Saline Michigan Home Buying

Fun With A Buried Oil Tank

2009-06-05T09:32:00.003-05:00

OK,

It really isn't fun. But it is educational and it does prove the benefit of having a thorough home inspection.

More to come on this topic soon!

Here are some links:

Here is the extreme crazy expensive residential oil tank issue:
http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=faebd04d-2991-442c-b181-2ed6f34a817c

Here is a site from an Oregon company who had decomissioned a bunch of tanks:
http://www.danatanks.com/cgi-bin/danat.cgi?photo_page_button=yes

Here is the state of Michigan's resource page:
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3311_4115_4238---,00.html

Here is the state of Michigan's list of qualified experts:

http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3311_4115_4238-9723--,00.html

Finally, the state's statement on home heating oil tanks:

http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3311_4115_4238-9379--,00.html

Radon system outside the home

2009-05-05T13:46:00.001-05:00

Good Video on Tax Credit For 2009 First Time Home Buyers

2009-04-04T19:28:00.001-05:00

The National Association of Home Builders put together a nice video on the $8,000 Tax Credit.

Sewage ejector crock

2009-03-18T15:51:00.001-05:00

I'm at a home inspection today at a country home.

There is a bathroom in the basement and that means there is a sewage
ejector pump in a sewage crock.

Here is a photo.

Real estate agent steals stuff from houses, including booze!

2009-02-21T11:51:00.002-05:00

I subscribe to a bunch of industry newsletters and the National Realty News just ran an article on a real estate agent in Oregon:

HILLSBORO, OR - A Cornelius realtor has been arrested and accused of breaking into at least two homes to raid the liquor cabinet and steal petty items, police said.

Michael Troy Messmer, 41, is accused of burglarizing homes in Hillsboro and Cornelius by using his pass code to access real estate "lock boxes," commonly used when realtors show homes on the market while the owner isn't around.

Lt. Michael Rouches, spokesman for Hillsboro police, said Messmer was charged with a Feb. 1 break-in of a home in the 3600 block of Northeast 8th Ave. Rouches said the homeowner returned from a business trip and found Messmer in his house, drinking a White Russian.

"It's obvious Messmer had been in his liquor cabinet," Rouches said. "(The homeowner) asks him, 'What are you doing in here?' Messmer says, 'I'm a realtor.' "

Rouches said Messmer is alleged to have left the home and taken a box of material that had been gathered beforehand, containing a Sony PlayStation video game system, perfume and household goods.

In all, the material taken was worth about $260, he said. A woman was also with him.

Days later, Messmer was discovered in a home in Cornelius, said Cmdr. Ed Jensen, of Cornelius police. He is alleged to have taken alcohol and toiletry items such as shaving cream and air freshener.

The guy must have been a real idiot or he wanted to get caught. I hope he can get his life back together.

Jon Boyd
Saline / Ann Arbor real estate buyer's agent
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.

What is that stamp worth? What are these old stamps worth?

2009-01-19T17:58:00.002-05:00

I had that question recently as I was sending postcards out to home owners for a condo buyer. (We sometimes need to dig a little deeper that the properties that are on the market at any one time for our buyer clients.)

What I found out was that the post office has a page devoted to these "nondenominated" stamps.

Here is the link:

http://pe.usps.gov/text/qsg300/Q604a.htm

So here is my question:

If these stamps go to church, do they go to a nondemonimation service???

US Gov. suggested New Years Resolutions

2009-01-02T18:20:00.000-05:00

I thought this was interesting:

The government has posted a set of popular and constructive New Years Resolutions.

Very cool, but where is the one about buying a great
Saline home in 2009!???

'Just Moved to a New Server, is it Working?

2008-11-25T00:45:00.001-05:00

We just moved this blog site and the property search site to a new server.

It seems to be working fine, but if you notice a problem please email me at jon (at) buyersagentannarbor.com or call our office at 734-662-6240.

Thank you!

Charlotte EBA has "Home Buyer Alert" blog

2008-11-16T15:39:00.001-05:00

One of our Exclusive Buyer Agent friends who is a home buying expert in North Carolina has an interesting blog focussed on home buying.

