Lake Life

Enjoy Loon Watching – A Favorite Up North Minnesota Pastime

18 June 2021
Tommy Lindquist
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Categories: Blog, Cabin Life, Lake Life

June is a great time to watch for baby loons on the lake, and it’s a real treat to see a chick riding on a parent’s back! Loon chicks spend the first several days under the wing or on a parent’s back to retain body heat. After that, the chicks are totally dependent on their parents for food initially but start diving for longer and longer periods as they grow and provide about half of their own food by five weeks. They can’t fly, though, until about nine weeks.

Did you know that when the young loons fly south in October or November, they won’t be back up this way again for probably three years! While they’re gone, they usually stay on the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic until they once again return to Minnesota. 

What’s really cool is that when they return to Minnesota, they will supposedly return to the SAME LAKE that they were born on. If you’d like to learn more about loons, check out the National Loon Center website. Enjoy loon watching this summer!

Bill Hansen Realty is the Northern Minnesota lakeshore real estate leader. Click here to find your Up North property today!

Your Memorial Day Barbecue Must-Haves

25 May 2021
Tommy Lindquist
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Categories: Blog, Cabin Life, Lake Life, Northern Minnesota Things to Do, Vacation Property

It’s almost Memorial Day weekend, the official start of summer in Minnesota! We’ve got you covered with all the last-minute must-haves for your BBQs at the cabin this weekend.

Check out this list:

Grilling Tool Set

Over 2,200 people give this Cuisinart set a 5-star rating.

Patriotic Banners

Red and blue patriotic banners that you can re-use for the 4th of July as well.

Star-topped Straws

Sip in style with the festive straws that add a bit of fun to your drinks.

Inflatable Projector Screen

Enjoy your favorite films on the big screen anytime with your family and friends while grilling out. If you hurry, you grab this one for only around $118 while it’s on sale!

48 FT Outdoor String Lights 

Commercial Grade and weatherproof string lights to light up your BBQ into the wee hours of the night.

FREEZE™ Cooling Cups by HOST®

Choose from wine, beer, tumblers, or many other styles of glasses that keep your drinks cooler, longer.

Need some grilling ideas? Check out this list. 

Have a great, safe Memorial Day weekend from all of us at Bill Hansen Realty! Click here to see our latest listings.

Spring Fishing Up North in Minnesota

24 May 2021
Tommy Lindquist
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Categories: Blog, Lake Life

Minnesota is one of America’s premier walleye fishing destinations! It also happens to be our state fish. They’re as fun to fish for as they are good fighters. They taste excellent and are common throughout most of Minnesota.

Here are three handy tips for fishing for walleye this spring:

Think Shallow

Fish will be shallow in the spring; think no more than 12-13 feet deep

Switch Up Your Bait

Try jigs and minnows in the morning and slip bobber and a minnow in the evening. 

Slow is Key

Remember it’s spring and the water is still cold. Fish have just finished spawning and aren’t moving very fast yet, so neither should your bait.

Check out the Minnesota DNR website for more walleye fishing tips.

Have fun and I hope you have a great fishing season!

4 Tips for Getting Your Boat Ready for Summer Fun

26 April 2021
Tommy Lindquist
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Categories: Blog, Cabin Life, Lake Life, Lake Property, Northern Minnesota Things to Do

Spring is here, and now is a great time to prepare your boat for the upcoming summer fun! There are many different types and sizes of boats, so you will need to create your own spring de-winterizing checklist based on what you have.

But here are a few general tips to remember:

Double-check the drain plug

It’s such a simple thing that has caused many people a lot of angst. Don’t assume it’s there; double-check! 

Verify Registration and Permits

Ensure all your watercraft registrations, permits, and any necessary stickers are up to date before you launch in the water.

Inspect Safety  Equipment

Make sure lifejackets are in good condition, and you have the correct number of them on your boat. And, if you have kids, make sure they still fit and are the correct size. Check your fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, and fresh batteries for any sound signaling devices or handheld radios.

Don’t forget the trailer

If you need to trailer your boat to launch, don’t forget to inspect the trailer first since lots can happen over the winter! Check the tire pressure, brake fluid level, tongue lock, and safety chains, and test the lights and electrical connections. 

If you’re not familiar with or need a refresh on Minnesota’s boating and water regulations, please click here for lots of great info.

