Realtor, Author & Neighbor: Battle Creek, Michigan

The real value of homeownership is sometimes lost in all the media these days. The truth is that homeownership isn’t for everyone. However, for those ready to take on the responsibility, the desire to purchase a house goes much deeper than a dollars-and-cents analysis. Understandably, job securit...

The economy may be facing some challenges, but that didn't stop many buyers from investing in vacation properties last year. NAR's 2010 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey shows vacation home sales rose 7.9 percent to 553,000 in 2009, compared to 513,000 in 2008. Ninety percent of survey r...

While the winter months are often considered perfect for spending time with loved ones, they could also be an excellent time to buy a home. You can get yourself a home for the holidays. There is a general perception that real estate activity typically slows down a bit during colder months. Many p...

According to poll results from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, the principal barrier to homeownership is accumulating the money needed for a down payment and closing costs. Of the more than 2,000 poll respondents, only 12 percent said they'd have no problem coming up with a 20 perc...

There are tax benefits to owning your home, and these should be considered by buyers as an incentive to buy a home before the end of the year.  One of the tax benefits many homeowners enjoy is the mortgage interest deduction (MID).   This tax deductibility of interest paid on mortgages has been a...

Despite attacks by national media pundits and critics in recent months on the value of home ownership and whether it's still the American Dream, the idea of home and the goal of homeownership continues to resonate with a majority of people from all walks of life. For proof, look no further than t...

A qualified buyer in winter is generally a very serious buyer.  If you live in Michigan, and are considering placing your home on the market, do not buy into the old saw that you should wait until spring to place your home on the market.  Too many sellers hold off for this, thinking that there ar...

If you ever happen to drive through Richland, a village in Kalamazoo County in Michigan, you will find that it is an interesting community. Buying a home in Richland, Michigan with its population of less than 600 residents, according to the 2000 census, does not offer as wide a selection of prope...

Let's talk turkey for a minute, shall we?  Being that this is the season for turkey dinners across the USA, I thought I would engage in some turkey talk for this blog post.  Just outside Battle Creek, Michigan, North of Marshall we have the locally owned and operated ‘Cornwell's Turkeyville Farm ...

If you are considering buying a home in Olivet, Michigan, you probably are aware that this is a college town.  Olivet College, founded in 1859, in Eaton County is located 30 miles south of Lansing and 125 miles west of Detroit. It sits on a rolling hilltop shaded by huge maple and oak trees in th...