Our area in Michigan has one of the highest foreclosure rates.  I thought some of you might appreciate this joke below.  I am certain of our future here in Washtenaw County.  We are better off than other areas of our state.  Our employment rate is better, our foreclosure rate is better and our prognosis is good.  The Ann Arbor real estate market is coming close to the bottom.  The only problem with the bottom is knowing when it hits.  Usually it becomes evident when it has turned around and you miss the very bottom.  The interest rates are still fantastic.  There are some investment properties that are huge deals.  See some of these duplexes in Chelsea, MI for example  Stop by our ANN ARBOR HOME BUYER SEMINAR on Oct 28th to invest in some great deals. Click here to search all Ann Arbor ... 10/07/2008

Having just commented on a blog about political posts, noting that I would rather alienate potential clients now than after 6 expensive months into a listing or buyer agreement, I am posting this political viewpoint. How can we NOT have a political viewpoint?  This country was founded on democracy; women fought hard to have their voices legally heard and minorities too!  Should it be separate from business?  Yes, if you cannot be tolerant of another person's reasonable views, but I then wonder how you can be a realtor since we have so many codes of ethics that require us by our licenses to be tolerant of everyone.  If you are faking your tolerance, then maybe you should find a new career.  Just a thought. I had a discussion with a realtor in my office the other day who I knew was pretty... 10/02/2008

  Roadblocks to a Successful Closing in Ann Arbor One of the documents we send out to our sellers and buyers after they are under contract are potential roadblocks to a closing. They can be from various people involved in the transaction. It is not negative just an information piece we put together to help them understand things beyond our control can occur. I was supposed to have two closings this week; one buyer purchasing my listing went in to work and found her job was lost. The second one, found out he could not get his money out of China. So events beyond our control happened.  There is so particular order to this.   THE LENDER  •1.       The lender does not properly qualify the buyer. •2.       Lender wants property repaired before closing •3.       Lender pulls a "bait and switc... 09/30/2008

In an effort to offer even more high-value information on the Washtenaw County real estate market, Bouma.com now offers our website guest more market data. Offering highly organized information about our Ann Arbor and Chelsea real estate markets allows the consumer to gain a better perspective of the Washtenaw County real estate market as a whole. Unique Information Provided to Ann Arbor Real Estate Consumers compliments of Trulia Below is an example of the type of information shared with Bouma.com site guests.     More Useful Ann Arbor Real Estate Market Data compliments of Trulia Another very useful tool provided to both Ann Arbor home buyers and sellers compliments of Trulia is the number of sold homes data for Ann Arbor.   Consult First with a Washtenaw County Real Estate Profession... 09/29/2008

I have been seeing more and more group or community blogs out in the blogosphere. A group blog is a collaborative effort each post written by individuals but all under one platform.   Agent Genius won the Innovator of Year Award at Inman Connect in San Francisco this July.  As I said in this post it is one of the best outside blogs I have been following this year. Recently Lani and her husband Ben invited me to join the group of Agent Genius bloggers in contributing to the community. Announcement at AgentGenius  I am truly humbled and excited to be able to contribute to this innovative community.  I was picking up a birthday cake at SAMS when Lani called and to say I was surprised would be an understatement. Agent Genius has so many bloggers that I originally met through Activerain. Our... 09/27/2008

What a great weekend ahead in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  We have the UM home game Saturday and just as exciting is the 5K run on Sunday morning.  The run is special for a few reasons: 1.  YOU decide on your favorite charity (this is the Big Heart part of the run). 2.  YOU finish at the 50 yard line in the Big House (we all know this is the UM Football stadium).   There is a 5K run through Burns Park or a 1 Mile Fun Walk as well and both finish with your finish on the scoreboard for everyone to enjoy.  If you want to support this terrific event they can always use volunteers so please feel free to email:  nancy@runningfit.com.     The best news is wonderful weather for Sunday as well! 09/26/2008

The Ann Arbor District Library Board has voted to tear down the main library downtown and build a new one in its place. Recently the Library posted a survey online with over 6,000 people responding. The survey asked how space at the library should be allocated, and about a proposed underground parking structure beneath the current surface lot next to the library. More than half of those who responded to the survey, said Ann Arbor needed a renovated or new downtown library. Around 14 percent said they did not agree a new or renovated library is needed. The 50-year-old building has been renovated twice already with the latest being in 1990.   I recently posted on all the new branch libraries in Ann Arbor have been built with sustainable design and materials.   The current building also do... 09/22/2008

