So it has been about 2 months since we officially launched LandBin.com. For those of you who are not familiar with it - LandBin.com features the internets largest database of Minnesota land for sale and Wisconsin land for sale. Currently the site is displaying 49,000+ land, acreage, lots and farms for sale - with 246 new listings today!
Since the launch - over 100,000 people have visited LandBin.com and they have viewed 788,000+ pages. The record day so far is 6,367 visitors and 15,326 page views. So far, this month (as of 04/23/08) LandBin.com has had 58,017 visitors and 245,316 page views.
While the site is currently #1 on Y! for a couple of key phrases like mn land for sale & wi land for sale - we have not been seeing great results in The Big G…that is…until yesterday. Cameron and I were pleasantly surprised when we caught a glimpse of what could be the future. LandBin.com was ranked very highly on the Big G yesterday for some very competitive keywords and phrases. Although these rankings have disappeared for the time-being - we think we somehow ended up connecting to an updated G server and we are hoping (and keeping our fingers crossed) that those results are currently propagating through the massive system. Time will tell. If the results we found yesterday do happen to stick - it will be one of our greatest accomplishments since getting into the internet marketing business 10 years ago. It took years and years to get LakePlace.com to its current position - and if we cut out 4 years of heavy lifting with LandBin.com - we will be very pleased.
Land prices are going crazy right now - the demand is super high. The big players in the online land market (currently) are LandsofAmerica.com, LandandFarm.com & LandWatch.com - they are all great websites..but down the road, LandBin.com will display more land listings than all of these websites combined - which we believe will drive traffic and offer buyers and sellers the same advantage LakePlace.com currently offers.
If you plan to buy or sell land in the near future - we hope you will consider LandBin.com. Have a great day!
As most of you know, we launched another website this week featuring land for sale throughout all areas of Minnesota & Wisconsin - LandBin.com features 55,000+ listings. We have been adding some in depth articles for those of you interested in investing in land. We just posted another great article discussing farmland - which features a lot of information for those of you interested in the topic. Please take a look. If you have some other topics you would like our team to research and post - on either Land Bin or Lake Place - please let us know. Have a great weekend!
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!
Waters of Vermilion is a lakefront development on Lake Vermilion (I think it is about 45 lots). I just read this letter to the editor from one of the owners. It sounds like some of the residents in the area are not very happy with the owners asking for some additional dock space.
The development has been rather slow to sell - even during the super-boom times that the Lake Vermilion property market has experienced over the past years - and it sounds like the Waters of Vermilion owners are asking for some additional dock space in an attempt to create a more attractive offering.
My dad has a place on the “Big V,” I have a lot of friends with cabins on the lake, and I know quite a few owners of Lake Vermilion resorts (more than you will find on LakePlace.com) - so I hear things from time to time. From what I have heard, it sounds like a lot of Vermilion property owners - especially those with imported sand beaches, grandfathered-in boathouses and saunas, and well-over-built lots are the ones with the loudest voices. Waters of Vermilion is an eco-friendly, environmentally responsible attempt at lakeshore development - I personally do not understand why anyone would complain about a few more docks.
You can visit their website here - but there is not a lot of information.
I posted about this a week or so ago - but I want to make sure I got my point accross. We recently launched a new feature - the Lake Finder. We often get questions about specific lakes…how big is the lake, etc…If you have a question about any lake in Minnesota or Wisconsin - be sure to visit our new lake finder tool. You can search Minnesota lakes and Wisconsin lakes by lake name or county. You will find an interactive map & satellite images with some really cool technology. Click and drag the red marker to find the geo codes (GPS coordinates) for any spot on the lake. It is pretty exciting stuff and we hope you will get some use out of it. If you know something about a certain lake - or you have a fishing report or fun/interesting story - be sure to leave a comment on the lake page!
We are happy to announce that we have launched two new features at LakePlace.com. While neither are at 100%, we feel they are solid enough to launch and should help our visitors gather some important information.
First, we launched the all new LakePlace.com Lakeshore Values section. In the Lakeshore Values section you can enter a city, lake, county or zip code and we will return the median and average prices for lake property in that area (along with the most expensive and least expensive listing price). We have some more work to do in this area and we plan to provide our visitors with the absolute best research tool available to any serious lake property buyer. For now, simply click on Lakeshore Values, choose a state, and start your research.
Second, we finally launched the LakePlace.com Lake Finder tool with information, maps, and satellite images of more than 23,000 MN & WI lakes! Again, simply click on the Lake Finder link, choose a state (for now, Minnesota lakes & Wisconsin lakes) and search by lake or county.
We have included a comment widget on each lake page which allows you to add your own information about any particular lake. Do you have a fishing report, a funny story or some hard data about a specific lake in Minnesota and/or Wisconsin? If you do, we (and everyone else who uses LakePlace.com) would appreciate it if you would help us build the best lake dataset on the internet! There is no limit to how often or how much you post.
Wisconsin DNR receives permission to declare existing docks “illegalâ€
On July 6, 2006, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared that the WI DNR could apply new standards retroactively to existing piers.
What does this mean? It means that if you have are a Wisconsin lakeshore owner, and your dock is:
1. Greater than 6 feet wide -or-
2. Extends into water deeper than 3 feet (or beyond the depth necessary to moor your boat) -or-
3. Has more than two slips for the first 50 feet of frontage and an additional slip for each additional 50 feet of frontage
You could be required to modify or remove sections of your existing pier. Thousands of docks throughout Wisconsin that have not received a permit could be deemed “illegal†and be required to be modified or removed.
This action could have a huge impact on lakeshore property values.
For more info:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/fhp/waterway/piers.shtml
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/fhp/waterway/permits/Piers2006.pdf
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is making $280,000 available in grants for restoring native shoreline vegetation across the state.
Grant recipients will be reimbursed for a maximum of 75 percent of the total project costs. Applicants must be able to fund at least 25 percent of the total project costs from non-state sources. Matching funds may be cash, volunteer labor, and in-kind contributions of materials, equipment, and services.
“This is an opportunity for homeowners, local communities and conservation organizations to help enhance native shoreline vegetation and fish habitat in their local lakes, streams and rivers,” said John Hiebert, DNR shoreland habitat coordinator. “A total of 29 projects were funded for $276,000 in 2004-2005.”
Applications for grants, are available on the Minnesota DNR Web site at: www.dnr.state.mn.us or by calling the DNR Information Center at (651) 296-6157 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367).
Completed grant applications are due Sept. 16.
Successful applicants will be notified in January and funds will be made available to successful applicants after July 1, 2006.
The grants are funded from state lottery proceeds deposited in the Heritage Enhancement Account. Grants are administered through the DNR Division of Fisheries and Wildife and designed with guidance from local DNR fisheries managers.
