going to run an ad on local T.V., because I need more houses to sell. Residential seems really hot right now with all of the incentives for buyers. If you know anybody with a house to sell, please send them my way.

May 12th, 2009. Real estate is really moving. This morning I got the deal accepted on the nice house up in Calumet. Later in the day I had 5 showings, and ended up writing offers on two different homes. After all of that I went up to Oneco road, where I listed a fantastic building site. I am so pleased to have this new listing, I can't wait to show you the details. Time to unwind for a few minutes before I go to bed. Have a nice day!

May 11th, 2009. Real estate continues to be busy. This morning I wrote an offer on a house in Calumet. In the afternoon, I showed a couple of homes in Hancock. Later in the evening, I went up to Mohawk for a showing, but the buyer never showed up. I'll hopefully find out tomorrow what happened. There is lots of talk about the first time homebuyer's tax credit. Many people are taking advantage of this program right now. I'm ready for another busy day tomorrow. Take Care!

May 10th, 2009. It was a busy weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there. Saturday I had a cancellation on a showing, but I was still in the office until about 4 pm. The talk of the town was all of the snow we received Saturday. It snowed most of the day, but it didn't really accumulate. Sunday was right back to being a nice sunny day. I showed seven houses on Sunday, and then spent the rest of the day with the in-laws for Mother's Day. It is definitely going to be a busy week in real estate. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Lets make it a great week!

May 8th, 2009. Today was a busy day. I had showings in the afternoon, and ended up writing offers on two different houses. Hopefully we'll get at least one of them together. I have a busy weekend coming up, with showings on Saturday and Sunday. So here is a new listing that I'm very pleased to show you. This 30 acre parcel of beautiful property borders Wal-Mart and the Copper Country Mall. That is one prime piece of real estate. I'm looking forward to selling this listing. Enjoy your weekend!

May 7th, 2009. Sorry for the delay, I tried to update the journal last night, but the site was experiencing some difficulties. Here is price reduced property that you should check out. This is very nice cabin near Ontonagon. This would make a fantastic getaway. I'm so glad that I built my cabin, I've been enjoying it very much. I was out there yesterday afternoon, and have finished up the trim. The temps have cooled down quite a bit today, and I think that it is going to stay that way for awhile. I better get moving, I have showings this afternoon. Have a great day!

May 6th, 2009. Everybody was very happy about the 70 degree temperatures today. I was happy as well, since it really seems to make the real estate market heat up. I listed an incredibly prime piece of real estate in the city of Houghton that I'll feature on here tomorrow night. I have a couple more listing coming soon. I also set up showings with a couple different buyers for Friday and Sunday. I like being busy! It is amazing how many people are buying homes right now. I did a search for homes in the Houghton/Hancock area from 50K to 120K, and I think almost half of them had accepted offers. Many buyers are taking advantage of the low interest rates and tax credits. Have a nice day!

May 5th, 2009. I ended up staying the night out at the cabin for the first time this year. I got up early and got lots of work done on the cabin before heading back to town. I probably only have about 2 hours worth of work left in order to finish up all of the trim. This afternoon I had a showing on my listing in Sylvan Estates that went very well. We'll see what happens. Tomorrow I have a listing appointment that I'm very excited about. I hope you are having nice weather like we are!

May 4th, 2009. What a beautiful day! I don't know what the temperature was, but it sure felt like summer. After I got a few real estate things done in the morning, I went out to the cabin, I couldn't resist it on such a nice day. I finished putting up trim on all the windows, and got part of the bedroom done. I saw a few deer on my food plot at dusk. I'm so ready for summer!

May 3rd, 2009. I had a productive weekend. Saturday I did springtime stuff around the house. I got my snowmobile and my snowplowing ATV "summerized" and put away until next winter. Sunday was a beautiful day spent at the cabin. I worked on putting up trim for about 7 hours. It felt great to be back to work out there. I look forward to kicking up my feet someday, with nothing left to do out there, but I'm sure there will always be projects. The warm spring weather seems to cheer everybody up. There is a new 'poll question' for you to vote on. Have a great week!

May 1st, 2009. Hooray for May! It is nice to know that summer is almost here. This morning Melissa and I drove up to Eagle River to take down/put up some 'for sale' signs. After that I went and looked a potential new listing in Houghton. It ended up being one of the most impressive pieces of land I've seen in awhile, so I'm excited about the prospect of listing it. It looks like we have some nice weather coming next week, so we'll look forward to that. If I don't end up working all weekend, maybe I'll be able to get some work done at the cabin. Here is a fantastic house I just listed in Hancock. This is a lot of house for the money, and I don't expect it to last long. Enjoy your weekend!

April 30th, 2009. It is the last day of April and I'm glad. Today I entered in my new listing on Quincy Street in Hancock. I'll post the details tomorrow night. Later in the afternoon, I had to go put up and take down some 'for sale' signs. It rained here most of the day. Tonight we went out to dinner for Melissa's birthday. Her parents joined us at the Ramada Inn, where they give you a free dinner on your birthday. The new detours in Houghton are already causing confusion, as I met a car coming at me head on the way home tonight on the bridge. They trying to merge onto M-26 where you can't anymore, and they had to cut between some of the cones to get back where they are supposed to be. I'm ready for May!

April 29th, 2009. I pretty much spent the entire day in the office. I got the Pelkie Road closing all ready for next week. I have many different buyers right now that I've been e-mailing back and forth with regarding some different properties. I really feel that it is going to be another good year. Tomorrow the major road renovation on Shelden Ave (where our office is located) begins. There is going to be some major detours in Houghton all summer, but the end result is going to be very nice. Michigan roads are constantly under construction anyhow, right? After work tonight we went up to "The Hut" in Kearsarge for dinner. They really have good food and huge portions there. After dinner tonight I listed a great house in Hancock, that I'm going to take pics of tomorrow. Have a great day!

April 28th, 2009. It was a cool but sunny day. Today I worked on a closing that is coming up next week. Later in the day I checked out a nice house that I'll be listing within the next few days. Tonight I showed this waterview house between Houghton and Chassell. After that I drove down near Baraga to check on some survey work I'm having done on one of my own properties. You sure can tell that spring is coming, as the lawns are really greening up. I still won't be surprised if it snows again before summer. Have a nice day!

April 27th, 2009. My phone was ringing all day, which is always a good thing. We got a deal accepted on this wonderful home in Hancock, so congrats to Ryan. Also, here is a great deal on 80 acres of timberland in Iron County. Tonight after work I went up to Melissa's uncle's house, and we put new brakes on her car, so that was a good job to get done. Well I'm ready for another day tomorrow, take care!

April 26th, 2009. We're getting lots of rain. This should really help get rid of the snow once the sun comes back out. Saturday I watched the NFL draft on ESPN. I never know what to think of what my Detroit Lions do, but every year I have hope. That night we went to the Chassell Country Music Festival, held at the Rosza center at Michigan Tech. Our company, State Wide Real Estate, is one of the main sponsors. It is always amazing to see how much talent we have locally. Afterward, we enjoyed a nice dinner at the Pilgrim River Steakhouse. Here is a good deal on a 160 acre deer camp near Michigamme. I have started posting some of my listings on Craigslist, as I'm always looking for any way that I can to find a buyer. There is a new 'poll question' for you to vote on. Lets enjoy the last week of April!

April 24th, 2009. Today I did my continuing education for 2009. Every year, a real estate agent is required to attend 6 hours of continuing education, mostly to keep up with new laws or court cases regarding our profession. When it was over I went to the office, and entered in a couple of listings from Iron county. I have many other new listings on the way. Today was "senior walk" for Michigan Tech. Any of you that are familiar with this know that it ends being more of a "senior crawl" for most of the students. We avoided the busiest part of town and had dinner up at the North Shore. Ok, here is a listing that you need to see. I'd be willing to bet that you can't find easier financing terms to own a beautiful piece of land in the U.P. Check out the listing here. Have a great weekend!

April 23rd, 2009. Today was another productive day in real estate. I showed a couple of houses to a buyer in the afternoon, and she really liked one of the two. After that I entered in some new listings. After work tonight, I showed a very nice house in Hancock, and we ended up writing an offer. We'll have to wait for the seller's response. Here is a very nice new piece of land in Portage Towship, Houghton County. This property really has it all. The weather was warm today! We've pretty much already lost the snow that we received a few days ago. Have a good Friday!

April 22nd, 2009. Things warmed up a bit today, and are supposed to warm up even more tomorrow. Today I listed a 22 acre parcel in Portage township, and I have many more listings on the way. Here is the Superior Woodworks business in Mohawk. There are already buyers interested in the place, so hopefully this listing well sell quickly. Tonight we picked up dinner to go from Gino's, and played cards with some friends. I'm looking forward to a busy day tomorrow. Have a nice day!

April 21st, 2009. Bad, bad weather. Many cancellations and closings, as the roads piled up with several inches of dangerous slush. We closed on the Larson Road 40 acre parcel this morning. After that, I entered in the listing for the 'Superior Woodworks' business in Mohawk. I also entered a listing of a nice parcel of land near Nisula. I'll feature the listings once the website catches up to them. I can't wait for better weather. Take Care!

April 20th, 2009. Monday was busy as usual. I'm working with a couple of buyers on some vacant land parcels. In the afternoon, I went up to Mohawk and listed "Superior Woodworks", a very successful local business. I'm very excited to market this opportunity. I'll detail the listing on here soon. The other discussion of the day was our ample snowfall. If you get a chance, check out the local webcams. It is still coming down, and isn't supposed to stop for at least another day or so. The quick change in weather is part of the price we pay for living up here. It is still hard to get used to 70+ degrees a couple days ago, to shoveling snow today. It is supposed to warm back up later in the week. Have a wonderful day!

April 19th, 2009. I kind of figured that our pleasant weather wouldn't last. I drove home tonight watching the snow accumulate. I think it may be warming back up later this week. Sunday I showed a couple of high end properties. I feel bad that the weather was so bad, but I guess I can't control that. After that, I traveled around with my buddy Ross to check on his camp, and some other random properties. Tonight I had a delicious venison dinner, which really hit the spot after being wet and cold all day. Have a great week!

April 17th, 2009. Today it was over 70 degrees! What a beautiful day. Earlier in the day, I went and walked the US 41 property that a partner and I recently purchased. After that, I went to the cabin to check things out. I'm ready to get back to work on it. I don't have too much left to do. I jumped a grouse and a snowshoe hare while walking my property. Shortly after lunch, I was back in the office for the remainder of the day, still trying to get a couple more deals together that we are still negotiating. The weather is supposed to cool off this weekend, but I hope it is still relatively nice. Enjoy your weekend!

April 16th, 2009. Thursday was a day of negotiations. We have a counter offer on the Lake Superior property, so I'm still working on getting that together. Later in the day, I wrote an offer on the house in Hancock that I showed last night. We expect a response from the seller tomorrow. The weather today was beautiful! Temps in the high 60's are making the snow melt fast. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer. Be sure to check the wildlife cam from time to time. I've been noticing some turkeys on there almost everyday lately. Have a great Friday!

April 15th, 2009. Tax day is here and gone, I can't wait until next year. Today we got the snow tires off of Melissa's car, and replaced them with the summer tires. I finally got the signatures back for my purchase agreement on this Lake Superior property. Now we just have to see if we can get the deal together. I showed a couple of houses in Hancock tonight, and I think we are going to be writing an offer on one tomorrow. After a long day, we had friends over for Ambassador pizza and games. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great day!

April 14th, 2009. Are you ready for tax day? I guess I am. Today I wrote an offer on this lot in Houghton. The deal has already been accepted, so congrats to everybody involved. I have some other deals in the works, which is great. Things are really starting to get busy. Later in the day I went and looked at a potential new listing that I'm excited about. I have some showings tomorrow, and I'm excited to see what the day will bring. Warm weather seems to bring the buyers out. Take Care!

April 13th, 2009. It was a busy Monday. I wrote an offer on this large waterfront parcel in Chassell township. Hopefully we'll come to an agreement. The phone was busy all day. I'm also going to look at a potential listing tomorrow. We're really enjoying the mild temperatures. Anyhow, back to finishing up taxes. Have a nice day!

April 12th, 2009. I hope that everybody had a great Easter. I showed several houses on Saturday. Saturday night, Melissa and I went out to dinner with a couple of friends down at Henry's Never Inn in Rockland. We had a good dinner, and a great time. Sunday was spent with her family. Needless to say, I ate very well this weekend. As far as real estate, here is a waterfront lot on Rice Lake that just had a price reduction. Also here is my new listing on Portage Lake. This is a PRIME waterfront lot, and is priced less than what it sold for a few years ago! This is going to be a great buy for somebody. Well, back to work for most of us, I hope you have your taxes ready because the 15th is approaching!

April 10th, 2009. I hope everybody enjoyed good Friday. Most offices were closed today, but I ended up working there for quite awhile. I may be writing an offer soon on my lot on Donmar Street. I was also setting up several showings for this weekend. I wanted to feature the new listing on Portage Lake, but my MLS link is currently down. I've e-mailed my 'web guy', so hopefully it will be back up and running soon. The weather is supposed to warm up a bit here this weekend, so I'm looking forward to that!

April 9th, 2009. It was a great day. I met a buyer from Wisconsin to show him my 10 acre listing on Pelkie Road. We walked the property, and ended up going back to the office to write an offer. The offer has already been accepted, so congrats to all involved. After that, I reduced the price on a listing, and also listed a new parcel on Portage Lake that I'll feature on here tomorrow. It is always exciting to list something on Portage Lake. Have a GOOD FRIDAY!

April 8th, 2009. Today was a fun day. I got the listing agreement signed on a fantastic waterfront parcel on Portage Lake. During the afternoon, I was up in the northern Keweenaw checking out several properties. Melissa and I had fun tonight visiting some friends. I'm excited about a showing that I have tomorrow. Have a great day!

April 7th, 2009. Today I officially got the deal together on my rental house listing in Houghton. Later on, I drove down to Chassell Township to take additional pics of a waterfront parcel for a buyer. After closing the office, I showed a house in Portage Township. It is nice to be busy. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Take Care!

April 6th, 2009. It was a cold, breezy Monday. I'm still working on getting a deal together on a rental house I have listed in Houghton. Later on, I ended up showing a commercial listing up in Calumet. Here is a new price reduction for you. This may be in the most inexpensive waterfront lot you will find, especially for how nice it is. This would make a great investment. Right now I'm watching the Tigers and the Spartans, and it isn't looking good for either team. Oh well. Talk to you tomorrow.

April 5th, 2009. It was a busy weekend. Saturday I showed several houses. We still have another one to look at this week. One of the houses we looked at had a major problem. Something must have recently happened, and their totally finished basement had over 6 inches of standing water everywhere! I've informed the listing agent. After the showings, my friend Ross and I went out to check on the camp. There were some deer tracks, so they must be starting to come out of the yarding areas. Saturday night I was excited to see the Michigan State Spartans advance to the championship game on Monday night. Sunday I went predator hunting around the Jacobsville area. The deer are having a hard enough time making it through this winter, especially with our extremely high predator population. I had some excitement, which I detailed in the hunting journal. I'm ready for another week of real estate. Take Care!

April 3rd, 2009. I sure love waking up and looking out my window to see open water on the canal. This morning I showed a new commercial listing up near Calumet. I went very well, I'll be surprised if we don't write an offer. I have a couple of major price reductions that I mentioned yesterday. We reduced this price on this private waterfront listing outside of Houghton. The price was also reduced on this large, vacant waterfront parcel. This building site is gorgeous, and a great value at that price. Anyhow, we had dinner at the Ambassador tonight, and I'm looking forward to several residential showings this weekend. Have yourself a great weekend!

April 2nd, 2009. This morning we made a counter-offer on the potential rental home sale in Houghton. Student rentals are in strong demand right now, as Michigan Tech had great enrollment this year, with limited housing options. I also was able to make some pretty significant price reductions on a listing that I'll be able to feature on here tomorrow. Other than that, I'm stillll trying to wrap up my taxes for the year. I did see a very welcome sight on the way home tonight. As I was crossing the bridge, I saw open water in the Portage Canal, which is a beautiful sight. Take Care!

April 1st, 2009. April is here! Did you get pranked on April fool's day? I played many, many tricks on my co-workers today. It was a lot of fun. The highlight of the day was telling the owner of State Wide that he needed to call Mr. Lyon. The number I gave him was for the Detroit Zoo. By the time he got to the operator at the zoo, they were laughing pretty hard at him. I received an offer today on a residential listing in Houghton. I'm pretty confident we'll get it together. Tonight we had a great time as we went out to dinner with a couple of new friends. Have a great day!

March 31st, 2009. March is gone! I'm happy to be moving into April. As we approach spring, not only does the weather get better, but business picks up as well. Oddly, I'm still getting more inquiries on the high-end parcels than I am on the inexpensive properties. Keep your eyes open for April Fool's day pranks!

March 30th, 2009. I had quite a few calls and e-mails today. Lots of questions from buyers, and hopefully showings will follow. I'm getting close to writing an offer with a buyer on this large waterfront parcel on Lake Superior. By the way, it kind of cracks me up when I see ads in the paper from buyers who are looking to buy property, but 'no realtors'. I know some people have this idea that they can get a better deal if they pursue 'for sale by owners', but I don't think that is usually a better option. Many buyers I've talked to said that most of the 'for sale by owners' that they contacted were not very good values. The point is, I have a few different investors who buy and sell all of their property through me, and it is all done through the MLS. They have made VERY good money doing so. The MLS is a great tool, and you can find great buys working with professionals. Take Care!

March 29th, 2009. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Saturday I talked to a prospective buyer on this 240 acre listing near Ewen. I hope it sells. Later, Melissa and I went down to the cabin to check on things. The road was very soft, so we walked in from a distance. Everything was great, but there is still plenty of snow out there, and lots of critter tracks. I'm excited to finish up the final details this spring. Saturday I went to the NRA banquet. It is always a great dinner, and I usually don't win any raffle prizes, but it was a great time. Sunday was a great day for sports here in Michigan. Michigan State basketball advanced to the final four, the Pistons won, and the Tigers won. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. I'm ready for another great week!

March 27th, 2009. Friday is here and gone. Tomorrow there is showing on that big log home that I recently listed in Covington. Today I also received a call on this waterfront home near Copper Harbor. I can't believe nobody has bought this house yet! You can't find a better deal on a great home near Copper Harbor. Enjoy your weekend!

March 26th, 2009. I got a deal together today. Last week I wrote an offer with a buyer on my Lake Annie Road listing. It took awhile, but today the deal is official, so congrats to all involved. I did get three other property inquiries today, so things are picking up a bit. This week has flown by. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Have a great day!

March 25th, 2009. Today was spent in the office. The phones have been pretty quiet this week. It is not all bad, as I always have things to catch up on. Our mild weather is supposed to be leaving us. It is supposed to be cold and snowy for several days now. Summer still seems like a long ways away. Have a terrific Thursday!

March 24th, 2009. Today was kind of uneventful. I went to the office for awhile to work on an upcoming closing. After that, I came home to continue working on taxes. There is a new poll question to vote on if you haven't seen it already. Last night it rained through the night, but it didn't really seem to decrease the snow, it just made it icy. I'm ready for April. I guess I'll go back to watching the presidential address. Take Care!

March 23rd, 2009. I hope everybody survived Monday. Today I went to estimate the value of a stand of red pine owned by a local church. Other than that, the word of the day was taxes. I worked on them all day, and I still have a long ways to go. It is never enjoyable. Have a great day!

March 22nd, 2009. Another week here and gone. It seems like the days are flying by. I'm ready for another week of real estate. I get phone calls every week from people wondering how we are surviving in this economy. Meanwhile, we just keep selling properties. Some people never seem to grasp how our economy in the U.P. isn't greatly affected by what is going on in the rest of the country. When the real estate market was booming in the rest of the country, we were still slow and steady. Now when the market is down in most of the country, we're still slow and steady. I'm glad I have done most of my investing in land rather than the stock market. What do I have to show for the money I lost in the stock market? Not much. However, my land investments are turning out great. Even if property values were to go down, I'd still have some wonderful U.P. property to enjoy and cherish, unlike lost money in the stock market. Maybe you should consider investing in land? There are some solid buys out there, and I'd be glad to tell you what I think. Call or e-mail anytime.

March 20th, 2009. I hope you all had a great week. It was relatively warm today, but now it is snowing. I'm looking forward to a long weekend of working on my taxes. I better not watch too much college basketball, or else I'll be distracted. Have a great weekend, and I'll talk to you Sunday night.

March 19th, 2009. This morning I was out on sign patrol. I made some rounds, taking down signs from properties I sold, and some for other agents. I was down in Jacobsville, where you'll always see a lot of deer this time of year. I also saw a huge coyote, I actually did a double take to make sure that he wasn't a wolf. Later I got my new phone activated, a blackberry curve. This is my first 'high tech' phone, so I still have to learn all of the features. Is it Friday already?

March 18th, 2009. Today was a windy, sunny day. I'm still working on getting the deal together for the Lake Annie Road property. Buyer inquiries are starting to increase, as I had a couple more today. One of them seems really serious about one of my land contract properties. Last night when I was driving back from Nisula, I noticed that some of the snow had melted off some of the fields. There looked to be hundreds of deer taking advantage of the exposed vegetation. It was really good to see, as I'm really worried about the deer making it through this winter. Hopefully this early warm spell will help our herd. Have a great day!

March 17th, 2009. Happy St. Patrick's day! Today was a busy day for me, I didn't get home from work until 9 pm. This morning, the sellers accepted one of the offers on the Larson road 40. The unsuccessful buyer was very upset with me that he did not get the property. I really feel bad, but in a multiple offer scenario, one party is going to be disappointed. Yesterday, I advised both parties to make their best offer, and I would submit them both to the seller, and then let the seller choose. Obviously one offer was better than the other, and I thought that would be a fair way to do it. Anyhow, congrats to the successful buyers. After all of that, I went and showed my 12 acre listing on Lake Annie road. I snowshoed the entire perimeter with the buyer, giving him a better idea of the boundaries. We saw a grouse and a snowshoe hare, which is always fun. We then went back to the office, and he wrote an offer. I already have a counter offer, so we'll see what happens tomorrow. After that, I took a buyer down to Nisula took look at a nice building site. He really likes it, but needs to get his financing figured out. Overall, it was a long and productive day. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Take Care!

March 16th, 2009. The week is off to an interesting start. The weather was unbelievable today, topping out at 64 degrees! It sure was nice. The Larson road 40 consumed my entire day, even forcing me to cancel a showing. I ended up with two different offers at the same time. This is always good for a seller, while stressful for everybody else. No matter what, one of the buyers will be very disappointed. The sellers will accept one of the offers by tomorrow. I'm anxious to get the deal wrapped up. Have a nice day!

March 15th, 2009. It is starting to feel like spring! I know we'll still get some winter storms yet, but it sure felt nice to be in some warmer weather. If you are a snowmobiler, don't worry, we still have plenty. We ended up staying in Green Bay until Sunday, and had a great time. My vision is now 20/20, and I couldn't be happier. I'm looking forward to a very productive week in real estate. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a good Monday!

March 13th, 2009. This morning I wrote an offer on the 40 acre parcel that I listed on Monday. We have a counter offer, and I'm going to have to roll up my sleeves to get this deal together. Right now I'm typing this from the Cambria Suites in Green Bay. Tomorrow is my final follow-up appointment for my eye surgery. My eyes have healed wonderfully, and I'm very happy. We have a couple of friends who will be arriving here shortly, to go to dinner and do some shopping together. Green Bay is packed right now, since they are having their 'fan fest'. Have a fun weekend!

March 12th, 2009. I hope everybody had a great day. Inquiries from buyers seem to increase as the temperature does. Tomorrow morning I'm supposed to be writing an offer on one of my listings, so I'm looking forward to that. It is getting to the point where I'd like to have some more residential listings, so if you or someone you know is thinking about selling, please have them get in touch with me. Right now I'm watching a very exciting Red Wing's game. We'll see how it turns out. Enjoy your Friday!

March 11th, 2009. I'm not the type that likes to talk about the weather everyday, but it was really, really nasty. Super high winds woke me up several times last night. However, the storm has passed, and I think we're in for a mild weekend. I thought I was going to be writing an offer on my Donmar Street lot tonight, but I guess not yet. It sure is a good price. Not much else to report, talk to you tomorrow.

March 10th, 2009. The winter storm has started. As I am typing this, there are frozen snow pellets accumulating. The roads may be treacherous tonight. I was supposed to be writing an offer on a house today, but the buyer decided that he better wait until his house sells for sure, which is probably a good move. As I mentioned yesterday, I listed a great 40 acre parcel close to Houghton. This property really has it all, check it out here. Have a great day and drive safe!

March 9th, 2009. The week is off to a good start. We had nice weather today, which I guess we better enjoy since a winter storm is coming. I finally got the paperwork back today for a 40 acre listing just outside of Houghton. I'll have the details on here soon, it will be a great property for somebody to own. There is a new 'poll question', so be sure to check it out. Have a great week!

March 8th, 2009. I hope everybody had a great weekend. Saturday I showed a lot that I own in Tamarack City. It is a very nice lot, and the showing went very well. I hope it sells. Saturday night we went to the GLIAC girl's basketball finals, where unfortunately Michigan Tech lost to Hillsdale. Hillsdale played very well and deserved the win. Sunday night I went and played basketball in Dollar Bay. I had fun, but I certainly don't have the energy that I had back in high school. This year I'm going to turn the big 3-0. But my life is just beginning, right?

March 6th, 2009. It was a busy day. I had lots and lots of phone calls today from potential buyers. I can tell that it is going to be a great spring. I showed a house east of Lake Linden today, and it went very well. We may be writing an offer on Monday. I have received some nice e-mails this week from some of you that enjoy the website. I just wanted to say thanks, and that I really enjoy hearing from those of you that enjoy the site. Please tell your friends to visit the site! Have a great weekend!

March 5th, 2009. Another relatively warm day. My phone rang a lot today, I can tell that spring is coming. In the afternoon I drove down to L'anse to list a house with big pole buildings and acreage. My deal on a Hancock house fell apart, so I'm working with the buyer on finding something else. I'm also looking forward to a showing I have tomorrow. Enjoy your Friday!

March 4th, 2009. It was a pretty nice day today, as the temps were over 40 degrees for part of the day. I spent much of the day at work putting together a new desk, to give myself more space. It ended up being more work than I expected. We did a counter offer back on the South Range home, now I'm just waiting for the buyer to decide what he wants to do. I'll be in Baraga county most of the day tomorrow. Take Care!

March 3rd, 2009. I didn't receive a response to offer yet, but I expect to tomorrow. You'll notice on the left that there is new link for 'land contract properties'. I get a lot of people asking for properties with seller financing, so I went ahead and made a link to sort them out for you. There will hopefully be some additional improvements to that link soon, so hang in there. Alright, I am exceptionally pleased to introduce a new listing. If you have been looking for that perfect vacation or retirement home in the U.P., this is it! Check out this truly special log home on 76 acres, at the end of a dead end road in Baraga county. After work tonight, we went to the MTU girls basketball game against NMU. MTU won a tough game, and clinched home court advantage for the GLIAC playoffs, so congrats to them. Have a great day!

March 2nd, 2009. I thought it was supposed to warm up today? Oh well. I entered in my new listing, the log home near Covington. I should have details on here tomorrow. I'm also working on listing a great 40 acre parcel not too far from Houghton. Tonight I went back to the office to meet with the buyer I showed the houses to on Saturday. We wrote an offer on one of the houses. I sure hope we get it together. Take Care!

March 1st, 2009. Hooray for March! We are sneaking closer to more tolerable temperatures. It is still below zero as I'm typing this now. Saturday I showed a few houses, two in South Range and one in Liminga. It went pretty well, we'll see what happens. I've got quite a bit going on in real estate this week, and I'm anxious to get some new deals together. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Lets make this new month a great one!

February 27th, 2009. Brrr! The temperature is currently 15 degrees below zero! Today I went and checked out a 40 acre parcel that I'm working on listing. It was really nice. After work tonight, Melissa and I drove down to Rockland to enjoy the fabulous buffet at Henry's Never Inn. If you have never tried it, you really need to. They have it every Friday and Saturday night. On the way home we stopped and visited some friends for a bit. I have some showings this weekend. Talk to you Monday!

February 26th, 2009. The temps are dropping and the snow is falling, but today was a good day. I went down to L'anse for an appointment to list a 'camp' and 76 acres. The 'camp' turned out to be a 3600 square foot amazing log home. I can't wait to show you the pics of this place. I'm very happy to have this listing. Have a great Friday!

February 25th, 2009. I hope everybody had a great day. I'm happy to report that my left eye is starting to come into focus, catching up with my right eye. It has almost been one month since my surgery, and so far I'm pleased. By the way, I found a new wildlife cam that is still in operation, so I replaced the one that had shut down. The new one is located in Pennsylvania. I'm actually hoping to have a wildlife cam of my own up and running before spring time. Busy today tomorrow, take care!

February 24th, 2009. Today I went and looked at the rental house I'm listing in Houghton. I'm pretty sure we already have a buyer for it, so it should be a pretty straight forward deal. To continue with the price reduction theme, here is a property that has gotten a lot of interest all winter, and now the new price makes it even more interesting! I'll be surprised if this property lasts through the spring. Speaking of spring, we've got a long ways to go, but mild days like today give you hope that it is coming. Take Care!

February 23rd, 2009. Today was pretty busy. I talked to different people regarding three different potential listings. I have appointments this week to go check them out. I also drove down to Baraga to put up a sold sign, and to fix up a few signs that have been taken out by the wind and snow. I decided to try a new idea to market some properties. I made a short movie about one of my listings that I uploaded to youtube. I get thousands of hits on my hunting videos, so I figured maybe I can get some good exposure for some of my listings. It only takes one buyer to make it worthwhile. Check out the video here. Have a great day!

February 22nd, 2009. Another weekend here and gone, I hope you enjoyed yours. Not much happened here. I went down to the cabin on Saturday to check things out, the deer have actually left. I hope they have moved on to a suitable deer wintering area. Later in the day, I met a buyer to let him into a house for an inspection. He wants to do a couple more inspections with electricians and plumbers yet this week. It is important to cover all of your bases during your inspection period, typically 7 days after an accepted offer depending on what you negotiate. Anyhow, here is another price reduced listing that I currently have. Another great deal. Remember to vote on the poll question if you haven't already. Have a great Monday!

February 20th, 2009. I hope you had a great Friday. I rode my snowmobile to work today, which makes for a fun commute. We did officially close on the 80 acre Jacobsville deal, so congrats to all involved. To continue with the price reduction theme, I havc another property you have to see. This property is a great deal! Especially with a land contract available, you won't find an easier way to own some great U.P. property. See the listing here. Feel free to call or e-mail me any additional questions about the property. Have a great weekend!

