Lake Geneva Beach Club Home Sells for $7 Million

A home at an exclusive club on Geneva Lake sold for $7 million in an off-market transaction this month as real estate in the Wisconsin resort town shows no signs of slowing.

The 6,000 square-foot home at N1561 East Lakeside Lane in Linn, Wisconsin, is part of the South Shore Club community. Located on the former campus of the Northwestern Military Academy on the southwest end of the lake, the 40-acre development has about 40 homes that share a private beach.

Homeowners also share docks and boats, with a staff that keeps boats fueled and maintained and will drive homeowners around the lake if requested. The club also has a pool, pickleball and tennis courts and other amenities, supported by a $2,350-per-month fee.

The convenience of South Shore Club’s maintenance-free shared amenities has attracted buyers who sold their lakefront houses, said Tricia Forbeck, a Compass agent who represented the seller.

“Everything’s at your fingertips, and you don’t have to do anything,” Forbeck said of the community.

The house is one of the priciest to sell around the lake in recent years. Another home in the same development sold in August for $10.1 million after the buyer made an unsolicited offer to purchase the house.

Forbeck marketed the $7 million house privately for about 10 days and showed it to about eight potential buyers before receiving an offer. The offer came in mid-September, and the sale closed on Monday.

The buyer was represented by David Curry of Geneva Lakefront Realty, who did not respond to a request for comment.

Forbeck declined to identify the seller. Property records show the home was previously owned under a trust associated with Todd Mintz, who bought the property in 2018 for $2.7 million. Mintz paid about $31,800 in property taxes last year, county records show. Records that could identify the buyer are not yet available.

Forbeck said the seller put significant work into updating and improving the house, which needed maintenance when it was bought in 2018.

About a 90 minute drive from Chicago, Lake Geneva is a favorite second-home location for city residents. Recent lakefront listings in the community have been grabbed up fast by eager buyers. Just this month, two other homes closed for $8.7 million and $8.6 million after going under contract in a matter of days.

A handful of other listings hit the market in September and found buyers in just a few days.

“Demand is over the top, and there’s not much inventory,” Forbeck said. “There’s right now only two lakefronts on the market that aren’t under contract.”