Sonya Loose, Associate Broker, ABR, GRI,

Fire arm deer season opened in Gladwin, Michigan and all of Michigan on November 15, 2009. Here in northern Michigan it seems to be a holiday. If the opening day falls on a school day the schools will closed. This is due in part to low attendance and safety issues. It is not safe for our kids to be waiting outside for the school bus when there are hunters all over our woods with rifles!

My husband is an avid outdoorsemen and deer hunter. My 11 year old son is in training to be quite the hunter as well. So while my house is consumed with all things white tail it got me to thinking about the parallels between deer hunting and house hunting.

When November rolls around each hunter will go through several steps in order to culminate their successful hunt with a prized buck. A buck they may have mounted and hang on their walls for years to come. They may tell the tale of the hunt many times over to anyone who'll listen.

In the spirit of the season let's compare the steps a successful deer hunter takes to the steps a successful house hunter should take.

Prepare - The deer hunter will pull out their gear and make sure it is all working properly, that the rifle is sighted in and the clothing will be warm enough. The house hunter should pull out tax returns and pay stubs and gather expense info so they can meet with a lender to obtain a pre-qualification. The pre-qualification will determine how much house the hunter can afford and what types of housing they can hunt for.

Scout - The deer hunter will head to the woods looking for evidence of deer activity such as deer runs, buck rubs, etc. The house hunter will head to the internet or talk to friends and family to begin their search for a qualified buyers agent experienced in the area they will be hunting for a home in.

Hunt - The deer hunter is now prepared and knows where the deer are. Now it is just a matter of getting up at the crack of dawn, enduring the frosty mornings and trek out to the woods to wait for it to show up. The hunt for homes. The buyers agent will "hunt" the MLS, foreclosure sites and any other potential sources using the hunters search criteria. If nothing is found right away they will wait and continue the search until the house meeting the buyers criteria becomes available.

Shoot to Kill - the deer hunter watches the prize buck walk into the clearing, takes aim with shaking arms, ignores the buck fever and fires...shooting the deer and taking the trophy buck! The house hunter is advised that there are several homes meeting their specific search criteria, they preview each and discover the one that meets the needs of their family and is in the perfect location. They write a purchase agreement with their buyers agent and voila the offer is accepted! Another successful house hunt and another happy family.

The deer hunt will build lasting memories and the house hunt will provide a place for memories to be made for years to come!

Obviously this blog did not outline all the steps necessary to become a successful deer hunter or house hunter and was basic in nature but the message is:

Deer hunting and house hunting both take fore thought, preparation and professional planning and guidance to be successful!

Thanks to Ambassador Girl Scout, Melissa Goodwin there is a new picnic area in Gladwin County! Melissa created a picnic area at the Gladwin County ORV Trail Headat M61 and Center Fireline Road as part of her gold award. The gold award is the highest award in girl scouting!

Goodwin built two DNR approved handicapped accessible picnic tables, three bird houses and three trail map signs.

Goodwin raised all the money for this project on her own and there were no funds available for this type of project.

You can read the entire article on this project in the Gladwin County Record's November 11, 2009 issue.

Way to go Melissa I am sure your picnic area will be used and enjoyed by the counties many ORV riders.

Gladwin County Michigan has many ORV trails that connect to adjoining counties for miles and miles of trail riding. Gladwin Countyrecently passed an ordinance allowing ORV's to be ridden along the road edges of many county roads. For a copy of the ORV Map that shows the open and closed roads please email me or click here to visit the Gladwin, Michigan city website.

Happy Trails!

Gladwin County is located in rural Northern Michigan and is conveniently located within 3 hours of Detroit and 2-2.5 hours from Flint and Lansing making it easy to come "Up North" for the weekend. But, we encourage you to stay longer, and after you visit this area you will want to spend much more time here! An area that is popular for its scenic lakes (including Wixom Lake & Secord Lake), plentiful state land, quaint parks, Amish communities and down town shopping. Gladwin County is primarily a second home/resort community. We have real estate to accommodate every buyer from very affordable cabins to luxurious homes. As a life long resident of Gladwin County I know the area well and I know the market even better!

The Real Estate market in this area, along with most areas of Michigan, remains challenging but appears to be improving! Recently we saw home values declining, but that appears to have stabilized. There does remain to be a stagnant economy and a lack of qualified buyers since loan approval criteria has become more restrictive. However, if you are looking to buy your first home, or your vacation home it is a fabulous time to buy! Interest rates are phenomenal for qualified buyers, there is a lot of inventory to choose from and homes are more affordable then they have been in years! For home buyers who haven't owned a home in the last 3 years there is even an up to $8,000 tax credit to take advantage of before November 30th.

