Pinckney Michigan Real Estate

Defogging your windows in Pinckney Michigan

2008-08-28T08:13:00.002-05:00

There is now a local company that specializes in fixing fogged thermal pane windows.

(I'm not sure of their address, but they service Pinckney and all of Livingston County and much of Southeastern Michigan.)

The link above will get you to a blog post where it is discussed.

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!

Example of a Bad Home Inspection and What it Does To Home Buyers

2008-08-18T14:57:00.003-05:00

The link above takes you to a news report on a home buyer's nightmare.

They used a traditional real estate agent and just happened to decide to buy a home being sold by the agent's husband. No conflict of interest there....

They take the agent's recommendation on a home inspector and a few weeks after closing find out they've been scammed.

The point:

If you want to buy a home use an Exclusive Buyer's Agent so you don't have all the conflicts of interest!

How Pinckney Home Buyers Can Boost Their Credit Score By 100+ Points - Free Class

2008-06-20T07:43:00.001-05:00

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!

"Home Buying Class On Foreclosures"

2008-04-29T13:16:00.003-05:00

We had another one of our free "How To Buy A Foreclosure" classes last night here in Ann Arbor. In March we filled up but this time we had extra seats.

I could tell that a couple of the buyers who were there were gaining insights about the process. One of the buyers who had actually viewed a number of foreclosed and short-sale homes was clearly much more comfortable with the process when he left.

Since we are active helping Pinckney area buyers one of the examples discussed in the class was actually a Pinckney area home.

Click on the link above for information about the next class if you are interested.

Should you have a sewer inspection on a Pinckney home purchase?

2008-04-16T08:54:00.003-05:00

Here is a link to a sewer line video. No this really isn't a joke.

Sewer line problems are really expensive problems to fix and a lot of homes over about 40 years old are showing signs of wear.

The home in the video linked above isn't perfect, but it isn't failed either. Take a look!

How to determine your offer price in a slow market

2008-03-26T18:17:00.005-05:00

Here is a link to a post by real estate author Ilyce Glink.

She does a lot of top-notch stuff. I have one of her home buying books sitting on my book self right now.

In this post I leave an important comment on when you don't want to just look at historical sold data to determine value.

Livingston County Assessment Update

2008-03-16T23:55:00.001-05:00

Here is an interesting article from the Press & Argus about the current assessments on residential property and how they've been moving down.

Article On Choosing An Agent

2008-03-04T21:51:00.003-05:00

I was actually quoted in this story from the Baltimore sun about choosing a real estate agent when you are buying a home.

And more importantly it has some interesting ideas for home buyers. Baltimore Sun on Choosing an Agent

Structuring a repair credit

2008-02-10T00:16:00.000-05:00

A few years ago a reporter from the Detroit Free Press asked me what happens when an inspection uncovers serious problems with a home.

I described to her the 4 distinct methods to deal with issues that come up and she put those four in an article.

Well recently we had a transaction in the office where the listing agent didn't know how to structure a repair credit. This agent had been in the business a while so it wasn't like she was totally new. Obviously our agent was able to show her how (and how much) but it is surprising to me sometimes how a broker will have an agent active in the business with so little training.

If you want a experienced, competent agent to represent your interests when you buy a home in the Pinckney area, contact our office at 734-662-6240 on online at hbaaa.com

Miserable closing for some area home buyers

2008-02-04T21:08:00.000-05:00

This is a post on our office blog site about a really bad closing at a title company that was one of the area's better companies a few years ago.

Interesting thing about real estate blogs in Michigan

2008-01-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

As I have been looking at real estate blogs in Washtenaw, Livingston, and Western Wayne Counties, I've started to notice something interesting.

The buyer agent blogs post about problems to watch out for when buying a home or a condo, and the regular real estate agent blogs post about houses they have listed or additional ways they can make money from you.

Here is an example of a couple blogs relating to Ann Arbor real estate: (There really aren't any Pinckney Michigan blog sites other than this one right now.)

http://annarborrealestate.blogspot.com/ Here, the agent Kathy Toth talks about her recent listings. (And you can bet she never says anything bad about her listings.)

http://www.realestateoneblog.com/2008/01/when-buying-home-it-is-very-important.html is another example. Real Estate One is talking about how you need to use other competent people in your team when you buy, which is true, but they don't mention that these vendors are all part of their company and make them more money, and, often cost you more than other competent vendors.

Contrast that to the area's exclusive buyer agent site (ours):

http://www.annarbormichiganrealestate.com/The last couple of posts include discussions on problems with Zillow property values, a title company that is doing terrible closings where a buyer has to wait 4.5 hours and still not have the correct figures, and a new negotiating tactic used by lenders selling foreclosures.

