Grand Lake in NE Oklahoma is the place to be if you like fun and inexpensive activities. Today, Saturday August 14, 2010 is just one example of the many fun things to do in the Grand Lake area. As I drove to the office this morning and came over Sailboat Bridge coming into Grove, OK I could see boats by the zillion at 8 AM. What were they doing out so early? Waiting for the Grand Lake Bobber Drop, which is a helicopter dropping fishing bobbers in the lake with marked numbers relating to prizes given away to the person who finds the bobber. Grand Prize is a trip to Cozumel, Mexico with other prizes of all sorts including a baby calf. This is the second annual time for this event that was revived last year after a several year’s absense.

Later today in Jay, OK is the Cruise Nite with activities starting shortly afternoon and going until about 11 tonite. Cruise Nite will draw over 300 classic, custom, and hot rod cars and trucks. It will include a parade, several vendor booths, and a great time for all.

Tonite in Grove, the Humane Society is hosting a barbaque hoe down with dinner and band at the Civic Center in downtown.

Later this month is the Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo in Vinita and World’s Largest Calf Fry Festival. September brings the Pelican Festival to Grove.

These are just a few of the activities that bring enjoyment to families and friends in the Grand Lake area. Go to the web site for the Grand Lake Association for a calendar of events. You will find events all year to enjoy in the Grand Lake area. Of course we always enjoy boating, sailing, sea-dooing, fishing and other water sports as well as golf.

You may find you like the area so well that you would like to have a second home on the lake or perhaps a retirement home on Grand Lake or Grove, OK where family and friends can gather for special holidays and get to gathers. For information on real estate in the Grand Lake/Grove OK area contact The Grand Lake Team at RE/MAX Grand Lake in Grove, OK. For Aaron Hughes call 918 801-5645 or aaronhughes@remax.net or Joe Neill at 918 640-3300 or jneill@remax.net. We hope to hear from you soon.

Wherever you wish to own a Grand Lake area home or a nice subdivision home in Grove, OK August is simply the white sale time of the year. Sellers often think the season is about over and are anxious to sell lake property when in fact September and October are great selling and buying seasons for Grand Lake.

Interest rates are at all time lows and cannot remain here forever. You can now get a 15 year loan well under 4% and a 30 year loan in the 4.5% area. Prices are great and selection is wonderful. It all adds up to a window of time that makes for a great deal on a lake home. Builders are not building spec homes because of the national real estate slump so our great selection now will start dwindling as each home sells that is now on the market. Sometime in the next few months or a year we could see interest rates rise 1-3% easily. When fall's cooler weather comes there will be more buyers and less opportunity to get a deal from that scared seller.

Add it all up and August is the time to buy. Our Grand Lake Team at RE/MAX Grand Lake knows the lake area, the Grand Lake MLS listings, and will work hard to find you just the right place for your needs and desires. Call Aaron Hughes and Joe Neill today to make your buying experience less stressful, more fun, and more inclusive of home choices. Call Aaron at 918 801-5645 or aaronhughes@remax.net or Joe at 918 640-3300 or jneill@remax.net We hope to hear from you soon.

Just in from CNBC web site, New Home Sales Surge in June with Inventory at 42 Year Low!!! This is per new government data over the country as a whole just released July 26, 2010. May was a record low after the tax credits for homes expired and no one expected June sales to come roaring back.

On Grand Lake in NE Oklahoma we have not seen the June surge but we can say the quality and choice of inventory available for sale in many price ranges are getting less plentiful. We still have great selection but each time a home is sold it is not being replaced. Very few new spec homes are being built. Now is the time to buy while selection is good, interest rates are at record lows, and today is the first day of the rest of your life so why not enjoy it with a new home on Grand Lake.

Also on the CNBC website is the list of all states for cost of living. Oklahoma is ranked number one in lowest cost of living amoung all fifty states. If you are looking for a great place to retire think Grand Lake with things to do year round, great health care with a new 58 million dollar hospital in Grove, great homes to choose from at low prices, and a moderate four season climate. You can enjoy lake sports and golf while finding new friends who have moved here from locations all across the country. We have waterfront homes, golf course homes, and city subdivision homes with excellent choices in all types of real estate.

For a retirement home or a second home on Grand Lake call The Grand Lake Team at RE/MAX Grand Lake in Grove, OK. For Aaron Hughes call 918 801-5645 or email at aaronhughes@remax.net. For Joe Neill call 918 640-3300 or email at jneill@remax.net. We hope to hear from you soon.

