clarkston mi real estate: Clarkston MI- It's a Lifestyle Choice - 04/29/14 04:26 AM
 Clarkston MI boasts an excellent location with I-75 intersecting the township twice - M-15 and again at Sashabaw. It is the fourth largest township in Oakland County with a population of approximately 32,000 residents. Independence Township can be characterized as a growing residential community. Shopping centers and professional services have sprung up along the main thoroughfares to provide all local conveniences. Listed in the Michigan National Features Inventory are the extant buildings of the old Henry Ford farm used for testing tractors. Independence Oaks County Park, DTE outdoor music theatre, the Pine Knob ski area and an extensive public recreation program … (2 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: Clarkston MI Home Sales - 03/15/14 07:53 AM
Clarkston MI home sales have been in the rise the past few years. If you look at the graphs below, prices pretty much bottomed out in 2009 and were pretty stable in 2010 and 2011 and prices in 2012 and 2013 really started rebounding with the median sales price in 2013 was almost 25% higher than in 2012. 2012 was about 7% higher than 2011.
This is due in part to the lack of inventory and the decrease in distressed sales.
In 2013 distressed sales only made up 24% of the total sales. 59% of the sales in 2009 were either short … (1 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: What is the Job of a Buyers' Agent in Clarkston MI? - 12/29/13 09:04 AM
What is the job of a buyer’s agent in Clarkston MI?
Many Clarkston agents seem to have the idea that the primary job of a buyer’s agent is to get the Clarkston MI seller to come down on his asking price. The more you can get the seller down, the better you’ve done your job. NOT!!
Here in Clarkston MI and surrounding areas there is such a lack of inventory that when you (the buyer) find a house, the objective at this point is to get the house. There’s a good chance you will be in a multiple offer situation. Or if you wait too … (0 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: What is a Site Condo? Clarkston MI Real Estate - 12/29/13 04:06 AM
What is a Clarkston MI Site Condo?
The difference between a site condo and a traditional platted sub are mostly technical. Back in the day, when Clarkston MI was growing like a weed, many developers were going the site condo route to develop their Clarkston MI subdivisions because it was much quicker.
 
A Clarkston MI single family site condo community looks like a traditional, platted sub. Lot sizes, quality of homes and zoning restrictions are the same as with a platted sub. Buyers receive a warranty deed for their own property and are responsible for the maintenance for their own properties and may landscape as … (0 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: It's All About The Price! - 09/22/13 08:58 AM
If you are trying to sell your Clarkston MI home in today’s real estate market you have probably read that it’s all location location location. Or possibly price, location and exposure. That last one is one third correct. It’s all about price.
Crappy location? Location can always be compensated for by price.
Your Realtor took 1 photo and left the remarks section of the MLS listing blank? This too will reflect in the price.
Is the house difficult to show? Price will take care of that.
Does the house show poorly? Not clean or dated or delayed maintenance? This will also … (2 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: Getting Your Clarkston MI Home Ready For Sale - 09/22/13 07:58 AM
Getting Your Clarkston MI Home Ready for Sale
We are not currently in a market where it is worth gutting your kitchen or baths before selling your Clarkston MI house. Those things will make your house easier to sell, but dropping the price by the amount of the cost of a new kitchen or baths would do the same thing and your house will have an easier time appraising. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to better show off your house without spending a fortune.
Unless you live a fairly Spartan lifestyle at home you probably need to de-clutter your … (0 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: Clarkston MI Real Estate- Clarkston Home Sales Are Up - 10/24/12 07:29 AM
Clarkston MI Real Estate- Clarkston Home Sales Are Up
Clarkston MI home sales are up 21%. The median Clarkston home sales price is also up 5%. There has been $16,259,850 more in residential real estate sales so far in 2012 versus the same time frame in 2011 (the first 3 quarters). Listing inventory (Clarkston homes for sale) is very low.
On Oct. 24, 2012 there were only 133 homes for sale in Clarkston MI. With an average of 44 sales per month that is about a 3 month supply of active listings.
Distressed home sales (short sales and foreclosures) are down in Clarkston with distressed sales making up 38% … (0 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: The Appraisal Contingency as a Negotiating Tool - 06/12/12 08:22 AM
There is so much more to writing an offer to purchase a home in Clarkston MI than in days of yore. At one time pretty much price ruled. Strength of buyer was important, but not as much as today. Today there are many more factors to consider in a Clarkston MI real estate transaction- is it a short sale, bank owned or good old fashioned non-distressed homeowner/seller?
