"Tis the Season" to Buy a Second Home!

Why? BECAUSE IT'S A BUYERS MARKET!

Many people don’t think about shopping for a second home in these cold winter months, especially if they are looking to buy waterfront. BUT if you are looking to get a little more of a bargain, then "Tis the Season" to be shopping.

Typically real estate slows down as the months get colder. This is especially true at the beginning of the year, after the holidays have passed and many peoples budgets are a little tighter. During this time many sellers will be more flexible on their price, knowing that it’s not the prime season to sell.

With second homes, many owners don’t like the idea of having to pay for the high cost of heating during these cold months, if the house isn’t occupied. This is even more true with the higher cost of fuel. Often owners will get the property winterized to save money while others will often leave their homes (or cottages) lightly heated to prevent drywall from cracking or to keep other things from shrinking or expanding from the change in temperature.

Also, with today’s job market (especially here in Michigan, with the auto industry being in trouble), many people are looking to get out from under the extra payment of a second home. If a second home owner experiences a job lose or cut in pay, they often can’t they afford to keep their second home mortgage. When this occurs, sellers can sometimes find themselves in a major financial pinch. In some cases they may need to unload that second home in a hurry to prevent foreclosure. Therefore, they are more willing to take a cut on the fair market value price to move the property more quickly.

Another situation that I often run into is a retired couple (or person) deciding to sell their second home to get rid of the responsibility of maintaining two properties. This can often be a burden when health is failing or they simply don’t find the time or have desire to visit their second home anymore. Another reason might be the need for the extra money because of the lack of adequate income from retirement. Depending on their situation, they may or may not be as flexible on their selling price.

Some minor disadvantages of buying a second home during the colder months can range from discomfort of looking at homes (sometimes unheated) in the colder weather, to not knowing what the property actually looks like during the warmer seasons. If you are looking to buy waterfront property, in most cases (in this region of the U.S) the lakes and rivers can often be frozen over and you may not be able to get an idea of what the property might be like during the warmer months. The key to this is to do some research or have the seller (or real estate agent) provide some current photos of the property (and the waterfront) taken during the warmer months of the year. You’ll have to be the judge on whether you are comfortable with the information that is (or is not) provided, so that you can make an educated choice on whether you should entertain making an offer on a property. Sometimes you may want to wait until the spring to make your decision and hope that the property is still available at that time.

As for the advantages, you may be able to pick up a property at a much better price than you would during the prime selling season. Also, since the market is slower during these months, there will be less people looking at homes, therefore minimizing your chances of competing against other potential buyers. This creates a great buyers market for you!

Merry Chrstmas!

Sometimes you just have to make fun of yourself!

I just made a total elf of myself. Check me out by clicking the link below. http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=e93d72e7e2ac7453b81bc59G06122420

Of course, I had to Elf Jim to: http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=87ac997a015cf34c82d5336G06122508

Merry Chrstmas!

And... Another Nice Buck Taken!

And Congratulations to Mack Deeds for taking this beautiful 10 point in northeasten Clare County on December 9th at 5:25 PM, with a muzzleloader!!! Good job Mack!!!

Gladwin Parade of Lights! What a BEAUTIFUL Show!

I thought it might be fun to post other neat things that happen in Gladwin, other than just Real Estate! There's so much going on this month with the holidays. I thought it would be fun to post something DIFFERENT. Enjoy!

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The parade of lights was held in down town Gladwin last night, beginning at 6 pm. As usual, it was a great show and everyone seemed to enjoy all the floats and Christmas lights.

Here comes the fire trucks! (The fire truck below, is from Butman Twp, up in Sugar Springs).

HOOONK! HOOOONK! Goes the Fire Truck!

Here comes Santa Clause with his lit up raindeer & slay!

What a beautiful night to enjoy the lights down at the city park!

Hey! It's Ronald McDonald!

Here's Clifford, the Big Red Dog!

The evening was wrapped up with some beautiful fireworks at the city park. There's nothing like seeing fireworks in a winter winderland of Christmas Lights and Snow!

More pictures of the 9 point buck

Remember this big buck?!?!

Someone just emailed me these photos of the same buck on a different property. These were taken before gun season started, with a deer cam. It's the same deer as above!!!

Congratulations to Arthur Wiard!

Congratulations Art!

Art took this nice 8 point on Oct 15th at 6:40 pm with a bow, in northern Midland County!

WOW! L@@K at this Beautiful 9 Point Buck!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Lynn Resseguie of Saginaw!

Lynn took this beautiful 9 point in Northern Clare County on Nov 25th, 2006, in the morning. This awesome buck has approximately a 24 inch inside spread. At the DNR check station in Gladwin, this buck was estimated to be 5 1/2 years old.

What a beautiful animal and a once in a lifetime opportunity!

I actually saw this buck in the back of their truck when I passed by them on M-18. I figured they might pull into the DNR office at Gladwin... and they did. I took these pictures at the DNR office at around noon on Saturday.

