I was on an inspection of a home and we could see that a few mice had made themselves home.  As we continued our inspection of the vacant property it was evident that mouse population might be significant. I didn't notice any obvious places for mice to gain access to the home.  The next day I met with my client and a pest control company representative.  The pest control person walked the outside of the property just like we had done. He shared with us that one of the areas that are like open doors to homes is the corner trim spots on siding.  Here I thought you put out mouse traps and you would be rid of the uninvited guests shortly. Nobody like these spring loaded little traps.  The new traps introduced a few years ago is the mouse "Hotel".  You put bait inside and wait for them to wa... 03/16/2012

We all know the price of gas.  In West Michigan we pay higher prices that other areas of the state because of distributors.  Most every distributor pays similar prices but west Michigan consistently pays .10 cents per gallon higher.  This can only be contributed to a greedy distributor lining his or her pockets at the expense of a captive market.   Rarely does our price per gallon match gas stations 30-40 miles outside the West Michigan area.  We are consistently higher at the pump.  It would seem that such an important product the can impact every family would be looked at more closely for this type of distribution problem.  The local television stations have had the issues featured on local newscasts. The only option is to create a movement to get the attention of our local legislator... 03/16/2012

Many state have high insurance rates.  Michigan is among the highest in the nation.  The legislature has passed a law to allow for unlimited damage claims because of an accident.  You can look at this two ways.  If you are the one filing the claim and the court awards you millions of dollars you are happy. The other side of the high costs is the average driver will pay an additional $175.00 per car per year.  I happen to own three cars.  Most families own two cars.  So every resident in Michigan that owns two cars will pay an addition $300.00 per year.  With in creased fuel costs at the pump, increased food costs at the store I don't see how this will be welcome news for our state economy. Our no fault law increased our insurance costs individually.  I am not sure that it reduced the ov... 03/16/2012

I grew up in Chicago and they turned the river green to celebrate with the large Irish population.  In Grand Rapids Michigan where I now live they serve a lot of green beer. Today and tonight the city is closing some of the streets downtown to allow for more celebration room so pedestrians will not be hit by cars.  I am sure the pubs are going to be overflowing.  One business is setting up a beer tent and will have live music for street dancing. Since I don't drink I just turn green and act normal, they probably think I have been drinking but I become thedesignated driver.  Our weather has been summer like so this will bring out larger crowds than normal.  The Grand Rapids area would normally have snow on the ground and temperatures in the 30's in the evening.  Our temperatures today ma... 03/16/2012

Homes for sale inventory can affect how long your home is for sale and what your eventual sell price could be.  Less homes available in the housing market for sale means a higher concentration of home buyers for remaining homes for sale.  Conversely if a larger number of homes are competing for the same buyer the lower the sell price and fewer buyers see the majority of homes available. This is a basic supply and demand matrix.   Sometimes called a seller and buyer's market.  Many areas of the country have more homes for sale in the spring and summer.  This seasonality issue in Michigan happens in the spring.  We call it the spring market.  In Florida the market is better in the winter, in many areas, because of retirees shopping for homes.   Each housing market has it's trends and oppo... 03/09/2012

Considering selling your home but do not have an idea of what sell price to place on your home in the current Grand Rapids real estate market?  In the Grand Rapids Real Estate housing market one of the guides to use for sell price analysis is the cost per square foot of a home. This analysis can also be very telling on the current condition of the real estate market.  In 2006, before greed turned the housing market upside down, the average price per square foot to build a home was approximately $110.00 in the West Michigan real estate housing market.  Today it is nearly $30.00 per square foot lower. Home selling prices determine the price per square foot value not a listed price on a home for sale.  I know lot's of people will argue that point but I fail to see how some fictitious price... 03/09/2012

Every home seller should know the average time it will presumably take to sell their home.  This information should also interest home buyers. Seller's can use this information as a general guide to home selling time-frames.  The variables are condition, location and price.  I would add one more very important consideration to the list.  Marketing and the exposure of your home to buyer's by the seller or the agent or broker hired as the real estate sales agent. Buyer's many times play "chicken" with their future by waiting for the price on a particular property to go down before making an offer.  This can be contributed to the "Good Deal" syndrome!  Everyone wants a "Good Deal" no matter what they buy.  When buying a house or car everyone knows you made a major purchase.  Now here is th... 03/09/2012

