It’s pretty common advice to declutter and get rid of things you no longer use or need before moving. And for good reason. A new home is a blank slate, and there’s no better time to part ways with stuff like those jeans that haven’t fit since 2014 or the pile of unmatched Tupperware lids buried in your cabinet.But those are the low-hanging fruit of decluttering. You could toss them anytime. And even if you don’t, they’re the kind of thing you can easily stash away and forget—yet again.Moving, on the other hand, is the moment to confront the harder stuff. The things you know deep down you won’t use, but feel guilty getting rid of. The ones you hang onto because you might need them or they were too expensive to waste. This is where the real inner hoarder battle begins.These aren’t your ty... 07/15/2025

What If We Eliminate the Rental Housing Certification Requirement in the City of Kalamazoo?By Richard Stewart, Real Estate BrokerPublished: July 18, 2025What if the City of Kalamazoo eliminated its rental housing certification requirement?It’s a question worth asking—especially as we face a growing housing crisis and a severe lack of affordable housing options for renters. A major contributor to this crisis in Kalamazoo is a burdensome and outdated local ordinance that makes it illegal to rent out a home unless it has been certified by the city.Compare this to Portage, Michigan, where there is no rental certification requirement. There, vacant homes are rare. In Kalamazoo, we have hundreds—maybe thousands—of homes that could be rented today if not for this bottleneck.The city says it’s ... 07/18/2025