Tag: #Openhouse

10 acres of land, Byron Schools

Nature lovers come take a look a this rolling 10 acre parcel (under 200k) with a 1456
sq. foot home, nestled in a pine setting. The acreage is rolling and has a multitude of various kinds of wildlife. What a great place to enjoy the outdoors, trails to walk and enough space for a few outdoor toys. Home has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. Rustic and comfortable, with enough room to add a 3rd bedroom. a large detached garage with a wood heated workshop makes this a perfect workshop. There are 2 other out buildings for more storage, one of which has doubled as a hunting blind. Open fields have been used for hay. Lots of pines surround home and a large cement pad that can take at least 3 to 4 vehicles for parking. off the beaten path offers lots of privacy. Home has 100 amp service, new hot water heater and furnace is approx. 10 years old. Septic to the east of the home, well to the west.
$189,000.00
If you are interested please call Ben Anderson at 810-908-7155 if your interested.

Capital Gains Tax

Understanding how the capitol gains tax works will help you prepare for retirement. I listened to a podcast about travel hacks where they mentioned you should consider your kids ages when planning a trip to Disney or any other big destination because air fares/tickets/entertainment are cheaper for younger kids. It didn’t make me want to march my kids to Disney World before they are three years old so I can save a couple thousand dollars. It did however make me aware, I could save some money just by planning ahead (2). This is the same approach I am taking to understanding capital gains. When it is understood that you can save money by holding onto a house for over a year (considering what your stocks have made/lost) it is worth learning. Now that doesn’t include taxes, cost of maintaining, or wear and tear. It is worth doing a budget that will help your money work for you. Below is a hyperlink to a site which has all the charts and examples to help understand how you can make the capital gains tax work for you (1).

 

 

  1. https://thecollegeinvestor.com/23577/capital-gains-tax-brackets/
  1.  Choose Fi, podcast by Jonathan Mendosa & Brad Barrett

Top 5 things to do before you purchase your dream home

Top five things you need to do before moving into your forever home are:

  1. think ahead

  2. make a list of must haves

  3. make a list of things you don’t want

  4. check and manage credit score with a trusted mtg broker

  5.  find a knowledgeable/trustworthy real estate agent.

 

When I write “think ahead”, I mean that even though we cannot predict what the future will hold,  we do know a few things for certain. For instance, living in a tree house with a rope ladder might sound like an amazing experience… but not so much at the age of 85. In our forever home, we built a rather large staircase.  Looking back now, I wish we had thought more about a one-level home seeing as how we planned to grow old here, and one day those stairs will be a burden. I have met many people looking for ranch homes for that very reason. Just identifying your wants and needs and how they may adjust with age will help you in finding your dream home.

 

I encourage all my clients to get a small notebook (one without lines) to sketch/write down what they must have in a home. What is most important to you? Then research the best ways to meet that particular need. Let’s say you like to work on motors; having a finished garage might be an important. If you are a water person, being on a lake may be important. Then get into the design of your home. Make it come alive on the page. This could be through a series of lists or little thumbnail drawings.  Drawing is not my medium, but if it looks like a three year old drew it (which it usually does) I know what I want and I can at least spell it out in words . If you are having trouble with inspiration, go on a tour of homes or take virtual tours online. Pinterest is a good source for inspiration. If you could have anything in the world what would it look like (roughly).

 

Making a list of what you don’t want is also important. If having water near your home makes you uncomfortable, then put that on the list. This is different than the must-have list because it can help you identify things that may cause future frustration. For example, I had a client who wanted to be on water (a must-have for him). Once shown several properties on the water at his price point, he noticed how close together the houses were. This client did not want close neighbors and we were able to find a lake in the country. I’m no neurologist, but it appears to work a different part of the brain when thinking want vs. don’t want.

 

Always check with your money manager before making any large purchase. A good money manager stays on top of market trends and can steer you in the right direction for locating the money you need to make your dreams come true. An experienced broker will focus on the reality of the situation and be straightforward with you. If you don’t have a money manager, your real estate agent can recommend mortgage brokers to you (in the state of Michigan  they are required to recommend at least two). A mortgage broker can help you find you credit score and what type of mortgage will work best for you. I always prefer to go local, but when making this big of a commitment, you will want to keep an eye on the interest rate and the fine print.

 

Find a trusted/knowledgeable real estate agent. I would recommend someone who can help you understand the home buying process on your terms. After you have written down what you’re looking for (must-haves and don’t-wants), continue to look for houses online and in person (with a licensed agent). Your agent will be searching their databases,  but the more you look, the more your ideas toward what you want will grow.

My wife and I still have the sketchbook we used to find our forever home. We still add to it as we continue to build our forever life together. Now we add lists of features we want to add to our house, or improvements we’d like to make.. Most recently, we added our finished basement design. We sometimes use graph paper to get a better scale but the drawing always ends up in our book.

 

Best wishes and happy dream-building!

Montrose Open House: Sunday 8-18-2019, 12-2pm

If you are headed out to the Montrose Blueberry Festival this Sunday, please stop in and see this newly renovated home! It is located right downtown, on 265 Oak St. The house will be open for showing from Noon~2 p.m. We will be serving cookies and water (while supplies last).  If you have any questions or would like schedule a showing separate from the open house, please call 810-908-7155.  We look forward to seeing you!

