I hope you enjoy this video message, reviewing the latest real estate trends within the Twin Cities Market. Where do you think our market is heading?

TIP: If a video you are watching continually starts and stops, this is called buffering.  When this occurs, simply click pause to allow buffering.  Once complete, click play again.  The video should play without stopping and starting.

As always, please call with any thoughts and questions you may have.  I am here as a resource to you and yours.

Kindest Regards,

Steve M. Albers, REALTOR®, ABR®, CDPE©
Stephenson & Albers Real Estate Team
RE/MAX Results
(763) 229-9067  Mobile
steve@stevealbers.com

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According to marketwatch.com , the number of people interested in investing in real estate has doubled since March as more folks are lured by low prices and the wide selection of foreclosures that can be bought on the cheap, according to survey results released this week by Move.com.

Just more than 12% of potential home buyers surveyed plan to purchase a home as an investment property compared with less than 6% who said the same seven months ago, the survey found. Of those interested in buying a foreclosure, 42% were investors. About 13% of those investors would turn their foreclosures into rentals, 11% would fix them up for resale and 17% said the houses would be used by a family member until the home could be sold for a profit, according to the survey.

Of all potential buyers interested in purchasing a home — both for investment and to live in — 25% said they want to buy a foreclosure.

They also plan on buying low and watching their purchase pay off in the next several years. Of the potential buyers polled, 58% said they expect to pay at least 20% less than market price for a foreclosure, and 39% said they expected a 25% or greater discount. Seventy-three percent expect their properties to appreciate 10% or more in five years; 28% expect their purchases to appreciate 20% or more during the same time.

The most popular reasons given for taking action now: concern that prices have hit a bottom and a desire to take advantage of bargains, according to the results.  About 1,000 people participated in the survey.

“This latest survey validates what many had hoped to see in the housing markets — affordable prices and ample inventories are restoring the appeal of real estate to investors while providing opportunities for first-time home buyers to enter the market,” said Move Inc.’s chief revenue officer, Errol Samuelson, in a news release. Move Inc. operates Move.com.

“In today’s environment, regardless of whether you’re an investor or interested in purchasing a home to live in yourself, residential real estate is a more attractive investment today for many than it has been in recent years.”

Members of the National Association of Realtors will likely be expressing similar sentiments when they meet this weekend in San Diego for their annual conference. Check in with MarketWatch throughout the weekend for the latest real estate news from the conference.

With the first-time home-buyer tax credit extended last week — and expanded to benefit certain move-up buyers too — this could be an unusually busy winter for home sales.

Written by, Amy Hoak, Real Estate writer

For FREE Counsel and access to real estate inventory that is not yet available to the public, contact me today.

Steve M. Albers, REALTOR®, ABR®, CDPE©
Stephenson & Albers Real Estate Team
RE/MAX Results
(763) 229-9067  Mobile
steve@stevealbers.com

Website LinkedIn Blog Twitter Facebook

Last night a noticeably small audience gathered at the Long Lake Town Board Meeting and Continuation of the Public Hearing for Long Lake Water District #1. For more information about the water project, we do encourage you to click on this link, it is a PDF, and it outlines the parameters of the upcoming project. (Just click on the blue dialogue…still learning this wordpress stuff is tricky… but at least you can get to the link)

What do you usually do with your flower pots, hanging baskets and trays when you buy your annuals?
I save some for planting seeds of my own the following spring HOWEVER I usually have some still left over.
Now Otten Brothers in Long Lake will take them through November 1st.

Note for the future Bachman’s took them on 2 days in September so in 2010 I bet they will take again on the 3rd weekend.

Sept. 21, 2009

Volunteer spirit soars

To the editor:

The Town of Long Lake would like to thank all the volunteers that helped out this 2009 summer season in Long Lake and Raquette Lake.

Thank you to the Red Hats and Flower Beautification Committee that planted in the barrels around Long Lake and a thank you to the Long Lake Town Board and CAP-21 and the volunteers who helped hang and maintain the hanging flower baskets in Raquette Lake.

