Looking for something to do in and around Green County in the upcoming week or so? Here is a sampling of events going on in the area:~ Classic? Vodka? Dirty? Chocotini? Appletini? Here is another plug for the Young Professionals of Green County and their first gathering for the New Year. They are sponsoring a Martini Tasting on January 22 starting at 5 pm. Come meet at Flanagan's Shenanigans on the south side of Monroe's Downtown Square. Luis and I will be there, so be sure to say hi if you come.~ Unleash your inner thespian! Monroe Theatre Guild is holding auditions for their next production this week. They are looking for 5 men and 5 women to star in Godspell in early April. Auditions will be held at the MTG Stage Building on Thursday, January 22 from 6 until 8 pm and on Saturday Janu... 01/21/2009

Are you pre-approved?  Have you been pre-qualified?  These are questions your realtor may ask you when you start the process of looking for a home.  Many people use the two terms interchangeably, but they do not mean the same thing at all. A letter of pre-qualification indicates that a buyer has spoken with a mortgage lender. It means that the buyer has given the mortgage lender information about income, monthly debts, and assets. The lender runs an electronic credit report. Then, based upon credit score and the information the buyer gave the lender, the lender estimates the amount of the mortgage loan the buyer can afford. A letter of pre-qualification is basic and is completely unverified other than the credit score. The buyer is not required to submit documentation of income or asset... 01/20/2009

If cross country skiing is your winter sport of choice, there are some great local trails available for your use. Right in Monroe, head to Twining Park. There are 1.1 miles of trails here, nothing too difficult. If you are trying cross country skiing for the first time, consider starting here. Limited quantities of rentals are available in the Twining Park Warming House on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 7 pm and Fridays from 4 until 7 as long as the wind chill is above zero. The rental cost is $5. If you have outgrown or unused equipment, consider donating it to the City of Monroe for the rental program. Forest Prairie Park is just north east of Monroe on Hwy 59 heading towards Albany. Head out towards the Green County Airport, then take the first right on Forest Prairie Rd. There are ... 01/19/2009

Re/Max Towne Square Realty has moved! We are now on the west side of Monroe's Downtown Square at 1007 16th Ave.  The building has been redone inside and looks great.  Here is a preview, but feel free to stop in to take a peek.  Just tell Deanna at the front that Brenda told you to pop in for a look.  Office hours remain the same:Monday through Friday from 9 am until 5 pm, and Saturdays from 9 am until noon.  Either Luis or I are usually in the office, so stop in anytime! 01/16/2009

Don't let the cold winter weather force you to hibernate! Get out and enjoy the many options for entertainment and education available in the next week.  There are some great events going on in Monroe and Green County. ~ Styles ala Carte takes place again tomorrow, Thursday, January 15. Enjoy lunch and a fashion show at Turner Hall in Monroe from 12 until 1:30. ~ This weekend in New Glarus is the annual Winter Fest Veterans Reunion. The early bird gathering is on Thursday evening, and events take place throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday. ~ Feel like karaoke? You can warble away on Thursday starting at 8 pm at Donna's Place in Monticello or Friday starting at 8:30 at the Nest Tavern in Belleville. ~ If you would rather watch others doing the singing - or dancing or acting - then come... 01/14/2009

It happened again today.  My buyer and I pulled up to a home in the country.  The setting was wonderful - mature trees dotted the spacious yard.  Such a peaceful spot.  The snow stretched out in front of us, unblemished by anything more than the tracks of a few animals. Wait a minute.  That unblemished snow covered the driveway and front walk.  We had 40 inches of snow in December, more in January.  There was a thaw in between there, but there was still close to three feet of snow stretching out for about hundred yards between us and the house.  Thankfully, we had an ice storm in there too, so there was enough of a crust of ice on the snow to allow us to balance on top of most of it, wading through only about six inches of powder. If buyer cannot get to a house, they cannot buy the hous... 01/13/2009