Here is the link: Charlotte buyer agent blog

Home Buying Quiz - Inside information

2008-10-22T08:51:00.003-05:00

A while back we created a twelve question web based home buying quiz. The answers are in audio and it is informative, especially to first time home buyers.

Click the link below:

It has specific discussion of some Ann Arbor real estate issues but it is still helpful to anyone in the home buying process.

Some of the items in the quiz are things that traditional salespeople actually don't want you to know.

"Don't rely on agent's choice for loan, title services"

2008-08-27T15:33:00.002-05:00

The link above is to a blog post about Tom Kelly's article today on Inman News.

The point was that many real estate agents and companies get compensation from the
mortgage process, the title process, and other parts of the transaction. Often you never see this as a home buyer.

Here is a link to the original article:

Tom Kelly article on Inman

Builder Home Loans, You Need To Be Careful

2008-08-12T11:24:00.002-05:00

It is very important when you are buying a new home to understand your financing options. Often the builder will offer you a loan package.

After reviewing hundreds of loan offerings I can tell you it sometimes they are good options, sometimes there are terrible.

Helping Home Buyers Locate, Evaluate, and Negotiate great home deals!
Jon Boyd, Broker/Manager
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.
http://buyersagentannarbor.com/
734-6620-6240
1908 W. Stadium Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Ann Arbor's Most experienced Exclusive Buyer's Brokerage!

How Saline Area Home Buyers Can Boost Your Credit Score By 100+ Points

2008-06-20T07:41:00.001-05:00

This Monday night we are having another free class. But this time it isn't just for home buyers.

"How To Repair Your Credit & Boost Your Score By 100+ Points!" Is a class about dispelling some of the myths of credit and showing you exactly what is possible and why in terms of improving your credit file.

You know that your credit file is critical in determining what kind of home loans yu qualify for, but did you know that potential employers will check your credit? Did you know that your credit score has a dramatic impact on your insurance rates? Even renting an apartment is impacted by what is in your credit files.

Why do we know so much about credit and how to improve it? Because as we have been looking out for the best interest of home buyers for close to 20 years, and that includes helping buyers with their credit files dating back for over 15 of those 20 years.

So, come to the free class Monday night, June 23rd and find out all about what can be done to turn your credit around in the next six months.

Again the class is free, but pre-registration is required.

Call the voice mail system at 734-223-9831 and leave a message with the number of seats you would lie to reserve, your name(s), and a phone number we cal call to confirm your reservation.

And, we will see you Monday night!

How To Buy A Foreclosure Class Tuesday Night

2008-05-22T20:31:00.002-05:00

Next Tuesday evening we will be having another one of our classes on how to buy a foreclosure.

This class is not about trying to sell home study courses or some "get rich quick" idea. It is just a straight forward informative class on the opportunities and pitfalls that come with buying a foreclosure.

We also cover that close cousin of the foreclosure, the short-sale.

We talk about defining the terms, the foreclosure time-line and we spend a lot of time talking about actual examples from right here in Washtenaw County.

The class is free but you must reserve your seat by calling 734-223-98313 leaving a message with your name, the number of seats you would like to reserve, a phone number where we can call you back for confirmation, and where you found out about the class. (In March we ran out of space)

Mortgage Troubles in "Declining Markets"

2008-04-18T13:29:00.002-05:00

Home buying expert Ronn Huth from the Boston area is facing some of the same challenges we are here in the Saline / Ann Arbor area with the "declining Market" label.

In this declining market lenders have changed their lending guidlines to essentially require 5% more downpayment for any given conventional low downpayment program.

On Ronn's blog he gets some insight from nationally recognized mortgage expert Dawn Davis at Rate One Mortgage in Memphis.

If you are looking at using less than 20% down in this area, take a look. Declining Market Explanation

Class for Saline first time buyers (Free and informative)

2008-03-31T21:49:00.002-05:00

Coming up on April 14th we have our Free home buying class on Monday night.

This class is packed with information on the processes and challenges involved in buying your first home.

Click on the link above for more information.

Foxes guarding the hen house

2008-03-26T13:16:00.002-05:00

Just heard from an Exclusive Buyer's Agent out west who found something from their professional licensing bureau that caught her eye.

