I attended a meeting regarding the soon to be expiring rental property ordinance last evening here in Battle Creek.  There was much talk about this ordinance, and without getting into the details of the ordinance or its purpose, l feel it is important that one first take a few steps back and examine the condition as a whole, and look at the larger picture on the road to municiple prosperity in Battle Creek.  On a national level, we have several issues creating a major shift in our economy.  We have a landslide of foreclosures in the past 5 years across the country.  On top of that we have a whole generation of people that put their retirement future in the hands of Wall Street, and they are now stymied and reeling with an uncertain future.  The huge numbers of foreclosures has resulted ... 10/27/2010

This time in our history may have many historians citing the collapse of the mortgage industry, the flood of foreclosures, the excessive government spending as the important sign of the times.  However, this time will truthfully be remembered by the wise as the golden time for real estate investors.  Carpe' Diem should be their battle cry in this day, as we are living in the age of investors.  Taking the opportunity to acquire low cost rental property right now has never been better.  I can tell you that in Battle Creek, we are sitting on a gold mine.  However, the clock is ticking, and day by day the quantity of deals is tightening up and in certain areas of high demand we are seeing again an increase in values.  More often than not when I am working with an investor on bidding on a pr... 10/25/2010

Are you dreaming of a home of your own?  Has it ever occurred to you that you too could achieve the goal of home ownership?  Many new prospective buyers first start as dreamers, and some reach out and become home owners eventually.  However, the mystery surrounding ‘How to become a homeowner' is somewhat clouded if one listens to the media as the merchants of bad news.  Homeownership need not be a dream based on whim.  Are you dreaming of a home of your own?  Did you know that there is a road you can take to become a homeowner?  The first step on that road is contacting a local Realtor and expressing to them that you want this dream to become a reality.  Will there be obstacles between you and your goal?  Everyone can expect some obstacles, whether large or small.  However, your persona... 10/22/2010

Battle Creek residential investment properties are in high demand from investors in recent years because of the rise in foreclosures from two aspects.  The foreclosure increase has created great deals, as banks and mortgage companies offload unwanted Real Estate Owned (REO) property from their ledgers.  The other reason is with the increase in people who are suddenly not homeowners, they have to go somewhere, and thus one has a perfect storm that favors the investment market.  Additionally one has the increase in government subsidized housing being funded to States in the form of the Section 8 program, which was a program to take away the stigma of government housing projects by moving these occupants into residential neighborhoods.  Battle Creek residential investment properties thus h... 10/21/2010

When you first see black squirrels of the Northern Midwest, they actually look kind of unusual and seem like some sort of alien creature if you have always been accustomed to seeing grey and red squirrels.  I frankly had never seen or heard of the black squirrels of the Northern Midwest before I moved to Battle Creek over 10 years ago. If you live in Maryland, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin you have probably seen them.  There are even pockets of them in New Jersey and Connecticut. The species apparently survives best in dense forests, where its black color offers it more protection, and the grey ones are said to have increased in population as the forests have been thinned by man.  There are many legends about the black squirrels of the Northern Midwest.  One of which c... 10/19/2010

The subject of flood insurance on homes in the Battle Creek area is often not given as much thought as in perhaps some areas of the State, however, flood zones are in the area.  How flood insurance on homes is determined is by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps.  Flood zones are ranked by severity for any given area of the U.S.  Zones in a ‘High Risk' are given the classification of zone ‘A' and the ‘Moderate Risk' to ‘Low Risk' areas are classified as zone ‘B' and ‘C'.  Zone A-C designation will require flood insurance, just different levels of coverage because of the variance of risk involved with each.  The various zones are depicted on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or Flood Hazard Boundary Map.   Each zone reflects the severity or type of flooding in... 10/19/2010

Llama farms in Michigan provide a spectacle of interesting lawn ornaments when you drive by them without knowing the place is there. The 'lawn ornaments' are of course, the llamas themselves! Why would someone raise llamas, you might ask?  The truth known to most owners of llamas is that they are interesting animals with individual personalities and a joy to have around. They also provide a source of wonderful fiber which has a variety of uses. For those interested in seeing competition llama shows, I would recommend they look for the sanctioned shows hosted by ALSA (Alpaca and Llama Show Association) which are available in many locations all over the United States.  I had early interaction with llama farm owners when I was in Georgia many years ago, and I designed some T-Shirts for som... 10/18/2010

