In Michigan, the 'Homestead Exemption' filing for a principle residence can only be filed and take effect on May 1st every year.  What this means to the home buyer is that if the home has the homestead exemption intact, then it will transfer officially to your name in May, with no difficulties.  However, if the home is vacant, whether it be a bank owned property or an estate sale, or the seller have moved out of state, the Homestead Exemption in Michigan can come off at any time at the decretion of the County Assessor.  What this means is that the property taxes on that home will increase by an average of 40% for the non-homestead status.  This factor alone can kill a sale. For example, a buyer who is approved by a lender up to say $150,000 can put in an offer on a house at say $145,000... 10/18/2011

My struggle with open houses is an ongoing thing.  I ask myself at times, do they work at all?  Sometimes it seems like good exposure, but in all my years in Real Estate I have seen very few offers come from hosting an open house, unless it is a very special house like a reasonably priced lakefront property.    Usually I find people attending open houses are either ‘Look-ee-loo’s’ or are the ones needing to sell their home before they can buy one.  Then of course there are the ones looking who have no prayer of ever buying because their credit is in the dumps.  Occasionally you do get the serious buyers, and pick up a new client or two.  So that inspires one to continue to do them I suppose.   Now compound that problem with a local sports team suddenly becoming successful in the area an... 10/17/2011

Selling on the sly could best be described as ‘That method of selling where the prospect does not know he or she is being marketed to, and gets exposed to the product, and perhaps even interested in the product’.  This is perhaps the best concept behind video marketing.    The new rage on the internet is video blogging and the rise of YouTube.  Here is a domain where you can become entertained, see shocking things, and even become educated on subjects you always wanted to know about.    Advertisements pop up and the viewer may or may not respond to them.  Sometimes the video content itself is a carefully crafted sales pitch.  Other times it is the post tagging at the end that gets to you after a sensational presentation.  Whatever the approach, video marketing is selling on the sly.    ... 10/17/2011

Southwest Michigan has a great deal of beautiful lakes of all sizes.  Lakeside properties in Battle Creek, Michigan offer accessibility to the city along with quiet living.  As an example of two very beautiful lakes, on the Southern end of the Battle Creek area is Sonoma Lake, and on the Northern end in Pennfield is Saint Mary’s lake.    These two lake neighborhoods are good examples of special homes comprising Lakeside properties in Battle Creek, Michigan.  Some homes offer a better view than others, but all tend to focus on living around a lake.  Many have docks, boat houses and even boat slips depending on the lake.    Some of the things that are important to consider when looking for lakeside property is what side of the lake you are looking at.  There is sunrise side to the lake, a... 10/17/2011

It is that time of year again when autumn returns to Michigan.  The crisp cool evenings, and the frequent winds loosen the leaves from the summer hold on the branches simultaneously turning them bright colors of yellow, gold, orange and red in a spectacular display.    Autumn returns to Michigan.  Apple picking time is here, and pumpkins abound in all the stores.  Children ready their costumes for Halloween, and ‘trick or treating’ hoping for a rainless night of candy gathering and fun.  Autumn returns to Michigan.    The neighborhood where my wife and I reside is a popular Halloween destination for kids from around the city, as the neighbors on my block serve hot apple cider, hot dogs and the occasional caramel apple in addition to the traditional candy distribution.    My home is loca... 10/16/2011

Whenever you are buying a home, there are timelines that need to be adhered to.  From the first moment of the accepted offer, a buyer should be aware that there are timelines that need to be met.  Most real estate purchase contracts define time limits on inspections, loan applications, and targeted closing dates.  It is important to work with a knowledgeable Realtor in your market area to make sure that these timelines are met as the transaction proceeds towards closing. Even if you are purchasing a home for cash, there are still timelines that must be met to successfully arrive at a closing.  If you are doing inspections, this time limit is defined in the contract, and in most cases it ten days or less.  It is important to realize that these are calendar days, and not business days, so... 10/13/2011

