Last year we had a ten year supply of vacant land in the Saugatuck area but that is changing.  Buyers are starting to notice that they can get the land a lot cheaper than in the boom, boom years and in December I sold two vacant parcels. 

Now the calls are coming in and people are starting to buy and build again.  And the prices for the land have not gone up yet so this is a great time to buy.

I have two parcels currently that are very affordable - one in Saugatuck Township with a well already installed on Quade Drive just about three miles from Douglas.  Imagine yourself here with all the deer and turkeys.

The other option is on 55th Street just north of M89 and East of Fennville with city water hookup available at the street.  This parcel is in Manlius Township and you can have your horse here!

Drive by either of these and check them out or better yet, Call Dee Dee Hanson at 616-836-8535 for more information.  More photos of each property are available at www.mysaugatuck.com under office listings.  Come on over.  The water is fine!

You are in luck!  4716 Heritage Meadow Drive Condo was recently listed. 

Great neighborhood, immaculate unit - well-maintaned and affordable!  Fantastic views off the porch and deck.  Stainless steel appliances, bamboo flooring on the main level and thick, white capreting on the lower level.  Cedar- lined closet, built-ins. Two bedrooms, two baths, living room and family room. 

The current owners have thought of everything to make this home efficient, comfortable and worry free.  Nothing for you do but move in.  All this for only $134,900. 

  This home is a delight to see and to show.  One of the most saleable and attractive listings I have ever had or seen.

Furnishings are also negotiable.  4716 Heritage Meadow is close to all the shopping yet remains very quiet and secluded. 

This as a very affordable option in the premier condominium in the Holland area.  Call Dee Dee Hanson at 616-836-8535 for a private showing or go to my website at www.mysaugatuck.com and view all the photos under office listings.

Saugatuck Mi Real Estate is shifting from a buyer's market to a seller's market gradually.  Check out my blog from year end 2011 versus year end 2010.  It used to be that we were listing more homes in that area than we were selling.  Now that has changed and we are selling more than we are listing so the inventory is gradually diminishing. 

Very slight shift so far but if you are a buyer, don't wait any longer to take advantage of the market.  If you are a seller, your day is on the horizon.

Call Dee Dee at 616-836-8535 to buy or sell real estate in the area and I will give you a full market analysis for your price range.

Saugatuck, Mi turkeys are thriving in the Turkey Protection Program.  Here is their photo in an undisclosed location.

There used to be eighteen and now there are thirteen in this group so they have joined the Turkey Protection Program and are traveling incognito.  As they are really creatures of habit they arrive at this location every day for their corn fix.  They should be really big by spring if they continue to lay low.

CRS Convention in Phoenix was fantastic!  I learned so much from some real heavy hitters.  This is "The Oscars" for real estate.  400 attendees with 29 from Spain and only two from Michigan.  What is wrong with this picture?  Michiganders, where are you?

Classes in Mobile Marketing, iPad Revolution, Twitter Jumpstart, the Cloud, Gadgets and Gizmos, etc. and very inspiring Keynote Sessions.  I attended six to eight classes a day until my head was spinning.

This was really worth the trip.  Just one idea facilitating one sale will pay for the cost.

I was getting ready to go and guess where Ilsa was.  She couldn't understand why she couldn't come. After all she is my mascot! 

She thought she would just ride along and was disappointed when there was no room in the suitcase for a little dog.

The convention was held in Phoenix at the Arizona Grand Resort and it was truly Grand.

So glad I went.  Meet some fantastic agents and learned a lot. Looking forward to next year already.

I want to thank all my clients for a fabulous year I had in 2011.  This was Dee Dee Hanson's best year in the number of sales (24), amount earned, and total dollars of all my sales. 

Happy New Year to everyone and looking forward to a 2012 even better than 2011.

