The real estate market here at Grand Lake in Northeast Oklahoma continues to be positive. Homes not on lakefront remain active as more people move into the area full time. The pricing also is holding fairly strong as well. Even with that being said, it’s not uncommon to see offers on homes which are 10%, 15% or even 20& below the asking price. There is a mistaken perception that prices have fallen here like they have in other parts of the country. It is simply not true. To see for yourself when buying a home here, look at a number of homes to compare asking prices and differences in the property. Then have your agent provide comparative information on homes which have recently sold.  From this you can get a fairly good idea what a home might actually sell for. Be sure to work with an experienced, successful, and reputable real estate agent to help with insight into the market. They usually are the individuals or  a team who advertise everywhere. It is expensive for them to do it and they couldn’t afford it unless they are successful. It’s a good way to make an initial judgement on who would be best for you to work with in both buying or selling a home in the area. Much better than just walking into an office and taking your chances.

Lakefront homes are still in high demand at Grand Lake. The number of people looking in the upper price ranges has slowed a little due to the current uncertainty of the economy, but it is still good and is getting more active as the weather warms. People are starting to think more about the lake. It’s a great place for families to be together and get together. On top of that, it is a good investment which has appreciated in value in the past. This is expected to continue in the future. You also get to enjoy your investment and possibly get a tax deduction too! That’s a win, win, win situation. You can see all the homes for sale by clicking on the View Properties button at the top left of this page.

Dave & Debbie Wagenblatt, The Get “Grand” Results Team©, are top producing Realtors® with REMAX Executives at Grand lake, OK. To learn more about the Grand Lake area and community visit their web site www.SurfGrandLake.com. If you have questions email or give us a call.

Next months issue of the Welcome Home Grand Lake Magazine will have an article about us inside. This is

Dave & Debbie Wagenblatt at a recent Grand Lake Area Chamber fucntion

it.

Dave and Debbie Wagenblatt, the “Get Grand Results” Team, with RE/MAX Executives, work, and are very familiar with the entire Grand Lake Area.  Dave & Debbie say, “Many people aren’t familiar with Grand Lake and aren’t sure where they want to be.  We can give them an unbiased opinion of each area of the lake.” 

Not only are they knowledgeable about the lake, they are extremely knowledgeable about selling real estate, and marketing.  Between the two, they have over 35 years of experience in the real estate industry.  Debbie started her real estate career in 1977 after graduating from the University of Oklahoma.  Subsequently, she also spent about 18 years in the mortgage lending industry, loaning on homes, before returning back to real estate sales in 2000.    Debbie says, “That mortgage lending experience is an invaluable asset in assisting us with our real estate sales.”  Clients rave about Debbie’s common sense, honest professional approach, and extensive knowledge about real estate.

Dave on the other hand, had years of experience in marketing.  He was the manager of  market development for a billion dollar corporation and national sales manager for another large company before moving back to Oklahoma. He felt he was too young to retire, and got into real estate sales in 2003, in Tulsa.  The first individual Realtor website at Grand Lake was GetGrandResults.com, created by Stan Irvin, Debbie’s deceased former spouse. It is the Grand-daddy of them all.  Dave took off building numerous other, very popular, predominate websites, including, SurfGrandLake.com, OfficialGrandLake.com, PatriciaIslandEstates.com, to name a few.  Dave, also put systems in place which allow them to do much more than traditional agents. Dave says, “That marketing experience is also an invaluable asset in assisting us with our real estate sales.   I guess that means we just make a “grand” team.”

You must go to one of the above mentioned websites to view their story of the tragedies that came into each of their lives, and the coincidences (or divine intervention is how they look at it) that brought them together.  Of course, you must also go to those websites to see everything Grand Lake has to offer.   Together, they have become top producing Realtors at Grand Lake.  They have consistently received RE/MAX top production awards and are currently ranked 20th through March of this year, for all RE/MAX teams in the state of Oklahoma.

Wow!!!! Absolutely gorgeous home with everything you could want. Open floor plan. Granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances not only in the kitchen inside, but the outdoor kitchen on the huge patio overlooking Horse Creek. Great master suite with granite countertops. Two fireplaces, 3 heating/air systems. Boat slip and swim deck in community dock next to home.