February 19th, 2009. Today was a productive day. I got caught up on a long list of things I needed to do. I'm hoping to receive an offer on my residential listing in Sylvan Estates. Here in the keweenaw, we really can't complain with the local real estate market. We are all staying busy, and homes and properties are still moving steady. However, I have lofty goals for this year's real estate production, so today I started my own 'real estate stimulus package'. I reduced the prices on several of my listings today, making for some fantastic deals on many properties that you may have already been watching. Here is one of the properties with a new price. You'll see several more good deals over the next few days. Tonight I also made some improvements to the site that you'll notice as you navigate around. Have a great Friday!

February 18th, 2009. We made it home. It was really windy and a little bit snowy, but I've definitely driven through worse. I'm excited to get back to work. I've got some real estate deals in the works. Tomorrow we're also finalizing the deal on an 80 acre parcel near Jacobsville. Have a good Thursday!

February 17th, 2009. Greetings from Green Bay Wisconsin! Today started off as kind of a sad day as I realized it would have been my dad's birthday. Melissa had to work until about 2:30, and then we hit the road to Green Bay. The roads were great all the way, but we're supposed to get some winter weather tomorrow. We did a little shopping at Kohl's, and have a beautiful room at the Cambria Suites. We had dinner at the texas roadhouse, and it was wonderful! I really, really liked it. Tomorrow morning I have a follow up appointment with my Lasik doctor. Right now my right eye is almost perfect, and my left eye is a bit blurry, but I'm still healing ahead of schedule. Also, the offer I wrote on the Hancock house last night was accepted today, so congrats to Zach. Have a great day!

February 16th, 2009. Back to work. Today I wrote an offer on a house in Hancock that I had shown last week. I'm confident we'll be able to come to an agreement. I need pics for 'pic of the day'. I'm sure you have some cool pics on your computer, so e-mail me some at josh@statewideofhoughton.com

We're halfway through February!

February 15th, 2009. We had a fun weekend, I hope you did as well. Saturday night we went out to dinner at the Ambassador with a group of friends. If you like pizza, you have to try their tostada pizza, it is very good. Sunday we visited the in-laws for awhile, and then went to a 40th birthday party for a friend of ours. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a good week and stay warm!

February 13th, 2009. Hooray for Friday! After closing the office today, I had a showing on a house in Houghton, and a house up in Boston location. We'll see what happens. I think that this is going to be a great year for residential real estate, and I want to make a big dent in the residential market this year. If you have a house to sell, I'm anxious to sell it for you. If you want to buy a house, I'm anxious to show some to you. Vacant land is my specialty, but I never get tired of selling houses. Here is the new 156 acre parcel in Ontonagon county. We had some gift certificates that were set to expire in February, so tonight we used them up at Applebees. It was really busy in there tonight. Lots of snowmobilers have rolled into Houghton for the weekend. Happy Valentine's Day!

February 12th, 2009. I picked up my truck from the shop today. I had some warranty work done to replace a wheel bearing, and decided to have my transmission fluid changed while it was there. This afternoon, I had a showing on a house in Hancock. We are going to look at two more houses tomorrow afternoon. Melissa has been working a lot lately, so I decided to make her dinner tonight. This is a big deal because I NEVER cook. I'm so happy that dinner turned out great! It was a beef burgundy recipe that I found online, and it was so easy even I could do it. Here is the recipe if you want to try it. Have a great Friday!

February 11th, 2009. Another nice, mild day. I listed a 156 acre parcel in Ontonagon county, near Mass City. It is fantastic, it has a creek, year round access, and utilities, I'll have details tomorrow. We've been having some difficulties with e-mail this week, as we're switching to a new hosting service. If you have e-mailed me recently, and haven't gotten a reply, please e-mail me at josh@statewideofhoughton.com. I hope you are having a great week!

February 10th, 2009. Today was unseasonable warm. We were in the mid-40's, and snow was melting fast making several large puddles on the roads. It was still a nice break from the cold stuff. This winter still has a long way to go. Today I did some planning of a timber harvest that I hope to manage early this summer. My vision is blurry, but that is to be expected for another month or so. Please e-mail me some pics for pic of the day to josh@swoh.us! Thanks!

February 9th, 2009. It was a beautiful day. Even though spring is a long time away, you can't help but think about it. Today I worked on writing an offer on my lot on Donmar Street, but we didn't write the offer yet. Hopefully tomorrow. Later on I met up with a buyer of mine to look at an 80 acre parcel in southern Houghton county. Since I was down that way, I checked on the cabin, I sure love that place. Take Care!

February 8th, 2009. We had beautiful weather this weekend, and it seems that winter carnival was a huge success. We were able to watch the fireworks Saturday night from our house. I have some real estate deals in the works, I'm actually hoping to write two different purchase agreements on Monday. Sunday was a long day for me. I shoveled off the roof of our house, and the roof over the back storage building. We received some rain, so the snow was very heavy and hard to move. I know I'll sleep good tonight. Have a great Monday!

February 6th, 2009. Houghton was absolutely packed today with winter carnival in full swing. I couldn't even find a parking spot going to work. I had a closing today on a house in Centennial Heights, congrats to Roger. We were crunching some numbers today, and our office was up 20% in sales in comparison to 2007. State Wide of Houghton was the top selling single office in our MLS. I have a feeling that this year will be even better. Tonight Melissa and I went out to dinner with some of her co-workers at Carmelita's in Calumet. It was very busy, but we had a great time. Have a fantastic weekend!

February 5th, 2009. Today was a beautiful day. The temps warmed up a bit, and the sun was out most of the day. It actually felt good to get out and shovel some snow after being trapped inside for so long. My eyes are still blurry, but pretty much pain free. I finally went to the office today, getting things ready for a closing that I have tomorrow. If you have any nice pics, please e-mail them to me at josh@swoh.us. It has been hard for me to get out and take pics lately. Winter carnival is off and running, and should continue to have good weather. Have a fantastic Friday!

February 4th, 2009. Today we made the 4 hour trip to Green Bay for my eye appointment. The appointment went great! My vision is way ahead of schedule for the healing process, and I'm so glad to have those contacts out! My eyes are virtually pain free now. Now my vision should continually get clearer over the next few weeks. I'm excited to get back to work on Friday. By the way, tonight is the 'all nighter' for winter carnival, where the students are working overtime on their ice sculptures. I felt bad for them as we drove by, the temperature is currently 0 degrees. They appear to be having fun anyhow. If you have never been to a winter carnival, you need to put it on your list of things to do. Have a great day!

February 3rd, 2009. Another boring day stuck at home. My eyes feel about the same as yesterday, with a little less sensitivity to light. In comparison to other people's experiences I've read online, I'm healing very well. Tomorrow we head to Green Bay to get these temporary 'contacts' out of my eyes. That moment can't come soon enough. I'm continuing to get inquiries from real estate buyers and have kept somewhat busy e-mailing info. There is a new poll question for you to vote on, so please check it out. Take Care!

February 2nd, 2009. I really really hate lying around all day. I still can't do much, so I rest my eyes and listen to TV. I am able to work on the computer for limited amounts of time, so I was able to answer some property questions and feel useful. My eyes felt much less irritated today, but my vision is getting blurrier. My eyes are supposed to actually get blurrier for another week or so, then will improve. At this point, I'm happy just to have the pain subsiding. I've been reading other people's PRK experiences online, and they are all very similar. Somewhat long recovery, but eventually great results. We really got some serious snow today. I can't really handle the outside brightness yet, so Melissa had to do a lot of shoveling. I'm glad I married a yooper gal, they are much tougher than your average girl. Any of you that watched the Super Bowl saw a very good game. Now the hoopla is over until next year. Stay warm!

February 1st, 2009. Well, I'm back. It has been quite an experience so far after surgery. I was hoping to get standard LASIK eye surgery, but because of my thin cornea and bad prescription, I had to get PRK surgery. It is the same as LASIK, except that they remove the cornea, rather than bending it back on a hinge. The long term results are actually better than LASIK, but it has a longer recovery time. Right now I'm wearing a very uncomfortable, clear contact lens to protect my eye as the cornea grows back. I'm scheduled to get it removed on Wednesday, which can't come soon enough. By the way, forgive me if I have any typos as my vision is still kind of blurry. Anyhow, the actual surgery itself was painless, the real pain starts after you leave and the numbing drops wear off. The first night was horrendous, but by the next morning my eyes felt much better. It could take up to a month before I'm fully functional, and up to 3 months for your vision to be perfect. I'm attaching a link for a video that shows the same procedure that I had. It is not for the squeamish, so watch this clip at your own risk. Since my eyes are more comfortable closed, this will be my first time 'listening' to the Super Bowl. Have a great week!

January 29th, 2009. Greetings from frigid Green Bay! We had a good drive down here. We had a great dinner tonight at a steakhouse called Prime Quarters, and I'm ready for Lasik eye surgery tomorrow. Wish me luck!

January 28th, 2009. I got the flat tire repaired today. The culprit was a small nail. I have no idea where it may have came from. I sent out a purchase agreement today on this nice Ontonagon county property. I'm still waiting to receive the signatures. I had many, many inquiries on the property all throughout the fall. Hopefully we'll get an accepted offer. Take Care!

January 27th, 2009. Another beautiful, frigid day. After work, Melissa and I were on our way to the cabin when we got a flat tire! We just put new snow tires on it at the beginning of this month. I'm guessing I must have ran over a nail or something. Luckily it went flat right in front of one of our coworker/friend's house, so we pulled in there and I put on the spare. We ended up grilling burgers there for dinner, and then played with their new Nintendo Wii until about 10:00 pm. It was really fun. Off to the tire shop tomorrow to get it fixed before our trip to Green Bay. Have a nice day!

January 26th, 2009. I hope everyone had a nice Monday. This morning I had a nice couple from lower Michigan stop in the office to visit me. They enjoy the website and are considering moving to the U.P. The temps continue to be very cold. Today I made some hotel reservations for a trip to Green Bay soon. I'm planning on getting LASIK eye surgery. I'll keep you posted on that. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Also, check out the hunting journal for a video from my recent ice fishing trip. Take Care!

January 25th, 2009. Justin flew back home, and I'm ready to get back to the real world. We sure had a lot of fun and covered a lot of ground. Friday we went down to the cabin. We saw some deer and enjoyed the buffet at Henry's Never Inn in Rockland. When I get more time this week, I have some more ice fishing pics to post, and a video. P.S. It is freezing cold!

January 22nd, 2009. Justin and I had a great day. We went up near Copper Harbor to do some ice fishing. Him and I used to ice fish together a lot when we were kids. We ended up catching 3 pike, one was a keeper. Afterwards, a friend of mine who lives up there cooked us a delicious walleye/perch dinner. A day spent outside is always a good day in my book. Take Care!

January 21st, 2009. Hello! Today I finally got the offer accepted for some Baraga county property I am purchasing. I ended up having to work in the office most of the afternoon, so my friend Justin went snowboarding again at Mt. Ripley. Tomorrow we're planning to head north for some ice fishing. Also, I wanted to explain something about my website. I've heard some people tell me that sometimes they visit other local real estate sites to try to find some different houses/property. My site is the ONLY site you need! EVERY property in our MLS is listed on my website, regardless of what company has it listed, and I can sell any of these properties to you. Just wanted to clarify in case you've been jumping around trying to find additional properties. Have a great day!

January 20th, 2009. Today we closed on a 16 acre piece of property near Copper City. Congrats to Jack and Steve. After work, Justin and I met my wife up at her parents to do some snow removal. We shoveled off the house and garage, and needless to say, are exhausted. We took some pics with her Mom's camera, so hopefully I can post some soon. The snow on the roof was up to my chest. I'm sure my back will be feeling it tomorrow. Take Care!

January 19th, 2009. I was at the office for a little while today, getting myself ready for tomorrow's closing. Other than that, Justin and I have been out and about. He had a good time snowboarding at Mt. Ripley tonight, I had to pass on that. Later on, we had a couple more friends over for pizza and games. The snow really hasn't stopped. I really feel bad for the U.P. deer herd this winter.

January 18th, 2009. I hope that everybody had an enjoyable weekend. My good friend Justin flew in on Saturday. We went to the Ambassador for some delicious pizza. Sunday was kind of a lazy day. You should notice that there is a new webcam on the home page below the office cam. We're looking forward to a fun week enjoying the Keweenaw!

January 16th, 2009. Today is supposed to be the last day of the cold spell. I received a counter-offer on the property that I made an offer on in Baraga county. I plan to respond to it on Monday. I'm excited that my friend Justin is flying in tomorrow to stay with us for a week. We should have a great time. By the way, be sure to check out the office cam on Saturday. They are having a snowboarding demonstration right on our street, and we have the cam set up for your viewing enjoyment. Have a great weekend, get out and enjoy the beauty of winter!

January 15th, 2009. Hopefully there is only a couple more days of this bitter cold stuff. Today I officially got the deal together on the Centennial Heights house, so congrats to all involved. With interest rates as low as 4.75%, many people are currently refinancing their homes. I have an appointment next Tuesday, and I think we'll be refinancing our home. I've already refinanced several of our land loans. I also made on offer today to purchase some property in Baraga county, we'll see how it plays out. Have a good Friday!

January 14th, 2009. It was so cold this morning that Melissa's car wouldn't start. It started for me with no problem later in the day. My buyer that looked at the Centennial Heights house yesterday came in and wrote an offer. We already received a counter-offer, so we'll see what happens tomorrow. I really can't wait to shake this cold. Stay warm!

January 13th, 2009. Brrrr! Our temperature is currently below zero. I'm still under the weather, but had a showing today. A buyer that I have worked with before looked at a house in Centennial Heights, which is just north of Calumet. It went very well, and I'm pretty confident that we'll be writing an offer on it. After plowing snow, I put a little gas line anti-freeze (heet) in our vehicles tonight. If you are experiencing the same cold spell, you may want to pick up a bottle, or else you may end up with a car that won't run. Take Care!

January 12th, 2009. I am sick. I stayed home today, but kept busy with e-mails and phone calls. I'm getting plenty of buyer inquiries lately. Winter is a great time to buy and sell. I really have a feeling this is going to be a great year for real estate. I hope to get over this cold soon. Speaking of cold, the temperatures are supposed to be very frigid this week, so I hope you can stay warm. Have a great day!

January 11th, 2009. It was a pretty busy weekend. Saturday I drove up to the northern Keweenaw to show this 80 acre parcel on brockway mountain. Brockway mountain drive isn't plowed this time of year, so we had to use snowmobiles and snowshoes. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and a lot of fun. The showing went very well. Afterwards, I stopped at an old friend's place up near Copper Harbor. He recently fell and cracked some ribs, so I visited with him for awhile, and then put away his christmas stuff and brought in some firewood to help him out. On the way home I stopped at the in-laws to shovel off their roof. I got about 1/3 done, but then I ran out of daylight. I'll have to get back up there soon. Sunday afternoon/night we finally had our State Wide Christmas party. We had a great time, but I really have a cold coming on, and am starting to feel under the weather. I have a few things to take care of tomorrow, and then I'm going to try to get some rest. Have a great week!

January 9th, 2009. Today I drove up to beautiful Eagle River to show this spectacular waterfall property. This was the 2nd showing for these buyers, so they seem to be getting serious. I brought along snowshoes and a sled, so their little boy really enjoyed getting pulled around be me on the sled. I was notified that there was a problem with the 'today's new listings' link. I have fixed the problem, so it is good to go now. Tonight I loaded up the snowmobile so I'm ready to show property on brockway mountain tomorrow. It should be a fun day. Have a fantastic weekend!

January 8th, 2009. I got lots of exercise today. I did property line work on a 160 acre parcel down in Jacobsville. The area is a known deer yard, and I always feel bad scaring so many deer when they need to conserve their energy. I noticed a couple of different bald eagles today too, probably hoping for some of the deer to give in to the brutal winter. It took 2 miles of snowshoeing to do all 4 sides of the property. The snow is still really powdery, so the snowshoes were sinking in pretty deep. My legs are really feeling it tonight. Anyhow, I was glad to get the job done. Tomorrow I'll be out showing properties. Take Care!

January 7th, 2009. Today was another snowy Keweenaw day. Melissa and I took her friend Michelle down to the cabin today. We gave her the grand tour, and did some snowshoeing. I really love the woods in the winter. I still had to work in the office in the afternoon, so we got back early. I rode the snowmobile to work, which is always fun. We decided to use one of the Applebee's gift certificate that we received for Christmas tonight. Some of our friends joined us, so we really had a good time. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Take Care!

January 6th, 2009. It felt good to be back in action today. I have 3 showings scheduled yet this week. I called a client to set up a closing today, and found out that he lost his mother today. Our condolences go out to him and his family. Tonight I accomplished the tiring task of shoveling snow off of the roof. I'm glad to have it done. Have a great day!

January 5th, 2009. We're back! It feels great to be home. There was a nasty ice storm in lower Michigan, so we ended up leaving one day later than planned. Today's roads were just fine for the 8 hour drive. The Keweenaw received lots of snow while we were gone. I received many real estate inquiries during the last week. It always seems that as soon as I leave the office for a week, things get really busy. I'll be in the office tomorrow getting caught up. We had a great time visiting my family and friends. It seems that the older I get, the faster the years are going by. Have a great week!

January 1st, 2009. Happy New Year! I can't believe it is 2009 already. We're still in lower Michigan visiting family. I'm already looking forward to getting back to the great white north. Everybody in lower Michigan couldn't wait to show us how much snow they got. Needless to say it is hard to impress Keweenaw people with snowfall. What they call a winter storm is what we get by lunch time. I hope everyone had a safe holiday season, and we're all looking forward to a great 2009.

December 29th, 2008. We're on the road! I finished up some things at the office, and we are now in Marquette. We had a little shopping to do, so we thought we'd get a head start tonight. Tomorrow we'll end up in lower Michigan with my family. The MLS statistics are about over for the year, and it looks like I was the #1 closing agent for land in the entire U.P.! I want to say a special thank you to all of you who I have done business with. I really am blessed to be doing what I love up here. Have a great week!

December 28th, 2008. I hope everybody enjoyed their holiday weekend. I'd like to say happy birthday to my mother who turns an undisclosed age today. Today we took down many of the christmas decorations, including the tree. Its amazing how fast it comes and goes. We're still getting ready to head downstate and visit my family. Tomorrow I have lots of work to get wrapped up before we go. I got my snowmobile back from the shop, it had water in the gas. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great week!

December 26th, 2008. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Melissa actually had to work until about 2:00, and then she drove up to her parents. I thought it would be fun to ride my snowmobile up there. What a great Christmas ride! I met the trail groomer early on, and after that I never saw another snowmobile. It was a beautiful day with smooth trails. Christmas went great, then we spent the night up there. Today on the way back, my snowmobile died on me. I managed to get it going again, and made it into Calumet where it died again. I ended up calling my father in law who brought the snowmobile trailer so I could drop it off at the shop. Today we officially got the deal accepted on the Jacobsville 80 acre parcel, so congrats to the buyers and sellers! Have a great weekend!

December 24th, 2008. Merry Christmas! I did manage to squeeze in some real estate today. I wrote an offer on an 80 acre parcel near Jacobsville. After that, I went to Wal-Mart for a little last second shopping. It seems that many other people had the same idea...it was a madhouse in there. We went up to Melissa's parents the rest of the night. We had lots of snacks and watched 'The Christmas Story'. Ho.....ho.....ho. ;) Have a wonderful Christmas!

December 23rd, 2008. Another day, another Christmas party. Today Melissa and I signed the closing paperwork for our highway property. After work, we drove up to Copper Harbor to the Tamarack Inn, a great place to eat. They throw a private Christmas party every year for some of the local friends. We had fantastic prime rib. The drive back was a little slow, since we are trying to drive carefully on the winter roads. If you have family traveling for Christmas, I hope that their travels are going smooth. Take Care!

December 22nd, 2008. I hope everybody had a great day. I was happy to get my truck back today. I went to the office and finalized the paperwork for the closing on the highway property that I own. Tonight my wife and I went to dinner with some friends at the Pilgrim River Steakhouse. After dinner, they came over and played games with us. We had a lot of fun. Have a great day!

December 21st, 2008. I hope you had a great weekend. I know that lots of people were out finishing up holiday shopping. Melissa and I went down to the cabin on Saturday. We are still seeing lots of deer. I believe that almost all of the bucks have already dropped their antlers, preparing for another brutal winter. Lots of lookers in real estate right now. Interest rates are getting very low. I'm sure most of you have a short week at work, so hang in there!

December 19th, 2008. It's Friday! I had another enjoyable day of using my snowmobile as my primary means of transportation. Happy birthday to my great grandmother Mabelle Preston who turned 100 today! She is an amazing lady. Don't forget to vote on the poll question if you haven't already. Have a fantastic weekend!

December 18th, 2008. Today I closed on a 13 acre parcel near Copper City. Congrats Jack! My truck isn't running right, so I had to tow it to the mechanic. Luckily I have my snowmobile to get me back and forth to work. Tonight my wife and I had a great pizza at the Ambassador. Have a great Friday!

December 17th, 2008. Cold temps meant nasty roads today, as we heard about many car accidents. It seems it takes people a month or so to remember how to drive in the winter. In fact, as I type this at 10:30 pm, I just returned from pulling out a co-worker who was stuck. Tonight I spoke in length with a buyer regarding this large waterfront parcel in Houghton county. Hopefully things will continue to progress on this good buy. Have a great day!

December 16th, 2008. The low temperatures made part of my day difficult. My wife's car wouldn't start this morning, so she had to take my truck. I decided to take the snowmobile to work, but ended up having to change the spark plugs to get that going. With a little isopropyl and jumper cables, I managed to get her car going when I got back home. Here is a 40 acre parcel near Pelkie, and another one just a mile away. Nice hunting properties. We're looking forward to slightly warmer temperatures. Take Care!

December 15th, 2008. Blizzard! Schools and most businesses were closed today. You know it is a snowy day when you have to dig yourself out to go to work, and then dig yourself back in to get home. There is new pic on the buck pole. There is also a new poll question. Tonight all I'm worried about is staying warm and watching Monday Night Football. Have a great day!

December 14th, 2008. We sure are having goofy weather. First it was blowing and snowing all day, and then tonight it turned to rain and 36 degrees. The power went out in all of Houghton tonight for awhile. I went down to the cabin to enjoy the last weekend of muzzleloader season. Today's hunting journal might be my last for the year. My grandpa got a buck in lower Michigan tonight, so I'm very excited for him. He takes his hunting seriously. Anyhow, it is supposed to get very cold later tonight, so all of this rain will freeze I'm sure. Should be interesting roads in the morning. I need some pics for pic of the day....so send me some!

December 12th, 2008. Brrr! The temps are single digits. We have a full moon tonight, it sure is beautiful. This morning I had a closing on a waterfront lot down near Bootjack. Congrats to Paul! In the afternoon, I entered two new listings, 40 acre parcels near Pelkie. Tonight Melissa and I went to another Christmas party with many of her co-workers. We had a lot of fun, but couldn't stay too late. I'm looking forward to toughing out the cold and doing some muzzleloader hunting this weekend. Have a fantastic weekend!

December 11th, 2008. More and more snow. I heard a report today that we've already received over 60 inches of snow this winter. Today I had a showing on this 80 acre parcel near Jacobsville. We snowshoed about half of the property. It was very tough going as the snow is still so soft and powdery. The showing went very well. We had a bald eagle circling us several times during the day, he seemed to be following us around. I don't expect this property to last long. They expect to make a final decision sometime later next week. I'm looking forward to a closing tomorrow morning. Also, sorry the video didn't work on the hunting journal. Youtube was very slow, but it is working now, so check it out. Have a great Friday!

December 10th, 2008. The cold and snow continues as winter is off to a quick start. I went hunting in the morning, then headed back to the office for the rest of the afternoon. I have a closing on Friday, so I had to get all the closing paperwork finalized. Tonight we went to the women's Michigan Tech basketball game versus Finlandia. Tech dominated Finlania in every aspect of the game. The radio said that Tech is ranked 14th in the nation right now. When we purchased our tickets, we noticed on the back that we won a free large pizza at the 'Mine Shaft' in Houghton. We decided to take advantage of the coupon right after the game. The pizza was great. I finally updated the hunting journal tonight with some new video footage, so check it out. Have a great day!

December 9th, 2008. I hope everybody had a great day. I heard that lower Michigan got pounded with snow. By the way, if you are using this site searching for real estate, make sure you are using the 'today's new listings' feature. I'm quite sure that you won't find that feature on any other website in our MLS. Today I went muzzleloader hunting, and saw many deer, including 2 bucks. I'll try to post some footage tomorrow. There is a new buck on the 'buck pole'. Take Care!

December 8th, 2008. Another day, another deal. The buyers from this weekend decided to make an offer on the parcel adjacent to the one they just secured a deal on, and got an accepted offer on that parcel as well. Now they will have plenty of elbow room. Tonight Melissa and I had a delicious dinner (ribs) at our sister-in-law's house. Also, there are two new pics on the buck pole, including one real giant. Have a great day!

December 7th, 2008. It was a fun and productive weekend. On Friday, I sold my property that was on Ebay. I communicated with the buyer, and everything is a go. On Saturday, I met a wonderful couple from Illinois to look at this property near Copper City. They were adventurous, and more than willing to hike all of the ridges and valleys through the rapidly accumulating snow. We went back to the office, wrote an offer, and got it the deal accepted before they went back home, so congrats to them! That night, my wife and I went to her work Christmas party, and really had a blast. I'm anxious to get back to work tomorrow. Have a great week!

December 4th, 2008. Snow, snow, and more snow. I opened the office this morning. Came down to the cabin today to check out the deer situation. The snow is well over their knees now. I should be able to muzzleload hunt, but I think they'll be migrating out of here soon. The roads were an absolute white out tonight. No end of snow in sight!

December 3rd, 2008. It was a beautiful, cold winter day. Today I wrote a purchase agreement and got the wheels turning for a deal where I'm serving as a transaction coordinator. We also got a Christmas tree today, and Melissa put up most of the decorations around the house. I'm looking forward to doing some hunting on Friday, and then Saturday I'll be showing some property in northern Houghton county. Take Care!

December 2nd, 2008. There are a couple more big bucks to check out on the buck pole! Many people had some great hunting this so congrats! There are only a few days left on my ebay property, I encourage you to check out. You won't find an easier way to own some great property. LOW downpayment, LOW monthly payments. Feel free to call me or e-mail me with any questions about it. Have a great day!

December 1st, 2008. December is here! I went to the office for awhile today, and then got lots done around the house. I put away some of my hunting stuff for the year, which is always kind of sad. I got the plow set up on the ATV, and did some plowing, it is working great. I surprised my wife by putting Christmas lights out on our house. I'm usually pretty reluctant to get in the Christmas spirit, so she was very happy. Be sure to check out the hunting journal if you haven't, I posted 4 new videos. Have a great week!

November 30th, 2008. Rifle season is over! It actually wasn't bad this year, I saw bucks on pretty much every hunt. I got some pics e-mailed to me for the buck pole, and I expect some more this week. Keep them coming! I hunted hard this weekend and got lots of video. I'll try to get some posted on the hunting journal, I may not be able to get it all uploaded tonight. Back to work tomorrow! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

November 26th, 2008. I spent the day at the office, sending out info to potential buyers. The website traffic has been great, and I wanted to thank you all for continuing to visit the site. I would like to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving!

November 25th, 2008. The phones are starting get a busy. I had a few different productive calls from buyers today. I'm glad that people continue to invest in the U.P. There is no place like it. Later today I set up my muzzleloading spot, and hunted on my property. I updated the hunting journal, complete with video. Tomorrow will be a busy day at the office. Take Care!

November 24th, 2008. Did you survive Monday? It was a pretty good day here. Got an inquiry from a good buyer. I also may have secured a deal as a transaction coordinator. A transaction coordinator is where you don't represent the buyer or the seller, you simply make sure all the paperwork is done properly for a deal. I went to the cabin today and watched deer. Saw about 5 or 6, same does and fawns as usual. Have a great day!

November 23rd, 2008. I hope everybody had a great weekend. Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day. I went hunting, and saw quite a few deer. Anyhow, the hunting journal is updated, the buck pole has another entry, and if you have been hunting, please vote on the poll question so we can see how everybody is doing. Have a great Monday!

November 21th, 2008. 15 degrees and snowing steady! The cold exposed the old batteries today, I had to change one in the ATV and in my truck. I have to make this one short because we have a whole bunch of people coming over for a party at our house. Should be fun! Have a great weekend!

November 20th, 2008. Today I hunted all day. We are really getting the snow. Lots to do tomorrow, we're hosting a work party at our house. I finally got my opening day video on the hunting journal, so check it out. There is also another entry on the buck pole, keep the pics coming!

November 19th, 2008. Just another snowy day in the Keweenaw. I really shouldn't be saying that already, since we have months and months of it to come. Deer didn't move as good as I thought they would tonight, probably because of the gusting winds. Be sure to check out 'pic of the day' and the 'buck pole', my friend Jeremy got a HUGE Keweenaw buck. Congrats Jeremy!

November 18th, 2008. Today was a catch-up day in the office. I've been getting at least a phone call a day on this 80 acre parcel near Baraga. At that price, it is obviously one of the best deals out there. I'm already anxious to get back out in the woods, I love when the snow arrives. There is a new poll question for you to vote on, primarily the deer hunters. Have a great day!

November 17th, 2008. Hello! I hope those of you that went hunting had a good time. I have a couple of pics that were e-mailed to me for the buck pole, so check them out. If you have a pic of your success, please e-mail it to me! The hunting journal has been updated. It really wasn't a bad first three days of rifle season. The snow has really been falling today, I think that winter is here to stay now. Have a great day!

November 14th, 2008. It is the night before the rifle season opener. I'm sure many of you are excited for tomorrow. I pulled a couple of my treestands today, and went bowhunting one last time tonight. I'm at the camp and ready to go for tomorrow. I sit from dusk to dawn, never leaving my stand on opening day. We'll see what happens. Have fun and be safe!

November 13th, 2008. Today the sellers signed for their portion of the closing on the Calumet house I recently sold. Buyers will wrap it up tomorrow. I'm sure many of you are excited to hit the road for deer camp tomorrow. Rifle season isn't my favorite season, but I kind of excited for opening day. The weather wasn't good enough to hunt tonight, but I'm hoping to sneak in one last bowhunt tomorrow night. I also wanted to clarify something about the 'wildlife cam'. I don't own the camera, and it isn't on any of my properties. I simply found it online, and wanted to share it with you. I actually don't even know what the state the cam is located in. It sure is fun to watch though, I saw 7 deer on it at once tonight. Have a great Friday, and safe travels if you are heading out to the woods. Good Luck!

November 12th, 2008. Yucky day. Pouring rain, and south winds weren't good for the spot I wanted to hunt, so no hunting for me. I spent most of the day in the office, and later on my wife and I went up to Ahmeek to visit the in-laws. My father-in-law and I sighted in our rifles. Both of our guns were on, and required no adjustment. I hope the weather improves soon. Have a great day!

