About Oceana County, MI

I have had several people ask me where they should be spending their time on the internet. This is the first in a series of blogs I am writing to help you get started in the social media world. I am skipping the background of social media, but if you want to know more about it, and how it can bring you business, see my earlier posts.

Below are ten buttons linking to ten different websites that I have built profiles on. Each one of these sites contain links back to my primary website, http://www.timwhitehomes.com. The goal here is to drive traffic to your website! You don't have to spend hours every day on these sites, just take a few minutes to create a profile on each, and you're started.

Here's a tip: Once you create a profile on one site, copy and paste it to a word document. Expand that word document to include your intro, your business history, some personal information (wife, kids, hobbies, etc.), and keep a running tally of your websites. Once you have it done it once, you can then copy and paste your information into the other sites. I do recommend going back later and switching up some stuff here and there, when you have time.

So, for today, click one of the buttons, say hello on my site, then create your own.

You don't have to add content to any of them yet, but if you have the time, do it.

Making the first one should take maybe thirty minutes, tops. After that, you should be able to add the other each in about 5 minutes by copying and pasting. So in a little over an hour, you can have ten more websites pointing back at your website.

Did someone say Search Engine Optimization?

This is designed to be a quick get in there and get some juice going post. We'll build on the other steps later, and explore what types of content will get you better search results.

Let the mushroom hunting begin!

It's official, morels have been spotted in West Michigan.

Don't bother asking where, as a good spot is worth more than gold to the avid mushroom hunter. I will tell you that Oceana County is a good place to start. Western and Northern Michigan is a great place to find these delicious little critters, and we take our mushroom hunting seriously.

A friend of mine here in the office was kind enough to rub it in my face this morning that she found some yesterday.

It's a bit early, but I suspect the big ones will be showing up soon.

You can get more information about morels at http://www.morelmushroom.info/index.html

In the spirit of mushroom hunting season, here's a recipe for the tasty little buggers I found at The Great Morel.

Sautéed Morels with Cream

This is a classic French preparation my husband learned years ago from working in a European cuisine restaurant. He is an Executive Chef trained in many styles of cooking. The ingredients are easy to find except for veal stock which must be made by roasting veal bones for hours, perhaps a good chicken stock could be used instead. Enjoy!

• 15-20 fresh morels or reconstituted dried, cut in half if large
• 1 large shallot chopped fine
• 1 large clove garlic chopped fine
• 2 TBS butter (best with unsalted)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Put olive oil in heated pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots, stir and sauté until softened but not brown. Add butter until melted then add morels. Stir and cook until mushrooms start to brown, about 4 min. Add chicken stock and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cream and cook on low until reduced and thickened. Classically served on toast, but the best on grilled New York Strip steaks.

First time home buyer activity is on the rise in Oceana County. A significant reason for this is the number of bank owned properties currently for sale in the Hart, Shelby, New Era, and Pentwater areas. Bank owned properties, often referred to as foreclosures, are often sold well below market value, and create unique opportunities for first time home buyers.

I recently had the pleasure of writing an accepted offer for a young engaged couple from Hart, MI. They are getting married this summer, and wanted to start looking for a home now. They have decent credit, but relatively low income, and the majority of what they could afford consisted of manufactured housing, which they hoped to avoid if at all possible.

I sent them to one of my preferred lenders, and had them prequalified. Prequalification is vital when attempting to purchase a bank owned home. Once the lender had them preapproved and through underwriting, and we had established a monthly payment that was affordable and comfortable for them, I began my search in earnest.

I was looking for a home that would meet their needs, and their budget of about $60,000. I ran searches daily, as I knew that when the right one came up, it wouldn't last wrong. I searched for about three weeks, in which time we looked at a handful of bank owned properties. The majority of these properties were going to require too much work to make them livable, so I continued to search.

Last week, I found a listing that was just unbelievable. It was a bank owned property in New Era, listed for $60,000. I was familiar with the home, and the location was perfect for what my buyers were looking for. I made a phone call, and told my clients that we needed to act fast, and see the home that night.

My buyers rearranged their schedules, and we went to see the home. The curb appeal was great. The home was less than ten years old, and was in great shape. The yard was just over an acre, and even had privacy fence built along the neighbor’s property line. This was a three bedroom home with a two car attached garage, and 1300 square feet of clean, well kept living space.

My buyers were instantly excited, and quite frankly, so was I. This was exactly what we had been praying to find, and we immediately submitted a full price offer. Since I already had them preapproved and through underwriting, our offer was solid and attractive. As it turned out, there was another offer made the same day, so we submitted an addendum offering to bump our price by $1100.

Earlier this week, I found out that that little bump sealed the deal. Our offer was accepted, and this previously bank owned home will soon be owned by two wonderful people. When they return from their honeymoon, they'll be coming home to a home that they own. They also qualify for $6110 in federal tax credits under the 2009 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Program. I couldn't be happier for them.