Robert Smith

I went to a meeting of the Brighton Optimist Club at Mt. Brighton early yesterday morning and noticed a lot of activity at the Challis Rd. entrance. Freshly damaged trees, earth that had been moved, equipment lying about. Turns out that the production company filming the remake of the Patrick Swayze movie, 'Red Dawn', was going to film a scene there. They brought in dead trees, planted some and left others lying around. By the time I left, the Brighton Fire Department was there to make sure the 'controlled burn' didn't get out of hand. Pretty exciting. This crew has also set off some pretty spectacular explosions in downtown Detroit to make the movie, too.

Speaking of the Brighton Optimist Club, they have a great fundraiser in progress. They're partnering with Michigan's own Dutchman Farms to sell cut and container-grown Christmas trees and holiday wreaths. Well priced goods with reasonably priced UPS shipping which even allows you to choose the shipping date. I ordered a wreath as a gift and the shipping to Metro Detroit was right around $7. They have a low incidence of defective or damaged good and guarantee immediate free shipment of a replacement should you get a bad item. You can check them out at http://www.dutchmantreefarms.com/green2green-fundraiser/overview.html and use code OCBRMI to give the Brighton Optimist Club credit. They ship anywhere in the lower 48 and have a special deal with UPS. The greener of us will consider the container-grown trees that can be planted outside in the Spring.

The Howell Rotary is conducting the popular 'Tour de Livingston' bike ride tomorrow, Saturday, October 10th. Routes of 25-75 miles are available and proceeds go to Livingston County's United Way. All routes start at Mt. Brighton. See http://www.tourdelivingston.org/Default.aspx for more info.

A lot of restaurants seem to be doing fine, even in this poor economy. The new Sagano's Japanese Steak House on Main St in Downtown Brighton is doing very well. Stout's Irish Pub on Grand River put in a new patio with bar and stanchion-style gas heaters and a fire pit this year. Well done, comfortable and perhaps the nicest outdoor seating in the area. Next door to Stout's, work continues on the Leaf, Barley & Vine, Brighton's first real wine & cigar bar. They are approved to have an outdoor seating space with a fireplace, too. In recent years, the Stonefire Bistro and Main Street Martini Bar opened on Main Street. There are plenty of choices for different dining experiences in Brighton.

The local Farmer's Markets are still open through the end of the month, too. Catch Brighton's on Saturday mornings, in front of the dowtown municipal buildings adjacent to the millpond, and Howell's on Sunday mornings, adjacent to the Historic County Courthouse.

1. It's getting harder to get deals closed. I've had three deals this year where the buyer's bank folded within 5 days of closing. That means they have to get approved by another lender which is usually not a problem. But two of these three were also using the Dept of Agriculture's Rural Development Program. It's a great option for buyers that qualify based on income. 100% financing, no PMI - what a deal! But it's so popular in my area that the backlog toprocess has grown.

Banks usually give you a 45 day window to close on a foreclosed property. I've had to get extensions because of Rural Development processing delays. Most of the time that means a $100/day charge to the buyers and one deal fell apart because of that extra cost (20 days x $100/day=$2,000 more).

If you're near to closing, you're likely at 30 days already. If your lender shuts its doors (or the precursor of not taking any more mortgage applications) and you have to switch, it's a real challenge. You find out who the good loan reps are when you get into this kind of situation.

2. Prices are still dropping. Let's face it. Buyers rule. It doesn't matter what the appraisal says a house is worth. You have to price a home well enough to get a lot of buyers through it. When it gets to the right price you get a good offer, or even multiple offers. Some buyers are unrealistic in their (lowball) assessment of value, but those that are tired of looking at homes that need a ton of work will pay a higher price for an updated, well-maintained home. It may still not be at the full appraised value, but it's usually not unrealistically low. A well-motivated seller will make it happen in most cases.

3. Sales numbers are still pretty robust although the average and median prices are dipping due to the high number of foreclosed homes on the market. I've sold quite a few properties under $80,000 this year. many were not in horrible shape and were bought by parents for their young adult children. The plan is usually that the child will rent the home. If they decide to buy on their own in the future, the can work with the parent to buy that home or go out in search of a larger place on their own. The parent still has the property to generate rental income.

Last year I finally succumbed to golf. I had played in a couple of outings (with borrowed clubs) some 30 years ago and never found a thirst for the game. I could watch it on TV, be amazed at the skill of other golfers, but never had the urge to play. That changed last year.

I took four lessons in March & April of 2008, bought a starter set of clubs at the end of April and played my first round at a scramble outing in mid-May. I played a fair amount of golf last year (once a week, sometimes twice) and decided to join a league this year.