November 11th, 2008. Today was a pretty nice day. The sun was out some, and the temps were tolerable. I stayed down at the camp to make some preparations for the upcoming rifle season. After getting my spot ready, I decided to just hunt right over the food plot by the cabin. I ended up seeing 13 deer, I was very surprised. Anyhow, I updated the last couple of hunts on the hunting journal, so feel free to check it out. Take Care!

November 10th, 2008. It was a cold Monday. It finally stopped snowing. I am getting things ready for a closing this week, and we are still working on putting a deal together for the Pt. Abbaye parcel. Tonight I went hunting, and saw several deer. I'll post some details/video on the hunting journal tomorrow. Gas prices are down to $2.19 in Houghton, it is a nice change. Have a great day!

November 9th, 2008. Brrr! It is only 27 degrees right now, and it has been snowing all weekend. We got about 6 inches in Nisula, and maybe 3 or 4 in Houghton. It is hard to believe that less than a week ago I was complaining about how warm it was. It feels like we fast forwarded to the dead of winter. Melissa had to go to Marquette for a work conference this weekend, so I stayed out at the cabin. I went hunting Saturday and Sunday, and saw a total of 7 different bucks, which was pretty exciting. However, I really froze. By the way, last night I saw a HUGE buck....on the wildlife cam. Have a great Monday!

November 7th, 2008. Happy Friday! Today we made a counter-offer on the offer we got on the Pt. Abbaye parcel. Hopefully we'll find a way to get it together. After work, I went hunting. By the way, there is a new poll question for you to vote on. I've been seeing lots of deer on the 'wildlife cam', so be sure to check it from time to time. I listed one of my properties on ebay, I've had some pretty good success selling parcels this way. This property is a very good investment, check it out by clicking here. I'll give you a special deal if you are a joshsteinland regular!

November 6th, 2008. We are still stuck with warm weather. I haven't went hunting due to the unfavorable conditions. It is supposed to cool down this weekend, and I can't wait to get out in the woods! I had a buyer purchase a lot on Rice Lake this summer who wasn't quite sure about the boundaries of the parcel, so I went out there today to ribbon up the corners for him. It sure is nice out there. Have a great Friday!

November 5th, 2008. After all the build up, the presidential election over. It will be interesting to see what the next few years bring for our country. Today was warm again, and we actually had thunderstorms tonight. My deal on the Calumet house almost fell through today because of the appraisal, but luckily I managed to put it back together. I also received an offer today on the Pt. Abbaye parcel, we'll make a counter-offer tomorrow. Tonight we had a nice dinner at 'the Hut' in Kearsarge, to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. Have a great day!

November 4th, 2008. It is a heat wave! The temps hit 70 degrees here today! Too hot for hunting, but I guess it is kind of nice to enjoy one last day or so of short sleeve weather. I know they are calling for snow this coming weekend. I did my duty and voted today. I'll be anxious to see who wins tonight. Take Care!

November 3rd, 2008. How was your Monday? Today was actually pretty uneventful for a Monday. I got an appraiser set up to appraise a home that I sold. I'm getting lots of interest on this waterfront parcel. It was unseasonably warm, up in the 60 degree range. I went hunting tonight and saw a nice buck. Get out and vote on Tuesday!

November 2nd, 2008. I hope everybody had a great weekend! Melissa and I stayed at the camp Friday night, then headed back to town on Saturday. I went hunting Saturday night, and then we went to the Michigan Tech hockey game. Tech lost, but we had fantastic seats, and it was pretty exciting. Sunday the in-laws came over for a little birthday get-together. Great food, great times. I thought my Detroit Lions were going to pull out a victory, but as usual, they found a way to lose. Oh well. November is here! Have a great week!

October 31st, 2008. Happy Halloween! Today is my birthday so Melissa and I are down at the camp. I can't think of any other place I'd rather be. I went hunting tonight, and now we're getting ready to have a delicious dinner. Melissa saw more deer from the cabin than I did out at my hunting spot. Go figure. Have a great weekend!

October 30th, 2008. Today was unseasonably warm, with temps rising back up to the high 60's. Tomorrow the temps are supposed to drop back down in the 40's, which makes me happier. Today I officially got a deal together on this home in Calumet. Have a great Friday!

October 29th, 2008. I look forward to October all year, I can't believe that it is almost over. There is a nice flurry of real estate activity right now. I'm expecting an offer on this Lake Superior home, and this Lake Superior vacant land. I keep reading about unemployment and the economy in the U.S., and then I open up the local paper and find out that the unemployment rate has declined in the U.P. If you don't live here, you should move here. I updated the hunting journal. I forgot to mention in the hunting journal the neat experience I had last night. It was already pretty enough as the sun was setting, but then a bald eagle came soaring down, I thought it was going to land in my lap, but then it coasted by about 6 feet from my face. I've never been that close eye-to-eye with an eagle. It was pretty awesome. Have a great day!

October 28th, 2008. It was really cold today. I've been sending out info to some prospective buyers. Today I picked up my deer meat from the processor. I'm excited to try a new smoked venison sausage recipe. By the way, be sure to check out the new 'wildlife cam'. I'm starting to see lots of deer on it. Just like with hunting, the best time to watch it is at dawn and dusk. I had an interesting hunt tonight, but I won't be able to post the video until tomorrow, so hang in there. Take Care!

October 27th, 2008. The phone was ringing off the hook today. I've got a couple of new potential deals in the works. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. We had some snow flurries in the air, but we didn't get any accumulation. I was excited to go hunting tonight. I posted some new footage on the hunting journal. This site is getting incredible traffic lately, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. Please remember to send a friend here so they might enjoy it too. Have a great day!

October 26th, 2008. It was a busy weekend as I was hosting my friend Gary and my brother Adam down at the cabin. We had a great time. I didn't do any hunting, as I was more concerned with making sure my brother had some good hunting. They both left today, and it felt good to just take a day off. I think this was the first Sunday that I actually watched football this season. The Lions lost, not surprisingly. I'm looking forward to a good week of working and hunting. Have a great week!

October 24th, 2008. What a crazy day. In the morning I went back up to Calumet to take some outside pictures of the house that I just listed there. When I got back, I officially loaded it onto the MLS, and put it on the market. At about 3:00 my brother Adam showed up for his short weekend of hunting with me. I took him out to one of my best stands, which is in the middle of nowhere. As he was climbing into the stand, we met a bird hunter that was walking through. It was very frustrating to have another hunter out wandering around your best hunting spot, especially when I've never seen another human out there for 7 years. But, it is public land, and he has every right to be there. Anyhow, as I'm typing this, my brother is still out hunting in the pouring rain. I have to go get him at dark, since I wouldn't expect him to find his way out of the unfamiliar territory. After I dropped him off, I went up to Calumet to show the new house listing to some buyers that I have been working with. They loved it, and wrote a great offer. The sellers accepted it. Approximate time on the market......6 hours. Not bad, eh?

October 23rd, 2008. We're still negotiating on the 40 acre parcel near Mud Lake. We are very, very close. Tonight I listed a house in Calumet, great house, great value. Check out the hunting journal for a successful hunt for my friend Gary. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great Friday!!

October 22nd, 2008. Today I received an offer on this 40 acre parcel near Mud Lake. We are currently in negotiations. My buddy Gary and I both saw quite a few deer tonight. I won't do the hunting journal until tomorrow when I can load up the video footage. Tomorrow I'll be listing a house in Calumet. Take Care!

October 21st, 2008. This morning was very frosty and cold. Gary and I decided to take a day off of hunting, and go fishing instead. I have never fished this late in the year for pike, but I've always read that it can be very good. We bundled up in all of our warm gear, and went out on one of my favorite secret lakes. It was so cold! Well, it was worth it. We landed well over 30 pike. It was excellent fishing. We were out there for about 7 hours. It was really fun. It was nice to come home and warm up to some delicious chili that Melissa made for us. Also, here is the new 80 acre listing near Jacobsville. It is hard to find 80 acres with year round access and utilities. Undisturbed, not logged. Very rare find. I already had a call on it today. Have a great day!

October 20th, 2008. I hope everybody is having a great week! My buddy Gary is up to hunt, so we've been out in the woods a lot, and enjoying the camp. By the way, my buck ended up weighing 171 lbs, field dressed. That is my heaviest deer to date. Tomorrow I'll have some info on here about an exciting new 80 acre parcel that I just listed. Take Care!

October 18th, 2008. I got a buck! Check out the hunting journal!

October 17th, 2008. Finally Friday! Today I had a closing on a 20 acre parcel just outside of Hancock. Congrats on adding to your empire Walt! I actually am looking forward to seeing your cabin. Tomorrow I'm hoping to list a new 80 acre parcel near Jacobsville. My friend Gary is supposed to be up later tomorrow for some serious hunting and hanging out at the cabin. Have a great weekend!

October 16th, 2008. Today at work I got everything ready for a closing that I have on Friday. Here is my new listing overlooking the Traprock River. Also, there a couple of new bucks that have been e-mailed to me for the buck pole, so check them out if you like. I had a fun hunt tonight, and have some of my first buck footage of the year on the hunting journal. Enjoy!

October 15th, 2008. Today I listed a nice building site overlooking the Traprock River. I'll have details tomorrow. I also am in the process of listing an 840 acre parcel. They took the skywalks down on the main drag in Houghton. It looks really different, but definitely opens up the view. We are back to having fall weather. Take Care!

October 13th, 2008. Today I drove down to Michigamme to show a 240 acre parcel. Talk about remote. I've been to some very remote places, and this one is definitely up there. Nice property, but too far for these buyers I'm afraid. Also, I've had a couple of different potential buyers inform me that they thought it was virtually impossible to get vacant land financing from banks right now. WRONG! We have different banks that are ready to loan money on vacant land with as little as 10% down. We've got connections with lenders, so don't ever worry about that. I can't wait for the weather to cool down so I can get back to hunting. Have a great day!

October 12th, 2008. Did you have a good weekend? It sure was warm here. The temps almost reached 80 degrees today. Way too warm for hunting. Saturday I had a good time at my sister-in-law's housewarming party. Sunday I put up some trim at the camp. Here is a new listing near Copper City. Tomorrow I'm showing this great buy near Michigamme. I'm going to start crossing my fingers for snow!

October 10th, 2008. This morning I had a closing on a house I had listed in Houghton. After that, I spent some time in the office entering a new listing. In the early afternoon, I went out near Rice Lake to show this 20 acre parcel. The showing went pretty well. I went hunting in the afternoon, but didn't see any deer. Now Melissa and I are enjoying a night at the cabin. Have a great weekend!

October 9th, 2008. Today was super windy, 40 mph plus. Melissa went with me to take pics and put up signs on some more new listings in northern Houghton county. Afterward, we had a great dinner at the Harbor Haus in Copper Harbor, and then made a few stops to visit friends. Here is my new 80 acre listing on Brockway Mountain. It doesn't get any prettier than this. Here is a new waterfront listing on Lake Superior. It is very difficult to find this size parcel in this price range. Have a great day!

October 8th, 2008. Today I listed two new properties, one on Lake Superior, and one on Brockway Mountain. Both of them are truly spectacular. With all of the doom and gloom media coverage about our national economy, we here in the U.P. feel better than ever to be up here. Our economy doesn't work like much of the country, and while many cities are struggling, our banks are solid, and our real estate business isn't seeing any noticeable change. Even though most of the factors hurting this country don't affect us, I suppose there can be some ripple effect. But I do know this, by the time the ripples reach the U.P., they are pretty small. Take Care!

October 7th, 2008. Another beautiful fall day. Today I finalized the paperwork for a closing on Friday. I found out my friend Jim wasn't actually leaving until Wednesday morning, so we went hunting tonight. He missed a buck tonight, so he is a little disappointed. I'll update the hunting journal tomorrow. I'm ready to get back to work. Have a wonderful day!

October 6th, 2008. It was a wet and windy Monday here in the Keweenaw.

We're planning to go to dinner and bowling with my friend Jim tonight, and then he'll be leaving tomorrow morning. We sure had a great time staying at the camp. I'm going to be listing a couple of new properties tomorrow. I did make an entry in the hunting journal tonight. Take Care!

October 5th, 2008. The weekend is over already. My friend Jim showed up on Saturday to do some hunting and stay at the cabin. We hunted Saturday and Sunday. For some reason, the deer just aren't very active. Regardless, we really enjoyed staying at the cabin. I did get a little bit of footage for the hunting journal, but I won't be able to post it until tomorrow. Have a great week!

October 3rd, 2008. The cabin is finally ready for occupancy. My company is showing up tomorrow, and we're excited to stay out there and have fun. It is really looking great. I didn't go hunting once again as I was working out there all day. This weekend I plan to get in some hunting, and I'm sure I'll have some great footage for the hunting journal on Monday. Here is the new cabin listing north of Ontonagon. It is a really nice place. Have a great weekend, I can't wait to hit the woods!

October 2nd, 2008. A very cool fall day in the U.P. After work this morning, Melissa and I went down to do more work on the cabin. It is after 1:00 in the morning, and we just got home. We got a ton of work done. I didn't go hunting tonight. I'm not sure if I'm going to go tomorrow either, as the weather has been so windy. I have to keep reminding myself that all this work on the cabin will eventually pay off with some relaxation. I'm ready for sleep, take care!

October 1st, 2008. Opening day of archery season is here! I had to go down to the cabin so I could let the electricians in to finish their part. I can't wait to stay out there! Since I was already down there, I decided to hunt 'the nisula spot' tonight. I knew it wasn't the best conditions, very windy, which makes the deer extra edgy. The hunting journal is back! Check out the story and video there! Have a great day!

September 30, 2008. It is late, and I am tired. I have to keep reminding myself that this cabin will be relaxing at some point. Wednesday is opening day of archery season! You can't even imagine how excited I am! Here is a new 40 acre parcel I listed just south of Houghton. I also went down to Ontonagon today and listed a really nice new cabin. Don't forget to vote on the new 'poll question'. Weather permitting, I can't wait to go hunting!

September 29, 2008. It was a good Monday. I listed a 40 acre parcel not too far from Houghton. I got caught up on plenty of paperwork. After my wife got out of work, we hauled some furniture and a stove down to the camp. I'm getting excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a super busy day tomorrow. Have a great day!

September 28, 2008. Typical Keweenaw weather. It was 88 degrees one day, and I woke up to 37 degrees this morning. We put in a busy weekend at the camp. I'm getting very close to being done. We got the floor down tonight. It looks great. I'm ready to start moving some furniture in. I ran out of pine, so I have to get more before I can finish the bedroom. Tomorrow I have showings and listings. Have a great Monday!

September 26, 2008. We spent too much money at Menards this morning, but we got many things that we needed. We worked till dark on the camp again, and we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The internet good hooked up out there today as well. Anyhow, check out pic of the day for the progress. I'll be putting in long hours this weekend trying to wrap it up. Have a great weekend!

September 25, 2008. Melissa and I worked on the camp today, and now we are in Marquette. She has to take a test for her job here tomorrow morning, so we decided to arrive the night before. We had a delicious dinner at Villa Capri. Now we're going to watch the season premier of "Grey's Anatomy". Tomorrow I'll pick up some supplies at Menards before we head back. Have a great Friday!

September 24, 2008. Tonight I finished up the ceiling at the camp. I'm very glad to have that part done. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, I'll have all the walls done. We'll see. I got some more pictures back from my trail cameras at some of my hunting spots. Lots of nice deer around this year. Have a great day!

September 23, 2008. Today I worked on putting together an upcoming closing. I put new tires on my truck today, which ended up being a little more money than I anticipated. It seems the price of everything is going up these days. Tonight I went down to the camp to continue work. I am one day away from being done with the ceiling. I can't wait. By the time deer season arrives, I won't be able to stay awake in my treestand. Oh, here is a prime new property that I just listed, click here.

September 22, 2008. Today I was stranded, so I was working from home. I had to drop my truck off at the shop to get a new wheel bearing put on. I entered in a new listing today, and got lots of stuff done around the house. My wife was pleasantly surprised when she got home and the dishes were done. Have a terrific Tuesday!

September 21, 2008. It was a weekend full of work. I spent my time out at the cabin, working hard trying to get it 'move-in' ready. I have the toilet installed, and the tongue & groove is completed on 1/2 of the ceiling. The ceiling is very slow going, especially doing it by yourself. It sure looks nice though. It has been fun to watch the deer feeding on the rye at all hours of the day. I have a picture of a buck on 'pic of the day'. Be sure to visit the new "wildlife cam". I stumbled across this site, it is a corn feeder with a 24 hour webcam set up in the woods. You can watch deer and other wildlife at any given time of the day. Have a great week!

September 19, 2008. I hope everybody had a good Friday. I took pictures of my new listing on Lake Superior. I can't wait to show you the listing on Monday. Tonight I had showings on a few different remote parcels in Torch Lake Township. I think they went pretty well. I forgot to mention yesterday I got pictures of two different nice bucks on my trail camera. I'm pretty excited about the upcoming archery season. Have a great weekend!

September 18, 2008. Melissa and I had a productive night down at the cabin. I got the tongue & groove pine all done in the bathroom, this weekend I'll see how much more I can get done. We saw 3 deer out there tonight. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great Friday!

September 17, 2008. Lots of closings are happening. I closed on a nice Lake Superior parcel in Baraga county, I closed on the house in Highway Location, and today I closed on a house in Laurium. I also listed a 40 acre parcel just outside of Houghton today, and a 34 acre parcel on Lake Superior. I'll have photos and details in a few days. By the way, if you have been watching this great buy near Keweenaw Bay, you better call me because I have three different buyers looking at it. Our leaves are starting to change color as we are speeding toward October. Take Care!

September 16, 2008. Back to work. I had a final walk through on a house I sold in Laurium that is closing tomorrow. It didn't take too long to get caught up at the office, but I still have plenty of phone calls to return. After dinner tonight, the phone rang with a buyer that seemed pretty serious about some vacant land listings I have out near Rice Lake. I printed off some paperwork and headed out for some late night showings. I was actually showing some land tonight with the headlights of my truck. I think that is a first for me. It went pretty well, so we'll see what happens. Have a great day!

September 16, 2008. Home sweet home! After a long day of travel, it feels great to be back in the keweenaw. Tomorrow I'll be diving back into work to get caught up. Check out 'pic of the day' today, it is pretty amazing!

September 15, 2008. It is Sunday night, our last night in Las Vegas. It has been a really fantastic trip. Lots to see, lots of fun, and great dinners. Vacations are great, but it is always great to get back home. I can't wait to get back to the U.P., and sleep in my own bed. Long day of traveling tomorrow. Have a great week!

September 12, 2008. Greetings from sunny Las Vegas! We had smooth travels, and are trying to get used to the 3 hour time change. We have already covered a lot of ground out here, and are having a great time. We're going to catch a show tonight. There are so many great places to eat out there, that you could never visit them all. Have a great weekend, I know we will!

September 09, 2008. I woke up to kind of a bad surprise this morning. My neck hurt terribly, and I could barely move it. Somehow I slept wrong, and ended up having to go to the chiropractor. It is still sore, but hopefully that won't happen again. We're trying to get all the loose ends tied up before we leave for Las Vegas! We had 2 free round trip plane ticket vouchers from a cancelled flight last year, so we have to use them up before they expire. We'll be out there until Monday. I'll have my laptop, so I'll be checking in. Tonight I finished up some things at the camp so I'll be ready to get going on the paneling when I get back. I had a couple of deer come out and eat in the food plot tonight, it was fun to watch them while I worked. Talk to you tomorrow from Las Vegas!

September 08, 2008. It was a busy Monday. I'm getting my closings all set to go before we leave town later this week. We're getting plenty of inquiries from buyers as of late. By the way, this house in Houghton is probably the best residential deal I've seen this year. This would be a great rental opportunity, or an inexpensive home for yourself. It is currently being re-painted. After work tonight, I went out and worked on a couple of my deer blinds. My deer hunting is a lot of work, but it is a labor of love. Anyhow, time to eat dinner and watch Monday Night Football with my wife. Talk to you tomorrow!

September 07, 2008. I hope everybody had a great weekend. Saturday I worked on the camp all day. The electrician came and hooked up the lights and most of the outlets. I finished the insulating and am ready for the tongue & groove pine. We now have a huge sow with two cubs hanging around the camp. Check out 'pic of the day'. Have a great week!

September 05, 2008. Friday already? My seller accepted the offer that we received on his home. Cash deal, close in 14 days, they don't get much better than that. I found out today that I can get DSL internet installed at my camp for free! It seems hard to believe to me, but they swear that it is there. That will be nice. My camp is turning out to be quite comfortable. My long term goal is to get a webcam set-up over my food plot, so we can all watch wildlife 24/7, right here on joshsteinland.com! After work tonight, I got a treestand set at a new spot that I'll call "the river bottom". I can't wait to hunt it. I only have 2 more stands to set before season. Have a great weekend!

September 04, 2008. It was another "fall like" day up here, and you won't hear any complaints from me. After work, Melissa and I went down to the camp to get some work done. We got the bathroom floor in, and the inside about 70% insulated. I'm almost ready for the tongue & groove. I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm really excited. On the way in, we stopped at the "mosquito inn". We've never been there before, and we experienced some real U.P. culture. It was great. I also found out tonight that I received an offer on one my houses, so I'm anxious to get to the office in the morning and check it out. Have a great Friday!

September 03, 2008. It is 50 degrees in the Keweenaw as I am typing this journal. The temperature has dropped more than 30 degrees in 24 hours. Today was busy at work. Tonight I was treated to a great dinner at our sister-in-law's house. Melissa's uncle found me a good deal on a refrigerator tonight (for the camp), so I drove up to Mohawk and bought it. Tomorrow Melissa and I are headed to the camp, and I'm hoping to get lots of things accomplished. I can't wait until it is ready to be occupied. Take Care!

September 02, 2008. We've really been needing some rain, and it is pouring down right now. That is good news. Today was a good day at work, getting caught up on everything, and working towards some nice closings. I also put a house on the market today. I am also going to be listing a nice cabin on Ontonagon county. I feel very fortunate that I've built up my reputation enough that listings keep coming to me, and I don't have to chase them. I've even turned down several listings this year, when I thought they weren't saleable. Is that a word? Anyhow, I picked out the flooring today for the camp. I'll start insulating the inside this week, and getting the bathroom together. I'm anxious for another productive day tomorrow. See ya!

September 01, 2008. Is it September already? Another summer is flying by. However, I never get down about Summer ending, because I know that Fall is coming. Fall is by far my favorite season, mainly because it is deer season. I can't wait! I still have lots of treestands to set, but it has simply been too hot to do anything the last couple of days. It is supposed to cool off Wednesday, so hopefully I can get back to the woods. I'm ready to get back to work tomorrow, as I have several closings that are ready to go. We have another short trip coming up in the middle of September, so I'll be working double time this week trying to catch up. Have a fantastic week!

August 29, 2008. We've covered a lot of ground on this vacation, but it has been a great time. We had fun at the Tigers games, and we even visited the Detroit Zoo. Now we've been making the rounds trying to make sure we see everybody. I went to the sporting goods store and got my bow ready for archery season. I did some shooting at my brother's last night, and I've never shot better. I can't wait until October 1st. We'll be hitting the road north on Saturday. We are going to stop at the camp on the way home to check on the food plot and trail camera pics, I really can't wait for that. Next time I write in the journal, I'll be back home! Have a great weekend!

August 26, 2008. Greetings from Detroit! We're having a great time. We went fishing a couple of days ago, and caught a ton of bass. I can't wait to post some pics when we get home. We went to the Detroit Tigers game last night. The tigers lost a close one, but it was still lots of fun. We'll be at tonight's game as well. After driving around the big city for awhile, I can see why tourists are so excited to get up to the U.P. where driving is actually enjoyable and relaxing. Have a great day!

August 24, 2008. Greetings from Traverse City! I finally bought a laptop yesterday, so it is nice to be able to check in from the road. We're at our hotel right now getting ready to head down to my hometown. We might even do a little fishing today. Our friends' wedding was yesterday. It was an absolutely beautiful wedding, we had a great time. Traverse City is a very pretty area. I don't have any pics on this new computer, so I'll be counting on you guys to e-mail me some pics for 'pic of the day'. Please e-mail me at josh@swoh.us, and I'll post them when I get a chance. Have a great week!

August 21, 2008. Today was a long but productive day. I did some interior work on the camp, and got the deer food plot planted. Perfect timing, as it is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow. I also went a got a treestand set at "the nisula spot". I had to move the stand this year, because my other tree blew over in a windstorm. Glad I wasn't in it. I'm getting very anxious for archery season on October 1st. I also located a good deal this afternoon on some tongue/groove hemlock for the interior of the camp. Not enough to do the whole thing, but I think I'll use it for the bedroom, bathroom, and closets. I'll likely do the rest in cedar. Tonight Melissa and I checked out the Houghton County fair. It was a beautiful night, and it was very busy. In all of the years I've lived here, that is the first time I've been to it. Tonight we're packing our bags because we are hitting the road tomorrow for our trip to lower Michigan. We'll be going to a wedding, shopping, fishing, 2 Tiger games, and we'll even so some farming. Should be quite a week. My internet access will be limited, so I'll check in if/when I get a chance. If you need to buy any property, just wait until I get back! Take Care!

August 20, 2008. I got the offer accepted this morning on the Gratiot River acreage. Congrats to Lyle and Pam! I closed on a waterfront parcel on Baraga county, and a lot on Rice Lake. I'm thankful everyday that our real estate market has continued to be so strong while much of the country is struggling. I'm excited to plant the food plot at the camp tomorrow. Have a great day!

August 19, 2008. The offer on the Laurium house was accepted. I haven't heard back on the riverfront parcel yet, but I expect it to be accepted. After work, I went to work on the camp (as usual). I put down fertilizer and lime where I'll be planting my food plot on Thursday. I have a handy little rig that hooks on the back of my ATV to spread it. The food plot will be a mix of rye and and other preferred deer forage. It will be fun to watch the deer from the camp. Tonight was a big night, as I finally finished the exterior of the camp. I am finally done! I'm glad to have it done before our vacation next week. When I get back, I'll start insulating the walls, and then prepping it to be liveable. Have a great day!

August 18, 2008. Monday was busy as usual. At about 10:30 this morning, I thought to myself, "my phone is awfully quiet for a Monday morning". I looked at my phone and had 6 messages already, I had forgot to take the phone off of "silent". I wrote an offer today on a house in Laurium, and also wrote an offer on a piece of riverfront in Keweenaw county. After work today I went down to the camp to get one step closer to being done with the exterior work. The front is half sided, and I'm about a day away from being totally done with the outside work. Did you watch Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals? Wow!

August 17, 2008. I hope that everybody had a great weekend. I worked on the cabin pretty much all weekend. The bottom is all skirted and vented. My wife and sister-in-law helped with that job, which required lots of digging. They really put in a lot of work, it was a big help. The door is in now, so the cabin is officially 'locked up'. I'm ready to put siding on the front, then I'll be totally done with the exterior. Sunday was very hot up here, with temps well over 90 degrees. I was going to set a treestand for deer season, but I opted to wait for a cooler day. This week will be very busy, as I'm trying to get everything organized so we can go downstate on Friday. Take Care!

August 15, 2008. I'm really glad it is Friday. This morning I had a showing on this fantastic waterfront home in Eagle River. The showing went very well. I sure would be happy to get that one together. I have 4 closings coming up in the next week, so I've been busy with that. Tonight I had another great showing on some waterfront. I'm looking forward to getting some work done on the camp this weekend. 1 more week until vacation!

August 14, 2008. Today I had a showing on a Lake Superior lot, and also a showing on my Lake Eva lot. These are waterfront parcels that actually have a large amount of acreage, which is getting harder and harder to find. Tonight I also had a showing on a home in Laurium. Lots of lookers. The highlight of the day was closing on my sister-in-law's house. This was her first home purchase, which is always exciting. Congrats Erin!

August 13, 2008. The days keep flying by. I've been extremely busy, and I'm looking forward to our upcoming trip at the end of August. Paperwork was the word of the day today. We had the playoffs in our volleyball league tonight. We made it to the semi-finals, but lost. I'm actually relieved that it is over. Good exercise, but I'd rather have the night to be working on the camp. We've been enjoying watching Michael Phelps dominate the swimming at the olympics. He is a special athlete for sure. We had some friends over tonight, grilled some steaks, and had a great time. Time to go to bed. Bye!

August 12, 2008. Today was a very hectic day. Lots of deals happening all at once. I also had showings today on a couple of houses, and this piece of land near Hancock. Lots of interest on it lately. After work tonight, I drove down to the cabin. I got there kind of late, but figured I could still get some work in. I finished up insulating underneath the floor, and got a little more skirting in place to seal off the bottom. Got some nice deer pics from the trail camera. Tomorrow will be a busy day at work. Take Care!

August 11, 2008. Work was off to a busy start this week with two home inspections Monday morning. One year ago today I got married to my wonderful wife. We drove up to Copper Harbor for our anniversary dinner. It was an absolutely beautiful night, and we had a great time. I'm lucky to have her, and I'm lucky to live here. Have a great day!

August 10, 2008. It was a beautiful, productive weekend. Saturday I was at the camp working. I got 2/3 of the insulation done underneath the floor, but I ran short on materials. I spent the rest of the day finishing some random stuff on the camp. As you've seen on pic of the day, I have bears out there. They are fun to watch, but can become a nuisance quickly. Sunday I actually started preparation for the upcoming archery deer season. I got a new treestand set up at one of my best spots. Setting up a new spot can be quite a bit of work, lots of climbing, sawing, trimming etc. 1 spot down, 4 to go. The hunting journal should be entertaining this year. Have a great week!

August 08, 2008. I put two deals together today, which always makes me happy. The house that I listed last Saturday is officially under contract. I also got an offer accepted tonight on some lakefront property. I have lots of buyers traveling north this month to look at land and homes. It should be a fantastic month. I'm looking forward to trying to make more progress on the camp this weekend. There is a new poll question to vote on. Have a great weekend!

August 07, 2008. The days fly by when you are busy. I'm trying to get deals together on two different Rice Lake lots. Remember the house I mentioned yesterday in Houghton that was priced to sell? I wrote an offer on it tonight. If you price it right, we can sell it fast. Have a great Friday!

August 06, 2008. Lots of action in real estate. I had a closing today on a nice home in Dollar Bay, congrats to Roger & Cleo. This is a nice lot right in the City of Houghton that is priced low. The seller of this house in Houghton wants it sold within 2 weeks, and it is priced to do just that. I have already had 5 showing requests since the first day it hit the market. It is hard to find homes in that price range in Houghton that don't require a bunch of work. See ya!

August 05, 2008. The phones keep ringing as buyers are planning their trip to the U.P. to check out properties. Today I got everything prepared for a closing tomorrow. Tonight Melissa and I went up to the north part of the peninsula to do some fishing. It was much windier than expected, but we still managed to land a respectable number of fish. Other than the wind, it was a gorgeous night. Have a great day!