Grand Lake real estate prices are stable. Waterfront homes on the average have held their value very well thru our national real estate free fall. Of course, there are sales that were out of line and just plain too high that would lose money if sold today but waterfront Grand Lake homes bought on the market have held well. Off the water, subdivision homes have dropped in price from a 2006/2007 high on the average about 10%. Homes purchased in 2009 are steady to in instances slightly higher in 2010.

Interest rates are at all time lows which makes for buying a home great now. I do not see how rates can stay this low very much longer.

There are not many foreclosures in the Grand Lake area but we can find some deals once in awhile where someone really needs to sell a home because of financial problems, job transfer, divorce, or death in family.

Stock prices go up and down. Real estate went wild in some areas of the country and has soured some people’s desire to own and invest in real estate. However, if you look at the Midwest and Oklahoma in particular we did not see prices go sky high and have not seen them come down. We should be poised to see moderate price increases over the next several years as the economy improves. We believe the low prices are here now.

If you are thinking retirement, Oklahoma offers some of the lowest cost of living in the nation. Grand Lake offers moderate four season climate. Grove, the largest city on Grand Lake offers big city health care at the new Integris Grove Hospital, a 58 million dollar facility with wonderful health care providers. There are a number of civic clubs and churches to get involved with and enjoy. You can enjoy fishing, boating, hunting, gardening clubs, investment clubs, and many other activities. Patricia Island Estates in Grove offers golf course living with a special accent on the lake lifestyle. What a combination. On South Grand Lake, The Coves and The Points offer gated upscale living. The Coves features planned activities, golf, clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis, and a small fitness center.

Weekenders can enjoy second homes on Grand Lake. Monkey Island is home to many gated communities with ammenties, lawn care, and other things that make owning a second home carefree. You will enjoy homes in the moderate priced Newport Village, Brighton Bay, St Andrews, St. James, and The Estates. Upscale living in The Chateaus offers a golf and lake lifestyle. The new Shangri La Golf Club is coming along very nice and it is big asset to the Monkey Island area.

If you have your own financial house in order, now is a good time to help yourself with a great moneytary investment as well as a wonderful investment in family and friends by spending special time with them on Grand Lake. If you are looking for that retirement home, you need to check out the Grand Lake area.

Aaron Hughes and Joe Neill are the Grand Lake Team at RE/MAX Grand Lake in Grove, OK. We know the Grand Lake MLS and can make your experience thinking and buying Grand Lake less stressful, more inclusive, and fun. Aaron can be reached at 918 801-5645 or aaronhughes@remax.net. Joe can be reached at 918 640-3300 or jneill@remax.net. We would love to hear from you and share Grand Lake with you.

I look forward to reading Smart Money magazine and Wallstreet Journal writer, James Stewart’s column each Wednesday when it comes out in the Journal. The June 30, 2010 column had some very good comments on home ownership and buying a home.

Mr. Stewart talked quite abit about people with means to pay walking away from their mortgage just because the value of the house had declined. That is a point of discussion for some other time but in talking about this he says “walking away from a mortgage now is like selling at the bottom of the market”. He went on to say “houses that are underwater now may not be for long once housing starts to appreciate. And despite a recent slump in the number of home sales, home prices are rising in most areas and have been for the past year.” He also says “home ownership is a long term committment and people that are going to move in a year or so should rent instead.” The last thought I liked was “anyone forced to sell at a loss now, may also buy another home in a depressed market at lower prices unless they are moving from Las Vegas to Manhattan.”

Now my thoughts, the Grand Lake real estate market peaked in 2007. We have not seen the huge price drops in home prices that other areas of the country did. We have seen prices lower in 2009 than 2007 and 2010 has been a mixed bag. Lately we have sold two homes for a few thousand dollars more than was paid in 2009 for the homes. One was a waterfront home in the $800,000 plus range and the other was a rural home on a few acres. Grand Lake waterfront homes have held their value very well. We have more inventory of unsold upper end waterfront homes than we have had in several years, prices are flat, you might get a deal, interest rates are low, and now should be a time to buy with what looks like a nation wide bottom in home prices. Grove subdivision homes off the water have lost about ten percent of value on average from the 2007 peak. If you did not buy at the peak you probably still have price appreciation but the ones that did buy at the peak are suffering just like stock market losses but just not as bad. We have some nice selection of off water homes in Grove with great prices. Again, now should be the time to buy at the bottom. We have not seen but a very few new spec homes being built and the inventory is a long ways from the peak. We still have several nice homes to pick from but as one sells, it is one less on the market. If you are thinking of buying a retirement home on Grand Lake and the Grove, OK area, I would not tarry. This is sale time with low borrowing rates. Neither will last long.

