New Listing - 1687 Andover, Howell 48843

You'll love it here!  Paved roads, sidewalks, and Hartland Schools.  Close to shopping and the US-23 interchange at M-59, commuters to Ann Arbor find this neighborhood very convenient.

Gorgeous, well-maintained bi-level home in Millpointe of Hartland features over 1700 sq ft of living space with some finished walkout space in the lower level.  Rear of lot backs to a wooded area for privacy and nature views. Vaulted ceilings, gas fireplace, hardwood floor in dining area.  HOA dues only $110/quarter.

Open house Saturday, July 20th, 1-3 pm.  See the listing sheet here.  MLS# 213070592

Intentional Underbuilding Conspiracy?

I came across this article in Realtor Mag’s Daily News section today.  Citing an article from the Phoenix Business Journal, it states that, “New-home builders don’t appear too anxious to help meet the demand.” 

To be fair, they do mention the lack of qualified tradesmen and the fear of another housing bubble that is keeping builders cautious.  It also suggests that perhaps this is being done to keep prices higher in view of short inventory.

Personally, I can’t speak to the desert Southwest’s conditions, but in this area (West Oakland and Livingston), it appears that builders are pretty active - and they seem to be ramping up. But that takes time.  I have heard that there is difficulty finding qualified tradesmen, and that they are shopping work for the best rates – but who wouldn’t do that?

And in SE Michigan there are still not a lot of lenders doing construction loans. That means if you’re not a pretty good sized builder with a lot of office staff you’re taking time to try to find finance solutions for your potential clients instead of working on new homes.

I don't buy the premise that new builds are low just to keep prices up, and I'd have preferred a less dramatic title. Something like, “Why Are So Few New Homes Being Built,” or something less paranoid.  What do you think?

Disaster Recovery For Your Home

How would you recover from a disaster at your home? What would you do if a tree fell on your house, or if a storm ripped off the roof?  How about a flooded basement?  Of course, these things seem to happen in the middle of the night, to make things worse.

I had an opportunity to talk with Shawn McDonough of Laurens Construction Company about this kind of event.  Shawn is a former insurance adjuster – so he knows that side of the business pretty well.  As a repair specialist for Laurens Construction, a 24/7 response company that serves all of SE Michigan, he’s seen some pretty amazing things.

This interview is just under 9 minutes long.  Listen to it – then call your insurance agent and review your coverage.  If there’s anything worse that your home suffering damage at the hands of Mother Nature, it’s finding out you’re not carrying the right rider to your homeowner’s policy.

Bob Smith, SRES
Preview Properties, PC
130 W. Grand River, Brighton, MI 48116
810-220-1478
http://www.RealEstateMich.com

Keeping Wine Fresh

I don’t often have wine that sticks around for more than a few days after being opened, but for those of you that do, you may have struggled with keeping wine fresh.  This is definitely more of a problem with red wine.  White wine can be capped and placed in the refrigerator and seems to ‘keep’ so much easier.

A few years ago, I purchased a Vacu-vin for around $10.  Special stoppers and a hand pump that suck the air out of the wine bottle works very well for my short term storage of open bottles.  But I came across an article this morning that reviewed five different wine storage techniques – with varying prices and varying degrees of effectiveness.

I know that wine is a much more popular choice for many people than in years past and thought I’d share it with you (the article, not the wine!).  If you have a favorite way to keep your wine fresh, feel free to share it here.

image courtesy of vacuvinusa.com

Free Fishing Derby For Kids - Brighton Michigan

Saturday, June 8th, from 8:30-11:00, the Brighton Optimists will hold their annual Free Fishing Derby for Kids in Downtown Brighton, at the Millpond.  Registration starts at 7:30am.

Bring your rod and reel and a bucket for the fish. This is a catch and release event. We also have a limited number of loaner poles and buckets.  Free bait while supply lasts.  We will provide free pizza to the kids and the local jump rope team (Jumpin' Allstars) will be performing prior to awards.

While you’re downtown for the fishing derby on Saturday, be sure to check out the Farmer’s Market.  The kids will enjoy the Imagination Station, too.  And if they get warm, you can cool them off at Jack’s Custard, the Dairy Queen, or the Yum Yum Tree.  Plenty of options!  For a complete list of downtown events and businesses, check out the downtown Brighton web site!


The Brighton Optimists are looking for community service-minded individuals. If you have an interest in making your community a better place to live, contact them at info@BrightonOptimist.org.

Drones and Real Estate

This article about an experimental drone system to deliver Domino’s® Pizza caught my eye.  Tongue-in-cheek, I wondered if the pizza was still hot when delivered.  But it made me think about a short excerpt that I saw back in March about drones (technically called ‘unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAV’s) and real estate.

A few real estate professionals have experimented with camera-carrying drones to get wonderful photos of their listings.  And why not?  In the past, if you had a large parcel of land or a magnificent estate, agents would hire small airplanes or helicopters with photographers to get photos that would show the property at its best.  Now, with drones, it can be done quicker and more affordably.

Ah, but there’s a catch. Isn’t there always?

Local law enforcement and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have ordered some drone operators to cease, citing lack of regulations for commercial use - and this is considered a commercial use.  Congress has ordered the FAA to have a plan by September 2015, although it’s expected that there will be guidelines for units that weigh less than 55 lbs or less earlier than that, perhaps by the end of this year.