August 04, 2008. It was very hot in the Copper Country today. I took pics and put up signs at two of my new listings. I'll have info on here about them tomorrow. I am one step closer to writing an offer on a lot on Rice Lake. If you are looking for a good fishing lake, be sure to try it. I thought about heading down to the camp after work, but I'm just too tired. I need a little rest, I noticed my throat is a little sore. I sure hope I'm not coming down with something. Did you hear about the shooting on the Wisconsin/Upper Peninsula line? Horrible. I'll never understand what drives people to do things. Take Care!

August 03, 2008. It was a very productive weekend. Saturday I listed a building site in Houghton, and a rental home. I have to get both of them on the market Monday. In the afternoon we had our State Wide summer cookout. The weather was fantastic all weekend. Saturday night Melissa and I went down to the camp to get some more work done, and then Sunday I was down there all day and got a lot done. I am 75% done with the siding. The outside is almost completely done. I've been working my tail off, and I'll be looking forward to the day when I go down there to simply relax. Have a great week!

August 01, 2008. August is here already. Today was another paperwork day. I've had a couple of good leads on some of my larger land parcels. I also had a second call today on this fantastic Lake Superior home. Tomorrow we're having a cookout/party for our office. It should be a good time. Melissa gave me a great surprise today. When we travel downstate for a wedding next month, we'll be going to a couple of Detroit Tiger games. As you can imagine, I'm pretty excited. Have a great weekend!

July 31, 2008. Can you believe that July is over? It seems like we were waiting forever for summer, and now it is August. After over a year of waiting, we finally have an official easement for some properties I had under contract north of L'anse. I'm relieved to finally be able to close the deals. Today I went down to the camp, and continued work on siding it. Check out pic of the day to see the progress. Have a great Friday!

July 30, 2008. How was your Wednesday? Not a whole lot of excitement here, mainly paperwork. We had volleyball league tonight, and won our first series of the year. We aren't very good, but we are improving. After ample time on the poll question, you guys have spoken, and I'll be leaving the same coverage area for properties on the site. Thanks for your input. Check out today's new poll question. Talk to you tomorrow!

July 29, 2008. This morning was full of thunder and rain. We even lost power momentarily. After it cleared, I went out to Rice Lake to show a couple of lots. It went very well, we should be writing an offer at some point. After work tonight I went down to the camp to keep working. I have started siding it, and I think it is looking really nice. I'm looking forward to getting the exterior done for good. Have a great day!

July 28, 2008. Monday is here and gone. My phone was ringing all day with real estate happenings. In the afternoon, I went down to Pelkie to show Joanie (a regular here on the site) and her husband this log cabin. It is a truly spectacular property, we'll see what happens. I had to make the final decision today on what color siding I'll be putting on my camp. I'm anxious to get started. I'll post pics once I get it going. I'll be off showing waterfront parcels tomorrow. Take Care!

July 27, 2008. I hope everybody had a fantastic weekend. I worked on the camp all day Saturday, getting the windows installed. I had a couple of good assistants, which made everything go smoothly. The electricity is now hooked up, which makes things even easier. I was happy to get out fishing Sunday. It was a little slow, I caught 2 pike and 1 bass. I lost one nice bass. I'm sure he'll be there next time. Summer is flying by, and I still have lots to do. Have a great week!

July 25, 2008. Greeting from up north! We had a great time bowling last night, but couldn't stay too late as I had work to do in the morning. This morning I had a second showing on a nice home up in Laurium, where we ended up writing an offer. I keep hearing complaining about the real estate market in our country, but for some reason I am consistently busy. I couldn't ask for better. Right now is a great time to buy property in the U.P. I'm excited to get out to the camp this weekend and continue progress. Have a fantastic weekend!

July 24, 2008. I'm getting everything around to put windows and doors on the camp. I'm looking forward to getting it all 'buttoned up'. It was another warm day up here. Melissa had the day off, so she and her cousin enjoyed the beach today. The current poll question is really important to the site, and the current voting is split right down the middle. If you haven't voted on it yet, please do. Have a great day!

July 23, 2008. Today was a gorgeous summer day. I sent out a purchase agreement on 20 acres near Mass City. Here is the fantastic new listing on Lake Eva. If you are looking for a large lakefront parcel, you won't find one prettier than this. Tonight we played volleyball right on the waterfront. Nothing like a beautiful summer night, watching the boats go up and down the Portage Canal. Wish you were here?

July 22, 2008. Today I officially got the deal together on the 400 acre sale. I went down to Lake Eva, to take pictures and put up signs on my new listing. Lake Eva is one of the prettiest lakes I have ever seen. I had to bring my fishing pole, just to make sure it is suitable for my buyers..;). I actually caught 3 bass right from shore within 15 minutes. I love my job. Anyhow, look for the listing details tomorrow. Off to watch a movie tonight. Have a great day!

July 21, 2008. I spent most of the day setting up appointments for this week. I'm one step closer to putting together a deal on 400 acres. Weather permitting, I plan to go to beautiful Lake Eva tomorrow to take pics of my new listing out there. It rained most of the day, but it has really turned beautiful tonight. There is a new poll question, and it is important, so please vote! I hope your week is off to a great start!

July 20, 2008. It was a great weekend. Saturday morning I showed a few houses up around Calumet. Later that day, we had fun at the Ahmeek Car Show. There was a great turnout. Some relatives are up on vacation, so we all hung out and played some cards. On Sunday, we had a good turnout for our first cookout at our 'cabin in progress'. We had a nice fire all day, played games, and ate lots of great food. Everybody definitley had a great time. I'm even more anxious now to make more progress on the camp. Time for another busy week. Bye!

July 18, 2008. I had a walkthrough this morning on a home I am selling in Dollar Bay. After that, I had showings on 4 houses in Hancock. I ended up writing an offer on a house in Dodgeville this afternoon. I put up signs on my new log home listing in Tapiola. I am confident that it will sell quickly. Tonight Melissa and I went down to the cabin to do some clean-up and organizing since we are having a cookout this weekend with family and friends. It should be lots of fun. Have a fantastic weekend!

July 17, 2008. Busy day. I listed a beautiful log home on 15 acres with Otter River frontage in southern Houghton county. I can't wait to get the listing on here so you can see it. I have lots of deals in the works as we speak. Tonight I showed my sister-in-law some houses since she just moved back to Houghton. One of them that we looked at is probably going to be 'the one'. Lots of random stuff was accomplished today, and now it is pouring rain. Looking forward to another busy day tomorrow. FYI, I have been having some trouble with my e-mail service. If you have sent me an e-mail and haven't had a reply, please re-send it. Thanks!

July 16, 2008. I got the offer accepted on the highway location house. I've had tons of showings on it, so I'm glad to get it under contract. Today I worked with the electricians on the camp all day. I used to think electrician work couldn't be too physically demanding, but I was wrong! I'm pretty tuckered out after being out there for 11 hours. Back to work tomorrow. I'll be listing a great log cabin, and some waterfront on Lake Eva. Have a great day!

July 15, 2008. After work this afternoon, I went down to the camp to pick up a load of building supplies/junk so I could drop them off at the county transfer station. One load down, several to go. Tomorrow the electricians are going to do their thing. I had to go back to the office after hours tonight to write the offer on my highway location house. It is a very good offer, and I'm sure we'll get it together. I better get to bed since I have to get up early tomorrow. Take Care!

July 14, 2008. Today was a great day. I had a great showing on my home listing in Highway Location. The buyers called me tonight and are coming in to write a good offer tomorrow. I've been working on a deal that is 400 acres, and it looks like it is finally coming together. After work, my buddy and I went up to Keweenaw county to do some fishing. We didn't do great, but we didn't do bad. We probably caught about 8 pike. Afterwards, we did some Keweenaw cruising, went to Bete Grise, had some dinner in Lac La Belle, etc. The Lac La Belle Lodge is a beautiful place. There is no place like the Keweenaw!

July 13, 2008. Windy was the word of the weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday it was too windy to do much outdoor activity. If the weather is nice tonight maybe I can sneak away to go fishing. Melissa and I went to a birthday party for her little cousin on Saturday, it turned out to be a lot of fun. I met some good Yooper deer hunters and heard lots of stories that may or may not be true. Did you know that there are deer camps that go through so much beer, the beer distributing truck makes a special delivery out at the camp? Only in the U.P. eh? Anyhow, I have a showing this morning, and we're off and running on another week. Bye!

July 11, 2008. Today I wrote the offer on some waterfront out in Point Abbaye. The offer we wrote yesterday on the house in Dollar Bay was accepted. The rest of the country is complaining about the real estate market, but here in the U.P. we keep rolling along. Tonight Melissa and I enjoyed a great italian dinner at Gemignani's. Have a fantastic weekend!

July 10, 2008. Another good day. I'm working on writing an offer on some property north of L'anse. Tonight I did write an offer on a new house listing in Dollar Bay. It rained most of the day, but I suppose we needed it. I've got a real itch to go fishing as soon as possible. Enjoy your Friday!

July 09, 2008. Today I had a closing on some vacant land near Copper City. I'll be listing a log cabin soon with 15 acres and frontage on the Otter River. I can't wait to get it listed. I found out today that my uncle who does the milking down on our farm got hit by a bull and fractured his pelvis in two places. We should all wish him well. I thought I was going to have to go down to the farm to help out, but they claim they have enough help for now. Anyhow, time for volleyball league. Take Care!

July 08, 2008. This morning I went and had a showing on one of my Rice Lake lots. The showing went well enough that we came back and wrote an offer. Tonight I had a showing on a house in Dollar Bay that went pretty well also. There is a new poll question in case you haven't noticed yet. We've been trying to figure out where to go on our vacation this September. I'm thinking maybe Yellowstone? I just don't know yet.

July 07, 2008. Only in the U.P. can you have it be very hot one day, and 57 degrees right now. Good sleeping weather anyhow. Today I got the paperwork rolling on listing a beautiful lot on Lake Eva. I also have a large landowner I'm working with who wants to list several properties, I'm trying to sort through them all. I'll be showing land tomorrow, and homes tomorrow night. Have a great week!

July 06, 2008. It is warm! I know everybody up here enjoyed great weather for the holiday weekend. I spent Sunday finally getting some much needed relaxation. I'm ready to hit real estate full speed this week. Summer is going to go by quick, be sure to enjoy!

July 04, 2008. Happy Independence Day! The lumber company was closed, so I wasn't able to get the materials I needed to finish up the cabin for now. Hopefully they'll be open on Saturday. I went to Copper City to walk some property that friends of mine had recently purchased. Melissa and I were actually too tired to go up to Copper Harbor for fireworks, so we visited the in-laws instead. I'm looking forward to getting some good sleep for once. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

July 03, 2008. Real estate is busy, and so am I. I was hoping tonight would be the last night working on the camp, but I have to go back in the morning just for a few hours to wrap it up. After that, I'll be waiting for the electrician to get the power going. Today was an absolutely beautiful day, and we expect the same tomorrow. I'm really glad that everyone will enjoy a nice 4th of July. Have fun and be safe!

July 02, 2008. This morning I worked on a counter-offer for a home sale in Hubbell. After that, I wrote an offer with a buyer on a 399 acre parcel in Ontonagon county. That is a lot of land. I'm very confident that we'll get the deal together. I went out to the cabin in the afternoon to continue working. The roof is pretty much done. I'm glad to say that tomorrow will be my last day out there for awhile. There won't be much more to do until windows come in a couple of weeks. I'm very happy with the progress, but very tired, and it has been incredibly time consuming. I hope you're looking forward to the 4th!

July 01, 2008. Happy July! Sorry I missed a day. I was running late yesterday, and we went up to Copper Harbor on an overnight trip. I never had time to do the journal. We had to spend some time with friends who are leaving for the summer. It is impossible not to have a great time in Copper Harbor. Yesterday I had a great showing on this fantastic waterfront parcel west of Houghton. Here is a great price on a 240 acre hunting property I just listed in Iron county. I made it out to the cabin tonight to continue the work. We are really making progress. Have a great week!

June 29, 2008. It seems like we were waiting forever for summer, and now it is almost July! I put in a long weekend working on the camp. We are making good progress, as it is just about ready for roofing. Tomorrow (Monday) I'll be in the office and out and about as I have lots of real estate to take care of. I'll be listing a property tomorrow, preparing two closings, and writing at least one offer. We'll actually be staying overnight in Copper Harbor, but right back to work Tuesday morning. The summers always seem to go by fast. Make it a great week!

June 27, 2008. I hope you had a wonderful Friday! Today wasn't as productive as I would have liked it to be. We had some more lumber delivered to the building site, but we had to wait for one of the county building inspectors before we could move onto the next step. He didn't get there until about 4:00 pm, and then it started to thunder and rain. I know some of you are planning on looking at property with me pretty soon. I've been busy so feel free to call/email me and I'll still get everything set up. Have a great weekend!

June 26, 2008. This morning I had a closing on a nice house I sold near Michigan Tech. Afterward, I listed 240 acres with a cabin in Iron county. Here is the 800 acre parcel I listed in Keweenaw county yesterday. Also, here is the 12 acre building site I just listed outside of Hancock. After lunch, I went down to our property to continue constuction on the cabin. We made great progress getting all of exterior and interior walls framed in. We'll be heading out to put up rafters tomorrow. I have been putting in long hours, it is after midnight as I am typing this now. See ya!

June 25, 2008. I'm not quite over my cold yet, but hopefully getting close. This morning I listed an 800 acre parcel in Keweenaw county. That is one big chunk of land. I also listed a 12 acre building site just outside of Hancock. Details will be on here tomorrow. Looks like we have the deal together on the 15 acre parcel near Copper City. Real estate is very busy right now. The rest of the country might be slumping, but we're still rolling along. Also, if you are enjoying visiting my site, PLEASE e-mail the link to a friend or two and encourage them to check it out. I spend a lot of money on advertisting to get the traffic I have, but it never compares to how much can come just from you guys getting the word out. Take Care!

June 24, 2008. I am definitely getting old. I built many houses with my dad about 10 years ago, and never had the blisters, aches and pains that I have now. The floor of the cabin is done, and we have everything laid out to start the walls. I received an offer today on one of my listings near Copper City. Tomorrow will be devoted strictly to real estate, as I have much to do. Have a great day!

June 23, 2008. After taking care of real estate in the morning, I went down to the 16 to get started on building the cabin. It took 9 hours just to get the posts in, and have it ready for floor joists. That will probably be the least enjoyable part of building it. You have to take your time and get everything perfectly level, otherwise you're not building on a good foundation. I'm glad to be ready for the next phase. I'm still very worn down with a cold, and hope to find time to rest this week, but it is not looking likely. Take Care!

June 22, 2008. I had a great weekend with my brother. We went fishing again on Saturday. It was really windy, but we managed to catch several fish. We had a great lunch at the Harbor Haus in Copper Harbor. We went bowling that night in Houghton, I bowled a 219, which is my best. I'm usually not very good. Anyhow, we had lots of fun. We actually have to cut the vacation a day short, due to a death in our family. I have a ton of stuff scheduled this week, so it is going to be hard to get it all done. Have a great week!

June 20, 2008. Today was a lot of fun. My brother and I went fishing. We only caught a few, but it was such a beautiful day that it didn't matter. We watched a bear as it walked along the shoreline next to us. Very memorable. We walked some of my properties, and I pulled my trail camera from my property to see wildlife pics. I have pics of a nice buck, and a coyote. Tonight we're off to watch "Da Yoopers" at the Rozsa center at Michigan Tech. Have a great weekend!

June 19, 2008. I'm definitely under the weather, I don't feel good at all. We had a closing today on a 13 acre parcel near Copper City, beautiful property. My brother arrived today. Hopefully I'll start feeling better quick so we can do some fishing. We actually did a little exploring in the woods tonight. Guess what? My broker license arrived today, so I am now officially a broker!

June 18, 2008. I woke up with a sore throat today, yuck. After getting my work done, I went up to Copper Harbor and fished until I couldn't hardly stand it anymore. I caught some pike, but nothing too big. Anyhow, it was a long day on the water, and it didn't help my sore throat. I'm super tired, and ready to go to bed. See ya!

June 17, 2008. Today was a good day. I got the paperwork and deposit back for the sale on the 80 acre parcel I own in Mass City. I had a couple good showings tonight on my house listing on Highway Location. I also had a second showing tonight on a house I had shown last week in Hubbell. Just two more days until my brother gets here. I'm looking forward to doing a little fishing with him. Weather permitting, I hope to fish up in Copper Harbor tomorrow night. So here it is, one of the best deals on a waterfront house near Copper Harbor, see the new listing here. I already had a call on it today. Take Care!

June 16, 2008. This morning I had a partial closing at the title company. The buyer signs on Wednesday. I went to the lumber company to order my first batch of materials for building the cabin. I met with one of my sellers today, and we have some significant price reductions coming on a couple of the properties that I know many of you are watching. Oh by the way, we did end up getting a new car. It is a Saturn Vue, we'll see how it goes. Have a nice day!

June 15, 2008. Another weekend gone by too fast. This weekend in Houghton was Bridgefest, and unfortunately I didn't get a chance to participate. Lots of people have been noticing my billboard, so I guess it is doing it's job. Today I listed a house on Lake Superior just outside of Copper Harbor. Info should be online in a couple of days. Here is a great property that I currently have for sale...easy land contract terms available. Have a great week!

June 13, 2008. Today was a little less hectic. I went down to my highway property to take pictures for the new listing. Tonight I had showings on 6 houses up in Calumet/Laurium. After, the wife and I were actually browsing for new cars. We're looking at getting her something with a little better gas mileage. Maybe I'll get a new car this weekend! I'm sure you guys must have some nice pictures of stuff now that summer is here. Can you e-mail me some pics for 'pic of the day'? Thanks!

June 12, 2008. Talk about covering a lot of ground in one day. First thing this morning we closed on the construction loan to build our cabin. Then I went down to Baraga to put up my billboard on US-41. It was raining, and the mosquitoes were biting me. After that, I went to Nisula to put the stakes in the ground so I can get the holes drilled for the posts that will support my cabin. Then, I had to rush back home, shower, and make it to a walk-through on a house in Hancock. After that, we closed on the really nice house that I had listed in Sylvan Estates. Happy buyers, happy sellers. After that, I rushed up to Highway Location to show the house that I have listed up there. As soon as that was done, I had to hurry to Hubbell to show two more houses to a different buyer. The last showing went very well. I just got home and realized that I had breakfast, but never ate lunch. I am definitely ready for dinner. Oh yeah, and I still have to schedule six showings for tomorrow. Have a great day!

June 11, 2008. Brrr! Temps in the low 50's today. I'm going to be listing a home with Lake Superior frontage up near Copper Harbor this weekend. Price will only be $189K so be ready! Here is a 40 acre parcel that I just put back on the market. Great price for the property. I've got a full plate tomorrow, going to be a long day. Take Care!

June 10, 2008. I'm almost ready for a nice closing on Thursday. Today I sent out a purchase agreement on the 80 acres we own near Mass City (the Ponderosa). There is a new 'poll question' for you to vote on. Gotta go, wife says dinner is ready!

June 09, 2008. I'm a little tuckered out! Had a long productive day, and after work, I went down to the Ponderosa to move the tower blind back over to the Nisula Spot. I think I have the Ponderosa sold, we'll see. Tomorrow we're officially closing on the construction loan, so we can get serious about the cabin. I was driving out to the cabin site tonight, and had a deer go flying right across the road about 5 feet from the grill of my truck. That is the closest I have come to hitting a deer in quite a few years. Anyhow, time for bed. See ya!

June 08, 2008. Did you enjoy your weekend? We had a great weekend, did some grilling, checked out some of our properties. Here is a nice, affordable parcel in Ontonagon county. I'm looking forward to a productive week. I'm hoping to get my billboard up, and get my foundation ready for the cabin. I only found one tick on me today, not too bad for a full day in the woods. Have a great week!

June 06, 2008. Finally Friday! Today we had sunshine, wind, rain, hail...you name it. I had a good showing on this 74 acre parcel near Pelkie. Everything went great and I'm pretty sure we'll write an offer before Monday. Also, here is a newly listed 40 acre parcel just outside of Mass City. I wish the wind would die down so we could do some fishing. Have a fantastic weekend!

June 05, 2008. I got quite a bit accomplished today. I met the excavators at our property to begin preparing the site for the construction of our cabin. Everything went smoothly and they are all done. The next step is to get the treated posts set for building the floor. I'm actually still waiting on the building permit, but it should be here anytime now. After that, I went to my highway property and dug deep holes so I can get my billboard set up. It can be awfully hard digging up here with all of the rock and clay. My hands are pretty blistered tonight. Here is a great new parcel with over 3,500 feet on Adventure Creek. Lots of deer on this property. Congrats to the Red Wings on winning the Stanley Cup! Have a great day!

June 04, 2008. We officially closed on the 20 acre parcel near Bete Grise. Congrats Jessie! The seller and I found each other right here on joshsteinland.com. It was a bit cool and rainy today, but I hear the weekend is supposed to be nice. I'm anxious to get out fishing again. I entered in three new listings today, so they'll be uploaded tomorrow. If you like italian food, especially Ravioli, be sure to eat at Gino's in Hancock. On the nights I "cook" dinner, I usually pick up a large order from Gino's. They are delicious! Anyhow, time to see if the Red Wings can finally win the Stanley Cup. Take Care!

June 03, 2008. Here are a couple of new parcels just outside of Ontonagon. See the listings here and here. Very private, nice creek, land contract possible. I think these should sell quite easily. I looked at a boat this afternoon on my way to a showing up in Laurium, and by the time I was done, it had already sold. Still looking. The showing was on this house on Calumet Street. The showing went pretty well, but the buyer wants to see a few more before making a decision. Have a great day!

June 02, 2008. Back to work with a bit of a sunburn. I listed a couple of nice properties today just off Lake Superior with nice creeks running through them. They'll be on the site tomorrow. I had to get ready for a closing I have tomorrow on a 20 acre parcel. Today was the first time we had to mow the lawn this year. I remember last summer it was so dry that we hardly ever had to mow it. Good luck to the Red Wings tonight as they try to win the Stanley Cup!

June 01, 2008. June is finally here! I enjoyed a great weekend, and it actually feels like summer. This morning I went and fished a lake that I had never fished before. Although it was quite windy, it actually turned out to be a fantastic day. I landed over 10 pike, and also caught a really nice bass. I'm anxious to go fish it again. My wife and I just finished eating a steak dinner outside. The Tigers even won...it doesn't get much better than this!

May 30, 2008. Today I had a showing on a new house listing in Houghton. The price seems good, but the house needs some work. I talked today with a potential buyer looking to buy some large acreage, so I hope to get something going with that. We made a counter-offer on the house near Calumet, so hopefully the buyers will accept. I'll find out Monday. Looks like the weather should be nice this weekend, I'm looking forward to it. Be sure to enjoy your weekend!

May 29, 2008. Another great day! Here is the new lakefront lot on Rice Lake that I just listed. I applied for the building permit today for the cabin. I had a nice closing today on a 156 acre parcel in Mass City that I recently sold. I also wrote an offer tonight on a residential listing I have near Calumet. Tonight a friend and I went fishing in Dollar Bay. We caught about 4 pike, and a couple of bass. Not bad for the short amount of time we were out there. It finally feels like summer is here!

May 28, 2008. A beautiful day. We are finally hovering around the 70 degree mark. This morning I went out to Rice Lake to put up signs and take pics of a new lakefront parcel that will be on the site by tomorrow. Today I mailed out my broker application with all of the necessary requirements, so I'll be excited when I actually get the license. Anyhow, we grilled some delicious steaks tonight, and now I have to get ready for a busy day tomorrow. There is a new 'poll question' for you to vote on. Have a great day!

May 27, 2008. Back to work! I drove down to Mass City today to show several parcels of building/hunting land. I also took some pics of a new parcel that I'll be listing by the end of the week. We're looking forward to a nice, sunny week. I've got fishing fever, so I'm hoping to get caught up on work so I can sneak away one of these afternoons. It is funny how many people follow this site and recognize me around town. I was having lunch at Applebee's the other day and this guy walks up to me...."Are you that Realtor guy"? I'm glad to know how many people enjoy it. Take Care!

May 26, 2008. Did everyone have a good weekend? We did, it went by pretty fast. I specifically tried not to work this weekend, as I have been working plenty as of late. We went to a wedding reception on Saturday night, and had a big cook-out at the in-laws on Sunday. Today was kind of a lazy day, but we did go see a movie tonight. Tomorrow morning it is time to hit the road to Ontonagon to go and try to sell some land. Have a great week!

May 23, 2008. Have a fun and safe Memorial Day Weekend! Thank you to all our veterans, past and present!

May 22, 2008. Where is the warm weather? They keep calling for a heat wave, but we aren't seeing it. I spent most of the day wiring my screened in patio with cable. I've got it set up so I can watch the Tigers while I'm grilling steaks. Every man's dream eh? We're getting several showings on my highway location house, but no takers yet. More showings tomorrow, and looking forward to a busy weekend.

May 21, 2008. The temps were only in the 30's when I drove up to Lac La Belle this morning...brrr! I looked at the potential new listing on Lac La Belle, and was quite impressed. Some fabulous properties are going to change hands this year. In the afternoon I went down to our property in Nisula to meet the health dept. in order to get the permit to start building the cabin. Everything is moving along, I'm anxious to get started. Here is luxurious new executive estate that I just listed. Anyhow, we're off to go bowl some 50 cent games with friends at the new bowling alley in Houghton. Take Care!

May 20, 2008. It was a gray, rainy day but I think the rest of the week should be nice. I had a couple of showings up in Laurium today, one included this nice house which is really a great value. Here is my new 80 acre listing in Torch Lake township. You won't find a prettier piece of land. Tomorrow I'm working on listing a cottage on Lac La Belle. After work tonight, I also had a showing on a house in South Range. As you can see, real estate is busy! Do you have travel plans for memorial day weekend? Please vote at the 'poll question'.

May 19, 2008. Back to work, but at least it was a beautiful day! The phone is ringing steadily with people inquiring about properties. Today I listed 80 acres of beautiful forest out by Bootjack. I should have the info/pics on here by tomorrow. It has one of the nicest forests that you will find on the market anywhere. My wife and I went out and looked at a boat tonight, but it wasn't quite what I'm looking for. I'm keeping my eyes open. Have a great day!

May 18, 2008. What a nice weekend. Saturday I drove to Fence Lake near Michigamme for an agent tour of the project. It really is a beautiful lake. We went for a boat ride, and took an ATV tour of the 1,000 acre property. Right now it is Sunday and we have friends over. We just grilled burgers and brats and it was delicious. We decided to play Monopoly, and I was the first one eliminated, so I thought it would be a good time to write the journal. Have a great week!

May 16, 2008. This morning I drove down to Ontonagon to show a few parcels. This particular property had a beautiful forest. Right now is a great time to be out in the woods. Temps are just right, and the bugs are practically non-existant. After closing down the office tonight, I went and had a showing on one of my listings near Calumet. The showing went quite well. Be sure to check out this pic of the day. I have video footage of one of the biggest bucks I've ever seen out in the woods. Enjoy!

May 15, 2008. It was a beautiful day! The temperatures finally exceeded 70 degrees today, and it sure felt nice. I headed out past Skanee, to show this large parcel just off the shore of Lake Superior. We had a great time, and covered a lot of ground. Hopefully they'll make an offer. There is a great deal of real estate activity going on right now. Tomorrow I'm heading down to Ontonagon, to show more property. These weeks are flying by, have a great weekend!

May 14, 2008. Another busy day. I looked two new potential listings today, one in Calumet, and one in the Traprock Valley. Both were very nice homes. I had a showing today on a commercial building I have listed in Laurium. By the way, there is a new link to get to 'today's new listings'. It is a pic of a waterfall about halfway down on the main page. We received our awards today from State Wide Corp. I received another mult-million dollar producer award, and received the Top Closing Agent award for all State Wide offices. I was actually surprised that I won it. Anyhow, nice award, but I have to keep working on this year's sales. I hope you liked the moose video. Speaking of moose, vote on the new 'poll question'. I'm looking forward to doing a little bowling tonight. Take Care!

May 13, 2008. Tomorrow I may be listing another house up in Laurium. I finally got some of my older wildlife footage uploaded to my computer so you can start enjoying it. You'll notice in today's 'pic of the day' a neat video clip of some moose on Isle Royale. It will also be permanently archived in 'the hunting journal'. You can look forward to several neat videos coming up. Have a great day!

May 12, 2008. I hope everyone had a good Monday. I'm moving forward with a couple of home sales that I have recently put together. Here is a new place I just listed on a large piece of land on Lake Superior. Tonight I went down to our 16 acre parcel to meet with a couple of different excavators to get bids for preparing the property for my cabin. We're enjoying some nice weather, but still a bit cool. Have a great week!

May 11, 2008. Another weekend here and gone. Saturday I was up on the backside of Lake Bailey, where I scaled Mount Baldy locating property corners for a parcel I'm selling up there. We may even close on the sale by the end of the week. Afterwards, I spent some time in Copper Harbor catching up with my local friends. Last night we went to a country music show at Michigan Tech and had a great time. Here is a large new parcel I just listed on Lake Superior. This property is as nice as you will ever find in the Keweenaw. Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms!

May 09, 2008. Friday! Today I listed a magnificent Lake Superior property with over 900 feet of frontage. I'll have pics/details on here within a couple of days. It was another nice sunny day, now we just need some warmer temperatures to get rid of spring for good. Tomorrow I'm off to Lake Bailey to work on selling 30 acres of lake frontage. We got the deal together today for the 20 acre Bete Grise parcel. Congrats Jessie! Have a great weekend!

May 08, 2008. Today was another beautiful day in the Keweenaw. After getting my morning work done, I went down to Nisula to mark property lines on the 1 acre parcel I recently purchased . After that, I went over to our 16 acre parcel where I am building our cabin this year. I found out today that my construction loan is approved, so we are moving forward. Have a great Friday!

May 07, 2008. A cold rainy day turned out to be absolutely beautiful by the time evening rolled around. I closed on the sale of 140 acres to the city of Hancock. I'm working on listing a new 78 acre parcel down in Ontonagon county. Tomorrow I am supposed to list a magnificent place on 20 acres of Lake Superior frontage. After work tonight I had some showings, which included this stunning parcel just outside of Hancock. Check out 'pic of the day' to follow up on yesterday's determined squirrel. I have footage of him completing the jump. Have a great day!

May 06, 2008. Today was a nice warm day. I'm all set for the 'city of Hancock' closing tomorrow. Wait till you see the video I have on 'pic of the day'. I was laughing so hard. I spent the afternoon getting ATVs ready for showing some large parcels of land this weekend. Tonight we grilled steaks and right now I'm watching the Tigers on TV. It doesn't get much better than this!