Find your Up North property with Bill Hansen Realty, the market leader in Northern Minnesota!
Click here to contact us and get started today.

Foraging Season in Minnesota!

20 April 2021
Tommy Lindquist
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Categories: Blog, Cabin Life, Lake Life, Lake Property, Northern Minnesota Things to Do

Enjoy the Outdoors and Have Fun Foraging Up North in Minnesota

Spring is the start of foraging season Up North in Minnesota. Many people love foraging because it’s adventurous and gives them a chance to get out, hike around, and pick delicious, local, wild food. 

If there’s one critical thing to know when foraging, it’s to be 100% positive you know exactly what you’re harvesting! A misidentified food can make you sick or worse. The second important thing to keep in mind when foraging is to know the land you are harvesting from. Don’t trespass on private property! Rules are different for city and state parks, National Forest land, and BLM land, so do some research ahead of time to figure out where foraging is allowed.

The early foraging season in Minnesota is all about the greens and early mushrooms. Here are three early-season foods that foragers look for during the spring:

Ramps

Otherwise known as wild leeks, ramps are among the first plants to emerge from the ground in spring. Many people don’t know that Minnesota ramp flushes are dwindling due to the uptick in foraging, so please gather these sustainably!

Fiddlehead ferns

Look for fiddlehead ferns in low areas on the edges of marshes and other waterways. Cut the heads before they unfurl; the closer they are to the ground, the better. 

Mushrooms

Up North in Minnesota, morels can appear as late as mid-May when the ground temperature reaches at least 50 degrees. You will want to start foraging them when the air temperature gets to around 65-70, and there have been a few to several days of rain.

For more information on foraging in Minnesota, click here. Have fun and be safe!

Opening the Cabin

24 March 2021
Tommy Lindquist
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Categories: Blog, Cabin Life, Lake Life, Lake Property, Vacation Property

Opening the cabin is a rite of spring for many Minnesotans. Coming back to your home away from home Up North is something to look forward to!

Here are some tips to help you plan your first weekend back at the cabin:

Before you go

Check your boat registration and insurance status to see if anything needs to be renewed, and make sure you have copies to keep on the boat. It’s also a good idea to schedule any services you need, like dock installation. Waiting too long can put you on a waitlist, which is no fun when you’ve slogged through a long winter already! Also, remember to turn on any services that you had shut off for the winter.

Do an opening inspection

A safety inspection should be at the top of your list; upon arriving, test your smoke detector and C02 batteries, turn on water/heating, and inspect for any external damage that may have happened over the winter.

Check for critter damage

Be on the lookout for holes in your screens, siding, gnawed wires, or rodent droppings. Any of these can signal that critters found their way into your home and made themselves cozy over the winter.

Restock necessities

Toss any expired canned food or staples leftover from last year and do an inventory on basics you might need to shop for. Things like sunscreen, batteries, bug spray, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and paper towels are some of the main items to check for.

Thinking about buying a lake home Up North this year?  With offices in Longville, Hackensack, and Walker, we can help you find the best properties in the state. Our area offers over 130 clear water lakes within thirty minutes, including the Woman Lake Chain, Ten Mile Lake, and Leech Lake. Contact us today!

Maple Syrup Season in Minnesota – A Delicious Time of Year

11 March 2021
Tommy Lindquist
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Categories: Blog, Cabin Life, Lake Life, Northern Minnesota Things to Do

Is your favorite part of pancakes the maple syrup topping? If so, get ready for maple syrup season in Minnesota. Here in the land of 10,000 lakes, March is maple syrup month. Sap usually runs from about March 15 to April 20. 

To get pure maple syrup requires boiling down the sap of the maple tree. Pure maple syrup is produced in the northern United States and Canada during the early spring months. Minnesota is one of seventeen states and three provinces in Canada that produce pure maple syrup on a commercial scale. Our state isn’t a huge producer, but we do produce around 13,000 gallons per year. Even so, that is less than 1% of the maple market. 

Minnesota has four types of native maple trees that grow large enough to tap for syrup: red, sugar, silver maples, and boxelder. The sugar maple is the favorite of syrup makers because its sap is the sweetest of the different maple trees.

Many Minnesota state parks offer syrup-making events in March. You can watch the event calendar at this link for upcoming events!

