UW-Whitewater - Lake Study

Interesting findings on the economic impact of Delavan Lake.

The UW-Whitewater findings corroborate work in other places, including the university of Maine, which show that water clarity can improve property values.

But while clean water is certainly a boon for any lake, other factors might also be coming into play at Delavan Lake.

For one, Delavan Lake home prices are influenced by its location midway between Lake Geneva and Delavan, said Chris DeVincentis, a Lake Geneva real estate agent. It's also a big lake - more than 2,000 acres - attractive to boaters looking for lake property.

Perhaps the most important reason that Delavan Lake has become more popular is that even comparatively affluent buyers,many of them from Illinois, were priced out of the Lake Geneva market.

Lake Geneva homes are selling for an average of $2 million to $3 million. On Delavan Lake, it's $1 million to $2 million, DeVincentis said.

The UW-Whitewater study showed that property values moderated on Delavan Lake after 1995 and those on Lake Beulah and Lauderdale Lakes increased faster.

Part of the reason for the study is to show that the lake affects people beyond those who live there, said Mary Knipper, who has lived on the lake since 1974 and is president of the Delavan Lake Improvement Association.