May 05, 2008. I hope everybody had a great Monday. In the morning I went to the office to get everything ready for a closing on Wednesday where the city of Hancock is purchasing 140 acres. In the afternoon I went up to Bete Grise to take pics of the new 20 acre listing. It is a very nice property, in fact, I hope to have an offer soon. You have probably noticed that on the "today's new listings" link, many of the properties don't have pictures. This is because it usually takes agents a few days to get the pictures uploaded on the properties. If you see a property you like, write down the MLS number, and then use the 'search mls' link to check on the property in a day or two. It should have pics within a few days. Have a great day!

May 04, 2008. It was another busy weekend. So guess what happened on Saturday? It snowed all day! Only in the Keweenaw. It seems fitting for it to snow during the Michigan Tech graduation. So we got an offer accepted on a nice house house near Michigan Tech this weekend. I'm also expecting an acceptance for my nice listing in Sylvan Estates. Houses are really starting to move. Here is my new 20 acre listing in Bete Grise. Sunday I went and put signs up on this waterfront estate on Lake Superior. I had this listed once before, but we took it off the market when the sellers weren't quite sure if they wanted to let go. Now they are ready to sell, so I'm hoping to get it sold this summer. This is the nicest lake frontage I've seen up here. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great week!

May 02, 2008. Rain, rain, rain! It really poured today. I listed a 20 acre parcel in Bete Grise today, and a luxurious waterfront home in Eagle River. In the afternoon, I went down to Ontonagon county to give a tour of my old 80 acre parcel that I sold to a guy this winter. We covered a lot of ground, but it sure was nasty weather. Tonight I'm writing an offer on a home I had shown in Houghton yesterday. This weekend is the Michigan Tech graduation. As you can imagine, the downtown is very busy. It has been about 5 years since I graduated from Tech, and it seems like only yesterday. I hope you are enjoying the new "today's new listings" link. Have a great weekend!

May 01, 2008. May is finally here! Summer can't be far behind. I got the deal together this morning on the Copper City property. Another day, another property sold. I'd like to do that everyday. Alright, so here is a property that I can promise you won't last long. This property has everything. 40 acres, utilities, year round access, great creek, woods and a cabin! See the new listing here. Also, I'm very pleased to announce a new feature that many of you have been asking for. If you look in the upper left of the home page, you'll see a new link called "Today's New Listings". You no longer have to search through the same properties everyday trying to sort out the new ones. Everyday, you'll see an update of every new property in the western upper peninsula! I haven't seen any other sites that allow you to do this, so I'm proud that you can find it here. I'm just trying to keep you happy!

April 30, 2008. What a day! I spent all morning showing this 156 acre parcel near Mass City. We ended up writing an offer and getting it accepted today, so that is great news! I also wrote an offer today on the parcel near Copper City that I had shown yesterday. Real estate is rolling! I have so many new listings hitting the market that I won't even list them all right now. You are going to see some truly fantastic properties come available. Today was my wife's birthday so we went for a nice dinner tonight with her parents. I better get back to work, I'm going to be extremely busy the next few days. Take Care!

April 29, 2008. I covered many miles today by truck and by foot. I listed a cabin on 40 acres with a creek near Mass City. The property has year round access with power and phone at the road. Asking price will be 79K. It is a very nice 40. I also listed a 7 acre parcel near Rousseau. On the way back, I stopped by the Ponderosa (80 acres I own) to check things out. I haven't been there since last December, but everything looked good. I also stopped by the 16 to take a look at the spot where I want to build my cabin. In the afternoon, I went up to Copper City for a showing on one of my newly listed parcels overlooking the Traprock River valley. It is beautiful property, I enjoyed walking it. Anyhow, I'll be heading back down to Mass City in the morning for a showing. Have a great day!

April 28, 2008. Guess what I did this morning? I passed the Michigan Broker Exam!!! I am glad to have passed it on the first attempt. After we returned from Marquette, I had plenty of real estate on the plate. Still working on 390K house in Eagle River that is kind of stalling out. I received an offer tonight on my listing in Sylvan Estates. We already made a counter-offer. Today was also the official closing on my 1 acre purchase. The property is just south of Nisula, and is a beautiful little piece of the U.P. Have a great week!

April 27, 2008. Well the Keweenaw winters don't let go easily. We watched the snow fall all afternoon yesterday, and woke up to a fresh blanket of snow in the yard this morning. It is hard to believe that we were grilling outside in 70 degree weather just a few days ago. I'm looking forward to this week as I'll be listing some great new properties. I'm ready for the warm weather to come back!

April 25, 2008. Another busy day. I'm still working on the Lake Bailey deal, and I'm getting ready to close on a 140 acre purchase for the city of Hancock. I found out today that I'm going to be listing a great new property. 40 acres with power/phone, year round access, creek, and a nice little cabin. I should have the details on here by next week. I might be writing an offer yet this weekend on a waterfront home in the Keweenaw that is receiving two more offers. The market is heating up!

April 24, 2008. I had a great morning in the woods. I did some GPS work out on the property my new buddy Walt purchased through me last week. Lots of deer were out and about. As we were standing in the corner tying some ribbon, a deer jumped up and ran off that had been lying about 4 feet from us the whole time. Tonight I met some buyers for my nice home in Sylvan Estates. It sounds like we should be receiving an offer tomorrow. I'll keep my fingers crossed. I was on the phone with my friend tonight, and he noted that people haven't been commenting lately on 'pic of the day'. I told him that it is slightly surprising that with over 4,000 hits per day, we aren't interacting more on the 'blog'. I think the interaction is fun, so don't hesitate to comment on 'pic of the day'. You don't want me to get lonely do you?

April 23, 2008. What a beautiful day! The temperatures were in the 70's today, and it sure felt good! We even had steaks on the grill tonight. We are one step closer to putting the Lake Bailey deal together. So here are two new parcels I just listed east of Copper City. There is a 15 acre parcel, and a 16 acre parcel overlooking the Traprock river. These parcels will be suitable for the 'picky' buyer, as they are absolutely stunning. I can't wait to get a showing request just so I can go see them again myself. Tomorrow morning I'm going to do some GPS work out in Hancock township. Take Care!

April 22, 2008. Today was a warm rainy day, which helps melt the snow even faster. I am working on putting a deal together on this Lake Bailey parcel. Also, here is the house that I just listed in Laurium. Calumet/Laurium is a great place to get a deal on a nice home. Tomorrow I'll have some pics on here from my new property listings near Copper City. There will be plenty of great properties for sale this summer. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great day!

April 21, 2008. I love spring! I had a buyer write an offer today on one of my new listings on Lake Bailey. I had listed some 10 acre parcels on Pelkie Road. I sold three and there is one left. See the property here. This is an affordable way to own a great piece of Keweenaw real estate. In the afternoon I drove up to Copper City to walk and take pics of some new listings. I can't wait to show you the pics. The property has some of the best views that I've seen. It sure was great to get out in the woods today!

April 20, 2008. The weekend went by way too fast! Here is the new listing on Rice Lake. I also listed a house in Laurium on Saturday. The house is a very good value and I'm sure it will sell rather quickly. My cousin Marcus was up this weekend, and we had a good time visting some of my properties as well as some of his properties up here. We stopped by the Tobacco River in Keweenaw county tonight and it was a sight to behold. I can't recall ever seeing a river flowing with that much speed and force up here. Spring is definetely thawing out the Keweenaw. We covered a lot of ground today, and now I have to get ready for a busy Monday. Have a great week!

April 18, 2008. Today was another productive Friday in the real estate world. I had a closing this morning on 20 acres near Hancock (congrats Walt), and I have several new deals in the works. I have been waiting almost a year for an easement to get worked out for the sale of two waterfront parcels in Point Abbaye, and I found out today that they are finally getting worked out. I also noticed today that State Wide of Houghton is currently the #1 selling office in the Keweenaw MLS! I'm also the #1 vacant land agent in our MLS, and I always intend to keep it that way. We had friends over tonight and grilled out, watched the Tigers and the Red Wings win... life is good. I have to open the office tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

April 17, 2008. I closed on the sale of 63 acres near Copper City today. We also sent out the paperwork for our 1 acre purchase. Real estate is definitely getting busier as the temperatures warm up. I went out to Rice Lake tonight to take pictures of a new listing. I saw lots of great wildlife and got some great photos that I'm looking forward to posting on pic of the day. Have a fantastic Friday!

April 16, 2008. Our temperatures have been warm, and we're losing snow fast. I spent the day getting closings ready for Thursday and Friday. I'm listing another lot on Rice Lake, and I'll be listing a house in Laurium on Saturday. I'm happy to see that my Detroit Tigers are coming around with 3 straight wins, but I'm not happy to see my floundering Red Wings as I'm writing this journal. My wife and I drove down to Mass City tonight. We probably saw over 100 deer as they are feeding heavily in any open field they can find. They have had a hard winter. Have a great day!

April 15, 2008. Today was the big tax day! See the poll question for a question regarding this generally unpleasant time of year. I've been just as busy as I expected this week. We officially closed on the 40 acre parcel on Irwin Road. That was the parcel that I called 'the swamp spot' on my hunting journal. It sure was a fantastic hunting property. By the way, I'm selling "the ponderosa" on ebay. You can see the auction here. Check it out. I'm offering easy land contract terms. Have a great day!

April 14, 2008. Today was a busy, busy day. I was on the phone nearly every minute of the day since the moment I got out of bed. I worked on new listings, closings, inquiries from potential buyers, and everything in between. I expect tomorrow to be just as busy. I also had to get my income taxes wrapped up for the year....yuck! Tax season gives me a gut ache every year. I closed on the 10 acre parcel on Pelkie Road, and the 20 acre parcel on Pelkie Road. I have three more closings this week. We are supposed to have beautiful weather tomorrow! I love spring!

April 13, 2008. I'm home! It was a long drive today and it sure was great to get back to the U.P.! This was the first time my wife and I have been apart since the wedding, so it was especially nice to come home! I have a ton of work to do tomorrow, so I better get to sleep. Have a great week!

April 12, 2008. Brokers prep class is over and I passed. I have to take the state exam on April 28. The U.P. is getting some serious snow this weekend. I'm going to visit family this weekend and then head back tomorrow (Sunday). I'm looking forward to a busy week in real estate coming up. Have a great weekend!

April 10, 2008. Tomorrow is the last day of class! I'm anxious to get back to the north country. I probably won't leave until Sunday since the weather is supposed to be pretty nasty in the U.P. this weekend. I had a great steak dinner at Logan's in Grand Rapids tonight. My cousin drove down to have dinner with me, so we had a nice time. Have a great Friday!

April 09, 2008. I miss the U.P.! I'm more than halfway done with the class towards my broker license. I am learning quite a bit. I'm anxious to dive back into real estate. I have closings going on while I'm down here. I've heard the U.P. is getting more snow, hopefully the weather will be good for my drive back this weekend. I already know that I am going to be extremely busy getting caught up next Monday. Take Care!

April 08, 2008. The second day of broker school went by pretty quickly. I've been trying to keep up with my real estate via cell phone and e-mail in between breaks. I had two showings on my new house listing yesterday. I've got a big time buyer coming up as soon as I get back next week so hopefully that will go well. My offer was accepted on the 1 acre parcel I am purchasing for myself. Anyhow, work is very busy right now which is good. I have to go do some homework before bedtime. Have a great day!

April 07, 2008. One day down, four more to go! Today was the first day of broker school. I had to keep enough caffeine with me to get me through the day. Broker school is a lot different than the classes for getting your salesperson license. It is more intensive, but a lot of things you know since you are doing real estate for a living. There are only 9 other people in the class, and they looked at me like I was from a foreign country when I told them that I was from the U.P. :)

April 06, 2008. 500 miles away from home! It was long trip, but I made it to Grand Rapids where I'm starting broker school tomorrow. The temps were in the mid-60's today and there is green grass! Quite a change from leaving the Keweenaw where there is a couple feet of snow and people ice fishing. I got some great photos on the drive down that I look forward to getting on here when I return. For any real estate questions, feel free to e-mail me and I'll be checking my e-mail every night. Off to bed so I'm ready for class tomorrow...wish me luck!

April 04, 2008. Another sunny warm day! We're losing snow fast! I've lived here long enough to know that we'll get hit with more snow before summer. Here is the info on the house I just listed north of Hancock. There is already a showing scheduled for Monday. I received a signed purchase agreement today for somebody to purchase the 80 acres that I own in Mass City. We'll see if everything comes together. In the morning I'll be hitting the road for the long drive to Grand Rapids, MI to attend broker school next week. Hopefully we get more nice weather for my travels. Have a great weekend!

April 03, 2008. The weather is absolutely wonderful! Temps topped the 50's today, and we spent most of the day outdoors. In the morning I entered in the listing for the 125K house I listed yesterday. I also set up two showings for each of my listed homes in Sylvan Estates. After lunch, Melissa and I traveled to look at our potential property purchase. As you'll see on 'pic of the day', the parcel is stunning. It exceeded my expectations and we made an offer. I hope we get it!

April 02, 2008. Spring fever in the copper country! The temps were warming up today, and you can feel spring coming. I saw my first pair of robins at our house today, and even a couple of mourning doves which I haven't seen all winter. I listed a great house on 2.6 acres just north of Houghton today for 125K. I should have the listing info on here by tomorrow night. You know that I've been looking for a small (1 acre or so) parcel. I think I found one today. I've agreed on the terms with the seller, and we're going to take a better look at it tomorrow. Hopefully the deal works out. Some guys can never own enough toys, some women can never own enough shoes, but I can never own enough property. I like shopping for land. And hopefully you do too...that is why many of you are here..right? Take Care!

April 01, 2008. I hope that nobody played any April Fool's day pranks on you today. I was on the phone most of the day with buyer and sellers alike. I'm going to be busy with showings this spring, and I'll be listing some new fantastic properties in the near future. I got the offer accepted on the 63 acres near Copper City today! There is a new poll question for you to vote on. We received some wet, heavy snow this morning, but it warmed up as the day went on. I'll be putting in long hours at the office this week getting everything squared away so I can head down to broker school. I have a couple of closings next week, so I'm getting everything ready to roll so they can be done in my absence. Talk to you tomorrow! P.S. Please send pics for the pic of the day!

March 31, 2008. This marks the last journal entry for the month of March. Right now the snow is falling steadily as much of the U.P. is getting hit with more winter weather. I had a showing on my 160 acre listing near Copper City. We ended up writing an offer on 63 acres of it, better than nothing. The seller is supposed to come in to accept the offer tomorrow. I'm going to start periodically quizzing you on wildlife identification, so be sure to visit pic of the day to test your knowledge. Have a great day!

March 30, 2008. Another weekend flew by and I'm ready for another busy week. I worked in the office all day on Saturday. I got out and did some snowshoeing on Sunday. Monday I'll be hoping to write a purchase agreement on a 160 acre parcel near Copper City. I have a lot to get done this week before I head downstate next weekend. I ordered a new camcorder to get better video footage for the hunting journal next fall. Have a great week!

March 28, 2008. It is almost April! I am ready for spring. We did a final walkthrough on the cabin sale in northern Houghton county. We had our official closing this afternoon so congrats to Walt and Bob! It was an absolutely perfect day as we snowshoed around the property. I'm scheduled to be in the office all day on Saturday. Have a great weekend!

March 27, 2008. I hope that everyone had a great day. I'm pleased to announce that our State Wide office has acquired the exclusive rights for Baraga and Ontonagon counties, in addition to Houghton and Keweenaw Counties. This gives our office a pretty firm foothold on the western upper peninsula. Tomorrow I have to do a walkthrough on a Houghton county cabin that we are supposed to close on. Hopefully on Monday I'll be writing an offer on this 160 acre Keweenaw county parcel. Real estate is definitely heating up, I have 10 sales pending on my desk right now. Enjoy your Friday!

March 26, 2008. Then snow kept falling today as I worked in the office getting everything ready for several upcoming closings. The corporate owners of State Wide Real Estate came up today to put together some details for some exciting news that I'll share with you soon. They took our office out to dinner tonight and we had a great time. Take care!

March 25, 2008. Yucky weather up here today. We woke up to 3 or 4 inches of wet, heavy snow, which later turned into rain most of the day. I received an inquiry on this Copper Harbor property today, which I happen to think is a great buy. I got another call from a different agency today who may have a buyer for this large acreage just off Lake Superior. Buyers are coming out of the woodwork trying to get good deals before the summer wave of buyers roll in. Did any of you watch American Idol? I hate to admit it, but we occasionally watch it. Have a great day!

March 24, 2008. The snow is slowly receding, but if you live here, you know that we will get pounded with more snow before spring truly arrives. We got the offer accepted on the 40 acre parcel in Baraga county, so congratulations to Roger and Dianna! I also sent out a purchase agreement today to sell the Ponderosa (my 80 acre parcel in Mass City). I had a buyer that didn't come through a few weeks ago, so hopefully this one will work out. Also, I know some of you are hesitant to invest in real estate because most of Michigan is struggling, but you need to know that the U.P. is still going strong! You should read this article that was in the paper a few days ago. The average home sales price is down almost everywhere in Michigan, EXCEPT IN THE U.P. where the average home price is up! Our market is very independent of what goes on in the rest of Michigan. No matter what happens, we have amazing natural beauty, a high quality of life, and fantastic people (you can't beat yoopers). Towns are towns and cities are cities, but the U.P. is God's country. That is my inspirational speech for the day. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great week!

March 23, 2008. Happy Easter! I hope that everyone had a great weekend. Yesterday I bought a VHS/DVD player that lets you record your old vhs tapes onto DVD. I only managed to make one DVD before the player stopped working, so I returned it this morning. I'm looking forward to getting one that works well, because I have plenty of great wildlife footage to share with you once I can get it formatted for the internet. I've got two deals that I need to get together tomorrow, so I can't wait to get up and at 'em!

March 21, 2008. Good Friday was a good friday! It was another beautiful Keweenaw day as I went down to Baraga County to show property to Roger & Dianna, who are regulars on the site. We snowshoed all over a 40 acre parcel today, and they ended up writing an offer. We had a great time today, and saw plenty of wildlife sign. I put them on 'pic of the day' today. I have a great pic of them snowshoeing for the first time, but I decided to wait until they are all the way back downstate before I use it for 'pic of the day' (safer that way). We'll find out Monday if the offer is accepted, but I'm confident that we'll get it together. I heard that some of Wisconsin is getting pounded with snow right now! Hang in there!

March 20, 2008. I opened the office this morning. I had some interest on this Baraga County property. I've noticed that land contract properties always seem to attract interest. Tomorrow I'm going to show this 40 acre parcel that I have hunted the last couple of years. One of our visitors here on the site had been enjoying watching the action on the hunting journal this year, and now he may purchase it for himself. It is always bittersweet to lose a hunting spot, but the seller needs to sell the property. I'm going to take down my portable treestand while we're out there tomorrow. Talk to you soon!

March 19, 2008. Another wonderful Wednesday in upper Michigan. I may be writing an offer tomorrow on the last of the four 10 acre parcels that I had available on Pelkie Road. I officially reserved and paid for my broker class in April. It is going to be kind of weird going 'back to school'. Also, for any of you that own at least 20 acres of forestland in Michigan, you are eligible for a tax break! Many people aren't aware the we finally passed the Qualified Forest Act in Michigan. In exchange for a written forest management plan, you can enjoy significant tax savings on your property. Unlike the Commercial Forest Act, you don't have to allow any public access on your land. I can help you with this process if this is something you are interested in. Read more about the act here.

March 18, 2008. I awoke this morning to 3 or 4 inches of wet, heavy snow. It warmed enough during the day that it had settled down by late afternoon. I found out some more details today, and it looks like I will be heading to Broker school for a week in April. Other than real estate, I've been focused on getting my taxes prepared for the upcoming deadline. Do you have your taxes done? I miss the days when they weren't so complicated, I simply filed and waited for a refund. I guess if it weren't for taxes, the U.S. wouldn't be a very good place to live. Take Care!

March 17, 2008. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Did you wear your green? I put a deal together today on this 10 acre parcel in Baraga County. I had four 10 acre parcels available, and now there is only one parcel left. If any of you have property to sell, lets get in touch because I'm looking for a good excuse to use the new camera. I've been looking at my schedule this spring/summer to try and make some time to start Broker school. My goal is to have my Broker's license before I'm 30. Have a great day!

March 16, 2008. I hope that everyone enjoyed their weekend. We had some really nice weather this weekend. I had to work in the office all day Saturday. My new camera arrived! I spent today reading the manual and trying to get familiar with it. So far it seems to take nice pictures. I posted one on pic of the day. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. I'm kicking around the idea of having a photo contest on here that we can all vote on. Winner would get some type of gift certificate. Good idea? Bad idea? If you would, please send me a quick message and let me know your thoughts. No need to include your phone number. Thanks!

March 14, 2008. Finally Friday! I was in the office most of the day, and I have to be there tomorrow too. There is still plenty of snow on the ground, but I can feel spring coming. I'm still anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new camera so I can start taking nice pics. By the way, I'm looking to purchase a small, small piece of land. I'm talking about something like 1 acre. If you have an acre to spare, send me an e-mail at josh@swoh.us. Whenever I sell off a piece of my land, I need to have something new to be excited about. Have a great weekend!

March 13, 2008. We woke up with some snowfall this morning, which turned into more of a rain in the afternoon. I had my final photography class this morning. I did end up ordering a better camera. I'm looking forward to learning how to use this new Sony. It looks like we got the deal together for the cabin near Lake Superior, so congrats to Bob and Walt! Have a great Friday!

March 12, 2008. Wednesday came and went pretty quickly today. I spent much of the morning on the phone trying to put a deal together. After closing up the office tonight, we went to see Lorrie Morgan sing at the Rosza Center at Michigan Tech. She put on very good show. We are lucky to get many good performers to visit the Keweenaw every year. Have a great day!

March 11, 2008. I hope you had a great day! I was happy to find out today that my cabin plans that I picked out will be within my budget that I had set. I can't wait to get started on it this spring. You'll get to see pics of the progress this summer! Inquiries from real estate buyers are picking up. I think people are starting to get spring fever. Also, when you go to the link to contact me on the site, you aren't required to include your phone number. As long as you leave an e-mail address for me to get back with you, we'll be just fine. Take Care!

March 10, 2008. Today we looked at homes in Atlantic Mine, Chassell, and Houghton. There are some good buys out on the market right now. I was on the phone in the afternoon with the county, health dept., and lumber company, as I am getting my plans together for building a cabin on one of my properties this year. There is a new poll question for you to vote on. Have a great day!

March 09, 2008. It was a gorgeous day in the north country. I showed a home in Ripley, 2 in Dollar Bay, 2 in Laurium, and 1 in Atlantic Mine. Who says Realtors don't work on Sundays? 3 more showings tomorrow and hopefully the buyer will know which way they are going to go. Lets have a great week!

March 08, 2008. Today was a good day in the sports world for the Upper Peninsula. The Calumet Copper Kings won the state title today! Tonight we went to the GLIAC championship where the Michigan Tech women won the entire tournament! It is back to work for me tomorrow, as I'll be showing five houses on Sunday. Take Care!

March 07, 2008. Friday! After work tonight, we went to the women's Michigan Tech basketball game. It was the semi-final for the GLIAC tournament, and Michigan Tech defeated Wayne State 83-62. See a clip of the game at "pic of the day". MTU plays for the championship tomorrow night, and we'll be there! Right now it is toasty 0 degrees! Brr! Have a great weekend!

March 06, 2008. I opened the office this morning, and then had my official closing on my Rockland 80! We decided to celebrate the sale of our property tonight with a dinner at "North Shore Pub n Grill". I always study the menu, but still end up with the usual filet mignon. We also received an ample amount of snow today! Have a great Friday!

March 05, 2008. I enjoyed my photography class this morning. As with most things, there is always more to it than you expect. This afternoon I found out that I am going to receive an offer on "the ponderosa", which is 80 acres that I own near Mass City. I know that one of you (you know who you are) had some interest in the property, so you may want to give me a call. Tomorrow is supposed to be the official closing of my Rockland 80, so that will be cause for celebration. My biggest weakness is that I really, really hate selling my own properties because I get so attached. However, I have to keep doing what is best for our future. I'm sure I'll buy some more land this year. Take Care!

March 04, 2008. Not a great deal to report from the north country today. I spent most of the day e-mailing info and answering questions about property. I've been having some trouble with one of my e-mail accounts, so for future reference, you should e-mail me at josh@statewideofhoughton.com. I know some of you tried to e-mail me today and were having trouble. We still have a lot of winter to go, but I can still feel spring coming. Tomorrow morning I'm taking a photography class to improve my listing photos. I would like to invest in a higher quality camera. With the stunning beauty of our properties up here, I don't feel like I'm doing them justice with a common digital camera.

March 03, 2008. I got the offer accepted on the 20 acre parcel on Pelkie road. It is a great piece of land, so congratulations to Don and Kathryn! With so much talk about the slumping real estate market in much of Michigan, I think people are surprised when they come up to the Keweenaw and see our strong market, and the amazing economic growth. Here is an interesting article pointing out the great strides we are making as compared to the rest of the state. There is a new poll question today for you to vote on. If you have any interesting pics for 'pic of the day', please e-mail them to me at josh@swoh.us. Please feel free to comment on the pics...you don't want me to feel like I'm talking to myself, do you?

March 02, 2008. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as I did! Saturday morning I wrote an offer on the cabin for sale near Lake Superior. We'll have to see if we can get the numbers to work for both parties. Saturday afternoon we went to the Michigan Tech girls basketball playoffs, where they defeated Grand Valley State. Sunday we took a snowmobile excursion up to Ahmeek and back. When I got home, I ended up writing an offer on 20 acres for sale in Baraga County. We had some warmer temperatures today, and melted the snow off of many people's roofs (if the roofs are metal). I'm ready for another great week!

February 29, 2008. You won't see another journal entry from me on Feb. 29 for another four years! (leap year) I started off the morning snowshoeing around this cabin property with a potential buyer. It sounds like we may write an offer this weekend. I got back to the office in time for a quick lunch before heading down toward Pelkie to show this 10 acre parcel in Baraga County. There is actually 20 acres available, and it looks like I may be putting a deal together on that one as well. After that, I met my wife at the title company to sign our paperwork in advance for a Monday closing on the sale of one of our 80 acre parcels. I then drove out toward Lake Linden to check a potential property to purchase, but wasn't impressed enough to pursue it any further. After making it back to close down the office, we went to the Michigan Tech hockey game where they lost 0-1. The day goes by fast when you cover that many miles! Have a great weekend!

February 28, 2008. I got the offer accepted on the 140 acre parcel in Hancock. It was an absolutely beautiful sunny day today! In the afternoon, I showed this rental house to some ambitious looking Michigan Tech students. They will need every bit of their ambition to fix up this house! Also, here is an absolutely fabulous waterfront parcel that I just listed on Rice Lake. If you are looking for an 'up north' lakefront property, you will appreciate this one! Anyhow, we're off to dinner tonight with friends before my busy day tomorrow.

February 27, 2008. Today was a very busy day! We had an agent tour in the morning where we looked at houses from Hancock all the way down to this magnificent estate in Chassell. We returned back to Houghton in time for me to close on the Sturgeon River property. I finally received my signatures back to list two new fantastic lots on Rice Lake (see yesterday's pic of the day). I then went on a second showing on a home in Hancock to take a final walkthrough with a buyer before they make an offer. After I got back to the office, I wrote an offer on this 140 acre parcel that I have listed near Hancock. The offer is going to be accepted by the seller in the morning. That was enough to keep me busy for one day. See ya tomorrow!

February 26, 2008. Tomorrow we're having an agent tour on our homes listed in Sylvan Estates. There are also a couple of showings scheduled for Thursday. I appreciate the comments on 'pic of the day' lately. The interaction is what makes it fun. By the way, instead of clicking 'anonymous', you can click the "name/url", and just type in your first name, nickname, or whatever. Where it says 'url', you can just ignore it. I was told the 'url' thing was confusing some of you. Take Care!

February 25, 2008. I hope everybody had a great Monday. I got the paperwork rolling on my closing for my Rockland 80 acres that I am selling. I had a few more details to finish up for the Sturgeon River property that is finally supposed to close on Wednesday. We went to a high school basketball playoff game tonight and I won a cake. Exciting stuff! Please, please go to the poll question and vote!

February 24, 2008. We enjoyed some beautiful weather this weekend. I had showings on a few more homes in the Houghton/Hancock area. My biggest news this weekend is that I put a deal together on selling the property I own near Rockland. We are supposed to close this Friday. It will be bittersweet since I get so attached to my properties. There is a new pic on the buck pole, and there is also a new poll question. I'm looking forward to another great week!

February 22, 2008. I wrapped up the week by showing some more homes in Hancock. This is the second time I've shown somebody this house in Hancock. For the price range, it is a really good value. There was also another showing today on one of the houses I have listed in Sylvan Estates. By the way, my website has a statistics program that shows me what countries people are from that visit my site. I just think this is interesting. Just this month, we've had visitors from Germany, China, Cuba, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Hungary, Netherlands, Israel, Russia, Pakistan, and Estonia. Crazy huh?

February 21, 2008. It was a beautiful sunny day today. I climbed up on the roof to do some snow removal. There was more snow than I expected! My arms feel pretty heavy tonight after shoveling it all off. I've been getting some e-mails from people wanting to know a property that would be a perfect place to build their 'up north' cabin. This property has one of the prettiest views and forests that I've seen in awhile. Have a great day!

February 20, 2008. The cold, frigid temperatures continue to chill the Keweenaw. I spent most of the day in the office, getting all of the paperwork ready for the closing on the Sturgeon River parcel. For those of you wanting to buy property, I have to tell you that the selection has never been better. I have more listings now than I have ever had. This is a great time of year to buy if you are looking to get a bargain. Tonight there is a lunar eclipse. I just went outside to check it out, but there is too much cloud cover tonight. Take Care!

February 19, 2008. Today I had a couple of showings on some homes in Hancock. One of them went quite well, we'll see what happens. Tonight we went to a high school basketball game in Dollar Bay. I don't think I've been to a high school game in over 10 years, so it was interesting. You look at all the kids and wonder if we looked that young when we were still in school. There is a new poll question so be sure to cast your vote. I also should have mentioned yesterday that the lot on Rice Lake is also available as a larger piece. See the listing here. Enjoy the pic of the day and please leave some comments, I'd like to hear from ya!

February 18, 2008. Another snowy Monday in the north country. After a few complaints, I fixed it so when you click the 'pic of the day' link, it will take you directly to the pics. You no longer have to click twice (heaven forbid) ;) Also, to return back to the homepage, you will notice that underneath every picture it says...return to www.joshsteinland.com. You can just click the link to return back. It is really that simple! You'll get used to it, I promise. OK, so I know that the majority of you are looking for waterfront. Well here is one of the best waterfront deals I've seen since I've been in this business. This is a township owned lot on Rice Lake. Year round access, electric available, a wonderful lake. This is priced to sell!

