Find Out How GREEN Your Home Really Is

Follow this link and answer 20 questions to find out how green your home really is.

Protect Your Pocketbook; Know Who You Hire

Buying a new home maybe the biggest investment you'll ever make. Although the process is very exciting, it can quickly become overwhelming. While the home you have selected may appear to be just what you're looking for, how can you be sure there aren't potentially serious unknown defects which can make your investment in your future a costly one. Having your new home professionally inspected as early as possible in the buying process can save you thousands of dollars on items which you may be able to have the seller or builder correct.

In the event that your new home is a foreclosure and a 'really good deal', it is still important to protect your investment and have an inspection anyway. If one has a mind-set that an inspection is just another cost, think again.

Most Home Inspectors, a.k.a. Building Consultants, are trained professionals with many years experience in the housing and/or building industry. They know what to look for. Their job is to inform you of what you are up against. Making an informed decision seperate from emotion is a tool you can use to your advantage.

As I mentioned 'most' Home Inspectors are trained and experienced. It is important to know who you are hiring. With the recent influx of 'professionals', many of them are coming from industries that are adjusting their workforce. Some have no more experience than the fact they lived in a house or condo.

Michigan does not have licensing and regulation of the HI industry. Check with your state to learn if your home inspector should be licensed.

Professional associations are good source to find out if your home inspector has more than just general knowledge of a home. Membership in NACHI, NAHI or ASHI requires an application process, exam and minimum experience to even be considered for membership.

Michigan Ranks 7th in U.S. foreclosure rates

Through the first half of 2009, Michigan’s foreclosure rate ranked seventh highest among states, with a foreclosure occurring for every 74 housing units, according to a West Coast firm that tracks real estate data. Foreclosures between January and June were down 1.3 percent from a year ago. The state had 60,786 units in foreclosure, up 1.3 percent from the July-through-December period. According to RealtyTrac Inc. of Irvine, Calif., foreclosed properties include those with default notices, auction sale notices, or bank repossessions. The report said that nationwide in the first half of the year 1,528,364 properties were in the foreclosure process, or one for every 84 housing units. That was a nearly 15 percent increase from the first six months a year ago.

Median existing-home price falls to $169,000

First-time home buyers are taking advantage of the housing downturn and federal housing tax credit to jump into the market. Read more . . .

HUD and CDC Push Healthy Homes Agenda

Healthier homes can produce healthier Americans and a healthier U.S. economy. Read entire article.