  This video may be out-of-date in a few days with the way things are changing, but it is fairly up-to-date as of this moment. This morning I received a summary from mortgage genius Dawn Davis in Memphis which I used to put this together:     Let me know if I've left anything out.   Jon Boyd, Broker/ManagerThe Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.http://buyersagentannarbor.com/member office of http://naeba.org734-662-6240 1908 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103Ann Arbor's Most experienced Exclusive Buyer's Brokerage! 09/19/2008

Broker Bryant wrote on a final walk through that has inspired this post. I have sold five homes in Dhu Varren over the years.  This situation occurred at the closings of one of those homes. AT THE CLOSING TABLE, the Buyer Agent, "there is a HUGE spot on the carpet and we want new carpet." "Well, I'm sorry but, my sellers have moved out of country and you should have let me know last night after your walk-through. However, as my clients have moved out of country, I will pay to have it cleaned." No, they wanted new carpet. It was huge. So I stopped the closing, and said I am going to the house to look at the spot before I try to reach my clients.   I did.  The HUGE spot was less than the size of a quarter. That's IT!   I called the sellers and they said they had forgotten about it, until ... 09/18/2008

RE:STYLE Home Staging and Redesign Just Celebrated Its 3rd Anniversary! And we did it by de-staging one house yesterday, and we'll continue the celebration by de-staging a second one tomorrow! Again, proof that staging works! Here are some Before and After photos: House #1--Ann Arbor, MI This house was lived-in when I first went for the consultation. But after discussion with the client, we all realized that they would have a difficult time living in it in a staged condition. So, they agreed to temporarily move into an apartment, as they were on their way from Michigan to Washington, D.C. anyway. This house would have sold in the first 2 months, as the client got multiple offers. However, they declined and waited to see if they could do better...we won't go there! By using a lot of thei... 09/18/2008

I just came across a listing in our market by an out-of-area brokerage.Along with the three short sentences of the description were the abreviations IDRBNG and BATVAI.Now understand I've been buying homes for 25 years, and helping other people buy homes as a buyer's agent for about 20. And, I didn't recognize those abreviations.I guess they are standard in some markets so some of you may recognize Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed and Buyer's Agent To Verify All Information. But it is not common in our market.Our listings do all contain the language "The accuracy of all information, regardless of source, is not guaranteed or warranted.  All information should be independently verified."So what's my point?The listing office should have spelled this out!. There was plenty of ... 09/18/2008

    This year the Ann Arbor Art Walk is scheduled for Friday, October 17th from 5-10 P.M. and Saturday, October 18th from 12-5 P.M. The Art Walk Guide represents a consortium of galleries, exhibition spaces, visual artists and crafts people in the greater Ann Arbor area. As of this year, Art Walk has taken another big step by joining forces with the Arts Alliance, the Washtenaw County non-profit organization that works for all the arts in this county. Art Walk members have become linked with such efforts as the Artists Census, which made a count of artists in every field working in the county. More than 2000 artists create their work, pay taxes, their craft, and vote in this county, which means that the arts are a major economic sector in Washtenaw County. One of my good friends, Karen ... 09/17/2008

Ann Arbor Loch Alpine neighbors have a lot to be proud of. Watch this video from top Ann Arbor Real Estate Expert……..Stay Tuned for the Halloween Party invitations. Ann Arbor Country Club __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Related Links Ann Arbor Country Club Golf Course | Click here More information about the course at Loch Alpine Listings Available in Loch Alpine Area of Ann Arbor | Click here Loch Alpine Active Listings 4266 Glen Eden Court | Click here You’ll find perfection in this Loch Alpine masterpiece Loch Alpine Subdivision | Click here A Loch Alpine homeowner interviewed Click here to search all Ann Arbor area Michiganhomes and condos with pictures and tours - FREE! Kathy Toth and Team www.KathyToth.com K... 09/17/2008