All around Southwest Michigan where I live the trees are slowly beginning to turn color, and the other day I was looking out my back window at my greenhouse and took this photo of the beginnings of red on the tree out there.  The color red is just the beginning, and in the coming weeks, autumn will be in spectacular display again with gold, orange and red and all shades in between.  This is a great time of year to take photos if you love outdoor colors.  10/04/2011

I do a lot of photography as part of my work as a Realtor in Southwest Michigan.  For that reason alone, I am always carrying my camera around with me and have it to hand for any given time I need it.  In fact, on the occasion that I forget to take it with me, I feel at a loss.  Thankfully, there is always the smart phone to use when I do not have my camera.  Anyway, this past summer I did a great deal of photography, and I wanted to share with you some of my favorite shots from my collection on baseball.  The Detroit Tigers have won the American League Central Division, and having been inspired by their success, I thought I would share some photos of some future all-stars.  Some of these are timing shots, and others are just things I found interesting.  I hope you enjoy them.  To me ba... 09/25/2011

In the process of buying a home, there is always the possibility that sometimes further negotiations become necessary.  Once you have a contract for purchase agreed to, what usually follows in the inspection period.  What if a major issue is uncovered in the inspection process?  Let's say the home inspector discovers a termite infestation on some structural floor joists that were hidden by boxes?  Or in a foreclosure, it is discovered that the furnace is inoperational, or the septic needs to be replaced? This is the time in the process where further negotiations become necessary.  When faced with this in the process of buying a home, the buyer can choose to do the repairs themselves, or negotiate the repairs from the seller.  Sometimes a compromise can be arrived at as well, where both ... 09/15/2011

What are some of the things that impact your insurance premiums on your home when it comes to an insurance inspection?  There are a lot of factors that are taken into account with an insurance inspection, and therefore it is a good idea to know something about them particularly when buying a new home. Essentially an insurance inspector is looking for anything that could potentially result in a future claim on the property itself, or create a claim through a potential hazard.  A hazard could best be defined as any condition that someone could potentially get injured on the property.  Some of the common ones are swimming pools without a fence around it, or a locked gate.  The risk is that someone could access the property when you are not home and drown, especially a child.  Another risk ... 09/13/2011

What does a buyer need to know before they go looking at houses?  Being an active Realtor who works with prospective buyers daily, it is a common misunderstanding to mix up the process of buying a house with some other purchase on the marketplace.  This happens a lot simply because that is the experiencial track that the new homebuyer usually has.  They align the process to what they know: 'buying a car' or 'buying a television', etc.  They often take advice from others in their circle of family or friends that may or may not be accurate.  The best way to approach the process of buying a home is to ask a Realtor.  Whether or not you work with that Realtor in the process is not important.  What is important is that you get accurate information from someone familar with the process, and R... 09/13/2011

What does it take to go about buying or selling on land contract in Battle Creek, Michigan or anywhere in the State?  First of all, for those not familiar with a land contract, it is essentially a seller held note on the property where a buyer pays monthly payments like a mortgage, which includes interest.  Sometimes there is also an escrow fund set up independently for insurance and taxes.  Not every state in the U.S. allows for land contracts, so you will need to consult with a Realtor or local attorney if there is a question about this being available. So what does it take to engage in buying or selling on land contract in Battle Creek, Michigan?  There are different elements to every deal, but essentially here are the basics that one needs to understand for each party. Buying on Lan... 09/06/2011

Once someone has gone through the process of buying a home, and is sitting at the closing table with usually a mounting excitement, it is a good idea to have a checklist of things to do once you take possession of the home.  Here is a short list of some key things to consider and address once you take ownership of your new home: 1) Transfer utilities into your name.  Find out from your Realtor the contact information for the local utility companies if you do not know which ones they are.  This is very important as the sellers are usually taking the service out of their name the day of closing, and some utility companies charge additional fees to re-connect service as opposed to transfering service.  These utility companies would consist of the following (but not limited to) gas, electri... 09/04/2011

