For today’s community spotlight, I’m at Dexter’s Pub to speak with the owner, Peter.
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We Want to Protect You When You’re Buying Vacant Land
Which contingencies can protect you during a vacant land purchase?
Our team has a lot of knowledge on this subject, and we’d like to share some of it with you today.
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When you buy vacant land, it’s important that you avoid vacant land traps. There are a few specific buying blunders to look out for during such a transaction, which we would like to highlight for you today.
The first step you should take in protecting yourself against any pitfalls is to partner with a professional. Otherwise, you could easily encounter expensive issues, each of which we’ll discuss in greater detail in future videos.
Some of the contingencies to consider during a vacant land purchase are:
- Septic contingencies
- Well contingencies
- Driveway permit contingencies
- Land division contingencies
- Zoning/building permit contingencies
- Survey contingencies
- Easement and building restriction contingencies
- Utilities
- Mineral rights contingencies
- Crop contingencies
- Water contingencies
- Legal contingencies
- Financing contingencies
- Planned future development contingencies
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Vacant land is the essence of real estate.
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There are a number of opportunities for protection associated with each of these, and our team has been very fortunate in helping buyers leverage them during their purchases. Would you rather have an expert or an amateur by your side as you pursue this kind of deal?
Vacant land is the essence of real estate, and our team has a strong track record of success in dealing with this type of transaction. We hope you’ll trust us to meet your goals.
If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Our New App Will Enhance Your Home Searches
New KW technology will allow consumers to search for homes like never before. Our Chief Innovation Officer will explain.
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When you’re on a property detail page, it’s really important to get all the information about a house as quickly as possible, and with our new KW Search app (available in 2019), you can do that with ease.
There are a couple things you can do differently with our consumer app that you can’t do in all the other apps:
1. Get the home DNA profile. The home DNA is based on your search criteria, and as you use the app, it finds out what you like and don’t like. It trains very similarly to Amazon or Netflix.
2. Customizable. On the Any Home app, you can easily favorite or hide a home from ever showing up again.
3. Agent-client connectivity. If you’re working with an agent, that agent has the ability to recommend homes and give you comments about why a particular home might be great for you and your family.
4. Photo organization. It breaks down all the photos by room allowing you to simply click on a category and see all the photos of that space, including the interior and exterior of the home. Further still, if you double tap a photo, it will show you all the tags that are found in that photo. These tags will point out various aspect of the room or area, and the consumer can point out what they like about these tags, which will train their home DNA. This allows for a very curated search.
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As you use the app, it finds out what you like and don’t like. It trains very similarly to Amazon or Netflix.
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5. Commute calculator. With the app, you can plug in the address of your work and calculate the commute time between a property and your work.
6. Collaboration. You can actually start private discussions on any home and also invite your agent, co-buyer, or family members to engage you in a discussion right on the app.
7. Property pages. Whenever you’re looking at a property, there will be a feature that allows you to see the neighborhood it’s in and key features about that neighborhood. Then you can go explore the area on the map, allowing you to find out what it’s like to live in any neighborhood for any home.
8. Request tour. At the bottom of the app, there are two buttons: One to contact the agent for the listing, and the other that allows you to schedule a time to visit the home.
This app could truly change the way that consumers search for homes and interact with sellers and their agents. To find out more or to address any questions you have, please reach out to Toth Team Worldwide. We’d be glad to help.
Happy Thanksgiving!
This Thanksgiving, we’d like to extend our sincere thanks to all of you who have made our business possible.
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The 2018 holiday season has officially begun! We hope you are as excited as we are.
We’d like to take a moment to express our gratitude to all of you this Thanksgiving. We have met some truly wonderful people, and we’re proud to have helped so many reach their real estate goals over the years.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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We wouldn’t be where we are today without all of your support. Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner with all of your family and friends—that’s what we plan to do!
In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any real estate questions. We would be happy to help you.
What To Know About Earnest Money Deposits
What is an earnest money deposit and what role does it play in a real estate transaction?
