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Real Estate is a commodity just like anything else. For example, Crude Oil, Diamonds, Gold, Stocks, anything that has value can be compared to Real Estate. Their worth is determined by the market, supply and demand, and other financial factors.

When people sell their homes, often they have a strong emotional tie to the property, and for good reason. They've put years of living, hard work, house payments, and possibly thousands of dollars worth of upgrades or repairs. It's difficult for these homeowners to look at the property as a commodity or an item who's value is determined by outside factors.

This often leads to sellers who feel the property is worth more than it actually is, and to them, it IS.

For example, let's pretend that you purchased a Beatles record in the 1960's when they first were released. You listened to it, you took great care not to scratch it, you did not write all over it. You kept it in it's original paper sleeve. Now, 40 years later, you want to sell the record, so you purchase a book and find that in superb condition, the record is valued at $300. GREAT! Right?

The problem is, it's only worth $300 if there is a buyer who is ready, willing, and able to purchase it for that price. If you put that same record on eBay, it may only sell for $200. The market determines the real value of the commodity. And though you may feel like you deserve the $300 because of how well you took care of your investment, if you are intent on getting that record sold, you have to accept what price the market is willing to bring at the time. Maybe you are in a position to keep the record for a few more years and when the economy is booming, sell it at a higher price.

Housing is the same way. Sellers have a hard time disassociating themselves from the property they are selling, and because of the emotions they feel towards the property, overvaluing the investment. The important thing to do is to listen to your realtor when they perform the Market Analysis and once you've made the decision to sell, remember that it's business, and no longer personal. Your Realtor should have a pretty good idea of what you can get for your property based on the comparable recent sales.

Your Realtor will get the most money for you that the market will bear at the time. That's his/her job.

Listen to their advice, and price your home attractively so it will sell, and then allow your Realtor to earn their commission.

Want to find out what your property is worth on today's market?

Call 269-432-5328 or 269-341-2227 today for a free market analysis.

Done-Deal Realty, Inc

Jim Milliman here, and I'd like to talk a bit about short sales.

Lord knows that just about every real estate agent out there in Michigan who is doing any kind of volume listing properties is probably dealing with several sellers who are a few months behind and looking for a way to avoid a foreclosure. Realtors who don't sell these homes before they are foreclosed on get paid zero commission. That's bad since you've probably just spent several months marketing a property that had little hope of being sold in a traditional manner. You have invested your time, advertising dollars, gas money at almost $4 a gallon running around and taking care of your duties to this property. So why allow your clients to sit back and have the bank foreclose?

It's been my experience in speaking with some area realtors and brokers that many folks, (realtors included) have no idea that a short sale can be a very effective way of getting your clients out from under a poorly thought out mortgage decision and still give the realtor a much needed commission during these lean times. Maybe there are other Realtors who just have no interest in the work it takes to negotiate them, and quite frankly, if you weren't fully prepared and knowledgable about how to conduct a short sale negotiation, you should allow someone else to negoatiate them on your client's behalf so your client has the best chance of getting the short sale done before a foreclosure is processed.

Short sales are not easy. To negotiate them with the lenders requires dedication to be in constant contact with everyone involved and includes an absolute ton of paperwork and annoying phone calls with loss mitigation departments accross the country. This is something that most Realtors and Brokers would really rather not spend time on. It's a long, drawn-out process that can easily take 4-6 months to accomplish.

Let Done-Deal Realty, Inc negotiate your short sales for you. Give yourself the advantage of having professionals who have closed dozens of short sales in the past year doing the work for you. Let us handle the paperwork, the phone calls, and let our expert negotiators work out the details for you and your client so that the short sale is done, done properly, and your commissions get paid.

We are assisting Realtors in St. Joseph, Branch, Calhoun, and Kalamazoo Counties, as well as other surrounding areas. 

Do not wait another minute to find out how we can help you turn those possible foreclosures in potential commissions.

Carole Maddox, our broker, has been negotiating short sales in Palm Beach County Florida, one of the toughest and most competitive real estate markets in the United States, and with a very high rate of successful closings over the past year and her services are now available here in Southwest Michigan as well. She has over 25 years of real estate experience and she likes the challenge of working with the lenders to help you and your clients accomplish your goals.

For more information or to inquire if this program would be right for your specific clients, simply give us a call at 269-432-5328 or 269-341-2227. You can also email me at jim@mydonedeal.com and we can talk about how we can help out. Visit http://www.mydonedeal.com/shortsales for more info.

Contact Carole directly at 561-262-8034

Work smart...let us handle the unattractive aspect of negotiating your short sales, and you can be the hero who helped your clients get out from under a foreclosure and got a commission too. 

We do not charge any upfront fees for this service. Our fees are handled at closing by the lender.

Have you thought of renting your vacation property for extra income?

If you own lakefront or riverfront property, a lake house, a cottage, or waterfront property you could be missing out on thousands of dollars in vacation rental income. Maybe you don't use your vacation property much anymore? Kids all grown up? Health Problems? Too much work to maintain year in and year out?

Done-Deal Realty, Inc located in Colon, Michigan is a fully State licensed, local, professional real estate brokerage offering vacation rental property management services to homeowners in St. Joseph, Branch or Kalamazoo Counties. Because we specialize in lakefront properties and vacation rentals, we have contacts and methods to help get your rental properties booked faster and for higher rents than just doing it on your own.