While was at the office, Mike Simrae pulled in with this nice 8 point and the rack of another nice deer (a nine point). Both were taken this season!

Congratulations to both of you!

Visit my Outdoor Life Page for more outdoor information and to visit the trophy room! http://acreage.gladwinrealestateagent.com/trophypage

Tip of the day.... Toilet Dating!

Here is a handy bit of information that I learned.

Toilet dating....you ask? If you are wondering the age of a house and you think it may still have an original toilet in it... look for the date stamp inside of the toilet tank. Yup...most of them have it! Look for the date and usually the house age will be pretty close.... at least within a year or two.

My deer hunting update...

For those of you who didn't already know.... Yes, I deer hunt. Needless to say, I will be hunting the next couple of days. Maybe a little this weekend. I'll work around my appointments.

As for my update..... Well... nothing yet! I saw a nice buck yesterday morning. It was the first deer I saw.... However, he wouldn't come out from behind a batch of young birch trees. I could see him, but I wasn't comfortable taking a shot through all that brush and risk missing or worse, wounding him and not finding him. I like to wait for a more promising shot. If he would have continued straight on the path he was heading, he would have come out to a little bit of a clearing. But, he was following a doe, and she decided to head straight away from me and he followed. I never got a chance for a good shot! (DANG!)

I saw two other does yesterday morning and 2 more in the evening. Jim saw 6 deer yesterday evening....all does.

I went out again this morning. BRRRRR! Was it cold and windy! The weather was nothing like opening day! The wind was howling! I didn't think I'd see anything this morning, with that nasty wind. Most of the morning I didn't. At around 9:30, three does came across the field and slowed down to a nice walk about 80 yards away from my blind. I put up my gun and looked at all of their heads. No horns. I let them pass.

I'll go out again this evening... Probably around 3 pm or so. Hopefully the wind will simmer down by then.

The Brass Lantern of Houghton Lake is Closing after 33 Years in business

PRUDENVILLE - The Brass Lantern restaurant, recognized by thousands of Houghton Lakers as a beacon of warmth, friendship and fine dining, has served its last meal.

The popular establishment closed Sunday after serving up its diners.

After an auction next Sunday of all contents, including some lovely antique items, the familiar building will be torn down to make room for a and a new Walgreen's.

Here is the link to the whole article: http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/features-0/115738302675540.xml&coll=4

However, this article is a little off on it's date. The Brass Lantern was supposed to close in September, but was postponed. The last day that the Brass Lantern was actually open, was yesterday Nov 11th, 2006. I know this, because Jim, the kids and I ate there Friday night (the same night as the snow storm) and we were then informed that Saturday was it's last day. The waitress broke the news to us. Partly because they were out of a lot of menu items. (There won't be any ordering chicken for dinner that night. They were OUT!)

It will be a shame to see it go. The restaurant was a long time landmark in Houghton Lake, with it's warm up north atmosphere and good food.

It will be torn down in the near future to make way for a new Walgreens. What a shame... History lost...

Auction to be held Saturday, November 18th, 2006. Visit John Peck Auctions for more details: http://www.johnpeckauctions.com/upcoming.html

A Tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald

I thought you might appreciate this. It's a tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was lost on November 10th, 1975.



The Edmund Fitzgerald took the lives of twenty-nine men over 30 years ago, affecting dozens of families and a countless number of friends and comrades of the shipping industry. The Edmund Fitzgerald is lost, but not forgotten.

Halloween Whitetail

Unrelated to real estate, I thought this was cute and worth posting.

This little whitetail was walking around the Halloween decorations at a home at Blue Lake Estates (the same neighborhood where one of our cottages are). She wasn't scared of us sitting in the car taking a bunch of pictures of her. She just cautiously walked around the yard, nibbling on green grasses. She seemed quite at home amongst the ghosts and ghouls.

Jim is coming back to Real Estate!!!!

Whose Jim, you ask? My husband, of course!

I'm happy to say that Jim has decided to get back into real estate. He has been a licensed real estate agent since 1998 and decided to take a break in 2002, when he actively took the position of Fire Chief for Butman Township in northern Gladwin County/Sugar Springs area.

He's still the fire chief, but has missed being part of Kehoe Realty, and decided to come back! He's also a full time paramedic for Gladwin County. We'll be working together to help better serve our buyers and sellers. As partners in real estate, we feel that we can better serve our customers and clients, especially during the busy months when scheduling times get busy.

Feel free to drop Jim and email or a call, welcoming him back to the business!

Why Proposal 5 Is Wrong for Our Students and Our State

Are you thinking on how to Vote on Proposal 5? Read this first!!!

On Novemeber 7th you will be asked to make a decision regarding automatic education funding in Michigan. Unfortunately for students, Proposal 5 will have very little - if any - impact on their education. Proposal 5 is a cleverly designed package that shifts the burden of skyrocketing teachers' pensions from local school districts over to the state and then over to the taxpayers. Proposal 5 is too expensive and will eventually lead to cuts to critical state services and job-killing tax increases, and has no guarentee to improve education. Moreover, Proposal 5 removes state oversight by locking in the budget with increases year after year regardless of state revenue. Proposal 5 will cripple our state budget and our economy in order to pass the burden of teachers' pensions to state taxpayers.