Coming Soon to Montrose…

…This three bedroom, one bath charmer.  Located on a quiet street near the downtown – walking distance to most everything. This house has updated electrical, new siding, windows, doors, roof, completely remodeled kitchen and bath. It also has all new appliances, flooring, and light fixtures.  Features a fenced back yard, storage shed, and new landscaping. All for the price of $99,900.00 It will be on the market 8-8-19. Call 810-908-7155 if you are interested.

Top Five Things To Do Before Listing Your Home

 

The top five things to do before listing your house on MLS are find a quality real estate agent, locate property records, declutter, clean, and stage.

You want to find an agent (1. Ericson) who best suits your needs. It is easy to think the one who sells the most is the best, but that is not always the case. You want someone who will work for you and take the time to make sure you understand the process. You can look at real estate agents’ listings online (2). Read the reviews – they speak volumes. It is tempting to go it alone, but you can make more money and save time using a dedicated licensed real estate professional (1. Ericson). Here is a good link for finding a quality agent (I apologize for the ads) https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesrealestatecouncil/2018/07/12/13-tips-for-finding-the-best-real-estate-agent-for-your-housing-needs/#1099a1282403

Locate property records like the deed, home owners insurance records, tax statements, any warranties (appliance or windows) that may remain with the house, and any other paperwork pertaining to the house (3. Gerhardt). If you cannot find the deed to your property it can be located at the court house. Most real estate agents can access deeds through their MLS, in some cases even get it for free. However, if you have any of these documents at the ready, it will speed up transaction. The following link has directions on how to locate property records https://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Deed-Search

When decluttering your house it is very important to remove (to storage) any personal items, such as photographs. Try to keep the look of your home simple.  Potential buyers want to be able to envision it as their place, and this is difficult to do when looking at items that make it look like your home.  Sometimes it is best to store your valuables in a secure storage locker. This can be a challenge when you are trying to live in the house you are selling. Personally, I found storage containers to be very useful. At the very least, I was able to remove clutter from the house and store it in the trunk of my car during showing times. To paraphrase the late George Carlin, “My house is a place to store my stuff while I go out and buy more stuff,” (4. Carlin). If prospective buyers can’t see themselves in the house they are less likely to make an offer. They want to see an empty space where they can store, to use Mr. Carlin’s terms, their “stuff.” My wife and I decluttered by creating four piles for your “stuff”: need, want, pitch, and stage. We put our valuables in storage bins then sent them to a storage locker, and our need pile also went into storage bins in the back of our car during closing. It seems crude… but it worked.

If the top three necessities in real estate are location, location, location, then the top three things in selling a house are clean, clean, clean! If you have pets or kids this can be difficult. Over time, our noses adjust to odors to keep the limbic system from overloading. Novel smells still enter the nose but, over time are not passed along to the brain (5.Mag). Painting a house in neutral colors can do wonders for all the senses and the pocket book. My starter home’s prior owner was a smoker. I learned this instantly when viewing it the first time because of the tiny brown dots on the walls and an overwhelming smell. It took a little sand paper, primer and paint to help get rid of the odor. Another thing that helped was replacing carpeting.  Flooring can be easy and inexpensive to replace. If you are not prepared to put in new flooring, then steam-cleaning is highly recommended.  When it comes down to it, make sure everything is clean (spotless), all screws are tightened down, all outlet covers are covered, all half-finished projects are completed, and the doors all function as they are intended.

To stage a house is like putting an catchy label on a flavor of ice cream; which is more interesting – Cherry Vanilla, or Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia? Highlight your home’s best features to make it more interesting! We all have a friend whose decorating taste we admire – pick their brains for suggestions. The goal in staging is to make a house appear stylish but also simple enough so anyone could make it their perfect style simply by adding their stuff. I believe it’s done with neutral tones and open space. Large tiles in a small room make the room feel smaller, and vice versa. Removing bulky furniture and/or adding up-lights can create the feeling of more space. In any house, you want walking-around room. Minimizing the furniture makes more space and that’s good for selling your house. A few strategically placed plants or fresh flowers can give a fresh look. Additionally, curb appeal can make a house feel like a home before setting foot inside. Fresh plants appeal to our naturalistic side (even real-looking fake plants). Plants improve economics and perceived value according to timber press (6.Timber). When staging a house I start outside with a commercially cut lawn, fresh mulch, and flowers. I also suggest a good power wash for the deck, siding, concrete seams, and windows. We all wake up every day, shower, and go to work – it’s good idea to do the same for your house when putting it to work for you. The following link provides staging tips with minimal ads https://www.moving.com/tips/10-best-home-staging-tips/

To be proactive please visit your real estate agent top get a

  1. Located on 12-21-18, Ericson, Cathy, published on Nov 2, 2017, https://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/home-selling-checklist-things-to-do-before-selling/
  2. Located on 12-21-18 https://www.realtor.com/realestateagents/flint_mi
  3. Located on 12-22-18 Gerhardt, Nick 2018, https://www.familyhandyman.com/smart-homeowner/34-important-things-to-do-when-planning-to-sell-your-home/view-all/
  4. Located on 12-22-18 Carlin, George, third paragraph, https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2017/06/29/george-carlin-carlin-campus-1984-full-transcript/
  5. Located on 12-22-18 Mag, The, published 12-20-18, http://mentalfloss.com/article/53526/how-do-our-noses-adjust-bad-smells
  6. Located on 12-22-18 Timber published 5-27-2016 https://www.timberpress.com/blog/2016/05/what-plants-contribute-to-interior-design/