Washington County Weekend Post

By Karen Stokes Special to Conley Media WEST BEND — The pan- demic has caused a major shift in the lives of most Americans with health con- cerns and a loss of jobs, but house hunters continue to purchase and sell their homes. Husband and wife team, Cyndi and Mark Seefeldt, assist buyers and sellers pursuing their home ownership dreams. "The first couple of weeks we had no idea what was going to happen," Cyndi said. "Moving forward every- thing was sort of at a stand- still. It was temporarily quiet, within two months it all picked up." Technology and doing business virtual- ly are tools many businesses are heavily relying on dur- ing the pandemic. This also is true for the real estate industry. "We are fortunate that we work for First Weber, they pride themselves on being ahead of the curve in technology. We were certain- ly set up to do this remote- ly," Mark said. At the onset of the pan- demic, open houses stopped for a while but they contin- ued in the fall. "The first open house we had was in September," Cyndi said. "People were respectful wearing masks and social distancing. The excitement was still there." As homebuyers shop for homes, mortgage rates remain at historic lows in general, which makes it a great time to get a home loan. "Interest rates are fan- tastic! We're closing on some of the lowest interest rates I've ever seen, which is excellent for giving buyers the ability to afford a home," Cyndi said. "If you're selling your home, prices are appreciat- ing and that's always a good thing for a seller. They also tend to sell quickly. The buyer, finding the home is the hardest part of the pro- ject because there are a lot of buyers and less homes for sale but when they do find one, they can afford a much nicer home than they might have been able to before," said Mark. Mark started as a home builder years ago. Once the houses were at a certain part of construction he would hire someone to list them. "I was paying another realtor to sell the houses so I thought it was the perfect opportunity for Cyndi to get going in a different career," Mark said. "I really wanted to do something to make a differ- ence. It's very satisfying to see people get excited and it's very rewarding to see the next step of their jour- ney in life," Cyndi said. "What I really enjoyed about building was to be able to see a completed pro- ject and seeing how happy you can make people by doing what you do. Real estate is different, you meet more people so you have the potential to make a lot more people happy," said Mark. "This was Mark's favorite recipe from his mom. Great holiday dessert, we also love to have for St. Patrick's day!," Cyndi said. 4A • WASHINGTON COUNTY POST • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 GMTODAY.COM West Bend couple give your dreams a home during the pandemic Real estate agents reflect on housing market Pistachio Ice Cream Torte 94 Ritz crackers — crushed 1 1/2 sticks butter — melted 3 small packages of instant pistachio pudding 2 1/4 cups milk 1/2 gallon vanilla frozen custard — let out to soften so it can be mixed Small container of Cool Whip 3 Heath candy bars — crushed Pour melted butter over crushed Ritz crackers and press into 9" by 13" pan. Let cool a bit (I sometimes use a bit more butter). Note: This is thick, make sure the sides on your pan are on the higher side. Mix pudding, milk and cus- tard and pour over Ritz cracker crust. Freeze for about 1/2 hour to firm up. Spread Cool Whip over top and sprinkle with crushed Heath bars. Cover with Saran wrap and foil and freeze. Remove from freezer 20-30 minutes before serving. 2021 Fish Fry Dining and Carryout Guide Photo submitted by Cyndi Seefeldt Cyndi and Mark Seefeldt Submitted photo From left, back row, Mark and Cindi Seefeldt with new home buyers Natalie and Luke Kasten.

• Cover