Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk

Recently I was nominated for the Realtor of Year from the Real Estate Staging Association. What an honor to get nominated for this award.

I am a firm believer in a home being in perfect condition before it comes on the market. In Ann Arbor and all of Washtenaw County when I am working with a seller, if they are moving and leaving there house vacant, I require (yes I said require) that their home be staged before they move.

A vacant house is a sad, cold, lonely house. Most buyers will fall in love with a house before they buy it. The Missy Caulk TEAM wants to give our sellers every opportunity to get their home SOLD. Staging a home before it comes on the market is critical to make it stand out among the competition.

I work primarily with Denise Sloan at Show Case My Home in Ann Arbor, MI. Denise is an Accredited Staging Professional who is fantastic on knowing what to do to make the house look and feel like a “home”.

Not sure what to think about the difference in a staged home or a vacant one, take a look at two real estate shows, one staged and one not., same house.

Which house would you make an appointment to see?

The voting ends tomorrow, so if you like what you see you can vote for me at RESA here.

*How’s that for shameless self promotion?*

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One of the first things I am asked, when a family is relocating to the Ann Arbor, Michigan or Saline, Michigan area is, “How are the schools?”

Fortunately, I am able to tell them great, fantastic you will love them. We are fortunate to have some of the best schools in the nation.

As a licensed Realtor, that is about all we can discuss with clients or we would be in violation of steering or fair housing laws. Most people are not aware of this restriction placed on licensed Realtors.

One site I send people to to compare schools is Great Schools. This site allows you to compare schools in different areas.

Another site, I really like is eSchoolprofile. There you can compare schools side by side.

This is a good starting place on the web; however, it is always best to actually visit the school, meet the principals and talk to families, friends or co-workers.

Every school district in Washtenaw County also has its own web site and on these sites you can find information about academics, classes, athletics,teachers,

Here is the links to:

Ann Arbor Public Schools

Saline Area Schools

To begin your home search visit Ann Arbor Houses and search all the homes available in Washtenaw County.

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Home Owners Associations are a love-hate relationships.

What?

People that live in residential communities are usually governed by HOA (Home Owner Association) rules and regulations. In Michigan, on our Purchase Agreements Realtors check the box that the buyer will review the HOA Documents, or their attorney will review the association documents within so many days.

Not a problem, it is a standard business practice here. People want to know what the rules and covenants are prior to proceeding with the purchase of a new home. Can I have a pool? Does it have to be in the ground or can it be above the ground? How many pets can I have? If I want to add a garage, can I? Who approves any design changes? Etc…

In most of the nicer subdivisions you have to get permission from the board for any improvements.  My experience in my own subdivision is the people who run for the board, have no pets and no kids. They take it upon themselves to police the neighborhood. Why don’t they go volunteer at a non-profit if they have so much time on their hands ?

Tonight I had a call from one of the board member in Hunters Ridge Subdivision. It was ironic as I was going to be writing a post on HOA anyway. She called to ask, “What is the ramp in your front yard?”

So I told her about Allyssa and that is was temporary. I said do you really think I would have put up a ramp like THAT, if it was really not necessary? She was very nice about it, but give me a break! I’m not that stupid. Maybe I should have mentioned the Handicapped and Disability Act, and that it is a protected class in Michigan. I asked her if anyone had complained and she said one person had called her to ask about it. But, our annual meeting is coming up in September and she wanted to be prepared to answer if it came up again.

Several years ago, one of my neighbors was going to use brick pavers in their drive-way and they were at the end of their drive-way too long. So they slapped a big lien on their house. I also had a neighbor that her husband was with Ford. He was transferred shortly after they built their house for a year. They had a friend living there to take care of the place. He moved out about a week before they returned and the HOA had a lien on their house, because the grass was too long. Welcome Home Neighbors!

I know rules and regulations are good, they keep people from putting farm animals and trailers on the property. We all want our neighborhoods to look good. But, give me a break.

HOA rules are only as good and as gracious as the people who enforce them. See what I mean by a love-hate relationship?

I bought a condo for my two sons, a couple of years ago in TN. I kept asking my realtor for the Association By-laws, and she said I would get them at closing. Had a read them I would not have bought the condo. Two sons, who like to play guitar and sing at night. Needless to say, I sold the place after a year. Too many letters telling me they were too loud. No electric equipment, just acoustic guitars and in Nashville!

Last year I had a client from Maryland. She asks me to please not show her houses in a neighborhood where the neighbors were nit-picky. Now how do you deal with that?

What is your experiences been with HOA?

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