Ann Arbor Undressed : September 2011

Ann Arbor ="25 miles surrounded by reality".....and a blog about it. ActiveRain.com

Take The Garbage Out !!!

Email TRASH"Take the garbage out #5&**!!

I suppose there isn't a parent anywhere that hasn't yelled at their kids to take the garbage out.

I don't do garbage, with 5 kids and a hubby, just not my thing. 

But, today I did, not my house garbage but.......

My computer garbage or Trash.

I deleted over 40,000 emails in my garbage trash can. 

Every Sunday night I clean up my Inbox, and NO I have never gotten to that mythical land call "Inbox 0" but I do feel more organized starting a new week. 

I have a folder for each of my Buyers and Sellers in Ann Arbor. Every bit of communication with my client is dragged into the clients folder. When the transaction is CLOSED or SOLD, I drag it into a folder called PAST Clients. 

In each clients folder there is anywhere from 99 to 598 emails, the most being when it is a Short Sale. 

I regularly delete my Junk Mail but have never really wanted to delete my TRASH because many times if I am searching for something it pops up in TRASH. Cleaning out email

Today I did the dirty deed.

The easiest way to Empty your trash is to sort your emails by FROM. (see the graph below)

Cleaning up your email by sorting

The email program you use with sort them alphabetically like: Active Rain Notices, Groupons, Tiger Lead Notice, Face Book, Twitter, Lowes, etc... basically if you hit FROM in Outlook or the Apple Mail Toolbar.

Then you can delete them all at one time. 

Nothing like football to get me into cleaning, except when Michigan is playing. GO BLUE!!

How do you manage your email? 

I feel like Missy the Maid.....Missy Caulk Ann Arbor Realtor

 

Missy Caulk, Ann Arbor Realtor

Missy Caulk & Team can be reached at 734-926-9797 or email: Missy@MissyCaulk.com

Our Team of 6 agents are available to help you relocate to Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan, Ypsilanti Township, Clinton, Manchester, Whitmore Lake, or throughout Washtenaw County, MI.

Find Homes for Sale in Ann Arbor
Find Homes for Sale in Saline

Find Ann Arbor Real Estate Information
                                   Get a FREE Home Evalutation of your Homes Value

                                  Missy Caulk Ann Arbor REALTOR® Google Profile



QR Code for Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk

Move In Nashville

Stay strong, stay faithful, stay honest, stay loving, stay true to who you are, most importantly stay true to who God is as you'll be who you are, and you'll be happy, you'll be you, you'll be free. -Jamie Caulk

 

89 comments • Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor-Realtor® Ann Arbor Real Estate • September 24 2011 08:56PM

Short Sale Urban Myths – Short Sales with No Late Payments

Ann Arbor sellers, do you have to be behind in your payments to do a short sale ?

No not necessarily. 

But, in my experience they take longer as the buyer is still paying and they are not loosing money yet. 

Like Melissa says in her post, it is totally up to the hardship letter and the financial work sheet.  

Via Melissa Zavala Realtor® North San Diego County Homes (Broadpoint Properties):

short salesIt happens all the time: I have sellers and agents call me at the office to ask whether a short sale seller (their prospective client) can list in a short sale because the seller has not missed any mortgage payments.

Or, I may get a call from an agent who tells me that the bank told the seller that he or she could only get evaluated for a short sale if mortgage payments have been missed. Apparently, there’s this masked employee who seems to work at all the banks and spread this misinformation like wildfire. (It’s almost like the beginning of one of those urban myths—you know the friend of a friend who brings home a Chihuahua from Mexico but it turns out to be a rat).

Can a borrower participate in a short sale if s/he is still current on his or her mortgage?