We just listed a home for sale that is a steal. A Grand Lake lakefront home that is outstanding in my eyes because of the view, the home itself and the location. The mailing address is Afton , OK but the home is located on the Horse Creek arm of Grand Lake close to Bernice and Monkey Island. It is part of an area called the Silver Thunderbird Club. This home is completely updated and is built with quaity thoughout it’s approximate 3,700 square feet. There are four bedrooms, four baths, an office, two living areas and more. Would you like an outdoor kitchen? This home has a huge one which is on the covered patio overlooking the lake. Thare are stainless appiances and granite counters.

The area is known for it’s great fishing and it is an excellent area to boat and see wildlife. Eagles nest in the winter here and Pelicans stop on thier annual migration.

For more information about Grand Lake OK Real Estate, please contact Dave and Debbie Wagenblatt at 918.257.8381 or email them directly at davewagenblatt@remax.net.

New Back Cover of the Welcome Home Grand Lake Magazine

We feel the really GOOD real estate agents are always trying to get better at what they do. Part of that equation is marketing and advertising. No one does it better at Grand Lake than the Get “Grand” Results Team with REMAX Executives, Dave & Debbie Wagenblatt. We believe this is an evolving process. Before we get into the many things we have done, we’ll mention the latest which is with the Welcome Home Grand Lake magazine. We have obtained the back cover to help give our sellers better exposure of their homes for sale and of course to continue to show people we work hard at the real estate business and to give us a call. We want buyers and sellers to have a positive professional experience here at Grand Lake, OK and we feel no one does it better. The Welcome Home staff dedicated their best designer to come up with a new and different look. It our opinion they definitely did the job with something we call the “Wow Factor”. The basic lay out is there and we get to change things as needed to best promote real estate here at Grand Lake.  We are thrilled with the result and are looking forward to this being available for people to see.

Chronicle of Grand Lake Real Estate Section Front Cover

There was also a full page article written about The Wagenblatts in the Chronicle of Grand Lake. Look on page B8 of this to read it. The Chronicle is a free weekly Grand lake area paper that all Grand Lakers read, to learn about what is going on. We advertise on the front cover of the real estate section and more inside. The Chronicle of Grand Lake’s people are a particularly good group to work with. Everything is always on a positive note and fun. We all work to get the word out about this fantastic Lake.

We also advertise on the Back Cover of the Real Estate Book which is known through out the entire United States.

These three publications have a circulation totally about 150,000 copies monthly getting the word out to a 4 state area including Oklahoma, Missouri Arkansas and Kansas. We’ll do another article later about our websites which reach the entire U.S and actually the entire world, as well as all the “Firsts” we have done to make finding Grand Lake, Ok Real Estate easy and a better experience.

Dave & Debbie Wagenblatt, The Get “Grand” Results Team©, are top producing Realtors® with REMAX Executives at Grand lake, OK. To learn more about the Grand Lake area and community visit their web site www.SurfGrandLake.com

There is plenty of the “wow” factor around here just because Grand Lake is what it is, where it is, and how it is. We showed lakefront homes to a couple yesterday who are wanting to purchase A Grand Lake waterfront home but are not quite sure what they want. The best description they could provide is that “We want something with a Wow Factor”.  Well, that is not a problem here at Grand Lake. We first showed them a home which is a classic located on a point with almost 1,000 feet of shoreline. It is a Family compound with a beautiful setting. Located only 2.2 miles from the dam there are two homes and a mini marina. The Compound is advertised this way.

Grand Lake Wow Factor Home.

The main home is advertised this way.

Here is a unique opportunity to own a classic Lakefront home. Talk about a million dollar view! This magnificent property has approximately 600′ of shoreline and an absolutely fabulous home with its own private mini marina. What a great family compound or corporate retreat. Spacious open floor plan built with quality in mind and lots’ of room to entertain. There’s a professionally landscaped point with a walking path, sitting areas and two koi ponds. Most bedrooms and living area are on the main level.

Downstairs is a wine cellar, pool or game room, and bunk room. Located only 2.2 miles from the

Pensacola Dam.

We also showed the couple another with a different concept. It is located in a gated community called the Chateau’s on Monkey Island. It is a luxury home  advertised this way.

Grand Lake Chateau on Monkey Island

Special Features…

Designer Touches

Open floor plan with views from all rooms, three fireplaces, 5 Master Suites & 6.5 Baths. Lots of light, lots of views, and lots

of storage.

Spacious dream kitchen. Two sinks, two ovens, and two dishwashers. The list goes on with this

Grand Home.

