I had an interesting phone call from a lady I meant a little while ago.  She was discussing her home (normal conversation) and just before we get ready to say goodbye she makes a comment that just hit me.   She was trying to compliment me, but I was awestruck .  

The comment was something along this line.  "Tammy, I just wanted to let you know how proudI am of you for losing all that weight.  It's tough when us females get older and you have done so well."  To which I reply, "Thank you and yes, I know" or something along those lines.

Honestly, at that point my mind was racing.  I'm trying to figure out exactly what she's talking about.  Remember, I met her only once and it was this year.  No, I haven't lost that much weight.  In fact, even though I'm not obese, I probably weigh more than I ever have.  (I just wear the right clothes to hide that fact!) 

Ding, ding, ding.  Oh yeah, the light bulb is going off now.  I gave her an old business card that I thought was fantastic but looking closely at it with it's pose, I guess she could assume that I was much "bigger" at that time.  Funny, how my perspective was that it was great and she saw something else.

iSN'T THAT HOW PERSPECTIVE WORKS ANYWAY?

 We can see things one way and someone else can see them from a totally opposite viewpoint to which none is the wiser.  Which bring me to the real estate market.  There is a lot of people doing a lot of complaining about the market (consumers, mortgage people, realtors) and oh yeah, there is me!  I was so falling into the trap of DOOM and GLOOM that I could hardly stand myself.  I know that people around me felt it too.

CAR CRASHES

 Just like you, I've had some rough weeks.  Last week, was by far one of the toughest.  Looking back now that it's over, it's no big deal but at the time, it sucked!  If any of you follow me on facebook, you would know that I've been looking for a used car.  I had some bad luck where the back end of my car was hit by another car.  (I had the blinking yellow, they had the blinking red).  Regardless, it did so much damage to the car that it was totaled and I was looking for another car.  (BTW, everyone was fine which is a blessing!)  That was on Thursday.

On Monday, after bringing my husband to work so that I could use the minivan (5:30 a.m. is very early in the morning J), I go to some appointments, take some pictures of a new house I just listed and head back into town on 131N to pick up hubby from work.  Going 70 mph, I blow out the back tire of the minivan on the expressway.  Again, I'm fine but my main car wasn't.  Had a really nice trucker help me put on the spare and off I go again.

Tuesday, I try to register my daughter at a new school and find out that they don't have all the forms that they need including birth certificates, report cards etc... and by the way, it all has to be in by tomorrow which is the day that the only car is going to get new tires and a thorough inspection.  I'm calmly trying to get everyone to work together but I'm running into so many roadblocks.  Everything I touched last week was blocked... it seriously was like beating my head against a brick wall.  Oh yeah, to top it all off... my dog ran away too.  Life sucked!  I seriously was doing a lot of complaining about everything and then let me just give you my thoughts on the real estate market.  As you can guess, I had my opinion about everything and nothing was good!

FUNNY HOW LIFE CAN CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

So, why am I telling you about my crappy week.  It's not so you feel sorry for me.  Believe me I already did that!  This week: Perspective has changed.  ENOUGH!  The market IS WHAT IT IS and all of us just have to adjust.  At least that's the way, I see it.  While I saw DOOM and GLOOM based on my circumstances, others see OPPORTUNITY.  The opportunity is there for those who want to take advantage of it.  I have never seen homes go this cheap!  Many investors are buying the homes, renting them out, and waiting to sell.  It's working for them and it could work for you!  

Sellers... I promise not to lie to you.  It's tough out there BUT homes are still selling.  Call me and I'll tell you what we need to do to get the home sold.  The real estate market is a cycle and it's all about your timing and what's right for you.  Having the right facts and perspective will help you sell your home.  It will get done, I promise!

  Lately, I had the priviledge of being interviewed in the Business Review.  It's a little bit intimidating especially since you don't know exactly what or how your words were interpreted, but it came out pretty well.  I, of course, kept a copy of the newsprint for my records which contained my pretty little picture but thought you might want to read the online version (which doesn't have my pretty little picture but one of Kari Bliss, a great REALTOR for Bazzani that is also a GREEN REALTOR.)  Oh well, still a good article that I think you should read but of course, I would think that since it was a write up about me, right?  :)

Here's what you need to know.  Besides the normal continuing education courses that REALTORS are required to take, many of us do far more and are continuously being educated about the latest practices, legal actions, and other business parts that we want to specialize in.  Being a specialist with Green hasn't been an easy road as there is no set manual or to do list.  There are courses that would be smart to take and I'm in the process of doing that with my busy schedule but again, it's like going back to school.  Oh yeah, going back to school as a builder (wait a minute, I thought I was a REALTOR?) and knowing all the specifics in building.  The LEED designation is a difficult designation to get and has been compared to passing the bar exam as a lawyer.  So, you guessed it... I have my work cut out for me.  Wish me luck!

