Coolest Northern Michigan Police Car - 10/26/06 09:41 PM

This is the coolest police car I have seen in awhile.  Nothing like a little good old fashioned North American muscle to chase around the bad boys.  For the ultimate in pursuit power, the Dodge Charger police vehicle is available with a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine that produces 340 horsepower at 5000 rpm and 390 lb.-ft. of torque at 4000 rpm. Dodge Charger police vehicles equipped with HEMI engines will be able to go from zero to 60 mph in just 6.0 seconds.
Congratulations, East Jordan, you get my vote for Northern Michigan's coolest cop car!
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Protect Yourself from Identity Theft - 10/24/06 10:15 AM
Are you sick and tired of receiving unsolicited credit card applications, and concerned that you could become a victim of identity theft if one of these applications found its way into the wrong hands?There is a solution.  OptOutPrescreen.com is a joint venture among Equifax Information Services, LLC, Experian Information Solutions, Inc., Innovis Data Solutions, Inc., and TransUnion, LLC (collectively the "Consumer Credit Reporting Companies"). Through the OptOutPrescreen.com website, you can exercise your right to Opt-Out, which will remove your name from receiving firm offers of credit or insurance based on your credit information with the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies, Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion. … (0 comments)

Avoid Identity Theft - 10/24/06 10:07 AM
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is partnering with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help educate consumers regarding the growing problem of identify theft. The FTC estimates that there may be as many as 10 million victims of identity theft each year! Studies estimate the annual harm to consumers caused by identity theft to be $5 billion, while it is estimated that identify theft costs businesses nearly $50 billion in lost revenue annually. These numbers are alarming!The FTC has received thousands of real estate related identity theft complaints. Oftentimes consumers first learn they are victims of identity theft when they attempt to buy a home, shattering … (2 comments)

Exclusive Buyer Agents Mentioned in RealEstateJournal.com - 10/24/06 09:29 AM
Exclusive Buyer Agents were given favorable mention in a recent article published by RealEstateJournal.Com, the Wall Street Journal's online "Guide to Property". In an article entitled "Selecting a Real-Estate Agent in a Cooling Housing Market", the author quotes the President of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (http://www.naeba.org/), Tom Early, who stated that "By hiring a representative who works on only one side of the transaction, you'll get a specialized agent who probably won't have a conflict of interest."Real estate agency relationships are confusing and often misunderstood, even by many real estate licensees themselves.  Nevertheless, exclusive buyer agency seems to be … (0 comments)

Michigan's Proposal 5 - The K-16 Initiative - 10/23/06 01:13 PM
We all know how fragile Michigan's economy is.  Will passage of Proposal 5, which would require the State of Michigan to provide annual funding increases at the rate of inflation to local public K-12 schools, intermediate school districts, community colleges and higher education institutions, wreak havoc on our state budgets, resulting in either massive tax increases or the gutting of other essential services?  Or will it be a worthwhile investment, guaranteeing us a highly educated workforce which will attract jobs for years to come.
The Michigan Association of Realtors along with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce is strongly opposed to Proposal 5.  Here are … (1 comments)

Harbor Springs Real Estate Market May Have Bottomed - 10/22/06 12:55 PM
Residential sales statistics for the third quarter of 2006 in the Harbor Springs School District indicate that we may have reached a bottom in the market, at least for the time being.  There were 49 residential sales in the third quarter of 2006, compared with 46 sales in the third quarter of 2005.  Despite the increase in unit volume, dollar volume still continued to fall, from $20,174,056 in the third quarter of 2005 to $15,454,150 in the third quarter of 2006, a drop of over 23%.
The numbers for the recent quarter are significantly lower than the record numbers posted in the third … (1 comments)

Petoskey Real Estate Market Stabilizes in 3rd Quarter - 10/22/06 12:27 PM
The Petoskey real estate market showed some signs of stability in the most recent quarter, with sales actually increasing from the same quarter last year.  There were 86 residential sales in the 3rd quarter of 2006, compared to 80 sales in 2005.  Also, dollar volume increased to $29,605,446, from $23,028,200 in the 3rd quarter of 2005, a very healthy increase of over 28.5%.
While these numbers are far shy of the 114 residential sales and $35,313,347 in dollar volume recorded in the 3rd quarter of 2004, they are an improvement nonetheless, and a welcome sign of stability, and even improvement, in the Petoskey residential real estate market.  … (0 comments)

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs = Huge Energy Savings - 10/20/06 10:34 PM
Ever since I moved into my new home last fall, I have been trying to raise awareness of the dramatic energy savings which can be achieved by replacing standard incandescent light bulbs with the new compact fluorescent bulbs.
The Real Estate Journal reports that compact fluorescents will be one of the innovations which results in dramatic energy savings.  According to the article, "If each U.S. household replaced one regular bulb with a compact fluorescent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, consumers would collectively save more than $600 million a year. The energy saved, meanwhile, would be enough to light seven million homes, and the greenhouse-gas reductions … (5 comments)

