As of December 13, 2011 there were 4928 homes sold in Genesee County, that will put us around 5250 for the year, vs. 5417 in 2010.

The highest sales price in 2011 was $1,350,000 (great news!) vs. $1,360,000 in 2010 which means ChangingStreets.com’s very own Shannon Jones still has the highest sale in the last four years!

The average sales price in 2011 for Genesee County was $69,644 vs $71, 481 in 2010.

68.82% of homes sold in the first 90 days on market vs. 66.8% in 2010.

Properties owned by HUD sold for 107.65% of asking price is the sold in the first 30 days of being listed, this happened 58.56% of the time.

Ok I read The Flint Journal online enough to know how cynical you all are so you can watch this video of the actual search on the MLS and the results:

http://screencast.com/t/4vijQRI3hVTZ

According to the Flint Area Association of REALTORS we now have only six months supply of homes on the market, down from eight months at this time in 2010.

And my biggest observation in 2011….the number of crazy emails we get on rentals. If you happen to see an all brick 2800 square foot home built in the last 10 years listed at $2800.00 it is a rental. If it is a move in ready house in Flint for $500.00 it is a rental. If the number does not look right it is a rental, it does not matter how fast you get to see the house or how many real estate agents you call, it is a rental. We did not forget a number, ChangingStreets.com did not enter it wrong, we do not “might want to take a look at …”, the listing agent did it. The MLS has a lousy way of handling it and most agents do not pay attention, wow I feel better now. Remember, if it seems to good to be true, it is; the market is better now.

The “Green” award is great, we have taken great strides to streamline our processes from purchasing to operations to outsourcing to more efficient providors, all in an effort to reduce our consumption. I have even traded my giant SUV for a small car and ride my bike more all in effort to drop my “pump spend” by 50% !

We have also introduced our “Green Text” home info system that allows consumers to get color photos and up to the date info via text on listings. This replaces paper flyers in a lot of cases saving paper, gas and stress all while providing consumers a better experience.

The Favorite Real Estate Company is also huge, it is great to see consumers appreciating our efforts to provide them great service! Please keep surfing and reading ChangingStreets.com homes for sale, web traffic is up 23% this year in a static market and we are pumped.

Who put that dock in the water? Jeez!

The thing that really makes the Davison Home sales numbers astounding is the amount of inventory, the number of homes on the market. There were 65 fewer homes on the market in Davison at the end of March 2011 compared to same day in 2010. That is a 25% drop! We now only have 3.9 months of inventory based on current pending numbers. That is down from 5.3 months last year.

3.9 months of inventory is technically a seller’s market; that just sounds bizarre! And to go with that figure in march of 2010 the average Davison home sold for 86% of original list price and that number is now 88%.

According the Flint Area of Realtors MLS 1225 Genesee County homes sold in the first three months of 2010 for an average sales price of $65,080. For the same period of time in 2011 1214 Genesee County homes sold at an average sales price of $65,133.

The thing that really makes these numbers astounding is the amount of inventory, the number of homes on the market. There were 1025 fewer homes on the market in Genesee County  at the end of March 2011 compared to same day in 2010. That is a 20% drop! We now only have 4.6 months of inventory based on current pending numbers. That is down from 6.9 months last year.

4.6 months of inventory is technically a seller’s market; that just sounds bizarre! Here are some more facts I found interesting:

-Another Fenton lake front sale above $1.2 million, the third in a year.

-488 homes went pending in the first 30 days on the market.

-A large number of the foreclosure listings are selling above list price.

-A great deal of out of state investors are buying large groups of properties, retail.

-Selling prices are averaging 83% of original list price, over pricing is not the solution.

-The average list price in Genesee County  is up to $108,000 vs. $97,000 a year ago.

-Market absorption is 21.8% vs. 14%.

-Five straight quarters of positive price movement YOY.

There are good things happening out there, the data  proves it.

It’s from KIPLINGERS, a DC based business forecast & personal finance publisher, and it names FLINT, MI  on the list of comeback cities for 2011. WHAT?! Of course WE know that such awesomeness exists, but it’s pretty rare to see it “out there” from an outside source.

Check out the complete story to find out if YOUR city is on the list!

The timing of this announcement comes at an appropriate time, too, as I have seen a huge spike in activity from all the real estate agents around Facebook talking about being extra busy with showings and writing multiple offers per day. I can only see that improving as the weather warms up – so call your agent and get shopping! With Flint’s economy on the rise, the house prices will be too!

So take that and stuff in in your hat, you negative nellies and infuriating commenters on MLIVE that make my blood boil  every day.  Flint is moving up from Bad News Bear to Comeback Kid!

Okay.  Witherbee’s Drug Store was opened in 1850 on Saginaw Street in what was known as the “Eagle’s Block.” Citizen’s Bank is there now.  Austin B. Witherbee was the proprietor and he was also the Mayor of Flint in 1867.

At some point Witherbee’s Drug Store was sold to a guy named Charles Mason, who owned and ran the store for more than 22 years.  During that time, Mason built a brick Victorian home a block west of MLK Ave.  on Third Ave.  in 1872.  In 1881 Mason became the 19th Mayor of Flint.

