Thanks Marty for your effort on the 911 center

For those of you that don't know Marty Colburn, he is the city manager of Mason. I would like to give him kudos for his effort on trying get the 911 emergency center next to all of the other county services in Mason. Despite common sense of keeping all the county emergency services together, the is being moved to South Lansing. Marty put a lot of effort into this even though the deck was stacked against him before he started. I hope people in Mason who see Marty thank him for the effort. He still won by showing other governing bodies in the area that his city is organized has a vision for their part of the region.

New Website and video

I am excited that lansingrealestate.com has just received a facelift. MC Squared is making some great changes to make the web page more interactive and exciting. I have enclosed a link to the video we have produced on Lakeside. It is the first one of this kind we have done. Please email me or leave a comment about what you think. If there is something we can do better on the website please let me know, I am building it for you. On a personal note I have just joined Linked in, Facebook, and activerain. I am learning how to build my profiles now and it is fun to see so many people I work with and have known over the years getting in contact. I will attach my profile links as I get them built. I look forward to hearing from you.

Parade of Homes provides less homes than years past but doesn't disapoint

I am one of the lucky people that get to inspect homes in the Parade before it opens to the public. Even though there is just shy of 35 projects this year, the ones in won't disappoint. I viewed the homes in Okemos, Haslett, and Williamston this weekend. A couple of the models had been in the Parade before. They were still very nice and some of the decor inside had been changed up. Mayberry's home in Okemos is beautiful and I really enjoyed the counter tops in the kitchen. The cost is still $10 per person or $25 per family. Even Committee members and Home Builder Association Staff pay the fee to enter. Remember, the money helps benefit local charities.
Cindy at the home builders association stated that traffic was steady throughout the weekend, and was similar to last year at this time. "We are excited to see the housing market turning around and there are great opportunities still available for buyers. Be sure to stop by one of the Parade homes to pick up your ticket to see these great projects and support our local charities."
The market does seem to have made a turn, three of the homes I inspected all sold prior to the Parade this year. All of these were over $300,000. If you haven't been to the Parade before, it is worth the time to go around and see what local builders are creating in your town. If you have been in the past, just because there are less homes, don't let that stop you from going this year.
Here is a link to preview some of the Parade homes. http://www.obeo.com/Public/Search/AgentSearchResults.aspx?agent=119692&resultsonly=true&rpp=100 . Take a look and see where you want to start.

Quick Review of Home Buyer Tax Credit

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is passed and signed into law, so what does it mean to you as a homebuyer? I am getting a lot of questions about the first time homebuyer tax credit of $8000, the main two being “Who qualifies? And “How does this credit work?” The first time homebuyer tax credit is available to everyone who has not had ownership of a home in the last 3 years. If you’re married that goes for your spouse as well. Even if you had owned a home years ago you still qualify. The income limits are $75,000 for a single person and $150,000 for a married couple. Unlike the $7,500 interest free loan last year, this is a straightforward credit. It works like this.
For every $10,000 of purchase price, you receive a $1,000 credit against your income tax. This is capped at $8,000. One you go above $80,000 for a purchase price the full credit is available. Since this is a credit it means you get the full amount of money you qualify for. You can receive the money in two ways, one change the withholdings on your taxes and get more money in your paycheck, or get a check back with your tax refund if you there is any money left after paying your taxes.
This is a great opportunity for those of you who are thinking of buying a house in the next year. I am putting the links to great sites that explain more about this program. I am also putting the application here for you to download. Before you purchase a home and go after the credit, talk with your tax advisor, real estate professional, and lender to make sure you get full advantage of this great program. If you have any questions please feel free to email or call me.

First Day at Homeshow Huge Success

Day one of the home show is drawing to a close. The doors are open just ten more minutes and all the vendors I talked to were excited about the amount of people out looking around. MC Squared Technology group and myself shot a short video about the show and posted it to www.lifeinlansing.com. You can view it on the front page. A new twist for the show this year is educational seminars. So far they have had full audiences. The topics tomorrow include; how to build a pole barn, financing options, "green" flooring, outdoor living spaces, and a remodeling seminar. I look forward to seeing you here.

Home Show Ready to Shine

The Booths are almost built, the carpet is getting put down, and ticket sales are about to begin. All that is missing is....YOU! Tomorrow the doors open on the annual Greater Lansing Home Builders & Remodelers Spring Home and Garden Show. You won't be disapointed this year. The hours are posted on the website, and stop by BOOTH 142 to visit us and write your own review of the show. See you there.

Greater Lansing Home Builders and Remodeler's Show

Just wanted to leave a quick note to join us in booth 162 at the Home builders Spring Home Show. It is located at the Summitt on the west side of Lansing. Follow the link HERE for directions and times. I bringing my laptop and will have our new website set up and you will be able to write a review of the show right our booth. There will be many other exciting opportunities to see showcasing what builders and remodelers are doing in our region. I look forward to seeing you there!