Have you weighed yourself since the beginning of the Year?

I’m positively an absolute coward and in complete denial over my “current” weight.

The bathroom scale has accumulated ½ inch of dust but still manages to glow menacing at me when I sneak past the digital light. I’m 56 years old. I hate that darn scale. I won’t throw it away because my conscience tells me I’ll need to step on it soon. It might have valuable information in it to save my life. HA, sure….I know generally, about how much I weigh, right? I don’t need some accurate measuring device to tell ME what I know! Right? Stupid scale. This is worse than living with my mother, nagging me to clean up my room, hang up my clothes, do my homework, etc. Apparently I’m merely trading one bad habit for another. Unfortunately, MY DENIAL spills over into my work and although I think I know how our market performed in Manistee County last year, I only guessing, unless of course I gather some facts and figures off our MLS.

So (again I’ve avoided the bathroom scale), I sat down and made myself a little chart.
I’m somewhat surprised that despite our dreadful economy, we didn’t do as badly as I imagined once I faced the numbers.

The moment of truth was actually better than my fears. Now when sellers ask me how things are doing, I’ve got answers. If you have been successfully living in a bomb shelter and cut off from all newspapers, computers, TV for the last few years a declining market might be a surprise. Most of us though, have accepted the reality.

Yet actual numbers do make a difference between the sky is falling and can we weather this.


I live and work in Manistee County, Michigan, so this is my home turf. These numbers matter to me, so let me share them.

Remember though, JUST like weighing yourself on a bathroom scale, this is just raw numbers. The anomalies haven’t been discovered or removed. In other words, you don’t know if I’m weighing myself with my snowsuit on or if I’m in my swimsuit. I don’t have time to determine if everyone’s sold information is completely accurate. And, this information doesn’t include FSBO’s. I would say the information and the conclusions you can draw from it are fairly close. Because frankly, my snowsuit outweighs my swimsuit by at least 5-10 pounds. Unfortunately, not enough to disguise the truth.

Maybe I’ll go dust off the bathroom scale( tomorrow).

Anyway, here's what you need to know.

Differences between 2007 and 2008 - We saw a 9 % decline in the number of residential properties sold, and the difference between list and sell price went from 9% in 2007 to 12% in 2008. Number of days on the market increased from an average of 195 days in 2007 to 210 days in 2008.

For more information, don't hesitate to contact me.

I Get Asked Where to Eat in Manistee County All the Time

We get asked so many things and this is definitely in the top 10. Most visitors know where the expensive, we see you coming, add 10% to the price list, restaurants are - the high end tourist traps. Don't get me wrong, I can ALWAYS send you there and be assured you will probably like it. But when a hungry, tired client looks you straight in the eye after dragging themselves through 5 or 6 showings asks me this question, I'm going to tell them where I eat. As a local.

I'll try to answer that question once a week in my blog (or until I run out of restaurants) because I think it's important to know about Manistee County.

So here goes in no particular order. My restaurant of the week, is called, The Rock's Retreat. It is located at the north end of Manistee County, Bear Lake, Michigan. On the corner of US 31 and Norconk Road. 8925 Norconk to be exact. Easy to find, north of the village of Bear Lake. Sorry, no liqueur license. They don't need one to draw in the customers. We file in around 5:30 pm for the dinner buffet.

A one trip visit to the buffet consists of: a clean plate for your salad, and visit to the soup bar. The lettuce is all carefully selected, washed - and it's a variety of baby spinach, romain, iceberg, etc, in manageable bite size portions with a fine selection of toppings. Soups are all home made, one my favorites is the stuffed pepper soup.

Take another clean plate and visit the entree section. If it's Friday, you can expect ribs, (fall off the bone meat), baked fish, chicken or meat loaf, Lasagne, a steamed vegetable, baked fries or baked potatoes, baked beans. Notice a theme here? NOTHING IS FRIED. NO GREASE.

Take another clean plate and go visit the desserts. Again, all home made, cookies, brownies, fudge, bread pudding. All of this is called the one-trip to the buffet for $9.99. All you can eat is $11.99. I never see anyone but a newcomer do the all you can eat. Believe me, the one trip is plenty.

The owners, Val and Rocky, and their daughter Nicole are a humble and charming family. Val is the chief cook and will bake pies for $9 and do catering. Nicole is a young, quick witted blonde who can handle the crowds. Pay her respect, she's a hunter and has tried hunting bear as well deer. Need a pizza- call to order and pick up, their number 231-864-5500. Of course they are on my speed dial as well.

By the way they are open for breakfast on Sundays. It's home to many of us and your customers would love a place with great food, and children are welcome.

Free Lunch at Coldwell Banker A.L.M. Realty & Associates, Inc.!

COLDWELL BANKER A.L.M. REALTY AND ASSOCIATES, INC.

INVITES THE PUBLIC TO OUR OFFICE

1121 PARKDALE AVE

MANISTEE, MI. 49660

SATURDAY 28, 2009

FOR A FREE LUNCH

(if your valentine's day wasn't this happy, how about a free lunch on between 11-3 pm on Feb 28th? It's our 25th year anniversay! )

COME IN AND VISIT, HAVE SOME LUNCH!!

If you are still having trouble finding the perfect gift, I cann help you out and make it a complete surprise as well as a free lunch. Call Lynda Brown at 231-723-3555 or 231-383-0404 for further information.

Always Lead with a Joke and then I'll tell you about SWMRIC

My wife at down on the couch next to me as I was flipping channels.She asked, "What's on TV?"I said, "Dust."
And then the fight started...

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Many of you can relate to this. At some point every couple of years we all experience what is known as the "conversion" period. Using new and improved software for our business. Despite the advanced training, on-line help, 800 numbers, manuals, personal in-house computer geek or guru, we grow a little balder (from hair pulling) or a little grayer (just prior to hair pulling) and a bit more irritable (to put it mildly) in an effort to make the transition as "seamless" as possible.
I am happy to say, http://www.swmric.com/ with a public access to see listings over 7 or more mls sharing the same network is a wonderful new tool. I encourage you to check it out.
As your Realtor, I can guarantee that although I don't know everything about the functionality of this system I have consumed the required number of pots of coffee (9 in the last 48 hours), chained myself to the computer and sacrificed sleep, family and the dog to become a better and more knowledgeable agent.

For those of you that like to poke around and see what's out there enjoy!
ANYTHING YOU SEE I CAN SHOW YOU.
For my sellers
THE EXPANDED COVERAGE SHOULD BRING US MORE POTENTIAL BUYERS.

If you are from the Chicago area and are pondering buying property we have great deals in the Manistee area. Our prices are quite competitive and worth the drive up here. Now you have a tool to see real comparisons in pricing up and down the western shores of Lake Michigan....

SWMRIC stands for Southwestern Michigan Regional Information Center and although we are northerners we are pleased to be part of it.

Recognize this Man?

Now look folks. Enough is enough. I'm not trying to offend any skiers but frankly, it's time to move on.

If you haven't noticed the sun has been out.

And the days are getting a bit longer.

If you LOVE snow, this is the best winter ever. I think we had accumulated over 158 inches of snow in Manistee county this year.

Smelt fisherman - go on out to Crystal Lake. They are reelin' them in. Will get better over the next few weeks.

Hot deals in property are coming. We are expecting many new listings this spring.

Sellers please contact me with your listings if you are interested in doing short sales. I can help!