One of the truly wonderful features of Battle Creek, Michigan is the Binder Park Zoo.  I sometimes go there just to walk around and unwind.  Earlier this summer I went there on Memorial Day weekend, and just walked around and took photos and shot some video.  For whatever reason, I never did anything with the video I shot and finally came across the file this Labor Day weekend and wondered where the time has gone.  So I edited some of the clips down to a couple of short videos and posted them on my YouTube Channel. Here is one of the videos I made that I like the most.  I used the 'Audio Swap' feature available on the website to select the sound track.  This one features some of the smaller creatures found at the zoo.  I hope you like it.   09/04/2011

The herb Yarrow has a long history as a healing plant.  It is a legend that Achilles used this herb to heal wounds of soldiers during the Trojan War.  In fact Yarrow was used as a healing herb on the battlefield up until the Civil War, where the plant was crushed and applied to wounds.  Its properties were said to be very effective in healing wounds from iron weapons.  The Latin name for Yarrow is 'Achillea Millefolium' and its name is a tribute to the legends surrounding this well-known healing plant. Today, Yarrow is a popular addition to many herb gardens.  I have some growing in my herb garden at home, as it grows well in Michigan.  The colors it is commonly seen in is white, yellow and pink, but there are other varieties as well.  It is interesting to note that despite the progress... 08/24/2011

Too many times I encounter buyers that have that disturbing experience of getting denied a loan due to a low credit score or poor credit report, and they take on the frame of mind that it is the end of the road.  The truth is that is only means 'Delay of Game' not 'End of Game' as long as you remain determined to achieve your goal of becoming a homeowner. To avoid surprises, it is always a good early step for anyone considering making a major purchase to become a student of their own credit report.  The way to obtain this information for free once per year is to go to www.annualcreditreport.com.  This is a free website that feeds the information from all three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and Transunion. When you get your credit report there, it will not give you your credit score ... 08/23/2011

The 2011 U.S. Nationals Balloon Competition in Battle Creek, Michigan is underway this week.  This is the U.S. Hot Air Balloon championships, and this year Battle Creek has the honor of hosting it.  There are 63 balloonists competing in this years competition from all over the United States.  In addition to that there are 3 international pilots competing from Brazil, Canada and the Czech Republic.  The competition will occur all week long from August 22nd to 27th, 2011.  The pilots will launch every morning and evening from Kellogg Community College Campus, and spectors are allowed to enter, park and watch for no charge.  This is a very exciting community event, and Battle Creek is so fortunate to be a popular ballooning town.  Balloon pilots with decades of experience each will be comp... 08/23/2011

In a new video series about 'Buying your First Home' I have been trying to break down the steps for prospective buyers on the process of buying a home.  In my second installment in this series, I covered a summary of popular loan programs.  Certainly one could go into great detail about ratios, and income limits per household, etc.  However, I was trying to break it down into a simple, simple format to communicate just enough data for a buyer to understand a general outline of the programs, and then have them contact me or reach out for a professional lender on their own.  The idea is not necessarily to try to tell the entire story in my video, but to give them enough information for them to reach for more. If they have truly decided to become homeowners, then talking to a professional ... 08/22/2011

When moving into the Battle Creek area, one can look at the various townships surrounding the main city.  One popular township is Pennfield.  Prospective buyers are often drawn to the idea of buying a house in Pennfield Township, Michigan because of the newer high school, and elementary school.  These are great assets to the community, and the school system has a good reputation.  However, there are some other advantages to buying a house in Pennfield.  When one travels north of Morgan Road, and into the northern part of Pennfield township, one will find that the lots tend to be larger.  In fact it is not uncommon when buying a house in Pennfield to find that the houses have as much as two or three acres on average sometimes.  Pennfield is spread out, and one can still find a lot of pro... 08/22/2011

Taking those first steps towards homeownership can be a little unnerving for some.  Not knowing exactly how to start, it is easy to get turned around or led off the path by not having someone knowledgeable to direct you.  When you want to buy a home for the first time, it is important to to have some good direction from the start. To begin, you want to make contact with a local Realtor that knows the market area that you are wanting to buy in.  That agent will be able to direct you to not only houses, but also put you in contact with lenders in the area that can go over the various available loan programs that may be best for you.  I recently began creating a series of short videos on my Youtube channel about the subject of buyng your first home.  I have planned out fifteen segments in ... 08/20/2011