Your Ticket to Freedom from Mortgage Frustration In the news, there is talk of a housing recovery. Experts feel more optimistic about the state of housing industry in America. However, if you or someone you know is one of the millions of homeowners who is stuck with a home on which you owe more than the property is worth, the feeling of helplessness can be overwhelming and frustrating.   Many people don’t realize that just because they are in danger of losing their home to foreclosure doesn’t mean they have to wait around for it to happen. With help, they can take matters into their own hands.   CLAIM YOUR TICKET TO FREEDOM!   As a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE), I make it my business to know all of the ins-and-outs of the options that are available for people who are in da... 07/13/2012

Robert Brown | Bellabay Realty | (616) 366-7030 937 Nevada St SE, Grand Rapids, MI A very nice home located in Alger Heights. 3BR/2BA Single Family House offered at $96,900 Year Built 1946 Sq Footage 1,535 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors Unspecified Parking 1 Car garage Lot Size 50,094 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Wonderful Alger Heights area home on a cul-de-sac street. 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths await you. Polished hardwood floors on the main level. Living room with fireplace. Huge dormer room on the upper level. All appliances including a washer and dryer. Ready for your buyer today. see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Fireplace - Hardwood floor - Living room - Dishwasher - Refrigerator - Stove/Oven - Microwave - Basement - Washer - Dryer - Laun... 06/26/2012

Grand Rapids Jazz at the Zoo – Monday Nights 2012 Begins Monday June 4, 2012 runs through August 16 From 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the The John Ball Park Band Shell   The West Michigan Jazz Society will be featuring local bands and talent Monday nights.  Free admission, although the hat is passed for donations.  The West Michigan Jazz Society is trying to keep this tradition going for the 12th year.   So, grab a blanket, food, or purchase food at the event, and enjoy local jazz at its best. Summer 2012     Jazz at the Zoo:   June 4             –   2 Jazz Bands &  E.Kentwood HS Jazz Combo June 11           -  The Beltline Big Band June 18          –  Groupo Aye June 25            -The Tom Hagen Quartet featuring Rick Reuther   July 2                – Mark Kahny Band features Boogie Woogie Babie... 06/12/2012

  The State of Fatherhood. A Biblical perspective.   I should have posted this earlier in the series but sometimes you get too busy (no excuse, I do dislike them) to do what need s to be done. At the Life Quest Center for Urban Outreach we are in the midst of a six week seminar speaking directly concerning Fatherhood. There are many issues concerning this subject. Some good and some not so good. We have the opportunity to hear from a man of God in Pastor Jerry Bishop (I’ve blogged on him before).  He’s going to come at you from a Biblical perspective and show you how/where the Bible speaks on this serious issue. This is NOT a black or white issue. This is a man issue. We are all on equal footing as we ALL need help. You need to be there to gain the knowledge and the wisdom to lead in yo... 06/12/2012

Time is Running Out: How the Mortgage Debt Relief Act can save you!   In 2007, the Mortgage Debt Relief Act was passed in an attempt to help the millions of homeowners who, due to the housing crisis and economic crash, suddenly found themselves in danger of losing their home to foreclosure.   The act has helped many distressed homeowners find solutions to avoid foreclosure and opened up options to them that were previously unavailable.   However, the Mortgage Debt Relief Act was always intended to be a temporary solution and it is now set to expire at the end of 2012. For distressed homeowners, this means that time is limited for you to take advantage of this program.   Time is running out. But there is still a chance to change your financial direction and avoid foreclosure. To Your Suc... 06/08/2012

        Anthony Mosley Loan Originator Van Dyk Mortgage Corp NMLS#3035 Phone: 616-974-9209 Fax: 616-974-9309 License: NMLS#130260 amosley@vandykmortgage.com http://www.anthonyhomeloan.com           Selling E-Books to Earn Extra Cash   With low production costs and little hassle, creating an e-book can help boost your income   and reputation.   By Lisa Gerstner, Kiplinger.com Tara Jefferson spent a year and a half on a book proposal for traditional publishers before she decided to just write the book. Last May, she produced an e-book titled Make It Happen: The Young Mommy Guide to Creating the Career You Crave using Amazon's Create­Space, at no cost. Jefferson, 26, has sold some 650 copies, pocketing about $840. "It exceeded my expectations," she says. As e-books become mainstream, autho... 04/21/2012