Selling Home in town may seem like an odd question to ask.  The fact is, many agents and brokers do not use the right keywords to help the search engines place their blogs, articles and online advertising of a properly in the right location. Google like many other search engines is using a blended searching method to offer a better user experience to those using their search engine.  Without specific keywords and tags to help identify those keywords your article might be showing up in a location you never intended. For example if you do not sell home regionally around the city your in why would you use words that make a search engine think you do?  Getting specific is going to help you with placement.  For example I sell home in Grand Rapids Michigan.  Grand Rapids is a large metropolit... 03/08/2012

Wondering what the heck that is?   One of my little Passions or Obsessions.  The MC Scow is a 16' long 5'8" beam racing sailboat.  MC Scow Class is a strict one design fleet. I have raced sailboats for a long time (30 years) although I have reduced the size by about 30 feet I now spend my summers racing a small boat called a dngny.  Kind of fitting I think, some people think it is a bit dingy to spend so much money on something sooner or later you will surely damage.   The type of boat I race, right now, is an MC Scow built by Melges Boat Works.  For the most part this boat is more likely to be found in the Mid-West while fleets of these little boats cruise inland waters all over the United States.  I am a member of the Grand Rapids Yacht Club that has been a fixture on the west end of ... 03/07/2012

Mortgage rates are all ways on the move! Depending on the day, rates can move up and down as little as .125% to "God forbid" higher. Lower movements are what we all want in our lives, so lets hope that green line keeps moving up and stays up! If I could predict the movement, I would be able to retire to a nice warm tropical island. Check out what we have seen over the last three days. Follow Me On:               Anthony Mosley Loan Originator Van Dyk Mortgage Corp NMLS#3035 Phone: 616-974-9209 Fax: 616-974-9309 License: NMLS#130260 amosley@vandykmortgage.com http://www.anthonyhomeloan.com     Interest Rates! Follow the green line. The green line represent the movement of the coupon that influences a group of the mortgage industries interest rates, the rates you are being quoted. This gr... 03/06/2012

5 Bedroom home for sale in Grand Rapids set back from the road on 1.56  wooded acres.  Remodeled in 2004 adding new replacement windows, new roof, new forced air natural gas furnace, air conditioning, kitchen, bathrooms, natural gas fireplace while keeping the charm and character of the home.   Refinished were beautiful hardwood floors, arched doorways, plaster walls with craftmanship that has long been lost.  This would be a perfect group home.  Licensing may will up to the buyer.  Walkout basement, 3 baths, Master Suite with dual sinks, tiled shower and a jet tub. See for yourself with a quick peek inside with our custom virtual tour. 03/05/2012

Home Selling in the Spring Home Sales market but waiting for Spring? Don't wait to get ready for listing your home.  You can be doing some of the preparation for the Spring Home Selling Market in Michigan right now. Starting early with the inside of your home can reduce stress and allow you to take a bit more time getting your home ready.  We still have some strange weather for Michigan.  We don't know if it is going to snow or break out in flower-buds. Here is a quick overview to help you create your own list of preparing your home to sell.  If you would like a more complete home Seller Checklist your can go to my website or use this link and a list will be emailed to you. FREE SELLER Checklist, or on our website Flexit Realty Grand Rapids.  Review one room at a time. Start at the entr... 03/04/2012

Yup! Next Weekend we change our clocks back from Daylight Saving time.  How many people are late each year for something because they forgot to change their clocks. November 20011 we changed our clocks and according the National Geographic 27% of the people that were in a time zone that changed were late.  Heck my wife says, I don't need an excuse to be late!  If it isn't a real estate appointment I am late.  She thinks I am going to be late for my own funeral.  I have no doubt she'll make sure I am on time!   Now don't think anything but good thoughts we get along great and are best friends too.  That doesn't mean my little obsession for trying to cram 50 minutes in a 40 minute time slot doesn't cause some kind words of encouragement. :-) If you are like me and want to know more about ... 03/04/2012