The Re/Max Towne Square Realty of Monroe has moved. We are now located on the west side of Monroe's historic square in the blue and white building at 1007 16th Ave. In the picture above there is a red pick-up parked in front of the new office. Please free free to stop by and take a look. Our hours are Monday thru Friday 9-5pm Saturday 9-Noon, and anytime buy appointment. If you have any clients that are interested in Monroe or Green county Wisconsin, I have alot of helpful information on my website. www.greencountyhomeguide.com 01/07/2009

Future Forward! is a group dedicated to improving the quality of life in Green County to help attract and retain young professionals to our area. If you are curious about their mission or would like to help in any way, consider coming to the next meeting. Future Forward! will be meeting on Thursday, January 8 from 5:30 until 7:30 pm at Minhas Brewery. There will be a social time from 5 until 5:30 that will include a sampling of Minhas products and a light supper. The meeting will include a workshop to list Green County's many assets for young professionals. They will also be brainstorming the gaps, things the area lacks that could help us better attract and retain local talent. First hand prospective is really appreciated, so any young professionals in the area are welcome to come and h... 01/07/2009

  It seems to happen every year: A seller has a vacant home and does not get there to check on things regularly because of being busy or being out of the area. The homeowner assumes everything is fine because the furnace was running and the heat was set at 55 degrees. A family goes out of town for vacation.  They are only going to be gone a week, a few short days.  They turn the furnace down a little and merrily head out for their getaway without a care in the world. Until the unthinkable happens. A power outage takes out the electronic pilot. Something trips a circuit breaker. A weird fluke interrupts the normal flow of things and the furnace stops functioning. Even if the homeowner or a neighbor is checking in regularly, a home can sit in the bitter cold for days without anyone knowin... 01/06/2009

Start the New Year with a clean slate and a clean living space and help others at the same time. Many people use the start of the New Year to clean out not only their lives, but their homes. If you are decluttering, please consider rehoming the items that are in usable condition instead of setting them on the curb.If you like to give directly to people, post the item on the Green County Freecycle email list. Freecycle is a national organization that facilitates bringing together of people who have things they no longer need and people who could use the items. You send an email describing the item you are hoping to give away, where you are located (city is fine, no address necessary yet), and how people can contact you. Please be honest about condition. Freecycle is a great way to have t... 12/31/2008

What make a small town? As with so many things, size is in the eye of the beholder.  I often refer to our community, Monroe, WI, as a city, but then a couple of days later, I will call it a town.  It really is both, depending on your point of view. I grew up in the country, first on a dairy farm and then in a home that could not see a single neighbor.  The nearby towns that I call my hometowns are each home to about 2000 people.  Those to me are small towns.  The closest city was Madison, WI.  Back then, the population was about 200,000 people, so Madison was the "Big City" to me.  My husband was born in Philadelphia, PA and lived in Caracas, Venezuela before his family moved to Madison during his elementary school years.  From his point of view, Madison barely qualified as a city, and ... 12/22/2008

It feels like I am skipping head in the holiday scheme of things, but I just realized that it is already December 20. If you have not made your plans yet for New Year's Eve, there are a few events going on in the area. Tofflers New Year's Eve with Joel Pingitore and the Play Ground of Sound:  Toffler's in New Glarus often features live music, and New Year's Eve is no exception. Their blue moon blacklight party will have live blues inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn, and there will be free party favors and champagne at midnight. 200 5th Ave., New Glarus. Starts at 9 pm, no cover charge. New Years Eve Party at the New Glarus Hotel:  Ring in the New Year with dinner and entertainment at New Glarus Hotel. They will have a special Dinner Menu that includes Swiss items, Steak dinn... 12/20/2008

The increase in foreclosures nationwide has led to an increase in people purchasing homes through sheriff's sale. Purchasing a home through sheriff's sale seems like an easy process - show up with proper financing in order, bid, win - but there are some hidden pitfalls to be wary of. It would seem like any home purchased through a sheriff's sale would have a title free from liens and encumbrances.  This is not necessarily true.  Most of the time, yes, the purchaser will obtain a home complete with a clear title.  Most lenders will do a complete title search and name every lien holder in the foreclosure complaint. However, some banks are handing foreclosure work over to asset managers.  These asset managers may not be as complete at they should be, cutting a few corner and failing to do ... 12/16/2008

