15 Grandkids and an Oak Truck!

St. Cloud based photographer Brady Hughs, of Brady Hughs Photography, recently used the old truck in front of our Annandale office for a family session. The photo of 15 grandchildren, taken for their grandfather, was fun and patriotic! Here is one of his finished images…

Thanks Brady for having some fun in our front yard, we love it!

Days of Old this Saturday!

Maple Lake’s Days of Old celebration is this Saturday, August 21, and there is fun for everyone in town. Put on by the Maple Lake Chamber of Commerce, downtown events begin at 7:30 a.m. with the Fire Department Walk for Life and end at 1 a.m. Sunday with the KRWC Road Show. Check out the 6th Annual Vintage Car, Cycle and Tractor Show, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. There’s a 10k, Fun Run, Bean Bag Tournament, free music, games, raffles and more. Fireworks at dusk! The forecast looks perfect at 83 degrees and sunny… go have some fun in Maple Lake!

Huge Lakeshore Open this Weekend!

We’re opening 13 lake homes this Saturday, June 26th from 11-1 p.m. This is a fantastic opportunity to see a variety of homes across many area lakes.  Download a flyer and chart a course through the tour. There is something for everyone!

For more information and photos of these homes, visit www.oakrealtymn.com and click on Buyers > Open Houses.

Maps will also be available in our office!

Our Yard Transformation

A day by day transformation of the roadside appearance of our Annandale Office continues. First the new patio, followed by a new grade for the lawn to create the perfect spot for our sixth Oak truck. Helping hands from the Oak team added beautiful landscaping over Memorial Weekend. Our signage will get its turn when it will undergo a well-needed makeover in the coming weeks. The stone wrapped pillars were just the start to giving our billboard a brand new look.

Here is a look at the process so far, if you haven’t been keeping an eye on things from Highway 55 as a regular passerby!

John refinished that beautiful old canoe!

Spring Property Portfolio is now available!

The latest edition of our Heart of the Lakes Property Portfolio is here. View it and subscribe online. Pick up print copies at The Bay Club, Miller’s Jewelry, The Snooty Fox Gallery & Gifts, Albion Ridges GC, A.M. Boutique, O’Brothers Wine & Spirits and Madigans Pub & Grill.

Grab a copy. Share it with a friend. Flip through it online. Subscribe. Enjoy! (p.s. we love feedback!)

Clearwater Maps are Here!

Easily logging the most hours in its creation, our Clearwater Lake map is the last in our series of 7 area lake maps and is finally complete! This limited edition map is available now in a 20×24 wall-sized format. Stop in our office for a free print!

These one-of-a-kind maps accurately show how property is laid out along the shores of our area’s most well-known lakes.

Other maps still in stock include:

Pleasant Lake/Lake John
French Lake
Cedar Lake
Granite/Camp Lakes
Sugar/Indian Lakes
Lake Sylvia (only a few remaining!)

All of our custom maps, plus many more individual lake and Annandale area maps, are free to download here. Downloaded files will print in an 8.5×11 format.

Introducing our new HOTL Property Portfolio!

It’s an exciting week in our office, as we introduce our new Heart of the Lakes Property Portfolio! This catalog is the result of a year or more of discussions and development surrounding the idea. Ready for a new approach in advertising, we’ve created this beautiful publication – a comprehensive look at local real estate opportunities represented by Oak – in both a print version (available by request and at a number of local businesses) and in a fun, interactive online edition.

Our Early Spring 2010 catalog is available now. Visit our web site and sign-up to have it sent directly to your inbox upon its release five times each year.

Please, let us know what you think! Enjoy it… and pass it along!

(A snapshot of the digital version)

All Things Spring

Phew… There has been an awful lot going on around here lately! Exhausting and exciting at the same time. We’re introducing a new marketing piece in the coming week, we’re packing for the Lake Home & Cabin Show and preparing for the Annandale Expo, both coming in mid-April,… and since the ice is out (which makes it officially “Spring” here) we thought we would get into a little re-landscaping too! (okay – maybe not so little… watch for a whole new look coming to our front yard this spring!)

The sidewalk went out today…

What does this old canoe have to do with anything? You’ll have to wait and see…

The Lake Home & Cabin Show gets underway a week from today at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This show never disappoints, so if you’re around the metro next Friday, Saturday or Sunday, stop in! We promise it’s worth the trip and hope to see you there.

If you’re in the Heart of the Lakes tomorrow, many of us will be working or attending the annual Lion’s Easter Egg Hunt in town. This is a great tradition! Come join the fun at Annandale City Park. Hunting starts at 10 a.m. sharp!

St. Patty’s Day Parade in Maple Lake

This past Saturday a number of team members from our Annandale and Maple Lake offices took part in the Maple Lake Annual St. Patty’s Day Parade. After about three straight days of rainy weather we were more than pleased with a cloudy, but dry afternoon. The parade seemed to be moving much quicker than past years, needless to say even with six of us passing out candy we couldn’t reload our buckets fast enough! I can safely say the highlight of our day was seeing happy kids, yes candy will do that! Enjoy some of the pictures we took throughout the parade.

Maple Lake’s 1st Arctic Plunge!

This was the first year of the Arctic Plunge held last Saturday, January 30th. The money raised was divided between the Maple Lake Fire Department, Maple Lake School and the Maple Lake Lake Association. Somewhere between 25-30 people jumped into the icy waters of Maple Lake. Hundreds attended the event and were widely entertained! Watch this week’s Maple Lake Messenger for winners of the costume contest.

These great photos were taken by Charlene, who’s family can be seen participating in the event!

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