Meet the serial entrepreneur who owns the Milford Anytime Fitness

Many times when I meet small business owners I see that they are people who have a special passion for what they are doing and I always wonder how they got to this point, to this particular business at this time in their lives. Well before I joined Anytime Fitness in Milford, I met Christine Wierenga, the owner, at a Chamber of Commerce event. It was an after business hours mixer at a local bar/restaurant in Milford.  I’m a Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and one of our Ambassador duties is to attend events like that one and to make sure that members, especially new members, get introduced around and get the opportunity to meet their fellow local business people. I met Christine that night and took it upon myself to introduce her around. We’ve been friends ever since and I eventually joined her Anytime Fitness gym in Milford and began my personal fitness journey.

I asked Christine to answer the question that she gets often about how she got into the business of gym ownership and below is her answer -

A question I am frequently asked is “How did you get into the fitness business”? I never mind answering that question because telling the story reminds me of the seemingly random way I came into gym ownership. I won’t go into too many details, but here’s how it happened.

I bought a classic car after I graduated high school and I wanted a custom interior in it. I couldn’t afford to pay someone to do the job, so I taught myself to sew and bought an upholstery sewing machine. It turned out well, so I invested in a bigger sewing machine and starting doing upholstery repairs for gyms in Michigan (while also doing automotive restorations). I grew my upholstery repair business to include gyms across the country, specializing in on-site repairs. As I went from gym to gym, I realized that many gyms were very poorly run and were severely lacking in customer service; so, I decided I could do it better. I did my research on the gym industry and bought an Anytime Fitness franchise on the East Side.

After running the fitness equipment upholstery business for almost 10 years (and having been a member of at least 8 different gyms) the decision to open an Anytime Fitness was an easy one!  That decision was fueled by my experiences with those facilities - ranging from overwhelmingly positive to shockingly horrible!  What set the exceptional clubs apart from the rest?   Customer service!  Or as we call it here at Anytime Fitness – Club Culture.  It’s an atmosphere that welcomes you, encourages you and keeps you coming back!   We know that most people have a difficult time making fitness a habit - It is my team’s goal to make sure that our members feel at home in the club.   We strive to keep our clients motivated and engaged. After all, they trust us to help them with their fitness journey!    

Since opening my first location in 2007, I purchased two other locations (the latest in Milford) and subsequently sold off the two East Side gyms to focus upon the Milford location. I have often looked back to see how I got here. Sometimes in life, you don’t understand why a project isn’t working out or you’re pulled in a different direction. In hindsight, I know that every stumbling block, every closed door, every “coincidence” was there for a reason. When I was asked in school “what do you want to be when you grow up”, I always found it difficult to narrow it down to one profession.  As a small business owner, I don’t have to just “pick one”!  With Anytime Fitness, I'm involved in everything - all of the things I love. I am able to help people get started on their fitness journey. I have an excellent team (of who I am incredibly proud!), that I get to see grow professionally and personally.  As a numbers geek, I even love the back-office work….yes, even spreadsheets!  

Anytime Fitness of Milford is much more than just a business to me.  The people there are my family – staff and members alike.   I’ve been amazed by the transformations I’ve seen our members undergo – Not just the physical changes you’d expect to see, but the even more incredible changes in their confidence, self-esteem, health and energy levels!  It may have taken a strange turn of events to get me here, but I am sure glad I’m here!

Yours in Health,

Christine Wierenga

So, now you know Christine’s story. I encourage you to come into Anytime Fitness in Milford and meet Christine or her
 gym manager Willa Danowski. Right now (Ed.- April 2015) is a good time to do that because they are offering Free Workout Saturdays to introduce people to the gym. You can try out the gym for free! While you’re there pick up one of the free 7-day membership cards and come back to try it out during the week. If you get there in the early mornings, (Ed. - I define that as between 8:00 and 10 AM) you are likely to see me there, too. I go to the gym 5-6 days a week, most weeks. I know of no better way to start my day than with a good workout.

Like some of the ads that you’ll see on TV, the Anytime Fitness gym in Milford isn’t full of “lunks working to feel the burn.” It is full of people like you and me, just trying to get back into a little bit of shape. Joining means that you get a free assessment from one of the personal trainers to help you understand where you are starting from and them they give you a workout schedule to help you get started on your personal  journey to fitness. The gym has lots of exercise machines and, of course, free weights.They also offer lots of free classes for members, from the Saturday Morning Boot Camp, to Spinning, to Zumba to Cross-training to you-name-it. Choose how many or how few you may wish to participate in or just decide to work out on your own whenever you can get in. It took me a while to work up the courage to try the boot camps, but now I’m fairly regular on Saturday mornings.

The great thing about the atmosphere in the Milford Anytime Fitness is the sense of family that you quickly get to be a part of. The same people tend to show up at the same times and you soon meet everyone who is on your workout schedule by their first names. Sometimes I think some of the ladies who come in the early morning spend more time socializing than exercising, but that’s OK; they’re getting out and getting some time on the treadmill or the elliptical or the other machines and they
 are enjoying the time spent at the gym. Life’s too short not to enjoy it, so come on out to Anytime Fitness, at  141 South Milford Road, Milford, MI 48381 (in the old Farmer Jack’s Shopping Center near the corner of Milford Road and GM Road)  Phone: (248) 685-8373 and start your fitness journey. Maybe I’ll see you along the way. And if you think you're up for a real workout right away, join us Saturday mornings at 8 AM for Boot Camp.

Make a Difference on Earth Day…

We celebrate Earth Day April 26th and earlier this year we celebrated Make A Difference Day. I think we should combine the two thoughts and Make a Difference on Earth Day. If on Earth Day everyone on the planet did one little things to help preserve our planet; that would

be billions of little things that help. As they seem to say in Washington – a billion here and a billion there and pretty soon you’ve got something real.

There are lots of events going on around the country to celebrate Earth Day. Most of them have something to do with conservation of natural resources or lessening the impact of man on the planet through recycling or use of less polluting fuels. It is always sobering to read about or see on TV that entire species are about to be wiped out, but that is happening. The impact of global warming is finally being felt and realized by more people and the fact that the oceans are not limitless is now understood. Whether these revelations come soon enough to save what is left is still in doubt.

We are a throwaway society. We have become accustomed to just discarding something when it has been used for a while or when the “next big thing” comes along. Unfortunately we’ll not be able to see the next big thing once we have used up this planet that we live upon. Maybe a million years from now some space-roving explorers will discover a lifeless planet that shows signs that it once supported a primitive civilization that could only figure out how to make energy by burning things, with a people who had a penchant for killing things. They will wonder at the stupidity of a planet of people who committed such a slow and avoidable suicide. Of course, by that time the planet will be rules by the bugs that remained and not by the apes as their movies predicted.