You can search the Grand Lake / Grove area MLS at the button above. For personalized service call the Grand Lake Team at RE/MAX Grand Lake in Grove. Call Aaron Hughes at 918 801-5645 or aaronhughes@remax.net or Joe Neill at 918 640-3300 or jneill@remax.net. We hope to hear from you soon.

Grand Lake real estate sales have had a nice spring, not robost, but several nice sales. Our Grand Lake Team had 7 properties ready for closing at one time a short time ago. We have closed these seven out including an $800,000 plus Buffalo Shores South waterfront home yesterday. We now have two new homes awaiting closing, one in the gated Monkey Island community of Newport Village and the other in a small subdivision just outside Grove, Rainbow Bend. Properties priced right, not at give away prices but on the market, in good shape with odds and end repairs done, and home decluttered so people can look at the home and not the owner’s stuff will sell in good time. On the other hand properties priced too high, not show ready, or full of stuff seem to just set and never sell. This should tell seller/owner’s something.

Sometimes we see deals on homes priced too high to begin with and they will see huge price reductions of maybe $100,000 on a $600,000 home but in reality the home was overpriced by a $100,000 to begin with. Moral of this story is do your homework and let your realtor give you comp sales in an area you are interested in so that you can buy a home at market value and not a home with a $75,000 price reduction and still $25,000 too high.

Now is a good time to buy. Interest rates at all time lows, a good selection of properties in most price ranges, and you might find a deal if someone has to sell right now. You can see all the Grand Lake MLS listings at our MLS button above. Our featured listings are at a button above also.

For assistance in buying or selling Grand Lake waterfront homes, Grove subdivision homes, retirement homes at the lake, commercial property on Grand Lake, or any other real estate need call the Grand Lake Team at RE/MAX Grand Lake in Grove, OK. Aaron Hughes can be reached at 918 801-5645 or aaronhughes@remax.net or Joe Neill can be reached at 918 640-3300 or jneill@remax.net. We hope to hear from you soon.

Monkey Island Waterfront Homes are a popular location for that second home on the lake. There are many nice communities on Monkey Island. Many are gated and take care of your yard so that you can just enjoy the lake. Others, let you spend less but do more work. There are choices for everyone.

You can select homes in the ultra-luxury Chateaus or the stately and timeless Shangri La Estates. You might like all the ammenties in Newport Village or perhaps Brighton Bay. Port Duncan, the original gated community offers inexpensive homes. You can enjoy Grand Lake to the fullest on Monkey Island.

The pictures above are of two homes with ocean like views. One is in Port Duncan and listed at $239900. The other is in the golf course community, Shangri La Estates also with an ocean like view and listed for $335,000. We also have other listings you will like and have full access to the Grand Lake MLS.

For your second home at the lake, retirement home, or full time family home on Grand Lake at Monkey Island, Grove, or on the South Grand Lake area call The Grand Lake Team at RE/MAX Grand Lake in Grove. Aaron Hughes can be reached at 918 801-5645 or aaronhughes@remax.net. Joe Neill may be reached at 918 640-3300 or jneill@remax.net. We hope to hear from you soon.

We have just listed a very nice 6 bedroom, 3 bath home in Grove, OK on beautiful Grand Lake. This home has 3874 sq ft m/l with 3 bedrooms upstairs and 3 downstairs. It sits on a very park like private setting about a mile from downtown Grove, OK on 1.2 Acres m/l with 125′ of waterfront in a narrow but deep cove. The home was built in the mid nineties but has had extensive upgrading over past few years. It has a combination of wood, tile, and carpet covered floors. Downstairs in the game room is a terrific bar area you can see in the pictures above. The home would make you a great retirement home on Grand Lake with room for family to visit or a wonderful home to raise a family in at Grove, OK. This home is offered at $425,000. It is Grand Lake MLS # 10-1420.