Many homes that are sitting on the market could use new energy efficient appliances, as a selling feature in a very competitive market. Some don’t have any and would show better with appliances in place. As you may have already realized, certain household items, including appliances, go on sale at certain times of the year. If you have the flexibility to choose when you shop when you purchase certain appliances, do so. However, you also need to do your homework, or you may be taken in by retailers who mark their prices up so they can slash them. Therefore, you should make sure to comparison shop identical models of an appliance in as many stores as possible so you can know the best place to buy an appliance when you need to.  Large appliances. Higher priced appliances, such as ranges a... 12/15/2008

Talk about a reverse in temperatures, we had a 60 degree swing in one day. This morning I carved our Re/Max name on the office window. This was on the inside. Truly in Wisconsin you can have it all, speaking of weather that is, now in regards to real estate we could us a good thaw. We are encouraged that the interest rates are moving downward and that the amount of home on the market in our area have been reduced. So we will celebrate Christmas, ring in the New Year and get ready to have a great 2009 in home sales. Scott Larson Re/Max Towne Square Realty on the web at www.greencountyhomeguide.com     12/15/2008

I live in the land of cows and plows in picturesque Green County Wisconsin. These ladies are truly my neighbors. The road I live on has four active dairy farms on just about a 2 mile stretch. These ladies are both Holsteins (the black & white cows)and Brown Swiss. The Brown Swiss is where we get the chocolate milk from. In my youth we actually rode a very gentel cow named Bossy. I hope we can have a line-up of clients like these cows at are open houses this next year. I guess the key is to serve food, it works for these ladies. Care to share any good marketing ideas that worked for you would be greatly appreciated Scott       12/12/2008

ABR, GRI, CRS... what does it all mean? Some Realtors have the alphabet trailing their names on their business cards.  Those letters represent the additional education.  All Realtors are required to complete continuing education on a regular basis in order to stay current on changes in real estate law.  Some take things one step further and pursue additional education in order to offer better service for their clients.  They are called designations, and the Realtors who earn them proudly display them to the world.The National Association of Realtors offers a variety of different designations.  They may focus on certain type of real estate, helping specific segments of the population and more.  There are many types of designations, but here are some of the more common ones:ABR stands for... 12/10/2008

Thanks for all the comments about the Snow Day. The kids and I finished the day sledding down our driveway well into the evening and playing "king of the hill". This old guy still rules the hill. Many an attempt was made to take me off the top of the snow castle but to no avail. Any of you agents in the sunshine state right after Christmas please send us in the land of the frozen chosen an early spring. The real estate market is looking to be not for the faint of heart if you have any great marketing ideas that have worked for you, send them my way. Thank you, Scott   12/10/2008

Real estate is nothing if not local.  We all know that.  Even things like what makes an acceptable offer is highly regional. Over the years, I have often worked with people either relocating to our area or people purchasing a weekend property here.  Very often these buyers do not understand the local real estate norms.  When working with them, I do my best to help them understand our area, but sometimes they believe that our market is the same as their home market.  Consequently, these buyers have accidentally insulted some sellers.  Around our area, homes tend to sell for fairly close to asking price. In 2008, homes in Green County for 95.75% of asking price on average, and the average selling price over the last five years has been 96.86% of asking price. Going back 10 and 20 years sh... 12/08/2008

The final installment of the series on local, independent shopping options in Downtown Monroe.   If you have guy's guy on your list, swing into Martin's Sporting Goods.  Archery, gun sports, fishing and more are covered in Martin's.  He also has a selection of sports themed collectibles and baseball cards.  Consider a membership to the SCWA  for any archery enthusiasts on your list.  Members can shoot at the range during any off time, and they save on the regular range fees as well. Bibliophiles will appreciate books or gift certificates from Old Friends on the Square (north side) or Fireside Books.  Fireside changed location this year, and they are now just slightly further off the square on 15th Ave, around the corner from Dr Patterson's orthodontist office. If you do not catch the bo... 12/06/2008