So, maybe this coming Sunday you can begin the re-write of that scenario by making a

difference, by doing something, anything to change your personal behavior towards the planet. It can be a simple as not rolling down your window and tossing your fast food bag out as you drive, or maybe planting a tree instead of burning a pile of leaves, or maybe walking to the store instead of getting in the car for the 3- block trip. Every little bit helps. You don’t have to go out and hug a tree (however, that might make you feel a little better) or find a whale to save; but, you don’t have to do a lot of other things that are causing harm to the planet either. Just think about things before you do them; then don’t do some of the bad things and do go ahead with the good one. This isn’t rocket science, it’s earth science and that’s the only rocket that we have to ride on.

If you’re in the Milford Michigan area, here’s a great way to spend a part of the day - Earth Friendly Family Fun Festival 2015 - noon until 4 PM at Carls Family YMCA, 300 Family Dr, Milford, MI  48381. Help celebrate the Earth with lots of activities for the whole family. Click here to view the event flyer.

Come listen to the stories of our own Main Street Brat

The Milford Historical Society presents Mary Lou and Main Street - Our Thursday  April 16th General Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Milford Methodist Church at 1200 Atlantic St and it will be a Potluck. Pot Luck assignments are as follows:  A—F–  Salad or Side Dish   G—Q   Main Dish      R—Z— Desserts.

The Guest Speaker that night will be our own Mary Lou Gharrity (shown on the left

with Marlene Gomez, our recently retired Museum Director). This is a Meeting you will want to attend for sure. Come listen to the stories of the Main Street Brat! Mary Lou grew up in Yea Olde Hotel on Main street and has decades of Milford stories to share.

The Milford Historical Society holds general membership meeting every other month, with guest speakers talking about topics of historical interest from the area and from Michigan. Past speakers have talked about topics like the founding of Detroit and the early settlers who migrated out to found Towns and Villages like Milford, about the impact of the railroads on the small towns that they passed through, about the work of the CCC during the Great Depressing and the CCC camps that were set up in Michigan, about the Vernors soft drink company and about being in the Nazi concentration camps (from a concentration camp survivor).

This months speaker is lifelong Milford resident Mary Lou Gharrity, who spent at least a part of her childhood living in Yea Olde Hotel, Milford's downtown hotel, which her parents ran. Later she and her husband owned and ran the Milford Times. Mary Lou, as much as anyone can represents a living history of Milford, and her stories of the old days are fascinating. we hope that you will join us.

The Milford Historical Society was founded in 1973 by a group of citizens who recognized the importance of the heritage of their community and wished to share it with their contemporaries and preserve it for those who will follow. To these ends, the members have established a museum, a research and archives room, and have sponsored, in conjunction with the Milford Township Library and the State of Michigan Library, the microfilming of the Milford Times newspaper beginning with the first issue in 1871. The Society is currently involved with a project in conjunction with Central Michigan University's Clarke History Library to convert that microfilm library into a searchable, on-line database.

The Milford Historical Society is chartered as a 501c3 Non-Profit organization and as such is eligible to accept tax-deductible contributions. The Society supports the Milford Historical Museum at 124 E. Commerce St (one block east of Main St) and all of its projects from membership donations and fund raising efforts and received no outside support. The Society’s continuing projects include an annual home tour, various research projects and an effort toward local architectural preservation. Through it’s own Sesquicentennial Committee, the Society published a book titled TEN MINUTES AHEAD OF THE REST OF THE WORLD – A History of Milford  as another step towards preserving and disseminating the history of Milford, Michigan.

I know I signed a contract, but what are my “outs”?

There was an interesting article by Benny L. Kass in my daily Realty Times news feed recently that covered the topic of when real estate sale contracts become binding.  You can read Benny’s article at -

http://realtytimes.com/consumeradvice/sellersadvice1/item/34181-20150408-when-does-a-contract-become-a-binding-contract

Benny is apparently from the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and the advice that he gives and contract that he references represent not only the legal side of things, but also the local real estate customs.

I suppose that some lawyers might argue that there is no such thing as a binding contract, just contracts that make it very onerous to cancel or get out of for cause. Locally (in Southeastern Michigan) almost all of the various Purchase Agreements (PAs) that I have seen from the companies

that do business in this area are binding when both parties have signed the contract; however, all of them have several clauses that provide “outs” for the purchasers. Those are contingency clauses that specify certain things that the buyer must be happy with in order to proceed or which must at least have outcomes that are to the buyers’ satisfaction. Usually there are time frames associated with each contingency during which the buyer must perform some inspection or test or complete other actions necessary to proceed to the closing. Perhaps calling then “outs” is a somewhat misleading term. They are not things that the Buyer actively looks for or uses to get out of the contract; but they are the contingencies that allow the Buyer to decide not to proceed with the deal and which allow the Buyer to get their earnest Money Deposit back in full. In most cases there are also provisions for the Seller to try to resolve any issues to the Buyers satisfaction. In every case there are also set time frames within which things must occur. Failing to meet the deadline requirements is considered to be acceptance by both sides of the state of things “as is”.

The first big hurdle that the deal needs to get over is usually the home inspection, which in this area is typically required to be done within 7-10 days (sometimes less) after the Seller and Buyer have both accepted the Purchase Agreement. The wording on most home inspections clauses usually specifies

how the Buyer is to express to the Seller his dissatisfaction with the findings and within what time frame. Most PAs then give the Seller some opportunity at a retort to the Buyers issues. Some contracts, however, let the Buyer move right to declaring the contract null and void, based upon his dissatisfaction with the inspection. If the contract wording allows the Seller time to respond it is usually short and the response requires that the Seller tell the Buyer what he is offering to re-mediate the issues. That could be an offer to have the problems fixed to the Buyers satisfaction or to reduce the agreed upon sale price by an amount that would allow the Buyer to resolve the issues after closing (that would be called a Seller Concession).  Should the Buyer and Seller fail to come to a mutually acceptable agreement on the issues the Buyer will normally have the option to declare the agreement to be void and get their Earnest Money Deposit back in full.

The next big hurdle is normally the appraisal, which is a key part of the Buyer’s ability to get the mortgage that he needs to buy the place. The contract normally specifies a window within which the Buyer must make his formal application for the mortgage, usually within a similar timeline as is set for the inspection deadline. Once the Buyer has applied for the mortgage, the mortgage company will order the appraisal. Getting the appraisal scheduled can take a week or more, so about 2-3 weeks

might pass from the time of acceptance of the contract until this appraisal actually takes place. The appraiser may take 3-5 days to get the report back through his management and into the hands of the mortgage company. If the Buyer gets one of those “Houston we have a problem” calls from his mortgage company another round of negotiations starts with the Seller.

The options for dealing with a low appraisal are that the Seller concede the difference between the strike price and the appraised value or the Buyer throws extra money into the deal to make up the difference or they reach some compromise in the middle.  Failing an acceptable compromise, most Purchase Agreements in this area would allow the Buyer to walk away from the deal and get his Earnest Money Deposit back. Appraisal issues have been the biggest cause of failed deals for the last couple of years, because the mortgage companies and the appraisers have been very conservative and have not kept up with the rising property values in the market.

