Archive for January, 2008

Another day, another real estate search engine

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

real estate search

Transparent Real Estate (one of the blogs I read daily) has a great post about all of the new real estate search engines out there. With so many companies entering the space – it is difficult to figure out where you should start your search – unless of course you are searching for lake property or land -=). This rush to the online real estate search space reminds me of the early days of the web when we had several web portals and search engines to choose from.

If history is any indicator – one or two of these sites will catch on and the rest will end up closing their doors. The odds are stacked up against most new comers – when is the last time you used excite, altavista, or lycos to search the web? Checkout Pat Kitano’s A rash of property search engines for a good overview of this crowded space.

Welcome Crystal Pierz Marine!

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Crystal Pierz Marine

We would like to welcome Crystal Pierz Marine to LakePlace.com! Crystal Pierz is THE premiere boat dealer in the Midwest and we are really excited to be working with them. We will be announcing some special deals for LakePlace.com visitors soon. You may know that Crystal Pierz has several showrooms around the Midwest, making your new or used boat purchase extremely convenient – but did you know they can also help you with all of your dock needs?

If you have an old dock that you have been planning to replace – you will want to give Crystal Pierz a call and find out what they can do for you (be sure to mention LakePlace.com for a great deal!)

Crystal Pierz Marine showrooms are conveniently located in the following areas:

Brainerd, MN – 218-829-1111 – Map

Hermantown, MN – 218-729-5198 – Map

Fargo, ND – 701-282-9000 – Map

Rice Lake, WI – 715-236-2628 – Map

Rogers, MN – 763-416-1301 – Map

Shakopee, MN – 952-233-3434 – Map

St. Cloud, MN – 320-251-5555 – Map

Reading Material

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

We just posted two new articles at LandBin.com. The first covers hunting land and some things to think about, including game management, when considering a land purchase.  The second article covers hobby farms and gives you some insight into everything from angora goats to alpacas. Both are pretty good articles that you might want to take a look at.

Questions, comments, concerns? Give us a call or shoot us an email!

Big News Today!

Monday, January 28th, 2008

landbin logo

We are letting the cat out of the bag – we just launched a new website that exclusively features land for sale throughout all areas of Minnesota & Wisconsin – LandBin.com. We have been quietly working on Land Bin over the past several months and we are very excited to announce its launch today! We think it is a great fit with our current offering – and making it easy for people to locate hunting land and hobby farms makes a lot of sense. Out of the gate, LandBin.com features 55,000+ land, acreage, farms & lots for sale (Minnesota land & Wisconsin land) – making it one of the largest (if not the largest) land websites on the Internet. There are still a few small details to be worked out – but since it has already been picked up by KillerStartups.com – we thought we would go ahead and announce it on our blog.

Despite the downturn in the metro and suburban real estate markets – the Midwest land market (and lake property market for the most part) is still very strong – land values are increasing quickly (double digit increases) as buyers bid up prices. Much like LakePlace.com, LandBin.com is the only website to give serious land buyers the complete market overview. When buyers are able to view virtually every property available on a regional market level – they are equipped with the information necessary to make educated decisions on where and what to buy…LandBin.com is the only website on the Internet to provide this advantage to perspective land buyers. Combine all of this with our exclusive network of the top professionals covering every nook and cranny of Minnesota & Wisconsin – and we believe Land Bin is a very attractive offering.

Our small but agile team is dedicated to creating new markets and changing the way real estate is bought and sold in the Midwest and beyond. The launch of LandBin.com demonstrates our commitment to bring added value to our clients and our network of professionals. We truly understand that our success is based solely on the success and satisfaction of our clients and our network – and we are 100% committed to living up to the highest possible standards and expectations.

Rolling out a second regional website is a major and exciting milestone for us, but we have barely stepped over the starting line. Cameron and I have a big and bold vision for the future and we are committed to making that vision a reality. We are truly passionate about our work and we love what we do. There is great satisfaction in helping buyers, sellers and agents maximize their value through technology – we absolutely love being a part of it.

Cameron and I dove head first into the internet game a decade ago and we have never looked back. Every day has been more challenging, exciting, educational and rewarding than the day before. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs over the years – but we will not rest until our vision is a reality – and LandBin.com is just a baby step towards the “big picture.” Whether you are a buyer, a seller or a real estate professional – we hope you will join with us on this exciting journey – and we thank you so much for your continued support!

Please note – our feedback line is always open and all feedback is very much appreciated! Contact the founders Dave Gooden (612-366-4457 / daveg [at] lakeplace.com) or Cameron Henkel (612-366-4454 / support [at] lakeplace.com) with any questions, comments, concerns or feedback (good or bad!). Thanks!