Home Selling Mistakes I just listed a home that is new to the market.  I was in competition for the listing.  That is another story.  The seller listened to my advice on everything but the keys to selling.   No For Sale Sign on the property, yet he is on a busy highway.  No Sunday phone calls. No email responses on Sunday. No Sunday showings These Seller's are going to rely completely on advertising and my maping ability to bring buyers.  In 2011 NAR research shared that: 45% of buyer's used the Internet to determine the home they actually purchased. 34% of buyer's found the home on the agent's website. 17% found the home as a result of a Yard Sign, if they didn't use the Internet. 4% as a referral from a friend 17% by a friend seeing the Yard Sign. 1% knew the seller's  5% Newspapers, ... 03/03/2012

Want to know some facts that may create a reason for you to blog more? According to Hubspot Companies that blog get 55% more visitors to their websites.  That alone is pretty impressive as far as I am concerned. Blogging created 97% more inbound links to their websites!  That number is staggering...how could you not blog with a statistic like that staring you in the face?  Of course content is an issue but we have content everyday!  Want content look around you. Bogging created 434% more indexed pages than companies that did not blog.  Link to your website pages from your blog and watch your ratings grow for both your blog and website!  These are not little numbers to brush off as, "other" people write better or have more to say.  These are real numbers that can affect your business and... 03/03/2012

Security experts yearly analyze the worst passwords used for emails, blogs, websites, checking accounts, electronic code locks and more.  It is amazing how many passwords remain on the list year after year.  Internet Security Experts laughed almost uncontrollable over the first password on the list!  It is in the top spot because it came up most often.  Hear that?  It's the clicking of keyboard keys changing passwords!  Many websites have resorted to a password monitor that tells you the strength of your password.  Other websites offer hints on how to make a secure password.  Many times we give this part of the creating an account or login little thought.   Just last month University of California was hacked and 800,000 names, social security numbers, contact information compromised acc... 03/03/2012

Real Estate Face Time, being in front of clients. Real Estate for all the technology to send and receive, display, tell and show our goal is still, creating face to face meetings.  Everything we do as real estate agents is working toward that one event, a face to face meeting. I talk to dozens of people on the phone everyday but 90% of my opportunity happens when I meet them face to face.  You can build rapport with clients over the Internet, from your website and phone.  You start building trust with testimonials but complete trust and faith is built when you meet and see each other. Body language, tells us many things.  Facial expressions or lack of can help guide you to the next question or answer.  For example handing something to someone who isn’t expecting the gift causes surprise... 03/03/2012

Blog integration to direct website traffic when and where you want it to go.   Seeing a blast of links and logos that overpower the actual information being presented can cause an information overload conflict and confusion for the viewer of your post.  Blogs and not supposed to look like InfoMercials with hard sells.  Inside blog posts on ActiveRain and many others blogs “Wordpress” for one, offers these same options with “plugins” you will notice linking to Twitter, Follow me, Facebook, LinkedIn, and many more.     One of the most obvious issues is over use, too many little widgets or plugins on a page.  Recently studies suggest the top 4 plugins LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are the primary sites to add to your linking on a website or blog.  This is not to say your distribu... 03/03/2012

Thinking of buying a lakefront home in West Michigan?  We are the Lakefront Home Selling Specialists.  Waiting until spring to buy, might I say you will miss the deals! When the spring selling market comes prices go up and you have more buyers to compete with your offer.  Looking for something special but can't find it.  We will use our vast data bases of lakes and seller's to help you find the right property at the right price.  It may take a little bit but it will be worth the time if you find exactly what you want.  Many times we find lakefront homes for buyer's that were not for sale.  Only to have seller's step up and say they would sell their lakefront home. We have lake access properties for sale as well.  Lower taxes yet offer full use of lakes and in most cases private dockage ... 02/26/2012

Want positive recognition within your community for doing positive something you believe in?  Volunteering not money, anyone can do that, your time.  Get to know people, understand them and their needs.  People can see through those that are on boards for the name on a resume.  Build communities from the inside out, with your knowledge and help. I am making a video for a local cancer society.  They are going to do a fund drive, they need a drop off point but more importantly they needed advertising on a shoestring budget.  This isn't about my needs or my exposure but it happens anyway.  Everyone pushing the drive can show the informational video on their cell phones. They have a walking advertisement, a brochure and a ready made donation creator and all they have to do is carry their ce... 02/25/2012