Selling a home in Battle Creek takes a Realtor that knows the market place, and one that can makes sure the seller prices the home correctly.  The first two weeks of being on the market are the most vital in determining whether a home is priced correctly.  Far too many homeowners when selling a home in Battle Creek are not fully aware of present market conditions, and often insist on pricing their home out of market range.  When selling a home in Battle Creek I cannot emphasize the importance of price enough.  I have provided a graph here of current information on homes that have sold over $100,000 each month in the last year, and it includes their average listing versus selling price per month in Battle Creek.  So one can clearly see that when selling a home in Battle Creek at this tim... 10/17/2010

            Autumn in Battle Creek, Michigan is perhaps the most beautiful and spectacular time of the year with the many changes in colors.  The many variety hues of gold, red and yellow sparkle from horizon to horizon with splendor for all to enjoy.  Reminders that winter is around the corner is always there.              However, when autumn in Battle Creek, Michigan, one cannot help but admire the sheer elegance and beauty of Mother Nature, as she paints the landscape with rainbows of color.  Robert Frost once wrote: "Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay."             Each time autumn in Battle Creek arrives; I remember ... 10/16/2010

Michael Delaware wins Realtor of the Year 2010 for the Battle Creek Area Association of Realtors.  Yes, this is Michael Delaware writing this blog post, and yes I am tooting my own horn on this.  However, I long since realized that if I do not toot my own horn, it is not likely that anyone else will toot it for me. The photo on the left here is me receiving the award from the 2008 winner, Mark Brown. Today I was recognized for my achievements in the field of Real Estate in my area by my colleagues in the Battle Creek Area Association of Realtors, and I honored.  I have been in sales of one form or another, my whole life.  This is the biggest award that I have received as a professional in my entire career.  When the announcement was made ‘Michael Delaware wins Realtor of the Year 2010' ... 10/13/2010

When one is considering getting started as an investor in rental property in Battle Creek, it is usually good advice to do some research.  When I was getting started as an investor in rental property in Battle Creek, I called and asked questions of the Rental Property Owners Association (RPOA).  I inquired about where the demand was for rental houses.  In other words, I asked ‘What areas of town to you get the most requests for rental homes?'  It seemed like a great question to get answered before getting started as an investor in rental property in Battle Creek.  I wanted to start with buying in those areas, to make sure I was investing where there was demand.  At the time, the information I received was that in the Battle Creek area, the demand for rental homes seemed to occur most of... 10/12/2010

If you are considering buying a foreclosure home in Battle Creek, there are some key things you should know.  There are many foreclosure homes in Battle Creek, and there are some that are great deals, and others that are not.  The banks or Mortgage companies that are selling these homes through a local Realtor are often selling many, many homes in the area.  Likewise, the Realtor that is listing the home for sale often has several homes that are foreclosure homes in Battle Creek and the surrounding area.  As a buyer, it is an important thing to realize that when you approach a listing agent that has a foreclosure home, and you ask to see it, he is not working for you.  He is working for the seller which in this case is the bank.  His or her job is to sell the home, not to represent you ... 10/11/2010

Michael Delaware, Realtor is my new business page on Facebook.  I recently attended a class held at the Michigan Association of Realtors annual convention and expo that covered starting a business page on Facebook.  My new page can be found at: Facebook.com/MichaelDelawareRealtor. ‘Michael Delaware Realtor' allows me another dimension in social networking and enables me to reach more local clients who know me through Facebook.  I can separate my personal FB page from my business page, where it is okay to post things about Real Estate, trends, recent blog entries, listings, etc.  I like this.  I have learned a lot of taking continuing education and webinars through Active Rain and other organizations.  This new ‘Michael Delaware Realtor' page is a result of those classes.  In 2011 I will... 10/10/2010