Still photos are easier to get with a UAV than video footage, due to motion stability issues.  A quick internet search revealed that you can buy a drone from around $100 up to over $5,000.  Some Realtors® cited in the articles say that they paid $700-$900 for theirs.  I guess it’s OK for consumers, but for now, drones and real estate is off limits.

Domino’s® Pizza, which stirred me to write this blog entry, is an early adopter of technology.  They were the first to use an insulated heat bag to keep pizza warm, developed the first corrugated pizza box, and later started the online pizza builder and order tracking service.  For the record, I have no affiliation with them and consider their product ‘alright’.  Not the best pizza I’ve ever eaten, and certainly not the worst.

photo courtesy of victor habbic/freedigitalphotos.net

Freddie Mac Consumer Credit Tutorial

First, for those who are really new to the process of buying a home, here’s a little bit of background.  The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), commonly referred to as ‘Freddie Mac’ is a corporation authorized by Congress to provide a secondary market for residential mortgages.  It is a public government-sponsored enterprise (GSE),   which buys mortgages on the secondary market, pools them, and sells them as a mortgage-backed security (MBS) to investors on the open market. This secondary mortgage market increases the supply of money available for mortgage lending and increases the money available for new home purchases.  You may have heard of Freddie Mac’s sister, Fannie Mae, another GSE.  They’ve both been in the news a lot over the last few years.  Not as much as the Kardashian’s, but still quite a lot.

Freddie Mac has come out with a free 12 part consumer tutorial called CreditSmart®.  The stated goals of this program are to understand the importance of building credit, see how lenders assess your eligibility for a mortgage loan, recognize the warning signs of predatory lending and scams, learn the steps to successful homeownership and safeguard your home and your finances against life’s unexpected challenges.  It also has a module that talks about what to do if you ever have difficulty making your mortgage payments.

It’s recommended that you take the modules in order to get the most out of the program.  Each module can take up to 20 or 30 minutes, but you can do them at your own pace.  If you’re a potential first time buyer, or if you have bruised credit and are thinking about a home purchase, you would be well off to go through this series. You can find it here.

Livingston Realtors Food Drive – May 4th

Every year the Livingston County Association of Realtors conducts their ‘Fill The Gazebos’ food drive in downtown Brighton and Howell .  May 4^th is the day for 2013. Cars can drive up and have volunteers take food donations, which are piled under the gazebos.

Collectors can also be found at some of the larger grocery stores, piling extra food into pickup trucks for the food drive.  Many local real estate brokerages are collection sites in the weeks leading up to May 4^th, also.  We load the food into trucks and it gets taken to the food pantry in Genoa Township, to serve our area’s hungriest families.

Please consider participating this year.  You can drop off food at Preview Properties real estate office (130 W. Grand River, Brighton 48116) before the event, or drive down Main Street in Brighton on May 4^th and have volunteers take it – you won’t even have to park (but you will have to stop!). The gazebo at the historic Howell Court House is another collection site.

I regret that I’ll be at a conference that day so I can’t volunteer, but I will be making my own food donation before that date.  Keep an eye out for sales and think about buying a few extra cans or boxes of food for the drive.  Some items that are wanted are meat sauce, macaroni and cheese, canned meat, peanut butter & jelly and cereal.  See the flyer here.

Signs Of Spring

We live in a big country.  We have almost every conceivable global climate within our borders. It shouldn’t surprise us that here in SE Michigan, we can have a very lovely Spring day while our friends in Colorado are getting hammered by a snow storm.  But there are always little joys if you have your eyes and ears open.

I had the windows down as I drove today, and in a wetland area, the peepers were almost deafening.  I pulled over and just listened to the chorus of small frogs carry on for a number of minutes. 

My tulips have started to sprout, but are still quite short.  Our winter has been stubborn this year, so even with a couple of warm days, I expect more cold days to come.  Visiting a listing today, I was made happy by the appearance of another harbinger of Spring – the crocus.

Sitting in an unassuming garden bed, they were the only splash of color present.  The iridescent purple petals offset by bright orange anther were like little spotlights in an otherwise drab setting.  I grabbed my camera and took a few shots even though the overall setting was not the most attractive, but let’s face it, crocuses don’t hang around long.  You had better enjoy them when you can!

They sprout and blossom to announce the end of the winter season, then promptly go back to ‘stealth’ mode until the following year.  I’m glad I caught them when I did, and I’m glad I could take a few minutes to enjoy the spring peepers, too.

 

photo by Bob Smith

Earth Day 2013

In case you didn’t know, Earth Day falls on April 22^nd of each year.  Started in 1970 to support environmental protection, this event is now fully international.   The Earth Day Network is emphasizing the ‘Face of Climate Change’ in 2013, but in truth there are many facets to Earth Day, and many ways to celebrate it and support environmental wisdom and consciousness.

Too much trouble to recycle?  Start with something small.  As small as a 9 volt or AAA battery.  Don’t just dump them in the trash, find an old bucket or margarine tub and put the used batteries in it.  When it’s getting full, you can likely find a recycle point right in your community.  As an example, my post office has yellow buckets (look just like a kitty litter bucket) under the counter in the 24 hour area of the building.  Next time you’re at the Post Office – drop ‘em off!  My County (Livingston) has a list on their web site of all the municipal collection sites and the restrictions (no car batteries).

How about newspaper and office paper recycling?  Don’t dump them in the trash.   Put them in a cardboard box and when it starts to get full, find a paper recycling bin near you.  You know there’s one close by.  They’re usually brightly colored so you really can’t miss them.  Look around Elementary Schools and Churches.