The Iowa licensing bureau fined a Nebraska broker and 5 of his agents $7,500 for practicing real estate in Iowa without an Iowa license. The company, a Prudential franchise, was licensed in Omaha, they were just doing business in Iowa.

Here is the interesting point:

The broker that was guilty in Iowa is a member of the real estate commission in Omaha! The guy helps write laws in Omaha and he breaks them in Iowa!

Manpower survey shows more bad news coming

2008-03-16T23:29:00.003-05:00

Here is an article from the Free Press about a Manpower survey that predicts lower employment levels for both Washtenaw and Livingston Counties.

Not good news for real estate values, but it is good news for home buyers. (Bad employement figures will help hold prices down.)

Important Update on Challenging Pittsfield Township assessments

2008-03-12T09:48:00.002-05:00

I just heard from a past client about his experience challenging his assessment in Pittsfield Township.

He bought a home that had been foreclosed. (He actually bought it from the bank.)

When the assessment came in significantly higher than what he had purchased it for he called the township assessor's office.

The assessor reportedly told him that they don't count repossessed homes in their property valuation calculations. --- Because they feel the seller is desperate and can't collect fair market value for the home. ---

Interesting.

What is even more surprising is that they said they don't even count some of the Pfizer relocation transactions. Again arguing that the seller was desperate and sold for below fair market value.

More to come on this interesting bit of news...

Saline High School Offering Real Estate License Class

2008-02-28T09:23:00.002-05:00

I saw in the Ann Arbor News that the Saline High school's switch to a trimester program has allowed the introduction of some new offerings. One of which is a pre-license class for real estate agents.

Here is the link:

Saline Real Estate License Class Link

Interesting quiz for home buyers

2008-02-19T21:24:00.003-05:00

This link will take you to a quiz on our main website that talks about example discussions we have with buyers about homes.

As a buyer's agent we don't try to just sell buyers what is available, we try to actually find the best home for the buyer at the best price. And often, these discussions take a lot of time and involve analysis

Interesting things you learn at home inspections

2008-02-19T21:04:00.003-05:00

I was speaking to another exclusive buyer's agent today who works in the Iowa market.

She had just gone through a home inspection at a home where the plumbing drain lines had a mix of white pipe and black elbows.

The inspector said the plumbing was all wrong. It turns out you can't mix the black and the white types of material without special adapters.

The link above takes you to a reference page.

Boneheaded buyer move

2008-02-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

Here is a quick insight if you happen to be interested in buying the lot or home next door.

Don't contact the seller or the seller's listing agent directly!

Do not let the seller know you have any interest in their lot until you've talked to an Exclusive Buyer's Agent!

Here is the background:

1. If you are buying a property next to your current home, you are obviously doing it because of the location.

2. There are very few properties next to your current home.

3. Once the seller knows this your ability to negotiate effectively is lost.

Here is the better way:

Contact an Exclusive Buyer's Agent (A real estate company who only works for buyers, never sellers so they avoid all the conflicts of interest) and get their input on buying strategies. There are a number of them but I'm not going to post them here because a seller could read them and then they wouldn't do either of us any good!

You can reach our office at 734-662-6240 or online at hbaaa.com

About Appraisers Getting Presure from Real Estate Agents

2008-02-01T13:50:00.001-05:00

I thought this was a great article!

It talks about how appraisers are often pressured to provide a high appraisal to stay in business.

Interesting reading!

As the largest buyer's brokerage involved in the Saline Michigan area we are the only company to really see this like the buyers do.

Exclusive Buyer Agents (Buyer Brokerages) are companies who only work for buyers. Never taking a listing and never representing a seller's best interest.

Most other offices in our market only offer designated buyer agency, designated seller agency, or dual agency. (Most agents and brokers I speak to don't even understand what designated agency means to buyers, they just know it means more profits and less risk for the broker!)

In any case, it is good to see some balance coming to appraisals.

Negotiation tool: Saline area and Washtenaw County foreclosures

2008-01-07T11:58:00.000-05:00

If you are negotiating on a home in the Saline area or anywhere in Washtenaw County Michigan this month, here is something you should be discussing with the seller.

The above linked article from the Ann Arbor News reports that foreclosures have jumped 90%, and that this year things may get worse.

Be sure a seller knows this. It should make them much more appreciative of your offer!