February 17, 2008. It was a nice weekend. I went out ice fishing on Chassell Bay where there weren't many ice shanties left. With no shanty, I spent my time sitting on my snowmobile, which was still pretty comfy. The weather was cold, as so was the fishing. A group of college students landed the only fish of the day. I do have a video of it that I may post on here later. I had one flag on my tip-up, but I guess the pike let go before I could get to it. It was still a great day to be out. Saturday night we went to another Michigan Tech hockey game, and I posted a video of one of the goals on pic of the day, so check it out. Have a great week!

February 15, 2008. I found out today that the Sturgeon River deal is going to close after all. I'm glad because the seller was getting anxious. I listed some frontage on Rice Lake today owned by the local township. I'll have info on it soon. Here is the hobby farm type property that I listed a couple of days ago. It can also be purchased as parcels as small as 10 acres. Land contract available, so $2,000 down and $264 dollars a month for 5 years can buy you a piece of the U.P. to call your own! Also, I'm adding the 'poll question' as a link on the left so it is easier to find. I'm hoping to finally go ice fishing this weekend. I hope you have a great weekend!

February 14, 2008. Happy Valentine's Day! Today I took some buyers to the cabin near Lake Superior and it went very well. I'll be surprised if we don't write an offer on it. Afterwards, we went and warmed up at the Michigan House in Calumet for awhile, and had a great time. I just got back from having dinner with my wife, and I expect to sleep good tonight after being out in the cold most of the day. Take Care!

February 13, 2008. Another cold snowy day in the Keweenaw. I listed over 70 acres of hayfields south of Houghton which would be perfect for any of you looking for a hobby farm type property. As soon as I put the listing together I'll feature it on here. I wanted to mention two additional features of 'pic of the day' in case you didn't know. One is that if you click on the pic itself, you can view a larger version of it. The other thing I like about it is that it will archive them for a month, so if you miss the site for a day or two, you can still view and comment on older pics. Keep e-mailing me pics!

February 12, 2008. Brrr! We are experiencing some cold weather, but it still doesn't seem to bother me when it is sunny. This morning I went on a quick shopping spree to acquire some ice fishing supplies. When I was younger I used to ice fish a lot, but I haven't done it nearly enough in the last few years. Anyhow, I'm ready to get back out on the ice as soon as possible. The new pic of the day format is going well, it is fun communicating with you through the 'blog'. Also, the poll question has moved to the lower portion of the home page, and your input is important to me, so please vote! I've been getting a lot of calls on this cabin near Lake Superior, and I'll be showing it on Thursday. I know some people are going to panic because they have been communicating with me about it, but just can't get up here soon enough. I'll let you know how it goes. Take Care!

February 11, 2008. My wife and I just enjoyed a great dinner to celebrate our 6 month anniversary. Today I traveled to Rice Lake to take pictures of a fantastic waterfront parcel that I am listing. See a pic here. I hope everyone is getting the hang of the new "pic of the day" format. A few comments were posted today, and I hope to see more. Have a great day!

February 10, 2008. If you looked at the webcams today you know that we had very severe weather. Big time blizzard conditions made for a good day to stay inside. Also, joshsteinland is now interactive! I moved the poll question and added a map to the area where "pic of the day" used to be on the homepage. When you click the link (on the left) for "pic of the day", it will take you to a new version where YOU can post comments! To post a comment, you don't need to sign in, just select "nickname" and type in your name, that's it. Or, select "anonymous" and post it that way. You'll see that it is simple. I would definitely appreciate it if you would post some comments so we can build a sense of community here. If you have any questions about it, feel free to e-mail me. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

February 9, 2008. Blizzard! Blowing snow and freezing temperatures are making for a perfect Winter Carnival. I was in the office all day, it was relatively slow. We went to the Michigan Tech hockey game tonight against Wisconsin. Unfortunately the Huskies came up short, but Tech games are always fun. I'm supposed to be showing homes tomorrow, but we'll see what the weather looks like tomorrow.

February 8, 2008. Winter Carnival is always a good time to be in the office since there are so many potential buyers in town. I met with a few different people today, and look forward to helping them find the right property. I'll be in the office all day tomorrow, and then will be showing houses on Sunday. I've actually listed a couple of properties on Ebay. I'm always experimenting with new ways to help people sell property. Have a great weekend!

February 7, 2008. I spent the morning getting some final details figured out on the sale of this Sturgeon River property. Hopefully we'll be able to schedule a closing soon. In the afternoon, Melissa and I got all bundled up and took a snowmobile ride up to Ahmeek. It was a great day and the trails were in perfect shape. See the "pic of the day". We spent the rest of the day at the in-laws and now we arrived home in one piece. The sky was so clear tonight that it seemed like you could see a million stars. Take Care!

February 6, 2008. Winter Carnival has begun! Tonight is the "all nighter" where the Michigan Tech students work around the clock to finish up their amazing ice sculptures. For those of you who haven't been to Winter Carnival, the ice sculptures are amazing. Here is an example from last year. I had another home showing in Houghton today. I think we are going to check out what Hancock has to offer as well before my buyer makes her final decision. Have a great day!

February 5, 2008. Another terrific Tuesday in the U.P.! I spent most of the daying showing houses to a client/friend of mine. One of them was pretty nice, but I'm anxious to see one that we have scheduled for tomorrow. I'm getting excited for Winter Carnival, mostly for the hockey game. It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through winter already. I need to get my gear around to do a little ice fishing soon. In case some you haven't noticed, I added an "area photos" link, that has some nice pics of the Keweenaw. Have a great day!

February 4, 2008. I hope your week is off to a running start. That was quite a Super Bowl game! Entertaining, to say the least. Houghton is starting to get busy with Winter Carnival starting this Wednesday. The ice sculptures are always something to behold. A friend of mine is ready to purchase her first home, so tomorrow we're going to start looking. The first real estate purchase is always exciting and somewhat scary. I like to think that I can help make it smooth and straightforward. I need more pics for 'pic of the day', so send me anything you have! Have a great week!

February 2, 2008. I hope that you are having a great weekend! I spent the day in the office getting caught up. I must say that I'm really happy with the amount of traffic my website has gotten, especially since it is less than a year old. I'm constantly spending money on different forms of advertising in order to continuously increase the amount of visitors. If you enjoy this site, PLEASE e-mail a link to some of your friends telling them to check it out. If everybody on here gets at least one of their friends or family to start visiting the site, that would double the traffic quickly. Just asking for a favor. :) Anyhow, for those of you who are looking forward to the super bowl (even if it is just for the commercials), have a great day!

February 1, 2008. Happy February! After several delays and flight problems, we are FINALLY back home in the Keweenaw! We had a great vacation, but everywhere I visit, I am reminded how lucky we are to live in such a fantastic place. I've come home to lots of real estate action. With record low interest rates, buyers are coming out of the woodwork to finally secure their piece of the north country. If you have been thinking about buying, the time isn't likely to get any better than this. I'm ready for another great month!

January 31, 2008. We're back....almost. We're actually still stuck in Minneapolis. Several flights were cancelled because of the weather, so we volunteered to wait another day in exchange for free round trip tickets for a future trip. Melissa has family here, so we're visiting them. I've had tons of questions e-mailed to me while we were gone, so if you are waiting to hear from me, I won't be able to answer all questions until I'm back in the office. I hope everybody survived the nasty weather that we recently had. We had a great trip, and I'm looking forward to coming home!

January 26, 2008. Another day, another new property for you to check out. This beautifully wooded property is available as a 160 acre, 80 acre, or 17 acre parcel. Located in the heart of the Keweenaw, you will fall in love with this property if you check it out in person. I spent the majority of the day getting everything organized so that we can fly out to Las Vegas tomorrow for a few days. I usually go out there at least once a year, and always enjoy it. Hopefully we'll have safe travels and I'll look forward to checking in with you all on Wednesday! Viva Las Vegas!

January 25, 2008. Friday! I just returned from a Michigan Tech hockey game against Colorado that ended in a tie. Well...the people have spoken and 73% of you wanted the You Tube videos gone, and so they are! I'm always open to suggestions because I want you all to keep enjoying the site! Notice on the lefthand side I added a category for "webcams", where I've added two more interesting live shots of the area. I've also eliminated a few links that weren't getting used. There is a new addition to the "buck pole" to check out in case you haven't looked at it in awhile. I also put a new "Poll" at the top of the page. Everybody vote! I'd really like to see where everyone is coming from! Here is a new 40 acre parcel that I recently put on the market. The parcel has 1/4 county road frontage with all utilities ready to go. Have a great weekend!

January 24, 2008. You've probably noticed that there has been some outages here the last couple of days. There was a server upgrade (whatever that is) and they are still trying to work out some of the problems. I apologize for the inconvenience, and hopefully we're back online and good to go. I had a closing on 40 acres that I sold in Ewen the other day. Here is another great new parcel with creek frontage, views, utilities and the whole works! This is the nicest inventory of properties I've ever had. Yesterday I went up by the Keweenaw county line to take pictures of another new property that will be on here soon. I'm trying to get everything wrapped up because we're leaving for a short vacation in a few days!

January 22, 2008. Let it snow! We received plenty of the white stuff today. In the morning, I had a showing on my new house in Sylvan Estates. The showing went exceptionally well, which isn't surprising as it is an amazing home. There is another showing scheduled on Thursday. Anybody that tells you that real estate doesn't move in the wintertime up here is wrong. I have been steadily busy all winter. My buddy Justin and I took an 80 mile snowmobile trip around the Keweenaw today. The trail conditions were outstanding! Plenty of snow mixed with freshly groomed trails made for one of the best rides I've ever had. Be sure to check out "pic of the day" for a pic of me standing in the deep snow. Also, be sure to cast your vote for the poll at the top of the homepage. I need input on things to keep or get rid of on the site. I'm just trying to keep everybody happy! Have a great day!

January 21, 2008. The cold weather continues, but the real estate market is still heating up. Here is a new 202 acre parcel overlooking Lake Superior that I just listed. I already had a call on it today. This afternoon I put my sign up on a beautiful home in Sylvan Estates. My friend Justin went snowboarding today up at Mt. Bohemia. That was his first time up there and he said it was outstanding. I have a showing in the morning, and then we're going to snowmobile in the afternoon. We had a great dinner with friends tonight at the Ambassador. Have a great day!

January 19, 2008. Brrrrr! The temps have been around 0 most of the day up here. I can't wait to watch the Packers play in this weather tomorrow. I'm glad I'm watching from the warmth of my home rather than at the Stadium. Well here is the first new listing. This is the cabin for sale that I featured on 'pic of the day' a few days back. What a neat property. Feel free to e-mail me any questions you might have about it. My friend Justin is up here, but we haven't been able to get ourselves to go out snowmobiling in this frigid weather. Take Care!

January 18, 2008. It took several hours today to load up 5 new properties that I have listed. In the afternoon I went and listed an absolutely stunning house in Sylvan Estates. I can't wait to put it on the market Monday. Any minute now, my friend Justin should be arriving. I'm looking forward to doing some snowmobiling and enjoying the Keweenaw. It is single digit cold up here! Anyhow, we're about to go bowling so I better get going. Have a great weekend!

January 17, 2008. The snow is falling and the roads aren't great, but I still covered almost 200 miles today driving to hike some beautiful forests. I took several pictures of some spectacular new properties. There were some amazing fews, but it is tough to tell from my pictures since the snow made visibility difficult. I'll have to get better pics on a clear day. Anyhow, I'll be introducing several new listings over the next handful of days. Temps are dropping so be sure to stay warm!

January 16, 2008. It was another super productive day in the Keweenaw real estate world. I got all of the final paperwork completed for a closing down in Ewen tomorrow. I got the offer officially accepted for the 39 acre parcel north of Hancock. I'm listing the really neat cabin that I mentioned on here yesterday. 10 acres with a new cabin and storage building for only $49,900. See the 'pic of the day' for a sneak peek at the cabin. This is an affordable option to start enjoying the north country. Tomorrow I have a busy, busy day. I'll be driving hundreds of miles to take pictures and put signs up on over 400 acres of new listings. This is a great time to be a buyer as there are so many options right now. This may be the lowest we see interest rates for quite awhile, so now is the time!

January 15, 2008. The Sturgeon River parcel is officially accepted. Tomorrow I'm heading to look at a potential listing north of McLain State Park. I'm really surprised at how many inquiries from potential buyers I'm getting everyday. If the winter stays this busy, I can't wait to see what the summer will bring. I also listed a 202 acre parcel by Ontonagon just off Lake Superior today. I'll have more details on here in a few days. Anyhow, another busy work day. I hope some of you got out and voted today (if you are a Michigander). I'm looking forward to my friend Justin getting up here Friday. He was the best man in my wedding. We're going to do a little snowmobiling and sightseeing. Have a great day!

January 14, 2008. Today I traveled around presenting the offers to my sellers for the recent offers. I expect to have both of them officially accepted by tomorrow. We got at least six inches of snow here at our house. I plow my driveway with my ATV, and actually enjoy it. It can handle up to 10 inches or so as long as it is light and fluffy. If we get too much, I have to call for reinforcements. My cousin Allison had her first baby today! (See pic of the day).

January 13, 2008. I went to the office this morning to write an offer on this 39 acre parcel near Hancock. I also received an offer on this Sturgeon River Parcel near Arnheim. Tomorrow I am going to meet personally with both sellers to see if we are going to accept the offers, or counter offer. Other than that, I enjoyed watching the football games today. We're finally starting to get a little more snow. Have a great week!

January 12, 2008. I'm watching the Packers win an extremely snowy playoff game as I'm typing this right now. Last night was our belated State Wide Christmas party. As usual, a great time was had by all. In the morning, I put the snowshoes in the truck to go and show several parcels, starting in Mass City. Of all the properties, the buyers seemed most interested in this 80 acre parcel near Baraga. It was a beautiful day to be out in the woods. Tomorrow morning I have to meet a buyer at the office to write an offer on one of my listings. Real estate has been 7 days a week, but I'm not complaining a bit. Have a great weekend!

January 10, 2008. Happy Thursday! I'm getting my plans together for several showings this weekend and early next week. In the afternoon I went up toward the Keweenaw County line to check out some really nice property that I should be listing soon. Tomorrow morning I have to go back out to the 39 acre parcel to verify a property corner so the buyer can move forward with the offer. Just before dark tonight, I went out to one of my hunting spots to look for predator signs. I found big deer tracks, and saw fresh wolf tracks. I was actually surprised since I have not seen wolves in this area before. I was also surprised to see deer tracks because they typically don't spend the winters there. I've been getting some nice e-mails from some of you saying how much you enjoy the site. I really appreciate the positive feedback! Take Care!

January 9, 2008. I spent part of the day coming up with a game plan for how to sell a new listing that will be coming soon. I was told today that I should be receiving an offer on the Sturgeon River property I have for sale. I know some of you have been watching this one, so now may be the time to get serious! We have had several days of mild weather now. I'm hoping for snow! I've been getting quite a few inquiries for land contract properties. It is getting harder and harder to find properties available with seller financing, but I do have some nice ones. This 10 acre parcel is an absolutely perfect property with easy terms. Have a nice day!

January 8, 2008. It was actually raining this morning as I loaded up the snowshoes to go show land. I call myself the 'rainy day realtor' because it always seems to rain when I am scheduled to show property. Here it is in January, and it still rains. Ha. Anyhow, the showing went great on the 39 acre parcel. I am expecting to write an offer by Friday. We also just listed a very special 140 acre parcel with over 4,000 feet of frontage on Swedetown Creek. This property is priced low to encourage a winter sale. Have a great day!

January 7, 2008. I hope everybody survived Monday in once piece. As many of you know, I own an 80 acre parcel near Victoria/Rockland. I had a deal on selling it, but my buyer fell through. I have officially put it on the market. See the listing here. This is a very remote, very special piece of land. It is designed for the buyer who appreciates a true 'deep woods' experience. If you have any additional questions about it, feel free to e-mail or call me. Tomorrow morning I'm strapping on the snowshoes to go show this 39 acre parcel near Hancock. This parcel is nearly adjacent to another 10 acre parcel with a view of the Portage Canal. The 10 acre piece is an absolutely perfect place to build your "up north" cabin. Take Care!

January 6, 2008. This weekend was pretty well filled up with work. I was in the office all day Saturday. I might be listing a lake in Marquette County. On Sunday I showed a few houses to a nice family moving back to the Keweenaw from Wisconsin. Of the houses, this one just outside of Houghton stood out as the best. They have to sell their house first so we'll see how it plays out. Have a great week!

January 4, 2008. We had absolutely beautiful weather up here. A nice day of sunshine seems to put everyone in a good mood. Today I got all the signatures in place to secure an accepted offer on this wonderful parcel. There are still a few details to work out, but congratulations to the sellers! I received a few nice pics today for "pic of the day", so please keep them coming! Tonight we had a great dinner with our friend Michelle who is home from Iraq. Have a great weekend!

January 3, 2008. Today was kind of a tough day as it was the one year anniversary of losing my Dad. I was able to keep myself pretty busy with work. I drove down to Ontonagon to meet with a landowner that I will be doing some forestry consulting for. I haven't been down that way in awhile, so I was able to drive around and pick up real estate signs of some of the properties that I had recently sold. There is a plenty of snow up here now, and the snowmobilers are showing up in good numbers. Have a great day!

January 2, 2008. Today we received a steady supply of beautiful, fluffy snow. I spent the day in the office sending out info about properties to potential buyers. We're still in the process of working out a deal on a large parcel on Lake Superior. Tomorrow I'll be writing an offer on a piece of land over by Marquette. The end of the year statistics came out today and once again I was the #1 sales associate for land in the Keweenaw MLS. Thanks to all of you that I did business with over the past year!

January 1, 2008. Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a safe celebration. I went to the office for awhile today to work on a counter-offer for a deal that we are working on putting together. The phones have been busier than usual lately with inquiries from buyers. I can already tell that January is going to be a great month. 2008 should prove to be another great year for Upper Peninsula real estate. Today was officially the last day for this year's hunting season. Check out the hunting journal for the last video to wrap up this year's hunting season. Also, I need more pics e-mailed to me for "pic of the day", so if you have anything interesting, please send it!

December 31, 2007. Happy New Years Eve! We just got back from the long trek to lower Michigan. We had a great time visiting my family, and a relatively safe drive. I think we're too tired for any New Year's eve festivities, in fact, we'll probably be asleep before the big countdown. I've got a few real estate deals in the works, so I'm anxious to get back at it. If you are traveling this time of year, please be safe!

December 26, 2007. I hope that everyone is having a great holiday season. We'll be out of town visiting my family until the New Year. I look forward to being back soon, take care!

December 24-25, 2007. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

December 23, 2007. Just a nice day of spending time with family and friends. I was glad to watch the Lions win, and I noticed that the Packers lost...bad. We're supposed to get a pretty serious snowstorm tonight. Happy Holidays!

December 22, 2007. I was in the office during the morning to write an offer on the Ewen property. Hopefully we'll be able to reach an agreement so we can put together another deal for 2007. The phone has actually been pretty active with vacant land buyers/lookers. We had a surprise party for a close friend who is home from Iraq for the holidays. The weather has been kind of sloppy so be safe in your travels!

December 21, 2007. I had a productive morning in the office. I set up some house showings, including one on the Hancock home that I just listed a few days ago. Tomorrow morning I'm supposed to be writing an offer on 40 acres in Ewen. I went bowhunting in the afternoon. It was a pretty good hunt. I saw 13 deer, and 3 bucks that had already shed their antlers. It is very uncommon for the bucks to be all dropping their antlers this early. Have a great weekend!

December 20, 2007. This morning I wrapped up most of my Christmas shopping for the year. In the afternoon I went out to my hunting spot to get everything ready for a December bowhunt. I haven't bowhunted in December since 2001. Sitting up in a treestand this time of year can be a little chilly. I expect to see a lot of deer so hopefully I'll get some good pics and/or footage. Weather permitting, I plan to go out tomorrow night and Sunday night. Hopefully you all are getting your holiday shopping done. Thank you for the pics I have been receiving for "pic of the day", keep them coming!

December 19, 2007. It is almost Christmas! I had another call on this Lake Superior parcel today. We'll be showing it again just after Christmas. I got three new submissions for the 'buck pole' today. All three are very nice bucks, check it out. You'll notice I added a "you tube" video box on the homepage. It randomly generates videos that are supposed to be related to hunting, fishing, and real estate. I also added a link to play solitaire. I'm just trying to make it more fun to be here! I was going to work on my December bowhunting stand this afternoon, but my snowmobile didn't have as much ambition as I did, so I had to drop it off at the shop. Have a great day!

December 18, 2007. The house I listed in Sylvan Estates is officially on the market. Check out the new listing here. I worked on my snowmobile in the morning, and actually drove it to work in the afternoon. It is always neat driving underneath the bridge. I'm going to remember to take my camera next time so you can see a pic of the different perspective. If you have trouble getting to work on time, you should move to the U.P. Between the delays of the bridge going up and down, the snowstorms, or just the simple fact that we aren't in a hurry, this is a GREAT place to live. Have a great day.

December 16, 2007. As you have probably already noticed, I've been adding several new features to the website. The Bridge Cam and the Buck Pole are already proving to be popular. To help with maintenance costs, I've also started advertising for a few other related websites. These are useful and interesting sites, so feel free to check them out also. I've also started the 'pic of the day'. During my travels, I've taken several neat pics that I'm looking forward to sharing with you. However, I only have so many, so please, PLEASE e-mail me any neat pics that you may have so that I can post them on here for all to enjoy. Thanks! josh@swoh.us

December 15, 2007. Brrrr! It was sunny, clear, and cold. I love cold weather! Today I put some fresh real estate signs up at the Paradise Gardens which is still for sale. I also put a sign up at the new listing in Hancock. Tonight was the last night of muzzleloader hunting for me, and I saw about 18 deer. Here is a nice sunset pic of one of them. I also have another entry for the new "buck pole" link. Keep them coming! Please send your deer pics to josh@swoh.us! It doesn't matter if it is a buck, doe, big or small, send them all!

December 14, 2007. Today was a cold, clear, but beautiful day in the Keweenaw. Our local title insurance agency, Copper Range Abstract & Title, had a nice Christmas gathering this afternoon with a big turnout. Later today I ended up listing a very nice house in Sylvan Estates of Hancock. Here is the nice view I saw from the house tonight. I'll post more details once I get them on the MLS. The seller of this acreage near the Huron Mountains called today, and he is getting anxious to sell. I know some of you have been watching this one, and if you're looking for a deal, now is the time. Also, check out THE NEW BUCK POLE link on the left to see some successful hunters. Please e-mail me your deer pics to josh@swoh.us!!!

December 13, 2007. Another good day in real estate. I finally scheduled a closing next week for the sale of 40 acres that I own out by Victoria. We have a storm moving in and I figured the deer would be moving so I went out tonight. I saw about 17 deer tonight. There was one buck chasing does but he has already dropped his antlers. Anyhow, here is a pic of some of the deer digging into the food plot. It was a fun night!

December 12, 2007. It was a very busy day in real estate! Friday I am supposed to be listing a very nice home near the hospital in Hancock. We drastically reduced the price on this property in Ewen, making it an exceptional buy. I already had two promising phone calls on it. I'm also slowly getting closer to writing an offer on this stunning Lake Superior property. Last night was the Keweenaw MLS Christmas gathering. A nice time was had by all.

December 10, 2007. It was back to work in the morning, and back to the swamp tonight. I saw quite a few deer tonight, but I believe a roaming coyote caused them to take off. Melissa did a nice job and our first Christmas tree looks very nice. It is hard to believe that in two weeks Christmas will be here. I had a couple of nice pics to post, but I was unable to. Hopefully I'll have the problem fixed by tomorrow. Have a nice day!

December 9, 2007. This morning Melissa and I drove down to our 16 acre parcel to try and find a good Christmas tree. After finding nothing but "Charlie Brown" trees, we finally decided to go purchase a nice one. We spent the afternoon with the in-laws where we watched the Detroit Lions drop a heartbreaker to Dallas. I know all of you Green Bay fans are happy. Have a great week!

December 8, 2007. Today was a beautiful winter day in the Keweenaw. I snowshoed a quarter mile into a cedar swamp tonight to do some muzzleloader hunting. I ended up seeing three just before dark. There wasn't enough light to get any good footage. I'll probably give it a few days before I venture out there again.

December 7, 2007. Finally Friday. I opened the office today. Congrats to Ken and Patt on getting the deal accepted for the Otter Lake Property! It sure is gorgeous property and I know they'll enjoy it. I'm not sure if everyone noticed, but on the home page I added a link for the "bridge cam". Click it anytime for a live view of the Portage Lift Bridge. Its also a nice way to check out our weather. Time for the wife and I to go out for dinner with friends. Have a great weekend!

December 6, 2007. Today was a nice day. Still cold, but we had some sunshine. I'm still waiting to hear on a couple of purchase agreements I'm working on. This afternoon I went down to one of my hunting spots and the water was finally frozen enough to get in. You know you have a remote hunting spot when you can't get in until the ice freezes. Anyhow, I'm all set for Muzzleloader season. I'll probably go this weekend. If anything exciting happens, maybe the hunting journal will be back in action. Have a great day!

December 5, 2007. Today was a pretty busy day in real estate. We changed some more things with our office. You'll notice that we changed the 'office cam' that is near the bottom of the homepage. The cam is now looking from the other end of the office (putting my desk in the back left corner) and it gives you a better pic of what is going on at State Wide. I ended up listing 140 acres with over 4,000 feet of Swedetown Creek frontage today for $154,000. This property is very close to Hancock. I'll have more details available soon. I also had a showing on this house near Liminga today. What a great buy. This house is assessed at a much higher value than the current asking price. The showing went well and I hope to write an offer soon. Have a great day!

December 4, 2007. Today was a good day getting things done in the office. The Jacobsville deal turned out to be more complicated than I thought, but we're getting it squared away. It sounds like I should be listing the Tobacco River lot this weekend. We need to talk about a property. This 10 acre parcel is a great deal. The price has just been dropped to $19,900, and a land contract is now possible. There aren't many land contract opportunites these days, so this should help somebody. Take Care!

December 3, 2007. This morning we wrote an offer on the Otter Lake property. Hopefully we'll get an agreement soon. The phone is still ringing with people inquiring about properties. Many people have the impression that we shut down for the winter up here, but that is hardly the case. The Keweenaw is hopping all winter long with skiers, snowmobilers, winter carnival and many other activities. Winter is a great time to buy/sell real estate so don't let the snow scare you. I may be listing a new parcel on the Tobacco River, it sounds like it is pretty nice. This afternoon I thought I would try to snowmobile back to one of my hunting spots that I was flooded out of because of our wet fall. Apparently we got too much snow and the ice didn't freeze because I ended up knee deep in swamp water with a stuck snowmobile. Luckily I was able to get close enough with the truck to haul it out with my tow straps. Brrr!

December 2, 2007. December is here and it looks like it has been winter for months now. I had a great time today showing this awesome property to some new friends/clients of mine. I think we are going to write an offer on it tomorrow morning. It is such an awesome parcel, I'm surprised that it even lasted this long. It is always a good time watching somebody walk in snowshoes for the first time. They tend to inadvertently end up making 'snow angels'. ;) Have a great week!

November 30th, 2007. Just as fast as the weather changes, November is here and gone. Today was the last day of firearm deer season, but the weather was just too nasty. Several more inches of snow with -12 degree windchills just didn't sound like a good time to me. Fortunately, it is supposed to get much nicer in the following days. Lots of lookers in real estate right now. I'd like to get a new deal in writing soon. Melissa and I went and had dinner at our friends' house tonight, and it was great. Nothing like a warm pot roast on a cold winter night. Have a great weekend!

November 29th, 2007. The snow hasn't stopped yet! It is almost up to my knees out in the woods. I went out hunting tonight and couldn't believe how fast winter has arrived. I saw four does, but no bucks. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so I might be done hunting for the year. Of course, there is always muzzleloader season, so you never know! Most of the U.P. is tuning in tonight to watch the Green Bay Packers take on the Dallas Cowboys. Have a great night!

November 28th, 2007. I spent most of the day in the office working on trying to get a deal together on the property I had shown yesterday. I'm still trying to sell 40 acres of land to a friend of mine, I'm having trouble with the bank, so I may just sell to him via land contract. We've got plenty of snow. I went down and hunted my 16 acre parcel tonight. Plenty of tracks in the snow, but I didn't see a thing. When I got home tonight, I hooked the plow up to my ATV and finally plowed the driveway. I've been getting many phone calls and e-mails from potential buyers. Hopefully this is an indication that we'll have a good winter. Have a nice day!

November 27th, 2007. Today was a pretty long day. We got snow, snow, and more snow! This morning I hiked all over the country showing vacant parcels. Around lunchtime I had to meet with the VP of one of our area banks to discuss a problem I am having with selling one of my properties. I went out to one of my hunting spots to take down my treestand for the year, and as I was heading back to Houghton, a GIANT buck ran out and I almost hit him with my truck! I was in disbelief as I watched the buck stand in someone's driveway before casually walking back into the woods. As soon as I got home, I looked up the landowner's name in the plat book, and then called him to ask for permission to attempt to track this buck through the freshly fallen snow. He told me to go right ahead. I grabbed my stuff and hurried back out there and quickly picked up the track. I tracked that buck for almost 3/4 of a mile before he unfortunately headed into private property. I wasn't about to trespass, so I followed my own tracks back to the truck. Later on, I needed to pick up one of my ATV's that I left at one of my hunting properties because I plow snow with it. Melissa and I drove about 100 miles through the snow tonight, but it didn't seem so bad listening to Christmas Music with my lovely wife. Have a great day!

November 26th, 2007. The snow is falling in the Keweenaw tonight. Tomorrow I'll be showing this 9.8 acre and this 10 acre parcel outside of Hancock. Both are absolutely beautiful places to build a home or cabin. After getting caught up on paperwork in the office, I sat out in the cold snow tonight and saw a small buck and 2 does. The hunting journal is pretty much over for this year, since I'm unable to get the kind of close up pics and videos that I was able to get during bowseason. Have a great day!

November 25th, 2007. I hope that everyone had a great holiday weekend. My hunting partner finally left this weekend. I went out tonight and saw a small buck. I'm ready to dive back into real estate this week. It has been hard to keep up with hunting season, the holidays, and house guests, but now I'm ready to start moving some property again. Have a great week!

November 22nd, 2007. Happy Thanksgiving!

November 21st, 2007. I spent the majority of the day in the office. Things were quite busy today as I took two calls regarding this property, and another call about this property. I should be showing the Lake Superior frontage next week. I went hunting tonight but didn't see anything. Gary hunted the 16 and saw quite a few deer, including a couple of small bucks. My brother Adam got a nice buck down in lower Michigan a few days ago. Happy Thanksgiving!

