"Your Professional Blue Water Area Realtor"
In todays tough real estate market you need an agent that provides the highest level of informed, professional real estate services to buyers and sellers in the Port Huron and the greater Blue Water Area.



Search All the listings or read my daily Blog in the Port Huron Area for free just click on Search the MLS.
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"Get the Real Estate Buzz"
Buzz Stanko
609 HURON AVE.
PORT HURON, MI 48060
(810) 966-3240 OFFICE
(810) 334-5675 CELL
(810) 455-1505 FAX
Email:buzz@buzzstanko.com

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Questions and Answers

Question
I have found a house that I would like to buy, but don't know where to begin. What should I do?

Answer
After searching for the perfect house, you've finally found the right one. Your next step will be to make an offer.
Consider the seller's asking price, but also look at the sales price of similar homes in the area.
If the asking price is reasonable in comparision to other homes on the market, you can begin negotiations by making an offer. Be careful what you offer because too low a price may be promptly dismissed by the seller and you run the risk of losing the house to another buyer. An offer of around 85 to 90 percent of asking price is always a good starting point.
When you are ready for a new home call me. As your Real Estate Professional I am always ready to walk you through the home buying process.

Market Update

The Positive Market Signs:
Growth in the number of available homes has begun to shrink
On-Line visitors continue to grow each month on a year to year comparison
The decrease in home values is drawing buyers back into the market

The Port Huron Area is growing as an opportunity for real estate investment. Foreclosures are at a all time high in Port Huron. General consumer feeling that we have hit the bottom economically and we will be moving towards a bounce up in late 2009 or early spring 2010.
2008 sales were down 30% from 2007 in Michigan. Real estate sales in terms of the number of homes sold (2004 was the peak)

The Reality of the Market:
Recovery will be slow – not like it was in 1991 or 1981 – no interest rate or national economic upswing to boost the recovery (rates are already low and the rest of the country is doing well).Home values in Port Huron and the greater Blue Water Area should start to stabalize some time in late 2009.
The number of months of available home inventories will begin to shrink slightly by year end.
Upper end move up market (generally 350,000 to 1,000,000) will remain the slowest part of the market for the next 3 to 5 years or more as the higher income baby boomers sell and move away and our local economy creates fewer high earning executive positions to replace them.

What should a seller do?
Be realistic with both the price you offer and the activity you expect. Focus on condition and price and be sure to include some level of incentives. Do not be insulted by low offers. Counter with a smile, but don’t let the first offer get away. Price aggressively from the start. 70% of all current listings are market worn and 80% of homes sold now are forclosed homes, which results in a discount to value when they eventually sell. What ever you feel the market value is, price 5-10%% below that. It is still possible to create a bidding war for the right home.

What should buyers do?
Don’t insult the sellers with extremely low offers. Consider asking for a seller’s concession in lieu of a large price reduction. Look for homes that have been on the market for some time and have just had a price reduction. Those sellers are more than likely motivated. Still be ready to move quickly. Homes that are priced right sell in weeks and some time days, not months. Homes tend to fall into two categories, those that are above their market pricing and have few if any showings and those at or below their market pricing that have showings daily and sell quickly. Buyers should be pre-approved for their mortgage and either have their current home sold or be prepared with a bridge loan so they can move quickly

SELLERS!If you're planning to sell your home in the next few months, this FREE service is designed to help establish your home's current market value. Simply choose Market Analysis and fill out the requested information. I will use comparable sold listings to help you calculate the fair market value of your home.



BUYERS!
Automatically receive personalized MLS listings by e-mail for all homes in the Port Huron area. Early each morning I will search the local MLS and find the homes that match your criteria and notify you immediately with the latest listing information!! Simply choose Dream Home Finder and fill in the requested information. Or, search for yourself at [Search For Homes].