We handle everything for you.
We pay to market your property and get your property 1000's of website hits.
We pay extra to target out-of-town renters in Chicago, Detroit, South Bend, etc.
We screen clients to make sure your investment is respected and protected.
We help you prepare your property with furnishings and equipment lists.
We use fax, phone, and email to set up bookings for your property.
We host a public online booking calendar for your property.
We handle all rental agreements, rules and policy enforcement, etc.
We receive and process all booking fees, deposit payments, etc for you.
We can take rental booking fees and deposits by Visa, MC - Can you?
We greet your rental guests when they arrive so you don't have to.
We make sure your rental is professionally cleaned between bookings.
We have over 2000 hits a month on our company website and we're growing.
We keep records of your rental income for easy tax submission & accountability.
We make your life easier by offering security and peace-of-mind.
We do all the hard work so you don't have to worry about it.

If this sounds like something you may be interested in please call us at 269-432-5328 or 269-341-2227 or email us today. Contact Jim Milliman at jim@mydonedeal.com for a private, free consultation about your specific situation. Refer a friend or neighbor to us and you get a discount on our services.

Please visit us on the internet at http://www.mydonedeal.com/vacationrentals

Hello All,

Just a quick announcement folks that Done-Deal Realty, Inc in Colon, Michigan is offering property management services for homeowners of lakefront and riverfront properties in Southwest Michigan who would like to generate vacation rental income while their property is not being used.

We handle all aspects of managing your property including marketing your rentals, qualifying rental candidates, scheduling availability, collection of all rents, security deposits and cleaning fees, greeting clients and key exchanges and more. We even have your properties cleaned in between incoming and outgoing houseguests.

If you are looking for a great rental income from your waterfront, lakefront or riverfront property and a hands-off approach where you can just sit back and cash the checks, then you definitely need to give us a call. We do it all!

Contact vacation rental specialist Jim Milliman at 269-341-2227 or jim@mydonedeal.com for more info. Don't sleep on this, time is money!

It seems that whenever the housing market is uncertain, fly-by-night companies come out of the woodwork to offer deals to consumers which seem too good to be true, and most often they are.

You need to avoid predatory lending schemes at all costs because the purchase of a home is normally the largest financial commitment you will make in your life. You need to make sure you are not being taken advantage of.

Please visit the following link http://www.mydonedeal.com/predatorylending

There is some great information from the National Association of Realtors at this link which will help you to navigate through some of the pitfalls of unfair lending and predatory practices that are out there.

Also, it's best to work with a good realtor who can look out for your best interests. Please call us anytime at 269-341-2227 for all of your real estate needs.

Jim Milliman - Realtor

Done-Deal Realty, Inc

Serving St. Joseph and Branch Counties in Michigan

Done-Deal Realty, Inc specializes in pre-foreclosure counseling and short sales to help people who are behind on their house payments work out a way of getting the bank to agree to sell the house for less than what is owed if they have financial hardships. Too many people just let the bank take the home back and it ruins their credit for 10 years. Don't do that. Be proactive.

Visit the following link for more information on this great way to sell your house before foreclosure and to see if you are a good candidate for this procedure.

http://www.mydonedeal.com/ShortSales

THEN CALL US IMMEDIATELY FOR A PRIVATE CONSULTATION!

Jim @ 269-341-2227 or Carole @ 561-262-8034

Hello Everyone,

Michigan ranks #3 on the list of states with the most foreclosures for 2007 nationwide. In St. Joseph County alone there were 311 reported. Of those, only 17 were able to find alternative financing or sell their home before foreclosure took place.

There are ways that people who are behind on their mortgage payments can cut their losses without incurring a foreclosure and the extremely deep credit hit that comes with it. One method is a "short sale".

A short sale is when a bank or mortgage lender agrees to discount a loan balance due to an economic hardship on the part of the homeowner.

Most people don't realize that this option is available. This option will benefit only people who have not yet been completely foreclosed upon and who act quickly to get involved in the process. For more information and to see if you would possibly qualify for this please visit http://www.mydonedeal.com/shortsales for some great information.

We are specialists in the short sale market and are here to help. To find out if you or someone you know might qualify for this much more beneficial outcome rather than allowing a foreclosure to take place, simply call us at 269-341-2227 or email us at jim@mydonedeal.com

Don't be embarrassed, you are not alone. Do your friends a favor and pass this info on to them before it's late to save your credit score.

Get private, free consultation today.

Jim Milliman

Spring has sprung into Summer and the time to sell is now.

More homes sell during this time of the year than any other. The weather is nice and that allows for people to get out and look at local homes. Spruce up the yard, touch up the paint, and contact us to get started. We'll market your place aggressively and make sure it's seen by tons of people in your area.

It's a proven fact that homes listed in the Spring/Summer months receive significantly higher contract offers than if you wait til Fall or Winter.

Don't delay. Contact us today for a free market analysis and we'll provide you with up to the minute comparisons to other similar properties that have sold in your area.

Call 269-341-2227 for professional help today.

from Done-Deal Realty, Inc.

I know everywhere you go these days you hear real estate agents, brokers and even homeowners complaining about the real estate market here in Michigan.

Well I'm here to tell you, the market is NOT the problem. It's the MARKETING. Too many agents and brokers out there have forgotten that when times are lean, you have to work harder, spend more money on advertising and GET CREATIVE.

At Done-Deal Realty, Inc, we're always thinking up new and innovative ways to market the properties we list, not only to buyers, but to other agents as well.

There is no excuse to allow someone's home to sit on the market for a year without results.

If you are frustrated with agents you've used in the past and you're ready to actually get your deal done, then you call the professionals at Done-Deal Realty, Inc. in Colon, Michigan.

269-341-2227 or use the contact us button on our homepage.