November 20th, 2007. Just another day in the beautiful Keweenaw! The phone has been ringing with potential buyers wanting to come up and look at property. I went out hunting tonight and saw nothing. We need some more snow. I know that my friend Gary saw a buck tonight, but it wasn't very big. I have to open the office tomorrow morning. If any of you have had hunting success, I'd love it if you'd e-mail me a pic at josh@swoh.us. Have a great day!

November 19th, 2007. I've taken a couple of days off from hunting to try and shake this nasty cold. I went to the office today to get caught up on some things and to get the paperwork rolling for the Jacobsville deal. We got some rain and have pretty much lost our snow. I can't believe that it is going to be Thanksgiving this week! Have a great day!

November 17th, 2007. Well the sniffling sneezing hunters took to the woods again today and it got really cold! I think my body needs a break tomorrow, so I'm just going to relax and watch football!

November 16th, 2007. I sure wish I could shake this cold! A friend of mine who is hunting a property I own in Victoria was successful yesterday, so I was excited for him. I'll hunt hard for a few more days, but then I'll have to get back to work. I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!

November 15th, 2007. The downtown streets in the U.P. are pretty quiet right now as many people are out to deer camp. I've been battling a nasty cold, but I sat out in the woods from dusk to dawn on opening day. I did see a buck, but just a little one. We finally came to an agreement on the deal for the Jacobsville property, so that is good news. We've gotten a little bit of snow, but not much. My hunting partner appears to be coming down with a cold now too, so we'll have to keep plenty of cough drops and kleenex handy.

November 12th, 2007. My hunting buddy Gary arrived this weekend. I showed my waterfall home up in Eagle River this weekend as well. Gary and I have been working hard on getting our hunting spots ready for firearm season. Unfortunately I have come down with a nasty cold. I took it easy today, hoping that I can feel better by Thursday. Not much work will be done this week as firearm deer season is the Upper Peninsula's "National Holiday". Have a great week!

November 9th, 2007. Friday is here! I worked in the office today. I got a lot of nice e-mails congratulating me about the deer, so thanks to all of you. I'm excited for my hunting buddy to get up here tomorrow morning. This is the greatest time of year! I scheduled a closing date for November 14th to sell off 40 acres that I own. We had a good dinner at "The Library" in Houghton tonight. Have a great weekend!

November 8th, 2007. Not too much to report in the real estate world today. I'm still waiting to hear back about the counter offer on the Jacobsville property. I have an action packed hunting journal tonight, including pics/videos of my successful hunt!

November 7th 2007. I had to open the office this morning. We didn't get any more snow, but here is a pic of the snow we have received so far. I finally received an offer on my listing in Jacobsville today. We made a counter-offer, so hopefully it gets accepted. Tonight I went hunting down in Nisula. I love fall. Especially fall with snow.

November 6th 2007. Snow is here! I woke up to 3 to 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground. I'm supposed to be receiving an offer anytime now on this property in Jacobsville. I'm hoping to put a deal together on this beautiful property that I showed this weekend. After getting all of my work done today, I had to get out and hunt in the new snow. It was a nice night, but cold!

November 5th 2007. Nasty, nasty weather in the north country today. Mix of rain, sleet, and snow with very windy conditions nearly put me in the ditch on M-38 today. Lots of real estate deals in the works right now, hopefully I will have some more properties under contract soon. I wanted to apologize for the website still not being updated yet. The site should have all of the updated properties anytime now. Have a great day!

November 3rd-4th, 2007. It was a very busy weekend as I showed properties all over Baraga and Houghton Counties. They went pretty well, hopefully we'll be able to put something together. The buyer was looking for the best of the best, and the 40 acre parcel I have near Otter Lake fits the criteria. Last night while hunting, I saw the biggest buck of my life, but things didn't work out. Anyhow, back to work tomorrow, even though I worked all weekend anyways. Things will slow down some when the snow starts to fall. Have a great week!

November 2nd, 2007. November is here and I think that snow won't be far behind. Melissa and I stayed in Marquette last night to do a little shopping ( I don't mind shopping when I have gift certificates for Gander Mountain) and we got back in time today to close on our 16 acre purchase in Nisula. I'm really excited about owning more property! After talking to a client that I met here on the website, it looks like I may be doing some forest management for her this winter, that is always exciting! Real estate buyers have been calling in frequently over the last few days. I know that I have at least two showings this weekend. Have a great weekend!

October 31, 2007. Congratulations to Len and Diana, they closed on their new house in Greenland today. They have officially 'made the move' to the U.P. and I know they are excited. I spent most of the day in the office, and then we handed out candy to the trick or treaters that were brave enough to withstand the gale force winds we had today. I survived another birthday today, we had a nice dinner with friends/coworkers at the Ramada Inn tonight. That is where we had our wedding reception, so it was nice to go back. Say goodbye to October!

October 30, 2007. I'm all set for my closing on the house in Greenland tomorrow morning. I have to show properties this weekend, and one of my listings is being shown by another agent, so hopefully something will come together. Today is our last day of nice weather for a little while. Tonight I had my first hunt at the 16 acre parcel in Nisula. By the way, this site may experience some difficulties off and on for the next few days because the web admin is doing several updates to make us compatible with our new MLS software. It shouldn't last long, so hang in there. Tomorrow is my birthday which isn't as exciting when you get to be my age.

October 29, 2007. It is going to be a busy week as I have 3 closings, and I'm buying 16 acres in Nisula. My broker was going to show this house that I have listed in Lac La Belle today, I hope it went well. My deal on Brockway Mountain is going to be put on hold for now I guess. I went hunting tonight and saw 5 different bucks! Have a great day!

October 27 & 28, 2007. Another weekend has gone by all too fast. I had to work in the office on Saturday, and then went down to Nisula in the evening to go hunting and saw a lot of deer. Today I watched the Lions win AGAIN! I spent the afternoon with the in-laws and then had to go check on a house that I have for sale. October is almost gone!

October 26, 2007. Is it Friday already? I have to work tomorrow anyhow so it doesn't really feel like it. I have 3 closings next week, so I've been busy in the office doing paperwork. We're getting a high number of calls right now from buyers looking for that right piece of property. I'm actually hoping that we start to get some snow soon. I have some great pics and videos on the hunting journal tonight, so check it out. Have a great weekend!

October 25, 2007. I closed on the Calumet House this morning. Happy buyers, sellers, and realtor! Tomorrow morning I'll be writing an offer with some buyers on 80 acres on Brockway Mountain. This afternoon I went down to work on the new property, and put together this gate to keep people from driving in. We're finally getting some beautful fall weather!

October 24, 2007. I opened up the office today, and then headed up to Calumet after lunch to get some papers signed in advance for a closing that I have tomorrow morning. I like closings. We got a little bit of snow today, but it wasn't even sticking to the ground. I went down to my new 16 acre parcel I'm buying to put in some treated posts so I can put up a gate. In the past, people have been driving into the parcel and dumping some of their unwanted items, but they won't be doing that anymore! I went hunting in Nisula tonight and it was a nice night! Back to work tomorrow.

October 23, 2007. My offer was accepted on the parcel I am purchasing near Nisula. Here is a pic of the beautiful acreage. I spent the afternoon out there marking the property lines. With the steepness of the terrain, I must say my legs are a little sore tonight. I must be getting old. Tomorrow I have to get some signatures for a closing on Thursday. We might get snow tonight!

October 22, 2007. Today was a busy day at the office. Lots of lookers in real estate now, and I am busy getting everything together for a couple of upcoming closings. I had to run up to Calumet this morning to let UPPCO (upper peninsula power company) into a house for some electrical updating we are doing. I'm still impatiently waiting to find out if my offer will be accepted on the 16 acre parcel I wrote on last week. It is easy for me to understand why clients get so impatient when I find myself in their shoes. I went bowhunting tonight. Have a great week!

October 21, 2007. The Detroit Lions won today, and that is THE highlight!

October 20, 2007. Today was a pretty nice day. I was on the phone most of the morning trying to get the deal together for the Houghton County owned property. I am also working on selling a couple of 40 acre parcels on Brockway Mountain. I can't hardly wait until Monday or Tuesday when I can find out if my offer gets accepted on the property I am trying to purchase. I lose sleep when I get excited about buying property, literally. I've been tired all day from tossing and turning last night. I did go hunting tonight down in Mass City and saw some deer. Take care!

October 19, 2007. Another rainy day. I'm scheduling some upcoming showings so we can sell some more properties before the snow flies. I saw a property today that is in an area that I was interested in, so I put on my raingear and took a look. Very nice! I made an offer on it today. Here is a pic. I'm anxious to see if my offer gets accepted. I can't wait for a dry day so I can go hunting again. Tonight we're going to have pizza and play games with some friends/coworkers. Have a great weekend!

October 18, 2007. Not a whole lot to report from the Keweenaw today other than the fact that we have a hailstorm coming our way. I've never seen a fall season with this much rain. I've been working on a deal trying to sell 160 acres of county owned property. I thought the deal was almost dead, but after today it looks very much alive, so that is always good news. We did get a lot of random tasks accomplished today like selling Melissa's old car, getting tires rotated on the new one, etc. Can you believe that we're already half way through October?

October 17, 2007. I opened the office today, and started receiving some phone calls from my latest ads. I seem to be getting the most questions on this 80 acre parcel. I found out today that I have a deal on selling off half of an 80 acre parcel that I own out by Rockland. This sale will allow me to acquire one of the properties that I currently hunt. I spent the rest of afternoon checking on my hunting spots, and eventually went hunting. Have a great day!

October 16, 2007. It felt good to get back to being productive today. I spent most of the day in the office getting things moving for a couple of upcoming closings. One of my clients from Georgia today popped in the office to see me, so that was a pleasant surprise. I'm starting to wonder if it will ever stop raining up here this fall! It was coming down steady all day today, consequently, I didn't get anything done outdoors. I have some nice ad campaigns coming out for my listings, so hopefully the phones will start ringing soon!

October 15, 2007. We're back! 900 miles is a lot of driving in the matter of a few days. We had a couple of family gatherings where I grew up in central lower Michigan. We had a great time and it is always nice to see everybody. I got in a hunt while I was down there, and have some great video footage on the hunting journal. Tomorrow I'll be back to work and I already have several e-mails and voicemails to take care of, so I'll be getting caught up. I hope everybody has a great week!

October 11, 2007. Today was a good day in the Keweenaw. We're all on the same page for the sale of the home in Calumet, we should close in a couple of weeks. After work today we closed on the 20 acre parcel on Bootjack Road. Congrats Darrell and Kathy! It was a cool calm night without rain this evening, so I managed to go hunting, and it was pretty exciting! Tomorrow morning we head downstate for a family reunion, baby shower, and all kinds of fun stuff. I doubt that I'll be online while down there, so it may be a few days until you hear from me. Have a great weekend!

October 10, 2007. Just ANOTHER rainy day up north! I worked in the office today. We're closing on the 20 acres in Bootjack tomorrow. This weekend another agency is showing this property. This property needs to sell, hopefully it goes well. I also got a call tonight and it appears that I may have a deal cooking on this parcel in Jacobsville. It is such a nice property! Anyhow, I toughed out the rain and wind tonight to go hunting, so check out the hunting journal. Have a wonderful day!

October 9, 2007. More ugly weather today as it is currently 41 degrees, raining, and windy. We got the offers accepted today for the house in Greenland and the 40 acre parcel in Mass City. The home inspection didn't go too bad with the Calumet house, there was an electrical issue and I will have an estimate by tomorrow. My wife and I had a great dinner tonight at the Pilgrim River Steakhouse. Have a nice day!

October 8, 2007. Well it looks like we're getting the deal accepted for this house in Greenland. I also struck a deal today on this 40 acre parcel outside of Mass City. The inspection for the Calumet house got moved until tomorrow. During the rainy afternoon, a friend of mine and I headed down to Victoria to look at my 80 acre parcel. He is interested in purchasing half of the property, and I am interested in selling it to him. We got drenched in the rain! I tried to take some pics of the misty woods today, but most of them didn't turn out well. Here is the clearest pic that I got. I'm ready for some nice fall weather!

October 7, 2007. It sure doesn't feel like October! It was in the high 80's today. I decided to stay home and enjoy my first Detroit Lions game of the season. It wasn't very enjoyable. They seem to do better when I am out in the woods, rather than watching them. Tomorrow morning I have to head up to the Calumet house to go over some issues raised with the home inspection. There is always something, I'm sure it is very minor. I wish it would snow! (Did some of you just cringe?)

October 6, 2007. I met a couple of very nice people at the Parkview in Twin Lakes this morning, and then we looked at a couple of houses. The house in Greenland was very nice, and the price was right. We ended up writing an offer right then and there. As I was driving home, the rain was stopping and it was pretty foggy. I didn't plan on hunting, but once I verified on the weather channel that the rain was done for the night, I up and decided to hurry down to 'the swamp spot' to go hunting. Hopefully the weather will cooperate so I can spend more time in the woods tomorrow. I finally resolved my picture uploading issues, so here is a fall color photo submitted by my client that owns this house. Here is a pic of a big hemlock on the property I own near Victoria. Here is a beautiful ravine running through the property. Anyhow, check out the hunting journal for pics and videos from tonight's hunt. Enjoy your weekend!

October 5, 2007. What a downpour! I had to show a 920 acre parcel today in some of the heaviest rain we've seen all year! It was a long day and I must say that I'm a little tuckered out tonight. Unfortunately I am still unable to post pics and I hope my web guy will get in touch with me so I can resolve this quickly. Tomorrow morning I'm off to Greenland and Mass City to show houses. I can't wait for the weather to improve so I can get back to hunting.

October 4, 2007. I spent the morning getting prepared for my upcoming showings for the next few days. It sounds like I may be putting a deal together on a 40 acre parcel down by Mass City. After work, I was able to spend the afternoon out on an 80 acre parcel I own by Victoria. A friend of mine needs a place to hunt this fall, so I took him down to help him pick out a spot. There are plenty of big trees on the property, and it was so nice to be out there and appreciate how beautiful of a property it really is. I was planning on posting a couple of pics here, but my computer seems to be having difficulties, so I'll add them when it is fixed. Off to the huron mountains tomorrow!

October 3, 2007. Real estate is getting busy again, I'll be showing properties through the weekend. Today at noon we closed on the sale of the Bumbletown Hill property. I had to run up to Calumet today to take care of some of the paperwork for the sale of the house, and also let the home inspector in so he could do his thing. In the afternoon I went down to my property for a relatively uneventful evening in the woods. Have a great day!

October 2, 2007. My phone was ringing off the hook this morning! I got the offer accepted today on this house in Calumet. I made appointments to go show some million dollar plus properties down in Baraga County on Friday morning. Selling one of those would help heat the house this winter. Real estate buyers seem to be making a push right now before snowfall. The weather wasn't very pleasant tonight, but I did manage to make it out to the woods.

October 1, 2007. Opening day of archery season! Being a Monday, my phone was ringing off the hook, so I took care of everything that I could up until about 2:00. By the way, here is a great property. Nice 6 acre building site down by Jacobsville. This property is on a quiet, brand new paved road and is really nice! Take a look at the property here. Hard to find nice properties like this for less than 20K. Anyhow, I had a great night in the woods, and you can read about it, see pics, and video on "the hunting journal". Have a great day!

September 30, 2007. I covered over 180 miles today checking out properties here in the north country. Here is tiny little buck on my food plot. Here is one of the nice views that I saw today. Here is another shot looking down toward my truck. As I was walking around, I thought I had found a world record deer track, but quickly realized that a Moose had been out and about. Tomorrow is opening day of archery season here in Michigan. Weather permitting, tomorrow will kick off the beginning of my hunting journal. I really think you will enjoy it. There will be no emphasis on dead animals, but rather several pics and live videos from the excitement that I witness every fall from my many hunting spots. It is going to be great! Have a great week!

September 29, 2007. Well I got the offer accepted on the 80 acre parcel, now I just have to get the deal on the house together. I went out in the woods today to visit some of my hunting spots and everything is looking great. We have been getting plenty of rain, and the woods are pretty wet in some spots. Here is a nice fall color picture from the property that Darrell and Kathy (I know you are reading this) just struck a deal on. My wife and I went to a nice chili dinner at our friends today, and now it is time to relax. Have a great day!

September 28, 2007. What a productive day! I wrote an offer on this property, this property, and this house today! One offer has already been accepted, one has been verbally accepted, and the other has been counter-offered. Real estate transactions are not an easy process. It is hard enough finding the right property for the right buyer, but negotiating the details so both sides are happy is an equally demanding task. With some of the extreme emotions involved with buyers and sellers, I definitely realize the value of having an agent mediate the deal. This weekend I'm going to list some large acreage south of here. Have a great weekend!

September 27, 2007. Today I went down to Bootjack to show this property. This 20 acre parcel is beautiful, and was especially appealing with the colors and aroma of Autumn setting in. The buyers liked it a lot, and are probably going to make an offer. Another agent in our office has a buyer thinking about making an offer as well. It is always funny how a property can have no interest for months, and then once somebody wants it, another buyer wants it at the same time. So I just noticed tonight that I've had my dates here on the journal incorrect by one day. I fixed the problem but I wanted to tell you all that it is YOUR JOB to let me know when I screw up!

September 26, 2007. I scheduled a closing next week for the property on Bumbletown Hill. Tomorrow I get to show some land, and then on Friday I have a 3rd showing on one of my houses. The potential buyers said that they plan to make an offer after our last showing. Tonight I went down to the property to sit in my blind and watch the food plot in hopes of videotaping some deer. It was a beautiful night, but I never saw a deer. Maybe my new hats are bad luck! Oh well, I'll never complain about time spent in the woods. Hopefully I'll sell some land tomorrow!

September 25, 2007. Just another day of trying to move some real estate. I got some vacant land showings scheduled for Thursday. I'm looking forward to getting out in the woods and selling some land. So here is the waterfront home on Lac La Belle that I just listed. What a beautiful place! The beach and view are gorgeous, and the house is stunning. This house is priced right and may be the waterfront buy of the year. I hope to sell this one soon! Anyhow, we're having some friends over tonight to play some Euchre. I'm sure some of you know the game, and some of you haven't heard of it. Very popular Michigan game, if you haven't played it, google it. See ya!

September 24, 2007. I hope everyone was able to survive Monday. I put the house in Lac La Belle on the market, it should be here on the site by tomorrow. I've been working on putting together some new ads for many of my listings. You have to keep trying advertising in new places to figure where the money is best spent. It was unseasonably warm today, and now we are experiencing thundershowers tonight. Tonight was the U.P. Whitetails Banquet which is always a good time. I won a wildlife print and some other nice prizes. Have a great day!

September 23, 2007. It was a beautiful fall day in the north country! After a hard rain a couple of days ago, many of the two tracks still had water in them, but were passable. I got a lot of work done on the property, and then had a great dinner with the in-laws. Here is a pic of Melissa and I standing under a HUGE pondersosa pine out in Lake Tahoe. Have a great week!

September 22, 2007. I worked in the office until 3:00 this afternoon, and then went up to Lac La Belle to put signs up and take pics of the new waterfront home. Wait until you see this house! This may be the nicest waterfront home I have ever listed. It should be up on the website here by Monday sometime. Also, here is the commercial listing in Copper Harbor that I listed just before the honeymoon. If you want to live in Copper Harbor, here is your chance to make a living! We went to a wedding reception tonight for a couple of our friends at Spica (formerly northern lights). It was very nice! I can't wait to go out in the woods tomorrow!

September 21, 2007. Pretty severe weather here in the Keweenaw today. Very heavy rain with thunderstorms throughout the day. I have to man the office tomorrow, and then head up to Lac La Belle to put a new house on the market. I hope that it doesn't rain much more tomorrow. I get a lot of e-mails of jokes and funny videos but I usually don't read them because I'm too busy. However, I did get one recently that is SO funny. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg . It is called the 'evolution of dancing'. Have a great weekend!

September 20, 2007. I'm back!! Lake Tahoe was a beautiful place to celebrate our honeymoon. We had a great time and we're glad to be back. We got into the Keweenaw after midnight last night, and today I got right back to work. I closed on a lot I sold on Donmar Street, and then I listed a beautiful 350K house on Lac La Belle. Around lunchtime, I ran out to the woods to get my trail camera and got pics of a bear, some does, and pics of a nice buck. I can't wait for October 1st. I'm going to start a separate hunting journal, where I'll try to take pics of all the deer and other wildlife I see everytime I go out. I spend a lot of time in the woods in the fall, and usually see some amazing things. If you're not into hunting, feel free to read it anyhow as there will be many great wildlife pics. Anyhow, it is great to be back!

September 12-19 2007.......Honeymooning!

September 11, 2007. After a full day in the office, I'm pleased to say that vacation time is here! If you have any questions about any of my properties, feel free to call State Wide of Houghton at 906-482-6955, and one of my highly capable co-workers will be glad to help. We're off to Lake Tahoe to FINALLY go on our honeymoon! I'm looking forward to not thinking about anything other than my sweet, beautiful wife!

September 10, 2007. What a long day of driving! Earlier today I had to drive down to Ontonagon and back, and then tonight we ended up going to Copper Harbor to take pics of a new listing. All in all, I drove about 200 miles today! Tomorrow you'll get to see the commercial/residential listing in Copper Harbor. I stopped by my Mass City property today and saw what difference some hard rain makes. Everything is growing now. It has been amazing to watch the foodplot go from this to this. Here is the new sign marking the entrance to my property. Tomorrow is the last day of work before we fly out of here. It will be a busy day. Have a great day!

September 9, 2007. Last night's concert at the Houghton County Fairgrounds was a blast! They had an amazing fireworks display! Here is a pic of country music group SheDaisy. They did a great job and were very talented. They made several comments about the cooler temps up here, we were down in the 50's, and they were coming from Nashville. Also, here is the parcel of land that I listed yesterday. This property is absolutely beautiful and affordable! Have a great week!

September 8, 2007. Well, work always comes before play so I didn't get to go down to my property today. It took me longer than I expected to list a new property today, but I got it done. Look at this pic from the new listing! More details should be available tomorrow. It looks like I'll have at least two more listings to secure before we leave on Wednesay. Tonight SheDaisy (country music group) is coming to Houghton County and we'll be there!

September 7, 2007. I spent the majority of the day in the office getting everything in order so we can leave soon for our honeymoon. It sounds like tomorrow I will be going to list some more vacant land north of Hancock with views of the Portage Canal. If you're a buyer, this is the time of year to buy. There is a ton of nice properties for sale this year, and many sellers get a little extra motivated with summer winding down. Speaking of, I just did a major price reduction on a beautiful property just south of Baraga. It rained most of the day, but it sounds like it will be nice tomorrow. I'd like to sneak down to my property if I can find the time. Make the most of the weekend!

September 6, 2007. I drove up to Keweenaw County first thing in the morning for a health department septic evaluation for a property I am selling on Bumbletown Hill. I was slightly unsure of how it would turn out because many parts of Bumbletown are total rock. However, our property turned out to have great soil, and passed with flying colors. The rest of the day turned out to be warm and humid once again, but cooler weather is on the way. Everybody have a great day!

September 5, 2007. I had to open the office this morning, scheduled a closing, and then went down to Tapiola to show a 40 acre parcel. The showing went very well, I hope that they make an offer. On the way back, I took Pike River road south of Chassell and noticed this house. Melissa and I returned later to check it out. It wasn't quite big enough for us, but it sure is a cute place in a nice location. I think it would be make a great up north vacation home. Tonight I went to Eagle River to attend a Keweenaw County board meeting. I always find them to be quite entertaining and informative, but I don't think I could keep my sanity if I were involved in politics.

September 4, 2007. Back to the daily grind for most people today. We experienced severe thunderstorms, hail, and a downpour of rain last night. We can still use the rain even though it is getting late in the year. I was supposed to show this property today, but the buyers had to cancel. I'm actually surprised this listing hasn't sold yet. Anyhow, here is another nice new property that I recently put on the market. I've got plenty of things to get done before leaving for our honeymoon. Have a great day!

September 3, 2007. What a fun day! I went out in the woods this morning to work on a hunting spot, and then after lunch, Melissa and I decided to make one last fishing trip for the year. We caught and released over 20 nice fish. The weather was kind of gray, but the fish sure were biting! At one point, a DNR officer came to the shore and was watching us with binoculars, but he left shortly afterward. Anyhow, here is pic of our biggest fish.

September 2, 2007. So starting now I'm writing the journal in opposite order so the newest entry is at the top. Some of the loyal readers have suggested that this is better. A nice, warm, breezy day in the Keweenaw. As I had hoped, I got out into the woods to check out my food plot and set a couple of treestands. It seems like only yesterday the "food plot" was only an acre of unproductive dirt, and now looks beautiful. See the latest pics here and here. I'm sure you are all doing something fun today! Be sure to enjoy times like this with your family because you never know, I miss my Dad.

September 1, 2007. September is finally here! I had a good showing today on my new 10 acre parcel north of Hancock. I was happy to see my Detroit Tigers get a desperately needed victory today! Anyhow, it was a very nice day, I hope all of the people visiting the area will have a nice vacation. Assuming my phone doesn't start ringing tomorrow morning, I hope to go play around in the woods tomorrow at my property. Have a great holiday weekend!

June 17, 2007. This marks the first entry for my online journal. Hopefully some of you are reading and enjoying this. If you are, contact me here and let me know! As summer is heating up, so are the phones. Property is moving as steadily as last year, but there are a lot more properties on the market. If you are a seller, you need an agent who is aggressively marketing and representing your property. If you are a buyer, now is a great time as there is such a great selection of wonderful properties. We got some needed rain today, and I put together a deal on a house in Laurium. It seems lately I have been either listing or selling about a property per day. Good night from the Keweenaw!

June 18,2007. Mondays are usually filled with paperwork, and today was no exception. I got the wheels turning on the house I sold in Laurium on Sunday. I also wrote an offer today on a house in Coburntown, hopefully we can get it together. Today I've been making some aerial photos and gathering GPS coordinates for some nice acreage I will be listing down by Ontonagon. Look for this to hit the market later this week. Sounds like the price will be right! It is starting to spit a little rain as I am typing this. I'm looking forward to the arrival of my brother any time now. I'll be entertaining him this week. He is a newly licensed agent in lower Michigan (troll country) and he is going to shadow me this week to help him learn some more details about the business. Good night!

June 19 2007. Very windy day in the Keweenaw. I had a good time showing my brother some of my properties and favorite hunting spots. I bought 80 acres that is being logged right now by some of my best loggers. 13 birdseye maple trees! Very valuable, very beautiful wood. Finding that many on 80 acres is quite rare. We enjoyed some beautiful country today. Days like this remind that I am so lucky to live up here! Nite.

June 20 2007. I received a counter-offer on a house in Coburntown that I think we should be able to get together. I went down to Ontonagon to take a closer look at 30 acres that I'll be putting on the market tomorrow. I went and checked on 80 acres I own down by Victoria. I love the property, but it takes a long time to get to it as it is extremely remote. I saw a deer standing in my beaver pond. I figure she was either cooling off, or getting a break from the deerflies and ticks, or probably a combination of both. As she bounded off, I felt guilty that I had to disturb her from such a nice spot. I didn't get back home until after 9:00 pm, but stilled grilled a few burgers and now I'm heading to bed with a full stomach. G'nite!

June 21 2007. I hope everybody made good use of the longest day of the year! I got my paperwork done by noon today and took my brother fishing as it is his last day up here. We fished up in Keweenaw county (at an undisclosed lake). We were fishing for Pike and landed 12, only a couple were legal size, but we throw them back anyways. The weather was absolutely perfect for fishing today! We bowled a couple of games at Copper Bowl in Ripley tonight. My brother is leaving in the morning, and tomorrow I have to get back to work. G'nite from the best place on earth!

June 22 2007. Friday! I spent the morning putting together the final paperwork for a closing on Tuesday for a townhouse on the portage canal. I finally secured the listing for a great recreational property just outside of Ontonagon today. I'll fill you in on more details when it updates onto the website tomorrow. This listing is one of the rare situations where the seller is asking less money than what I think the property is worth. He is ready to sell! This land is a very, very good buy. MLS#'s 221904, and 221905. Have a fantastic weekend!

June 23 2007. What a beautiful day in the Keweenaw! I'm getting married to a great local finnish girl on August 11, so we've been busy getting everything ready for that. The new property I listed in Ontonagon is worth a look, click here and here. $15,000 for 10 acres of nice property with year round access, power, and phone is a steal! Payments on property like this would be super low, just proving that almost everybody can afford a piece of "God's Country". I hope you all are making the most of this great summer weather! Nite.

June 24 2007. Today was a warm lazy Sunday. I was actually surprised that I didn't end up showing any property today. I did get an e-mail today from a couple who owns a nice home on Lake Superior just west of Houghton. I have an appointment to go see it Tuesday. If you have been looking for a place on the Lake, keep watching because this sounds like a nice one in a great area!

June 25 2007. Good ol' Monday. I got all the paperwork together for tomorrow mornings closing on my listing, a townhouse on the Houghton Canal that sold for $245,000. Another nice sale for State Wide of Houghton. This particular client had previously listed this house with other companies, but no sale. Fortunately, we got the job done in just a couple months. Also remember that tomorrow I may be listing a great house on Lake Superior. We'll see by tomorrow if I can secure the listing. Wish me luck!

June 26 2007. Today sure went by fast. I closed on the townhouse this morning. Happy sellers and buyers make me happy as well! In the afternoon I went and secured the listing for the house on Sunset Place. What a beautiful property on Lake Superior! This may be the buy of the summer. For the same price you would pay for many vacant lots, you can purchase a great home that is only 4 years old! New well, septic, and an absolutely stunning sunset view on Lake Superior, only minutes from Houghton! I'll be entering in the listing in the morning, so look for more details tomorrow. G'nite!

June 27 2007. A beautiful, breezy day in the Keweenaw. Today was filled with random busy work. I was sending out information about some large parcels for one of my buyers. I entered in my new listing on Lake Superior. Official price is $199,000. Details will be available on this site by tomorrow. I'm working on getting a live webcam here on joshsteinland, hopefully that will come together soon!

June 28 2007. Here it is! This is the house on Lake Superior I've been telling you about. This is an absolutely stunning property on the Keweenaw Peninsula's western shore. This house is super clean and almost brand new. This property is only a short drive from Houghton. If you've been browsing lakefront properties, you already know that you can pay this price for a vacant lot. Think about it, 199K for a 2+ acre lot, new well, septic, and a beautiful home with a sunset view. Year round access on a private dead end road in a wilderness setting. See this property HERE.

June 29 2007. Finally Friday! Actually Fridays are not very significant in the life of a Realtor. A good bulk of my showings occur on the weekends so I can work around clients' work schedules. I'll be in the office tomorrow, and will be showing hunting properties on Sunday. I'm pretty excited that I may have a deal working on my 520 acres that is listed at $660,000. It is a fantastic property, and some buyers that I showed it to last summer (who have now became good friends of mine) are getting serious about it. One of the main aspects I love about this job is how many of my clients end up being new friends. Have a great weekend!

