Oh yeah and Frankies here...

Well, October has been busy so far... Between working, and campaigning, we managed to squeak in a new addition to the ever growing Henderson family. Anthony and Jessica Belmonte introduced Francesca Anne Belmonte to her very proud Grandparents (Kelly & I) Saturday night. She was 8 lbs. and an ounce, and 20.5 inches long... she has the thickest head of dark hair I've ever seen on a baby related to the Hendersons. Pretty sure that comes from the Belmonte side of the family. She's adorable, and a nice balance to the group of grandkids... Bella needs the help with all these boys tearing it up around here.


Bella started kindergarten this year, where does the time go? She's all grown up, now if we could just get her brothers to be so mature :0)

I'm busy these days on the campaign trail, the election is just barely a month away... don't forget to vote, and tell your friends you know me...

The Ligers 2011 fall softball team finished their season with a 10-0 record, not too shabby from a group of guys managed by a 50 year old. Theres plenty of time to retire in the coming years, but for now... Ligers rule :0)

Dave junior came over last week to borrow a motorcycle for a quick trip. It took over a half hour to get them started between dead batteries and low tire pressure... I hope next summer we can get a little more ride time in. You know it's been a bad riding season when none of your stuff works and you don't even notice it...

Real Estate has been on an uptick the last few weeks as well. The most recent report indicates that values are up over last year by about 1.2%. Nothing to get too excited about, but in comparison to the 15% declines we've seen in the last few years... that's a huge improvement. I've had a couple short sales approved this summer... they still take a lot of time, but at least they're getting done. I'm currently working with 3 buyers that should be able to put sales together this fall.

Interest rates for a 30 year fixed are teetering around that 3.8% mark... but you still have to jump through hoops to get those rates. That said, even the rates you and I can get are still extremely favorable, and there is a good supply of decent homes on the market.

With values either at bottom or starting to inch up... the perfect storm of buyer power is right now. Call me, and we can start to look.

We appreciate your support and referrals as always, keep them coming.

Dave & Kelly

I never thought being 50 would ever get here...

But here it is. It seems like forever since I updated the blog. So much has been going on this summer, it's been tough to find time to keep in touch.

I'll keep it as short as possible, I know you all want to scoot out of here for a long weekend. I missed Kels birthday blog in July, sorry ... I'll make it up to you when you get old like me. My Ligers team ended in third place this season, but lost 26 -25 in the final game of playoffs for a second place showing. We're sweeping through fall league so far with a 5 - 0 record. Golf is practically over, we are playing for first place tonight, we'll see if we can hold on to a lead.

Kelly & I haven't even looked at the motorcycles in over a month, we've been to Chicago with Jessy & Anthony a couple times, Kellys been traveling for work just about every week, and the weather has been smokin' hot all summer, to warm to ride most days.

Jessy is due the end of this month bringing the grandbaby tally to 5. Can't wait for Frankenberry (Francesca) to arrive. Hopefully she comes in on my birthday (did I mention I'm 50 this month?), would be a great surprise.

Bella starts kindergarten this fall, she is so grown up, and very excited for school. Austin and the twins (they have names, but I really can't tell them apart, so they're the twins), are doing great. Austin loves Pee Paw... until Anthony comes to visit... then it's hello Tony, good bye pee paw.

Dave & Lauren are handling their huuge family pretty well. It takes them forever to get out of the house, and another forever to unpack the kids and get them in to wherever they're going, but pretty much taking it all in stride.

In case you haven't heard, I decided to run for Troy City Council. As if I needed anything else occupying an already full dance card. The election is November 8th, and I have been promised, the biggest time issue is running for office, it will be routine once elected. I appreciate you sending a good word to anyone you know that lives in Troy.

Kel has a big golf week planned this month for us to celebrate my big 5-0. We're heading to three very nice golf courses in Northern Michigan, and a little stop in Traverse City. Looking forward to getting away for a few days.

On the Real estate front... it has been a little quiet lately. I ended August with a closing, and I have three buyers I'm working with right now. The market is still a bit quirky, but a home priced right and in good condition flies off the market. The feds promised to keep rates low for the next two years, so buying a home right now is an excellent idea.

As always, I'm looking for referrals. It's the right time to buy and the right time to sell... an odd combination that hasn't been around for a few years... call me :0)

See you next month

Dave & Kelly Henderson

It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Uno de Juno...

I remember sitting here last year writing my Uno de Juno blog... I invented it (or so I thought) because of a trip to Mexico I took a couple years ago on Cinco de Mayo. I was speaking with our cab driver (as best as I could being uni-lingual), and he told me essentially that the majority of Mexicans don't really celebrate the holiday. I figured if Americans can go so crazy for a Mexican holiday that really isn't... I can invent my own. But if you google Uno de Juno, there are only a few references to the "holiday" and even wikipedia deleted presumably a bogus page devoted to Uno de Juno. Oh well, so much for original thought, but I'm celebrating today by showing two different buyers homes :0).

