Mike Bowler Sr. CRB, GRI, ePRO, RECS, SRES

Opening day for the Lansing Lugnut's is April 9^th. This is always a great place to take family and friends. They have Dollar Dog Tuesdays, Kid's Day, Thirsty Thursday and Fireworks throughout the summer. You can get the 2009 season schedule here.

The annual Small Animal Day event is coming up on April 18^th at MSU. This program is hosted by student organizations and clubs in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at MSU.

Just in case it rains or if you're looking to treat you children t something unique, Impression 5 is a hands-on learning environment that challenges its visitors to experience, discover, and explore the world in which they live.

There's always something going on in the greater Lansing area. It's a great place to Live, work, and play. Additional Tri-county links can be found here for your enjoyment.

"Expect the Best" Mike

Mike Bowler Sr. ePRO, CRB, GRI, SRES
Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood
1020 S. Creyts Road, Lansing, MI 48917
Phone: 517-492-3400 Fax: 888-832-6203
email: Mike@MikeBowler.com
Website for Clients: MikeBowler.com
Search Listings

Lansing Michigan real estate buyers in today's home market want to have access to houses for sale, with plenty of information and lots of pictures.

It amazes me to no end that you can still visit real estate websites to find no pictures or very few. Even Realtor Boards and MLS Services sometimes limit the number of photos to 8 or 10. A large percentage of the houses have more rooms than that, let alone community photos that could be included, landscape, amenities of the neighborhood, schools, and parks.

The real estate professional must meet the needs and expectations of the Connected Consumer.

The rules of business are changing, especially in the real estate industry. Consumers need to start asking more questions and expecting more results from the Realtor, when it comes to marketing their home. With Syndicated websites, major portals, search engine marketing, and social networking sites that drive more traffic to the listing, their is no excuse for apathy in our industry any longer. All real estate agents have had a great opportunity over the past few years, in a slower market, to get re-educated and trained in Internet Marketing for real estate, but few have been willing to pay the price or devote the time necessary to become Internet savvy. That's not all that bad, for they will be left in the dust, when the market turns.

Real estate agents today need to be Internet savvy with the best tools to market a sellers home.

A few snap shots of the house is not sufficient when most major portals accept up to 30 pictures, plus a virtual tour of the home. The key for anyone selling a home in today's market is to ask the right questions and have your Realtor demonstrate an Internet marketing plan on where your house will be promoted.

The e-PRO Certification Program will establish a baseline of online competence, and it will also introduce its students and graduates to the best aspects of Online Community...the Internet is about the power of people connecting with people. However, this is just a beginning for any agent who is in this business for the long haul. What's your thoughts?

The greater Lansing area real estate Seller's today, need massive exposure to their listed home, to get the most exposure. The days are gone of just putting a sign in the yard and selling your house. With over 85% of all home-buyers shopping the Internet prior to contacting a Realtor, it is imperative that your Real estate agent provide syndication from their website to offer better search engine exposure.

Each agent should be able to explain their Internet marketing plan prior to being hired to sell your home.

Website Syndication, Photo sharing, vitual tours, Blogging, Social networking for business, Search engine marketing, and optimization, are only a few of the many complex, yet simple systems that will get your house the best exposure in today's market. Real estate transactions are complex, involve large assets and demand competent representation. Marketing properties, home selection and financing are just a few of the skills today's consumer looks for when they select a real estate professional. Make sure your Realtor is prepared to offer you the knowledge and expertise to counsel you in relocating, buying, investing or selling the family home, using the most up to date technology and Internet tools.

Your Realtor should be prepared to employ the latest techniques and services for your benefit, just like you've grown to expect from a professional.

"Expect the Best" Mike

Mike Bowler Sr. ePRO, CRB, GRI, SRES
Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood
1020 S. Creyts Road, Lansing, MI 48917
Phone: 517-492-3400 Fax: 888-832-6203
email: Mike@MikeBowler.com
Website for Clients: MikeBowler.com
Search Listings

I read a quote some time back that said: "If you're not social networking, you're not on the Internet" That seems pretty straight forward and blunt, however as I continue to grow into these various sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, it appears they are on a continuous climb in membership, improvements and applications. As a businessperson you may ask, how is this going to improve my business? Let me give you a short list of the benefits that hear most often:

1. Branding

2. Relationships

3. Top of mind awareness

4. Community fellowship

5. an opportunity to contribute

These are only five of many reasons you could be involved with social networking. Web.2 as it is called, is not a fad; it is a fundamental way in which we communicate. As a result of Facebook and Twitter being an active part of my week, I had an opportunity to attend a Tweet Meet last week held at Biggby's Coffee at the East Lansing Towne Center. More than 40 people showed up to this event sponsored and promoted by a group called LifeInLansing.com. Our host was Biggby Bob, who is also very active on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites. This was an opportunity to put a face and personality to the written conversations each of us may have been following online.

