Class for Saline first time buyers (Free and informative)

Coming up on April 14th we have our Free home buying class on Monday night.

This class is packed with information on the processes and challenges involved in buying your first home.

Click on the link above for more information.

Foxes guarding the hen house

Just heard from an Exclusive Buyer's Agent out west who found something from their professional licensing bureau that caught her eye.

The Iowa licensing bureau fined a Nebraska broker and 5 of his agents $7,500 for practicing real estate in Iowa without an Iowa license. The company, a Prudential franchise, was licensed in Omaha, they were just doing business in Iowa.

Here is the interesting point:

The broker that was guilty in Iowa is a member of the real estate commission in Omaha! The guy helps write laws in Omaha and he breaks them in Iowa!

Manpower survey shows more bad news coming

Here is an article from the Free Press about a Manpower survey that predicts lower employment levels for both Washtenaw and Livingston Counties.

Not good news for real estate values, but it is good news for home buyers. (Bad employement figures will help hold prices down.)

Important Update on Challenging Pittsfield Township assessments

I just heard from a past client about his experience challenging his assessment in Pittsfield Township.

He bought a home that had been foreclosed. (He actually bought it from the bank.)

When the assessment came in significantly higher than what he had purchased it for he called the township assessor's office.

The assessor reportedly told him that they don't count repossessed homes in their property valuation calculations. --- Because they feel the seller is desperate and can't collect fair market value for the home. ---

Interesting.

What is even more surprising is that they said they don't even count some of the Pfizer relocation transactions. Again arguing that the seller was desperate and sold for below fair market value.


More to come on this interesting bit of news...