Wisconsin likes to promote itself as America’s Dairy Land and it isn’t far off. The state has a strong rural, farming influence. This leads to friendly people and communities living at a pace of life you will not find in more stressful states such as New York and California. Wisconsin, however, does hold a gem of a small city within its borders.
Madison is the capital of Wisconsin and home to the University of Wisconsin. A sleepy college town for years, Madison has long offered a great way of life. National publications started noticing it a few years back and it is regularly listed in top 10 rankings for desirable places to live in the United States. The reputation is well earned as Madison manages to have all the amenities of a large city while maintaining a small college town field. Madison gets a big thumbs up from us. If you prefer living in larger cities, Milwaukee is as big as it gets in Wisconsin. It is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and is roughly 90 miles from Chicago, a city with which it maintain a natural rivalry and love-hate relationship. Over the last few years, the city has undergone major redevelopment and upgrades which is making it an attractive place to live after long periods of stagnation and decline.
The Wisconsin real estate market is vibrant and compares with any in the country. A single-family home in Madison will set you back roughly $160,000 while the same home in Milwaukee will run you roughly $110,000. Appreciation rates are a steady six to seven percent across the state.
Posted on December 5th, 2008 by Maxine Trowbridge
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If your goal is finding affordable health insurance in Wisconsin, look for the following warning signs; they will let you know that the health insurance company or agent in question should be avoided. Avoid a health insurance company that is very boastful, or seems too confident for your comfort level. If the company does indeed offer coverage for much lower than any other health insurance company in Wisconsin, there may be some kind of scam in progress. It may be very limited coverage, or there may be hidden fees.
Health insurance companies in Wisconsin that claim to offer deals for a limited time or savings for purchasing a health care plan immediately are suspicious. Most health insurance companies in Wisconsin have set rates for specific criteria. They do not normally offer “one time deals” to lure customers. Close the door or hang up the phone on companies that refuse to provide you with informational forms, pamphlets, or brochures. You should find these in the office, or the company should be willing to mail them to you. Written documentation of what the company offers is essential – period. Only do business with health insurance companies that are licensed to sell insurance in Wisconsin in order to help protect yourself against scams. The company should have proof of this license; ask to see it. If the company refuses, move on. Reputable health insurance companies in Wisconsin will provide you with a variety of payment options. Any Wisconsin health insurance company that only allows bank account withdrawals or cash payments seemingly want the money immediately or without proof that you have paid. Does that sound trustworthy?
Posted on November 8th, 2008 by Kathy Austin
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Most of the types of homes you will find in Wisconsin real estate are going to be vacation homes, farm homes, small houses, and apartments. For vacation homes you will find a choice of log homes or some of the more palatial style homes for the rich and famous. Often the style of home is the western look with a lot of rock or slate and wood inside and out. The real estate usually offers a fire place to keep the heating bill lowered during the cooler months. The economy is mostly based on manufacturing, agriculture, and health care around the state and especially the larger cities. This means that the housing available will cater to the needs of the state.
Currently real estate in Wisconsin is seeing a hit. As you can imagine with the sub prime mortgages and foreclosures around the United States Wisconsin is just one of the places feeling the crunch. This means for those who have the budget to build or buy a home they are looking at some really great deals on the buying side. Already in some areas of Wisconsin they are seeing changes in the number of homes being sold. In Racine County for single family homes they have seen a decrease in the number of sales in the past three years. In 2004 74% of homes were sold that were on the market. For the 2007 year only 42% of the homes on the market were sold. This means that more than half of the homes on the market have not sold.
Posted on October 13th, 2008 by Tera Warner
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I was talking to a friend of mine who is very involved in the running of the local soccer club. The club has made many changes over the past two years much having to do with helping kids realize the value of learning the fundamentals and cross training to improve their soccer performance. He told me that he has met with resistance many steps of the way. He went on to say that he was shocked because he was asked to turn this program into a top program in the state. A while back the soccer commissioner for the state of Wisconsin told his committee that he had seen my friend’s system and programming and thought that it should be the template for all youth programs in the state of Wisconsin.
My thought is, bring in a professional to improve a program and get out of the way. We’ve gotten to the point where our opinion matters too much. At least we think so. How many times have we hurt our kids chances of really getting better and achieving levels that we never thought possible for them because we couldn’t understand or agree with something. You don’t have to understand it for it to work. I believe that our job as parents is to help our kids by helping them make the right choices. Once we feel that we have made the right choices we need to give the people who we have entrusted with our children’s futures the opportunity to do their jobs. Are you a helicopter parent who is always hovering or are you a parent who is willing to live by your choices and relax and get out of the way? Even though we may be well meaning parents, we can’t know everything. We need help. We would all do ourselves a favor to realize that and let things just happen.
Posted on June 7th, 2008 by Jade
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If you live in the Wisconsin area it is likely that you live in a home that has an air heating and cooling system. In fact more than eighty percent of all new homes that are built today have one of these useful system installed. You can reduce maintenance costs by using a filter cleaning service rather than replacing them each time.
There are air cleaning services that clean filters used in every type of commercial and industrial application. There are even companies which have proprietary systems that were designed to save your cash on maintenance costs. They also use innovative solutions that minimize the number of air filters that would otherwise have to be thrown out. This essentially reduces your disposal costs as well, saving even more money.
Posted on January 15th, 2008 by Maxine Trowbridge
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Wisconsin state with a population of about 5.5 million. Its capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee. Wisconsin is known for it milk and cheese production and also its many state parks and forests.
Tourism is also a major industry in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Dells is an area of water parks and theme parks that has become a major attraction. It is located northwest of Madison, the capital and attracts millions each year. Other attractions include the mile-long Lost Canyon Tour, which is a deep canyon that visitors ride through on a horse drawn carriage.
Posted on December 25th, 2007 by Kingston J. Amadan
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