I'm going to check other markets to see if this is consistent around the country.

Demonstration proves: Be careful with your Christmas tree!

2007-12-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

A recent demostration by the Brighton Fire Department showed why Christmas tree maintenance is so critical. I've posted the link above.

The alternative is putting your home or condo at serious risk. (Not such a good idea.)

Goofy things sellers do

2007-06-24T22:53:00.000-05:00

Buyer Beware: Skeletons in the Closet (and Aliens in the Basement)

Business Review Profile on Buyer Agent

2007-04-12T19:17:00.000-05:00

The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents is the standard setting organization for real estate agents who work in the best financial interests of home buyers.

This year I happen to be the President and the local Business Review Magazine published a nice profile about me. I'm so proud! - just kidding - But it might be interesting if you are wondering about how buyer agency got started in this area.

http://blog.mlive.com/ann_arbor_business_review/2007/04/executive_profile_jon_boyd.html

Still Slow in Pinckney, but good for investors!

2007-04-11T15:43:00.000-05:00

The good news is that there are a lot of really good deals.

Now may be a good time to invest in a rental home.

Here is an article from Kamil Skawinski from Bankrate.com on the topic: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/real-estate/20070329_real_estate_investments_a1.asp

New Construction home buying

2007-03-25T22:52:00.000-05:00

I was talking last week to a home owner who had his home built for him.

He mentioned that when it was being built he walked by and saw the siding being nailed on.

Unfortunately he also saw that there was no Tyvec wrap under the siding. He walked up to the guy putting up the siding and asked about the Tyvec, only to hear the siding installer say "Sometimes the builders put the Tyvec on the inside."

Well, that is a complete lie.

Fortunately the home buyer was suspicious and called the builder, who admitted the Tyvec should be over the sheething and under the siding. The builder called the siding guy and told him to take off the siding he had already put on.

From that point forward both the siding guy and the builder were very cold to the home buyer. Just because the buyer wanted the job done right!

The lesson here is that it is good to have other people on your team when you are buying from a builder.

In our office we can play the "bad guy" who points out to the builder that they've made a mistake. The builder can't get mad at you then, and they can't get too mad at us because they want to have future business.

Video helps home buyers understand the process

2007-03-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

Here is a video that we have on our main office website that can help answer some questions first time home buyers ask.

It would be helpful to almost anyone thinking of buying Pinckney Michigan real estate.

It is focused on home buying and it is well worth the 4 minutes to watch.

Real Estate Agents are confused by working for buyers

2007-03-06T13:54:00.000-05:00

We've been working for buyers since about 1988. When we started many real estate agents didn't even know who they were working for. In 1994 a law was passed requiring real estate agents to tell buyers who they were working for. Since then, a lot of real estate bozos have said they were buyers agents only because they think that is what buyers want to hear.

Now, some 13 years later, a lot of real estate agents and brokers are still confused.

There is a very popular associate broker in our area now who works for the largest real estate company in Michigan. What is funny is that she says when she has a buyer she doesn't do dual agency.

Well if she asked her boss I'm sure they would be unhappy about that because the buyers get dual agency from the brokerage every time they look at one of her listings. And the consumer needs to be disclosed for dual agency whenever the designated buyer agent and the designated seller agent have the same company on their business cards.

I'm not going to publish her name yet because she may not have had a chance to ask her boss, but in another couple days...

Value changes in the area

2007-02-26T11:33:00.000-05:00

Pinckney has many connections to Ann Arbor and the market "mood" right now is similar. Here is a link to a recent discussion on real estate values that doesn't specifically include Pinckney, but very relevant.

Ann Arbor Home Buying: Local market looks "dismal"

Lots of real estate buyers are using zero downpayments

2007-02-25T17:12:00.000-05:00

A recent Realtor study shows large number of buyers are using small down payments. Nationally about 30 percent of buyers and nearly 45 percent of first time buyers are buying their homes without using a downpayment.

This is a great thing for many homebuyers, but the lenders are taking large risks.

The concern our office has had for a long time is what type of penalty the buyer is paying for using a zero down loan. (In a typical case, on a $150,000 loan, a zero downpayment buyer will pay about $4,000 more for a loan over 5 years if they used zero down than if they used 5% down. Since 5% down would be $7,500 the buyer is losing a over 50% of the downpayment they might have made by choosing zero down.

There is one obvious strategy we've used to get around the penalty called 80/20/15.