About Allegan County, MI

There is a hot market in the Saugatuck area in foreclosures and short sales. And the owners of properties are pricing their homes TO SELL! Last week I presented four offers for my buyer clients and three of them were in multiple offer situations! My clients offers were the ones that were accepted in all three instances.

Cash is King! Because it is hard to get the banks to perform in anything like a timely fashion and appraisals are an issue, in a multiple offer situation, the smart sellers will often take a lower cash offer that will close in two weeks instead of struggling through the financing with a higher buyer for two months with the possibility that the price will be struck down in the appraisal process anyway.

Just to give you a little taste of what has been available in the foreclosure market -

Home listed for sale in Fennville, Mi - about seven miles from Saugatuck for $10,000! Listed only one week and then under contract.

Drop dead gorgeous four year old Home on 2.5 square acres of beautiful trees located between Saugatuck and South Haven for $155,000 with fireplace, corian, recessed and lighted master bedroom ceiling, buried LP tank, decks, walkout, finished lower level, large 2 car garage, etc. This was also under contract in less than a week.

Home within walking distance of public access to Lake Michigan between Holland and Saugatuck with see through fireplace between the kitchen and living area, over one acre of trees, trees, trees with finished lower level at $104,900. This one took about a month and then it was gone too.

Home just east of Saugatuck on 16 tree filled acres listed in the low $40s. This was gone in less than a week.

The good deals don't stay around very long.

NOW IS THE TIME! Get yourself a good realtor and get your finances in order and be ready to pounce. I send my clients all new listings on the day they hit the MLS so they are ready when their dream home is available. Call Dee Dee Hanson, CB Woodland Schmidt, at 616-836-8535 or email me at deehans@ameritech.net. Be sure to check out my website - www.mysaugatuck.com where you can search all the homes yourself and read all my blogs.

Have I got a deal for you today! Wow! This is FREE - can't get much cheaper than that.

The Saugatuck Douglas District Library has FREE MOVIES with FREE POPCORN every other Thursday night either in the lower level of the Library or across the street in the Old School House. The Library and the schoolhouse are located at the corner of Center and Mixer in Douglas, Mi.

Movies start at 7 PM and are generally group by theme.

A new group will be starting August 27th. These are movies directed by William Wyler and the theme is WILLIAM WYLER'S WOMEN.

The Good Fairy with Margaret Sullavan and Herbert Marshall on August 27th.

Jezebel with Bette Davis and Henry Fonda on September 10th.

The Letter with Bette Davis and Herbert Marshall on September 24th.

Mrs. Miniver with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon on October 8th.

The Heiress with Olivia de havilland and Montgomery Clift on October 22nd.

and finally, my personal favorite, Friendly Persuasion with Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire on November 5th.

The first really bad reason for hiring a real estate agent is that you feel sorry for the agent.

I can't believe it but I hear it over and over again from sellers of property. They tell me that they had their properties listed with agents who did nothing to market the property and the property never sold. So I asked, "Why did you choose that agent?" The client tells me that the agent had given him a sob story about how much the agent needed the business and the client felt sorry for him.

My next questions is, "Would you hire a brain surgeon because you felt sorry for him?" I don't think so! So the response is, "This isn't brain surgery." That's right. The sale of your home is NOT BRAIN SURGERY. The sale of your home is just the sale of your most valuable asset and you entrusted it to someone because you felt sorry for him? Would you entrust your stock portfolio to someone because you felt sorry for him? Or the education of your children?

Another bad reason is to take the agent who charges the least commission. Often that is the first question out of a seller's mouth. "How much is your commission?"

It would be more important to ask, "What is your marketing plan?" Do you have broker open houses? with a sit down lunch for the agents? Do you have your own website? How many websites will my home be on? Do you do a visual tour? How about Youtube? Does your company have national exposure? Are you a full time agent who can focus on the sale of my property or do you work somewhere else and just do this "part time".

This market study for this year since January 1 versus last year from January 1 to July 23, 2009 indicates that it is probably the best time to get a home in Saugatuck Township for quite a while. The number of sales have decreased from last year as has the average price and median price of homes.

This year 35 single family homes sold in Saugatuck, Douglas, and Saugatuck Township. Last year to July 23rd, 43 single family homes sold.

Total dollar spend last year were $13,400,000 versus $8,400,000 this year. Average price last year was $311,000 and this year $240,000. Medium price last year was $280,000 versus $219,000 this year.

Last year three of the sales were lake front homes over $1M while this year only one has been. Currently there are 22 Lake Michigan properties available in Saugatuck and Ganges Townships starting below $1M and ranging up to almost $2M.

If you have always wanted a home in Saugatuck or on Lake Michigan, now is the time. There are quite a few great properties available at prices that have not inflated in the last two years. In addition, there is a smattering of short sale properties and foreclosures that come on the market now and again.

Just call Dee Dee at 616-836-8535 or e-mail me at deehans@ameritech.net. Then I can send you all the homes that meet your criteria and put you on automatic for any new homes that come on line. The great bargains don't last long so let's get together so you can learn the market and be ready when your special property becomes available. Take advantage of this great market. You won't be sorry you did!

See you soon!

This may not be the greatest news for sellers but WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BUYERS! When I ran the numbers earlier this week, there were 89 condos available in the Saugatuck and Douglas Area and fifty of these are ON THE WATER!

In the last twelve months five condos sold and currently there are three pending. That means we have a ten year supply of condos on the water or an eighteen years supply of condos on and off the water! Absorption for condos in the last twelve months was only 5 condos. You can do the math.

Hurry over and check out the choices. There are several in each association so you can have your pick of the litter. I am very familiar with all the choices having sold one of the five last year and with one of the three pending right now.

If you always wanted to be on the water in Saugatuck, you won't get a better deal than right now. Several of the choices have docks either that come with the condo or can be purchased separately. You can enjoy these views at the best prices in recent history. There are even a few scattered foreclosure opportunities and several more coming on the market.

Call Dee Dee at 616-836-8535 or e-mail me at deehans@ameritech.net Be sure to see all the properties available at www.mysaugatuck.com and read all the other blogs regarding the market and properties.

Don't miss this OPPORTUNITY!