"Selling Your Home for More Money and Faster".  Everybody want to know about the faster part of selling.  We went over the first three phases of selling your home.  This part 4 of the 7 part series.  If you missed any of the steps you can review them quickly by selecting the link to the blog post below. Part 1 of a 7 part series.   "Finding the Right Real Estate Agent" "Pricing Your Home to Sell", understanding the competition." "Stage Your Home to Sell Faster", box, pack, stack and store." "How long?"    "Making Your Home Squeaky Clean" "Nose Check", no scary smells "Price Adjustments that Work", dropping your sell price. How long is it going to take to sell your home depends on the market, and marketing.  Some other How Long will it take you to sell your home? factors play into your s... 04/14/2012

Sell My Home For More Money Faster! Part 1 of a 7 part series.   "Finding the Right Real Estate Agent" "Pricing Your Home to Sell", understanding the competition." "Stage Your Home to Sell Faster", box, pack, stack and store. "How long?"    "Making Your Home Squeaky Clean" "Nose Check", no scary smells "Price Adjustments that Work", dropping your sell price. Getting your home ready to sell.  Once you know how much your home is worth sometimes it is an incentive to get your home listed with a real estate agent quickly and get your home in front of buyers.  This may be the exact wrong thing to do!  Think of your home as a somebody else's home for sale.  Would you think your home is sale ready now?  Go to open houses of homes competing with your home sale, in your price range and neighborh... 04/14/2012

Sell My Home For More Money Faster!  Sounds like every seller's dream, but how many times does it really happen? This is part 2 of the 7 part series on "Selling Your Home for More Money and Faster". Part 1 of a 7 part series.   "Finding the Right Real Estate Agent" "Pricing Your Home to Sell", understanding the competition. "Stage Your Home to Sell Faster", box, pack, stack and store. "How long?"   What to do if my home doesn't sell in the First 60 Days? "Making Your Home Squeaky Clean" "Nose Check", no scary smells "Price Adjustments that Work", dropping your sell price. In part 1 we talked about the qualifications and your requirements for selecting the right real estate agent or broker to help you sell your home.  We also discussed why selecting the right agent is so important.     N... 04/14/2012

Every home seller wants to know how to sell their home for the most money possible in the shortest amount of time! Part 1 of a 7 part series, Selling Your Home for More Money Faster! "Finding the Right Real Estate Agent"  "Pricing Your Home to Sell", understanding the competition.  "Stage Your Home to Sell Faster", box, pack, stack and store.  "How long?"  "Making Your Home Squeaky Clean"  "Nose Check", no scary smells  "Price Adjustments that Work", dropping your sell price.  Selling your home for more money faster, may seem like the number one goal of every home seller.  Across the nation a consistent home selling theme emerges. Home sellers are provided the information and then ignore the advice given to them by their real estate agent, they selected to represent them. The reasons fo... 04/13/2012

We hear about all the scams.  The ones that the media reports and those that have bilked people out of their life savings.  Recently a report was issued about the hackers that were about to get thousands of credit card numbers, names and addresses.  Those ingenious crooks use fear and monetary angles to create a response to emails. This week I have had 4 very good looking emails that use the logos, account numbers (fake) and dollar balances to induce me to click on the email.  Most are asking to verify my email address, credit card number and account information. Of course non of the information is correct other than my email address off a website I own.  If a website is hacked and they get email information you could panic and click and the hackers have now verified your email as activ... 04/10/2012

Just when all the news services say the average home price is leveled off, the economy is doing better jobs reports don't show the proof.   It was not that long ago the 5 major banks make a deal with the federal government on "robo-signing" and held back on foreclosures, as I mentioned in another post, when everyone was so happy to see a slight decline in foreclosures.  That was the "Phantom" surge where a myth was perpetuated to make consumers feel good that the economy was getting better. One of the leading mortgage process servicing companies says business jumped 28% in February.  Although you may think because of the decline of about 47% in foreclosures in 2011 this can't be true tighten your belt here are some hidden facts not being reported on your television yet. Deutsche Bank ha... 04/06/2012

We all know that following a budget is a must.  In this economy it is a survival tool for most families. Yesterday afternoon we had some tragic results for a local family trying to save some money on their budget. I live a couple miles from a road that has seen traffic increase 100% in the last year.  It is because of the increased traffic on main stream surface roads.  This road allows for a bit of a short cut without the congestion.  The views remind you of a country road only off the side streets are subdivisions and a blend of a few farms left. My subdivision backs up to a wooded area that connects to that area.  One farm has had riding and jumping horses forever.  Nobody really thinks too much of the horses.  The small farm is allowed to have them and they daughters ride them in ev... 04/06/2012