Then you can move up to light bulbs.  My local Lowe’s Home Improvement store has a bin right as you walk in.  You can take the burned out bulb with you to be sure you’re buying the correct replacement, and then leave the bad one there for recycling. How easy is that?

There are many, many things you can do all year round – so start now and don’t wait until Earth Day 2014 to act. Celebrate Earth Day every day!

Homeowner Equity Rising Again

The good news is - CoreLogic, a leading real estate industry data and analytical service, reported earlier this month that 1.7 million U.S. homeowners are now ‘above water’ again.  Of course, nobody likes or wants ‘negative equity’, but unless you were trying to sell or refinance your home it didn’t make a lot of difference – except mentally. 

The bad news?  Over 21 million homes with a mortgage are still underwater.  That’s around 10.4 million homes, according to CoreLogic.  3.9 million of them are properties with first and second mortgages. They have an average value of $296,000 and the average amount of negative equity is $80,000.

The worst states? Nevada, where 52.4% of all homes are underwater, Florida has 42.4%, Arizona is at 34.9%, Georgia at 33.0%, and yup – Michigan is at 31.9%.  These 5 states represent over 32% of all underwater homes nationally.

 

If you'd like a free market analysis on your property, you can contact me through my web site, www.RealEstateMich.com.

 

graphic courtesy of nattavut/freedigitalphotos.net

The First Robin of Spring

Here in SE Michigan the '1st Robin of Spring' usually means warmer, nicer weather. Not today.

For the last couple of years, the weather on St. Patrick's Day has been in the 70's. In fact, for the last two years, I've been able to get my first round of golf for the year played on March 16th or 17th. Not this year. It appears that our local groundhog prognosticator, Woody the Woodchuck (who resides at the Howell Nature and Conference Center) and the nationally known Puxsatawny Phil have both misled us. Early Spring, indeed.

It was still great to see a relatively plump robin in my serviceberry tree this morning, even though we had a light snow overnight. And Spring often means that home sellers are getting ready to list homes. If that's you, consider calling me for a frank discussion on price trends and market dynamics. I'd love the opportunity to help you with your real estate needs.

photo courtesy James Baker, freedigitalphotos.net

Brighton Trail Race, 3/23/13-No Frills All Thrills

On Saturday, March 23rd, the Brighton Area Road Striders (BARS) will host their annual race, the No Frills All Thrills Trail Run at the Huron Meadows Metropark in Brighton.

This year, the race changes from a 5 mile distance to an 8K (4.97 miles).  New this year is the 'Half Thrills' 4K event (2.48 miles) if you're not in shape to go the full distance - or if you just want to finish earlier and get back to the refreshment table before the 8K'ers come in.

The race is professionally timed, offers unique awards and has been a staple on the early season trail running circuit for many years.  The park offers gently rolling hills with heated rest rooms.  A metropark pass is required to get into the park and you can buy either a daily or season pass on the day of the event.  Season passes are good for all Huron Clinton Metroparks in SE Michigan through 12/31/13.

Starting in 2010, BARS began donating most of the race proceeds to Girls on the Run of SE Michigan, and plan to continue that effort again in 2013.  Girls on the Run is a program for 8-12 year olds that uses running to teach girls about their personal power and the importance of being active and healthy.

For more info on this event, see the race web site at http://nofrillsallthrillsrace.com.  You can find out more about Girls on the Run at http://girlsontherunsemi.org, and visit the BARS running club web site at http://www.BrightonAreaRoadStriders.org.  BARS also has a weekly run, Wednesdays at 6:30 pm, beginning at the Brighton HS Fieldhouse.  Check their website for updates as they run from downtown Brighton once a month, too.

So let's get out there and run!

Livingston County Home Show - March 22nd-24th

If it’s time for the Livingston County Home Show, Spring can’t be far behind – regardless of the weather.

Show hours are 5-9 pm on Friday, March 22^nd, 10am – 8pm on Saturday, March 23^rd, and 10am – 4pm on Sunday, march 24^th.  It will be at the Howell High School Field House, and admission is only $6/person, $5 if you’re a senior (60 or older).  On Saturday, from 11:30 am – 3pm, the show will also feature the popular ‘Taste of Livingston’.

There are workshops and demonstrations at various times and of course, plenty of contractors and vendors to see.  If you’re planning a home project, this will time well spent.

The show is hosted by the Howell Chamber of Commerce.  Get more info at:

http://www.livingstoncountyhomeshow.com/hours.htm

Change Your Smoke Detector Batteries Saturday March 9th

We all know that it’s a great, easy to remember time to change your smoke detector batteries when we adjust our clocks to ‘Spring Forward’.  But so many of our devices are now ‘smart’ and change time automatically that we may overlook changing the batteries in our smoke detectors.

Even if you have hardwired detectors, the battery backup is essential for times when you may lose power.  And why wait?  Who wants to hear the annoying chirp-chirp of a smoke detector?

While you’re at it, consider upgrading your protection to a combination smoke-carbon monoxide detector.  They start as low as $33, and if you’re already using a separate plug-in model CO2 detector, you can reclaim some outlet space and get rid of those clunky looking devices, too.  It’s a much cleaner look to have the combination ceiling detectors.  In any case, you should have a CO2 detector on each floor of your house and within 15 feet of the bedrooms to insure that everyone will hear it if it sounds while you’re sleeping. 