Inman News just republished an article originally from the Global Edge titled "Selling to Russian buyers: 10 tips for real estate agents" The writer, Ashley Rigg generaly provides useful information. But, point 5 includes "Emphasize any aspirational features of a property or area that you can. If you get this right, there is a good chance the buyer won't negotiate on price." This is clearly focused on the best interests of the seller and the real estate agents involved. If you are a buyer's agent, you need to be discussing this with the client, not trying to influence them to pay full price. As it is written it is clearly focused on the traditional "making the deal" type of real estate agent. Buyer's agents need to be thinking like fiduciaries. Because that is what you are!   Jon Boyd, ... 09/15/2008

It used to be that a real estate agent needed a real estate website. The next step in the progression was to have multiple websites. Then along came map-based property search tools. Soon after that every agent needed to have a real estate blog. Those innovations were soon followed by the snazzy StreetView functionality powered by Google maps for our neighborhoods (if available in your area). Do you see where this is headed? RE Licensing Laws Require You To Be "Skillful" I don't know about your state's RE licensing laws but here in Michigan we are required by state law to be loyal to our clients, obey the laws, be financially prudent with other people's funds and conduct our business in a "skillful" manner. That actually means being on your "A" game with new technologies and how those te... 09/09/2008

1535 Patricia is located in Hollywood Park subdivision in Ann Arbor. The Elementary School is Abbott and the backyard connects to the huge playground. No worries, the playground equipment is far enough way and there is a hedge behind the house. The house is a tri-level with three bedrooms up, kitchen, livingroom, nook and powder room on the first floor with a full finished basement. A total of 1550 square feet. This home will go in the MLS tomorrow, as the owner was having the ugly paneling in the basement removed and dry wall added. It has an updated kitchen and is all brick with new light fixtures, newer carpet, new hardwood floors in the kitchen. There are hardwood floors throughout.     So this is a pre-listing post. I'll do a Real Estate Show this week and a Vflyer. But it is a sne... 09/08/2008

Meechigan Football Party 2008 German Park Ann Arbor, Michigan, Well Attended with videos We loved stomping around the Meechigan Party at German Park at 5549 Pontiac Trail near Dixboro and North Territorial with our old friends and football fans. There was a dance band - hotdogs, see youtube videos, pop, beer and wine. Liberty Title is a long time sponsor/host and invites me. This year Carl Ent from Bank of America also sent me an invitation. I love meeting up with many people who I don't get to see except at this event. The fun started at 7 pm. There are some of my client coaches who come too. We cannot always be selling Ann Arbor Real Estate, right?  Pictures below.   09/08/2008

Jim Racine, Superintendent, is interviewed about the Ann Arbor Country Club golf course situated in the heart of the Loch Alpine subdivision.  This 18-hole course both picturesque and challenging to play is a par-72 course design of 6,420 yards. For more club information: 4699 E. Loch Alpine Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 phone: 734-426-4693 email: info@annarborcc.com The club is very active in junior golf. The Junior Golf program at AACC has grown from 15 to 150 players and he has significantly increased participation in Club events through promotion of team and family activities. The Club Golf Professional is Frank McAuliffe, III. Frank is a Class A PGA Member. The course is an optional membership to the 900 community home owners. For information about this subdivision and homes around the A... 09/05/2008

I just ran across a home on the market in the Ann Arbor Michigan area that includes the test "THIS WON"T LAST LONG." I am always curious to see how long a listing with that description has been active and sure enough it came on the market in April of 2006. Being that this is September of 2008 I count 29 months this has "LASTED". Since we are an Exclusive Buyer Agent office we never take listings, never represent sellers, and never use this exageration and puffery to try to convince a buyer of something that is clearly not true. We always use our knowledge and skill in the buyer's best interest. And speaking of listing descriptions...  If you haven't seen our association's report on home buying Euphemisms and Lingo, you should take a look. You can download it free here: http://naeba.org/... 09/05/2008

What is it like to live in a 900 home community with golf course, swimming pool, parks, club house with dining and events.  Listen as home owner describes what she thinks about living here in video below. Loch Alpine subdivision   The video will appear on www.AnnArborTalks.com. This area is just North of Ann Arbor, minutes from Dexter schools. Area features 2 small lakes, parks, and organized childrens parties, Lore Newsletter. What do you think of this neighborhood and what do you want others to know? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Related Links Loch Alpine Community Amenities | Click here Visit to see what Loch Alpine has to offer Ann Arbor Country Club Golf Course | Click here More information about the cours... 09/03/2008