Quite simply, the answer is yes. However, there are certain criteria that may impact an agent’s ability to successfully negotiate a short sale for a borrower who is current. So, here’s what you need to consider when taking a short sale listing like this:

Does the borrower have a hardship or a legitimate reason for participating in a short sale? If the seller is simply sick and tired of being upside down on the mortgage, some banks may be a little bit less flexible in their short sale approvals. Banks are looking for solid reasons that sellers need to sell—job loss, divorce, death, illness, etc. 

How many liens exist on the property? Depending upon the number of mortgage loans and also depending upon the state where you live, there are many different programs available for short sale sellers. However, sellers who are current and who have second liens held by collection agents may find it necessary to throw in a little bit of cash in order to make the second lien holder agree to the short sale. (Don’t forget that you need to get the first lien holder’s approval in order to make a cash contribution to the second lien holder and that contribution must appear on the settlement statement.)

Who are the mortgage lenders? With respect to folks who are still current, some mortgage lenders are a little more flexible than others. Many mortgage lenders will check the borrower’s credit and look into all aspects of the sellers’ financials, while others will be a bit more flexible and forthcoming with short sale approval letters.

So, the next time you hear that the bank has told your seller to miss a few payments, you had better double check to make sure that the Chihuahua doesn’t smell like a rat.

Photo: flickr creative commons by crispee

 

Melissa Zavala 
BROKER/REALTOR® ● DRE #01324959

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me in these other communities?

    

 

 

 

Missy Caulk, Ann Arbor Realtor

Missy Caulk & Team can be reached at 734-926-9797 or email: Missy@MissyCaulk.com

Our Team of 6 agents are available to help you relocate to Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan, Ypsilanti Township, Clinton, Manchester, Whitmore Lake, or throughout Washtenaw County, MI.

Find Homes for Sale in Ann Arbor
Find Homes for Sale in Saline

Find Ann Arbor Real Estate Information
                                   Get a FREE Home Evalutation of your Homes Value

                                  Missy Caulk Ann Arbor REALTOR® Google Profile



QR Code for Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk

Move In Nashville

Stay strong, stay faithful, stay honest, stay loving, stay true to who you are, most importantly stay true to who God is as you'll be who you are, and you'll be happy, you'll be you, you'll be free. -Jamie Caulk

 

11 comments • Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor-Realtor® Ann Arbor Real Estate • September 24 2011 05:49PM

What's the Difference Between an Offer and a Contract?

Ann Arbor buyers just because you write and offer doesn't mean you have a contract. 

Good post by Chris Ann Cleland explaining the ABC's. 

Search Ann Arbor Houses

Via Chris Ann Cleland, Associate Broker, Northern VA (Long & Foster REALTORS®, Gainesville, VA):

What's the Difference Between an Offer and a Contract?

The language we use when talking about real estate transactions is important.  In fact, in some situations the difference in one single word used over another can be critical to understanding what is happening, or what is expected in a real estate transaction. 

You'll often see the word CONTRACT used when the word OFFER should be used.  There is a very big difference between the two words.  They are not interchangeable.  Real estate professionals know the difference, but so should you as a Buyer or Seller.

An OFFER is what a Buyer makes to a Seller, or vice versa.  It is all the terms under which the Buyer would like to purchase the property.  It has been accepted in writing by only one party, that one making the offer.

The Seller can counter-offer those terms, making changes and sending them back to the Buyer for review.  Again, if this were the case, the terms have been changed and the changes have only been accepted by one party.

You don't get to the point of CONTRACT until all parties all agreed to all the terms IN WRITING.

As a Buyer you make OFFERS on properties.  You do not write CONTRACTS.  You are putting forth the terms under which you would like a contract to exist.  When accepted by the Seller your OFFER will become a CONTRACT, but not until it is accepted in writing.  Knowing the difference can be critical when explaining a multiple offer situation.  If you said you were dealing with a Seller than had multiple CONTRACTS, you are dealing with a Seller who has agreed in writing to sell one property to multiple Buyers.  That is a nightmare.  If you are dealing with a Seller who has multiple OFFERS, you want to be the one the Seller signs and turns into a CONTRACT.  It can be a competitive situation, but is not screaming for one or more lawsuits. 