June 30 2007. Well this marks the end of my June journal. I thank all of you that are continuously visting the site, the traffic has been wonderful. I had to man the office today, but as soon as I get out of here, my gal and I are going to do some fishing. Next week is one of the busiest real estate weeks of the summer. My calendar is already filling up rapidly. I'm also looking forward to showing some hunting properties tomorrow. I encourage everybody to use the "wish list" and let me know what you are looking for!

July 1, 2007. July is here and off to a good start! Today I showed a few different hunting properties to a really nice couple. I have a few details to work out, but it sounds like they've settled on a great parcel, and I hope to put a deal together within the next couple of days. After that, I had to keep up with my forestry work and go and take some measurements, notes, and photos about a 320 acre parcel that I recently sold and am now writing a forest management plan for. When a CFA (commercial forest act) property is sold, a new updated plan has to be written for the new owner if they decide to keep the property in CFA. It is really nice how my forestry business often ties together with my real estate services. On the way home, I checked out my 80 acre parcel where my loggers have almost completed my thinning. Everything is looking great. I saw a great deal of wildlife today. I love showing vacant land in the U.P. because every trip is an adventure.

July 2, 2007. Monday is here. I think I had 12 phone calls before 11:30 this morning. All good news today, however. My house deal in Coburntown is getting closer to coming together. The 106 acre parcel I showed to the couple yesterday went well, and we wrote an offer tonight that I expect the seller to accept. If you are a buyer, right now is a great time to buy! There are a lot of nice properties for sale, and people are pricing their properties aggressively because of the increased competition. If you are a seller, make sure you have an agent who knows a lot about land, and who is willing to get out and show your acreage, not just fax somebody a plat page. I happen to know a good Realtor. :)

July 3, 2007. 9:00 pm and I just got home from another long day of real estate. I did get an accepted offer this morning on a 106 acre parcel I have listed in Mass City. This afternoon I headed up to Copper Harbor to show some properties to some potential buyers. I have some more info I have to dig up for them, but it is looking good so far. The blueberries and thimbleberries are starting to ripen. Afterward, I had dinner at the Tamarack Inn, owned by my friends Bill and Bonnie Degowski. People are already pooring in to the harbor for the 4th of July. My bride to be and I plan to make the fireworks up there tomorrow night. Nite.

July 4, 2007. Happy independence day! We'll be in Copper Harbor tonight for the fireworks. Our prayers go out to the men and women serving our country.

July 5, 2007. I took a call today on my 80+ acre listing on the Sturgeon River, I've been getting a lot of interest on it. I'm also working on a putting a deal together for my 520 acres in the Huron Mountains, it has been a long process but we might be getting there. Some buyers and I wrote a new purchase agreement on the house in Coburntown, and I expect it will be accepted by the seller. It seemed like summer was never going to get here, and now it is already past the 4th of July. I have to hit the road in the morning to go to a wedding in Minneapolis. I think I'll be paying more attention than usual at this wedding since I have to do the same on August 11. If you haven't e-mailed me your ideal property on the wish list, remember to do so! I know of many properties for sale that aren't even on the MLS!

July 6, 2007. Greetings from Minneapolis! We made the trip out here today for a friend's wedding that is taking place tomorrow. There was a showing on my house on Oikarainen road today, I hope it went well. The wife-to-be and I stopped by my 80 acres on the way out of here this morning. The loggers are almost done, and now they are starting on my wildlife food plot. I'm planting trefoil and oats. This forestry operation has been done with the benefit of wildlife as a high priority, and by the looks of things, I think the critters are appreciating our work. Have a great weekend!

July 7, 2007. Today is lucky 7/7/7! I hope it is lucky for my friend that is getting married today. It is very warm here in Minneapolis and we are getting around for the big ceremony. It should be fun. Have a great day!

July 8, 2007. Home sweet home! We just returned from Minneapolis. It seems like quite a drive when you leave on Friday and return on Sunday. I came home to a couple of property requests off the website and a couple of voicemails so I'm already getting back in the swing of things. I have a feeling that this should be a very productive week in real estate. See you tomorrow!

July 9, 2007. It is a good thing that I have an unlimited minute plan on my cellphone or I would be in trouble. I received over 20 phone calls todays regarding real estate. All kinds of things in the works, deals coming together, new potential listings, etc. I did get an accepted offer today on a house just north of Hancock. After all of the conversations today, I definetely expect to be writing some more offers this week. I went down to see the end results of the timber harvest on the Mass City 80 acre parcel that I recently purchased. I had the loggers remove the stumps from a 1 acre area and prep it so we can plant it as a wildlife food plot. It looks awesome! This should produce some exciting deer activity this fall! See the future food plot here. It will be fun to see how it grows over time right here on the journal. I'm going to collect some of the soil so I can submit it for a soil test this week. This will help determine the things I will do to the soil (fertilize, lime) to make it as productive as possible. It will also help me determine what types of forage to plant. At this point I'm planning on going with trefoil and oats.

July 10, 2007. A very windy day here in the Keweenaw. I have a meeting tomorrow about listing some new building sites in Keweenaw county. I'll keep you posted as things progress. By the way, I get calls from people looking for good investments in real estate. They want to know what is the best deal out there, something with some instant equity. I have that property listed and I can't figure out why it hasn't sold yet. 80 acres of nice recreational property, good access, legal easement, all for $59,000! That is far below the going rate of $1,000 per acre. The days of buying big acreage for these prices are about over. Take a look at this property here. It is a great buy! Melissa and I ran out to our new property tonight to take some soil samples of the food plot. Right now the plot is nothing but dirt, but over the next couple of months it is going to blossom into a productive site, and we'll be able to watch it grow right here on joshsteinland! See a pic of me digging a soil sample here. G'nite!

July 11, 2007. One month from today I'll be a married man! Today was a full real estate day. Had several phone conversations regarding potential deals today. I also got more info on some high end acreage I'll be listing within a couple of days. I received an offer today on my Oikarainen Rd house for sale. We'll be making a counter offer tomorrow. I'm getting an offer tomorrow on my 10 acres on post road. This afternoon I showed an apartment complex in Calumet. My potential buyer is going to have to decide by tomorrow morning whether or not he wants to make an offer because someone else made an offer tonight. Days like today sure go by fast!!!

July 12, 2007. I received an offer on my $499,000 house in Eagle River, but I don't think it is going to come together. However, I think are going to make an offer on my $199,000 house on Sunset Place so we'll see where that goes. We made a counter-offer today on my house on Oikarainen Road, and I received an offer today on my 10 acres on Post Road. This is the kind of action I like! I have to open the office tomorrow morning, and then I hope to spend some time in Copper Harbor this weekend with Melissa and a couple of our friends. I used to spend every weekend in the harbor when I was in college. Now that I have a 'real job' I don't get the free time that I used to have. Nite!

July 13, 2007. It's finally Friday! T'was a busy morning in real estate and now I'm all smiles because I'm off to Copper Harbor! Time to go load up the boat! Have a great weekend!

July 15, 2007. I just got back from a great weekend in Copper Harbor and I am exhausted. It was a lot of fun! We spent time with our friends, saw the sights, played cards and tried to stay out of the rain. Today was sunny and warm so we went fishing and caught a few, but nothing too big. I did manage to get a sunburn, however. I got an accepted offer this weekend on my newest listing, the house on Sunset Place for $199,000. It sounds like we have happy buyers and sellers, and that is what it is all about. I also got a call from a couple who are considering writing an offer on my superior frontage out on Pt. Abbaye. It is going to be a busy week in real estate, and I'm looking forward to getting things going tomorrow morning. Goodnight!

July 16, 2007. So much happened today that I can't even type it all. I ended up writing THREE different purchase agreements today, as well as working on two different counter offers. I have an offer on my Pt. Abbaye waterfront, a house in South Range, and some acreage near Greenland. I'm still working on counter offers for my post road 10 acres and my house on Oikarainen Road. I got my soil analysis back today for my food plot and my soil needs a lot of help. I'm going to make some phone calls tomorrow because I'm going to have to get some equipment to distribute at least two tons of lime (to increase my pH) and 750 lbs of fertilizer. I want to get it done ASAP because they are supposed to plant my seeds this weekend. I have to drive Melissa downstate this weekend for her bridal shower. I'm excited for her but it is really hard having to be gone on the weekends during such a busy time of year. If you ask me, this wedding can't get here soon enough. I think I've figured out that women look forward to weddings, while men just tolerate them. I'm still excited. Nite.

July 17, 2007. I think I have real estate coming out of my ears! No complaints though. One of my offers for the 99 acres near Mass City is accepted. Most of my other offers we are still waiting to here back on. I drove up to Copper Harbor today to show a couple of properties. One of the properies we looked at was a couple of cabins on M-26 between Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor. 3.5 acres with 150' on Lake Superior. I think this might be one of the best buys of the summer. See the listing here. I finally tracked down a farmer today who is going to lime, plant, fertilize, disc, and cultivate my food plot. I have to head to Bruce Crossing in the morning to pick up the lime, fertilizer, and spreader which I'll drop off at his farm. I'm anxious to get this show on the road. Here is a video of the loggers loading up one of the last few loads of wood to haul to the mill. Also, here is a nice pic we took off of brockway mountain last weekend. Nite!

July 18, 2007. This has been the busiest real estate week by far this summer. I drove down to Bruce Crossing to pick up my lime and fertilizer early this morning and got it dropped off to the guy who is going to plant my food plot. We're getting a little rain tonight which should help everything. I got back up to the office and was busy the rest of the day. I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of you today which I enjoyed thoroughly! I had a client place an offer on a house in South Range which was accepted, so she is excited. My Point Abbaye property and post road property are still in the counter offer stage, but it looks like they are going to come together. Anyhow, I think I wrote about six deals this week. I've been scrambling around the house tonight getting ready to hit the road tomorrow. I have to drive Melissa downstate for her bridal shower. I have to make sure all of my loose ends are taken care of before we leave. I'm also gathering my fishing just in case. You must always be prepared for such important things! I probably won't have internet access while I'm down there so the journal may be lacking for a couple of days. If you have any real estate questions don't hesitate to give me a call anyhow. This is Melissa's weekend, I'll just be killing time. Have a great weekend!

July 22, 2007. I'm back! We just returned from lower Michigan for Melissa's bridal shower. I did a lot of fishing. The fish weren't biting too well, but it was still wonderful. My phone was ringing constantly on Thursday and Friday. I wrote an offer on my Hibbeln road acreage, and got the deal on post road accepted. I'm expecting an acceptance on Whiskey Road tomorrow. I have a closing tomorrow morning on a house in Laurium, and then I have to go show "the ultimate north country deer camp" (my 520 acre listing in Skanee). I'm actually starting to feel overwhelmed with all of the real estate deals and wedding details coming at me all at once. I have so much to do this week! My food plot got planted while I was gone this weekend. I'm anxious to go and see the work. I had a not so welcome homecoming tonight when I got back home. I was unloading bags into the house, and apparently, a whole bunch of yellow jackets decided to build a nest under my porch steps. I got stung at least 5 times in the legs, and they followed me into the front porch! I have to wait until dusk tonight and spray the nest with Raid. Ouch!!

July 23, 2007. Monday is here and gone. I closed on a house in Laurium today, and then loaded up the 4 wheelers to go show 520 acres in Skanee. After a long day of traversing the property, the buyer informed me that he really only wants a property that he can buy and re-sell for 3 times what he paid for it. I promised him that when that property comes along....I'll buy it myself. :) Anyhow, I put in a late night here in the office trying to catch up on paperwork and get all of my deals organized. I talked to a couple of potential buyers tonight and I'm anxious to meet both of you! I have plenty of work to do tomorrow, but I'm hoping to sneak out to my property to see how the food plot looks. G'night!

July 24, 2007. A very hot day in the Keweenaw! I attempted to get caught up in the office today, but new things kept coming my way so I didn't get everything done. I am going to look at a cottage on Portage Lake tomorrow, hopefully I can list it. Portage Lake properties don't come up all that often, and they usually sell pretty quickly. Needless to say, I didn't get to go to my property like I had wanted to. I got a new chainsaw from my brother for an early wedding gift, and I'm anxious to start using it to clean up some wood on my property. I also want to use it to make a walking path into a parcel in Baraga I bought earlier this spring. My fiancee thinks I'm crazy for buying so much land, but after hearing from almost every buyer about 'what they could have bought land for 10 years ago', I decided that I don't want to have to lament over lost opportunities. I might as well make that my advice of the day, buy land now while it is still affordable, down the road you'll be glad you did, and it is a solid investment. Stay cool!

July 25, 2007. Greetings! Today was kind of a long day. I'm trying to keep a couple of deals together. I went and did a market analysis for a landowner on Portage Lake. It went pretty well and we agreed on a price, but they are probably still a month away from being prepared to put it on the market. For their sake I hope they can decide soon because summer is zipping by! I have a nice couple trying to decide between my 20 acres on Rice Lake Road, and my 20 acres in Bootjack, as long as they find one that works, I'm sure we'll all be happy. I played volleyball this evening, and the sand/gravel was so hot, that my feet are extremely blistered and they hurt! I hope they heal up fast because I'm not one to sit around. Nite!

July 26 2007. Another hot day, but I accomplished quite a bit. I have to show several properties in Ontonagon on Saturday. Yesterday I listed a parcel in a new recreational development called "Hill's Creek Valley". It is Keweenaw county north of Bumbletown. Newly surveyed, and they are currently paving the road, and burying the phone and power. This is designed to be an upscale living community featuring large building sites (this one is 57 acres), frontage on Hills Creek, and views of Lake Superior. To see this new listing, click here. Then I had some landowners come in that I have been talking with for the past month. They own one of the most fantastic properties that I have ever seen come on the market. Over 80 acres with over 1400 feet of Lake Superior frontage! Nice log cabin, power and phone, and untouched forest. I listed it today so look for the details tomorrow. Nite!

July 27, 2007. Finally Friday! That just means work is just beginning! Take a look at the UNBELIEVABLE property I listed yesterday here. This family has owned this property since 1889! Very special. I had a couple come in out of the blue today and write an offer on my building site at the end of Donmar Street in Houghton. I submitted it to the seller and I'm waiting to see what happens. Tomorrow I have to go to Ontonagon to show several different properties so wish me luck! Have a great weekend!

July 28, 2007. Today was a busy, HOT, day. I met my buyer for the 30 acres on Hibbeln Road for his inspection period, and everything went great. They are an extremely nice couple with two adorable kids. I was watching their little ones wondering if I'll be able to handle such a responsibility someday. We should close on the sale next week. Then I met another couple also from Illinois to visit a couple of 40 acre parcels that were nearby Ontonagon. They definetely liked one of the parcels, I have to get some more information about a well on the property Monday, but things are looking good. They were also a lot of fun. On the way home, I stopped at my property in Mass City to check out the food plot that I haven't been to in three weeks. I knew it had been planted last weekend, but we have had ZERO rainfall, so I wasn't expecting anything yet. To my surprise, some of my oats are already coming up! Now I'm very encouraged that as soon as we get rain, they will really take off. Look at the seedlings here and a close-up here. I got to try out my new chainsaw and it worked great. Tomorrow I'm off to hang some real estate signs on the new listing. Have a great night!

July 29, 2007. The heatwave continues! I felt kind of lazy early this morning but managed to get out this afternoon and put some signs up on two of my new listings. I own a 2.5 acre piece of highway frontage in Baraga County that has a beautiful building site, but it needs a driveway. Anyhow, I decided I would take my new chainsaw and cut a nice walking path back into the property (about 500 feet deep). I don't know if it was the heat or if I'm getting old, but I was about ready to pass out after three hours of working out there. The chain is already dull, and my arms feel awfully heavy tonight. I can't even imagine how the original loggers cut trees with the old crosscut saw. I'm going to sleep good tonight, and I have much to do tomorrow! I hope everyone has a good week! If any of you are dreading going to your job this week, I suggest that you quit and move up here!

July 30, 2007. My phone was relatively quiet today which was actually kind of a blessing. I finally got most of my closings organized and scheduled. I'm trying to get everything relatively squared away because the wedding keeps getting closer. I went and applied for our marriage license today. I get to pick it up on Thursday. I finally mowed the lawn tonight which is pretty sad. We haven't had rain in a long, long time so most lawns are brown. I'm really starting to look forward to the wedding, not only to marry the love of my life, but it will be fun to see all of my friends and family up here at the same time.

July 31, 2007. It seems like we wait forever for summer to get here, and all of the sudden its the last day of July! Another full day in the office, I'm trying to schedule my closings for before the wedding, or after, but not too close to the big day. I have a closing tomorrow morning on a 97K house in Calumet. I got a phone call out of the blue this afternoon and went up to Eagle River to look at a potential listing. We should be signing the paperwork tomorrow. Wait until you see this house! New build on 8 acres with 1100' of river frontage, featuring your very own WATERFALL and wading pools. I've never seen anything like it. I won't expect this one to last long. Nite!

August 1, 2007. The month of the wedding is here! Right now (11:30 pm) we are experiencing a thunderstorm with some rain which we desperately need. I closed on the 97K house in Calumet this morning. I'm going to be listing a great deal on a 40 acre hunting parcel in the morning. I wrote an offer tonight on a 39 acre parcel in Ontonagon. I just found out that one of my wealthy clients wants to pay to fly me out of here this weekend to look at a 1.5 million dollar golf course that he wants to buy. I can't even imagine flying out of here this weekend, but this is too big of a deal to ignore. Melissa thinks I should go, as it might make for a good honeymoon fund. Anyhow, I hope that it keeps on raining!

August 2, 2007. Well we didn't get as much rain as I had hoped for, but something is better than nothing. I listed a great 40 acres parcel for 35K this morning. I went out and took the pics tonight, I'll be entering the listing onto the MLS tomorrow. I also ended up showing some hobby farm type houses today, and in the morning, we are going to place an offer on one of them. I also have to show an 80 acre parcel near Otter Lake tomorrow. I hope to not work very much next week since I have so many people arriving for the festivities. I'm sure you all heard about the bridge in Minneapolis, we were just on that road a couple of weeks ago. What a tragedy, I hope none of your loved ones were involved.

August 3, 2007. Today went by way too fast, but was very productive. I wrote an offer on the house I showed last night outside of Lake Linden, and it sounds as if the seller is accepting the offer. I entered in the nice 40 acre parcel I listed yesterday, I just checked the site and I see it hasn't updated yet, so I'll give you a link to it when it uploads tomorrow. I am listing an 80 acre parcel near Otter Lake, but before I even got a chance to put it online, I showed it today to a buyer I have been working with, and he is going to wisely jump on it. Beautiful property and an exceptional value. If YOU were on my wish list, you might have gotten a chance at it too! Tonight I finally got the time to hook up a seed/fertilizer spreader that I purchased onto my ATV. It will be useful for the food plot, and I'm going to plant grass along the sides of the new road that we constructed into my property. See what this device looks like here. Oh, and I picked up the marriage license today!

August 4, 2007. Today seemed like the "calm before the storm" with all of this wedding business coming at us. It was actually a fun, relaxing day as we had the State Wide company picnic at our broker's house. We had steaks on the grill, all the snacks you can imagine and Melissa actually went tubing out on the Portage. She had never been tubing before, and I was entertained by some of her screams when big waves were coming at her. We had some good games of Euchre, and finally got back home. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to heading down to my property. G'nite!

August 5, 2007. Today I traveled down to my Mass City property to plant some grass along the edges of my road, and in my logging landings. That spreader that I purchased for my ATV worked like a charm. After planting, I drug a wooden pallet over the seed to help cover it a bit. Now I just wish it would rain for pete's sake! They are having forest fires over in Luce County. My food plot is growing, but slowly. I put my "deer cam" out over the food plot. It has an infrared motion sensor, and when a deer walks in front of it, it will record video clips. If I get a good video, I'll post it right here on www.joshsteinland.com! I've already been making a list of all of the work necessities I need to accomplish tomorrow. Melissa and I finished making the wedding programs tonight, and the print shop is going to make the copies for us tomorrow. We expect well over 200 for the wedding so far!

August 6, 2007. The wedding countdown is in full force. I was hoping to not work too much this week as people start to arrive, but I'm starting to wonder as I have so much to do. I have 9 closings pending! I spent the day trying to put a deal together on an 80 acre parcel near Otter Lake. I guess I'll find out in the morning whether or not we have a deal. It was a productive day anyhow as I tied up a lot of loose ends. By the way, see the nice 40 acre parcel that I just listed here. I also wanted to attach a pic of my latest food plot growth here. My oats are growing, but they still need rain. It looks like we may get some soon. They are having an awful time with forest fires in the Eastern U.P. I'll let them have the rain first hopefully. Have a great day!

August 7, 2007. I am officially transitioning into a "not working" mode for the rest of the week. I have company arriving tonight, and tomorrow to get ready for the big day. I got all of my real estate deals in order today. Inevitably I'll have to stop at the office periodically and take care of some random things, but I need to focus on other things the rest of the week. I may even sneak out to do a little fishing in the morning! :)

August 8, 2007. I had a fun day! My friend Gary and I went fishing up in Keweenaw County. We landed about 15 pike, a couple of them were pretty nice, and Gary lost a really big one! We tried on our tuxedos today, and everything fit fine. We've been having a great time and everybody is getting geared up for the big day! Most of the wedding guests will be hitting the road tomorrow. G'nite

August 9, 2007. Today was a busy day. Friends and family are starting to pour in from all over. A couple of friends and I did stop at my property to check my "deer cam". I did get a neat video of a deer that I'll post on here when I get time next week. Anyhow, we're all getting ready for the big day. It seems there is a lot of last second details that you never think of until they present themselves. Melissa seems very calm for some reason. Have a great day!

August 10, 2007. Today was another busy day of getting the house ready for the rehearsal dinner at my house. The rehearsal went pretty well and around 30 people showed up to eat, drink, and be merry. Anyhow it was great to see everybody. There are so many coming for the wedding I feel like I'll never be able to thank them all for coming.

August 11, 2007. I'm getting married!

August 14, 2007. I'm back! The wedding went absolutely great and the reception was a blast! A great time was had by all, and our family finally got to meet each other. We received several great gifts, and everything seemed to go by quickly. I think I understand now why most couples go on their honeymoons directly after the wedding. It has been hard for me to get my focus and motivation back for work this week. As soon as I can get things organized at work, I want to start planning our honeymoon. I have 4 new listings to put together this week, and some showings tomorrow. I listed one today that should sell quick. Want to buy a new home and own your own waterfall? Look for this property tomorrow. I hope you all had a great weekend! I sure did!

August 15, 2007. A very productive day here in the north country. I closed on my 30 acres on Hibbeln Rd, on 99 acres on Simar Wasas Rd, and my Sunset Place house on Lake Superior. Paydays are always a good thing. I also got an accepted offer on my 40 acres on Bellaire Rd. I have listed the house on 1100' of Eagle River frontage with the waterfall. See this spectacular property here. I have a good feeling that this one won't last long. I went out to my food plot tonight and it is growing great! See the latest pics here and here. It is really turning out beautiful. I have pics of many different deer visiting the plot. Check back tomorrow and I'll post them on here as well. Also, I've had many requests for wedding pics, (which we don't have back yet) but a friend of mine e-mailed me a pic. See a wedding pic here. Anyhow, I have a busy day tomorrow. I'm supposed to be listing a house in Laurium, and a house in Eagle River. Have a great day!

August 16, 2007. Another great day! My new house with the waterfall already has two showings scheduled, and my $499,000 house in Eagle River is supposed to be receiving an offer. We're getting real close to putting a deal together on my house on Oikarainen road as well. I went up to Laurium today to meet a really nice lady that I met because of joshsteinland. As soon as her husband signs the papers, we'll have their house on the market. Keep watching because it is a beautiful home that is over 2,000 sq ft with 4 bedrooms, and is in move in condition. As promised, here are pics of deer on the food plot here and here. Pretty neat eh?

August 17, 2007. I can't believe it has almost been a week since the wedding. Time sure flies once you tie the knot! I got a lot of paperwork done this morning for my various closings that are approaching. We finally got a deal together today for another one of my clients that I met here at www.joshsteinland.com! 40 acres on Mountain View road in Ontonagon. I know that Ed and his family are excited and I am glad we made a deal. I didn't get the necessary signatures yet to list the Laurium house that I looked at yesterday, but I did end up listing a great house tonight just south of Calumet. The house should be up and running on the website tomorrow, and you know I'll have the link available right here. A couple of our friends are moving to Houston until next summer, so we're going to spend some time with them tonight. Have a great day!

August 18, 2007. Today was a nice relaxing day. We visited family and played games, and also had friends over, and played more games until midnight! The house I listed yesterday is up and running. The house is clean, turn-key, and is a great deal. It would make a great year round home or vacation home. See the house here. Tomorrow we are going to move one of my deer blinds onto the new property. I'm excited to show Melissa how nice the food plot is looking. It has been getting very cold at night here lately, summer is slowly slipping away. G'nite!

August 19, 2007. We finally had a nice uneventful morning to relax and hang out together. Then in the afternoon we traveled through Baraga, Houghton, and Ontonagon counties to work on my deer hunting spots. We had to move my tower blind from an old hunting spot to the new property. It was quite an undertaking for Melissa and I by ourselves. See the blind here. I also checked my "game camera" and got this neat video of a doe and a fawn on one of my properties in Baraga County. See the video here. Today was a beautiful day to enjoy the Upper Peninsula wilderness. We had a dinner at the Parkview Lodge in Twin Lakes and the food was terrific! Back to work tomorrow. Have a great week!

August 20, 2007. The weeks just keep flying by as fall is approaching. Fall is my favorite time of year, so you'll hear no complaints from me. We finally got an accepted offer on my listing on Oikarainen (another great Finnish name) road. I also received an offer today on my acreage on Bumbletown Hill. We made a counter offer so we're waiting to hear back. I know a few of you were watching that property, and it is not too late to get an offer in if you call me tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning I have a closing on the house in Coburntown. You have to be somewhat of a local to know where Coburntown is. I would like to get in at least one more fishing trip before summer is over. See a pic from one of this year's trips here. Have a good one!

August 21, 2007. We closed on the house in Coburntown this morning and everything went fine. I went back to office and got all the paperwork squared away for another closing tomorrow on 10 acres on Post Road. We also accepted a counter offer on my listing on Bumbletown Hill. On a side note, take a look at a pic here. What a beautiful property eh? This waterfront parcel is within walking distance of Copper Harbor. Asking price is 75K and the sellers are motivated. Contact me for more info.

August 22, 2007. This morning was extremely foggy! I couldn't even see the canal or quincy hill heading into the office. I ended up showing the 80 acre parcel in Otter Lake this morning and wrote a full price offer. I had to stop home and change because I was wet up to my knees after walking the property. We got some rain last night, and the vegetation was still hanging onto it. This afternoon I finally closed on the 10 acres on Post Road. Happy sellers and buyers are a great thing. I don't have a whole lot scheduled for real estate tomorrow, so hopefully I can make more progress on a forest management plan I've been working on. Have a great day!

August 23, 2007. We're getting a little bit of rain, and I hope we get a lot! Mother Nature needs to put a damper on those pesky forest fires. I got the offer accepted today on the Otter Lake 80 acres. I notice that the hummingbirds are trying to fatten up for their migration. The Houghton County fair is this weekend! For all of the years I've lived here, I've never been to the fair! I'm going to have to try and change that this weekend. Let it rain!

August 24, 2007. I worked in the office all morning, keeping all of the necessary paperwork moving to close some more deals. Right now I'm putting together some maps and info for showing some properties tomorrow morning. I've gotten a good number of leads lately, and the hunters are starting to inquire about hunting land. Speaking of hunting, if I get my work done in time tomorrow, I still have two more stands to set for the upcoming archery season on October 1st. We got to see our wedding pics tonight and they look really great! Have a great day!

August 25, 2007. A beautiful Keweenaw Saturday! I couldn't believe it when I hit the road today. You would have thought that we turned the dial ahead one month, as the fall colors are starting to break loose. This seems awfully early, but the trees have been very stressed this summer with a major lack of precipitation. I had to do some chainsaw work today at one of my hunting spots. The mosquitos were very hungry! It appears that a bear ripped the door to my rifle blind off its hinges in case I left any food behind last fall (I didn't), and now a whole mess of bees have made a home in my blind. I'll have to wait until later this fall to deal with the nest. Anyhow, it was a great day to be outdoors. Here is a pic of a coyote that I took from my treestand last October. Have a great weekend!

August 26, 2007. I spent most of the day here at the home office finishing up a forest management plan for 320 acres down by Ewen. See a pic of this beautiful property here. I have a few more management plans that I need to complete soon. Anyhow, we played some tennis tonight and now I'm ready to face the week tomorrow. Have a great week!

August 27, 2007. I hope that everyone survived Monday. A pretty uneventful day up here. It was extremely warm out today, it is hard to believe that September is almost upon us. I did some paperwork in the office, and then spent a good portion of the day trying to figure out how to add something to the website. I'm sure you have noticed the new addition on the home page. We now have a constant view into the State Wide of Houghton office via the office cam. If you click the image, you can view it as a larger size. You'll see us hard at work all day long. My desk is in the bottom right corner. I prefer to be outdoors as much as possible, but I spend plenty of time pushing papers. It appears that I am going to be listing a view new properties this week. You'll get to see them here first!

August 28, 2007. I'm anxiously waiting to review an offer on the Eagle River House. I also recieved an offer today on one of my nice hunting 40's but we are going to be making a counter offer. I picked up my billboard sign today, so now the work begins to get the necessary materials to put it up on the highway. Here it is, what do you think? I had a listing appointment for a 10 acre parcel just a couple of minutes outside of Hancock. I can honestly say it is one of the most beautiful properties I have ever seen. I should have it up and running here on the site by the end of the week. I just have a feeling that some big things are going to happen in real estate before winter.

August 30, 2007. Well as you can see I missed a day on the journal. We had to make a trip to Marquette and it was very nice. If you are ever in Marquette, eat at the Casa Calabria! We got back to the Keweenaw first thing this morning, and I ended up showing a house in Calumet that went very well, and then put up a sign at an absolutely gorgeous house that you can see here. It would be impossible not to be impressed by this home! After that, I had to head up to Copper Harbor to look at some commercial property/business that I am going to be listing shortly. Now I'm home and ready for dinner after putting on a lot of miles today. Take Care!

August 31, 2007. Here we are on the last day of August! Can you believe that September is already here? I'm excited since fall is my favorite time of year! I had a closing this morning on an 80 acre sale. Just like anybody else, I enjoy getting paid once in awhile. I covered quite a few miles again today putting up signs and taking pictures of two new listings. One is 10 acres and one is 40 acres, and as usual, you'll see them here first. Later in the afternoon, I met with a client to discuss forest management for his 40 acre parcel. Ended the night watching the sparkling water of the Portage Canal from the Library Restaurant, where we had dinner with friends. Have a great holiday weekend!