Am I wrong in thinking that just getting any offer is no longer good enough for our Short Sales??  I currently have a couple of Short Sales we received offers on but nothing that held the Buyer accountable nor showed that they were serious Buyers.  It was really more like, let's just cast a net out there and see if we can get lucky! 

You know the offers....offers that come in without an EMD, no Bank Pre-Approval letter, requesting a quick closing, 45 days (seriously??) no inspections until Lender Approval,  Seller to contribute 6% of Purchase Price towards closing costs etc.. (now you get the jest).

I must admit I have a difficult time taking these offers very seriously.  Do these Buyers really want these homes (which are great deals) and what is it in these offers that makes them the least bit vested in the homes purchase??  I'll tell you......absolutely nothing.

So I discussed the offers over with my clients and went back with counters something like this.....

1. EMD required upon acceptance of offer.

2. Buyer to allow 4 months to close from date of acceptance of offer.

3. Home to be Sold "As Is"  Seller to contribute no funds towards repairs.

4. Seller to bring no Money to close for any reason etc....

5. Inspections to be completed within standard 10 day time frame as per Purchase Agreement.

6. Buyer will not pursue other purchasing alternatives for as long as Purchase Agreement is valid.

We went back a forth in negotiations, one of the Short Sales moved forward, accepted most of our requests and we are now on track to close....the other did not want to be tied down and would only commit to a 60 day time frame for the Buyer to determine if "things were moving forward fast enough".  (and exactly what would he have judged that by?)  

Time is of the essence for my Sellers and if our Buyers decide to walk away after months of negotiations because they have absolutely nothing vested and nothing to lose....my Sellers could very well be left with no further recourse and ultimately go to foreclosure.  

....this is a high and risky possibility when taking a chance on a Buyer who is really not very serious at all.

So I wonder....is just any offer good enough for our Short Sales??

This past weekend I was at a soccer tournament and was having a nice time chatting with a number of other parent's there.  One of them suddenly mentioned she had given my name and phone number to a friend of hers who needed to sell her home.  She had the home listed previously for $170,000.00 and couldn't understand why she had received no offers or even one showing during the time it had been listed.

Her friend had spoken to another Realtor just this past week and he had told her that she would not be able to sell her home in her requested price range...that even last year this would have been very difficult and the market has continued to dip in pricing over time, so she is now looking for another REALTOR opinion as to the value of her home.

As we continued to talk I learned this lady owed more money on the home that what this agent had suggested she list it for and that she also had some other debt she was trying to pay off with the sale.  This lady is hoping to sell her home for enough to get out from under not only her mortgage but also some added debt she has accumulated.

The above scenario is unfortunately becoming more and more common during these difficult times and I can certainly understand why Seller's are looking and hoping to be able to accomplish this.

The cold hard reality however is...If you really need to sell your home you cannot price it by what you need to get out of it.  Whether it is only what you currently owe on the Mortgage or if you are looking to also get rid of added debt you have accumulated on top of this. 

Home Seller's need to understand that home values are determined by the current housing market and what comparable homes to yours in your area are now selling for.  If there are other homes in your area considered comparable to yours and they are listed at prices below where you want to be, you need to take this information into careful consideration for this is the price range your home should fall in. 

If your home is priced much above this comparable range your home will very likely sit on the market without showings or offers because you are now helping to sell all those other comparable homes.  Your home is now making all these other homes look like really great deals when compared to yours.

I know this is a hard pill to swallow and you can of course contact REALTOR after REALTOR if you like and you will eventually find one who will list your home for what you want to sell it for but please understand this...you will continue to put yourself through added stress and waste additional, valuable time that could have been spent aggressively marke-ting your home to get the best possible price you can for it. 

The best REALTOR in the world can't help you if you won't let them and there are other options out there available to you!  Please do not ignore the advice your REALTOR is giving you if this is someone you feel you can trust, for as time goes by things will continue to get more and more difficult and much more stressful. 

 *Please be sure to contact a reputable REALTOR in your area and learn what options are available that can help you.

Recently I had a number of condo showings scheduled with a client of mine and the one for which she was the most excited to see happened to be owned by a Retired World War II Navy Vet. We knew this instantly as we began our preview due to the incredible memorabilia, medals and pictures he had carefully displayed in the office area of this meticulously kept home. 

