Kris Wales - Macomb County MI real estate blog & homes for sale search site

Absolutely!


An FHA appraiser is not a home inspector. Yes, he or she will be conducting an on site viewing of the home and will note anything about the home that does not meet FHA guidelines however they are not as thorough as a home inspector.

Think of them as an appraiser with a check list - nothing more.

A home inspector will do things that an FHA inspector won't, such as in this photo showing John Seeley of WIN home inspection viewing the roof of the home to check for any flaws, damage, and estimated life span of the roof.

Yesterday I had an opportunity to sit down for a long chat with Mike Caira of Great Lakes Mortgage Funding in Sterling Heights and I asked him to fill me in on local issues that home buyers are having with FHA purchases.

One of his top concerns for home buyers that want to purchase a bank owned home was having the utilities turned on to the home, and the home being de-winterized prior to the FHA appraiser viewing the home to do his/her job.

If you have a full home inspection it is always wise to have the utilities on and the plumbing of the home in working condition.

Once your home inspection is completed and you let your mortgage representative and your buyers agent know that you are happy and ready to proceed the FHA appraiser will come out to do their job. The utilities will still be working in the home (if you had them turned on for your private home inspection) and the FHA appraiser will be able to do their job thoroughly without any glitches.

Keep in mind that if you don't have the electricity, water and gas turned on in the home prior to the appraisers visit and they have to make a 2nd trip that it will cost you more money.

Protect yourself.

Get a thorough home inspection by someone hired by you and working in your best interests. Have all utilities turned on and the home de-winterized. You will be happy that you did this, and your appraisal on the FHA home will go smoothly and save you any re-visit fees.


~Kris Wales~ A Macomb County MI real estate agent

More first time home buyer articles can be read at ChatAboutMacomb.com

All of the talk in recent months (and media reports) have targeted the bank owned homes. Because of the media attention given to the rise in foreclosure sales in our area, many private home owners have felt defeated before they have even started to sell their homes.

I believe in being realistic with my home sellers. They deserve to hear the truth and see the statistics in order to make a timely educated decision about our real estate market. However, they also need to see the good along with the not-so-good news.

While taking a look at our December home sales in Macomb County MI via Mirealsource™ I found something interesting:

A greater percentage of non-foreclosure homes sold last month than in the previous month.

~Kris Wales~ A Macomb County MI real estate agent

View other real estate news and Macomb County MI articles.

Please join me in welcoming Don & Trish Schmitt to Michigan.




In early September of 2008 I received a phone call from Don Schmitt and we had the first
of many nice long chats. He and his wife Trish were ready to relocate from their home of
many years in Buffalo NY and come to Michigan to be close to their daughter in their retirement
years. (Their daughter is also expecting their first grandchild!) Who said that those of us not
under 50 don't read blogs or use the Internet? Shh! Don't tell me that, or Don & Trish!

During our first phone chat Don told me that he found my website via a web search, and
consequently found the link to my blog. He and Trish read articles that I had written
and in Dons words said "We should give her a call."

I wish I could put into words how much that first phone call meant to me. Meeting Don & Trish
and being a part of their dream to be close to their daughter has been exciting and fulfilling.

From the first time we met we enjoyed each others company immensely. Finding their new home,
helping them find a wonderful mortgage representative here in Michigan, being there for their home inspection and finally the celebration of closing on their new home was one of the most enjoyable
processes that I've been a part of.

Not only was I able to make sure that they were taken care of here and ensure that their home
buying process was as stress free and smooth as possible, but my husband and I now have new
friends.

Don & Trish moved in to their Chesterfield Township home in time for a Christmas celebration with
their daughter and son-in-law and have settled in nicely. I know we are going to enjoy the coming
years with them and treasure the new friendship that we have made - all due to the power of the
Internet and blogging. Without this we wouldn't have found each other.


~Kris Wales~ A Macomb County MI real estate agent - Ask me about buyers agency.

One of my favorite columnists, John McCormick, wrote an interesting heart felt piece that has been published in the Detroit News.

In it, he expresses the outrage and frustration that many citizens of the State of Michigan have been feeling towards the senators from other states. He brought up something that I have been holding inside of me for far too long and I'm grateful to him for putting into words my sentiment (and apparently the sentiment of many other Michiganders.)

To quote one part of his article: "...federal taxpayer money flows freely in these circumstances, and so does free assistance from northern states, including Michigan. Detroit automakers, for example, gladly helped with vehicles and personnel when Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast."

He also so eloquently points out how much the southern states have received over the years in tax breaks, infrastructure money and other "hand outs" from the US government to attract foreign auto makers.

It's heartbreaking to feel that Michigan citizens and workers are being tossed to the wolves by politicians from other states when it was the citizens and hard working people of Michigan that created the manufacturing base in this country and have unselfishly contributed much to help others in their time of need.

Thanks John. You stated what I and so many others have been internalizing. I pray though that our citizens can heal from this "Die Detroit" attitude displayed by so many in other states, and that we do not have to make a conscious choice about where to spend our vacation dollars based upon the location and political motives of the other states of our union.

~Kris Wales~ A Macomb County MI real estate agent

As many of you know I recently moved my business to a new brokerage, Keller Williams Realty - Lakeside Market Center.   One of the reasons I chose this particular brokerage was because of the people that I've come to know there over the years, and the professionalism and dedication to the community that they have daily.

On Thursday December 11th our office hosted a holiday open house and it was packed with agents and vendors. Coming just a few days after I joined the office it was a perfect time for me to meet others and torment everyone with my photo taking addiction.

I had to laugh when one of the agents asked why I always have my camera with me.  My response was "You never know when a photo will come in handy, especially for your blog content." 

Within days I put together this holiday greeting using my new subscription to the RealEstateShows and had it up on my website.  My new agent family may be ducking and hiding when they see me in the office now, but at least they have an idea of why I carry my camera with me to everything :-)