Recently I just sold a house to a young couple, and while we were waiting in the waiting room of the title company for the seller to sign their side of the transaction, they mentioned to me that when they started looking, they never realized it would be so easy to accomplish buying a house in the Battle Creek area.  For them, buying a house in the Battle Creek area was something they had always dreamed of, but never realized it could be something they could do.  They wrote their rent checks each month, and saw their money going to ‘bought time' but never any kind of an investment.  When they finally looked into buying a house in the Battle Creek area, they contacted me through my website at: www.michaeldelaware.com and after reading a few articles, filled out a form on my website which ... 10/08/2010

Rural Development loans in Calhoun County Michigan is one of the most popular first time home buyer loan programs going.  The advantages of the loan for a first time home buyer is that it offer 100% Loan to Value (LTV) based on the appraised value.  What this means is that if you work with a Realtor that knows the area, and you find a house that is priced correctly based on the area, so it appraises accordingly, your loan will finance at 100% of the purchase price.  Rural Development loans in Calhoun County Michigan has the restriction that requires the home to be in a location defined as rural by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) official maps.  In Calhoun County, the only non-qualified area is in Battle Creek.  I have included two of the maps here, one which shows a close up vie... 10/05/2010

This is the third and final part of my series about ‘Land Contracts in Michigan'.  It is called ‘Land Contracts in Michigan: Avoiding Fraud'.  Before I could complete the subject of Land Contracts in Michigan, I feel it is necessary to relay an account of some experiences I have come across with land contracts, and how some people got taken in and in trouble.  In 2006 and 2007 I worked with three ladies that were in deep financial trouble and were taken in by an unscrupulous ‘business man' who was actually engaging in fraud.  When the whole scheme was discovered, my broker and I reported him to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These trusting ladies had been taken in by this ‘Investor/Property Manager/ Business man' who convinced them to buy houses with mortgages, and have the mortga... 10/04/2010

This is the second part in my three part series on Land Contracts in Michigan.  This one is entitled: Land Contracts in Michigan: What each side should expect.  When working with a Land contract in Michigan, it is important for both sides of the transaction to know some key information to help them avoid future trouble with title and ownership.  Although there are many points to this buying and selling process with Land Contracts in Michigan, that an experienced Realtor can help you with, it would be wise to examine a few things when approaching such a transaction.  So here is a list for both the buyer and seller of a potential Land Contracts in Michigan, and what each side should expect, and look for to protect their interests.  Buyers: 1) You should save some money, and realize that y... 10/04/2010

This is the first in my series of three articles on Land Contracts in Michigan.  This one is entitled: Land Contracts in Michigan: An Outline.  As any Realtor will attest that in my city of Battle Creek, we frequently get asked the question at least once a week "Do you have any homes for sale offering a Land Contract?" I thought it might be helpful to provide some information to prospective buyers on Land Contracts in Michigan.  First of all, what is a Land Contract?  A Land Contract in Michigan in simple terms is a form of financing from the seller of the property where the seller is willing, accepts a down payment, monthly payments and interest over a given period of time, and usually with a balloon at some point.  A ‘balloon' occurs after a specified period of time, where the final b... 10/04/2010

In the past week I have closed three homes in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.  In the past several years I have helped hundreds of home buyers with home buying in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.  So I might be of some interest to prospective buyers to know a few of the important things to consider in home buying in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.  For example, both Calhoun County and Kalamazoo County do not mandate a well and septic test for transfer of ownership of property, but your loan program, if you are borrowing funds, may require it.  FHA does not require a well and septic inspection when buying an occupied home, but they will require a septic inspection when buying a vacant home.  USDA Rural Development loans require a well and septic inspection on all loans.  Not all homes are on well and... 10/03/2010

A frequent question I often get asked by prospective home buyers is ‘How do I get my credit report?'  I decided that I would put some information together on ways to get your credit report.  There are actually several ways to get your credit report, and most all of them are free.  Usually someone takes an interest in getting their credit report after they have been denied credit.  What some people do not know is that when you receive that letter in the mail denying you credit, you are entitled to by law to be able to get a copy of your credit report from the company denying you credit.  Merely follow the instructions they provide on the denial letter and write them back a letter requesting the credit report they used to deny you credit, and they will send it to you. There are three cred... 09/28/2010