I would like to introduce you to Tim and Jeni Baldwin and Carol, Jeni's mom.  (It was nice meeting you today Carol!)

Tim and Jeni graciously gave me permission to tell you their story about their first home purchase.  They were also wonderful sports about having their photos taken without any notice or warning.  Look at those smiles!  Aren't they precious?  One of the things I love most about Tim and Jeni is that they are always smiling and are such warm and genuine people. 



Tim and Jeni are a young, newlywed professional couple.  In December of 2006 they contacted me to help them in their quest to find their new home.  They are both very articulate and gave me their "want list" right away.  They wanted to live in Mt. Clemens.  They also wanted an older home with charm and character and square footage to grow in.  When they first mentioned Mt. Clemens I was very excited.  I love that city and all the diversity it has to offer.  It is a great city for families, with many "walk to" historic areas, restaurants and shops.    
                                                  

One of the first homes we viewed they fell in love with.  It had all the requirements on the "must have" list.  It had all the square footage they wanted.  The home had been updated very nicely yet still retained its original feel with beautiful natural wood work, gorgeous doors, formal rooms and had a basement that Timmy labeled DBS quality.  (DBS by the way is a term coined by Timmy.  It means "Dead Beat Son". Each time he used it I had a good laugh.  It was his way of saying if an adult son still lived with them past the time he should be, the basement would be Dead Beat Son livable.)  This home was at the high end of their "comfy" price range but as it had been on the market a while there were hopes of obtaining it for a lower price. One major issue for all of us however was parking.  The garage was actually at the rear of the home, one street behind the home. (This is not unusual for Mt. Clemens)  Also, one side of the street facing the home didn't allow parking at all. To me, that would be a major re-sale issue and was probably the #1 reason the house hadn't sold. I brought up "Location, location, location" to both of them and was happy when they finally decided that because of this issue it wasn't the right home for them.  (It also cornered a very busy street.  Not a plus when you want to have children.)

We kept searching and I would email Tim and Jeni with any and all new homes that came on the market..  One home in particular caught my eye because of the location.   This particular street is stunning, with a wonderful blend of older custom type homes with each having their own unique architecture.  It is within walking distance to the downtown area, yet private enough to have children bike riding in relative safety.  It also allows both side of the street parking.  To find a home on this street within their "comfy" budget was also a find in my opinion. I made an appointment to view this home and right away they fell in love with the street and the outside appearance of the home, but the inside was not the "fall in love immediately" feeling home for them.  It needed updating in certain rooms and didn't have the large square footage that Jeni wanted.  It did however have a DBS basement for Tim.  It made enough of an impression however that Tim and Jeni balanced things on the plus and minus scale and made an offer.  That offer was counter-offered by the sellers and in our opinion wasn't workable.  Back to the drawing board we went.  I kept my eye on the market, with a particular interest in homes that were lowering their prices and were now in the budget.
 

We then viewed another home that initially fit their needs.  It had alot of square footage, enough room to house all the nephews and nieces for the weekend visits, and was priced extremely well.  It was on a less busy street than the first "fall in love with" home but it was still a semi-thoroughfare to the downtown area.  Once again, parking was limited to one side of the street.  It also needed updating in each and every room.  After viewing it twice with Tims construction friendly friends they decided that not only was the location not ideal, but they didn't want to spend every weekend for the next year or so working on a home.  I have to tell you, I was happy they decided against this one.  I know that with their vision it would have eventually have been a masterpiece, but I also knew that they are a sociable young couple with busy lives and I believe they would have ended up regretting purchasing this home. We all want our buyers to be happy don't we?

During the 8 weeks or so that we looked for homes Tim and Jeni would bring up the home that they made an offer on (the home on the very nice street that the offer they placed was not agreed upon) and I heard the regret in their voice.  They absolutely loved the street and the location and even though the home was smaller than they wanted, it had everything that first attracted them to the city.  The home was still available and I asked them "How about we take another look?"  They were both receptive to this, and I was glad.  There was a sparkle in their eyes each time we drove down that street and I knew it tugged at their hearts. 

We went back into that home for another look, with the sellers not present this time through.  (That DOES make a difference in my opinion.)  Tim and Jeni were able to take much more time going through the home, weighing the benefits of the home with not only their overall needs in mind for the present, but future needs.  At one point Timmy stated "I want this driveway, on this street."  Jeni and I both laughed, but we knew what he was saying.  The location mattered to him.  He could envision himself driving down that street and coming home.  He could see himself walking to the playground down the street with his nephews and his children.  The home was smaller than they both had originally envisioned, but it is a lovely home with not many updates needed and one that they could make their own.

*I would be remiss if failed to mention the quality job that the listing agent, Dave Tuscany (broker/owner) of RE/MAX Suburban did throughout this process.  He is one of the agents that I thoroughly enjoy co-oping with as his professionalism is constant.  Thank you Dave, I hope to work with you again soon.

Tim and Jeni wrote another offer on this home, it was counter offered again, but more gently.  It was within the "range" that we all felt was fair.  In March they closed upon the purchase of their first home as husband and wife and have spent their first summer there.

Here is a picture of the playground that is down the street from their new home, one in which Tim and Jeni took their young nephews to "tire them out" while they were spending the weekend with their aunt and uncle.   It didn't work.  Tim and Jeni were exhausted, the adorable nephews still had an abundance of energy.

Because it meant so much to him, I had to post a picture that I took today of Tim in "this driveway on this street."  His basketball net is up, and he's having a grand time.   (Now if I could only get him to throw away the Boston Red Sox hat he would be perfect!)

Once again, I'd like to introduce you to Tim & Jeni Baldwin, the proud owners
of this lovely home in a fabulous location in Mt. Clemens Michigan.  I feel
so blessed to not only have had the privilege of being their partner
throughout the process, but also to now have the honor to call them
friends.   Isn't their home gorgeous??

Tim and Jeni have fallen more in love with their neighborhood and have
decided that if they do outgrow this home, that they will concentrate
the search for the next larger home within the same block if at
all possible.  Until then, they will continue to personalize this home
and enjoy all that this location has to offer them and their family
and friends.

Even though I've thanked Tim and Jeni for allowing me the pleasure
of writing this blog post, I wanted to publicly thank them.  Not many
people would allow their story to be posted with their real names
and photos.  Timmy and Jeni, you are a treasure to me. 

Now, how about those babies for me to spoil???  (I HAD to get that in here!)

A partner for your real estate needs.
Serving Metro Detroit home buyers and sellers.
RE/MAX Advantage 1, Inc.
586-840-1876 (direct line)
http://macombhomes.com
kwales@remax.net
http://activerain.com/blogs/kriswales

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