Many fire departments will donate and install smoke detectors for free to struggling families.  Don’t overlook neighbors, senior citizens or fellow church members that may be having a tough time financially.  Fires are devastating, and a smoke detector is your front line of defense.

Homeowners - A Property Tax Appeal Guideline

For those of you that are homeowners and who haven’t yet subscribed to my real estate e-newsletter (why not?), here’s some great information for appealing your property tax assessment that you probably missed seeing.  I get numerous calls every year about this very topic – this year they started in January.

State Senator Joe Hune (22^nd Senate District) has put together a very informative brochure that you will find useful if you want to make an appeal.  First, you have to appeal to your municipal Board of Review.  Don’t forget to make an appointment for this!

 If you fail at the local level, you can appeal to the State Tax Tribunal.  The brochure correctly states that you do not need an attorney to do this, but my anecdotal evidence over the years seems to point to a higher success rate when you are represented by either an attorney or a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Follow the format in the brochure to be as well prepared as possible. 

Editor Note: Because I have shifted web platforms, the link to the guide is no longer available. Feel free to contact me by email and I'll be happy to send the guide to you.

And if you'd like to subscribe to my newsletter, click on the 'Join My Mailing List' button on the right side of this blog.

First Time Buyer Programs

First time buyers are finding the combination of a USDA Rural Development loan and a Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) $3,000 grant a great combination.  First time buyers for purposes of the MSHDA grant have a few stipulations, but you can review the program outline here.

Not all locations are approved for the USDA Rural Development (RD) program.  Your lender or real estate agent can check to see if the house you are interested in qualifies by its location.  All homes in Livingston County qualify, even if they're located within the cities of Howell or Brighton. Please note that RD has its own buyer qualifications, too.

If you write an offer on a property and are using Rural Development, be sure to increase the usual time to close, as the offices handling those loans typically have a backlog of up to 28 additional days.  Again, your agent or lender can guide you on current backlog times.

Affordable homes are flying off the market, so it makes sense to have a game plan in place.  Get pre-approved, know what type of loan you're going to use, and be prepared to write that offer with the most information you can get.  A good lender and a great real estate professional can help you get there.  And feel free to call me if you have questions.

Who Says You Can't Get Blood Out Of A Seller?

Can't get blood out of a seller? Or a buyer?  Or how about a real estate professional, a lender or even a turnip?  Well, yes you can.  OK, maybe not the turnip.  But you can get blood out of the rest of the above - and from yourself.
 
As part of its ongoing community service activities, Preview Properties in Brighton, Michigan is hosting a blood drive for the American Red Cross on Tuesday, January 29th from 11 am to 4:45 pm.  Donating is easy and you get the chance to potentially affect the lives of 3 people in a positive way.  And while supplies last, donors will be getting coupons for a free donut from Dunkin' Donuts.  So if you know any policeman that can swing by, this might be right up their alley!

You can sign up and schedule your appointment at http://redcrossblood.org (Sponsor Code is PREVIEW) or call 1-800-RED CROSS. You may also call Lisa Bohlen at 810-220-1505.   Appointments are honored, walk-ins welcome if space permits.

And Preview Properties is a major drop off center for the Cell Phones for Soldiers program, too, so bring along any old cell phones you may have to help the members of our Armed Forces.

LED Faucet Sets With Temperature Control

LED faucet sets with temperature control?  Hmm.  Perhaps for the geekiest of people, these faucet sets and shower heads are battery operated and react to the temperature of the water to go from blue to yellow/green to red.  The kitchen faucet set works with a couple of watch batteries and is simply an adepter that connects to your existing spout.  Bathroom faucet sets and shower heads need AA batteries.

I haven’t been able to track down the manufacturer, but they are probably made in China.  No word of how long the batteries last.  Most likely these are pure ‘conversation pieces’ and novelty items right now, but we said the same thing about electric hand dryers and motion sensing faucets once upon a time, too. 

 

Here's a couple of links for the various fixtures.  

http://goo.gl/uSRz5

http://goo.gl/3DVZG

Know anybody that has one?  Are you going to try them?  In either case, I’d appreciate it if you drop me a line and let me know what you think about LED faucet sets with temperature control. 

Image courtesy of prettydarncool.co.za

Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act Extended Through 2013

This is really good news!  Congress has extended the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act as part of the fiscal cliff deal.  What does it mean to you?

Well, really, nothing unless you’re going to sell your home as a short sale this year. Or, perhaps if you have a neighbor that needs to do a short sale.  What the Act did was to prevent the homeowner from being taxed on the forgiven debt that was part of the short sale.  Prior to the Act going into force in 2007, if you were forgiven $20,000 worth of debt on the sale of your home, the IRS treated it as income and you had to pay taxes on that amount.  Tough to do when you could prove a hardship and couldn’t make your mortgage payment to begin with!

It was anticipated that without the extension of the Act there would be no incentive for consumers to go through the stressful and rigorous short sale process and it would likely result in more ‘walk aways’, i.e., strategic defaults.  Not good for the homeowner, not good for the neighborhood. It’s always better to have homes occupied rather than sitting vacant.

As an aside, did you know that ‘fiscal cliff’ was one of Lake Superior State University’s entries on its annual ‘Banished Words’ list this year?  It sits alongside other terms like “kick the can down the road,” “boneless wings,” and “bucket list.”  See the list here.

