Fred Hookham's (seefred) Blog

This post really captured one of my basic business philosophies. I do not limit the price range that I list, and do not limit the price range where I provide buyer assistance. There are a few kinds of properties that I don't have much experience with, and I may provide you with a name of another...

The Best Doggone Park in Milton, Wisconsin is the Tails and Trails Dog Park. It has every amenity your favorite dog friend could want. There are separate areas for large and small dogs, wooded trails, and a water area to practice retreiving, or just to cool off. Each area is securely fenced, so t...

One of the best things about Milton is the warm and welcoming way that it treats it's senior citizens. I could probably blog all week about the social events, the way the churches each organize things for seniors, and the way the city tries to take care of the senior homeowner's problems. But in ...

Real estate continues to be a tough and stressful  business, and the weather up here in Wisconsin hasn't been very cooperative either. So when we finally got a decent day a week ago, my wife wisely suggested we take a hike. A brisk walk outside always clears my head and sharpens my focus...    Th...

It's been an interesting quiz and an interesting read. I think we could all use some time for a little introspection, and with the animal metaphors, we can maybe get a more clear picture of our nature. With all the pressures that surround the real estate business these days, too many agents are d...

Some homes have problems with mold. There are lots of different kinds of mold, and most grow in damp areas of a home, usually away from light, heat and ventilation. Mold spreads by airborne spores, so it can show up anywhere growing conditions are right for it. Most of us can't tell one mold from...

BUYER: Should I offer just a little more than the assessed valuation? A lot of Buyers think there is some kind of magic ratio between the assessed value and the offer price that will be accepted. I usually try to explain that the assessed value leans heavily on the square footage of the home and ...

I have a great post ready to go about assessed valuation, and a couple of very interesting charts in Excel. I just CANNOT get them into the same post! I have to be missing something obvious - Anyone have an easy way to copy and paste? The charts came over fine into a Word document where I was cre...

If you hail from the Sunbelt, you can skip this post....The only reason to winterize a house is to keep the pipes and fixtures in the house from freezing and breaking during the freezing temperatures of the winter months. It's very important to winterize a vacant home in Wisconsin, especially if ...

A "Walk-Through" as the term is used in Wisconsin, is the opportunity for the Buyer to "Walk-Through" the property shortly before closing. It is not an additional property inspection, but rather a chance for the Buyer to be sure that the property is essentially in the same condition as when the B...