Dave Ruwe Realtor GRI www.daveruwehomes.com

Do you ever get tired of turning on the news or picking up a paper only to hear or read how bad everything is? I guess our society is geared towards paying attention to bad news then to look for the positive.

It seems ever day you hear about the housing bubble, credit crisis or job losses.

While I realize our country and in particular Michigan is going through some tough economic times, it is not all doom and gloom.

Th next time you get tired of hearing the negative on tv, I suggest you get on-line and go to www.lakeshoreadvantage.com to see some positive information about the West Michigan area. Below are a few of the highlights from this site.

The Lakeshore is home to some of the World's Greatest Companies: Herman Miller, Haworth, Gentex, Johnson Controls, Magna Donnelly, Heinz, Sara Lee, Conagra, Siemens, Boars Head and Dr. Pepper to name a few.

The Lakeshore was named in Forbes Magazine's top 200 Best Places for Business and Careers.

Gentex is the third largest producer of patents in the State of Michigan.

West Michigan area ranks 6th among the world's 125 top knowledge based economies.

Of people 25-44 years of age, 33.9% have college degrees, 20% above the State average.

The Lakeshore ranked 7th in Forbes top savings cities that are doing the best job of building wealth.

These are just a few things that make are area so wonderful. Couple this with the beautiful beaches of Lake Michigan and things don't look quite so bad.

Everything goes through cycles, good and bad. We need to stay positive to weather the storm. The good news is we have a strong foundation in which to build even greater things!

My first few blogs have been related to real estate so I thought it was time to write about Grand Haven. As I write this blog I am looking outside to a sunny, albeit, windy day. We have had about 7 straight days of sunny warm weather. Unfortunately, it is going to come to a halt for a few days.

How do you go from 75 / 80 degrees one day and snow flurries the next? That is what we have coming within the next couple of days. The good news is it won't last. We have turned the corner and the warm weather and sunny days are ahead of us. This is such an exciting time as the trees have buds and the flowers are blooming all around us.

If you like the diversity of having four seasons, Grand Haven is the place for you. You will have the opportunity to experience beautiful vibrant colors in the fall, white glistening snow in the winter, the rebirth of nature in the spring and the warm sunny days of summer.

I recently drove to Lake Michigan to eat lunch by the water. The city was in the process of getting our beaches prepared for another active summer as visitors come to enjoy Lake Michigan and various activities. See http://www.shorelineguide.com/ for a complete schedule of events.

The beaches of Grand Haven and surrounding Lake Michigan beaches have been voted some of the nicest, cleanest beaches in the country. If you love boating, watching boats, laying in the sun, building sandcastles, festivals, art shows or taking a leisure stroll on the boardwalk, Grand Haven has it for you.

What a difference a year or two makes in the world of real estate. A couple of years ago we could get a loan with lower credit scores and finance the purchase of a home at 100% of the sale price and roll our closing cost in also.

The actions of two to three years ago have put us in a very tough situation now. Unfortunately people were put into loans that they shouldn't have been put in. The housing market hit a wall and prices started tumbling. Homeowners that had financed at 100% or who had pulled equity out of their house found they owed more on their home than it was worth. Those that have to sell their home find they can't afford to do so because they are upside down with what they owe compared to the value of the home.

While this is a very tough position to be in, it is not hopeless. Many people feel their only option is to let their home go to foreclosure. It is NOT the only option and it shouldn't be in your thought process. You have the option of doing a Short Sale.

A Short Sale is a process that needs to worked out in cooperation with the lending institution that holds your loan. You will be required to fill out documents that show your financial status. You will want to have you Realtor be in touch with the lender as well so they can determine the appropriate price to get your home sold as fast as possible.

The idea of a short sale is this; if you owe $100,000 on your home and the market value is $95,000..... your Realtor may suggest putting your home on the market for $90,000 subject to the banks approval of a short sale. It is wise to have your lender and Realtor in agreement as to the bottom line price.

Let's say you get an offer for $88,000..... the offer goes to the bank and they review what their total loss would be between the $100,000 you owe and the $88,000 offer, minus commission, closing cost, transfer tax, title insurance, etc... Let's say the final number comes back at $80,000... the bank would have a loss of $20,000. They can agree to the offer and they would forgive you for the loss of $20,000.

Why would the bank do this? It is estimated that the cost of taking a home into foreclosure is about $40,000 to $50,000. It becomes a business decision on their part. The are not in the business of owning homes.

What are the ramifications for you? Your credit rating / report will take a hit for a couple to three years, but it is much better than having a foreclosure and taking a hit on your credit for 7 years.

If you find that you are in trouble or heading into trouble, talk with your Realtor and lender and head it off before it becomes too late.