You see more Clarkston houses go pending then back on the market (sometimes this will happen multiple times with one house) than I ever remember seeing. Appraisals are coming in low causing the financing … (3 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: What Does BATVI Mean? Clarkston MI Real Estate - 06/01/12 01:57 AM
What Does BATVI Mean? Clarkston MI Real Estate
Simply- Buyer Agent To Verify Information.
This is also known as an ass covering, or in my opinion, a waste of precious space in the limited space allotted in the MLS.
If you are buying a Clarkston MI short sale listing, beware of listings where the listing agent fills out the listing in a shoddy manner, such as wasting space in the comments, not filling out the remarks section at all, inaccurate listing information, etc. Remember, the listing agent is the person we are relying on to complete the short sale to the … (0 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: What If The Clarkston MI House Doesn't Appraise? - 02/13/12 09:23 AM
What If The Clarkston MI House Doesn't Appraise?
A common misconception is that the house must appraise for sale price and if it doesn't then the seller has to come down to make up the difference.
First of all everything is negotiable. When you make an offer on a house you can specify that the house must appraise for the sale price. Or you can specify that the house must appraise for X below sale price.
Why would you negotiate in a lower appraisal amount you ask? There are many reasons.
You may be in a multiple offer situation and this is a … (0 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: Clarkston MI Home Buyer- "Highest" and "Best" Are Not Synonyms - 01/08/12 04:42 AM
Clarkston MI Home Buyer- "Highest" and "Best" Are Not Synonyms
True story:
A friend of mine, who is also a Realtor, wrote an offer on a house for herself. The house is a short sale, and my friend made a fair offer. The listing agent called to tell my friend that there were other offers, and hers wasn't the highest, and did my friend want to increase her offer.
My friend (did I mention she is an EXCELLENT agent) pointed out that her offer was within 10% of asking price, that the comps bore it out, and it still had to … (2 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: Clarkston Michigan Home Buyer- How to Calculate Your New Property Taxes - 01/08/12 03:40 AM
Clarkston Michigan Home Buyer- How to Calculate Your New Property Taxes
Right now in Clarkston Michigan many houses are assessed higher than their true market value. Many home buyers are under the false assumption that they will only be stuck with that tax for the first year. That the new assessment will be half the sale price. This is not correct!
When I show you houses, one of the sheets attached to the listing is the public record report for the house that is available through our MLS. This public record sheet (or PRD) will give the taxable value and the … (0 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: What To Expect On The Listing Appointment - 12/27/11 03:10 PM
When a potential seller makes an appointment to meet with me about selling their Clarkston MI home I am typically asked "how long will this take?" and "are you going to take pictures?"
There are two ways a listing can happen. The 1 step approach or 2 step.
On the 1 step listing, I have comparable sales pulled in advance. When I get to your house I go through the house measuring rooms and taking notes. Then we sit down and discuss how I market a home, my experience, we go over comparable sales and discuss price, discuss your motivations and time lines, … (3 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: Does the Buyer Have a Right to a Home Inspection? Commonly Asked Questions Regarding Clarkston MI Real Estate - 06/23/11 11:05 AM
Does the Buyer Have a Right to a Home Inspection?
No.
You have the right to bear arms, you have the right to free speech and assembly... There is no right to a home inspection in a real estate transaction. There is, however, a legal obligation to live up to the terms of the fully executed purchase agreement (not a lawyer).
The offer to purchase will either be contingent on a home inspection or it won't. If the offer isn't subject to a home inspection, then the seller doesn't have to let the buyer inspect. In fact, the seller shouldn't let … (0 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: Clarkston MI Home Sales- Could Housing Prices REALLY Be Rebounding? - 05/11/11 09:46 AM
Most of my posts about Clarkston MI have been about the Village of Clarkston and Independence Township. To get the stats for this post I used Clarkston school district for my search criteria to not only include the Village of Clarkston and most of Independence Township, but also parts of Springfield Township, Orion Township, White Lake Township and Waterford Township. Springfield Township specifically is too small to compare sales data; there just simply isn't enough population to generate a sales volume worth examining by itself.
As you will see from the various charts below, prices in the Clarkston school district have been trending upward for well … (2 comments)

clarkston mi real estate: Clarkston, MI market conditions and sales update through the first quarter of 2008 - 04/06/08 03:57 PM
This is an excellent time to buy in Clarkston, MI and Independence Township. The hugely large and fast appreciation of the 90's had to come to an end sometime. Prices have dropped over the past few years, but like the good times, this deflation in prices will be coming to an end, too. Since real estate is cyclical (feel a bit like the 80's except without the double digit interest rates?) the escalation of home prices will start to rise again. Making today's home purchase a great investment if you're willing to stay put until the good times come back.
Real estate … (2 comments)