When a CONTRACT exists both parties to it have obligations to perform.  An OFFER has no such obligation until the terms of the OFFER are accepted by all parties.
 

 

Chris Ann Cleland, Associate Broker- Licensed in Virginia, GRI, SFR, Northern Virginia Short Sale Specialist. Affiliated with Long & Foster, 7526 Limestone Drive, Gainesville, VA 20155.  To contact Chris Ann, call 703-402-0037 or email chrisann@LNF.com.  Or you can visit her website:  www.nvarealestate.net.

Header is a combination of photos, taken by Chris Ann Cleland, of various listings and neighborhoods in the Bristow-Gainesville-Haymarket area. 

 

Missy Caulk, Ann Arbor Realtor

Missy Caulk & Team can be reached at 734-926-9797 or email: Missy@MissyCaulk.com

Our Team of 6 agents are available to help you relocate to Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan, Ypsilanti Township, Clinton, Manchester, Whitmore Lake, or throughout Washtenaw County, MI.

Find Homes for Sale in Ann Arbor
Find Homes for Sale in Saline

Find Ann Arbor Real Estate Information
                                   Get a FREE Home Evalutation of your Homes Value

                                  Missy Caulk Ann Arbor REALTOR® Google Profile



QR Code for Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk

Move In Nashville

Stay strong, stay faithful, stay honest, stay loving, stay true to who you are, most importantly stay true to who God is as you'll be who you are, and you'll be happy, you'll be you, you'll be free. -Jamie Caulk

 

6 comments • Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor-Realtor® Ann Arbor Real Estate • September 24 2011 05:45PM

Saline, Michigan Market Reports

Saline, Michigan Market Reports 

When I think of the market in Saline, I like to see a comparison of where we are now vs where we were a year ago. 

You can see from the chart below that our inventory is DOWN. That is a good thing, unless you are a buyer looking in a certain price point or neighborhood. 

The other thing I like to look at is the price of homes, are they up or down? 

When working with buyers looking to purchase a home in Saline, Michigan it is important to know if the community is consistent, down or increasing in value. 

You can see from this graph that we hit a low ($192,000.)  in March 2011 but now the price point is up to almost $220,000. This brings me back to the first point, inventory in Saline, Suppy vs Demand equals higher sale prices. 

 

Real Estate Market Chart by Altos Research www.altosresearch.com

The next chart is done monthly by Affinity Valuations, a local appaiser that I have known for years and trust completely. 

Saline, MI Market Reports I like this chart because Pete graphs out for Saline, Michigan over a three year period. In this graph which Petes gleans from the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, You can see the trend in price per square feet, number of sales each month.

The trend is price per square foot in Saline, Michigan has been consistent for the last three years. 

On my Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk blog you can get monthly updates on the market in Saline, either by checking back monthly or signing up for Executive Reports to be emailed to you. 

Originally posted Saline Market Report on Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk. 

 

 

 

Missy Caulk, Ann Arbor Realtor

Missy Caulk & Team can be reached at 734-926-9797 or email: Missy@MissyCaulk.com

Our Team of 6 agents are available to help you relocate to Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan, Ypsilanti Township, Clinton, Manchester, Whitmore Lake, or throughout Washtenaw County, MI.

Find Homes for Sale in Ann Arbor
Find Homes for Sale in Saline

Find Ann Arbor Real Estate Information
                                   Get a FREE Home Evalutation of your Homes Value

                                  Missy Caulk Ann Arbor REALTOR® Google Profile



QR Code for Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk

Move In Nashville

Stay strong, stay faithful, stay honest, stay loving, stay true to who you are, most importantly stay true to who God is as you'll be who you are, and you'll be happy, you'll be you, you'll be free. -Jamie Caulk

 

9 comments • Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor-Realtor® Ann Arbor Real Estate • September 03 2011 10:32AM