Finding A Home In Your Hometown

There’s no place quite like home.

Many of us move away from our hometowns and spend time in new cities, states, and even countries; but having a place back in your hometown can be a special opportunity.

For Eric Brakken, having ties back to the area in which he was raised, was something he felt was the right move for him and his family.

“I grew up in the Milwaukee area but have lived in Florida for the past two decades,” Brakken said. “My parents both passed away in the past 18 months and we sold the home I grew up in last summer, so for the first time, I have no place to go back to when I come to visit, which is often.  I love being up in Wisconsin — particularly in the summer — and having a place of our own to come to makes planning family trips up there even easier.”  

A key element for the Brakkens was finding the right Shorewood duplex to utilize one floor as a rental unit, and the other as an Airbnb, or family home during visits to Wisconsin.

“My wife and I have been talking about getting into real estate investing for some time,” Brakken added. “So this seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the first step. Having a place the entire family can come to when we visit Wisconsin combined with making some income seemed like a perfect solution.”

When FRG Agent Ginger Lazovik heard about the Brakkens hopes, she jumped on the unique opportunity, using her agent-to-agent network to put together the perfect single-party home in Shorewood for this set-up.

“Ginger was fantastic, and the entire FRG team has made the process easy for me to purchase this home from thousands of miles away. They were very creative in searching out this off-market deal once she understood what I was looking for,” Brakken said. “She understood that the sellers might be interested in an offer at the right price, helped me write up an offer they might accept with an exit clause within 72 hours of the offer being accepted, and then was able to help me be able to see the property remotely to make that final decision once the buyers accepted our offer and helped us a create a deal to land it the moment it dropped.”

“This worked out so well for everyone involved,” Lazovik said. “It’s a very creative way to have an income property that also functions as a lovely and welcoming home for your personal use! I was hooked when I heard what the Brakken’s were looking for and wanted to get them a great spot that provided this multi-functional opportunity for them in Shorewood.”

If you’re moving to Wisconsin or just hoping to find a new place in it, Falk Ruvin Gallagher wants to be the team that helps you find the perfect opportunity.

“I have always heard that having a great real estate agent is a fundamental part of finding great real estate investment deals, and in my first deal I would certainly say that has been my exact experience with Falk Ruvin Gallagher,” said Brakken.

Whether you’re near or far, reach out to our team at Falk Ruvin Gallagher and let us help you fulfill your real estate aspirations!

“This is a great example of when the market doesn't have what your buyer needs, you go out and work the phone until you find it!” said Lazovik.