About Gladwin County, MI

HERE IS A LITTLE SOMETHING TO KEEP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY HAPPY AT HALLOWEEN THIS YEAR.

HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYS TRICK-OR-TREATING

Carving Pumpkins can be great fun, it can also be dangerous. Make sure children are supervised, and make sure they have no sharp objects. They make SAFE pumpkin carving kits.

TEN TOP SAFETY TIPS FOR HALLOWEEN:

1. Nobody goes alone, always make sure children are supervised.

2. Make sure to check all candy prior to letting children eat it.

3. Make sure that children's costumes fit correctly so that they can see.

4. Children get very excited for Halloween, so make sure you lay out a plan beforehand.

5. Make sure that children stay out of the middle of the street, and look always for traffic.

6. Make sure each child is actively seen: glowsticks, light colors, reflectors can all be used.

7. Make sure to watch the weather report before hand.

8. Be aware of pets: strange costumes can trigger a reaction.

9. Only go to homes that have lights on.

10. And most importantly follow your instincts.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year! This will allow more time to enjoy the spooky holiday. The rushing on a work and school day and the need to to get the kiddos in bed at a decent time doesn't need to be a concern this year! If you are looking for something to do you might visit the Kids Halloween Party & Costume Contest on Saturday, October 31st at the Beaverton Tavern in downtown Beaverton, Michigan. It is from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm for kids 12 and under. There will be:

• cider and donuts
• games and prizes,
• tricks and treats and
• kids karoke!!

You can finish up the spooktacular day by checking out the Adult Halloween Party and Costume Contest from 9:30 pm to close at the Beaverton Tavern. There will be free pizza and tricks and treats!!

Billings Township is located in Gladwin County MI.

The school district for this area is Beaverton Rural Schools.

Many of the Wixom Lake waterfront homes are located in Billings Township, along with

Tobacco and Hay Townships. Wixom Lake extends South into Midland County, and those waterfront

homes and cottages are in Hope Township.

For those of you interested in Billings Township and what goes on there,

a NEW WEBSITE has been launched.

It is very new and does not have a lot of content in it yet, however,

it has been designed for us to provide information to us,

their goal is to keep us informed and there is a question and answer page,

it's still blank, waiting for the very first question!

From the home page of the new website:

"Our objective is not to slander or tell half truths, but to focus on making Billings Township a better place to live and play for ALL."

So, when you have a little time to spare .......

http://www.billingstrots.com/index.html

Marilyn Harrell

Realtor

Wixom Lake office 989-689-4141

Gladwin, Michigan is located in Gladwin County in rural Northern Michigan. Here you can expect lakes, state forests, downtown shopping and a small town atmosphere. We are currently experiencing a buyers market! There is a lot of inventory to choose from, much of which is the foreclosure (bank owned) inventory. Interest rates are low and if you act now the first time home buyer tax credit of up to $8,000 is still in effect.

No matter what type of market it is always in your best interest to get pre-approved by a lender before you begin viewing homes with your real estate agent. This way you know:

• How much you can afford - you will have a price range and know what you are comfortable spending for your new home.
  
• Approximately what interest rate you can expect - the rate will change until you lock it in, but interest rates vary by credit score and affect the amount of your payment so it is good to get some idea of what to expect.
  
• What types of homes you can look at - Some loan programs will have criteria that the home must meet which will exclude fixer uppers. Some loan programs will exclude manufactured homes.

National Association of Realtors (NAR) has a useful tool that will quickly provide you with an estimate of how much home you can afford. By adding the amount you may be qualified to borrow to what you've saved for a down payment, it estimates the maximum home price for which you may qualify.

This can be a useful tool so feel free to use as often as you like. To open the Home Affordability Calculator click here.

Remember this calculator is only offered as a planning tool and is not an offer to make a loan of any amount. For more precise guidelines about lending considerations that apply to your situation, please contact a mortgage lender

Currently in Gladwin County the average home sale is $73,178 and there are currently 1,073 homes for sale. To read the entire September 2009 Gladwin, Michigan market update click here.

.

Beaverton, Michigan located in rural northern Michigan is a great community all year long, but it is ablaze with the colors of Autumn in September and October! What a great time to come visit! I would suggest checking out the Wild Pumpkin while you are here.

The Wild Pumpkin is located at the Hedrick Family Farm on Beaverton Road in Beaverton. They offer rides on a hay wagon out to the field to pick out your own pumpkin at .25/lb! While they have a great selection of pumpkins at affordable prices they also offer an animal petting farm where the kids and adults can feed animals such as horses, llamas, sheep, rabbits and various birds. There is even pony rides on the weekends!

My personal favorite at the Wild Pumpkin is the corn maze! It is tricky for all ages and lots of fun.

Any visit to the Wild Pumpkin wouldn't be complete without a visit to the concession stand for some homemdade donuts, apple cider and more.

The Wild Pumpkin is located at 5799 Beaverton Road in Beaverton, Michigan and can be reached by calling

989-435-9001. They are open through Halloween from 3pm to dark on the weekdays and 10am to dark on the weekends.

I suggest a vist...you'll make some lasting memories!

For more information on the area or the Beaverton Real Estate Market contact Sonya Loose at 989-429-2600 or via email at sonya@sonyaloose.com