Coldwell Banker’s Newest Agent!!

We are pleased to introduce our newest agent to Coldwell Banker North Shore, Kim Nelson!!

Kim grew up in the Twin Cities, after marrying and seeing the world, settled in Grand Marais 20 years ago. Family and community have always been a high priority wherever she has lived.  So, it was not unusual for her to serve on the GM Playhouse Board, Library Board, and share her artistic talents teaching in her community.  After raising 4 children, she embarked on a career in the resort industry, where Marketing/Business skills from the University of MN served her well as Front Desk Manger, Events Directors, and even Activities Director. Property Management is second nature to her, having over 10 yrs. in the resort industry on the North Shore.  Through these jobs she has learned how to keep on task, juggle priorities, and enjoy whatever she is doing.

Give her a call at (218)370-0237 or send an email to nelson@boreal.org and she will happily help you with you real estate needs.

 

Coldwell Banker North Shore’s Newest Agent!!

We are pleased to introduce our newest agent to Coldwell Banker North Shore, Aimee Luick!!

Aimee has been a Cook County resident for 37 years.  She and her husband, Marlo, raised two children here and both Krista and Korey have settled in the county which allows for quality time with the grandchildren. They both enjoy the outdoors whether its hiking, skiing, golfing, snowshoeing or fishing.  You will often see them at school athletic events cheering on our local students.  Nearly 30 years working in the county auditor’s office gives her useful land records experience and building their own homes and helping children build theirs has added another perspective that will be invaluable in her new career.

Give her a call at (218)370-0239 or send an email to office@cbnorthshore.com and she will happily help you with your real estate needs.

 

You must only to love them, Lessons Learned in Turkey

Check out this new memoir by local author Ann Marie Mershon titled, You must only to love them, Lessons Learned in Turkey. 

It’s part travelogue, part romance and part adventure, though mostly a heartfelt account of the seven years she spent teaching in Istanbul. A perfect summer read for travelers, teachers, and those who love (or might be curious about) Turkey. The reviews have been fantastic – 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon.

It’s available through Amazon—a mere $3.99 for the e-book and $14 for the paperback. Here’s the link: You must only to love them, Lessons Learned in Turkey

Happy reading!

 

VIRGINIA DETRICK PALMER NAMED TO COLDWELL BANKER INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT’S ELITE

Grand Marais, MN  – Virginia Detrick Palmer of Grand Marais, Broker and Owner of Coldwell Banker North Shore, has been named to the company’s 2015 International President’s Elite. Only the top two percent of all sales associates / representatives worldwide in the Coldwell Banker^® system qualified for this distinguished group.

In 1991, Virginia graduated from St. Cloud State University, earning her degree with a Real Estate Management Major and a Real Estate Appraisal Minor.  Later that year she took over the reins of the family business from her father, John Detrick.  Coldwell Banker North Shore just celebrated 15 years of affiliation.

 

Virginia is a proud and active member of the local community. When she is not selling real estate in Cook County, or doing a remodel project with her husband Rich, Virginia is likely spending time with family, friends or her beagles enjoying the many recreational & cultural opportunities afforded by living in the Coolest Town!

 

Coldwell Banker North Shore, located at 101 W. Highway 61 in Grand Marais, can be reached at 218-387-2131. Coldwell Banker North Shore has proudly been serving the north shore since 1973!

Coldwell Banker North Shore’s Newest Agent!!

We are pleased to introduce our newest agent to Coldwell Banker North Shore, Julie Joynes Carlson!!

Born and raised in Grand Marais, Julie has been an active member of the Cook County community her entire life. She grew up working in the family business, Joynes Department Store and Ben Franklin, which she managed until 2014 with her husband Rodney Carlson.
Julie’s lifetime of experience on the North Shore has provided her with an extensive familiarity of the area and the people who live here. Julie is knowledgeable, detail-oriented and invested in the community. In her free time, Julie enjoys spending time with her two sons, Aaron and Nate, volunteering for a number of local organizations, and hosting a morning program on the local radio station, WTIP 90.7.

Fall Slowdown in Real Estate? Not so fast…..

It’s officially fall, bringing with it cooler temperatures, changing colors and a presumed end to the “busy summer real estate season.” Contrary to popular belief, the fall real estate market is plenty busy, with buyers and sellers eager to strike a deal before winter sets in.

Don’t believe us? Check out this article by Deena Weinberg explaining some of the reasons for a strong fall market: Buying a Home in Fall

If you are looking to buy vacant land, it truly is the best time of year to explore your options and be able to get a feel for the lay of the land. When the leaves are down, you can see the potential views and it is easier to visualize where to site your dream home or cabin.