We’ll be tackling this question today.
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When you find the house of your dreams, you show the seller you’re serious by writing a check. This is known in the industry as an earnest money deposit.
By law, this sum must be deposited into the title company’s or broker’s escrow account within two days from the final acceptance of the offer.
Essentially, earnest money deposits (otherwise known as a good faith deposit) represents your commitment to buying the home. It shows the seller you’re operating in good faith and allows them to label the home as “Contingent” in the multiple listing system.
As a result of this, the number of showings the seller takes on may decrease while you, the buyer, go through the due diligence period. The larger your earnest money deposit, the more certain the seller will be of your desire to purchase the house.
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The larger your earnest money deposit, the more certain
the seller will be of your desire to purchase the house.
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This deposit can range from about $1,000 to 10% of the home’s sales price. In multiple offer situations, you may want to increase this amount to make your offer more attractive.
Keep in mind, though, that this amount will not be refunded to you if you break the terms of the contract and walk away from the deal.
However, if you meet all of the deadlines and contingencies of the contract, such as the inspection, appraisal, and title review, then the earnest money will be applied toward your down payment at closing.
If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
There Are Signs of a Shift in the Michigan Housing Market
How is the housing market looking in Michigan? See what this fall holds.
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As real estate and its prices are always changing, it’s always a good idea to keep up to date. So today, we’ll bring you the fall market update for the Michigan area.
There are more single-family homes coming on the market, up 8.9% from 358 to 390 year to year. The number of year-to-year sales is down 18.1% from 315 to 258. However, the average sales price is up to $308,080 from last year’s $299,788—an increase of 2.8%. The average days on market has improved from 32 days last year to 25 days this year.
Things can change so gradually that many people do not notice. To see if shifts are occurring in the market, it’s important to watch for accurate data in your price range.
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Things can change so gradually that
many people do not notice.
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Sellers could be chasing prices down, so the question for many is if they should wait until spring to sell a house. It depends on what you think is going to happen in regard to elections, the economy, and interest rates.
What happens to prices when rates go up? There may be a relationship. According to the National Association of Realtors’ national media manager, if you have rising interest rates over a longer period, then you’ll see a weaker demand. In this case, you may see price appreciation slow down. Keep in mind, today’s interest rate for an adjustable mortgage is 4.25% and 5.15% for an annual percentage rate.
If you have any questions or would like some more information, feel free to give us a call at (866) 696-8447. We look forward to hearing from you.
4 Ways to Make Buyers Fall in Love With Your Home
Don’t wait to call your local Keller Williams agent.
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Are you ready to make a move? There are four ways to make buyers fall in love with your home so you can sell it quickly and for top dollar. First, make it move-in ready—think clean, organized, and clutter-free. Second, bring in some plants—greenery adds instant style. Third, up the “dream home” factor by highlighting any unique features. Lastly, call your local Keller Williams agent!
What Do You Do After You’ve Inherited a Property?
We have the answers to all the important questions you may be asking yourself if you’ve just inherited a property.
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If you find yourself as a personal representative or an heir of a property as an estate, there are five very important questions you’re probably asking yourself right now. Today, we’ll be examining the answers to each of them:
1. What is the best option for you to proceed? More specifically, do you want to keep the property, rent it out, or sell it? If you want to sell, you should consider taking advantage of our Certified Pre-Owned program to bulletproof the transaction and perform your fiduciary responsibilities as a representative or trustee of the estate. For more details about our CPO program, you can watch this video. An appraisal lets the representative know the home’s value and also ensures that no errors can dispute the trustee’s actions. Not to mention, it gives you peace of mind in setting that value.
2. What should you do with all of the belongings in the home? We know packing experts and other trusted resources who can assist you with moving these things into a pod or a storage unit. They’ll also do a deep clean of the home for you.
3. What if you’re not local? Our trusted resources ensure that the folks who are assisting have been recommended by other locals and have a solid reputation.