Another part of the mortgage contingency language in Purchase Agreements also provides an “out” for the Buyer if the mortgage company turns down the mortgage, even if the house did appraise. OK, how can that happen? There are lots of things that can cause the underwriter at the mortgage company to turn down the mortgage, even if the mortgage originator (the mortgage agent that the Buyer was dealing with all along) thought that the Buyer was golden. Buyers can get a “Pre-Approval Letter” based on nothing more than the preliminary information that they give to the mortgage agent and a quick credit check.  Once the mortgage is actually applied for the file goes to the underwriter (that mysterious man behind the curtain) who begins an in-depth review of the deal and the Buyer. The Buyer is asked to provide all sorts of detailed financial information that wasn’t required initially and the devil is usually in those details.

The underwriter may look at up to two years’ worth of financial statements and tax returns (sometimes more), check on employment and review all recent credit purchases looking for any red flags that might indicate that the Buyer doesn’t have the wherewithal to carry this new debit load. Things like getting some money from mom and dad to make the down payment may seem to the Buyer to be his own business, but to the underwriter that is a red flag that must be explained and documented. Was it a gift or a loan? The underwriter also reviews the PA, the title work and any other documentation that may have a bearing on the deal; because his job is to protect the bank from undue risk.  This contingency, like the others in the PA, has a deadline; usually the mortgage must be approved (or denied) within 30-45 days from the date when all parties signed the deal. If the Buyer is turned down for the mortgage, most PA contracts contain provisions for the Buyer to back out of the deal and get his Earnest Money Deposit back.

There is another contingency written into most PAs that could occur between those two steps. When a real estate deal is signed one or both of the Realtors® involved will engage a title company to do the research on the title to the property to make sure that it can be passed to the Buyer at closing. Depending upon the office practices of those Realtors and t3he provisions within the PA, the title search could occur anywhere from a few days to a week or more after the PA is signed. The title search is done at the County Register of Deeds office and any and all recorded encumbrances upon the title are usually found. That may include recording for the sale of mineral rights (usually oil and gas), recordings of any tax liens against the property, recordings of any trades liens (sometimes called mechanics liens) against the property, all recorded easements for utilities, or access rights and any rights-of-way.

The “Title Commit” that comes back from the title company, based upon that search, gives a detailed list of any issues that were found or which need to be resolved in order to insure the title at closing. The PA language usually specifies both a deadline for getting title work done and to the Buyer for review and any objections, as well as provisions about how the Buyers objections must be expressed to the Seller.  Usually the Seller is given some time frame to rectify any issues with the title that the Buyer has; however, if the issues cannot be rectified to the Buyers satisfaction, this is another “out” for the Buyer and he gets all of his Ernest Money Deposit back. Deals have fallen through because of issue with the encumbrances on the title that could not be resolved.

So, let’s assume that the Buyer has gotten through all of these things and was satisfied with each; is it now full steam ahead to closing and the Buyer is now locked in? Well, almost. There is one final “out” that the Buyer could end up using. That last hurdle is the final walk-through. Most contracts

have a provision for the Buyer to walk through the house right before closing to be sure that the house is in substantially the same condition as the day that the offer was written and that the Seller has not damaged the house or removed items that were in the contract or considered to be a part of the house at the time of the offer. I have not had a deal fall apart at that late point, but I have heard of it happening. Sometimes Sellers do something stupid that dramatically changes the house as far as the Buyer is concerned and the Buyer is within his contractual rights to refuse to go through with the closing, if that is the case. Once again the Seller is usually given the opportunity to correct the issues.

If it seems like there are many places where the Buyer could back out and the deal fall apart, there are; however, in most deals both parties really want the deal to go to closing, so most of these “outs” are never used. The Buyer and Seller usually work out some compromise on any and all issues. It may be that the Seller makes repairs, offers price concessions, or corrects issue with the title or that both reach some agreement on how to handle the low appraisal. Most of the time, the sales go to closing.

There is one condition for which the Buyer really has no “out” and that is just getting cold feet and the last minute, sometimes called “buyer’s remorse”. This can occur for many different reasons and at any time, but it is usually after all other contingencies have been met and the closing is scheduled.  If, at that point, the Buyer has signed off on the home inspection and title work and been approved for the mortgage, he cannot just change his mind and back out, without consequences. No one can make the Buyer go through with the closing; however, at that point he will usually lose his Earnest Money Deposit, which will be given to the Seller (usually split between the Seller and his listing broker) as compensation for having taken his house off the market for the time that the deal was in-process.

If you are a Buyer, your Realtor should go over the Purchase Agreement with you in detail and explain all of these contingencies, so that you know what your rights are at every phase of the deal. If you are the Seller, you must understand that the Buyer has the right to back out of the deal and get his Earnest Money Deposit back if you cannot resolve these issues to his satisfaction. Most of the time the issues that come in a deal can be resolved and it makes no sense to blow the sale up and lose the Buyer over an issue that may have a relatively low price tag for resolution. If the home inspection finds Radon in your basement and you refuse to put in or pay for a Radon remediation system for $800, you have just bought your house back for that $800. Is it really worth it on a $200,000 to $300,000 sale? There may be some things that you just can’t fix or that you can’t offer a big enough price concession to overcome and the deal will fall apart. You’ll have to resolve those issues before you get another buyer, one way or another, because they will come up again. As the Seller, you have no ”outs” on those issues.

Hopefully, as either a Buyer or Seller, you now better understand the contingencies that may be within a real estate Purchase Agreement. Whichever side you are on, read that PA carefully before you sign and know your obligations and your outs.

Spring has sprung...get on the market

Spring has officially arrived, even if the weather sometimes doesn't feel like it yet. If you've been waiting until Spring to list your house, now is the time to act. The inventory in the area and especially in the Village is very low, so there will be less competition for buyers right now. And believe me, buyers are out looking! In fact many buyers have recently complained that they are getting frustrated because they want to move to Milford, but can't find many houses to look at. Take advantage of that to get the best price and the quickest sale for your house.

Another positive factor that could change if you wait is the low mortgage interest rates. Mortgages rates are still hovering right around 4% (up and down on a weekly basis) and mortgage lenders are hungry for business again. Programs allowing buyers to get into a home for only 3% down are back and some programs offering zero down loans are available. It won't get any better than that.

So, if you have been holding off making that move into a bigger house (or downsizing) or maybe trying to get closer to relatives, now is the tie to put your home on the market. In order to get ready, I suggest that you invite me in for a market analysis of your home. I'll need to do a quick walk-through visit and you'll end up getting tow valuable things - an estimated current market value for your home AND a to-do list of the things that you can do quickly to get it ready for market and achieve a higher price and quicker sale. The analysis is free but the information may be priceless.

If you've been looking in the Milford area and you're getting frustrated by not finding what you want, let me take some of that frustration off your shoulders and search for you. Many times a local Realtor like me will hear about homes that are going to be going on the market before they are even listed and can give you a heads-up. I might also be able to save yo some time by recommending that you not waste a visit on a listing that I know won't fit or that you won't like.

Give me a call today at 248-763-2497 and let me start helping you fulfill your dream. Whether your desire is to move away from Milford or to move into Milford, I can help.

