What Is A Home Warranty And Who Pays For It? I was going over an offer to purchase with one of my sellers recently and one of the things the buyer was asking for was for the seller to supply a 1 year home warranty. The seller asked if this meant she was responsible for any repairs in the house for the next year. And her question is quite common; I'd say 7 out of 10 sellers ask that same question. So to the first part of the question- What is a home warranty? Basically a home warranty is an insurance policy that covers the house for 1 plus year after closing. Policies vary in costs; the one our office endorses starts at $375 for a 1 year policy with a $100 deductible. They tend to cover things such as heating systems, water heater, appliances, well pump, plumbing and such. Now this doesn... 05/21/2011

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 over a year.  As you can see from the chart immediately below, except for a weak Jan this year, the 2011 brown line is above both the 2010... 05/11/2011

1st Quarter snapshot of Clarkston MI Real Estate sales 05/10/2011

Clarkston MI- 2010 Sales Were UP!! Units, Sales Price and Volume! Foreclosures Down! Great News! Unit sales were up! Average Sales Price was up! Median Sales Price was up! Unit sales were up 15.6% in 2010 from 2009. Average sales price in 2010 was up 6.4% from 2009 and the median sales price in 2010 was up 7.4% from 2009. Total sales volume in 2010 was up over $16.5 million from 2009 and up over $5.7 million from 2008. Bank owned sales made up 36% of the total sales in 2010; bank owned sales made up 45% of the total sales in 2009. Though foreclosure sales were down, short sales were up constituting 22.5% of the total sales in 2010 but only 14.7% of the total sales in 2009. Inventory is down. On 3-3-2011 there were 161 active listings in Independence Township/Clarkston. On 3-4-2010 there... 03/03/2011

Deer Lake, Clarkston Michigan, Lakefront Real Estate Sales Deer Lake is 137 acre all sports lake in Independence Township (Clarkston MI) just minutes from I-75 and downtown Clarkston. Deer Lake Beach is located at 350 White Lake Road and is open to residents of Independence Township from Memorial Day to Labor Day (weather permitting). A fee is charged for use of the beach and for the boat launching facilities. Swimming lessons are available throughout the summer. Park rules are posted at the entrance. Lakefront housing on Deer Lake sells for a premium. "Back in the day" lakefront houses on Deer Lake would sell for over a million dollars easily. Even last year when half the sales were distressed sales, the highest priced sale in Independence Township was on Deer Lake and closed for just ... 02/24/2011

How Not to Buy a House If you read my blog on even a semi regular basis, you know there is a major lack of housing inventory in North Oakland County and Lapeer County Michigan- specifically, Lake Orion, Oxford, Clarkston, Brandon/Ortonville, Lapeer, Metamora and Hadley areas. Prices were up last year but so were unit sales and with inventory as low as it is right now (about a 3-5 month supply depending on the specific area) it is not unusual to make an offer on a house and be in a multiple offer situation. In fact, if a home is properly priced, there is an excellent chance there will be multiple offers on it immediately. Especially if that properly priced home has the added attraction of being a normal (non distressed) sale. A listing that doesn't come with all the headaches that can co... 02/24/2011

Lake Oakland Lakefront Real Estate Sales Lake Oakland is a 235 acre all sports lake in Waterford and Independence Townships in North Oakland County Michigan. The lake is located north of Walton Blvd and between Sashabaw and Clintonville Roads. Lake Oakland is about 65 feet at its deepest and is connected via canal to Woodhull Lake. There is a public access at the end of Dill Rd.  Lake Oakland,has always been a desirable lake to live on. In 2004 the lowest price house sold through the MLS was $282,150. In 2005 prices ranged from $250,000 - $1,275,000. In 2009 prices ranged from $50,000 - $655,000.There were 14 sales in 2010- 6 bank owned, 3 short sales and 5 regular sales. 2 of the 5 regular sales were houses that had sold earlier in the year as foreclosure listings then fixed up and re-... 02/02/2011

Independence Oaks County Park, Clarkston MI Offers Something for Everybody Year 'Round The last couple summers I took my continuing education (6 hours/year for license renewal) at Independence Oaks County Park with another real estate office. There is no better way to learn dry legal updates than in the middle of 1100 acres overlooking a lake. Independence Oaks County Park is located at 9501 Sashabaw Rd, Clarkston MI about 2 /12 miles north of I-75 exit 89. Independence Oaks consists of 1088 acres with 68 acre Crooked Lake, about 10 miles of marked nature and ski trails, overnight camping area, boat launch (non motorized boats) and boat rental. Picnic areas, ball field, sand volleyball courts, playground. horseshoe pits... For the bird lover Independence Oaks boasts an extensive bluebir... 01/15/2011

Is This a Trend? Clarkston Michigan Sales are Up AGAIN! Let's hope it is. The past couple days I wrote similar posts for Lake Orion and Oxford. And today I'm happy to write that sales are up, AGAIN, in Clarkston Michigan. The median sales price was up for the first half of the year, up through the end of August, and up for the past 4 months in a row. Unit sales are also up and total sales volume for Clarkston Michigan homes is also up from last year. In fact- unit sales through August 2010 are up from 2009, 2008 and 2007. Even though unit sales are up, bank owned sales are down from 2009- 95 bank owned sales though August 2010. 101 bank owned sales through August 2009. Median Sales Price:2010: $157,4502009: $142,000 Units Sold:2010: 2682009: 209 Total Sales Volume:2010: $48,227,4802009:... 09/29/2010

08/29/2010

First Time Home Buyer sales has slowed in Clarkston, MI since the expiration of the Tax Credit. Supply and Demand tells all. Absorption Rate Graph are posted for monthly comparison.   August, 2010  June, 2010    April 2010 08/29/2010

