December 28, 2010

Lake Geneva Winterfest 2011 - February 2 - 6

Posted to Debbie Cobian

Make your plans now to be in Lake Geneva the first weekend in February for the National Snow Sculpturing Competition! Each year, more than 30,000 people make their way through the Riviera Park to view these award winning sculptures.  

This year, the fun will begin on Monday & Tuesday, January 31st & February 1st with the building of 9 foot snow blocks in Riviera Park, lakefront. The sculpting teams will arrive on February 2nd and begin carving their amazing art forms. Last Year’s winner,“Egrets”, is pictured here. Come early to watch as each team of three works around the clock to sculpt their block of snow into amazing masterpieces with a variety of hand tools. The sculpting ends Saturday at 11 a.m. and the “People’s Choice Award” is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. followed by a 3 p.m. Awards Ceremony.  

There are several other events and activities planned this weekend as well. Lake Geneva Sports is hosting a walk/run. Distances include 5k and 10k and will start in Library Park (just west of Riviera Park) at 10:15am on Saturday, February 5, 2011. 

You’ll also find helicopter rides, carriage rides and ice fishing along with shopping, food and drink specials. Need a place to stay? Check out the local lodging options here.

Posted by:  Debbie Cobian



December 27, 2010

What are the experts predicting for the real estate market in 2011?

Posted to Debbie Cobian

What are the experts predicting for the real estate market in 2011? Freddie Mac analysts believe these 5 items will be characteristics of 2011:

1. Mortgage rates will remain low. Click here for local interest rates.

2. Prices are at the bottom. Prices are expected to make a gradual rise in the second half of 2011.

3. Housing remains affordable attracting home buyers to buy in 2011.

4. Refinances will lessen. With gradually rising interest rates, the demand for refinancing will decline.

5. Loan delinquency rates will decline.

Read more analysis at realtor.org. 

I’d love to help you with your real estate needs in 2011. Please let me know if you have an interest in buying or selling. Please visit my websites: www.DebbieCobian.com and www.YourLakeGenevaTeam.com

Posted by:  Debbie Cobian



December 20, 2010

Sprecher's Restaurant & Pub is Now Open in Lake Geneva!

Posted to Debbie Cobian

The Houlihan’s restaurant in Lake Geneva quietly closed it’s doors a couple months ago. The restaurant was purchased by Sprecher’s Restaurant & Pub who has made several improvements and reopened on December 15th.

I had stopped in this week and really liked the improved Pub area which has been extensively remodeled and is now serving 14 World-Class, Wisconsin brewed beers and 4 gourmet sodas on tap from the Sprecher brewery.

Their menu has a variety of choices from Sprecher beer cheese soup to hot soft pretzels for starters, flatbreads and burgers for lunch, or German cuisine including Sauerbraten or Schnitzels for dinner. They also have a variety of steaks and ribs, Steep and Brew Coffees and Babcock Hall ice cream.

I tried the hot soft pretzels which were served with gourmet mustards and a cheese sauce, along with the Sprecher chicken sandwich with bacon, gouda, baby greens and Sprecher mustard mayo along with some sweet potato fries. I’ll give my first impression 5 stars!

If you’re looking for some last minute holiday gifts, I highly recommend a gift card! Sprecher’s also has an online gift store and sells their beers and sodas to go!

Prost!
 

P.S. Follow me on Yelp!


Posted by:  Debbie Cobian



December 16, 2010

Preparing to buy a home in Walworth County? Let’s check your credit report & FICO Score

Posted to Debbie Cobian

As the New Year approaches, it’s the perfect time to get your finances in order.  There are some great on-line resources to help you get your Annual Credit Report free of charge!  I checked mine this morning and was able to see a history of all of my credit card and mortgage payments, and make sure none are showing a history of late payments, and check the balances and credit remaining.  In order to get a FICO score, both websites I checked wanted either a one time fee or a credit card to sign up for a monthly report that you could cancel after a trial period.   