Four Ways to Finance Your Minnesota Dream Cabin

23 February 2021
Tommy Lindquist
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Categories: Blog, Cabin Life, Lake Life, Lake Property, Minnesota Cabin Real Estate, Minnesota Real Estate, Northern Minnesota Real Estate, Vacation Property

If you dream of owning a cabin in Northern Minnesota, now is a great time to pursue that dream! One question potential cabin buyers always have is how to pay for it. When it comes to financing a cabin, you have multiple options:

Second-Home Loan

If you’ve already paid off your first mortgage or would like a conventional loan for your cabin up north in Minnesota, getting a vacation home loan is your first option. We recommend using a mortgage lender who specializes in second homes in the local area. These lenders will have ready financing sources and understand the required rules and specifics of the place you’re buying in.

Cash-Out Refinance

If you have equity in your home and it makes financial sense, you might be able to refinance at the current rate and get the cash to buy your vacation home by doing a cash-out refinance. A cash-out refinance allows you to replace your current loan with a new mortgage loan for a larger amount than the existing mortgage and keep the difference between the two loans in cash. 

Home Equity Loan 

Home equity loans are a very popular way of financing a cabin. They allow you to borrow money against the equity you’ve built up in your home. This type of loan is a lump-sum payout with a fixed interest rate and is paid off in equal monthly payments, like the mortgage on your primary home. 

Go in with Friends or Family

Sometimes buying your Minnesota dream cabin might feel out of reach. One option you could consider is going in on a vacation property with friends or family. Two checkbooks are larger than one and could make buying a vacation home achievable. 

Need help finding your dream cabin in Northern Minnesota? We would love to help! Bill Hansen Realty is the market leader in Northern Minnesota. Please click here to contact us.

Three Fantastic Silent Sports You Need to Try in Northern Minnesota

22 January 2021
Andrew Hofstetter
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Categories: Blog, Lake Life, Northern Minnesota Things to Do

The quiet of a winter’s day up north in Minnesota is something everyone needs to experience. Crisp winter air, lightly falling snow, and the beauty of the forest is something to behold!

Not everyone enjoys the long, cold winter here. But when you discover the beauty of winter silent sports, a long winter can be pure bliss.

Cross Country Skiing & Snowshoeing

There are miles of trails in the area for cross country skiing and snowshoeing, but the Chippewa National Forest and the Shingobee Recreational Area are among the most popular places to hit the trails. Itasca State Park is another excellent place you’ll want to check out.

Fat Tire Biking 

Like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, you can find fat tire bike trails pretty easily around Walker, Minnesota. But one of the best fat bike trail systems in the state is within an hour of us. With over 25 miles of groomed single track trails, Cuyuna tops the charts for fun on your fattie. The scenery is spectacular, and you can even bike into town on Main Street Crosby for a beer and food during your mid-day break.

Winter’s peaceful landscape is ideal for silent sports in northern Minnesota. I hope you get out and enjoy at least one of them!

The Best Snowmobiling Fun in Northern Minnesota

6 January 2021
Andrew Hofstetter
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Categories: Blog, Cabin Life, Lake Life

Winter in Northern Minnesota is spectacular, and we are fortunate to enjoy a plethora of winter activities, including cross-country skiing, ice fishing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling.

Snowmobiling is a particular favorite of many Minnesotans, and if you’re looking for some great trails to ride, you won’t have to look far.

Paul Bunyan Trail

The Paul Bunyan trail is hugely popular, with over 120 miles of groomed trails; don’t forget your map! It’s perfect for all levels of riders and offers 14 trail towns to stop and enjoy along the way. For more information about the Paul Bunyan Trail, click here.

Heartland Trail

The 50-mile Heartland Trail runs from Park Rapids to Cass Lake and is a local favorite due to the stunning forest of towering pine forests and the many lakes and streams it weaves around and over. For more info on the Heartland Trail, click here.

Chippewa National Forest

The Chippewa National Forest is another great place to snowmobile, with over 315 miles of trails that can be accessed. You’ll love the views along the trails, which include scenic woodlands, frozen wetlands, and 1,300 lakes! The trails connect to nearly 200 miles of routes beyond the Forest. For more information, please click here.

Stay safe, and enjoy the special time of winter up north in Minnesota!