HAT TRICK! Clarkston Michigan Sales Are Up- Units, Sale Price and Sales Volume! When we rounded the first quarter of the year, things weren't looking too good for Clarkston Michigan home owners and sellers. Clarkston unit sales were up, but sale prices were down- again. By the time we hit the half way point, things were looking up. And now that we are almost 2 full months past the half way point I can maybe stop holding my breath. Maybe it wasn't a couple of fluke months and sales would adjust down again. (Adjust is a nice way to say nose dive) As of today opposed to the same time period last year: 2009- 205 closed sales2010- 260 closed sales 2009- median sale price $140,9002010- median sale price $155,950 2009- $36,503,870 in total sales volume2010- $46,762,580 in total sales volume So... 08/29/2010

The Average Days on the Market for homes in Oakhurst Golf and Country Club to sell in 2010 is 94 Days.  MLS#: 210062970  5000 ROCKAWAY LN - INDEPENDENCE TWP MI 5000 ROCKAWAY   PublicRemarks: Custom built home in Prestigious Oakhurst Golf Community. Spectacular view of Pond and Golf course. Quality ceramic Foyer, Hardwood floors in DR & Kitchen, granite tops. 1st floor MBR with 2-sided FP thru to Library. Vaulted GR with 2nd FP. Fin Walk-out has Family Rm, Rec area, full ceramic Bath with Granite top, and 5th BR. LL needs only flooring. Plumbed for Central Vac but system not installed. Some touches needed, priced accordingly. Front View Welcome Side Back View Back of Home Pond View Foyer Library Great Room Bright - MLS#: 210062970  5000 ROCKAWAY LN - INDEPENDENCE TWP MI Large Windows Fo... 07/24/2010

CLICK TO VIEW LISTING WEBSITE Description and Features Handyman Services Clarkston: HandyPro Handyman Services will send a professional painting contractor to do the job perfectly. Proper preparation is important before applying a fresh coat of paint; an unprepared surface will result in an unsatisfactory finished project. Links http://www.handypro.com/michigan_oakland.htmlListing Website 07/16/2010

June 15, 2010Recent Sold ReportSnapshot of homes that have sold in Clarkston since March, 2010                             5945 S. Main Street                                                     5364 Drayton Road          List Price:  $69,900                                                     List Price:   $65,000      Sold Price  $55,000                                                     Sold Price   $65,000      Close Date  5/12/10                                                   Close Date   3/10/10                                  6665 Laurelton                                                        6110 S. Main Street          List Price   $85,000                                                   List Price   $119,000          Sale Price  $77,600                                 ... 07/12/2010

However.........Improved could mean past tense and "The Pearson Group" is in high hopes that this is a very temporary trend that we have just identified.   The Latest News Blasts that Pending Home Sales Fall off the Cliff June and April Supply and Demand Studies have been posted for comparison.  There was a significant decrease in the inventory and  increased demand that we contributed to the recent tax incentives to buyers.   June - 2010  April - 2010 We reviewed the pending sales since May 15th and have included below the average number of homes sold (closed) per month for the past 90 days verses the number of homes that went pending (offer accepted but not closed) within the past thirty days. The results are included below: Some of the 90 day numbers, in the chart above, likely refle... 07/12/2010

I am a sucker for useless information, and the Forbes "Where Americans Are Moving" map is like a drug for me. I have been disecting some of my markets for the last 24 hours and here is what I have found: Who is Moving to Oakland County Michigan We all know people are leaving Flint Michigan, but where are they going? Who is moving to Maui. Great stuff, please check out the blogs, then check our your town! 06/24/2010

How to Get Sellers to Call You and Offer you Their Home for a Rent-to-Own Now that we’ve discussed ways to find rent-to-own homes, what would you say to having rent-to-own sellers call you and offer you their home? That’s right. You can just sit by the phone and wait for sellers to call you and tell you about their rent-to-own home. Many of these sellers will not have their homes listed with a real estate agent, so if you are working with an agent, this may not be for you. The advantage of having the seller call you is that you already know he is willing to consider rent-to-own. You just need to figure out if his home and terms will work for you. “Alright Wendy! So how do I do this?” Posting ads is a way to get sellers to come to you. Posting Ads The first way is by posting ads about yo... 03/26/2010

The Real Estate market in Clarkston has shown signs of improvement in certain price brackets. Like most area communities the market has greatly improved in the lower price range. Although these price brackets have also declined at record breaking percentages, at least the inventories in these price ranges have leveled off to the point we are now experiencing a seller's market in some price brackets. View the Absorption Rate Graphs below to identify how the supply and demand impacts the market conditions. 6 Months Supply of Inventory =  Balanced MarketMore than 6 Months Supply  =  Buyer's MarketLess than 6 Months Supply  =   Seller's Market $75,000 - $750,000                                                                                                       Graph 1 of 2  $200,000 - $75... 07/22/2009

Bedrooms (#): 5 bedrooms Bathrooms (#): 3 bathrooms Size (sqft): 3500   Owner willing to Lease Option /Rent to Own •5 bedroom 3 bath 3500 sq.ft. home •Full basement and large 2 car garage •All new appliances (newer) •All new windows and front double doors. •All new paint inside and out. •New driveway, brick pavers and landscape. •New furnace, Air conditioner, remote gas fireplace and water softener. •All new carpet and vinyl floors throughout . •New kitchen cabinets and granite counters. •All three bathrooms completely refinished. •One full acre surrounded with mature trees and  ten acres of protected nature sanctuary. •Help with financing/closing costs. •Award winning Clarkston schools. •Great location! Close to I75 access, M15, Village of Clarkston.  $1600./Month  Lease Option/ Rent ... 06/03/2009