Eufaula Lakeshore Realty Newsletter

January 1, 2011

Greetings!

Happy New Year! 2011 is here and I hope you have made your New Year's resolution to spend more time relaxing, having fun and spending time with friends and loved ones at Lake Eufaula!

I am excited about this year. I think it will be a good year for real estate - both buying and selling - and I think we will continue to see the market improve.

Eufaula Lakeshore Realty finished 2010 with sales up 197% from 2009 and up 453% from 2008! Obviously, we have strategized well during the down real estate market to sell homes and property! We have a state of the art marketing system that includes many online strategies as well as print tools. We are starting 2011 with nearly 200 listings including many options for lakefront properties, lake view properties, land and lots, commercial opportunities and some great homes for investors and first time home buyers. Now is the time to set your real estate goals for 2011 and let us help you obtain them!

We will be present at the 2011 Boat Shows in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Make plans to come by and say hello and let us help you get started preparing your home for sale and/or finding just the right lake home to purchase.

Give this some thought:

Home Inspection "We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential." ~Ellen Goodman

Happy New Year!

Karen Weldin

Broker/Owner, M.A., CRS, GRI, ABR, e-Pro, AHWD

Eufaula Lakeshore Realty, LLC.

17121 State Highway 9E, Eufaula OK 74432

www.EufaulaLakeshoreRealty.com

Karen@EufaulaLakeshoreRealty.com
918-452-3184 Office

918-605-7405 Mobile

What's Happening in January:

Lake Eufaula area calendar of Events

Jan. 1st - HAPPY NEW YEAR - Eat Black Eyed Peas!

Jan. 17th - Martin Luther King Day - celebrate the dream!

Jan. 21 - 23 - Oklahoma City Home & Garden Show - The Oklahoma City Home & Garden Show is an annual three-day event that allows consumers to experience what's new in home, gardening, remodeling, home decor and more. State Fair Grounds located at 3001 General Pershing Blvd, 800-466-7469

Jan. 27 - 30 - 56th Annual 2011 Oklahoma City Winter Boat Show The Travel and Transportation Building and Cox Pavilion will house the largest and longest running boat show in Oklahoma history, sponsored by The OKC Boat Dealers Association. State Fair Park.

Jan. 28 - 30 - Oklahoma Tackle & Hunting Show - The Oklahoma Tackle & Hunting Show will feature over 300 vendors presenting the latest merchandise and technologies in outdoor sports with special hunting and fishing demonstrations by pro fishermen and hunters. Cox Convention Center, Myriad Gardens, OKC, 918-520-3474.

Jan. 31 - Feb. 6 - Tulsa Boat, Sport and Travel Show - Quick Trip Center at Expo Square, Tulsa. The Marine Retailers Association of America ranks the Tulsa show in the top 10 in the nation for attendance. It is also the largest single and longest running event held in Tulsa, with the exception of the State Fair. 4145 E. 21st Street, Tulsa 25th - Merry Christmas!

Keep up with our local area sports at www.MaxPreps.com

Be sure and shop locally and help support your Lake Eufaula community.

The Final Tally

What remodeling projects will give you the best return on your money?

Thinking about remodeling, but don't know which projects will give you the most bang for your buck? Check out the results of the latest Cost vs. Value report by Remodeling magazine.

One surprising - but fairly easy - change is to replace the garage door, which on average costs $1,291. According to the report, more than 80 percent of the cost is recouped during a resale. Other renovations and remodels worth their price tag include a steel entry door replacement (102.1 percent cost recouped), a minor kitchen remodel (72.8 percent cost recouped) and replacing wooden windows (72.4 percent cost recouped).

For upscale projects, replacing fibercement siding reaps 80 percent of the initial cost, while replacing vinyl windows recoups just more than 70 percent of the initial cost. Big renovations you might think are worth it, but aren't: master suite additions (52.7 percent of cost recouped), an additional bathroom (53 percent cost recouped) and a home office remodel (45.8 percent cost recouped).

The data from the past seven years show a downward trend in the overall cost-to-value ratio, which began with eroding home prices and a rise in construction costs, but is now largely due to a drop in resale values.

So what's the bottom line? The report suggests that in terms of remodeling, it's most profitable to concentrate on the exterior of the home than the interior.

