Experts generally agree that you can plan on annually spending 1 percent of the purchase price of your house on repairing gutters, caulking windows, sealing your driveway and the myriad other maintenance chores that come with the privilege of homeownership. Newer homes will cost less to maintain than older homes. It also depends on how well the house has been maintained over the years.
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What does it take to sell a home in today's buyers market in Kalamazoo MI?
It Takes The Three P's;
1. Product. That's your house. After your home is on the market, it is a product. It is inventory. Part of the chain of supply vs. demand.
2. Presentation. That is the marketing I provide when you choose me to sell your home.
That marketing includes:
* Keys to maximizing 'curb appeal' to capture the interest of more buyers * Unique & effective techniques to reach busy, discriminating buyers I have 64 point marketing planthat includes a focus on web based marketing, because that is where the buyers are. The National Association of Realtors has discovered in a recent survey that over 80% of home buyers begin their search for a new homes in Kalamazoo on the Web.
3. Price.There is no getting around it,priceis critical in a buyers market. Home buyers and their Kalamazoo area real esate agents are ignoring all but the best buys. But homes ARE selling.
Imagine what would happen if your house was perfectly clean, staged properly, and set up to make the absolute finest first impression it could make but it was overpriced. Home buyers may remember how nice it was, but don't expect offers.
All of the marketing in the world won't get your house sold if it's overpriced. Dangling a price that is too high for the market just won't work today.
I can help save you time, energy and stress in selling your home for the highest amount of money the market will bring. Whenever you're ready, I can schedule a no-obligation meeting to discuss your options by phone or in person.
Meanwhile, if you would like an online market evaluation of your home as it compares to other homes in your Kalamazoo area neighborhood that are currently for sale, please complete the form below. Naturally, there is no obligation and never a hassle.
The top choice for information regarding homes for sale in Kalamazoo MI, home buying tips for Kalamazoo area homebuyers, selling a home in Kalamazoo MI or investing in Kalamazoo area real estate, visit http://www.HomesofSWMichigan.com. We've worked hard to make our website user-friendly AND comprehensive. You'll even find a very easy system to search the Kalamazoo area MLS for homes for sale in Kalamazoo.
If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Kalamazoo MI, I hope you will contact me.
If you are a Kalamazoo MI home buyer or selling a Kalamazoo home, similar-sounding terms can have very different meanings. Is the buyer for your Kalamazoo MI area home for sale pre-approved? Or is the buyer merely pre-qualified? The answer can make a huge difference in the length of time it may take your home sale to close.
Buyers who are “pre-qualified” are those whose lenders have determined how much they can borrow based only on information the buyer has provided to the lender. Typically the buyers credit rating has been verified, but not always. Sometimes nothing has been verified to determine the buyer's true creditworthiness. The buyer still must fill out a loan application and go through the lender's approval process.
For buyers who have been “pre-approved,” the lender has already done a credit check along with verification of employment and deposit. The lender has reviewed paystubs, W-2 forms and satisfied themselves of the buyers ability to actually buy the home and pay for it. The lender's pre-approval is a commitment to loan the buyer up to a certain predetermined amount. The only piece missing is the lender’s appraisal of the home to confirm its value.
An offer from a pre-approved buyer can trim days or even weeks off the closing process. When I assist sellers, I make sure I am dealing with offers from pre-approved buyers whenever possible. Being pre-approved is an entirely higher level of committment on behalf of a prospective home buyer for my clients homes for sale in Kalamazoo.
The top choice for information about buying a home in the Kalamazoo, MI area OR selling a home in SW Michigan or investing in real estate, visit http://www.HomesofSWMichigan.com. We've worked hard to make our website user-friendly AND comprehensive. You'll even find a very easy system to search the Kalamazoo area MLS for homes for sale in Kalamazoo MI
If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Kalamazoo MI, I hope you will contact me.