For Grand Lake and Grove, OK area real estate call the Grand Lake Team, Aaron Hughes and Joe Neill at RE/MAX Grand Lake in Grove. You can reach Aaron at 918 801-5645 or aaronhughes@remax.net or Joe at 918 640-3300 or jneill@remax.net. We know the Grand Lake MLS listings and pride ourselvas in listening to the buyer and then offering options for their consideration. We can make buying real estate less stressful, more inclusive, and fun. We hope to hear from you today.

We just listed a very unique and high quality waterfront home on Grand Lake. This has to be the best priced, best value waterfront listing on Grand Lake. You will have to see it to fully appreciate the attention to details both inside and outside of this terrific home. Grove’s Patricia Island Estates and Golf Club is the location of this waterfront home on Grand Lake. No homeowner dues here. Dues are paid if you elect to join the golf club or swim/tennis club.

You will find this home in the Grand Lake MLS listed two ways. MLS # 10-1399 is the 2886 sq ft m/l home per county records (owner feels it will measure out more) with 262′ waterfront, 2 Acres m/l land, and a two slip boat dock with swim deck. It has a retaining wall on lakeside, many fine trees in yard, a fenced backyard around the home, and a protected cove location just off the main lake. This listing is priced with 2 waterfront lots for $675,000.

Grand Lake MLS # 10-1400 is the home as above with only one waterfront lot. It will have about 1.3 Acres of land and 149′ waterfront and the home. The boat dock will become a shared dock with one 30′ slip each for this home and the other for the owner of the adjoining lot. Each owner will share use of the swim dock and upkeep of the dock. This listing is priced at the unheard of price of $525,000. You just cannot get a waterfront home of this calibur in Patricia Island Estates on Grand Lake at this price. You do not need the extra lot to have a terrific and very enjoyable waterfront home.

The home has a unique blend of brick, stacked stone, and siding on the exterior. The interior uses stained wood trim throughout the home. Two fireplaces, one a gas fireplace with stacked stone in the den and the other in the family room, a wood burner with stacked stone and brick set this home off. The master bedroom is on the first level and has patio access and lakeviews. Upstairs are 2 bedrooms and one bath plus a flex room that can be the fourth bedroom or a game room, theater room, or kid’s room.

This is just a one of a kind home with timeless features on a terrific lot with the many trees and the long winding driveway from the street. It is a home to enjoy for years to come as your Grand Lake retirement home, second home, or family home in Grove.

Call Aaron Hughes at 918 801-5645 or arronhughes@remax.net or Joe Neill at 918 640-3300 or jneill@remax.net for more information or to schedule your showing. We are the Grand Lake Team at RE/MAX Grand Lake in Grove, OK.

Memorial Day weekend 2010 will go down in the books as one of the best if not the best 3 days of weather you could ask for. Many people came to enjoy the lake and fun they had. Eating establishments were packed and C-Stores did thriving business. Marinas were selling gasoline for boats and lodging was full around the lake. You could not tell the economy was soft being here over the holiday.

Saturday, I had lunch at the new Aqua Grill on Monkey Island. This new marina with grill on the marina deck was booming with business. My Angus Burger and fries were excellent, just like a gourmet burger should be. Watching the boats on the lake and coming in/out of the marina was fun and the cool breeze off the lake made it a very enjoyable lunch.

Last Thursday I had lunch at the new resturant at Honey Creek Landing in Grove, The Lazy Parrot. My fish sandwich and fries were very good. We ate inside but enjoyed the lake view at the Honey Creek Marina in Grove.

Soon Grove will have another new eating establishment at the North end of town, just South of Sailboat Bridge. Broklee’s Grill will soon open. The owner is a former manager at the local Rib Crib. I would be that Brok will do well in his new venture as well.

Millie’s Gifts and an RX Shop will be opening soon on Grove’s Main Street. Millie has been a fixture for years in Grove and we are all anxious to see what she will be offering in her latest venue.

Come enjoy your part of your summer with us on Grand Lake. You will not be disappointed. You may even catch the real estate bug. If so, we have the cure! Call the Grand Lake Team at RE/MAX Grand Lake. Aaron Hughes and Joe Neill, for Aaron call 918 801-5645 or aaronhughes@remax.net. For Joe call 918 640-3300 or jneill@remax.net. We have mighty nice waterfront homes on Grand Lake to offer as well as lakeview homes, or golf course homes. You can dream alittle by going to our Grand Lake MLS button above. We hope to see you soon.