And while you’re reading the list, feel good that the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act was extended – even if ‘fiscal cliff’ has been banished.

Lakefront Homes For Sale Near Hartland Michigan

There are 15 lakefront homes for sale in the Hartland Michigan school district.  All but one is in the $110,000 to $399,900 range. The exception is a $990,000 home on a private lake and 80 acres.

The price range per square foot is $63 to $193.  Only one is a short sale property and none of these are foreclosure homes. They have been on the market for an average of 239 days and all have been for sale for at least 2 weeks or longer. Six of these homes are priced at under $200,000.

The lakes on which these homes can be found are Handy Lake, Maxfield Lake, Long Lake, Lake Tyrone, Lake Shannon, Bullard Lake, and Wallace Lake.

If you’re looking for lakefront homes for sale in the Hartland Michigan area give me a call!

image courtesy of Evegni Dinev/freedigitalphotos.net

Expiring Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act To Increase Strategic Defaults?

Last December I blogged about strategic default.  That is, consumers who walk away from their mortgage even though they have the ability to continue making their payments. It results in foreclosure, of course.

If the Mortgage Debt Act is allowed to expire by a deadlocked Congress, will this encourage more struggling homeowners to walk away instead of trying to sell their homes by short sale?  Currently, homeowners don’t have to pay tax on the forgiven debt.  If the Act expires, the forgiven debt will be treated as income (a ‘gift’) and will be taxable.

In September (2012) Housing Wire reported that 1 million Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) loan modifications were cancelled by lenders after their 3 month trial. HAMP terms are likely the most appealing to homeowners having financial difficulties – if they qualify. The government predicted this program would help 3 to 4 million homeowners, but as of September 2012, only about 825 thousand made it past the three month trial period. Less than $3 billion of the over $29 billion set aside for this program was actually spent.

Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) and lender-based refinances are also options, but they also have requirements that may be tough to meet or the savings may be minimal. That’s why short sales remained attractive to many underwater homeowners.

Like all things financial right now, these are complicated and interwoven subjects, but it seems possible that the expiration of the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act will have the effect of causing more strategic defaults and therefore foreclosures.  Write your legislators and tell them to extend the Act today.

Confused about short sales, or need to explore the options for the sale of your home? Give me a call for a no-pressure appointment.

Holiday Home Maintenance Tip – Garbage Disposals

The average life expectancy of a garbage disposal is approximately 10-12 years.  I’m guessing that most of us have never read the ‘owner’s manual’ for our disposal since it’s already installed when we buy the house. These units typically get a work out over the holiday season and that’s absolutely a horrible time for them to fail.

I’m providing a link to a short (97 second) video, courtesy of American Home Shield, the folks that sell Home Warranties.  This one is about maintaining your garbage disposal and is worth watching.

If interested, you can find the model of your unit on the disposal tag and search online to find the complete manual.  But if you don’t want to do that, here are a few tips to keep it running smoothly. 

DO NOT:

·         Put fats, greases and oils down the disposal or try to grind potato peels and coffee grounds  – you’re almost sure to clog your drains

·         Put large amounts in the disposal at one time – that can clog things up and overwork the motor

·         Grind large bones (beef, pork)

·         Use harsh chemicals like bleach and drain cleaners – they’re corrosive and can damage blades

YOU SHOULD:

·         Run the disposal regularly to keep parts moving and prevent corrosion

·         Cut big items into smaller pieces

·         Use cold water, not hot, when grinding food

·         Occasionally grind citrus peels to keep the sink smelling fresh (avoid using chemical ‘sweeteners’)

There is a range of opinions on using a disposal with a septic system.  These tend to be strictly ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but as long as the items are biodegradable,  don’t have fats, oils, or greases in them, you may be alright – as long as you’re not grinding a lot of material on a regular basis.  A good alternative is to compost most of your food waste and keep the disposal volume low when you’re on a septic system.   

In any case, you should expect that you will need to pump your tank more often if you’re using a garbage disposal even on an infrequent basis.  My County Health Department (Livingston County, Michigan) recommends that you DO NOT use a garage disposal with a septic system. Here’s their guide on using septic systems.

I’m also providing a link to a short article on disposal maintenance and lifespan from the good folks at ehow.com.  If you read these few short items, you’ll have a great idea of how to keep your disposal running well and extending its useful life.

 

And if you're looking for a home - with or without a disposal - give me a call!

Strangers In My House?

It's something that many homeowners think about when they list their home.  We're all uncomfortable with total strangers coming into our personal space.  In most cases there are no issues, but a few simple precautions will help to ensure that things proceed smoothly.

First, nobody will enter your house for a showing unless they are accompanied by a licensed agent.  There are very few agents that will just take a phone call, drop what they are doing and meet a new prospective 'buyer' at a house.  I want to talk with them to find out their goals, verify that they have a legitimate lender pre-approval (which entails them divulging a lot of personal info), and meet them in person at my office first. I also like to talk to their lender to be sure we're on the same page. In short, I want to know who they are and that they are real people, not an AKA (also known as).

There are still times when some agents take short cuts and don't get to know a buyer as well as they should.  Here are a few simple tips that apply to any home seller and will help you to keep your home safe.

Jewelry - don't keep grandma's expensive antique broach out in plain sight.  Keep your jewelry hidden.  If you can, store it in a safe deposit box until the house is sold or just keep the items you need for the immediate future.  The same applies for cash - keep it very well hidden.