Splitting home equity in divorce when one party owned the home before marriage

 ED. - This is a guest post by my friend and local attorney Kathryn Wayne-Spindler. Kathryn specializes in family law, which encompasses estate planning and divorce and child protection types of cases. I end up getting involved in the disposal of the family home in many divorce cases and it is not unusual that the property may have been owned by one of the parties in the marriage before they even met. So, I asked Kathryn to comment for a post on what happens and how the court decides who gets what in divorce cases involving that scenario. Below is her reply:

In Michigan, the courts typically prescribe an “equitable” division of assets during divorce proceedings. This includes the equity in the family home. One factor that alters the “even” split, however, is if one of the parties owned the home before the marriage.

In the case of one party owning the home prior the marriage, the courts will usually return the down payment and any equity accumulated before the marriage, to the original owner. The remainder of the appreciated value would be split according to whatever formula the courts deem appropriate for the rest of the couple’s assets.

This holds true for marriages lasting less than 10 years. Long-term marriages are different because the assets have become so co-mingled over the years that determining which equity should be attributed to the down payment or other factors, becomes too difficult. Divorce Attorney Kathryn Wayne-Spindler said, “The definition of long-term marriage depends on the judge. Some say more than 10 years, but certainly 15 or more would count as a long-term marriage.”

In a long-term marriage, the proceeds from the sale of the family home, no matter who purchased it originally, would be split equitably. As Kathryn Wayne-Spindler has said, “equitable does not necessarily mean even. The courts start at a 50-50 split but take infidelity, each party’s income potential, and many other factors into account.”

The courts also consider the amount of divisible assets when deciding who gets the profits from the house. So even if one party owned the home before the marriage, if the house is the couple’s only valuable asset, some of the proceeds will be awarded to each person. “In these cases, the goal of property division is to make sure that neither party will be left destitute,” said Wayne-Spindler.

In cases where the couple has been married less than 10 years and they do have other assets to divide, the original owner would need to provide documentation of the original property purchase including closing papers and cancelled checks showing the amount of the down payment.

Then a historical appraisal would be performed. A certified appraiser, like Norma Nicholson of Nicholson Appraisal Services in Milford, MI, would look at the value of the home at the time of the marriage. She would take into account the comps at the time, features and improvements. In addition to the retroactive appraisal, the certified appraiser would do a current appraisal. The difference in the two amounts gives the court a value of the divisible equity of the home.

In Michigan, in the last decade especially, housing values have been on a roller-coaster path. There are, unfortunately, cases where the house was purchased for a high price and actually lost equity because of market conditions. “In that situation, the equity was likely lost forever.” The good news is that property values in this state are rebounding in 2015 and many homeowners are finding increased equity in their homes once again.

In summary, if the marriage lasted less than 10-15 years and there are other divisible assets, the original down payment and equity accrued before the wedding would generally be returned to the party that originally owned the home. The equity accumulated between the marriage date and divorce would then be split equitably.

Ed. - So, like many areas of the law each case may end up slightly different, depending upon many factors; however, it does appear that at least some of the equity that may have accumulated during a marriage that lasted 10 years or more will be split. This may not be what either party wanted to hear, but there are very few outcomes in a divorce that end happily for either side. Should you become involved in a divorce situation or one that seems to be headed in that direction, seek the advice of  good attorney. If you are in the Milford, Michigan area I can think of no better attorney than Kathryn Wayne-Spindler.

What’s that white stuff on my lawn?

The snow has finally melted in our area and my lawn has this whitish/grey stuff that looks like cotton

candy on it. What’s that?

Well, as you might have guessed, it is not cotton candy; it’s a a disease - mold that is growing in your lawn. It’s called snow mold and it’s very common in the northern tier of states and in Canada. Below is a little about it from Wikipedia –

Snow mold is a type of fungus and a turf disease that damages or kills grass after snow melts, typically in late winter.[1] Its damage is usually concentrated in circles three to twelve inches in diameter, although yards may have many of these circles, sometimes to the point at which it becomes hard to differentiate between different circles. Snow mold comes in two varieties: pink or gray.

Gray snow mold (Typhula spp. or Typhula blight) is the less damaging form of snow mold. While its damage may appear widespread, it typically does little damage to the grass itself, only to the blades.[1] Unlike most plant pathogens, it is able to survive throughout hot summer months as sclerotia under the ground or in plant debris.[3] Typhula blight is commonly found in United States in the Great Lakes region and anywhere with cold winter temperatures and persistent snow fall.[4][5]

References:

1.  "Snow Mold Fact Sheet". University of Rhode Island Landscape Horticulture Program. Retrieved 2012-10-07

2. "RPD No. 404 - Snow Molds of Turfgrasses". Univ. of Illinois Extension. July 1997. Retrieved November 11, 2011.

3. Ash, Cynthia (February 2000). "SNOW MOLDS in LAWNS". University of Minnesota. Retrieved 2012-10-07.

4. Kerns, J.P. (2011). "Turf diseases of the Great Lakes region". Univ. of Wisconsin Extension. Retrieved November 11, 2011.

5. Johnston, William H. (December 2003). "Snow Mold Control in the Intermountain Northwest". U.S. Golf Association. Retrieved November 10, 2011.

I live in Michigan and get grey snow mold in my yard every spring (the picture above was taken in my front yard). Apparently it isn’t really all that harmful to the grass, but perhaps I could do a better job of raking the lawn before the first big snowfall to get it ready for winter. The grey splotches in your lawn now will disappear as the weather warms and certainly be chopped away with the first mowing of the lawn. The mold doesn’t go away, it just goes dormant and remains underground until next winter’s snows.

If you would like to read about alternatives to control snow mold in your lawn, here is a link to an article from the University of Massachusetts that discusses several fungicides that you might use.  Apparently, since the banning of Mercury-based fungicides, there has not been a single fungicide that can effectively control all of the various strains of snow mold, especially the pink type.  

Snow mold is just one of the molds that can infest lawns and you are likely to see most of the other types over the course of a summer, either in your yard or as neighbor’s lawn. Some of the molds are not associated with the grass, but may be growing on the roots of trees, especially trees that were cut down but the roots left to rot. Guess what eats those roots? That’s right – molds.

 So, the bottom line is that you should not necessarily be overly alarmed by the snow mold; but, perhaps take some action this summer and fall to treat your lawn, so that it does not return next year. You won’t see it all summer, but it is still there, underground, just waiting for that first big snow to start growing again. You may still get “fairy rings” and mushroom s popping up from time to time in your lawn and those are forms of molds too, but that’s a different story and usually less harmful to the lawn.

About BPOs, CMAs and Appraisals…

Would be home buyers may occasionally hear that the listed price was based upon a BPO. Sometimes, if the property is to be a short-sale the sellers will hear that term, too; as the bank or mortgage company tries to determine a fair market price.  Normal sellers will always hear the term

CMA or Comparative (sometimes Competitive) Market Analysis; and both buyers and sellers will certainly hear the term Appraisal before the deal is done. All of those terms refer to processes done by professionals in an attempt to determine the value of the property. They are all industry terms and all sound better that SWAG (Scientific Wild-Assed Guess), which it also what they all are.

