Dan Sells the Lake

It's difficult to make yourself leave the area in the Summer when you live in a house at the Lake of the Ozarks .  Autumn is every bit as beautiful, but it's a great time to jump in the car and take a day trip. Here are 9 Fall festivals close-to-home that celebrate this gorgeous season.   Sept. 16-Oct. 31 - National Harvest & Cowboy Festival , Branson Silver Dollar City is known for its incredible festivals year-round.  This Fall the amusement park will be filled with over 125 visiting craftsmen from the "Four Corners of the United States."  There will be live crafting demonstrations, live music, stunt shows, and the incredibly popular Western Barn Dance.  All of this is in addition to the amazing rides, shows, and food that is always available at this family-fun destination.  Sept. 25-27 - The 9th Annual Roots, Blues, & BBQ Festival , Columbia Stephens Lake Park is the home to this entertaining festival.  It features more tha...

The age old question is, "Should I rent, or should I buy a home?"  Renting can be a great temporary fix until the option to purchase a house becomes available.  Let's look at 5 reasons to buy a house at Lake of the Ozarks instead of renting. 1. No Surprises Rent can increase every few years with inflation and you have nothing to show for the money you put in years down the road. When you buy a house with a fixed-rate mortgage, payments will stay the same until the home is paid off. When you're done, the house is all yours.  When you rent, you are paying a landlord's mortgage payment instead of your own. 2. Tax Savings The first quarter of the year brings about the dreaded tax season. Homeowners have a benefit here as well, in several areas.  First-year homeowners can deduct some of the closing costs  (namely the origination fees) on the loan.  This amount is often over 1% of the total cost of the home, so the savings here can be substantial...

Summer is not over quite yet, but it's not too early to start thinking about preparing your home for the Fall and Winter seasons.  If you start doing a few things now to your Lake of the Ozarks real estate , you'll have plenty of time to get it all done before it's too cold.  Going through the following list will ensure that the outside of your house stands up to the weather and the inside keeps you safe and warm.      Outside your home: Take the time to walk around the outside of your house while the temperature is still pleasant and before the leaves begin falling and cover things up.  Making sure that the following things are taken care of before the snow begins falling will help to assure everything is in good shape when Spring rolls back around.  Inspect and clean out gutters and downspouts. Replace any missing or damaged weather stripping on doors and windows. Caulk all cracks and gaps to prevent drafts from entering the hous...

The Lake area is an amazing place to visit, but it's an even better place to own a home.  Labor Day weekend is an exciting holiday to be here because you can find all kinds of exciting things to do no matter what part of the area you are in.   Real estate at the Lake of the Ozarks covers a lot of ground, and no matter where you end up, there will be something fun going on.   Sept. 4 - Labor Day Fireworks Fun Fest at Old Kinderhook Old Kinderhook features a free, family-fun event in Camdenton from 5 pm - 9 pm . There will be games for both the kids and the adults, plus face painting, clowns, bounce houses, and live entertainment.  They will have food and drinks there for a small cost, and the evening will end with an incredible display of fireworks.  Sept. 5 - Rocky Mount Sweet Corn Festival The 5th Annual Sweet Corn Festival  will be happening in Rocky Mount at the Rocky Mount Fire Station 1 from 9 am - 4 pm .  Proceeds raised will co...

A very important part of selling your home is having the best real estate agent at the Lake of the Ozarks working for you.  You can have the most beautiful home in the world for sale, but if your realtor doesn't know what they are doing, it could sit unsold for a very long time.  Here are a few questions that a good real estate agent should be able to easily answer.      1. How long have you been in the real estate business? Experience comes with time.  You can learn about real estate from classes, but the best knowledge comes from on-the-job experience.    2.  How much education have you received? Things change constantly with real estate, and keeping up with current trends is very important. 3. Can you recommend qualified people to work with to get my house sold?  (mortgage brokers, home stagers, repairmen, etc...) A good realtor knows the most qualified and well-trusted people in the business.  4. What type o...

Before someone buys any  Lake of the Ozarks real estate , it needs to be inspected by a professional.   Getting a home inspection done doesn't have to be a scary thing if you know how to prepare.     There are a few, simple things that you can do to make sure that your house is given the best review possible.  If you have kept up with regular maintenance of the home, then most of these things will already be taken care of.   Some sellers will have their own inspection done before the buyer's inspection. This is helpful in letting them know if any possible repairs have been overlooked, and these can be taken care of ahead of time.  An inspection is helpful to the buyer because it gives them a good idea of what they will be getting into if they buy the house.   Here are a few key things for you to do before a home inspection. 1. Make all areas easily accessible, both inside and out. The inspector will need to have easy access to everythi...

Adding outdoor living spaces to your home not only increases its value, but it's a great incentive for you to get outside and actually enjoy your own yard.   Real estate at the Lake of the Ozarks especially benefits from outdoor additions because this is the type of gorgeous area where people want to spend more time outside.  Here are 5 wonderful spaces that you may want to build in your backyard.   Pergolas A pergola is a an arbor, or archway, that covers an outdoor area.  It is usually made up of a wooden slatted roof and sides made of latticework.  This space offers a wonderful shaded area to relax.  Hanging plants or climbing vines add beauty to this enjoyable structure.         Deck or Patio A perfect place to grill, dine, play, tan, relax...  the list goes on and on.  If you choose to incorporate a screened-in area, you can even hang out there in rainy weather.  One very important thing to keep in mind ...