Every year on the first Saturday in February, the Vicksburg, MI Chamber of Commerce hosts an Ice Festival and Chili Cook-Off. Today was the day. WIth temperatures in the low 50s, the ice scuptures won't last long but it encouraged a large turnout. The tent was packed!
The festivities were kicked off early this morning with an ice fishing contest on Sunset Lake.
Beginning at 9:00 were the ice sculptures beginning to take shape. Area businesses sponsor the scultures in exchange for advertising on the base of the sculpture. Double L Bait & Marine sponsored a mermaid, Hills Pharmacy sponsored a mortar & pistle. Simmons Ford sponsored a large oval Ford logo. All in all there were a dozen or so sculptures placed around the downtown Vicksburg area,
At 11:00 a.m. the chili cook-off began while nine restaurants competed for first place in the chili cook-off. I didn't stick around long enough to find out who won, but my vote went to Good to Go Cafe for their white chicken chili.
The band, Seventh Son, kicked off inside the huge tent at 11:00 a.m. and rocked out a mix of hearty blues and rock 'n roll.
It was a wonderful crowd and great fun!
Vicksburg is a great town and a great place to live. The top choice for information about buying a home in the Kalamazoo, MI area (including Vicksburg, MI)OR selling a home in SW Michigan or investing in real estate, visit http://HomesofSWMichigan.com. We've worked hard to make our website user-friendly AND comprehensive. You'll even find a very easy system to search the Kalamazoo area MLS for homes for sale in SW Michigan.
If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Kalamazoo MI, I hope you will contact me.
It seems bargains come along frequently in this market. Nearly every week I find a home for sale in the Kalamazoo or Portage area that is priced below market value in one form or another. Some of the homes I see would make great long term investments. I call those "Buy & Holds". They are prime properties to buy and create rental income. They could possibly be sold one day for a nice profit.
Another bargain home I see quite often is the home that needs some rehab that is in a desireable Kalamazoo or Portage neighborhood. For example, it might be priced at $40,000 in an area of homes that are selling for $75,000 - $85,000. Milwood for example. The home might need $15,000 of labor and materials to make it marketable, but that still leaves some room for profit on the resale. I call those "Flips". Those homes can be purchased, rehabbed and flipped for a profit.
Although less common (and potentially riskier) in the Kalamazoo or Portage area than the "Buy & Holds", flips are a wonderful opportunity for short term profits.
But the most common bargain home I find is what I call an "Owner Occupied". I call them that because they aren't in need of a lot of rehab work, in fact sometimes they are in move-in condition. They aren't a rental property either. They are simply a bargain priced home that is ideal for someone to buy and live in.
One such home is located at 12590 Country Grove Circle in Portage, MI. Near Sugarloaf Lake off of Shaver Rd., this home is within Avalon Woods subdivision.
Priced at $209,900, this home represents a tremendous value for any homebuyers searching that price range in Portage or Kalamazoo.
Take a look at the video below and visit the featured homes at our website for more information on this 4 year old home with over 3,000 finished sq. feet, 3 car garage, 4 BRs, 3 BA, fireplace and more.
One of the many dire predictions done these past few months by many Kalamazoo & Portage Michigan‘bubbleologists’ out there
-
that is all those who indulge in the contemplation of
bubbles in the Kalamazoo & Portage Michigan real estate market of all sizes and colors, whether real or imaginary, coming our
way - was that by now real estate markets everywhere would be inundated
and swept away by a tsunami of foreclosures of apocalyptic proportions.
The
general rationale among those specializing in the fine art of staring
at crystal balls (or perhaps at several empty bottles of rum) was that
the steady increase in interest rates, the consequence of a tightening
monetary policy implemented by the Fed since mid-2004, would have led
by now to a collapse of the adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) market,
since consumers could not possibly cope with the increased monthly
payments. This, in turn, would dramatically increase mortgage defaults
and foreclosures, with the end result that real estate markets
everywhere would be flooded with excess inventory at deflated prices,
thus causing markets to crash - the tsunami I was talking about.
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