Let’s chat about Macomb County MI

Last year around this time I wrote the following article and published it at my other blogsite. As I was thinking about the real estate market this morning the article came to mind once again. The advice directed towards home sellers in Macomb County hold even more true today.

What do you mean by “I have to sell my asking price 3 times?“

Mr. or Ms. Seller: Yes, you do have to sell the asking price for your home 3 times or you run the risk of the below scenario happening to you, especially in Macomb County Michigan.

1) You have to sell your price to attract a buyers agent. If you overprice the home I can guarantee that an agent working on behalf of the buyer will put it to the bottom of the list of homes to show their client.

Buyers agents in Macomb County have more homes available to
them and their clients to view than we’ve had in recent years. The agents in Michigan are typically weeding through close to 100 homes in some instances that meet their clients criteria.

If you overprice your home from the start the agents will not consider your home for their clients. It is that simple. Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that your home will be shown if it is overpriced, and that buyers and their agents can read your mind about “Just bring me an offer - I’m negotiable.” Even if you ask your agent to note that in his/her remarks the likelihood of a buyers agent seeing that is next to nothing. We won’t even get that far because we won’t be pulling up your full listing information if it is priced too high to begin with.

2) You have to sell your price to the buyer. Buyers are savvy and educated. The typical buyer has already done their homework prior to engaging a real estate agent on their own behalf. They know the real estate market and the general values of homes in the neighborhoods they are interested in. They don’t want to become involved with an overpriced home and lengthy negotiations with a seller.

Why not? Because the home down the street is going to be very similar and priced well. They don’t have to consider your home. One more thing to consider: A buyer does not want to insult you with what you may think is a low offer. Most buyers I work with will ask me “Will this insult the seller?” Buyers aren’t your enemy - They want to work with you. They also don’t want to be dragged into a potential “left with bad feelings” transaction.

3) You have to sell your price to an appraiser. Let’s say you do receive an offer on your overpriced home. The next step in the purchase process is for your buyer and their mortgage representative to start working their way through that obtaining the loan. An appraiser will be hired by the mortgage lender. He or she will study comparable sales for your home, neighborhood, square footage, recently sold prices, etc. When the appraiser realizes that your home is overpriced the purchase agreement that you thought you had on your home will almost certainly be “dead”.

Why? The lender of the loan will not loan money to a buyer on a home that is not worth the asked for amount by that buyer. Unless the buyer is willing to come up with the cash to make up the difference between the appraised amount and your agreed upon purchase amount you will now have your home back on the market. The $30,000 you put into your basement? It isn’t worth $30,000 to the appraisor nor the mortgage lender no matter how much you wish it to be true.

When the real estate agent or broker you hire advises you on the real estate market and the changing home values please listen. Please ask questions. Please understand that agents and brokers in Macomb County are giving you the advice for a reason. We’ve seen the dangers of overpricing homes first hand and on a daily basis. We want to work with you and for you.

Price your home to sell 3 times: To a buyers agent, to the buyer, and to the appraiser.

If you would like advice on the market value of your home please don’t hesitate to contact me either via email or phone. I would be happy to discuss with you your home and needs in a non-pressured atmosphere.

© Kris Wales RE/MAX Advantage 1, Inc. A Macomb County real estate agent.

This past Friday I made a short trip with my niece Leighann to an area just north of Grand Rapids MI to attend our first ever minor league baseball game.

The Whitecaps are a Detroit Tigers affiliate team and for years I’ve heard about the beautiful family friendly ballpark in Comstock Park and how much it means to the local community.

Several years ago there was talk about a minor league baseball park being built in Mt. Clemens and I have to tell you, I read all the stories that came out through that decision making process with more than just a bit of interest.

After 3 years of studies it was finally determined that bringing a minor league ballpark and baseball team into the heart of Macomb County wasn’t feasible. The “where to be built?” and the “who is going to pay for it?” types of questions couldn’t be answered nor worked out to everyones satisfaction and the hopes of a ballpark for families to enjoy fell through.

Friday night I was once again reminded of how much fun it would have been for the community to have had such a ballpark in our area and that it could have been a great success for the whole area.

Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park is a beautiful park that is geared towards family fun. Everything they do during the prior to the games and during the games in between innings revolved around children.

A couple of touching scenes:

Children sang the Star Spangled Banner.

During player introductions the players ran out on the field with children as buddies to their positions. The children stayed their during the Star Spangled Banner with their player-buddies.

At the end of each inning children were involved with games and raffles.

“Happy Birthday” was sung on the field just prior to the game with the children celebrating their birthdays center stage.

I remarked many times during the game to my niece that I wish there had been such a ballpark in our county when they were children. What fun times we all could have had during the spring and summer months so close to home!

The whole atmosphere was family friendly and priced to keep the family budget in mind: Parking was $4. The highest priced ticket was $10. There are 2 lawn areas along the left and right field lines that are economically priced.

In the movie the “Field of Dreams” there is a quote: If you build it, they will come.

Perhaps when the economy picks up in Macomb County the dreams of hosting a minor league ballpark & team will be realized. I fully believe that if it is built, people will come and enjoy.

The city of St. Clair Shores will once
again be bustling with people this weekend for the annual Nautical Mile Boat Show.

The Nautical Mile is perched along Jefferson and runs from 9 Mile road to 10 Mile road. Along this section of road there are several boat dealerships and marinas and many fine restaurants.

The businesses along this stretch go all out to make sure that you and your family enjoy your time spent during this show. There is plenty of parking in any of the marinas and restaurant parking lots.

If you spot me out and about there tomorrow please say hello. My husband and I will be walking the “Mile” and popping in at a couple of dealerships to ooh and ahh over the sailboats.

One of our favorite restaurants along this stretch is Fishbones Rhythm Cafe located on the southeast corner of 9 Mile and Jefferson. For those of you who haven’t yet tried Fishbones it is a wonderful mix of American and Creole cuisine. (Try the crabcakes, they are wonderful!)

We’ll probably also drive by 2 of the homes that are on the market right now in this section of St. Clair Shores. Both of the homes are waterfront - one on the lake and one on a canal. Or better yet, perhaps we’ll get the much needed exercise and walk over to view them.

Enjoy your weekend!

Traveling around the other day I ventured to one of my favorite spots in Macomb County:  North River Road in Harrison Township.

I love the views along that stretch of road leading to the lake and looking at all the riverfront homes.  This time of year it’s especially nice as the sun was shining and the marinas were gearing up to put boats in the water and hopefully sell some new ones.

Right outside of the back/golf gate of Selfridge I pulled over and took these pictures of Markley Marine and the sailboats waiting to be launched.  With the snow gone and the sun shining it was a beautiful sight.

Seeing all those masts just ready for the sails to be swaying in the wind
really put me in the mood for summer.

If you are near Selfridge and stop in at Markley Marine please tell Chuck Dennis I said hello.  He was too camera shy to have his photo taken alongside his sign.   What a friendly man!