Ypsilanti Michigan Home Buying

First Friday at Top of The Park

2009-06-12T18:02:00.001-07:00

HoMo is rockin'

The wrong way to keep a basement dry

2009-05-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

Out at a home inspection today. Here is a typical problem we see with
people who use these gutter extensions. They sometimes just fall off.

Buyers on a roof during an inspection

2009-05-05T12:07:00.001-07:00

I think it is a good idea for someone to be on the roof with the home
inspector.

If the buyers don't want to go up I will.

You can learn a lot about your home.

Radon system outside the home

2009-05-05T11:46:00.001-07:00

Really ugly MLS photos (From Orlando)

2009-04-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

We have plenty of ugly MLS photos here, but we have to work with these agents, so I'm sharing some from Orlando.

Here is a link to the whole page from a photographer who doesn't want to publish their name or contact information. (He/She takes nice pictures, but collects ugly ones contributed by other real estate people.)

MLS Trash Can

Home that have been "abused"

2009-03-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

We sometimes talk about homes that have suffered from abuse from their owners.

A friend of mine ran across this example in a home he bought recently.

The furnace had been run for years without a filter.

Here is what he saw when he opened it up and looked at the air conditioning coils:

Here is what it should look like:

You can imagine how this impacted the unit's efficiency for both heating and cooling.

This is something that I think any buyer agent should understand and be able to talk about. This isn't highly technical and it certainly isn't a buyer's agent's job to open up a furnace, but, a buyer agent should understand this.

However, many, many of the "pretend buyer agents" think they shouldn't talk about shortcomings of homes and shouldn't point out anything critical because they don't want to be accused of being home inspectors. Strange.

Remember if you want an unconflicted, true buyer agent to help you with your home buying, call us.

Jon Boyd, Broker/Manager
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.
Click here for information on Ann Arbor real estate homes for sale
member office of http://naeba.org
734-662-6240
1908 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Ann Arbor's Most experienced Exclusive Buyer's Brokerage!

Septic field inspection

2009-03-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

When you buy a home with a septic field, it is important to have an
evaluation of the field done.

In Washtenaw county the county has standards and a specific
requirement for an evalation to be done prior to change of ownership.

But in other Michigan counties you are on your own.

The interpretation of the report is critical also.

Interesting diet fraud photo fixing website

2009-02-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

OK, this isn't related to Ypsilanti real estate, but it is related to fraud, or making things look better than they are.

There is a website I was just told about that makes it really easy to make yourself look a lot thinner in a photo. This is the same thing that companies do to create the "before and after" pictures that they use to sell diet products.

Take a look and I think you will be impressed: Before and After photo fixing website

Jon Boyd
Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti real estate buyer's agent

Local Scam Real Estate Site

2009-01-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

We run into a fair number of real estate businesses that seem to have no respect for home buyers. Here is one example.

Ann Arbor Homes For Sale - Scam - video powered by Metacafe

Let us know what you think.

Download Suze Orman financial book for free till the 15th

2009-01-12T07:17:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to pass this on.

Suze Orman is a top financial advisor who has a very informative TV show. (She also recommends home buyers talk to Exclusive Buyer Agents if there are any working in the buyer's area.)

Here is the link:

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081119_tows_bookdownload

(This is courtesy of Oprah, Thank you Oprah!)

Jon Boyd

Broker/Manager, CEBA-Master, CBA, CBR, GRI, e-PRO
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc. 1908 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-662-6240, 888-566-2693
Helping Home Buyers Locate, Evaluate, and Negotiate
http://www.buyersagentannarbor.com

Chutney as a Christmas gift

2009-01-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

A couple posts ago I mentioned the Chutney lady at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market.

My wife gave some of the Farmer's Market Chutney as a gift to my brother and his wife at Christmas and it was well received.

Just wanted you to know there is a gift for someone who has everything... Chutney.

The market may be slow, but, there are some amazing values here!

2008-12-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

We are helping a couple of buyers look in the Ypsilanti area, and some of the values there for home that need a little cosmetic work are quite impressive.

At the same time there are similar homes right down the street that are for sale at their ~2005 prices. It is amazing that real estate agents will take listings and work to sell home that are now well over-priced. Some of those will sell at those very high prices. - But, you can bet you life it won't be to one of our clients!

Remember, unlike other companies who actively try to sell their listings, overpriced or not, we only work for buyers. We never work for sellers, so we can always be on your side.

Never any designated/dual agency.

Only loyal buyer agency.

Call us if you would like to talk about some of the great values we are seeing now. 734-662-6240

Chatting With The Chutney Lady

2008-09-20T06:28:00.001-07:00

One of the great things about living around Ann Arbor is the Ann Arbor
Farmers Market.

