Thursday, September 19, 2013

A Fling on eBay

Leaving no stone unturned, we posted our listing on eBay for 30 Days.

We had a nice fifteen minutes of fame on eBay's Home Page yesterday.

Here is the article....

Why buy a condo when you can buy an island?
by Joe MacFarland posted Sept. 18 on eBay's home page.

Another day, another island for sale on eBay. Every six months or so, an island pops up on our eBay stories radar that strikes our fancy. We've told you recently about an affordable island in Tennessee, that ended up selling for a mere $99K. But that island was uninhabited without any structure...not exactly hassle-free.  Other islands we talked about--a private Caribbean island and an island off the coast of the Bahamas were either too far away or just too expensive. But this week we may have found the perfect medium, a Private Island for Sale--Treasure Island--located 120 Miles South of Chicago:


 
Offered for a Buy it now price of $599,000, this island is somewhat affordable.  Let's put it this way:  a 2-bedroom condominium in San Francisco goes for over $800,000 these days.  Why live in veritable isolation in the concrete jungles of the Bay Area when you can live on your own private island?
 
The listing goes into some detail about the island's amenities, including the beautiful, restored cottage:
 
Treasure Island is offered as the perfect gathering place for fun on the water--including approximately one hundred fifty feet of pier structures.  The island itself is over an acre, located on the South West portion of Lake Manitou, which lies 120 miles south of Chicago.  The home is a lovingly restored lake cottage--first constructed in 1902.  A full basement, foundation, and redwood siding were placed in the 1980's.  The point deck and roof were replaced a year ago.  The well runs 100' deep with full compliment of water treatment and filtering.  The all electric homes runs with a 200 amp service from shore.  The septic system is state of the art and large enough to accommodate a second home on the island (foundation is already in place).  All lawn is fully irrigated complete with drip system for flowers around the house. 
 
Your purchase includes a lot on the shore with 18' of waterfront with pier.  A pontoon boat is included for easy access between the island and the shore. The island is beautifully lit for enjoying the warm Midwestern summer nights. The steady breeze makes outdoor life a pleasure, while central heat and air accomplish the same end for the home. The seawall surrounding the habited part of the island makes a broad perimeter walk, punctuated by period lanterns. The internal walkways are lined with pin lights so you may retain your night vision to enjoy the wildlife and fireflies.
 
You can fish at midnight off the 12' x 12' swim deck which floats off the point (where once there was a wedding for eighty guests). Alice's deck, through the gate in the fence, is a raised platform for viewing the "wild" half of the island.
 
 
The location is ideal, close to both Chicago and Indianapolis.  And if you don't think it suited for a family, you'd be wrong.  There is ample fun for the kids--who wouldn't love to swim, fish, sail, and enjoy island living as a toddler or teen?  And as they get older, Culver Academy, one of the Midwest's premier prep schools, is located nearby.  Once the kids are ready for college, Notre Dame or Purdue are only 65 miles away.  Should the kids want to move back to the island with their own families, there is room for another house on the island, with the foundation already laid.  Perfect, right?

Sure island living is not for everyone.  But it sure beats working for a living.
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The above story appeared on eBay's home page yesterday.  It generated some 12,000 views for the listing and another 2,000 views for this blog.  We're still looking for a buyer, though.  Jump right in!




Saturday, September 14, 2013

The Balloon Man






As summer wanes toward fall and the winds move to a light ebb, we are graced by visits from the balloon man. He dares the island tree tops, and then drops to the surface of the lake. His approach is heralded by the "wrush wrush" of the burners. I didn't hear him in time to get close with the camera--but he is a colorful sight even in the distance.