As we were finishing up, the Seller arrived home early.  He was quite the gentleman as he came in apologizing for coming back early, saying he had run out of things to do.  We chatted a few minutes and I mentioned I had left my card on the counter just as a courtesy so he would know we had stopped in for the showing (I had set this out before he returned) his immediate reply was, "Did you write Thank You on the back?"   Much to my dismay I had not and I apologized profusely.  I have to admit I have never written thank you on the back of my cards for I had always felt in leaving the card this was the courtesy to let the Seller(s) know you had been there.

We'll, he pretty much let me have it and rightly so..."Do you have any idea how much work and time it takes to get a home ready for a showing," He said?  "I take great care and pride in my place and am proud to show my home to others."  "YOU Realtors don't think anything of this and don't care about how much work we put in getting our homes ready."   "A simple Thank You on the back of your card is the least you could do." 

He was right...a thank you on the back of my card is a small request and I didn't have a foot to stand on.  I will say to you who are reading though...I truly do realize the hard work Seller's take in getting their homes show ready and am very conscientious regarding this.  I just never wrote Thank You on the back of my cards....darn it, he got me!

Well, we went back and wrote up a very strong offer (it was a strong offer) and on the very high end of what the condo's were going for in that community...the problem was, he was priced to high...really high, and we just couldn't justify it with the comps we were coming up with. 

I certainly did not want this offer to come across as an insult to him so I wrote him a letter with our offer explaining how well his home showed, how appreciative we were of the good care he has taken of it and that this offer was not intended to be a poor reflection of his home it is just what the market currently is willing to bare etc...

Later the Listing Agent did tell me it was the first offer he submitted that he didn't get thrown out on his laurels!  His client did give it careful consideration but ultimately would take nothing less than what it was listed for.   Ahhh...well, it wasn't meant to be....we moved on.

A few weeks later I received a letter from this Navy Vet and quite formal I must add...This letter really struck me for it resonated of an era gone by, where everyday pleasantries were common and expected.  Today it seemes easy for these common courtesies to get lost in our extremely fast paced lives. 

This is what it said....

To  :  VANDERMEER, Therese Realtor
         FlexIt Realty
         1515 Michigan St. NE
         Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Subj  :  Appreciation

Thank you so much for showing my home this past week.  You are very kind to have done so in the manner you did even though the basics of such are your lot in life.  A cut above does not go unrecognized, and you acted a cut above.  Too, your client seems to be a sweet one.  Congratulations on your choice there.

The purpose of this letter, however, is to thank you for the special letter you wrote to my Realtor (insert name) expressing your favorable regard for the condition of my home.  This, I really appreciate.  Home sellers are being trampled excruciatingly in this market with very little empathy shown for the work homeowners do to make our homes desirable, and I am one who resents callousness - I live clean, and I am proud to show my home clean - a word of recognition means much.

Again, thank you,

Mr. _____  ______


This small acknowledgement of appreciation to me was touching and when I'm now showing homes, I will always write THANK YOU on the back of my cards! 

....lesson learned.

This is often a difficult decision for most however not for my Mom & Dad many, many years ago!  When my parents were in their early 60's they suddenly decided (much to my surprise) that living in a Tri Level home was too much work for them.  They no longer wanted to mow the lawn, shovel the drive way, pull weeds, paint the house, go up and down stairs and keep up with all the maintenance home ownership involved. 

I couldn't believe my ears! How could they do it??  How could they sell OUR HOME?!!...just think of all the memories our family had shared while us kids were growing up there.  This was our home and it was quite beyond me to imagine anyone else living there.  Mom then told me quite simply, "home" is not a house, it is whatever place you choose to live in with the one(s) you love and it will be whatever you make of it." ...I'll never forget it.

Now in looking back, I see this actually turned out to be one of the best decisions my parents ever made.  They were moving at a time when they were still physically able to do so and had young adult children around who were able to help them.  I'm not going to kid you...this was an awful lot of work!  They had so many things they had accumulated over the past 30+yrs and not only did they need to get rid of a lot of it, they also had to decide what to keep to furnish their condo and what things they just couldn't part with.  They understood that in making this move they no longer had tons of room for storage and what they were able to hold onto was limited because of this. 

