What makes these Fox Valley homes worth a million dollars, or more? Often, it's the view

Editor's note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect the amount of weight a lift at 94 Hidden Acres Court in Appleton can hold. It is a 15,000-pound lift.

Last year, the Wisconsin Realtors Association reported the yearly average price of homes sold in Outagamie county was $261,100.

While there are several million dollar properties throughout the Fox Valley, it might seem rare to come across a residential property of that price. According to Linda Sanderfoot, real-estate agent with Coldwell Banker, most of the million dollar properties in the Fox Valley area tend to be along the water.

But with homes priced so high, are realtors having trouble selling these expensive luxury homes?

These homes aren't just being served to area residents. Alex Mabry, real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, said she's seeing a number of buyers from out of state come to the Fox Cities to look for luxury housing.

Sanderfoot said expensive homes spend varying time on the market based on numerous factors including price, location and any contingencies that might come with purchasing.

We asked local realtors about some of the most expensive homes recently listed in the Fox Valley area. Check out these four waterfront properties.

Floor-to-ceiling windows show Lake Winnebago sunsets

This waterfront property on Lake Road in Menasha sold in June for its listing price of $1.75 million. The floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the home give a perfect view of Lake Winnebago, the wildlife and sunrises. A spiral staircase leads to the second floor, where three of the four bedrooms can be found.

The master bedroom, on the main floor, is complete with a full bath and two separate, his-and-hers walk-in closets. The lakeside property has access to a dock where residents can park their boats. Additionally, the handcrafted fire place and the "cooks delight" kitchen add to the charm of this home. A four car garage complete the 7,360-square-foot home.

Sanderfoot said one of the prime features of the home is its waterfront location.

"We've had very few waterfronts over the last five years," Sanderfoot said. "So when they come on, if they're priced, right, they'll go really quick."

Sanderfoot said the home was on the market for one week before being purchased.

Is three stories worth $2 million?

This three-story home at 94 Hidden Acres Court in Appleton covers 154 feet of the Fox River and consists of four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. It is built into the hillside of the property, overlooking a leveled backyard and a dock with power, water and a 15,000-pound lift.

The owners custom built the home for their family of six in 2003 so that every room has a view of the Fox River. It comes with two kitchens, a bar, an executive office, a gym and more.

This $2 million home has been on the market for nearly seven months, according to Mabry, who listed the property. That can be normal for million dollar properties.

"Nicer, high end homes, we put a lot of money into marketing them, but we we kind of know already that anything a million or more is going to take no less than six months, typically a year if not longer." Mabry said.

Mabry said this home's lengthy time on the market might be due to a purchase contingency that comes with buying the property.

A million-dollar view from every room of a solar-paneled house

This six-bedroom, six-bathroom home is listed at $1.85 million is uniquely built and inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. In spans more than 300 feet of the Fox River on South Mason Street in Appleton.

The home is built along the bend of the river, on a semi-circular piece of property with lush forestry surrounding the home to provide privacy. There is heated flooring throughout the house.

A large selling point to the 7,000-square-foot home is the large, modern kitchen that comes with three ovens, a cooktop, a built-in refrigerator, beverage drawers and more.

A backyard with three different tiered patios is completed by a staircase that leads to a lower deck.

Most unique about this property, however, is the 50 solar panels along the roof that can be controlled via an app.

"Instead of paying an electric bill every month, there are a lot of months where they're getting paid instead," said Danielle Hart, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker, who listed the property.

The home has been on the market for just about a month, but Hart said there's a possibility that it could stay there for much longer, especially considering the uniqueness of the home.

"Whenever a home is even over a million in the Fox Valley, the average days on market for those type of properties is around 200," she said d.

Hart said this is partly because of the amount of people that can afford it, stating that there have been more than 50,000 views of this home on social media websites, but not nearly that many offers.

"The reality is that the number of buyers gets smaller and smaller based on the price, and then it's also going to shrink based on the uniqueness of the house. So I do anticipate that it's going to take a very specific buyer that is going to fall in love with all the features of this home," Hart said.

Relax in a near $1 million home with a built-in sauna

A near million dollar home on Briarcliff Drive in Appleton is another waterfront property with eye catching amenities.

The property is listed at $995,000 and is listed under "active offer no bump," meaning the seller is including a clause in the contract stating that any other offers that come in after the initial offer has been accepted will not be considered, even if they are higher.

The four-bedroom, three full, two half bathroom home sits alongside the Fox River, complete with a dock around the back of the home. The master bedroom overlooks the water and features a private bath and tiled shower. The home has soaring ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows and a gas fireplace.

Additionally, the home boasts a family room with a custom bar and controlled wine cellar, a theater room, exercise room and even a sauna.

An offer was made fairly quickly, and accepted, as showings poured in almost as soon as the home was listed, according to Sanderfoot.

Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-226-4241 or jburns1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @burns_jelissa.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Million dollar waterfront homes in the Appleton, Menasha