Lynda Beaton

I'm not the greatest salesperson. Nope, Sadly, I don't have the greatest graphic arts skills. I'm more like the "art appreciation" personality. Othr people have geniune talents. But without an "appreciative audience" what good is the art? Rambling, yes.

Take for example a new listing. A house on 20 acres that a happily married couple built, customized and made their own paradise. One dies. The remaining spouse has bittersweet memories and a pile of pictures. Despite many efforts to properly photograph the property, the best photos I have were provided by the homeowner. The love they had for each other shines though in every shot. Oh, sure, I took over 20 photos, did a video the whole 9 yards. But, I'm leading with the Love.

To all,

Bank wants the mold removed. Would allow for an escrow if money held aside would equal 2 1/2 times the highest bid for the cleanup. They want to see 2 written bids.

Plus requiring a 3rd party to come back in and reinspect.

Manistee is ranked #1 in the lower Peninsula of Michigan among the 200 Best Towns for Sportsmen in the U.S, with an overall rank of #71 out of 200.

Don't take my word for it. Credit for this ranking goes to OUTDOOR LIFE, June/July 2009 issue for their research on the 200 BEST towns for Sportsmen.. Now in fairness to our other half, the UPPER Peninsula, Marquette, Mi. ranked an AWESOME #2. However, the population of Michigan clearly sits below the bridge and MANISTEE has everything to be proud of.

This is the 2^nd survey OUTDOOR LIFE has done, and they wanted to provide sportsmen and women, with the top 200 affordable, thriving, and perfectly wild towns in America. Written by John Taranto, it is a must read for anyone considering their next move, especially if you are nearing retirement. On the other hand, why not work where you love to vacation?

All of these towns offer affordable housing, low unemployment and the potential to earn a decent living within a short drive of FIRST RATE hunting and fishing.

Not news to me! The researcher measured "population percentage growth, median household income, median home value, cost of living, unemployment rate, mean commune time". And a measurement of outdoors categories, such as, "gun-friendliness, huntable and fishable species nearby, town's proximity to public hunting".....the list goes on.

I'm very proud of our city.

On Memorial Day, I'm thinking about all veterans - those I know who died and those that are still alive. A couple of weeks ago, I closed on the house below.

It was truly a nightmare. My first VA loan. And we missed our original close date. Which would have made an 18 mill difference between homestead and non-homestead taxes. If you don't change the tax status before May first, you ware STUCK paying whatever the former owner was paying. That 18 mill difference is Michigan's nightmare. Unfair and backwards. Wish all the moving parts in the loan process had been working in sych - but oh well, becoming the norm now.

This house below, truly needed a family. And the family who bought it - absolutely needed at least a 4 bedroom with 2 full baths. And the Dad, a veteran, really wanted the 12 wooded acres that came with the house - and it was 1) something they could afford 2) in the school district they desired.

Many deals bring me pleasure along with the paycheck. This one just makes me smile. I will spare you the ugly details of the time consuming, error ridden loan process to protect the innocent. I do believe our veterans deserve a bit better treatment than what I saw - but again, it was my first VA loan experience.

They are happy and moving this weekend. They painted the house inside, the kids excited. I'm happy they got the home of their dreams and a great loan finally. Here's to all our Veterans -Enjoy Memorial Day.

New home to a deserving family - in Manistee County $133,000