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We’d be glad to be the solution to simplify your life
so you can deal with what’s really important during this time.
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4. What if you need repairs done? Any handyman tasks or other improvements can be done remotely with our help. We can also organize and stage the home for you.
5. Who can you trust to help? We’ve been trusted to help by thousands of clients in southeastern Michigan, so we’d be glad to be the solution to simplify your life so you can deal with what’s really important during this time.
If you have any other questions or would like more information, please feel free to call or email us anytime. We would love to help you.
How to Help Protect Your Home from Fire
While there may be two types of smoke detectors available for your home, replacing them every ten years is encouraged no matter the type. Today we are providing even more fire protection options.
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Did you know that the American Society of Home Inspectors recommends buying a new smoke detector every 10 years? It is news to us, so we thought that we would share more.
To start with you should know that there are two types of detectors. There are ionization and photoelectric which use different types of sensors. Ionization detectors are more responsive to flaming fires. Meanwhile, photoelectric are more responsive to smoldering fires which could mean the difference between getting your family out of a burning house.
Ionization smoke detectors are less susceptible to alarming when you burn your pizza in the oven. You can tell if you have an ionization smoke detector by looking at the model number on the back. If the letter “I” is in the model number or there is any mention of radioactive material, it is an ionization detector.
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Ionization detectors are more responsive to flaming fires while photoelectric detectors are more responsive to smoldering fires.
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If you and your tenants really want to be safe, there are some things which you should consider.
1. Install both kinds of smoke detectors.
2. Check the batteries on a regular basis.
3. Install interconnected wireless detectors with battery backup.
4. Alert your phone of any smoke in the house with the Nest functions.
5. Locate smoke detectors in every bedroom and on every floor.
6. It is recommended you change your unit every 10 years.
7. You can install sprinklers in your home.
A member of the Ann Arbor Fire Department recommends Kidde smoke and CO alarms.
For updates on fire safety, you can check the Consumer Product Safety Commission to get the most recent publication. And, if you have any questions about this you can contact your local fire department.
If you have any questions relating to your home or real estate in general, please give us a call, text, or send us an email. We would be happy to help in any way that we can. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
I know Peter through various business transactions, from me frequenting Dexter’s Pub, and from doing real estate together. We’re good friends, so today I wanted to shine our community spotlight on Peter’s popular and successful business.
According to Peter, who has owned the pub since 1998, the significance of the pub’s name comes from the fact that he feels it belongs to the whole community of Dexter.
There’s a special little story about Dexter’s Pub that not everyone knows about: They have their own resident ghost. Peter says that the ghost occasionally floats through the restaurant and knocks things over, causing general mischief. “You just have to be there to experience it,” he says.
Beyond their supernatural mischief-maker, you also have to be there in order to experience the great American dining, meet the excellent servers, and to enjoy the ambiance.
Dexter’s Pub has a regular menu featuring burgers, fish, pizzas, salad, and pasta. The pub also has daily specials. For example, Monday’s special is all-you-can-eat chicken and cod; Tuesday’s is Italian night; Wednesday’s is a Mexican night; and on Saturdays and Sundays, kids under 12 eat for free.
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Peter appreciates the support that the community of Dexter provides him, so his generosity is a way for him to give back.
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Peter’s family is also a part of the business: His wife operates as his accountant, and the rest of the family comes in on weekends to help out wherever they’re needed.
He also likes to be a contributing member of the community, speaking at events, serving as a sponsor for various drives, as well as donating to certain causes. He appreciates the support that the community of Dexter provides him, so his generosity is a way for him to give back.
I like to host the Toth Team’s client parties at Dexter’s Pub, where they offer catering services and pre-ordering options via phone. It’s truly a wonderful establishment.
To reach Peter at Dexter’s Pub, you can call (734) 426-1234 or visit their Facebook page.
For any questions you have about real estate, contact us, your real estate experts, by phone, email, or our Facebook page, at any time. We’re here to add value to your lives and provide support.