The ultimate lakefront family room home theater. Add in the patio with built in seating, gazebo, a dock, and you have the perfect lake retreat. This is one of the finest luxury waterfront homes for sale on Grand Lake $895,000

These are just a couple of the Wow Factor Homes for sale a t Grand Lake, OK. Be sure to look through this blog and this web site to learn more about Grand Lake, the area and the luxury homes which can be found here.

Family Boating at Grand Lake. This was off the tip of Monkey Island

It continues to amaze me when I get an email or call from people who want to know if there are any foreclosures here at Grand Lake. There are a few, but typically they are not lakefront homes and they are in pretty poor condition. The national news media has brain washed the country into believing the real estate market is horrible everywhere, so listen to what follows carefully. Real estate markets are localized meaning what is happening in San Diego, CA is not the same as in New York City or Tampa, FL and certainly not Grand Lake in Northeastern Oklahoma.

We have a couple of different markets here that can be somewhat intertwined because of the lake. On one hand there is your typical residential property where homes are located in the towns or cities around Grand Lake and the homes are not waterfront. This market has slowed some, but prices have not fallen like other parts of the country. One primary reason is that we never had the huge price run ups of 20% or 30%  per year like some other areas around the country did. Prices in this market have remained flat to raising  just a little. Then we have the lakefront market where prices continue to go up at a steady pace which can run in the 5% to 15% range depending on a number of factors. Look at some previous articles I have written regarding some of these to help you understand further.

Our real estate business in 2008 was better than 2007 and although nothing is certain, so far it appears 2009 will be better than 2008. In January we closed a million dollars in sales. February was slower, but activity continued to increase. March is off to a good start and we have more clients coming to the area in the future. One constant comment we hear is that “I’m better off with my lake home investment than the stock market and my family and friends get to enjoy it as well”. Lenders have tightened requirements for financing, but there is money available. For instance, second home mortgages now require 20% down. We can put you in touch with several banks and mortgage companies familiar with the area to help you, should you need it.

So if you’re thinking about a lakefront home for either a primary residence, a retirement home, or a second / vacation home… Grand Lake Oklahoma is probably the best area in the country to be and it is still very affordable compared to other parts of the country. The time couldn’t be better! In addition, last year on MSN, Oklahoma was ranked 50th in the total amount of taxes residents pay compared to the other states. Come join the new “Sooner Run” to Grand Lake and enjoy life to it’s fullest.

Dave & Debbie Wagenblatt, The Get “Grand” Results Team©, are top producing Realtors® with REMAX Executives at Grand lake, OK. To learn more about the Grand Lake area and community visit their web site www.SurfGrandLake.com

Welcome Back Week End...Grand Lake Casino Night Saturday, March 7th, 2009

Cherokee Yacht Club on South Grand Lake will host Casino Night 2009 during Grand Lake Welcome Back Weekend, Saturday, March 7th at 7 p.m. For those of you who enjoy ,        “The rest of the story”

 Here is the history on the origin of Welcome Back Weekend. This event was started in March of 1992, by Terry Frost, Owner of Cherokee Yacht Club. The weekend originally started with a poker run on Saturday and the showing of the hands on Sunday. Grand Lakers’ Terry Frost and the late Barbara Connor came up with the idea of incorporating a Chamber sponsored “Casino Night”, which became an instant success.The idea behind Welcome Back Weekend is to get you back on the lake so you can enjoy Grand Lake more of the year.  The event is not just a party anymore; it has come to signify the beginning of boating season on Grand Lake . The professionals will bring in Vegas style Black Jack, Craps and Roulette as well as entertainment provided by Left On Harvard, a Grand Lake Favorite!  We will have a silent auction, and a live auction conducted by JB Robison Auctions, beginning at 9 p.m. For all of you who participate in the poker run during the day, admission to the event gets you one wild card to add to your other five cards.  You have to come to the event to receive the card, so make sure you don’t miss this opportunity to complete your winning hand at Casino Night 2009. We will have Vegas Style Show Girls, games, live music, wild cards, live and silent auction and a GREAT TIME.  Write down the date, March 7th, Cherokee Yacht Club at 7 p.m.  Plan on a weekend full of Grand Lake fun!!  Please call 782-3214 for more information.