Check www.EufaulaLakeshoreRealty.com weekly to find new articles and tips to help you with all of your real estate transactions.

Baby Love - Making Your Nursery Special

By Stephanie Fine, B.S., Broker-Associate, ABR.

You want your nursery to be as special s the little one that's on the way, but choosing décor for the baby's room can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips to streamline the process.

First, choose your color palette. Experts recommend painting the room in a calming, cool color, such as deep blue, green or purple. And keep in mind that it's cost-effective to choose a color that older kids would like as well, which will cut down on future repainting costs.

Overall, experts suggest matching the décor of the nursery to the rest of your home. If you have a living room and kitchen that feature lots of vibrant greens and blues, consider softer tones in the same color family for the nursery. Try to avoid reds; this is the first color (aside from black and white) that babies can discern and might be too harsh on an infant's eyes. Consider neutral walls - beige, white or taupe - accented with colorful furniture treatments that lend a youthful vibe without being too bold. Think painted doorknobs, dresser legs or even tabletops in primary colors.

Be sure to build in plenty of storage for extra diapers, toys and clothes. Experts

recommend reserving open floor space to give your baby plenty of room to roam.

To add a personal touch, get creative and paint a scene from a favorite nursery rhyme on a blank wall - anything from Jack and Jill to Alice in Wonderland or Cinderella. Not so artistic? Simply frame some illustrations, or the pages of the books themselves, and hang them in groupings on the wall.

Another idea is to consider adding monograms to the room. By looking through design books, you might find a monogram that fits the mood of the nursery (contemporary rather than Victorian, for example) and paint it on the headboard of the crib, a tabletop or the wall to create an overarching motif for the room.

What You Need to Know About the Corps of Engineers.

Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma is a U.S. Corps of Engineers lake. You need to know how this affects you as a Lake Eufaula property owner.

Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma is a U.S. Corps of Engineers lake. If you are investing in property at Lake Eufaula, there are certain regulations and guidelines you need to be aware of.

For example, if you are thinking of purchasing a home or lot that has an existing boat dock, you will need to apply for a boat dock permit after you close on the transaction. Boat dock permits do not transfer. You will need to mail or deliver a copy of your deed and the completed permit application (with the previous owner's permit number) to the Corps of Engineers office. There will be a cost of $30/five years.

If you are purchasing a lakefront home with a boat dock, make sure you know the depth at the boat dock to make sure it will accommodate your boat. The "normal" lake level 8 months out of the year is 582. Be aware of the current lake level when you are searching for property so you can anticipate whether or not the depth of the water will meet your needs.

If you plan to purchase raw land and want to obtain a boat dock later or clear some of the land down to the water, make sure you know the Shoreline Management Plan of that particular area. Some of the 600 miles of shoreline around Lake Eufaula is designated as "Limited Development." These are areas where you may be able to obtain a boat dock permit. Other areas are designateds as "Wildlife Protected" and you will not be able to clear to the water.

Make sure you are working with a REALTOR who knows Lake Eufaula and the rules and guidelines of the Corps of Engineers. Be safe - use a REALTOR from Eufaula Lakeshore Realty .

Say YES! To CRS!

Eufaula Lakeshore Realty REALTORS have earned or are actively working towards earning the Certified Residential Specialist Designation - only 4% of all REALTORS have this honor.

Buying or selling a home can seem like an overwhelming task. But the right REALTOR® can make the process easier - and more profitable.

A Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), with years of experience and success, will help you make smart decisions in a fast-paced, complex and competitive market.

To receive the CRS Designation, REALTORS® must demonstrate outstanding professional achievements - including high-volume sales - and pursue advanced training in areas such as finance, marketing and technology. They must also maintain membership in the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and abide by its Code of Ethics.

Work with a REALTOR® who belongs among the top 4 percent in the nation. Contact a REALTOR at Eufaula Lakeshore Realty today!

About the Team at

Eufaula Lakeshore Realty

We at Eufaula Lakeshore Realty pride ourselves on the service and professionalism we provide to our customers and clients. We stay in front of our profession in our marketing strategies and buyer services. If you are looking to buy or sell a home in the Lake Eufaula area, we hope you will give us a call and let one of us be your REALTOR and/or Home-Staging and Decorating Specialist.