Of the three terms the one with the most science involved is the appraisal, or at least that is what the appraisal industry works hard at portraying. Buried in the fine print of every appraisal is a little sentence or phrase that points out that the work is an opinion about the price.

Like all of these processes, the appraisal involves real data, mainly from past sales of similar homes, and lots of real work as the appraiser tries to adjust the data that he or she has to work with to level the playing field and make the comparison of the “subject property” reflect as close as possible the current value of the house being appraised. There is no intrinsic value to any house and the most honest assessment of value that I’ve ever heard is that any house is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. Unfortunately, there is also usually a mortgage company involved and so the value becomes whatever the mortgage company says it is worth – thus the need for the appraisal.

So what do the appraisers use to determine a house’s market value? They start with the assumption that the house is worth what others have paid for exactly the same house. Their job is made immensely easier if the house is in a tract sub with lots and lots of recent sales of houses of exactly the same floorplan and amenities. That does happen, but the reality is that no two houses are ever built exactly alike, so the appraisers challenge is to make “adjustments” for the differences.  That’s still fairly easy in big developments; but, what happens when the house being appraised is custom built and off away from other similar houses. That’s where the appraiser starts applying all of his scientific and experience skills to try to create that level playing field, so the houses can be compared as a market.

Appraisers like to work with as little distance involved as possible, so most like to work with similar homes that are within a mile or two, but they will go out further is necessary.  Staying local takes a lot of the neighborhood factors out of the comparison. They also need the homes to be the same in terms of amenities – number of bedrooms (and locations in the floorplan) and baths, style (i.e. single story, multi story, split level, etc.) and age of the build, garage size, basement finish and much more. The appraisers use the term comps or comparable, because they want you to believe that they are looking at a group of houses that are the same (comparable) as the one that you are considering and that it is logical therefore that your house should sell for the same as those examples. It’s a reasonable and logical conclusion to draw.

The appraisal process does have flaws. The appraiser has seldom done more than drive by the comps, so they may not have a good feel for the materials, finishes or conditions inside. They try to make up

for that by looking at all of the MLS pictures that were on line for the comps. So they try to make adjustments for any differences that they note; adding on value or taking off value for those differences. The other flaw is that they are using data from past sales, so the market may have moved on from those sales, sometimes rather rapidly as is has over the last year or so. So they make adjustments for that, too. You start to see why there is that little statement about it being an opinion; a highly informed one of the appraiser is good and has worked hard at it; but an opinion none the less.

Now, BPOs and CMAs are similar processes but done by real estate professionals and dome without nearly as much rigor as an appraiser uses. Banks and mortgage companies hire local real estate professionals to render opinion about the current market value of properties that they are going to put on the market  as short-sales or as foreclosures. Most of the time a Realtor® hired to do a BPO will be required to at least visit the property to assess it’s condition. After that the process is much the same as with the appraisal, but without all of the adjusting efforts.  The Realtor will look for comps, usually within 3-5 miles of the subject property and using sales that are within the last six months within the market area. The agent will use comps that have the same number of bedrooms and baths and other key amenities; but they make no real effort to agonize over the details and make adjustments. They need to get it within a ballpark range for the bank. Because BPOs are ordered and paid for by the lender, they tend to be conservative on the value. They also tend to involve “distressed homes” that may have been damaged or vandalized, many times by the previous owner.

The Realtor that you call to list your house will do a Market Analysis (usually called a CMA) to try to determine what a fair market price will be for the house. He or she will likely find 3-5 similar

homes that have sold within a 3-5 mile radius of your home and 3-5 homes that are similar and are currently on the market.  Realtors tend to be optimistic about the market and forward looking, so they will almost always come up with the highest “value” for your home. They are trying to answers two questions -  what do I think I can get for this house on today’s market and what do I think it will appraise for if I get that price? As a Realtor, I never use the word comps when I present CMA’s that I have done. I’m careful to use the term “similar homes”, because I understand that I have not applied the rigor that an appraiser would to the selection of the homes, nor do I try to make all of the adjustments that an appraiser would. Certainly I take into consideration things like no garage or no basement and style of the house when looking for similar sold or active homes. If necessary I might make a gross adjustment for a major difference, like no garage when all of the similar homes have one.

The bottom line on all of these is that they are the opinion of the preparer, some done with great rigor and some not. The more “cookie-cutter” your house is that more likely they are to be fairly accurate. Things like location (different school districts, for instance, or located on water) or land content (1/2 and acre vs a place with 5-10 acres), and differences in amenities like finished or unfinished basements can make huge differences in the “values” returned by these processes. They are what we have to work with and it is up to you to question how the market value was determined. Like everything lese in life it should make sense to you and if it doesn’t get a second opinion. You’ll note that nowhere in any of these processes do factors like what you need to get or want to get for your house;  or even what your neighbor down the street got last year for his house (unless it is exactly the same as yours). The market doesn’t care what you need. What all of these processes are trying to determine is what someone might pay for it now. Hopefully you’ll be happy with what you can get. Call me or your Realtor to find out more or visit my web site www.themilfordteam.com.

5 reasons to consult an attorney when you sell a house

ED. - This is the first of what I hope will be several guest posts by local attorney Kathryn Wayne-Spindler. Kathryn is a friend and my personal lawyer and possibly a future client. Kathryn's practice is focused upon family law areas, with divorces, estates, child custody issues and more, many of which end up involving the disposition of real estate. I have recommended her to many of my clients and used her for my own estate planning. I've asked Kathryn to put together a series of posts on topics that delve into the legal aspects of real estate transactions and I look forward to her guest posts.

The real estate market in Southeastern Michigan is active. With Spring (hopefully) around the corner, For Sale signs will begin popping up in front yards like so many crocus and daffodils. Selling real estate can be a tricky legal business. If you are contemplating selling your home in 2015, an attorney, in conjunction with your Realtor, can help you navigate the process smoothly.

Here are the top five reasons real estate sellers seek the counsel of an attorney:

1 – Purchase Agreement Review - On the sales side of the transaction, an attorney can help you and your Realtor if there are specific exceptions or requirements that go beyond the typical Purchase Agreement. An attorney can also help you determine your rights if a sale falls through or a contract is broken.

2 – Divorce. One of the unfortunate bi-products of divorce is the requirement to sell the family home. For most families, their house is their single largest asset. In order to split the family’s property equitably, quite often, the home is sold and the profits divided according to the formula set out in the divorce settlement. This is a somewhat common occurrence so most real estate agents have encountered divorce sales. However, the real estate agent may not be familiar with the intricacies of your particular settlement. Reviewing real estate sales documents with your divorce attorney may ensure that you are getting as much equity from your home as possible.

3- Probate. When dealing with an inherited house, many people seek the assistance of an attorney in conjunction with a real estate agent. For families who inherit homes, there might be mortgage questions, liens, joint ownership, and/or estate tax considerations. If you are considering selling an inherited home, an attorney can help answer some of the legal questions that go along with your real estate ones.