Also a huge thank you to all those individuals who helped keep the Long Lake Teen Center at Mt. Sabattis thriving three nights a week during the summer season. Thanks to: Jud Graham, Anita and Jim Brundage, Joe San Antonio from Hamilton County Trailblazers, Steve Signell, Julia Pierce, Molly Irvine, Kelly Brown, Victoria Sandiford, Theresa Taylor, Ceci Bush, Kate Parent, Emily Farr, Kristen Lance and Shane Holmes.

Also thank you to The Cellar, The Long Lake Ladies Kazoo Band, Eunice and Walter Hartmann, Jacquie and Mike Rivette, Mike and Nancy Hosley, Ruth Howe and the Eastern Star and the participants in Long Lake’s Road Rally for their contributions. The generous donations offset the costs of food, snacks and equipment needed to get the Teen Center off the ground.

The teens enjoyed recreational basketball games, tennis, volleyball, foosball, badminton, Pictionary and charades. The kids also made jewelry, learned about geo-caching and had a safe place to go. We look forward to continuing the Teen Center next season.

We appreciate the vibrancy and community spirit of Raquette Lake and Long Lake and are so pleased to have had a successful summer. We certainly look forward to keeping that volunteer spirit alive in the upcoming winter months!

We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for your help.

Alexandra V. Roalsvig, director

Long Lake Parks, Recreation & Tourism Dept.

This cute cottage is perfect to enjoy this 241 all sports lake with 60 feet of frontage. New kitchen, great yard. 2 hours to Chicago, 10 minutes to 80/90.

(Reprinted with permission of author Kevin Stiegelmaier from his new guidebook “Canoeing & Kayaking New York.”)

Raquette Lake, the largest natural lake in the Adirondacks, has always been a popular destination for people looking to get away from it all.  With natural beauty, a convenient location, and advocates like William West Durant, it is easy to understand why.  It was Durant, in fact, who designed and built many luxurious “camps” around the lake during the 1800’s in the style which became known as the “Great Camp” style.  These destinations, and the roads and rail lines they required, helped turn Raquette Lake into the bustling Adirondack Lake it is today.
No longer the playground of the rich and famous, Raquette Lake is a part of the vast system of canoe routes that run throughout the Adirondack Park.  From its waters one can travel to Old Forge along the Fulton Chain of lakes or can head north to Long Lake and beyond.  One can also pick up the Marion River from its eastern shore and follow the river to Utowana Lake, Eagle Lake, and ultimately Blue Mountain Lake (another series of lakes known as the Eckford Chain).
Like Raquette Lake, Blue Mountain Lake also served as vacation destination for people in search of a bit of the outdoors.  Instead of “Great Camps” though, Blue Mountain Lake was known for its lavish hotels, one of which was the first in the world to have electricity in every room (thanks to one of Thomas Edison’s generators).  Most of these hotels are gone today and, although much of the southern shore of the lake is developed, the remainder of the lake has remained relatively unspoiled (even though electricity has become more widespread).
Paddling to Blue Mountain Lake along the scenic route from Raquette Lake through the Eckford Chain has become immensely popular among canoers.  The extensive shoreline of Raquette Lake, the twisting turns and extensive marshes of the Marion, the wilderness of Utowana and Eagle Lakes, and the stunningly beautiful landscape of Blue Mountain Lake all add to its appeal.  Even the short carry between the Marion and Utowana Lake is easy enough that it only adds a bit of charm to the paddle.  Of course there are no longer extravagant camps or hotels to stay in along the way.  But, I am sure most won’t mind.

At-a-Glance Information
Class –     I
Length – 13 miles
Time – 5 to 6 hours
Runnable Months – April to November
Hazards – Boat traffic
Portages – One
Rescue Access – Easy
Gauge – Visual, Phone
Level – N/A
Gradient –2.3
Scenery – A++