Prescription Drugs - I encourage you to keep your preescriptions out of sight. This may mean changing your daily habits for a while, but the old maxim 'out of sight, out of mind' does come into play. If you have children livng at home, you may already have this area covered.

Personal documents - be sure that you don't leave a bunch of monthly bills or personal douments out in plain view to deter identity theft.  File your documents promptly, or shred paper bills if you pay and file things electronically.

Keys - don't keep a lot of extra keys on the coat rack peg or table in the foyer.  I know we occasionally leave a shed or pole barn key for prospective buyers to enter an outbuilding, but make sure that your house keys are secure.

Doors and windows - it's rare for buyers to open and close windows, but it may happen.  A good showing agent will always make sure that all doors locked when they leave your home, but on occasion they may get distracted.  Boisterous or very active children accompanying their parents, an aggressive time frame to show multiple properties (especially in the winter months when daylight time is reduced) or a host of other factors may come in to play.  Be sure that you check your doors upon return.

Agents will not allow a prospective buyer to open dresser drawers, but you can expect a look at the closets and pantry. Sometimes kitchen cabinets are opened to see what type of storage systems are installed.  Expect them also to look through the garage and enter any mechanical or store rooms you may have in the basement.

These few simple precautions will help you keep your home selling experience a safe and happy one.  If you're thinking about selling your home, consider calling me for a no-pressure appointment to determine its value and estimated time to sell. I'm a full-time real estate professional. Real estate is my passion.

image courtesy of vichi81 freedigitalphotos.net

What’s Your Home’s ‘Sell By’ Date?

Sell Your Home

My wife and I sometimes have a discussion about dates on food items.  There’s a ‘sell by’ date, sometimes a ‘use by’ date, even a ‘best if used by’ date, depending on the product.  She wants to dump them on that date, I tend to keep using them for a couple of days beyond.

Sometimes it’s aesthetic, sometimes it’s for safety.  The ‘Sell By’ date is largely for stores. It helps them to pull slow moving items that may have reached their peak for freshness, consistency and taste.  But often, you can still consume those products beyond that date. Note: I wouldn’t recommend trying that with the milk two weeks later, though. My wife and I agree on that one!

Successfully selling your home can have many nuances, too.  Price and condition are two biggies.  Upgrades and features (or amenities) are some others.  Add to these factors more subtle influences like color schemes, quality of that new carpeting, floor plan and traffic flow, and professional staging.  All can play a role in the sale of your house. Small things like dishes in the sink or laundry hampers overflowing can also detract from an otherwise acceptable home.

Regardless of the issues above, if you price your home more than a few percent over the market value, it will likely not sell. Or it will take longer to sell and will sell for less.  So when I go on listing appointments, I like to ask, “What’s your sell by date?”  Most people have an ideal time to be in their next home. It may be for work purposes, to be reunited with family members by an important date, or even related to a seasonal change.

It’s ironic that sometimes when you price a little bit low it’ll sell for more.  How can that be?  Because buyers are very attuned to the real market value for what they seek.  They’ve been looking at listings, viewing homes, and doing their homework.  They can make the mental adjustments for a location liability (backs up to rail road tracks or highway), school system (good but not the best rating), and distance to the interstate and shopping.  And they can do it quickly.

When an underpriced home (even slightly underpriced) hits the market, buyers will jump on it. Multiple offers are not uncommon.  And while it’s rare to get more than 5-6% above listing price, I’ve had a couple of sales this year that were in the double digit over list price range. If you want to move sooner rather than later, you should be more aggressive with your pricing – and that DOES NOT mean you’re giving your house away.

Sellers in no particular hurry often make a bigger mistake by “trying it out at a higher price,” thinking they can reduce the list price later. By then, buyers are thinking there’s an issue with the house and will not perceive it the same as when it’s new to the market.  Consult your real estate professional to arrive at the correct pricing to get your sale completed by your “sell by” date.  And if you need help with determining that value, I’m happy to assist.

image courtesy of Stuart Miles, freedigitalphotos.net

Buy A New Or Existing Home?

Build or Buy Existing?

That question doesn’t just apply to buying a car.  Part of the American Dream, for some people at least, is to own a new home. New, as in just built.  Certainly there are benefits and disadvantages to either – a new or existing (used) home.  Let’s look at a few of them.

Existing homes.  Depending on the age and location, it could have been built with better materials, exhibit more true craftsmanship, and perhaps have architectural ‘character’ and features that are all but impossible to replicate today. And don't forget about mature trees and landscaping.

Down sides might include a lower energy efficiency level, the possibility of needing extensive updates and difficulty finding similar building materials when you do modifications or repairs. The task of modernizing a very old home to today’s standards while retaining its original charm can require a lot of planning and effort. In most cases it is a labor of love.

New Homes.  Certainly a big plus is the ability to make some decisions about options, color schemes and perhaps even features (within certain builder parameters). Hazardous materials like lead-based paint will be moot, and you’ll likely have a robust electrical system for today’s living. Two and three car attached garages and plenty of bathrooms will not be uncommon, either. Many young families like living with similar aged households because both they and their children will develop friendships nearby.

Negatives will include the cost of landscaping, living with construction noise, traffic and debris until the neighborhood is built out, and if you’re an early buyer you will find it difficult to compete against the developer if he’s still selling ‘new builds’ when you decide to move.