As I play more, I want to play even more. Of course, that's not possible since I still work. But I do have a certain latitude with my hours and an early morning tee time allows me to play 9 holes and still begin work before 9:30 or 10am. I like to hit a couple buckets of balls each week, too.

Some days I go to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls instead of eating lunch. Actually, I think that's been good for me as I notice lately that my belt is being fastened at the end notch, a place I haven't been for some time!

As I hit better shots more often, I want to hit better shots all the time. Not realistic since even the pros blow a shot now & then, but hey, it's a goal to work towards. There are a lot of great courses here in Livingston County, and long-time golfers tell me golf has not been this affordable for a many years.

Some of my favorite places are:

Chemung Hills Golf Course. Beautiful, but tougher with a lot of water hazards and subtle, tricky greens. If you can putt here, you can putt anywhere. A big bonus for those living nearby is the best driving range prices I've found at $3 for a small bucket and $6 for a large bucket of balls. Also a very nice club house and good food. I've used their banquet center a couple of times, too, and it's first-class.

Faulkwood Shores, not far down the road, is a great value (see their website for monthly specials) and challenging in a different way. Narrow fairways penalize those who hit 'banana' balls but it is still a 'fair' course, even for golfers of my limited ability. Greens are usually very fast, too.

The Jackal, at Mt. Brighton, is scenic - and tough! I had no business playing this course last year, but I did anyway. (I still have no business playing it, by the way.) I lost a lot of balls, but it was worth it. Elevated tees on various parts of the downhill ski slopes, plenty of water, wetlands and woods to challenge you, but overall one of my favorite courses. Very good food in the lodge and convenient to an I-96 interchange to make it convenient for your friends to play.

Huron Meadows, part of the Huron-Clinton Metropark system, is perhaps the best maintained course on which I've played. Granted, Metropark fees are a little higher, but everything is in great shape from the tee boxes to the greens. Their carts have little 'perks', too - a combination club and ball washer, and a flip-down cleat cleaner on the rear! I love this course. And you don't need a metropark pass to enter if you're paying for golf, so don't let that park fee stop you.

There are a lot of other great golf venues within a 30 minute drive of the Brighton-Howell area, and just because they're not mentioned here doesn't mean they're not worth playing. If you're a golfer with suggestions, leave a comment with your suggestions.

It's that time again! Preview Properties conducts at least one community service function every month. Past beneficiaries have been Gleaner's Food Bank, LACASA, The Connection House, The Salvation Army, Family Impact Center, Livingston Educational Service Association, Cell Phones For Soldiers, and of course, the Livingston County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Please consider a blood donation. This Red Cross chapter provides 97% of all of the County's blood needs, as well as their emergency services for local disasters and emergency messages for families with overseas servicemen and servicewomen. It's an easy way to give back to your community.

Our blood drive will be held on Friday, February 13, 2009 from noon till 6pm. The office is located at 130 W. Grand River Ave, Brighton 48116. Parking available along side of the building on St. Paul Street or in our lot, accessed from St. Paul Street between Grand River and N East Street. For reservations, please call the Red Cross at 517-546-0326.

In my market areas, homes are at the most affordable levels in a very long time. Call it a market correction, a recession or whatever you like, but homes are now in the best price ranges that I have seen.

Part of the equation is supply. When I moved to Livingston County in 1988, the big wave of construction was just beginning. We had a marginally tough time finding a home that fit our needs and our budget. Almost immediately after moving in, I saw corn fields transformed into subdivisions, roads widened, traffic signals installed and more retail being developed. The recent wave of foreclosures has also added a lot of homes to the supply with very attractive pricing.

Today buyers can find something that they like without too much difficulty - from starter homes to condominiums to luxury homes.

If you're a first-time buyer or even a 'move-up' buyer, there are programs that can help you. The FHA loan program is very attractive as long as you have a steady source of income, have an employment history and a good record of paying bills.

A marginal down payment will be needed, but the interest rates on this type of loan are very good right now. While the downpayment assistance programs are gone, you can often get the sellers to pay your closing costs as part of the deal - even banks selling foreclosures are agreeing to that. And you don't need a stellar credit rating, either.

Another option is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Home Development Program. It offers 100 percent financing but has certain income levels which you have to be below in order to qualify. It's for primary residences (occupied by you), and it's for non-urban areas. If you currently live in a central city or suburb, it's possible that your local lenders won't know about this program, although it has widespread exposure in my market areas.

If you can't meet the tighter lending requirements for a fixed rate mortgage, one of these two programs may be your avenue to home ownership. It's often difficult to figure out which is best for you, so finding a great lender with experience in both of these loan types can make the difference.

A great explanation of the benefits of these type of loans can be found here, on another ActiveRain blog. Check out http://activerain.com/vicandjim for an excellent primer on these loan types.