4 – Tax questions. With constantly evolving tax laws, it can be tough to know your rights and liabilities especially when it comes to an infrequent life event – like selling a home. Although Real Estate agents may answer most of your questions, consulting an attorney can clear up legal issues that a Realtor may not be familiar with.
“For example, the income tax consequences of a sale, particularly if the seller makes a large profit, may be considerable. An attorney can advise whether the seller can take advantage of tax provisions allowing for exclusion of capital gains in certain circumstances,” according to the FindLaw article, “Why You Need a Lawyer When You Buy or Sell a House.” - See more at: http://realestate.findlaw.com/buying-a-home/why-you-need-a-lawyer-when-you-buy-or-sell-a-house.html#sthash.VNhs9vFp.dpuf

5 – Short-Sales or Foreclosures. When it comes these particular home sale situations, you will probably want as much information as possible about what your future holds. A Realtor and an attorney can work together to reduce the negative impact to your credit and get you started on a path to financial recovery.

A Real Estate professional is your obvious first-choice when it comes to assistance during the home sales process. In addition, an attorney can foresee legal issues and eliminate them before they become impassable obstacles to the successful sale of your home. For more information on how an attorney can help smooth you home sale experience, contact Milford attorney Kathryn Wayne-Spindler, at 248-676-1000. You can visit her web site at - http://www.kssattorney.com/

In the Huron Valley area, why would you look anywhere else?

I created and maintain a web site called Move to Milford (www.movetomilford.com ). It is a web site with a mission to try to keep up with and share information about what’s going on in the Huron Valley area – mainly Milford, Highland and White Lake, the Townships in the Huron Valley School District. In addition, because it is Milford Village centric, it contains an enormous amount of information about the Village and links to important sites from organizations that are located in the Village and immediate surrounding areas. If it’s information about Milford it’s probably there or there’s a link to the organization’s web site where it can be found on the Click on Milford page.

One of the features of the site is the poster wall. Did you ever notice while you were walking along in downtown Milford that many of the local stores have posters in their windows? Well, I go get those posters from the various organizations, plus many that never make it to the windows downtown and post them on the “Poster Wall” at the Move to Milford site, right next to the calendar of ‘Things to do in the Valley”. That calendar has all of the events that I can find that are upcoming. If it’s not in that calendar column, there’s a good chance that it’s in one of the seasonal calendars or brochures that organizations like the “YMCA” or the Huron Valley Recreation and community Education program or the Milford Library put out. You’ll find all of those calendars, schedules and brochures there, too; along with a link to the Milford Cinema, so that you can see what’s currently showing there.   And where I could find them on web sites all of the calendars of the various organizations in the area are there, too.

Sometimes you just need the answer to questions like where would my children go to school, if I lived in the area. There’s a link to help answer that question and another to help you evaluate the schools in the area. Maybe you want to know if there are ordinances about outbuildings in Village or Township – there’s a link there to all of the ordinances for both on the Click on Milford page. Maybe you’ve looking at moving into a home that is on a lake in the area and you’d like to know about that like, like how deep it is or how many acres it covers – there’s a link for that, too, on the Real Estate Readings page.

While we’re on real estate stuff, there’s a ton of great information available through this site, like what has sold in the area. I track eight townships that surround Milford and report on all of the sales above $20,000 (let’s face it, any less than that and the sale was for a tear-down house and mainly just to get the land). I don’t just report the sale prices, but also the percentage of sale price vs. asking price, the square footage of the home, the number of bedrooms and baths, the days that it was on the market and the asking and sold price per square foot. For each of those eight areas I also calculate the average and median asking and sold prices, so that you get meaningful statistics about each area. I’ve been doing this for some time, so there is 5-7 years’ worth of data there and the data is updated every week. There are also capabilities there to search for homes in the area – I am a Realtor, after all – using various methods, including map-based searches.

If you do happen to be thinking of buying or selling a home, there’s a ton of great reading material about the real estate process – things that buyers and sellers need to know. Much of that I write myself, but there are also lots of great links to things that go beyond my real estate expertise, like mortgages and insurance. There’re links to the various programs for first time buyers, to help them get the assistance that they may need and links to sites that focus on short sales and foreclosures for homeowners who might be desperate for some help or advice.

As in any small town there are lots of local businesses and I maintain a business referral page for many of the local businesses  that I know and can recommend, It’s not Angie’s List, I guess it is Norm’s list, but more importantly it is a list of businesses and people that I trust. I feature a single business each month with a more detailed write up about it and the owner. If it’s not there, use the links to the Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce or the Highland-White Lake Business Association to search for other local businesses. We also have lots of great restaurants in Milford and they are all listed on the Restaurants page. Maybe what you are hungering for is spiritual, so there’s a page for area churches. Maybe you are interested in the history of Milford, well there’s a great article about Milford’s history and a link to the Milford Historical Society Web site. If you are interested in the arts I also track what’s going on at the Village Fine Arts Association in Milford and at the Huron Valley Council for the Arts in Highland. Both organizations have very active calendars of events and opportunities for artists and would-be artists.

Hopefully you get the picture that you can find almost anything that you might be searching for at this site. I search the Web so that you don’t have to. Spend some time exploring the site and I think you’ll want to bookmark it and use it as your go-to site for what’s going on in the Huron Valley. And if there’s something that you’d like to see there that I haven’t thought of, contact me on the About Us page and let me know.

Is walkability important to you?

How walkable is the area that you live in? Is walkability important to you in your choice of a new home? How do you find out how walkable a location is? I can’t answer the middle question, but I can help you find the answer to the first and last questions. There is a great site called walkscore.com that rates neighborhoods all across the country. If you go there you can put in an address – either where you live now or where you are thinking about moving to – and find out its Walkscore.

The Walkscore web site gives grades on a scale of 1 to 100 for the walkability of the area

surrounding the address that you provide. The site looks at a lot of different factors, but it all boils down to evaluating what you can walk to within a reasonable distance. Things that the site looks for are stores, restaurants, libraries or other cultural venues within walking distance and what that walk might involve. The Walkscore will be higher is there are sidewalks and a good layout, such as the grid structure that is found in most large cities vs. the lack of sidewalks and  winding streets with lots of cul de sacs that are found in  most modern subdivisions. You can go to the Walkscore site for a more complete explanation of the factors that they evaluate to come up with a Walkscore for any given area.

In the past (through the 1950’s at east) most cities and towns were laid out in grid patterns and had sidewalks. The advent of the suburban subdivision in the 1950’s changed all of that.  Many of the early subs still had sidewalks, but those eventually went away, too. People moved further out and became much more dependent upon getting into their cars and riving to get to anything. Subdivisions quickly evolved from any sibilance of a grid structure into free flowing curves and cul de sacs. The term “bedroom communities” was coined to refer to these developments where the only thing that one could do there was sleep; anything else meant getting into the car.

There are still great walkable cities like New York, Boston or Chicago available; where living

quarters are interspersed with businesses, stores and amenities and where one can still walk to a great many things. Newer cities tended to be built mainly for business and seem to empty out at night, leaving little to walk to for those who might live there. It’s actually kind of eerie at night or on weekend in many of those cities – like being in a ghost town.

