Wordless Wednesday ... Lunch at the Zoo Is Being Served - 04/27/11 12:45 PM
 
I came across this post by Elizabeth Byrne in Arlington, Virginia.  I thought the photo was amazingly well balanced, and showed a sort of serendipity of the moment, with the perspective and colors of the animals in sequence from light to dark.  All three have their heads down, and are equally well groomed.  A simple photo, but an amazingly well timed shot as well.  Alpacas are really beautiful animals.
Via Elizabeth Byrne - Arlington Virginia Real Estate (Keller Williams Realty):
Meet Cirrus, Orion, and Ziggy (from left to right)
This week is a Spring break for my kids, so yesterday, I took them and their … (5 comments)

How to stop renting and buy your own home - 04/26/11 09:30 PM
There comes a certain time in your life when you have been renting for a long time that you want to know how to stop renting and buy your own home.  You are not alone.  There are people that can help you achieve that goal.  Uusually right there in your own community.
The best place to start is to speak with a local Realtor, and tell them you want to learn how to stop renting and buy your own home.  There a several steps to effectively buying your own home, but the first and most important one is to work with … (1 comments)

Happy Easter! - 04/24/11 06:21 PM
Easter so often marks the beginning of spring, and new things for the year, more so than any other holiday.  I hope eveyone has a wonderful Easter, with good weather, and a lot of fun times with family. 
I hope you will enjoy my selection of flower photos to celebrate the occasion.  I tried to come up with a variety to show a colorful splash for the holiday.  All of these were photographed in my backyard last year.  So they all grow very well here in Battle Creek, Michigan!



… (5 comments)

Butterfly Exhibit Video - 04/21/11 12:32 PM
The Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan has an annual exhibit featuring butterflies from Asia, Africa and South America.  I recently went there on an excursion with my wife for an afternoon to see the butterfly atrium at the gardens. 
Along with taking photos, which I included in my other blog post on this subject yesterday, I also shot a lot of video.  Last night I had some time and edited the content we shot into a short video, and I posted it on YouTube.
I do not know if you have ever tried to photograph or … (3 comments)

Cactus Exhibit at the Fredrick Meijer Garden & Sculpture Park - 04/19/11 03:54 PM
When you visit the Fredrick Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and you want to make your way into the butterfly exhibit, they route you along a path that takes you through the cactus exhibit first. Here they have a wonderful collection of cactus, mostly from the Southwestern U.S. and Central America.
Being originally from Arizona, I have always had a great appreciation for cactus.  As a kid, when I would go with the Boy Scouts on a desert camping trip, our excursion often included instruction from a Scoutmaster on the subject of cactus and safety. 
 You soon learned as … (2 comments)

Butterflies at the Fredrick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park - 04/19/11 02:43 PM
It has been a few years since I visited the butterfly exhibit at the Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I went there this past Sunday with my wife, and we spent several hours there. 
The exhibit runs from March 1st through April 30th, and the butterfly exhibit offers an escape from the bitterness of winter.  When we went, it was windy and chilly outside, but when you walk into the enclosed exhibit, it was hot and humid, so you soon removed your coat.  Butterflies are warmer weather creatures.  There is a nice ventilation system in the … (5 comments)

Old Barns are Landmarks of Yesteryear - 04/15/11 11:58 AM
I driving around the rutal areas and seeing old barns.  They are such the reminder of yesteryear.  I think about what the barn looked like in its prime, before it went through 50 plus winters, and blistering summers. 
What were the people like that built it originally, and how did it somehow survive over the decades and remain standing?  I would bet that each one of these old buildings has a few stories to tell if they could talk. 
I think the photos inspire the imagination, so I will let them tell you what ever story you read out of them … (7 comments)

Buying a Foreclosure in Michigan: Things That May Happen At Closing - 04/09/11 11:49 PM
When you are buying a foreclosure in Michigan, there can be some differences that people familiar with previous closings where they bought a home from an individual seller will find.  For one, there are some circumstances where you may not recieve your key at the closing table, even though you signed all the papers and paid your required fees. 
What has been happening in Michigan in the last five years or so is that the foreclosure companies are using a central title company based out of either Detroit or Lansing, and that title company either sends a representative to where you … (3 comments)

Feeling Sheepy? - 04/07/11 12:50 PM
Yesterday I had to make a trip to Union City and then onto Coldwater, Michigan.  Most of the travel time is through rural areas. I stopped at one point when I saw this field of sheep, and took a few photos.  They looked a little bored, and somewhat ragged, but I thought they made for a good blog photo. 
Driving through the rural areas of Southwest Michigan as a Realtor, I see a lot of farm life and other animals.  Usually I see mostly cows and horses, and the occasional a pig.  Sheep are a little less common.  Being an active … (7 comments)

