Northern Michigan Real Estate

Thousands lined the streets for the Stafford's Downtown Petoskey Holiday Parade, hoping to get a glimpse of Santa and his reindeer.  Despite unseasonably warm weather in the 50's, Santa did not disappoint, spreading holiday cheer to all paradegoers, and delighting the young children in attendance...

Have you heard about an innovative new way to pay off your house?  Called a mortgage accelerator, this loan hybrid is somewhat of a cross between an adustable rate mortgage and a home equity line of credit, and can be used for purchase or refinance.Rather than making a fixed monthly mortgage paym...

According to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), appropriate landscape improvements are estimated to return 100 to 200 percent of their cost when a house is sold, quite possibly the best return on investment of any home improvement you can make. How much should you spend on lands...

Do you have the good fortune to live in a real estate market which has enjoyed tremendous appreciation over the last several years?  Are you looking at the possibility of realizing hefty capital gains on the sale of your business or investment property? Perhaps you should consider the possibility...

Consumer spending has been the key driver for the U.S. economy for a number of years now. Up until the last year or so, the wealth effect of either the stock market or the real estate market has been the underpinning or our economic expansion.After taking a breather for several years, the stock m...

I was saddened to read the obituary of former Charlevoix resident Army Major Douglas E. Sloan in today's Petoskey News Review.  A decorated veteran, Sloan was killed in "Operation Enduring Freedom" combat operations in Afghanistan on October 31st, leaving behind his wife Kerry and four young chil...

As an attorney who also practices real estate buyer agency, I sometimes chuckle when I read the latest risk management advice proffered by our trade association, the National Association of Realtors (NAR).  The latest advice from NAR, which stems from a recent case in Texas, is "Don't Volunteer I...

The new Charlevoix Public Library is amazing.  The grand opening for the new library was held on October 7th. The main reading room is impressive, with large book stacks, desks, numerous computer work stations and comfortable chairs. Other rooms include a Michigan collection, Children's reading r...

This is the coolest police car I have seen in awhile.  Nothing like a little good old fashioned North American muscle to chase around the bad boys.  For the ultimate in pursuit power, the Dodge Charger police vehicle is available with a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine that produces 340 horsepower at 50...

Are you sick and tired of receiving unsolicited credit card applications, and concerned that you could become a victim of identity theft if one of these applications found its way into the wrong hands?There is a solution.  OptOutPrescreen.com is a joint venture among Equifax Information Services,...