Another example of social networking allowing you to expand your networking capabilities is a group called Ignite Lansing, who are holding an event on April 17th, 2009 in the East Lansing Technology Center, in downtown East Lansing. This is already sold out, (no wonder it's free), however, it goes to show that networking, sharing and community collaboration are where business people need to be in today's world.

These are just two examples of the many wonderful groups that are meeting around the State of Michigan to inform, encourage, and support each other for there desired goals, dreams and inspirations.

If you're not LinkedIn, face booking, or Twittering yet, I encourage you to start. You never know, you may end up meeting that long lost friend, your next client, or just become more acquainted with your own family as a result. You can follow me on Twitter at MIrealestate.

Searching for homes in the Delhi Township, Holt Michigan area means more than just getting a list of properties for sales. Delhi Township has much to offer for convenience to the entire greater Lansing area, including: MSU, Downtown Lansing, 3 Major Shopping malls and much more. Four Holt schools have been named Michigan Exemplary Schools by the State Board of Education, and Holt High School has been honored as one of the top 100 schools in the country, recognized through the award of a Presidential Blue Ribbon.

"Now's the time to make your move" for the spring market, weather you are looking to buy or sell a home this year. Buyers have many homes to choose from, record low interest rates, and some of the best pricing we have seen in years to own a home, provided you are looking at long term.

Some of the links included above will provide you the opportunity to pick up additional ideas to prepare for buying and selling a home in today's real estate market. I hope you enjoy.

Mike Bowler Sr. ePRO, CRB, GRI, SRES
Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood
1020 S. Creyts Road, Lansing, MI 48917
Phone: 517-492-3400 Fax: 888-832-6203
email: Mike@MikeBowler.com
Website for Clients: MikeBowler.com
Search Listings

Charles McMillan, 2009 NAR President, an email out to Realtors today on the Stimulus package and how it benefits the real estate market. Here's what he had to say:

We look at the Stimulus package AND the Treasury's package holistically, in compliment with each other - mostly because that's how the Obama team is looking at it. Your representatives, the NAR Board of Directors, asked us in November to do 4 things (with an unspoken but clearly understood mandate to PRESERVE what we already have). Here they are: 1) get loan limits raised for high cost areas, 2) make the $7,500 tax credit NOT a loan, 3) try to find ways to push interest rates down (which are higher than they should be due to systemic risk right now) by 200 basis points, and 4) help provide solutions to the foreclosure/short sale problem.

So here's what we have achieved: 1) the loan limits will be raised to $727,000 in high cost areas, 2) the tax credit will be raised to $8,000 with NO payback [a true credit], 3) interest rates have come down 125-150 basis points, and 4) the bill has over $50 billion in it for foreclosure mitigation, with Geitners Treasury plan signaling that the second half of TARP and TALF will be used to mitigate foreclosures through a government guarantee, drive down interest rates by buying another $200-300 billion of mortgage paper from the GSES's thereby freeing them up to do the same with new mortgages, and Fannie has just agreed to lift the cap of 4 investment properties eligible for loans and raise it to 10.

In addition, we preserved what we have - which some tend to forget is always on the table when these negotiations start up again - mortgage interest deductibility, real estate tax deductibility, and the $250,000/$500,000 cap gains exclusion (an overall package worth more than $100 billion and for some a very attractive funding source for their pet projects).

We did make a run at the $15,000 credit -- and we would have loved to have gotten that or the Homebuilders $22,000 credit idea as well as their 5 year loss carry back deal, but they were considered too rich for this program. What it did do though is totally take the debate off of whether a tax credit should be reinstated at all (it expired last year) and whether it was a true credit or a repayable loan, and kept the conversation on how much it should be. It also kept the debate off of 'what we are willing to give up getting a $15,000 tax credit' and kept the debate again, on how much it should be. It's pretty hard to complain when they give you what you ask for and you lose something you never had.

The greater Lansing real estate market will see an increase in home sales as a result of this true tax break for first-time home buyers. With historically low interest rates, this tax break, sellers willing to negotiate, and plenty of homes to choose from, I would advise anyone wanting the American dream of home ownership to begin the process by searching homes on the Internet, becoming acquainted with the process of mortgage pre-qualification and move forward. "Now's the Time to Make Your Move"

Mike Bowler Sr. ePRO, CRB, GRI, SRES
Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood
1020 S. Creyts Road, Lansing, MI 48917
Phone: 517-492-3400 Fax: 888-832-6203
email: Mike@MikeBowler.com
Website for Clients: MikeBowler.com
Search Listings