Saugatuck, Mi, Real Estate single family sale numbers for Saugatuck, Douglas, and Saugatuck Township is a mixed bag.  Dollars spent on single family homes decreased by about 5 % from $25,388,135 to $24,175,874 and the number of homes sold decreased by 13% from 94 homes to 81 homes

BUT the interesting news is that the median price of homes sold went UP 3% from $235,000 to $243,000 and the average price of homes sold went up 10% from 270,087 to $298,468. 

NOW HERE IS THE REALLY GOOD NEWS! 

Sales of vacant land in Saugatuck, Douglas and Saugatuck Township has increased by 241%

from total sales of $1,662,150 in 2010 to $3,999,350 in 2011.  Twenty two properties sold in 2010 and twenty six properties sold in 2011.  The average price of vacant land has doubled from $75,552 to $153,821! 

If land sales are up, can constuction be very far behind?

Yesterday I came into my office to a vase of fall flowers and the best testimonial note I have ever received.

It reads as follows (on a small floral card attachment)

"Dee Dee - You are the realtor every Buyer dreams of!  Thank you so much for helping us get our home, we may have ended up in that green s__t hole if it weren't for you!  Your the best!  XoXo  Shanna, Mikey and Oscar

Oscar is the Jack Russell Terrier who owns Shanna and Mikey.  Shanna and Mikey are artists. 

My clients had looked at a green house where the leaking roof had not only rotted out the walls but also the studs! 

We found them something much better - a red home renovated from a barn with no rotting walls.  There really was no where to go but up after the green house.

It is clients like these that make this a wonderful job!  I love buyers! 

Real Estate in Saugatuck, Douglas and Saugatuck Township in Michigan is showing slight fluctuations from last year. 

From Jan 1 to Nov 1 in 2010, 101 units (single family homes and condos) were sold.  In the same time period in 2011, 93 units (single family homes and condos) were sold.  There was an 8% decrease in the number of units sold.

In the same time period, $24,840,955 was spent on these homes in 2010 and $24,314,909 in 2011.  There was a 2% decrease in the total expenditure on homes.

The average sale price in 2010 was $245,900 and in 2011 it was $261,451.  This is an increase of 6% in the average price of homes.

The median sale price in 2010 was $207,00 and the median in 2011 was $$227,500 for an increase in median price of 9%. 

It appears that the prices of homes and condos are gradually and slightly increasing.  SLOW AND STEADY INCREASE. 

Lesson for buyers from this - BUY NOW AS PRICES ARE CREEPING UP! 

Lesson for sellers from this - INCREASE IN AVERAGE AND MEDIAN PRICES SHOW VALUES ARE TRYING TO RETURN TO THE EARLIER 2000s. 

Saugatuck, Mi Real Estate Clients are trading up in a down market.

Second home owners who wanted a small, get-away cottage a couple of years ago have now decided they would like a bigger home so they can eventually retire to THE SAUGATUCK - DOUGLAS COMMUNITY. 

These owners are taking small losses on the cottages that they purchased in a more expensive market and saving a great amount on the larger homes they are trading up into.

Just yesterday, two of my clients sold their cottage for $214,500 that they had purchased in 2007 for $227,000  And they were thrilled! 

This sale generated a 5% loss in the purchase in 2007 to the sales price in 2011.  However, statistics from 2007 versus 2011 (Oct to Oct) shows that the reduction of the average price of homes sold in Saugatuck City from 2007 to 2011 was 20%.  Dee Dee Hanson's clients did much better the average loss in 2007 vs 2011! 

This is the home that was sold yesterday "on the hill" in Saugatuck.

The new home that my clients traded up into cost them $356,500.  This home had been built and sold to the previous buyer in 2007 for  $539,900.  The previous owner of the upscale home was then relocated due to a job situation.  The home was taken over by a relocation company who brought more dollars to closing than did my client.

My client saved 35% on their new home versus a loss of 5% on their little cottage. Here is a photo of the great new home.

 If you have been considering a larger home, this is the time.   It is an ill wind that doesn't bring someone some good.  Here is the good from this market.  NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE YOUR MOVE.