Michelle Gordon

Good morning listing agents!!!

Yes, I do list homes..........but the majority of my business comes from buyers. I have ran into this problem more times then I care to, and it is getting worse with the current market we are in. Here is the problem:

Home is offered for sale; we put an offer on the home based on list price and comps from the area: the offer gets excepted; we get title work (in Grand Rapids, Michigan) with in 10 days. The seller now realizes there are liens on the home that he/she was unaware of and can not afford to sell the home for the agreed upon price, or old liens that need to be removed and this becomes a timely process because they have to get the proof the liens have been paid and we close late.

So I ask why don't you get pre-title work done when listing the home? Would this not save a lot of time and embarressment? I know Patrica Caston's office, LandAm will do one free of charge, so it is not even a cost issue in Kent County.

So my plea is ......................... please do not just trust what your seller is telling you, as I am sure they feel what they have told you is true and to best of the knowledge, and they have the best intentions. However, it takes 2 minutes to order pre-title work.

Maybe there is something I am missing....but to me this could help the process go a lot smoother????

Thank you Jason Jenkins for allowing me to blog this info he sent me. Jason is a lender for Wells Fargo.

1 Mileage Increase
The standard mileage credit IRS gave in 2007 was 50.5 cents for business and 19 cents for medical or qualified moving trips. However, due to sudden gas price increases - and not-so-gentle congressional prompting - these expenses have gone up effective July 1 of this year. That is the tricky part. Thus, the reimbursement stays as is from January 1- June 30. However, from July 1 on, you can claim 58.5 cents for each business mile driven and 27 cents for medical and moving purposes. That could add up to some big change for those who drive a lot.


2 Bonus SUV Depreciation
If you buy a qualified SUV - new or used - you can elect to write off up to $25,000 of the business use of that vehicle. A qualified SUV is one that has a truck chassis, carries passengers and has a gross vehicle loaded weight of over 6,000 pounds.

Starting in 2008, if you buy a new qualified SUV, you not only get the above noted standard depreciation. You can also claim 50% bonus depreciation.

What this means to you is that if you buy a qualified SUV, you can write off as much as 80% of the business use of that vehicle in the first year!
Note that this bonus depreciation only applies to qualified SUVs placed in service this year! In addition, it doesn't matter when you buy the car. The depreciation and $25,000 election applies to the business use of the vehicle.

Example: Patrick buys a Cadillac Escalade in July for $60,000, using it 90% for business. Thus, the business use of his SUV would be 90% of $60,000 = $54,000. This year, he can deduct approximately $43,200 of the cost. If you want to take a sizeable bite out of your taxes, this will do it!


3 Increased Expense Allowance
In previous years, you were able to deduct up to $125,000 of equipment that you buy for your business by making an election on your tax return. This number has been doubled for equipment purchases in 2008 to $250,000.

Requirements: To make this election, you need to meet certain rules. First, you must use the equipment more than 50% for business. Second, the election can't create a loss, although any excess can be carried forward to future years. Finally, the equipment must be new to you. It doesn't have to be new. It just has to be new to you!

These are general tips based on IRS advisories. Check with your accountant about how these changes could impact your tax bill

What a great event this was! I believe all who attended had a good time. Susan Shaw, our master of ceremonies was great! Every artist that participated sold something at the art auction, which was a great bonus! We also were able to raise some money for next year!

Thank you to everyone who attended..................we hope for an even more successful year for F.L.O.W. next year.

Here are a few pics from the party!

Yep it is me again with another cause! This Marine who was injured was an employee of Signature Landscaping who has worked with me for the last 2 years on the FLOWyards. Homes for our troops is a great cause and they need everyone's help!

Here is a snip it from the article I have a link to:

Severely injured Michigan Veteran, Marine Cpl Josh Hoffman, will receive a specially adapted barrier free home from Homes For Our Troops. The home will incorporate the latest state of the art green technologies and will include additional high tech systems to enable him to regain much of the independence he has lost since being injured.

I understand one of the biggest things they need right now is a propane generator to hook up to his breathing machine........A MUST HAVE!

If you are interested in helping or getting more information, please e-mail and I will put you in contact with the right person.

What a great day Saturday was! The weather was beautiful and I have never worked with such hard working volunteers! Remember this is my 2nd year of landscaping Grand Rapids city homes, and these volunteers were outstanding! They all worked hard and got the job done much earlier then anticipated.

24 Volunteers came from Forest Hills Presbyterian Church mission group, they were eager and ready for work...........I think if I had 10 more yards to do, they would have knocked them out with out hesitation!

Shelly Abbott with Greenridge Realty is the landscaping coordinator for the FLOW foundation, she did not take "good enough" for an answer, so for the front yards that were so wonderfully done prior to our volunteer day, she took volunteers out to help clean up and plant grass seed in the back yards.

Our other volunteers for Saturday were, Susan Pastoor with Metropolitan Title, Patricia Caston with LandAm Title, Dave Tomasunas with Wells Fargo, Mary Mishler with MLM Realty, and my friends.........Sarah DeWitt, Steve Landane, Tom Stankewicz and Valerie Zimmer - assistant manager at Roarks Garden Center in Sparta. Valarie designed one of our yards with Shelly Abbott.

Press coverage from Saturday -

Here are the pictures from the day:

Gathering in ICCF parking lot

Waiting for our assignments

Work at one of the yards:

The happy home owner and Landscaper Jason Haywood - Signature Landscaping and everyone relaxing after a hard mornings work and eating apples as our reward from Dave!