When buyer's are anxious they don't always wait for their "Buyer's Agent".  One of my agent's called this morning with a concern over a seller's agent. The buyer's went to an open house, already under exclusive contract with my buyer agent.  The Seller's agent hosting the open house never asked if the buyer was under contract, however the buyer's shared they had an agent and would bring their agent if this was a home they were interested in submitting an offer.  Good for them, they did what they should have done. The buyer's agent proceeded to ask the buyer's questions: Are you happy with your buyer's agent? How much are you pre-qualified to spend? Where will you be submitting an offer? Can I have a copy of your pre-qualification letter? My agent wasn't happy over the third degree by th... 04/06/2012

Easter has different meaning for many and no meaning for others.  In our family it means more than an Easter egg hunt for the children. We have come to a time in the United States where an assault on religious beliefs can cause a lawsuits.  Religion is now a secondary issue to politics and news reports.  Beliefs are the rights of the individual and should not be pushed on others that have a different belief, is my personal belief.  Yet with that I must say I take my faith very seriously and would not march in the streets to blast someone else's faith. I don't view Easter as a holiday but a celebration of what happened for me.  I have many friends of different faiths and each has their own unique perspective of what Easter means to them.  Be thrilled you can still celebrate Easter in the... 04/06/2012

When you market a home do you use a virtual tour or slide show?  The quality of photos is either great or it is not.  Many agents still do not believe "a photo is worth a Thousand Words"!  Although I do find many yet that think a "Single Photo" will do.  I'll bet their clients are really happy with them!   Statistics have proven you get more views with multiple photos than a single photo.  Makes sense, when you know over 80% of people using search engines are doing research before they buy anything.  Real estate shopping is no exception. We have some great agents that are so in tune with the need for photos that their work looks like it came out of a photography magazine.  I have embraced technology since purchasing my first computer and matrix printer in the late 80's for $8000.00 and ... 04/05/2012

I work everyday on a Macintosh Computer.  One of the reason's I purchased it was the reduced vulnerability to getting computer viruses.   Today Mashable released a report that over 600,000 Mac were infected with a trojan horse virus called "Flashback".  This may be a news flash to some but Mac's are not untouchable, but in my estimation less susceptable to viruses than the PC with a window operating system.  I used PC's for years and still do for some programs but the majority of my work is done on a MAC with the OSX Lion operating system.   I read the article and quickly went to my "check for Software Updates" on my laptop and sure enough the update for the virus was ready to be downloaded.  Which of course I did immediately.  This virus is specific to the OSX 10.6 and up and the OSX L... 04/05/2012

Being professional, hiring professionals or hoping for a professional agent? What does your presentation imply?  Are you an OK agent with average skills and get your share of sales.  Do you list and sell or do you specialize as a seller or buyer's agent? What do you think clients want from you?  Do they expect more than you can give them?  Does your presentation give them the impression you can do more than you can deliver?  Think of your clients and their interpretation of your presentation. Real Estate Knowledge, does your demeanor and example within your presentation reinforce your knowledge or are you just getting by with the basics. Do you offer what your clients really want?  If they are Buyer's, are you helping them define their goals and offering yourself the opportunity to succ... 04/05/2012

Well it seems that not everybody likes a "Good Hooter"!  The local "Hooter's" is closing.  The same owners already closed the "Hooter's" in Muskegon Michigan now the Grand Rapids Michigan "Hooter's" is closing. This may not be an important topic if it did not show social change.  The basis for the chain was young women in scanty clothing serving chicken wings with sports channels blaring all over the restaurant.  I have never personally been in the restaurant myself, so I have only the franchise prospectus, I reviewed many years ago as my knowledge base. The point being anytime you have beautiful young women, a sports bar setting with any concievable channel and drinks how can you not create cleints?  The fact is, every business must provide services that their clients want at a fair pr... 04/04/2012

"Fair Housing Act" was created to do a simple task that the government deemed wasn't being done to protect it's citizens.  A lot has happened over the years, all in the name of the "Fair Housing Act". Today is a new low for the "Fair Housing Act", it shows how any well intended law or act can be manipulated for the benefit of "one", and for the publicity of another.  A young woman, in a graduate program with a heart condition, working on a masters program at a local college moved into a college dormitory housing.  Since this university accepts public money it falls under the fair housing act.  Along with the master's seeking student came her, rodent "Guinea Pig", when she moved into the dorm. The dorm rules say she cannot have the "Guinea Pig" no matter how cute.  The domitory rules out... 04/03/2012