Run Description

Although it is quite easy to paddle in either direction along the Marion River, most locals recommend paddling upstream from Raquette Lake to Blue Mountain Lake because of the prevailing winds which blow out of the west.  Those wishing to embark on such a trip will find no better spot to launch from than the public boat launch in Raquette Lake Village.
Once on the water, paddlers will find the shores of Raquette Lake are lined with vacation homes, camps, and boat houses.  Despite this development, however, there is not a great deal of boat traffic to contend with.  Even on busy days, the lake is big enough that there is more than enough room for power boaters and paddlers to coexist peaceably.  One could easily spend a full day, or many days, exploring the lake’s many islands, coves, and miles of shoreline.  For those ultimately headed to Blue Mountain Lake, though, the mouth of the Marion River lies three miles from the village, north of first big point of land on the lake’s eastern shore.
While the lake’s shores are lined with cedar, fir, and hemlock trees, the land around the Marion River is something quite different.  Along its narrow, sinuous route are huge clusters of the bright purple pickerelweed flowers, vast marshes of cattail and alder bushes, and wide floating mats of both yellow pond and fragrant water lilies.  Also obvious are the blossoms of the beautiful cardinal flower, lending their vibrant red color to the green of the marsh, stately great blue herons hunting the shallows, and rackous kingfishers patrolling the shores.  All the while, views of Blue Mountain pop up whenever the river turns to the east and the sky is clear.
The navigable portion of the Marion ends three and a half miles later and a portage must be made.  Thankfully, the carry is quite short (0.3 miles) and very easy (it is along a wide and smooth trail).  At its eastern end waits a small dock and the scenic Utowana Lake.  Ringed with maple, birch, balsam fir, and white pine trees, Utowana also holds some marshy environs within its banks which contain most of the same vegetation as on the Marion.  Heading two and a half miles further east leads to a narrow channel that empties into one mile long Eagle Lake.
Once across Eagle Lake, a beautiful and rustic bridge can be seen on the left.  This wood and stone bridge was built by William West Durant, famed designer and builder of camps in the “Adirondack Great Camp” style.  A large plaque under its span tells the story of how Durant built this bridge, known as the Pioneer Bridge, in memory of his father, Dr. Thomas Clark Durant.  Dr. Durant was well known himself, as the man who developed the idea for and built the first transcontinental railroad and the Adirondack Railroad.
Once past the Pioneer Bridge and through the channel after it, the sheer beauty of Blue Mountain Lake can finally be experienced.  It may be tempting to paddle along the south shore of the lake and take the quickest route to the takeout, especially after paddling more than ten miles from Raquette Lake.  Nevertheless, at least a small part of the lake should be explored.  With dozens of granite islands, verdant green shorelines, beautiful camps, and scenic mountain vistas in every direction, even the weariest paddler will have trouble leaving this natural wonder.  But, every trip must finally come to an end, and, the best places to end this one are at the public boat launch on the southeast corner of the lake, or at the Blue Mountain Lake Outfitters dock just a bit further north.

Click here to order a copy of: “Canoeing & Kayaking New York.”
Click here to visit Kevin’s blog.

Photo Title: My Favorite View
What: The wake behind the boat
Where: Long Lake; Traverse City, MI
When: September 9, 2006

Earlier this week I was looking back over some photos from just after we arrived here in Yellowknife last year.  I recalled that the weather had been rather nice and I was wondering why everyone thought that Yellowknife was the “arctic”.  Not here I thought… it was sunny and warm very early in May.  In fact, I had photos of the boys out on the deck with their shirts off, basking in the sun on May 11th.  The below photo was taken on May 17, when we took a trip out to Long Lake to check out the beach.  The beach was opened and the ice had already started to retreat from the lake.

Long Lake Beach - 2008

Long Lake Beach - 2008 - #2

Today I took the boys out to the beach to see if the ice had started retreating like it had this time last year.  To our surprise, the gates to the beach were still locked.  It had not even been opened yet.  The beach itself was clear of snow and ice, however, the lake was not.  In fact, it was just starting to melt at the edges, but the ice was right up to the shore.  I tried to get a good shot for comparison purposes, but through the chain link fence it didn’t quite work out as I hoped!

I did, however, get a couple of pics down by the Public Boat Launch of Great Slave Lake, near Giant Mine.  This will show you how much ice is still on the lakes.

Public Boat Launch, Great Slave Lake

Public Boat Launch, Great Slave Lake #2

Boat out of water - Public Boat Launch, Great Slave Lake

Anyhow, I guess the weather just hasn’t been as nice as it was last Spring.  Go figure… feels like Winter is still clingin’ on dearly and the ice at the beach this afternoon is confirmation for sure.  The temps have been low for the last few weeks and it is affecting how quickly the ice is melting.  Hopefully it will have the same impact on the  population of flies this summer.  They say cold weather this time of year keeps the flies lower at summer… we’ll see! 