Friday March 6 Grand Lake Live  radio broadcast on FM 96.1 will be presented from “Hookers” from 5pm to 7 pm. Dave and Debbie Wagenblatt will be on the show breifly to talk about the Grand Lake real estate market. There is always a fun group there so come join the fun. Then Saturday is the big day with the POKER RUN with some great prizes up for grabs. You’ll get chips at each of the stops to turn in for your cards at the Casino Night event. Come join us and Welcome Back!

Dave & Debbie Wagenblatt, The Get “Grand” Results Team©, are top producing Realtors® with REMAX Executives at Grand lake, OK. To learn more about the Grand Lake area and community visit their web site www.SurfGrandLake.com

We keep telling people that the lakefront home real estate market at Grand Lake, OK is still very good. We have had good sustained growth for a number of years and expect that to continue. We just never had the crazy things happen that other parts of the country had with 20%, 30% or even 40% annual growth. That was a balloon that had to pop, in those areas,  and it did.  Since we didn’t see that dramatic increase, we have not experienced a fall in market pricing.

REMAX OKLAHOMA RANKINGS FEBRUARY 2009

Debbie and I live and work at Grand Lake in Oklahoma as Realtors with REMAX Executives. Our Owner/Broker’s office is actually in Tulsa, however we do all of our real estate business here at Grand Lake, and have for many years. Most people don’t realize that REMAX offices are independently owned and operated franchises, so sometimes people may look for us at the office in Grove. They will not find us there, and need to call us directly at 918-257-8381, where we office. The reason I mention this is because we just received some information we wanted to share.  It makes us feel good that all the hard work we do in taking care of people and business is working. The REMAX Sales Rankings YTD were sent and Debbie and I were ranked 7th in the entire state of Oklahoma and first in our Tulsa Office which ranked 2nd. As I mentioned, this was all done at Grand Lake.

Grand Lake, in our opinion is the best place in the world to live. We invite you to look at all the articles about the areas and fun things to do and see as well as the events, wildlife and more. Be sure to look throught the web sites too such as www.GetGrandResults.com, www.SurfGrandLake.com or www.OfficialGrandLake.com. Come see us at the lake but be careful. You might just want to stay.

Grand Lake in Winter 2-2-2009

Yes, there is no doubt that a lakefront home at Grand Lake in Oklahoma is a high demand item even when the rest of the country goes on and on about how terrible the real estate market is. We just have not seen a decline in lakefront home values. There are not enough good choices out there. Some are too aggressive in the asking price for what a property might be, so be sure to work with an experienced Realtor when searching for your perfect lake property. A good Realtor will explain the market to you and even better, show different types of properties in order to give you a feel for the market. They want you to be able to make an informed decision. Grand Lake waterfront homes are a good investment.

Are you interested in a lake home? Grand Lake is one of the best areas in the country for this. You can actually own up to the water’s edge and own your own privite dock. Take a look around this blog and at web sites we have telling and showing information about all the things there are to offer here.

Dave & Debbie Wagenblatt, The Get “Grand” Results Team©, are top producing Realtors® with REMAX Executives at Grand lake, OK. To learn more about the Grand Lake area and community visit their web site www.SurfGrandLake.com

    When it comes to your biggest investment … Don’t Let Your Money Fly Away! Don’t Gamble or Take a Chance!   

1. Selling your home? Courthouse records for the square footgage of your home are often erroneous and everyone uses “dollars per square foot” as one tool for judging what they think the home’s value is. If you actually have 100, 200, 300 or more square feet in your home, it could be worth thousands more than people might think based on the courthouse records. Realtors should be using courthouse records or square footage measurements from a licensed appraiser when listing a property. It only costs about $100 to have your home measured for square footage only. A small investment.

2. Paying Cash for a home? Banks and Mortgage companies require an appraisal when loaning money on a property for good reason. You should also make certain you are getting the value you think you are by utilizing a licensed appraiser’s services. Occasionally we have seen buyers love a home but pay way above market value and find several years later when they wanted to sell, they couldn’t get their original investment back.

There are many things to consider when purchasing Grand Lake Real Estate and the service provivided by an experienced Realtor knowledgeable about the local area can help you. You may also want the services of a licensed appraiser.

For more information about Grand Lake OK Real Estate, please contact Dave and Debbie Wagenblatt at 918.257.8381 or email them directly at davewagenblatt@remax.net. Dave & Debbie , The Get “Grand” Results Team©, are top producing Realtors® with REMAX Executives at Grand lake, OK. To learn more about the Grand Lake area and community visit their web site www.SurfGrandLake.com