There is no global best choice.  It will really depend upon your motivations, goals and desires.  While this is not a comprehensive listing of the benefits and disadvantages of either type of home, I hope it gives you something to think about.  Construction is starting to perk up in the area. 

New South Lyon homes are being built with greater frequency, as are homes in the Brighton and Howell areas. If I can assist you with your home search, feel free to contact me!

image courtesy of phanlop88, freedigitalphotos.net

Long Term Care Patients Can Keep Their Principal Residence Exemption

courtesy koratmember
freedigitalphotos.net 

Michigan’s Public Act 324 of 2012, which became law October 9, 2012 allows for retaining the Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) while in a long term-care facility if they meet certain conditions.  There have been instances where a homeowner lost the PRE and had to pay higher property tax rates because they were in rehab or couldn’t live alone for an extended time.

This bill allows them to keep the lower property tax rate if their intention is to return, as long as they meet all of these criteria:

They must continue to own the property; they may not have established a new primary residence; they provided for the maintenance of the property while in a nursing home or assisted care facility; and the property was not occupied, or leased, and wasn’t used for any business or commercial reasons.

This bill was introduced by Senators Caswell, Nofs, Hildenbrand, Robertson, Jones, Rocca, Hansen, Marleau, Colbeck, Bieda and Kowall.

Text of the full bill can be read here.

If you're thinking about selling a home or land in Michigan, give me a call.  I'm a full-time real estate professional with 15 years experience.

First Time Buyers Drop But Still Significant



Courtesy of NAR

The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) has an Economists’ Outlook Blog.  Yesterday, it posted an article that claims 32% of all September sales were by first time buyers.  For some time, that figure has trended closer to 40%, and was at a 50% level in 2009.

The number of cash sales in this buyer group was up, too, from 8.7% in August to 11.4% in September.

First time buyers have it tough.  Mortgage financing is harder to obtain, government loan (FHA and USDA Rural Development Program) underwriting is more tedious, distressed home sales take longer to complete, and investors have often picked over the lower priced listings already. That being said, they are still a significant part of the buyer pool.

This information comes from the monthly NAR Realtors® Confidence Index survey for September 2012.

If you're looking for a home in Brighton, Howell, Livingston County or the surrounding areas of West Oakland and Washtenaw County, call me.

Spillover Costs of Foreclosure

A report released early this week spells out the wider impact of foreclosures. Researchers at the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) note that almost $2 trillion in property value has or will be lost by residents. It doesn’t even include equity losses due to foreclosures, which have been estimated at $7 trillion.


Foreclosures have brought down property values across the country. Your home has been affected even if there are no foreclosures in your neighborhood (which would be pretty rare, I think). That value reduction means that while you’re paying lower property taxes, your municipality and school system is getting less money, too. If there are many foreclosures in a given area, there can also be blight and crime issues that come into play.

We all know intuitively that foreclosed homes are not a good thing for neighborhoods. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of them sitting out there, many that haven’t even been listed.

Subscribe to my e-newsletter or follow my blog for new listings and topical real estate posts.

Helpful Technology – Batch Picture Resizing

Every now and then you come across a program that makes life so much easier that you wondered how you lived without it. Maybe it’s a widget or gadget for your desktop or your Smartphone. Perhaps it’s an app on your Nook or Kindle. Maybe it’s a full blown suite of products for specific needs.



from www.softorbits.com

One that I couldn’t easily live without is the Batch Picture Resizer by SoftOrbits. In Real Estate, we take a lot of pictures. My high-res photos are great for printed materials, but cumbersome or even unusable for upload to the multilist system (MLS), clients and web sites. I was using a very basic re-sizing function that was part of my operating system until I discovered Batch Picture Resizer.

I can now select, drag and resize an entire folder of pictures in one action. Since my source photos are 3008 x 2000 pixels (usually around 2MB in size each), the time needed to individually resize photos was awkward and frustrating.

I downloaded the free trial not expecting a whole lot, to be honest. We’ve all had that experience – download, try, uninstall, delete, keep looking. But this program was different. I can resize by pixels or percentage of the original. While not overwhelming in terms of functions, it allows for renaming files by adding either prefixes or suffixes to the original file, or adding a watermark. It has ample folder handling functions to keep your pictures organized, and will do rotations easily, too. At an affordable $29.95, it was a no-brainer for me to purchase this program.

If you deal with a lot of photos on a regular basis, you should consider evaluating this program on a free trial basis. I think you’ll be happy with it.  Do you have a particular program that you can't live without? I'd love to hear about it.

Great House, Acreage - Howell Schools

Introducing 3098 Coon Lake Rd, Howell MI 48843.

This newer home (Built in 2003) has a full basement, HE water heater, water softener, 200 amp electrical service and a 3 car garage.  It is a modular home (built to the same codes as an on-site built home) on 3.06 acres, although there is a natural gas easement that runs through the property.  The lot size is irregular.

It's been repainted, recarpeted, new kitchen appliances installed, gutters have been replaced and the house power washed.  Three bedrooms, 2 full baths, 1792 sq ft of living space in a private setting, yet just minutes from the I-96 ramps at Pinkney Rd (D 19). Howell Schools. 

See the entire listing on my website by clicking here.  And while you're there, check out my new map-based MLS search functon, too!

I am a full-time real estate professional at Preview Properties, PC.  Contact me at 810-220-1478, through my website, or my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MichiganRE.

