Another gripe session from your favorite Buyer Agent.
I get so tired of seeing homes that have "steam heat" listed as "hot water heat", and both steam and hot water listed as "gas forced air".
Just now a new lisitng came up for an eighty year old luxury home. The pictures show steam radiators. The air conditioning is listed as wall units. But the listing still says gas forced air.
For all you first time home buyers and listing agents who don't know the difference here is a quick summary:
Steam heat uses convection to get the heat from the furnace to the rooms. That is, steam is hot so it rises, in the pipes, right up from the basement to the room that needs the heat. Steam was used in new construction from at least as far back as the 19th century till about the 1940's.
The downsides are:
It is difficult to control the temperature in each room
The radiators are not enough to burn yourself on
The radiators impact furnature placement
There is a lot of steam noise
The must be maintained
Since there is no ductwork, it is expensive to add central airconditioning
Older systems are not very efficient
The upsides are:
It heats your house
Steam furnaces can be very reliable (We once bought a home with a 90 year old steam furnace.)
The systems typically leak moist air so it isn't a dry heat
Hot water heat systems became popular in the 1940's and are still in limited use today. Hot water systems us a pump to move the heated water to rooms that need heat.
The downsides are:
Hot water radiators can impact furniture placement, they are longer than steam radiators
You do hear the pipes creaking as they expand and contract during a heat cycle
Since there is no ductwork, it is expensive to add central airconditioning
It is much more expensive to install today because of increased labor costs
The upsides are:
It is much easier to have multiple zones of heat
It is not drafty like forced air systems
Hot water furnaces ten to last a long time, maybe twice the life of forced air systems on average
It is a very comfortable heat
In newer construction floors are sometimes heated with hot water pipes
It is considered the best kind of heat for many alergie sufferers
Newer hot water furnaces can be very efficient
Obvously this is not an exhaustive list, but I think it helps to get the point across.
If you would like a knowledgeable real estate buyer agent to help you with your home purchase, call us. This is what we do and we are good at it!
Jon Boyd
Ann Arbor Real Estate Buyer's Agent
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.
734-662-6240
I saw this in Concentrate Ann Arbor today:
I just came from Costco up in Brighton where my wife and I both take the Silver Lake Road exit to avoid the Lee Rd. roundabouts. Now we'll have more in Ann Arbor to work with.
The good news is once you go through them a dozen or so times they really do start to make sense. The roundabouts at M-14 and Skyline Highschool really work well.
It is just a matter of getting used to change.
If you are interested in buying a home in the Ann Arbor or Brighton Michigan area, and you want someone on your side, let's talk! Call me at 734-945-1593.
Jon Boyd, Broker/Manager
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.
Click here for information on Ann Arbor real estate homes for sale
member office of http://naeba.org
734-662-6240
1908 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Ann Arbor's Most experienced Exclusive Buyer's Brokerage!
The standard setting organization of real estate buyer agents is meeting today and tomorrow in Orlando to talk about the business and the challenges home buyers face today.
The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA.ORG) met at this same hotel seven years ago. There is a good group this year.
As a past president of the group it was much more relaxed this year for me because I wasn't in charge of anything and I wasn't presenting. I think this is the first year in the last five that I've been "free".

The speaker during this session was Meredith Oliver. She had a lot of great things to share.
Jon Boyd, Broker/Manager
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.
Click here for more Ann Arbor real estate information
member office of http://naeba.org
734-662-6240
1908 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Ann Arbor's Most experienced Exclusive Buyer's Brokerage!
Scambusters.org is a scam busting website run by web gurus Audri and Jim Lanford.
I've recommended their website to hundreds of our past clients over the years and I've also subscribed to their monthly newsletters since I was introduced to them through an interview they did with Jay Abraham.
This month they've done a basic roundup of "What's new in scams" and the article mentions a couple that are worth sharing, particularly if you have older parents.
Here is a link: http://www.scambusters.org/scamlines/32.html
And remember, if you want to buy a home and not get scammed by designated, deligated, limited, assigned, or delusional "buyer agents", call our office for real buyer agency.
734-662-6240
Hey,
If designated buyer agency is actually desirable, why are most of the real estate agents in our market aftaid to admit they have to practice it? Maybe this will be in a future issue of Scambusters!
Jon Boyd, Broker/Manager
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.
Click here for more Ann Arbor real estate information
member office of http://naeba.org
734-662-6240
1908 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Ann Arbor's Most experienced Exclusive Buyer's Brokerage!
Bloomberg reported that GMAC is granting loans only to buyers with credit scores above 700. That is very good credit. (I have referred to 720-730 as great credit previously.)
Here is the link: GMAC's Lending Limits May Add to GM's U.S. Sales Woes
GMAC said yesterday it's granting financing only to buyers with scores of at least 700, who represent about 58 percent of U.S. consumers. The Detroit-based company, now controlled by Cerberus Capital Management LP, provided 43 percent of GM's second-quarter auto loans.
If you are thinking about buying a home and your credit is short of the 700 score range, we can probably help you. We've been helping buyers improve their credit for about 15 years and we now have a specific service to improve credit scores by around 100 points.
To get more information visit our credit repair information site.
Jon Boyd, Broker/Manager
The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.
Click here for more Ann Arbor real estate information
member office of http://naeba.org
734-662-6240
1908 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Ann Arbor's Most experienced Exclusive Buyer's Brokerage!
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