Realtor, Author & Neighbor: Battle Creek, Michigan

Last Christmas my wife and I had gotten our daughter who lives out West a stuffed lamb that she had mentioned to us she had seen in a store.   She was on the road a lot and took her lamb with her as she traveled from city to city on business.  Sadly, she forgot it behind in a hotel room when she ...

Yesterday in Southwest Michigan, we were treated to a display of nature with icy trees in the early morning.  As I drove to go look at a house for a client, I could not help but marvel at the beauty of the crystalline tree branches in sparkling white on either side of the road as I drove by.  I d...

One thing common to most Americans is existence of a childhood home, somewhere in their past.  If I were to ask you right at this moment to close your eyes, you could probably picture your childhood home.  You might remember grass in the summer time, the stairs or hallway to your room, or even th...

ESTABLISHING AND FOLLOWING GOOD CREDIT BEHAVIOR In order to understand credit, one first has to understand what is meant by good credit versus bad credit in the world of mortgage financing. The following are some key areas to understand when trying to establish good credit behavior, as all of the...

Have you ever heard of the term ‘FICO' in reference to credit scoring?  You might be asking yourself, ‘What is a FICO Score?'  A FICO score is a credit score developed by Fair, Isaac & Co. (F.I.CO).  Credit scoring is a method taking criteria from a person's history of spending and bill paying an...

When you are at the point where you are looking at homes with a Realtor, it is important to realize a basic thing can occur.  The first house you see could be the one that is perfect for you. Especially if you gave your Realtor a list of the features that were most important to you, and they ente...

I thought it might be helpful to new homeowners to provide them with a short list of ten things to do once you get the keys to your new home.  Too often some of these points get forgotten in the excitement of finally closing on your new home, so it helps to have a quick reference list. 1) Make su...

Exterior replacement projects continue to be the most cost-effective home improvement projects, according to the 2010-11 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report published by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This year nine out of the 10 projects that return the most bang for the buck are impro...

Are we in the Golden Age of affordability? Today's record low mortgage rates and high household incomes have created a very favorable buying environment in terms of affordability. Some might even go so far as to describe this time period as the ‘Golden Age of Affordability' when we look back on i...

In Michigan we have had a Governor for the majority of the past decade that has promised many things.  In her January 25, 2006 State of the State Address, she informed us all that: "In five years, you're going to be blown away by the strength and diversity of Michigan's transformed economy." Sinc...