So, why is all of this of any importance? I suppose one could start by pointing out the obvious health benefits of getting out and walking to things; but there is also an environmental benefit – you’re not driving and creating pollution or using up fuel. There is also usually a social a side benefit. When you are out walking you will likely encounter others in the neighborhood doing the same and, because you are walking, it is easier to stop and say “hi” to them and maybe even have a conversation. Try that while driving your car.  

You may be much more likely to make use of local libraries, museums or other cultural amenities if it’s a short walk, rather than a drive, to get to them. Walkable areas usually also have lots of neat little restaurants and locally owned shops. You may find that you don’t have to jump in the car and drive to the mall to get what you need. A side benefit is mostly psychological -  you don’t feel trapped in walkable areas, because you know that, even if you’re without a car, you can just walk to most things if you want to.

I moved from one of those “bedroom communities” in the suburbs that had a Walkscore of 15 into

Milford, Michigan, a small village where I’m just 2 blocks from downtown; and I see a Walkscore of 62 when I check it. I can literally walk to most that I need, with a few exceptions where I would have to get in the car and go to a mall or superstore. It’s great and we love it. Plugging in downtown addresses in neighborhoods in Boston, New York or Chicago might turn up Walkscores that are much higher than that. Try it and see what the Walkscore is for your current home’s location.

So, if you’re in the market for a new home, how important is the walkability of an area to you? If you have 3-4 areas that you are considering for a new home location, plug them in to the Walkscore.com site and see what their Walkscores come out to be. You don’t necessarily have to move back into an urban setting to get into a walkable, but it is more likely that small towns offer more walkable environments than most suburban subdivisions. If you happen to be looking in Southeastern Michigan, call me and I’ll help you find a great walkable area to live in. 

Southeast Michigan Market Update February 2015

Each month Dan Elsea, President of Brokerage Operations for Real Estate One, reflects on the local market fro the month prior. This is Dan's report for January, 2015.

The month of January in the Detroit metropolitan area followed the pattern we had expected with written contracts up 18% over January 2014. Much of the jump was weather-related. Last January written contracts were off 18%, so the better weather this winter (relatively speaking) brought sales back to a normal level. Compared to January 2013, written contracts were off by 3% (2013 was the peak release of buyer demand). The rise of written contacts indicates that the market is still strong, but not as wild as the stats show (this will be true for February and March, too). New listings entering the market continue to rise, but with sales rising even faster, the Months Supply of Inventory (MSI) continues to fall. Most of that MSI decline is in the under $250,000 markets, meaning buyers in those markets will continue to have inventory shortages going into the spring season. The over $250,000 markets are more balanced with greater competition for sellers and less pricing pressure for buyers. Both the price per square foot and the median sale price keep increasing with January hitting over 8%, a surprisingly strong gain.

Slow wage growth is holding back buyer demand, particularly in the first time home buying category. While household net worth has recovered to pre-recession levels (see Chart 1) and economic optimism and activity in Michigan remains strong (see Chart 2), home values are still off by an average of 20% from their peak in 2005. Overall, we have stable economic growth. Household net worth as well as low interest rates are being offset by home equities that are still falling about 20% short of peak 2005 levels and slow wage growth. The net result is still a surprisingly strong real estate market with the good economic forces outweighing the challenging ones. As home values/equities rise back to 2005 peak levels and beyond over the next 3-5 years, the remaining pent-up housing activity will be released, giving the real estate markets some extra "juice" to keep the sales pace healthier through the end of the decade.

Show me the money – where does the commission go?

Many would be home sellers like to challenge the commissions being paid for the sale of their house. They usually start off by saying something like, “that’s a lot of money that you get for selling my house.” As a Realtor®, I’m used to having to explain all of the things that I will be doing to facilitate the process of the sale, many of which take place “behind the scenes” and out of sight of the buyers and the sellers. There are just a ton of little details that must be handled with the other agent involved, the mortgage companies involved and the title companies. It spills over to the home inspectors, the insurance company and sometimes the local governmental bodies and home owners association. If good real estate agents are handling these things the buyers and sellers will perhaps never be involved with them, or will only be asked to supply some information to allow the process to proceed.

Another thing that I often have to clarify for the seller is where the commission money goes. Most sellers start out thinking that I get it all, if I’m the listing agent. I’m not sure if they believe that the buyer is somehow compensating their agent or what. In any event, that is not the case and I usually take the time to show them where the money goes.

For simplicity sake, let’s assume a sale value of $200,000 for the house that I've listed. When I wrote that listing contract, let’s assume that  I may have asked for a commission of 6%, which is fairly common in this area, but which is a negotiated agreement with the seller. So the seller assumes that, at closing, I’m walking away with 6% or $12,000 in my pocket. How I wish that this was true. The reality is quite different. Here’s where that money goes:

Most (about 85-90%) sales involve two different real estate agent – one who lists the house and another agent  who represents a buyer, brings them to see  it and who then writes up and presents the offer. The listing agent makes the listing attractive to those buyer agents by offering them what is called a cooperative split of the commission, usually ½ of it. So, right off the bat, ½ of the $12,000 is given to the buyer’s broker (agent).

OK, so that leaves $6,000 for me, right?  Wrong. Almost all real estate agents actually work for a real estate broker (the person or company who owns the brokerage and brand under which the agent does business). Most of the big names in the real estate business are actually franchise operations and the franchiser takes a cut off the top of every deal to pay for the brand advertising and support. That is usually somewhere around 8.5% of the agents portion of the deal. Even small, non-franchise brokerages have figured out ways to scrape about 8.5% off the top for what they might call “marketing fees.” So, now I have $5,490 left. That’s still pretty good, right?

Hold on a minute! All agents are required to pay for the privilege of doing business by either paying their broker a flat fee or splitting a certain percentage of each sale with the broker. Typical splits range from 20% up to 50% going to broker, usually a sliding scale that changes, depending  upon how much business the agent has done in a year. The broker uses that money to run his brokerage business and pay for things like the brokerage building space and administrative staff.  For this example, it's early in the year; so, let’s use a fairly typical 40% figure. So now, I've paid the broker his split and I get the remaining $3,294 to put in my pocket.

Well, not quite. Most brokers have other fees and expenses that they take, in addition to the franchise fee and  their commission split, brokers may take more money out of each deal to cover things like Errors and Omissions insurance, office supplies and other administration charges. Let’s be generous and say that this only subtracts another $194 off the money coming to me, so I still get $3,100, or so it would seem.  

Real estate agents work as independent contractors for the brokers who take nothing out of their checks for taxes, so Uncle Sam and the state tax man are waiting by the pay window to get his share, too. Figure about 25% of what was my net pay will go to pay federal taxes and perhaps another 4.5% will need to be withheld for state taxes. What I end up with in my pocket to spend is about $2,170. That works out to be 18% of the original $12,000 that you thought was too much for me when we started out. Also remember that I have to pay for my own advertising costs, web site costs, the costs of my signs and the flyers that I create for your house and for the memberships to the local Multi-List Service (MLS) and to the various real estate associations that I am required to join (between $1,000 - $1,500 per year, in my case, perhaps more in other areas) and that I must pay for such services as accounting and tax preparation. I have to figure on $2,500 – $3,500 a year for all of those things. It’s just the cost of doing business as a Realtor.