Have a Whale of a Wednesday! - 04/06/11 08:37 AM
I was showing some houses to some friends of mine last week that were looking for an investment property.  One of the men brought his daughter along, who proudly introduced me to her friend 'Free Willy' the whale.  Willy of course accompanied her throughout the showing, and at one point when her daddy and grandpa were engaged in conversation off to the side, she asked me to hold her whale while she went to get another toy from the car. 
So there I was holding her stuffed whale, while the gentlemen were discussing how much to offer.  The good thing it that they … (7 comments)

Taxing Times and Tax Benefits: The Importance of the Mortgage Interest Deduction - 04/05/11 05:17 PM
Tax season is underway and American home owners are once again enjoying the benefit of the mortgage interest deduction. The ability to deduct the interest paid on a mortgage can mean significant savings for these home owners.
For example, a family who bought a home last year with a $200,000, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, assuming an interest rate of 4.5 percent, could save nearly $3,500 in federal taxes when they file this year. This is why accountants ask you for mortgage interest when you are compiling your information on your tax returns.  It is no small deduction.
A recent survey conducted by … (0 comments)

What Makes a Stronger Offer Compared to Others in Buying a Foreclosure? - 04/05/11 04:39 PM
When one is looking to buy a foreclosure, there seems to be a mindset of ‘let's get an incredible deal' but what gets lost sometimes is an understanding of what makes a stronger offer.  What does make a stronger offer when you are competing with other buyers for a foreclosed home? 
In my market area, I typically see the bidding competition on the lower range homes, where investors are competing against first time home buyers.  Each have a desire to obtain the property, but each has a different intended use. 
Let's take an example of a foreclosure listed for sale at … (2 comments)

Getting a Home in Battle Creek, Michigan - 04/05/11 03:47 PM
There is not a day that goes by it seems that I do not run into someone who is trying to figure out how to go about getting a home in Battle Creek, Michigan.  The main reason for this is that I am a local Realtor in the area, and this is my field of work.  
However, getting a home in Battle Creek, Michigan or anywhere seems to be a bit of a puzzle for those that have never bought a home before.  The usual first step they take is to look online at these conglomerate websites that spew out … (0 comments)

Seemingly Disregarded - 04/04/11 04:43 PM
When you venture out into the world, there is so much that is seemingly disregarded.  When you begin writing a blog, you tend to start taking notice of those things that are overlooked by many. 
Perhaps that is part of the virtue or role of the creative writer in our society, to help us all notice things that would otherwise become seemingly disregarded. 
As one ventures into blogging, one cannot help but take the additional step into engaging in creative photography as well.  It becomes an adventure to notice details to photograph that will later make interesting content for a story … (7 comments)

Wild Turkeys in Southwest Michigan - 04/03/11 08:00 PM
In February I was traveling back from an appointment in Barry County, just north of Battle Creek, and I spotted some wild turkey in a field.  I turned around on the road I was on, and went back and took this video that I posted below. 
I find that as I travel around Southwest Michigan as a Realtor, I come across a lot of different wildlife at times, but wild turkeys always facinate me.  Perhaps it is because they appear more elusive than other birds and animals. 
So I edited this video a little last night, and posted it on my … (6 comments)

USDA Rural Development Loans in Calhoun County, Michigan - 04/03/11 07:26 PM
USDA Rural Development loans in Calhoun County, Michigan are popular with first time home buyers.  A buyer seeking to use the USDA Rural Development program cannot own another home.  
Rural Development loans are designed primarily to provide adequate housing to low and middle income families.  Because of this reason there is an income cap per household.   This means that all working household members will have their income counted.  This includes spouses, significant others and even adult children who may still live at home, whether or not they contribute to household bills, etc. 
The current annual income cap for Calhoun County for … (0 comments)

Michigan State Capital Virtual Tour - 04/01/11 11:30 PM
In March I went on a tour of the Michigan State Capital with the Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS.  During this visit we met with our State Representatives and Senator, but what was also an exciting aspect of the tour was seeing this magnificent building.  It is a incredible piece of architecture, and a great symbol of our wonderful State. 
There are so many details in the beautiful ceilings, ornamental woodwork and glass ceiling of the dome that one can lose hours just looking, and looking at everything.  It is not a wonder that schools take students there of all … (0 comments)

Blue Skies in Southwest Michigan - 04/01/11 11:13 AM
Living in Michigan, we grow accustomed to cold winters.  However, another interesting aspect of living here is that the winter months tend be cloud covered most of the time, so one constantly sees gray skies, gray skies, and gray skies.  It is so commonplace that one finds themselves somewhat energized when the blue skies finally return for even a day or two. 
Lately in the past week or two we have seen blue skies more often, which is a great indicator that spring is coming.  Our friends in the Northern part of the State are still getting snow off and on, … (7 comments)

 
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Michael Delaware

Battle Creek, MI

More about me…

Troxel Realty Co. LLC

Address: 720 Capital Ave SW, Battle Creek, MI, 49015

Office Phone: (269) 968-9293 x 211

Cell Phone: (269) 274-6102

Email Me

I enjoying looking at the lighter side of life. So, this blog is about my wacky observations, my sometimes sideways point of view and the Southwest Michigan, Battle Creek Area Real Estate Market.

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