Fast forward 12+ years....mom and dad had many happy years in their condo and very much enjoyed the easier pace of life it had provided and there had been no regrets in their decision to down size. The condo they had lived in was very nice but not extravagant, it was what they called "very affordable living" which in turn allowed them the financial freedom to be able to winter in Florida and this they truly LOVED!!

Then suddenly it was time to look into retirement homes for mom...no longer able to live on her own and lonely since dad passed away in 2005, I had found a lovely place for her and it was once again time for mom to move.  This time the move, although not emotionally easy, was made much less stressful and difficult due to the fact that my parents had already downsized all those years earlier when they had moved out of "the big house".  Because of this there was already a plan set in place as to what were the important things to mom and what needed to go with her, what things needed to stay in the family, what things could some of us use and what would we be donating.  This was when I realized what a wonderful and insightful decision my parents had made all those years ago and how much easier our task now at hand really was.

Since becoming a Realtor I have assisted Seniors in the sale of their homes, if it is a home they have lived in for the past 30+ years the work involved can be incredibly overwhelming, not only to the person(s) living there but also for the family and friends who will be helping them.  It can entail weeks and weeks of work just to go through everything and make the decisions regarding what to keep, what to give away etc...this task most often will now fall to the children for many Seniors find it all too overwhelming and can have a very hard time coping. 

So, to my Parents who had the great foresight to plan ahead and sell the home which was too big and too much work for them....I now say THANK YOU!!!  You were RIGHT and I was so WRONG, yup I can admit it.  :-) This decision was one of the best you ever made, it made everything so much easier on everyone involved.  And now I understand, you were not just thinking of yourselves...you were thinking of us your children and we love you for that!

I can easily now say that when my kids are grown and have moved out of our home, we will be downsizing...for my Home is NOT a House, it is whatever place I choose to live in with the one(s) I love and it will be whatever I make of it.   

Lake View Home Absolutely Perfect for Family Cottage or All Year Round!

You're NOT Dreaming...as you enter this beautiful Lake View Home!   If you are looking for the perfect home to call your own where you can enjoy time away from your normal every day hustle, bustle and grind, a place where you can welcome in family and friends just to relax and enjoy some good times...then you have just found it! 

This is not just a cottage it is a picture perfect home!  Nestled at the end of a tranquil cul-de-sac street with a lovely view of Merrill Lake and where nature abounds.   Absolutely stunning Four Season Room with Soaring Cathedral Ceilings, Great Room provides a splendid Bay Window and propane Wood Burning Stove for those snowy winter nights.  Jumbo sized "Bonus Room" over garage for possible Non-Conforming 4th Bed Room, Fitness Room Office or Children's Play Room.  Tasteful Moderate Landscaping with garden area and woods behind for your privacy, just a stone's throw away and you can be fishing for Pike, Bluegill, Perch and Bass!  Lovingly maintained featuring a while glove interior, move in condition and ready for you.  Wow!  What a great opportunity to purchase this refreshingly affordable home!  NEW ROOF Sept 2009.

Here's the Virtual Tour For Your Preview!

Priced at $99,900.00..Please feel free to contact me for your own personal showing today!

If you are looking for a home that will provide you all the amenities that true luxury living entails then the Summerset Community in Georgetown Township may offer just what you are looking for.  Nestled among gently rolling hills and offering generous sized yards, you will find the homes here are wonderfully diversified in style and also in what they will have to offer you.

With homes built beginning in the mid 1980's...until present (Summerset West is currently in development) you will find the price ranges beginning in and around $300,000.00...on up...and up!

This simply wonderful community of Premier Luxury Homes not only offers beauty and elegance, it is also conveniently located close to Rivertown Mall, I196 and M6, an easy 20 minute ride to Downtown Grand Rapids and the shores of our Beautiful Lake MI Beaches!

(Please know all prices are subject to change depending on current market conditions and the availability of homes)

**If you are looking for a Luxury Home to enjoy in the Grandville MI, Georgetown Charter Township Area, give me a call and I will be pleased to help you find your perfect home.