If I've got ongoing business is the pipeline and sell one of those $200,000 houses a month ($144,000 in raw commission), I will end up with about $26,000 in a year to house and feed and clothe my family, which is at least still above the Federal poverty level  of $24,250 for a family of four. Yikes! I will need to work harder and sell more houses. 

So, now you know where the commission money goes. I share this with you, not so that you’ll feel sorry for me, but rather than you will not feel that you are overpaying me.  There’s a lot that goes on that you don’t see, but that person who you do see right in front of you most of time is not putting most of your money into their own pockets. They work hard for what they end up earning from each sale. 

Homeowners ask - Handyman or contractor, which should I use?

Many homeowners getting ready to try to sell their homes find that they need to catch up on lots of deferred (a polite way to say that you’ve been ignoring it) maintenance or, in some jurisdictions, to bring their homes up to current code, before they can sell. The question then becomes who will do this work. Many homeowners don’t have the skills, the tools or the time to take on many of those little projects. So, who do they get to do them – a handyman or a contractor?

Most states don’t require or have any provision for licensing so-called handymen. Michigan has some requirements (click here to read an article on that or check the requirements in your state) under the Handyman’s Association, which is a voluntary group that professes to have established some standards for handymen. You can also go to sites like Angie’s List and other services that claim to vet and track the performance of various service providers. The Better Business Bureau in your area might also have some information on handymen or have complaints on some, if nothing else.  Looking on sites like Craig’s List might be a mistake, since they do not appear to check their advertisers. Sites like homeadvisor.com and handymanservice.com claim to have ratings of local handymen.

general heading of Maintenance and Alterations, but they are far less strenuous than those required for skilled professionals or contractors. There is also a national

There are many small jobs that may need to be done around the house for which minimal skills and few tools are required – cleaning out your gutters comes to mind or raking leaves. Other small jobs, such as changing light bulbs or perhaps even replacing a fixture, come to mind; however, any job that requires that you pull a permit, especially if the finished job must be inspected by the building inspector for your local government, requires a licensed professional. Electrical and plumbing jobs in particular may require that the professional sign the work and put down their license number. Any work requiring any structural changes ot the house will require a licensed builder and will need to be inspected and approved by the building department. Tell them that you’re using a handyman for that job and see where that gets you.

A general rule of thumb, other than the need for a permit, should probably be that, if the job requires any tools more specialized than a hammer or screw driver, consider getting a professional to do it and not a handyman. Botched tile work jobs in the baths or poorly repaired and painted walls do not add to the value of your house.  Many times the handyman that you may have in mind looks back at you in the shaving mirror every morning. Take some more time to consider that. I have written other posts on DIY and why you maybe shouldn’t do it yourself. 

The bottom line is that many DIY’ers don’t have the tools or the skills to take on some of the jobs that they tackle. They end up with a mess that costs more to get fixed than it would have cost to have it done by a professional in the first place. If it’s just replacing the outlet cover on an electrical wall outlet, go ahead and do it yourself; however, if it involves running any new wiring or opening your electrical panel in the basement think about getting a professional.

Handymen provide valuable services and general are less costly than hiring licensed professionals, especially for small jobs that the licensed pros may not even want to take on. There are also many jobs that may need to be done around the house for which one doesn’t need to be all that handy, just available to do the work. Go for the handyman for those jobs.  But, if it involves your plumbing, electrical or HVAC systems, you’re better off with a licensed professional. For many, who are all that handy, almost any job is better done by someone else than giving it to the guy in the mirror. You just have to be handy with your checkbook in those cases. 

First-time buyer - What do I need to know about floodplains?

The vast majority of buyers, first-time or not, will never need to be concerned about floodplains. However, if you are buying property on a river, stream, lake or ocean in an area that has flooded in the past, you will probably need to get a Floodplain Certificate and be required by your mortgage company to carry flood insurance.

So, what’s a floodplain? It’s a low lying flat area (usually located between two higher ground areas) beside or alongside a body of water like a stream, river, lake or ocean that may have been subject to flooding in the past, but which is likely to flood if a record rainfall or tide or ocean storm raises the level of that body of water. Sometimes those storms are referred to as 100-year storms; meaning that they rarely occur (once in a hundred years), but when they do, watch out, the area is going to flood. If you live in one of those areas you may be forced to get flood insurance in order to finance your home. The government runs a program to make such insurance available, but it is expensive.

What if I don’t have flood insurance? Well then you may be out of luck if your home is flooded and you lose everything. You may think that there would be some form of aid available from the government, but you’d be wrong. You’re just screwed and you did it to yourself. What does the flood insurance cover? I’m not an expert on that, so call an insurance guy, but generally it covers the damages and loss of property from water that comes into the house from outside due to general flooding of the area.

What’s not covered by floodplain insurance?  As many in the Detroit and surrounding areas found

out this year, it does not cover sewer backups into your basement nor does it cover water leakage from your own plumbing, such as a failed hot water tank. Your homeowner’s policy may cover that last instance, but many do not and none cover the sewer backup issue. You may be able to get a special rider to your homeowners policy to cover the plumbing issue and perhaps even the sewer issue (more likely the insurance company will tell you to have a back-flow check valve installed instead).

f you want to buy on the Ocean you may have to have all sorts of extra coverage for wind and water damage caused by hurricanes. Both of our Ocean coasts and the Gulf area are prone to those huge storms and many people just accept the fact that they might get wiped out as part of the price to pay to live on the ocean. People on the Great Lakes have to be concerned about large storms causing a wind surge that could breach seawalls and flood lakefront properties. There has also been cases of large chunks of ice being wind blown into lakefront properties and causing damage. The flooding along major rivers, like the Mississippi River and further west and north along the Red River in the Dakotas and Minnesota are epic and can affect huge areas.  Millions of people live in the floodplains of those rivers alone.

How can you tell if the house that you are considering buying is in a floodplain? Well, that is the sort of things that should be disclosed in the Seller’s Disclosure; but, you can also go to the FEMA Web site and look at their floodplain maps. You may be pleasantly surprised that many areas that you may have been concerned about are not considered to be flood risks and are thus not shown as floodplains. However, if your location shows up within one of those FEMA designated floodplains make sure that you understand the cost and availability of flood insurance for that property. 

Editors correction - After I published this post I received an message from a reader with a corrected explanation of the term 100-years storm, which is below.

Please note that the so-called 100-year flood is not a flood that happens once every 100 years. It is actually a flood that has a one percent chance of happening (or being exceeded) every year. That is a 26% probability over 30 years. The probability of a fire resulting in an insurance claim over the same 30 year period is less than 5%. If you are \"deeper\" into the floodplain, those probabilities go up. Referring to the 100-year flood makes people complacent by making them think that it is an extremely rare event. - William Nechamen