One of the great things about the Farmers Market is what my wife calls
"The Chutney Lady".

She has a variety of chutney and jellies and wonderful home-made stuff. And my wife enjoys talking to her.

Her business is Kern Road Farm at www.kernroadfarm.com

My wife recommends the Pineapple Chutney which has pineapple, champagne, wine vinegar, curry, sugar, cardamon, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves as ingredients. YUMMMMM

Listing Broker "Administrative Fees" Challenged

2008-09-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

As the only real BUYER'S real estate company who is active in Ypsilanti we've watched some listing offices add fees to listings that they expect a buyer to pay in addition to the compensation they receive from the seller.

We've seen various opinions on the legality of these fees, but the bottom line is that they cause frustration for home buyers.

Well, the U.S. Court of apeals for the Eleventh Circuit (Atlanta) has decided that a admin fee suit could be certified as a class action suit. This makes it a much bigger deal and more likely to create a change.

The link above will take you to a realtor.org article on it.

Also check out the blog post on one of our other blog sites here: Admin fee suit

Ypsilanti Historical Blog

2008-08-20T03:51:00.000-07:00

I just ran across the blog linked above. It looks like it was just started this month, but it could be really nice if the author keeps going.

Nice Work!

The kind of thing a husband should not leave a wife if he dies

2008-08-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed with a good number of well qualified buyers, some
of them in the luxury category. For us that means priced over $550,000.

I was in an Ypsilanti home this month that could have been in this
value range if the owner/builder had ever finished it. Unfortunately
he passed away recently, leaving his wife with a home they had been
living in for five or six years that was never finished.

We are talking about a ~4,000 square foot home that is just past the
drywall stage.

So the wife now has to sell, and instead of being a dream come
True, it will probably sell for ~$300,000 and be a real hassle for her.

I wish her the best.

Jon Boyd
Broker / Manager
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor
734-662-6240 buyersagentannarbor.com
1908 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor MI 48103

Top Of The Park 20080603

2008-06-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

This is the scene at the Top of The Park at that Ann Arbor Summer
Festival tonight and we are having a blast!

Got-to-love the horn music!

Important Free Class For First Time Buyers - How To Improve Your Credit Score By 100 Points

2008-06-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

"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 it is possible. (In terms of improving your credit file. REALLY 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.

We have personally helped people remove negative student loan information. It isn't something you can do overnight, but it isn't brain surgery either.

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!

Be careful with those concrete blocks!

2008-05-28T20:19:00.001-07:00

I've been really physically tired this week from taking down a pine tree and moving some concrete blocks around.

I found this video where some guys make styrofoam "blocks" and surprise people.

Falling Bricks - video powered by Metacafe

I thought it was worth sharing.

Good Structural Engineer For Those Extra Difficult Inspection Issues

2008-04-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes after a home inspection the inspector just doesn't have the background knowledge to make a certain determination about a potential problem.

At those times we typically call in a professional structural engineer.

The link above will take you to a post on that topic at one of our other blogs.

Buying an Ypsilanti home built between the late 40's and the early 60's

2008-04-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

Example Sewer Line Video

If you are buying a home built between the late 40's and the early 60's in Ypsilanti it is a real good idea to have your sewer line inspected to determine its condition and what it is made of. "Orangeburg" material was popular during that time and much of it is failing these days.

The above link will take you to a video of an example inspection done at a home of this age. This home turned out to have a "Crock" type pipe.

Class for Ypsilanti first time buyers (Free and informative)

2008-03-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

Coming up on April 14th we have our Free "Buying a Home Without Losing Your Shirt" class.

The class is a fast moving 90 minutes on the preparation, evaluation, negotiation and location of a "home of your own".

Click on the link above to go to our website for more information.

Reservations are required.

How to choose a real estate agent if you are buying

2008-03-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here is an article that was published late last month on home buying and choosing a buyer agent.

Good reading, particularly if you are going to be buying a home in the Ypsilanti area.

How To Buy A Foreclosure Class a big Success

2008-03-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

Last night we had our first monthly "How To Buy A Foreclosure" class.

We had a packed house and the participants seemed very pleased with the content.

One of the participants recently purchased a foreclosed home for their daughter in another area and she commented on how difficult is was and how she wished she had come to our class first.

Our next class is scheduled for April 28th.

Visit our website for more information: http://buyersagentannarbor.com/classes

Update on fighting assessment in Pittsfield Township

2008-03-12T07:54:00.000-07:00

We have a past client who recently bought a home in Pittsfield Township who felt his assessment was too high.

Here is a link on his experience from our Saline Michigan Blog Fighting Assessment in Pittsfield Township Michigan