Closed Sales – Financing Types Through September 2012

We’ve all heard some recurring sound bites about this year’s housing market in SE Michigan and especially in Livingston County. Inventory and time on market are down, average and median sales prices are up, and the total number of sales is up.


While I am a very active listing agent, I also work with buyers. And I know from my experience as well as discussions with other agents that it’s difficult to find a financeable house in the $125,000 and under price range. If you do find a house that’s ‘ready to go’ you can be sure there will be multiple offers. If it needs some work, it likely won’t qualify for government loan programs – FHA and USDA Rural Development. And of course, these are the programs that many people need to enter the housing market.

Instead of repeating this past month’s stats, I delved into the difference between the kinds of loan instrument used for January through September 2011 vs. the same period in 2012. Here’s what I found.

Cash sales went up only nominally YTD. They represented a little over 23% of total sales in 2011 and are a little over 24% in 2012. Since cash purchasers come largely from investor-owners, is this showing us that investor action is leveling off? Hard to say, but certainly the lower inventory likely has a role to play in this market segment.

Conventional mortgage sales went up from 34.4% YTD in 2011 to 37.45% YTD in 2012. With mortgage rates at an almost ridiculous historic low  I would have expected more of this type of sale, but first-time buyers usually don’t qualify for a conventional mortgage, so they likely have little representation in this segment.

All FHA loan sales (includes the FHA 203K renovation program) dropped from 24.61% in 2011 to 21.5% this year. And the USDA Rural Development program loan sales went up slightly from 7.5% of all sales in 2011 to 8.58% in 2012. When you combine the FHA and USDA RD programs, my stats show that they were a combined 32.12% of sales in 2011 and represent a lower 30.1% usage in 2012. So at least in this market, closings with government loans are down on a percentage basis.

My personal experience with FHA and Rural Development buyers has been that the properties appraise at a value of or above their sale price, but the underwriters for government loans are being very, very picky, in some cases bordering on the insane. I know that there are a lot of buyers out there that are pre-qualified for these programs, but finding a home that is in financeable condition is tough. And banks have been slow to correct the deficiencies needed for the financing of foreclosure properties, even if it’s only a few thousand dollars in repairs.

If you’re considering a home sale or purchase, please call me for a confidential meeting to discuss your goals. I’d love to help you with your real estate needs. Let me put my market knowledge to work for you.

7323 Norcrest, Brighton - $121,900



7323 Norcrest 48116

 This home comes with privileges to all sports Ore Lake.  2234 sq ft, 4 beds, 3 full baths and a one car detached garage.  It is a bank-owned home, but has just been renovated. 

Work includes a new roof and gutters, replacement siding, new kitchen appliances, new vinyl flooring, carpet and a complete repaint - inside and out. Located in the Ore Lake Shores subdivision, your access to the lake is via a community lot. 

Brighton schools, close to M-36, this home is priced at an affordable $54/sq ft! It is not inside a flood zone according to the latest FEMA flood hazard maps.

For information on this, and other homes in the area, please contact me through my web site, http://www.realestatemich.com/10/listing/22680. 

Real Estate As A Contact Sport

(Or How I lost A Perfectly Good Pair of Dockers While Doing Property Checks)

Every new day is exciting and filled with untold potential. I don’t think it matters whether you’re a CEO, a mechanic, an entrepreneur or a, well, Real Estate agent. Today I had meetings in the morning, touched bases with consumers and agents on some deals in process, and was preparing for an afternoon appointment to have a seller sign a purchase agreement. Not an unusal day by any means.



Could Have Been Worse

 A new property assignment altered the flow a bit, but between the morning and afternoon commitments I had to get some weekly property inspections done. I know the neighbors for my distressed properties, so I wasn’t particularly on edge to see the usual German Shorthair running around at one of my listings. He’s older, still has a lot of energy and has always been on the friendly side. I didn’t think twice about walking around my listing to take pictures and do my normal visual check on its condition.

Apparently the dog felt otherwise. I heard the jingling collar and turned to see him charging me, but not growling or showing teeth. I thought he wanted to play. Before I could reach down to pet him, he’d grabbed my slacks at the pocket and ripped about a 14” swath down the seam. I yelled and he turned around to go back to ‘his’ yard. Luckily he got all fabric and didn’t break the skin, but it wasn’t pretty when I walked directly away from ‘his’ territory and found that he was again running towards me.

A couple more loud verbal commands turned him around, but he kept coming back. After the third try, he returned to his yard and left me alone. Needless to say I got to my car and drove away. Actually, I drove home to find more suitable business attire since I was now pretty well ‘air conditioned’. I may have gotten a few compliments on my selection of boxer shorts (or maybe not), but prudence won out and I made myself presentable again.

There are likely many lessons to be learned here, which brings me back to, “every new day is exciting and filled with untold potential.” The exciting part is pretty obvious. The untold potential is that I was made aware that I needed a wake up call on my personal safety habits. I learned the hard way that I can’t ‘trust’ dogs to always behave the same way – especially dogs with whom I have very limited contact. I will also add a pepper spray to my ‘traveling real estate’ kit. Of course, the pepper spray will clip onto my belt or stay in my hand as I get out of my vehicle and am sure there’s no obvious danger. And yes, I will catch that neighbor to let him know his dog tried to bite me.

It’s a good thing to remember that threats to your safety come from a variety of causes, and sometimes we let ourselves become inured to situations that may look the same, but are not. Stay alert. And carry an extra pair of slacks.