In addition to a busy market, there are plenty of reasons to head up the shore this season: Hiking through the forests with leaves in multitudes of yellows, oranges and reds; Fishing some of Minnesota’s premier lakes as fish become more aggressive and predictable before bedding down for winter; Camping without the heat of summer (and the bugs that come with it!) are just a few. For more ideas for your fall trip up north, check out Visit Cook County’s North Shore Fall Bucket List.

While you’re up, stop in to Coldwell Banker North Shore, and see what’s new on the market! We are happy to help you find your Northwoods Getaway!

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Off-Grid Living on the North Shore

One draw that continually brings people to the north shore is the desire to separate from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Folks make the drive up Highway 61 looking to disconnect and relax with family and friends. The level of disconnection varies from family to family. Some just like to get away to the Great North Woods yet still enjoy the comforts of home, while some want only the bare necessities. Luckily, Cook County provides for all different levels of connectedness with a far-reaching grid that provides reliable power to many areas. In this post, we’ll take a look at some properties that do things a little differently.

There are many reasons people choose to live off grid: self-sufficiency, independence from power companies/cooperatives, economic, environmental, necessity, and the desire to disconnect. There are also many ways to go off-grid: solar, wind, water, geothermal, propane appliances and generators, etc. Many users engage a combination of these methods to generate reliable power to suit their needs.

This property is off the grid on McFarland Lake up the Arrowhead Trail in Hovland. The owners use a combination of solar panels, a year-round generator and propane appliances to power the home. This allows the family to enjoy a fridge, stove, and lights, despite being off the grid on the Arrowhead Trail and a paddle away from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness!

Another great example of full service systems is this property on Greenwood lake. On the inside, you’d hardly even notice the fact this property lies far off the grid. Kitchen appliances are plugged in and working, the television and satellite receiver sit next to the wood stove in the living room, and the home is equipped with power outlets in most rooms.

The owners of properties like these are more concerned with isolation from the outside world, rather than fully disconnecting from it. They use generators stored in sheds with solar panels and battery storage systems to power their northwoods getaways. With the exception of maintenance and an adequate fuel supply, these property owners enjoy their powered homes much like on-grid families would.

On the other hand, take this peninsula property on Two Island Lake. This property, while being much closer to an established grid system and Grand Marais when compared with properties on Greenwood or McFarland Lakes, utilizes only the necessities from their off-grid system. This family has identified the most important needs and equipped a generator power system to provide for them. Kitchen appliances are powered via propane, as are the lights (which can also run on a separate regular electrical system for use with the generator as an alternative), and floor furnace so they can enjoy their cabin all year long.

All of these properties are excellent examples of off-grid options. If you’d like more information about off-grid systems, check out this article from Home Power – it’s a good place to start and includes many other articles detailing the process of implementing alternative power.

Home Power – So You Want to Go Off-Grid

Whether you are looking to bring a full service system and power to your northern retreat, or just enough to let you light and heat your home, there are options available! If you’d like more information on any of these off-grid properties, give us a call! (218) 387-2131 – we are happy to tell you all about these properties as well as other off-grid homes currently on the market!

Seller Photos

Every year our sellers send us great pictures of their property. Here are some of the best from 2015. Enjoy!