Until next time…

Baseball and Softball have started with the home team getting two victorys on Monday.

Click here to go to our main web site:

www.LakelandCom.com

Call: 847 245-4800

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So, we just got back from a trip to Wisconsin to visit my other half’s family. There was SO much snow! I think about 24 inches in some spots. The little one got her share of “walking in snowpiles” and she learned about why you want to wear snow pants when you do this. Especially when its 7 degrees outside. The coldest day was -12 in the morning. I had great plans to go walking for 30 minutes everyday…I did make an attempt one day but had neglected to pack my hat and went out without longjohns. That walk lasted 10 minutes. My new Ugg boots kept me quite toasty thru it all. Everyday we got at least a dusting of snow. Some days it was crystalline, some days it was freezing rain, and the last morning, it looked like little balls! www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/class/class.htm I was amazed by the tiny styrofoam looking things on the ground.

Here is a photo of  little one tasting snow on our walk on frozen Long Lake. Our rental cabin (above) is across the street from this lake. Now we are back in Raleigh and temperatures are in the fifties. Not sure when we’ll see snow again….

The ILCS PTSO is selling Orange T-shirts and Sweat shirts. In the school colors, with the Indian Lake/Long Lake moniker, the outerwear has become very popular.

Today was Remembrance Day, which meant I didn’t have to work. It was a nice change of pace, sleeping in on a Tuesday. I got up around 9:30 (it’s sad that I now consider that sleeping in), had some breakfast, read the news. Then I was sitting around and since it was so bright out (usually when I’m home these days it’s dark) I decided to take a picture I had been envisioning for a few days:

Me and my iPhone. Ok, I know, I’m an Apple fanboy. I’ve gotten over it.

Then me and Jess decided to go for a bit of a hike, so we went out to Long Lake, which is kinda in Halifax, and kinda outside Halifax. It’s definately in the HRM though. It was a really nice place, and the weather was quite nice as well: it was bright and sunny all day (until 4pm when the sun went down…). I brought my camera along to take some pictures, here are some of the better ones:

This is the view down the lake, we didn’t actually go all the way around, that apparently takes about 4 hours, we just went along for an hour and then turned around

A random overturned log along the path, there were a lot of trees fallen over or dead.

We came to a stream right before we turned around that was fed from a small waterfall. I opened the shutter as much as I could and held the camera down to the rocks to stabilize it, and got a few really cool long exposures.

After we got back into town we went to the SMU Library so Jess could pick up some books for an essay she is writing, and then we went to Coburg Coffee for lunch. I may have said it before, but Coburg Coffee is by far my favorite independant coffee shop in Halifax. It’s a great spot.

After Coburg we came home, hung out for a bit, I processed the photos I took while we were out and uploaded them to flickr. Then we made meatballs for dinner, which was amazing as always.

I’m still waiting for the realms to go back up for WoW; they’ve been down all day. Apparently they started the pre-Wrath World Event last night, and I really want to see it. Hopefully they will be back up sometime tonight…

“TTV #1″

What is TTV: Through the Viewfinder?

Well, it’s pretty much what it says. It’s a technique using two cameras, an old box camera and the camera you actually take pictures with, in which you take a picture of what you see through the other camera’s viewfinder. Make sense?

“Fall at Long Lake”

What is the point you ask?

For me, I love the aged retro look you get with TTV. Yeah, you can make an image look aged or antiqued using textures and filter in Photoshop, but it’s just not the same. Most of the old box cameras are dirty, covered in dust, maybe some scratches, all of which add to the character of the image. (The dirtier the better I say!) Not to mention the challenge of balancing 2 cameras, and the whole flip flop issue. Most box camera’s used have a top viewfinder, that uses mirrors, so you have to keep your good camera at a 90 degree angle to what you want to photograph. Oh, and everything is reversed. Do you know how confusing that can get, you keep turning the direction you need to to center the image, yet in the viewfinder it’s going the other way?!?

So what do you need to get started?

