Through the ice and snow braving the traffic road conditions, strange showing times, and the cold to land that perfect new home for you and your crew. Well, this year you all will need to be more prepared than the winter wonderlands of yesteryear! This year, inventory is low, the homes that are the best buys on the block are being hunted by many competing home purchasers just like yourselves. The internet allows you to preview the listing as soon as they become active in the MLS. There are several search sites that allow you to be alterted. An entire population of Michigan homebuyers that have been holding out for these interest rates. So, the well cared for; well priced inventory may not allow you to dilly dally and the days of sleeping on it are LONG gone. So how do you succeed in landing that perfect house?? Listen closely.CREATE A HOME PURCHASE PLAN. Not every experienced Buyers Agent knows how to do this. It works.Interview and Hire Buyers Agent Have initial Planning Session PRIOR to beggining to actually look at homes.Have Mortgage Approval Letter IN Hand. You should have MET with your LOCAL LENDER and provided that professional all necessary statements, as well as completed a signed application. Review a BLANK SAMPLE of all of the documents you will be asked to sign at the time you draft an “Offer to Purchase.” Pencil in the BLANKS and set your terms BEFORE you have found the site, this way your buyers agent can act most expediently and quickly draft an offer to purchase and bring it with them when you view the home shaving hours and hours off of the purchase timeframe, as well as showing the other agent your strong purchase intentions. REMEMBER the early bird does not get the worm anymore. It is the BIGGEST bird in this market that walks with the worm. Keep in mind that if your Buyers Agent is informed and aware they will be able to draft terms that are ameanable to all parties involved.BRING YOUR CHECKBOOK TO THE SHOWINGS, or draft your earnest money check in advance and give it to your Buyers Agent to hold, so you are not running after it at the last minute.Go look at homes that match your criteria from the bottom of your range to the top… in that order. So you can see how much the footage is worth, as well as the differences in price as you add features and benefits. Your home will begin to take shape as your agent asks all of the questions you were afraid to ask yourself. As you answer these questions honestly, I believe that your perfect home starts to take shape around you. The Corporate Sellers list prices are the OPENING BID. It is likely that the price is reduced to spawn interest. It works.Do not HESITATE to present your offer IMMEDIATELY. Find out if there are multiple offers so you can alter your terms and price to be the OFFER the SELLER CHOOSES. Be complete. Sign and Date all spots needed,and then double check them again. One missing signature can void a contract. There are NO verbal contracts honored in our state.Respond to counter offers IMMEDIATELY. It is hurry up to wait, but a frustrated sellers agent can easily prompt the seller to consider other offers. Be present and respond with your counter in ways to reduce the time it takes to reach common terms. The Seller is expected to take offers until you can agree and obtain full signatures from all parties. So, don’t make the seller or sellers agent want to do business with someone else.Perform to the terms of the contract AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. In most cases the sought after properties will have backup offers written and accepted waiting for you to fall out of contract, or have the contract void because you the purchaser do not perform, or do not perform in a timely manner. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE to perform.Lastly, drafting an offer to purchase is exactly that. AN OFFER TO PURCHASE. This does NOT mean that you are bound to purchase the property TODAY. There are MANY contingency and purchaser protections in the contract that will allow you to terminate should you discover something unsatisfactory about the property.So, don those slip-on snowboots, hats scarves and gloves, medical booties and heavy slacks or pants; Enjoy your home search, and feel free to contact me with any questions. Caitlin A. Phillips Realtor. Nieghbor and Friend Posted by Caitlin Phillips at 1:44 PM Labels: Ann Arbor Apartments, Caitlin Phillips, Prudential Real estate agents redditch, UMCU, University of Michigan Friday, November 12, 2010 Foreclosure Seekers in Ann Arbor Michigan Real Esate, REJOICE! Here are some useful tools to assist you in getting there. Attached are a few links that you Foreclosure seekers may find useful for your Michigan home search!Corporate Owned Opportunities for Washtenaw County Nov. 11thPlease E Mail Me if y0u would like a Search like this one set up for the areas that you are searching. Being the early bird is half the battle!E Washtenaw.org Property look up at E Washtenaw.org is a wonderful tool to see Ariel photos of the site you are investigating. You can easily see the lay of the land as well as all information regarding ownership. Get PRE-APPROVED for your MORTGAGEApply online, or over the phone, your loan pre-approval is a click away. Do not forget to check out the Bank of America Online home purchase guide today, and then it is time to get started! Fannie Mae Purchase Incentives for Fall 2010Many of the corporate owned opportunities in our area are owned and serviced by Fannie Mae servicing dept called Home Path. This link to the Home Path website shows us the fall incentives for primary resident and selling agents this fall. Posted by Caitlin Phillips at 10:21 AM Labels: Ann Arbor Foreclosures, Caitlin Phillips, HomePath, michigan real estate agent, Prudential Snyder Co. Realtors Thursday, November 11, 2010 Ann Arbor Real Estate tips and Tricks in Ann Arbor Real Estate Ladys Newsletter