Artist Point

Moose caught on Trail Cam north of McFarland Lake

McFarland Sunrise

Superior Ice

Fishing on Kemo

McFarland Sunset

Boreal Owl

Tom Lake

Sailboat on Superior

McFarland Lake

Lake Superior

Freighter on Superior photographed from County 7 Home

Sunset on County 7

Poplar Sunset

Devil Track Sunset

A Christmas Story, by Amy Detrick

My husband loved Christmas. He wouldn’t always show much interest in the yearly Christmas card and letter, the baking, the decorating, or the lists I kept to keep everyone organized and everything fair. But a few days before the actual day, Dean went full force. He would go out shopping, alone, without a list, and without a budget. He would buy presents for our sons, his mother, and for me, disregarding the wrapped gifts already under the tree. It was irritating, but I was always impressed on Christmas Eve with his spot-on ideas. He had a knack for selecting the most wonderful presents, ones we didn’t even know we wanted. The joy on everyone’s faces, especially on his, outweighed any frustration I felt with his buying habits. As wonderful as his gift giving was, he was equally elusive of giving ideas of what we should get for him. Who hasn’t been frustrated with the statement, “Oh, I don’t need anything” when you want so desperately to get just the right gift? Well, Christmas 2008, I thought I had finally gotten it right. We enjoyed watching the TV show “Top Chef” together and that year they came out with their first “Top Chef Cookbook”. My husband loved to cook and I thought – finally, the perfect gift! I hunted all over for that darn book, but they were sold out everywhere I looked. I settled for something similar and hoped for the best. Christmas Eve came and we opened our gifts. Although he liked the cookbook, I could tell I missed the mark again. When my turn came, he was grinning like a fool. I unwrapped the cookbook I had searched and searched for. He had outdone me again. Actually, I think that was my gift to him – the joy of beating me to the punch. I flipped through the book, rolled my eyes and smiled and shook my head at being bested yet again. I thanked him with resignation in my voice. That was the last Christmas we had with him. He passed away the following September. The first Christmas without him was tough, but we got through it. In the quiet of the days that followed, I having a bit of a rough time, missing him terribly. I pulled out that cookbook for the first time all year and found something I had overlooked the first time I flipped through the book. He had written in the front cover – “To Amy, Merry Christmas, I love you! Dean”. He had given the perfect, thoughtful gift once again.

Moving North

14 Months ago I moved north to Grand Marais from Eau Claire, WI. Before that, I had spent four years in Milwaukee – Quite the change…

Boss/Aunt Virginia asked me to jot down some thoughts on the transition to a small town in Northeastern Minnesota, and here they are:

The Good

Whirlwind Summer: Between keeping up with the increased business brought on by all the wonderful people visiting Grand Marais and finding time to enjoy the fantastic weather, summer on the North Shore is a whirlwind. There are festivals with great art and lively music. There are fish to catch, trails to hike, and blueberries to pick. There is more, lots more, and you’ll have to spend an entire Summer up here to fit it all in!

The Food: Not much more to say here, the food rocks. Whether you’re in the mood for tacos, pizza, fish, burgers, or breakfast all day, your culinary needs will be met in Grand Marais.

The Big Lake: I still gape in awe of Superior every time I drive down the Gunflint  or watch its angry waves crash over the breakwaters during those gloomy November gales. Pack a lunch and a book, find a spot in the harbor and enjoy the majesty of big lake they call Gitche Gumee.

The Wildlife: Every time you venture up the trail, you never know what you might spot. In my first year up here I was fortunate enough to see a number of creatures you won’t find roaming city streets: Wolves, foxes, owls, hawks, eagles, snapping turtles, beavers, snakes, loons, deer and moose all made an appearance. That’s not even counting the some of the best fishing in the country. AND, if you’re into dogs, I think I saw just about every breed known to man make its way through Grand Marais at some point or another.

The Not-so-Good

Mosquitoes: Duh! I knew they were thick in the Northwoods, but the swarming clouds of the unofficial State Bird were astounding. Bring your bug spray and buy a net, they’re hungry.

Closed-for-Winter: While winter on the North Shore isn’t all bad – there’s ice-fishing, winter sports, and always something to commiserate about with strangers at the post office – it can be a bummer when your favorite restaurants are closed. On the other hand, the mandatory break from the local food joints makes it all the more exciting when they open their doors come spring.

Winter Blues: It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s winter. The roads are slick and the days are short. BUT, a nice pair of boots and a snowsuit will keep you warm enough to enjoy some of it. Of course, you could just stoke the fire and crack a good book. Yes, the winters are tough, but they’re a price I’d pay gladly to enjoy this place when everything thaws out.

The Unexpected

Community: I knew it was a small town, but it was unexpected how connected everything in Grand Marais, and even Cook County, appears to be. For me, getting involved in the community meant volunteering at WTIP North Shore Community Radio. For others, there are many different ways of getting involved;  the clubs, the classes, the festivals, the high school sports and adult leagues, the boards and committees, it seems like everyone you meet is entrenched in the community in some way or another.

The Hub: Everything you need to know about the tip of the arrowhead can be found from two websites: Boreal.org and WTIP.org. Everything from community news to classified ads to music venues, all can be found in these two places, and that’s pretty cool.

On The Whole

The move to the North Shore has been an positive experience. I’m not sure how long this move will last, but one thing is for sure: I’m glad I made it. The North Shore has so much to offer. Whether it’s two weeks, two years or a permanent move, it’s something everyone should experience. The people are welcoming, the food is delicious, and the woods, trails and lakes are always waiting.

 

Joey Detrick