Why the Detroit Tigers Will Win the World Series - 10/20/06 10:03 AM
For anyone who is interested, here is a cogent explanation from a Fox Sports commentator as to why the Detroit Tigers will win the World Series.
Predictions of a World Series victory for the Tigers are filling up bandwidth.  In addition to at least some of the pundits, the Sportsbooks for gamblers and the fans are predicting victory for the Bengals. 
No matter what the outcome, this is an exciting time for the people of the State of Michigan, whose economy is in shambles.  Hopefully it will give us a much needed boost. 
  
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Northern Michigan Land Sales Down - 10/19/06 10:12 AM
Northern Michigan Land Sales are down considerably for the first three quarters of 2006, compared to the same period last year.  Unit volume is down by almost 1/3, dollar volume is down over 41%, average sale price is down almost 13%, and the median sale price is down 11.5%.Based on information provided by the Northern Michigan Multiple Listing Service for the periods from January 1 - September 30, 2005-06.
For full details, see my other blog. 
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Are You Sure You Want to be an Unrepresented Buyer? - 10/19/06 09:12 AM
A frequent thread in online conversations among real estate agents is whether confidential information disclosed by an unrepresented buyer to a listing agent (seller's agent) can or should be disclosed to the seller.  Presumably, as long as the seller's agent has complied with his or her state's agency disclosure laws, confidential information obtained from an unrepresented buyer can and should be disclosed to the listing agent's seller client for the seller's benefit.
One agent, when questioned as to whether she would use information obtained from an unrepresented buyer to her seller client's advantage, stated as follows:
"In a heart beat . . . . and have done … (1 comments)

Surf's Up Petoskey! - 10/18/06 01:39 AM
I never imagined I would wake up to a raging blizzard on Friday, October 13th. I can remember having a few snowflakes in October, but nothing like this. You can imagine my surprise when I saw four surfers in the waters of Little Traverse Bay in the middle of the snowstorm!Now I actually remember reading an article earlier this year about how good the surfing can be on Lake Michigan. Other than the temperatures in the 30's and blinding intermittent snow squalls, surfing conditions were ideal, with winds steady at 30+ knots and wave heights peaking at fourteen feet (according to … (3 comments)

Charlevoix Apple Festival - 10/18/06 01:35 AM
After several wintry days, the skies cleared on Sunday and all were treated to a glorious fall day. The weather for the annual Charlevoix Apple Festival was picture perfect, and my family and I took the opportunity to travel to Charlevoix for one of our favorite festivals. This year's festival did not disappoint. With numerous artists and vendors displaying their crafts, it was a perfect opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done early. We also managed to sneak in some plain donuts and caramel apples, of course. One can't go to the Apple Festival without buying some apples, and my wife … (2 comments)

Boyne City Real Estate Sales - Disappointing 3rd Quarter - 10/18/06 01:27 AM
The latest Boyne City residential real estate market statistics for the 3rd Quarter of 2006 are abysmal. The number of residential sales in the 3rd Quarter of 2006 dropped to 31, from 47 sales in the 3rd Quarter of 2005, a decline of almost 35%. The dollar volume of residential sales in the same period dropped to $7,965,400 from $15,944,670 in the prior year, a decline of over fifty percent. The median sales price dropped significantly as well, from $186,900 in the 3rd Quarter of 2005 to $155,700 in the 3rd Quarter of 2006, a decline of over 16%.Note: Based upon … (0 comments)

Northern Michigan Real Estate Sales - 3rd Quarter 2006 - 10/18/06 01:04 AM
Northern Michigan residential real estate sales for the 3rd Quarter of 2006 declined over 15% from year ago levels, dropping from 242 sales in the 3rd Quarter of 2005 to 205 sales in the 3rd Quarter of 2006. The 205 residential sales in the Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Charlevoix and Boyne City school districts represents a sales volume decline of over 25% from the high of 274 residential sales in the 3rd Quarter of 2004.Note: Based on information obtained from the Northern Michigan Multiple Listing Service for the period from July 1 - September 30, 2001-2006. … (2 comments)

 

Stefan Scholl - Northern Michigan Real Estate

Petoskey, MI

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Buyer's Broker of Northern Michigan, LLC

Address: 3280 Woods Way, Suite 4, Petoskey, MI, 49770

Office Phone: (231) 347-9600

Cell Phone: (231) 881-2550

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Northern Michigan Real Estate news, commentary and market information published by Stefan Scholl, real estate attorney, exclusive buyer agent and broker/owner of Buyer's Broker of Northern Michigan, LLC.


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