Commentary: House Prices Will Rise Greatly over the Next Few Years, Buy Now

“Those who do not study history are condemned to repeat it.” So spoke Sir John Buchan, the First Baron of Tweedsmuir, back in the mists of time often referred to as “the good old days.”

Read why it's a good time to buy now...

Enhanced Tax Credit Provides Outstanding Opportunity for Home Buyers

A tax credit of up to $8,000 is now available for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. Unlike the tax credit enacted in 2008, the new credit does not have to be repaid!

Learn how you can take advantage of this $8,000 tax credit to buy the home of your dreams.
http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/

Deer walking across Blue Lake

New Testimonial Posted

I just posted a new testimonial on my web site: http://iviebaker-testimonials.blogspot.com/

Buyer Advice for Purchasing a Home

by Phoebe Chongchua

There's a lot of doom and gloom being spread in the media about the housing market and overall turbulent economy. But, if you're in a position to take advantage of falling housing prices, getting a loan and moving forward with a real estate purchase could, in the long run, add strength to your financial portfolio.

Read the entire article....

Repairs That Help Sell Your Home

Most sellers know of some repairs that need to be made to their home, and a lot of sellers have many items on that list, but not all repairs are equal or, rather, not all home improvements rank high in the buyer’s mind.

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Hot Market: Michigan Market Not Just About Auto Industry

I know this isn't refering to the Gladwin Area. However, it's happening in Ann Arbor. This should also be good for us up here in the north.  If there are new jobs in Ann Arbor and people are still doing well in Ann Arbor, then that could also mean that people will continue to buy vacation homes, up here in the north! Granted, that some of these are foreclosure sales, but others aren't.

Article: 

Ann Arbor, Michigan's market has begun the swing toward normalcy as foreclosures are driving up pending sales statistics, according to the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors. Sales have continued to drop, but pendings (the houses that have contracts, but not yet settled) have surpassed year over year numbers for the last five months.

Read Entire Article Here...

9 Housing-Market Head Winds for 2009

By Luke Mullins, USNews.com Dec 19th, 2008

With home prices having dropped a painful 21 percent from their 2006 peaks, property owners everywhere could use a splash of good news in their New Year's Eve cocktails. But as a nasty recession is now part of the picture, the chances of an aggressive housing market rebound next year are dim. "A lasting recovery in the housing market?" says Mike Larson, a real estate analyst at Weiss Research. "I don't see it in the cards until the back end of the year—if that."

Read the Article on Yahoo News...

Gladwin County Traffic Jam

This is the kind of traffic jam we get in Gladwin County!

Real Estate Outlook: Mortgage Applications Rise

If new mortgage applications are a reliable gauge of forthcoming home purchases, looks like we've got a bumper crop taking shape out there.

Last week the Mortgage Bankers Association's national survey registered a record 37 percent jump in applications...

Read the entire article...

Ivie's Comments:

This is great news. More application mean there are more people looking to buy, out there. Of course, the lower interest rates are very enticing! With home prices coming down, it's a great time for people to get a good deal on a house. If they can get an even better deal with the interest rates, that should make for some new sales!

Gladwin County gets Hit with a Big Snow Storm Dec 9th

Gladwin County received a foot of snow during a big late fall snow storm.

To view more photos of the newly fallen snow, visit our Fun Page.

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2008 Parade of Lights

The Gladwin Parade of Lights was held Dec 6th at 6pm. To view photos of the parade, visit the Fun Page.

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Find Jim & Ivie on Facebook

Jim's Page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1167596609

Ivie's Page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1052914009

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fed plan seen as housing boon

$600 billion spending plan should help interest rates
BY MATT CARTER, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2008.
Inman News

Anyone planning to buy or refinance a home with a conforming loan is soon likely to have more buying power thanks to a $600 billion government program to purchase mortgage-backed securities and debt issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae.

The plan should keep interest rates on loans eligible for purchase by Fannie and Freddie down, even if the demand for mortgage-backed securities weakens with the slowdown in the global economy. That, in turn, should provide support for housing markets, supporters of the plan said.

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Our new contract due diligence clause

From The Back Woods...

Okay... If you can't reach me by phone, email me instead. This is where I have been spending my evenings. Out in the back woods!

However, I do have my Blackberry cell phone with me and I am checking and answering emails from my blind.

To see some photos of my hunting spot, go to the Gladwin Real Estate Fun Page. They are posted there.

Remember this MONSTER Buck from the 2006 Firearm Deer Season?

Remember this huge buck? Well... I am looking for more photos to post on the Trophy Page for 2008.

You you have a great trophy photo to share and the deer was taken in either Gladwin, Clare, Roscommon or Midland Counties, please send me you photo with the details and I will post it on this page: CLICK HERE

Don't forget to visit my Michigan Outdoor Resource Page. Get your e-license, look at game charts, find out your deer's age and even participate in a hunting forum. I hope you find the information useful there.

Happy Hunting!

Accidental Photo-Op - Michigan Realtor Magazine

LOL! Made it into the Michigan Realtor Magazine by accident. There's me, chatting we another Realtor. Jim is in the photo too, but facing away from the camera. This was taken at the Real Estate Convention in Detroit this past September.

(Click on the photos to enlarge view)

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Purchase offers: How low is too low? (Inman News)

REThink Real Estate
BY TARA-NICHOLLE NELSON, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008.
Inman News

Q: How low of an offer should I make on a 4-bedroom, 3-bath house in Atlanta listed at $300,000? It's not a short sale or an REO, but I searched the title records and found out that the owners paid only $90,000 for it about 10 years ago.

A: The answer to your question is, as with everything in real estate, "it depends." As you can probably already tell, you're not going to get a straight dollar amount answer from me. The decision of how much to offer on any particular property is, in my opinion, the single toughest decision a home buyer has to make once he or she has selected a property -- in fact, this is the single most frequently asked question I receive.

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