Kinda neat already, right? One drug store, 2 mayors.  There’s more…

Mason’s Victorian home is currently being renovated back to its original condition by its current owner, Perry Compton.  Do you know who Perry Compton is? He is the proprietor of …

Witherbee’s Market & Deli on MLK! Compton says that he was inspired to use the name “Witherbee’s” for his new market while doing research on his new house.

Witherbee’s Market & Deli opened in June 2010 and if you haven’t been there, GET THERE. Sitting outside on the patio (or in my case scarfing down a Reuben with my kids in the parking lot) on a sunny day puts you in the mindset of being ANY where but “Flint” as it has come to be known in recent years.  The market is pretty, the grocery store is convenient, the food is delicious, and the lunch specials are cheap! Follow Witherbee’s  on Facebook to receive updates!

Witherbee’s Market & Deli is one of several assets that have been made to Flint in recent years with the help of the Brownfield Redevelopment Incentive.  This is important to mention because the Brownfield Incentive is yet another program the Governor plans to eliminate.  The majority of the great stuff we’ve seen happening in Flint started happening when the Brownfield program was put in place.  What do you think about the potential loss of the Brownfield incentive?

I don’t know this Perry Compton fella, but maybe he should consider running for mayor of Flint

Here’s the deal.

Regardless of how many properties you own, you are allowed only ONE exemption and you claim it on the one which you consider your principal residence. So if you own a cabin on the lake in Northern Michigan or rental houses in addition to your primary residence, you get to only claim that tax break on your residence. What if your time is spent equally 6 months here and 6 months there? Doesn’t matter – pick one as your principal residence and file the Homestead Exemption.

Why does it matter whether or not you file?

You won’t get in trouble or anything, but you will pay significantly higher taxes. The Principal Residence Homestead Exemption lowers your property taxes by approximately 35-40%.

Who needs to pay attention to this?

If you recently purchased a  home, it was discussed at your closing, and you SHOULD have filed it by now.  We  know how shouldas work though. So this friendly reminder is for you if you forgot. Once the deadline passes, it doesn’t matter when you bought the house, you can’t file until next May.

If you’re in the process of shopping for a home right now, this deadline is crucial, especially in this foreclosure driven market. Many of the homes on the market right now are owned by banks – since these are not “primary residences” -they are either now, or will revert back to, non homestead rates as the deadline passes.

The 35-40% property tax increase associated with not filing your Principal Residence Homestead Exemption in time will make a significant difference in your mortgage payment and in many cases will be a deal breaker in whether or not you qualify for the home of  your dreams.

With only a few weeks left to  meet that deadline, you have to buy RIGHT NOW to even have a chance of closing on time.  So what you waiting for? Why aren’t you looking at houses right now?

If you do miss the deadline in buying and closing in time, keep in mind  that many homes for sale that are owned by a homeowner rather than a bank are likely to still be filed as homestead because they are a principal residence to someone, and that homestead status stays with the house when you buy it. This is important when considering the prices of properties for sale as you shop.

Eight Flint based investors came together in 2002 and formed Uptown Developments LLC. Have you heard of it?  In the group’s own words, they are

“…focused on redeveloping downtown Flint into a vibrant neighborhood consisting of loft apartments, restaurants, offices, entertainment and cultural venues.”

I like the sound of that!  If you haven’t heard of Uptown Developments, I bet you have heard of at least one of its partners. I have. One of them built my subdivision and another one has put a lot of food in my belly.

Uptown Development LLC supports Flint’s current trend of “changing gears” from “factory town” to “college town.” Critics of Flint’s current condition and potential haven’t been paying very close attention. Despite what has been said, Flint IS moving on from being dependent on General Motors and is turning into a smorgasbord  of entertainment, education, and culture.  With UM Flint at the center’ instead of manufacturing, it might not be long before we become a “Little Ann Arbor” instead of “Little Detroit.”  I can see that happening if I close my eyes and think above perceived barriers. Can you?

I mean, I could more easily imagine it before our revitalization programs became in jeopardy, and police force and educators were under fire, but I will shut up about that. I promised I wouldn’t go there here, but it’s so hard for me sometimes!

So anyway, yeah, Little Ann Arbor – with University of Michigan, Kettering University, Mott College, and an outstanding Cultural Center. I don’t know if we take it for granted because we live here, or if over the years Flint’s decline overshadowed the treasures we have, but the Flint Institute of Arts, Flint Institute of Music, Sloane Museum, and Longway Planearium are great assets to our community. When is the last time you took advantage of any of them?

Flint is so much more vibrant than it was a decade ago, that’s not news. Unless you’re one of those people on the outskirts that prefers to speak negatively about it, despite not having been here in five years to see what’s happening. But for myself, I’ve been so focused on what a great place it is to find things to DO that I have not noticed what a great place it has become to LIVE.

Are you thinking about renting? Have you considered leasing a downtown Flint loft? The architecture is AMAZING and it is so convenient to downtown. I would have loved living in one of these back in the day. If you aren’t familiar with downtown loft living, check out what’s available at Uptown Developments.