Here is the latest real estate market update for Gladwin and Clare County, Michigan which include the surrounding areas of Beaverton, Gladwin, Harrison, Clare, Rhodes, Bentley, Wixom Lake and Secord Lake.

The Clare/Gladwin Board of Realtors currently has 1,029 homes for sale through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and 73 of those were new to the market in October 2009 reflecting our busy selling season winding down. The average asking price of the homes currently on the market is $125,109 and the average days on market for those homes has been 327 days. These stats are virtually unchanged from May, June, July and August figures which helps to clarify my theory of the stabilizing market in Gladwin, Michigan.

During the month of October we saw 43 Clare and Gladwin County homes sell/close. This is approx 20 less sales than September signifying the end of the selling season for 2009. The average asking price was $90323. The average sales price was $77,496 and the average days on market for these homes was 269 days. The sellers received an average of 86% of their asking price.

86 homes expire from the market in October. The main reason homes don't sell during their listing period is they were priced incorrectly for the market and/or condition of the home. In challenging buyers market periods it is imperative that a listing be priced as competitively as possible for its condition in order to have a chance of selling. To learn more about why homes typically expire and what you can do to avoid that fate click here.

$149,095

219 Lakeview, Beaverton, MI 48612

Extra large brick home in city of Beaverton! 3 BR, 2 Bath 1,800 sq ft home is spacious and offers a large kitchen with island, dining room, family and living room with fireplace. Attached 2 car garage and 4+ car detached pole barn with 12' side walls. View of Ross Lake across the street. Home has been well maintained, has built in shelving, drawers and entertainment center. Recent updates complete the package. Move in today!

If you're thinking about selling your home, one very important fact to know about your real estate market is the Absorption Rate. The Absorption Rate will tell you how long it will take for the current inventory of homes in Gladwin and Clare, MI to be absorbed by the market if no other homes come on the market. The absorption rate for October 2009 is 1.99 YEARS! Thisnumber has increased by 6 months from last month proving that the strong buyers market is definitely easing but a stable market still does not exist in Gladwin/Clare County. If you want your Gladwin area home sold, you need to know this number to help you price your home accordingly.

Are you thinking about making Gladwin or Clare County, Michigan your new home? Are you thinking about taking advantage of the great interest rates and affordable prices to buy your own slice of Northern Michigan Heaven? Contact me today and lets gets started! I know the area very well and I know the market even better! You can call me at 989-429-2600, email me at sonya@sonyaloose.com or visit my website at www.BuyorSellWithSonya.com .

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year! This will allow more time to enjoy the spooky holiday. The rushing on a work and school day and the need to to get the kiddos in bed at a decent time doesn't need to be a concern this year! If you are looking for something to do you might visit the Kids Halloween Party & Costume Contest on Saturday, October 31st at the Beaverton Tavern in downtown Beaverton, Michigan. It is from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm for kids 12 and under. There will be:

• cider and donuts
• games and prizes,
• tricks and treats and
• kids karoke!!

You can finish up the spooktacular day by checking out the Adult Halloween Party and Costume Contest from 9:30 pm to close at the Beaverton Tavern. There will be free pizza and tricks and treats!!

Gladwin, Michigan is located in Gladwin County in rural Northern Michigan. Here you can expect lakes, state forests, downtown shopping and a small town atmosphere. We are currently experiencing a buyers market! There is a lot of inventory to choose from, much of which is the foreclosure (bank owned) inventory. Interest rates are low and if you act now the first time home buyer tax credit of up to $8,000 is still in effect.

No matter what type of market it is always in your best interest to get pre-approved by a lender before you begin viewing homes with your real estate agent. This way you know:

• How much you can afford - you will have a price range and know what you are comfortable spending for your new home.
  
• Approximately what interest rate you can expect - the rate will change until you lock it in, but interest rates vary by credit score and affect the amount of your payment so it is good to get some idea of what to expect.
  
• What types of homes you can look at - Some loan programs will have criteria that the home must meet which will exclude fixer uppers. Some loan programs will exclude manufactured homes.

National Association of Realtors (NAR) has a useful tool that will quickly provide you with an estimate of how much home you can afford. By adding the amount you may be qualified to borrow to what you've saved for a down payment, it estimates the maximum home price for which you may qualify.

This can be a useful tool so feel free to use as often as you like. To open the Home Affordability Calculator click here.

Remember this calculator is only offered as a planning tool and is not an offer to make a loan of any amount. For more precise guidelines about lending considerations that apply to your situation, please contact a mortgage lender

Currently in Gladwin County the average home sale is $73,178 and there are currently 1,073 homes for sale. To read the entire September 2009 Gladwin, Michigan market update click here.

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