How much will Proposal 5 Cost?

Real the full article here (PDF): http://www.mirealtors.com/news/realtor/documents/nov066.pdf

Home prices plunge by most in 35 years

I thought this was an interesting article, worth posting on the blog.

Home prices plunge by most in 35 years
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer

The median price of a new home plunged in September by the largest amount in more than 35 years, even as the pace of sales rebounded for a second month.

The Commerce Department reported that the median price for a new home sold in September was $217,100, a drop of 9.7 percent from September 2005. It was the lowest median price for a new home since September 2004 and the sharpest year-over-year decline since December 1970. The weakness in new home prices was even sharper than a 2.5 percent fall in the price of existing homes last month, which had been the biggest drop on record.

For the rest of the article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061026/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/economy&printer=1

The Real Estate Crunch, 2006

Well, the market isn’t what it was a few years ago. A softer market is here and some sellers are in for a long hall while waiting for their homes to sell. Don’t get me wrong. Things are still selling, but with the softer market and an extremely high inventory of homes for sale, sellers have to be competitive in their pricing. Sometimes price alone, will not help sell a place. There are still the general rules to consider: location, location, location and then the need to buy and then the price.

With the high inventory of homes for sale, buyers have a lot more to choose from and often at discounted prices, to the disadvantage of many sellers. In most cases, a seller has to take a bite on their asking price when an offer is made. Buyers are shopping around for the best deal these days. If their price isn’t accepted on one deal, they can simply go down the road and make an offer on another place. Sellers are often seeing a "take it of leave it" approach when offers are made.

Here in northern Mid Michigan (Gladwin and Clare Counties), we are seeing this pattern quite a bit. Sellers are taking anywhere from an 8 to 14 percent hit on their original asking price. In my area, sellers are getting approximately 89% of their original asking price, with the average days on market being 203 day. This takes into account both waterfront and off water homes, with waterfront properties tending to sell much faster than off water homes.

To see graphs and reports, please click here to view this entire article.

In the Gladwin County Record Newspaper this week

I just had to add this about the 40 acres! A Nice 8 Point Buck taken last night!

I just had to add this about the 40 acres that I just listed. This beautiful 8 point buck was shot with a bow at dusk Oct 13th, 2006. They tracked and found this big guy this morning. This is the second 8 point to be taken off the property in less than a week! This is the bigger buck of the two taken. You just can't beat the deer hunting on this land.

SOLD!!!! 20 Acres on the Cedar River!

A lot of people have been asking me about the piece of property on the Cedar River.

Yes, this one did close sale on October 13th, 2006. I thought I better post this on my blog to update everyone that's been calling and checking on it.

Thanks for all your calls.

However, I did just list a wonderful 40 acre parcel in the same area for $129,900. It also has the Cedar River flowing through it and a rustic hunting cabin. Check out the post below for more information and a TON of photos. Don't forget to click on the link towards the bottom of that post to view more information and to take the virtual tour.

Things to Consider When Buying a Home by Raynor James

When you make the decision to buy a home, there are a number of things you need to keep in mind. Here is a quick guideline to the basics that should help you get it right.

Things to Consider When Buying a Home

When most people think about buying a home, the immediately start envisioning how nice it will be to own the property, the life events that will occur there, how they can improve it to meet their tastes and so on. This is a natural tendency, but it is the wrong way to look at a home.

When purchasing a property, you need to ditch the emotions. It is time to be cold and calculating. Yes, the property will be part of your life for at least a few years, but you eventually are going to need to resell it. You want that sale to be at a profit. Here are a couple of guidelines that will help you avoid a bad decision.

1. Do not purchase the most expensive home on the block. Try to purchase near the low end and upgrade. This will help you realize appreciation on your property and grab a nice slice of profit when selling.

2. Always try to buy in the best school district. This is true even if you do not have kids and have no intention of every having them. Remember, potential buyers of your property may very well have children and they will be looking in areas with good schools.

3. Whenever possible, try to stick to three or more bedroom properties. Yes, that two bedroom is cute, but most buyers are looking for something bigger. Again, we come back to the issue of kids.

4. Buy a newer home. The older a home, the more potential buyer's will be suspicious there is something wrong with the property. The only real exception to this is an older home that is unique or has been extensively remodeled.

5. Location, location, location. As if you did not know this one. It is the oldest cliché in real estate, but also the most accurate. Never, ever buy in a bad location. Always buy in the best location you can possible afford.

6. Go ahead and buy! Property prices fluctuate a bit, but property is always a good investment over time. Don't spend endless amounts of time waiting for the market to drop to some price level you have in mind. It may not.

Obviously, there are lots of issues that go into purchasing a home. If you stick to these basic guidelines, however, you should do fine.

About the Author
Raynor James is with the site - FSBOAmerica.org - FSBO homes for sale by owner.