Here's the link for you to peruse: http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/western/index.ssf/2008/08/realtors_doing_their_homework.html

 

Thursday was the official start of Great Lakes Green 2008 that is open to the public and will run through Saturday night (August 21-23, 2008).

The intention of the show is to bring a "greater awareness about residential green building programs and technologies". (http://www.greatlakesgreen2008.com/). Sponsored by Green Built Michiganand many builders, the show will offer professionals and the general public a chance to view some of the products and services that are part of the Green movement.

While certain builders specialize in certain areas of Green, the Green philosophy is geared to energy efficiency, sustainability, and recycled, non-pollutable substances. As a member of the West Michigan Chapter of the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), I've had the opportunity to view and begin to understand all the options that are available to consumers. My hope and goal when I embarked upon the "Green" way of thinking was to thoroughly understand the processes and point consumers in the right direction.

How Do You Define Green?

 

In this process, I've learned valuable information on products and have gotten to know a wide variety of people that are truly interested in building a great home with these Green practices. In talking with consumers, the biggest benefit to Green for them is:

Energy Efficiency

Indoor Air Quality

Environmental Issues (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)

It will be a fantastic show and I urge you all to attend if you are even slightly curious. I will be part of the LEED for Homes booth (LEED is a third party certification system that rates a home on "Green" Qualities) on Saturday starting at 5:00 pm. Stop by, say hello and see what this is really all about!

 

 

 

 

I've been saying to people that NOW is the time to buy. My sense from buyers in general is that they have all the time in the world to buy a home. I mean, after all, the media has told us what great opportunities are out there and has spoken about the influx of properties... all of which is true. But is time really on your side???

Tammy, I've found a great home I want to see!

I've had countless times where a buyer will call me about a home that they've seen and would like to view. At the time of the call, they are usually very excited by what they have seen online or driving by and can't wait to get in the home. I make some phone calls to find out that this great deal has already been taken... it now has a pending sale on it. (Just happened today, in fact!) I can't recall how many times this has happened, definitely too many to count. The point being, that the good deals are coming and going very fast!!!

Low-ball offers don't always work

Here's another scenario. We find a home that is still available and because of this "great buyer's market", the buyer decides to offer a very low ball offer. After all, they have heard of their neighbor's best friends' dog doing the same thing and getting the house. O.K., I'm obviously being very sarcastic! Again, several times this has happened. That home receives another offer that is higher and closer to asking price and my clients lose out. This type of buyer usually does one more of these transactions on another home (a little bit higher bid) to lose out again. By this time and the third house, the realization has come about that most places are priced correctly and I've already done the homework as to what price to offer. Guess what? The buyers are now ready to listen and buy the third home that has come available.

Financing Trends

Possibly, NO I'm going to say that this IS the biggest factor that REALTORS are struggling with in this housing market. Buyers can't get qualified because of poor credit, or not enough down or a change in the rules. Specifically to our first time home buyer market. While the financial guidelines where too loose in the past, now we struggle with the tightening of the reins and getting good buyers qualified. As of October, the first time home buyer will lose out on the down payment assistance program... IT'S GONE! In fact, if you don't have an offer in at the moment, you can no longer qualify for this program as of today's date.

Mortgage guidelines are starting to ask for more down payment. It's not uncommon for a conventional loan to require a 10-15% down payment. And the FHA guidelines are changing constantly. I've had buyers approved and ready to go, to have the mortgage guidelines change in midstream. It's a frustrating process for the buyer, REALTOR, and mortgage lender since we really have no control over what the federal government requirements are going to be in relation to these mortgage loans.

Can first time home buyers afford to wait?

CAN FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS OR ANY BUYER AFFORD TO WAIT? I REALLY DON'T BELIEVE SO. It is one of the best times in the market to buy but as we continue to progress, it will probably be one of the hardest times to buy. If the guidelines continue to tighten, more money is going to be required for a down payment, making the home buying process difficult for many buyers.

Are we going to go back to the place where you'll need to have 20% down, excellent credit and still have interest rates in the double digits as in the 80's? Boy, I hope not. But we'll see, sooner or later, won't we?

My duty to you is to keep track of what's going on in the market.  And like I've mentioned as well as others, NOW is the time to buy!  Here's what Rapid Growth had to say in an email I received this morning...

"A national study has found that Grand Rapids is one of only 66 major housing markets nationwide where purchasing a home could cost less than rentingan apartment... "

Here's the link to read more:

http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/inthenews/top660814.aspx?