Your FICO score (named for Fair, Isaac and Company, the business that develops the most widely used credit scoring formulas), is simply a numeric summary of your credit history compiled by the three major credit bureaus-Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian. The formula looks at such things as your outstanding balances, total available credit, late payments, and the age of your accounts.

FICO scores range from 300 to 850 points.  To qualify for the best loan rates, borrowers generally need scores above 760. Consumers with scores below about 620 will pay significantly higher rates and fees to obtain a loan.

I recommend checking www.annualcreditreport.com every January.  There are links to the three major credit bureaus to contact them to correct any errors you may find. 

After checking your credit report for accuracy, contact a local lending institution to get pre-qualified for a mortgage. The lender can tell you your actual FICO score and let you know the maximum amount of loan you are qualified for, how much money down you’ll need, and what to expect for closing fees and monthly payments.  I’m happy to refer you to a few of my favorite local lenders to help in the pre-qualification process.  

Another fun way to keep track of all of your daily finances is with a App for your smart phone or online resource such as Mint.com or Pageonce. Both are websites that you set up to track your banking, credit card and personal information.  They will send you immediate notification of a large credit card purchase, due dates of your utility or credit card payments and you can check the daily balances of your accounts all at one convenient location.   Pageonce even keeps your Facebook, Netflix and email accounts all in one place.  

Click here for the latest edition of the Keefe Magazine where you can browse our current inventory of homes for sale.  With a pre-approval letter in hand, there are great deals to be found. Give me a call to let me know what properties you’d like to take a look at in the Lake Geneva Area!

Debbie Cobian
Keefe Real Estate

Posted by:  Debbie Cobian



December 08, 2010

Iphone Apps find holiday deals in the Lake Geneva area!

Posted to Debbie Cobian

I have to admit, being the ‘techy’ that I am, the majority of my Christmas shopping was done from the comfort of my living room between Good Friday and Cyber Monday.  After all, I get great rebates for the majority of my purchases through Ebates.com and found some great deals on Amazon and even a Cyber Monday discount at Apple.com which was a pretty rare find.
 
Shop Savvy

However, in the course of my bargain hunting, I found some great new apps for my iPhone that are sure to come in handy.   I’ve been using “Redlaser” for awhile now and there is a new app called “Shopsavvy” that turn your smartphone camera into a barcode scanner.  Just point and click and within a few seconds the app shows you how much the item is selling for at nearby stores.  Shop Savvy even includes product reviews.
 
Coupon Sherpa
 
I then came across the “Coupon Sherpa.” No more clipping coupons!  This app lets you pull up the coupon on your phone and have the cashier scan it at the register.  Going through some of the current coupons, I found Coupons at Petco for discounts off various products, $15.00 off a $75.00 purchase at Office Max, $5.00 off your next purchase at Maurices,  $10.00 off a $50.00 purchase at Sherwin Williams  and 15% off at Kohls.  I always forget my coupons for Kohl’s and that one is going to come in very handy. 
 
Amazon Price Check
 

Another great app is “Amazon Price Check.”  This App is one of the most convenient Apps for price comparison.   You can either scan the barcode, type or speak the title, or take photo of a product to compare its price on Amazon.  Then you can decide if you want to buy the item at the store or order it from Amazon.com and wait a few days for delivery.
 
ShopKick

My newest app is “Shopkick.”  With this fun App, you simply walk in to stores and earn rewards.   You earn extra rewards for scanning the barcode of certain items or for referring your friends.  (Sign up and enter my referral code - hare1001 - and we both get bonus points.)  The points are redeemable for iTunes gift cards, Best Buy and Target gift cards and more.  I was pretty impressed that it is connected with a lot of small businesses in our local as well as Best Buy and Target and no purchase is necessary, you simply need to walk in to the store to earn points.
 

 
If you’re looking for a great last minute gift, check out Restaurant.com.  Did you know you can get a $25.00 gift card for $15.00?   The Lake Geneva restaurants included are:  Kirsch’s, The Grandview at Grand Geneva, The Hunt Club and Sopra Bistro.  
 
I hope these tips help you to find some bargains and wish you a safe holiday season!

Posted by:  Debbie Cobian