Press release is here.

Welcome our new sponsors!

Monday, January 21st, 2008

LakePlace.com is proud to welcome two new sponsors to the site – Rave Sports & Kline Volvo of Maplewood.

Rave Sports

Rave Sports is the premier manufacturer of extreme toys for serious fun on the water. They did not jump on the bandwagon – they created it. If you have been thinking about purchasing a water trampoline for your lake place – now is the time to take advantage of off-season prices! But be warned – your neighbors will be jealous when they see that new Rave water bouncer in front of your dock.

Kline Volvo

Kline Volvo is one of the premier auto dealerships in the country with customer service that is second to none. They have been kind enough to offer all LakePlace.com visitors their employee discount. Simply mention code # V-3040 and pay exactly what Kline Volvo employees pay for their new vehicles! You might kick yourself when you find out that you could be driving a Volvo for less money than your current vehicle…seriously, there are some really great deals right now!

We are very proud to have these great companies associated with LakePlace.com – our sponsors play a vital role in making LakePlace.com possible – and we would like to officially thank them and welcome them to the team!

You can take the boy out of the range…

Sunday, January 20th, 2008

But you can’t take the range out of the boy…

lake vermillion

Dreaming of summer days on Lake Vermilion on this Sunday afternoon (while watching football). The current cold spell is giving me a case of cabin fever. Though I sold my cabin on Bass Lake a while back (Im planning to buy a lake lot) – my dad owns a Lake Vermilion property (Fectos Point) – which makes me a lucky guy.

He has a beautiful cabin on a bay full of big northerns and scary-sized muskie – and Im looking forward to hookin’ into them this coming Spring.

Anyway, it always surprises me when I run into people that have not visited Lake Vermilion – if you have not visited the lake – you should this summer – it is a very special and unique place (checkout the Lake Vermilion picture slide show at the DNR site)…and we may be getting a new state park on the “Big V” soon!

Note to parents: If you enjoy watching your kids ski, tube and swim at the lake – do not point out 45+ inch muskies swimming past the dock.

New Prime Property!

Friday, January 18th, 2008

Rice Lake

Wow – Rice lake property with 30+ acres of land, 293 feet of sand bottom lakeshore on a 680 acre lake. Offered by LakePlace.com at $99,900. That’s not a typo – 30+ acres and 293′ of shoreline for $99,900! Another Michigan lake property on LakePlace.com!

New Prime Properties!

Thursday, January 17th, 2008

LakePlace.com listed 5 new Prime Properties today…this batch included our first Michigan lake property! Hurray!

Here is the list of the new properties that hit the pages of LakePlace.com today…

Otter Tail County

Otter Tail County Lakefront Property$59,950 with 2.63 Acres and 203 Feet of Frontage. Great Deal!

Pecatonica River

Pecatonica River Property$49,900 with 1.44 wooded acres and 191 feet of river frontage – again – Great Deal!

Michigan Upper Peninsula

Our first Michigan listing! Michigan UP lake property$134,900 with 1.52 acres and 100 feet of frontage on 500 acre Chaney Lake!

WI lakefront property - big acreage

Large Wisconsin Lakefront Property – 22 Acres and 1,000 feet of shoreline priced at $499,000. Subdivide and develop? Family compound? A very rare opportunity to own a large lakefront parcel on a nice lake at this price.

Phillips Wisconsin

Last but not least – this Phillips Wisconsin lake property$159,900 with 185′ of lakefront and a nice .86 lot to build your dream home!

This concludes the listing bonanza for today, January 17, 2008. LakePlace.com is growing by leaps and bounds – if you are thinking about selling your lakefront, lake view or lake access property soon – be sure to check out our seller information page. Compare our offerings and give us a call if you would like to get listed on the Midwest’s premiere lake property website!

If its not a LakePlace.com Prime Property, is it really for sale?

Resort Reminder v2

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

Just another quick reminder to resort owners and operators throughout the Northland.  If own or operate any of the 2,000+ Minnesota resorts or Wisconsin resorts – time is running out to get in on LakePlace.com’s 2007 advertising rates.  We have special packages and discounts available right now – but resort advertising rates are going up on February 1.

If you have been on the fence – now is the time to send us an email or give us a call.  Thanks very much and we look forward to serving you in 2008!

New Prime Property!

Friday, January 11th, 2008

Chippewa River Home Chippewa River View

Quaint and Cute waterfront home on the Chippewa River! Extensively remodeled with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms – priced to sell quickly at $199,900. Boat into Lake Wissota from your back yard!

Offered by LakePlace.com – if you would like to set up a showing, please contact us. As always, happy lake home hunting!