First off, you need a camera to actually take the picture. I’ll assume if you are reading this, you already have one of those And to get a nice close-up shot of the viewfinder, you will need a macro lens, or zoom filters.  You will need to be able to take a picture a few inches away from the object. If your camera has a macro setting that you are happy with, then by all means, just use that! Besides that, you will need some sort of old camera with a large viewfinder, and then something to block out the light between the 2 cameras.

After you have what you need, honestly, all you do is take a picture of the viewfinder.

Obviously the image above doesn’t have the light blocked out between the two cameras. I just wanted to show you the viewfinder.

My set up:

I have my Canon Rebel XTi for my primary camera (we’ll call this camera #1 from now on), an old box Argus 75 for my secondary camera (camera #2), my stackable zoom filters (I don’t have a macro lens), and my Tube of Darkness. Put together it looks like this:

You can pick up an old box camera fairly cheap at flea markets, antique stores, or ebay. Cameras like the Argus 75 were so overly mass produced in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, you can find them all over the place. I picked mine up on ebay for $4.99 plus shipping!

 Here it is pulled apart:

The Tube of Darkness:

To block out the light between cameras, I used a 3 inch cardboard tube that I cut down to 6 inches long, and a black (fuzzy) sock (lost the match) of which I cut the toe off. I slipped the black sock over the cardboard tube, so that there is equal excess material at the top and bottom of the tube. Then I slipped the tube over the open viewfinder on camera #2, and used saftey pins to secure it around camera #2’s straps, making sure it’s pulled tight, yet not to cover camera #2’s lens. And viola! a Tube of Darkness!

And since I use an SLR camera, I just dip my lens into the tube, and pull the top excess sock material over camera #1’s lens. The sock works great because of the elasticity, it keeps a snug fit over the camera’s, keeping out the light. Sorry, I can’t show you a picture of the SLR in the Tube of Darkness because I only have one camera!

“untitled”

I took the picture, now what?

Honestly, that’s up to you and your taste! First off, crop off all that excess around the image. Most people leave a small border around though. After that, editing is all up to you! I have heard that a lot of people like to used the Urban Acid Photoshop Action. I have tried it, but usually end up just playing with the tones and colors on my own, so I can’t give you an example of it. Then why not upload it to Flickr? There are a ton of TTV Flickr groups! Not to mention the ton of information you can find in those groups! The largest one, Through the Viewfinder, has a blog with a ton of information, including a list of a variety of different secondary (base) cameras that can be used. Check that out here.

I hope you enjoyed my lil tutorial/informative blog! Now I’m gonna shamelessly self-promote

More of my TTV images

This is the very first TTV I took. This is my daughter. What I love about this image, is that it looks like a picture that fell out of my baby book!

“Remembrance”

This picture was actually chosen as the picture of the day on Absolute Michigan’s Michigan in Pictures Blog!

“A Newaygo View”

“Museum of Newaygo”

All of my work can be puchased as premium art cards, and most are available as matted prints, laminated prints, mounted prints, canvas prints, framed prints, and posters. All in varying sizes. To see more work and/or purchase click here. (or click on a particular image)

Example Card:

Two ice cream shops- I knew I had come to the right place. After a five hour bus ride from NYC, I finally arrived in Long Lake, a little town in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains. Even with less than a thousand residents, this quirky spot is full of things to do and see. For starters, where else can you find a toilet seat inlaid with fishing tackle? And at Hoss’s store you can get a moose-shaped hat while picking up that toothpaste you forgot. But once you are finished exploring the oddities of mountain life there is ample opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous lake. Swimming, canoeing, water skiing, and tubing are widely available. Seaplane rides are also a great way to get that “postcard picture” of the sunset over the mountains. Once the sun does set, most things in town close. But don’t worry, because there are more than enough bars just getting started. My personal favorite was the Cellar. On the outskirts of town, the Cellar serves food during the day and then cranks up the tunes at 10pm. They have a digital jukebox where you can pick any song you’ve ever heard of and a nice outdoor patio (as long as it’s not raining). Even though I had never heard of it before my visit, I have to say Long Lake is a lovely place with a character quite its own.

School begins next week, but soccer practice has been ongoing for the past 10 days. Indian Lake and Long Lake ahve combined their athletic programs and practice at both schools. This practice was at ILCS