Real estate, has been hopping. You may have noticed I skipped May altogether... or maybe not, consider it my gift of vacation to you. It has been extremely busy in these parts, best first half of a year i've had in the last 3. Prices are still down, but homes priced according to market and that are in good condition, move quickly. Rates are great still, it is still a great time to buy... just be ready to pull the trigger on an offer when we walk into the perfect home, or someone else will. We haven't seen that dynamic in a couple years either.

The ligers are off to a great start, we have won 3 of our first 4 games, still can't get past our nemesis team. Golf is in full swing and I'm actually starting to play respectably (knock on wood) this year. Rain must be my switch. Kellys playing in a league this year as well, but between rain and travel, she has only been out once this year. Maybe tonight. Haven't had the motorcycles out much, tough to ride when all you do is hydroplane.

Jessy and Anthony are working on getting their first home in preparation for baby number 1. Hopefully they'll close and be moved in by the end of June. Not sure if she wants me to broadcast this, but grandbaby number 5 is going to be a girl. Bella is sooo happy.

Dave, Lauren and the tribe are great. Still can't tell the twins apart, I had it down pat when they were new, but not at all for me these days... I just refer to them as the twins, I figure I'll just ask them who they are when they get old enough to tell me. Austin is a complete hoot right now. He stepped out of babyhood to all entertaining boy. Bella just takes it all in stride, there's a lot of dudes around her, she really seems to enjoy spending the night with G-diddy and MeMa for some reason.

Well that's all for now, need to get out there and celebrate this grand holiday. As always, I truly appreciate your referrals. Without them, a Realtor has nothing.

Dave

Whew got this done even before I mailed my taxes in...

Sorry about the delay, believe it or not, I've had a ton of requests to step on the gas and get the blog out this month already. I figure if I can find the time to scrape my tax return together, I sure as heck ought to be able to whip up a little blog material.

This has been one of the busiest March/April spring booms I've seen since I became a realtor. It's even dwarfing last years surge due to the Tax credit. We may be turning a corner.

Real Estate One reports last week that we are down to about a 4 - 7 month inventory of homes compared to about a 14 month inventory last year this time. That in itself doesn't equate to a sellers market or increased prices... there's a lot of time between now and then, but it's a positive step in the right drection.

One of the strangest phenomenons currently is that even though it is a "buyers" market, there aren't enough quality homes available to meet the buyers needs. Thats usually what happens in a sellers market. The explanation is simply the condition of foreclosed homes and short sale homes and the high percentage of those as a total of homes for sale. (making the assumption that homes owned by someone with equity and a desire to move are in better condition overall).

That said... I'd really love a referral from someone you know that wants to sell. Priced right, they fly off the shelves today... completely opposite of what was happening a year ago. And I'm out of inventory as of April 29th.

Interest rates continue to teeter around the 5% +/- mark... now is the time to buy a home. (call me).

As for Club Hendo:

We couldn't be any busier. Kelly has been traveling quite a bit for work, thankfully the weather has been too marginal to worry about getting the motorcycles out (yet). We're both getting ready for Golf leagues, they begin the first week in May, and of course the Ligers started spring training last Saturday with our first softball practice. League starts April 25, pray for sun.

Dave & Lauren are busy as heck with their tribe, Austin called me grandpa the other day for the first time. I may have my facts wrong, but I think it was his first actual word... if not, I'm claiming it anyway. Just delivered the wood for Bellas new swing set (some assembly required). Anyone know how heavy a 16 foot 4"x 6" is or how far it sticks out the back of a 7' bed pick up truck? I do... and it is really heavy and it sticks out roughly 9'. Thankfully no Troy police observed my trip home. The twins are starting to get chunky finally. I think Dave & Lauren finally discovered they had 2 more kids and started feeding them :0).

Jessy came home last week for spring break, we spent some time shopping at baby stores with her... getting pretty excited for her new addition, should be late September, hopefully just in time for G-diddys 50th birthday. Anthony and Jessys jobs are going well, Anthony picked up a winter coaching gig at his school to fill the gap between football seasons. Who knew a football coach could be a great girls badminton coach. He is currently full stride into the season, and has propelled the girls from a winless season last year into a team that has now won some games and understands what competition really is... not sure they love the tough physical training part, but so goes life with Coach Bels.

Thanks again for all your referrals, Kel & I truly appreciate the trust you place in us with your family and friends. Have a great tax month... see you in May (Go Red Wings)

Dave

Spring fever is here.

I can tell spring is in the air. I've had a noticeable uptick in inquiries about real estate the last couple weeks. Folks are getting a little anxious for the spring feeding frenzie we all hope is around the corner.

Just received some info from the local mortgage rep... rates have been teetering around the 5.25% mark for a bit. Also got the scoop on the real estate Federal Tax that was slipped in on the health care bill. It appears it's the real deal effective January 1, 2013. It's a 3.8% tax and as it relates to real estate, it appears to be a capital gains tax, but there are a lot of caviats.

First, it is not imposed on all real estate transactions, only on the gains less losses of a real estate transaction. It is only imposed on individuals with an adjusted gross income over $ 200,000, and couples with an adjusted gross income of over $ 250,000. I put this info out there since I've had a lot of questions recently about the rumored real estate tax in the bill... by all means, check with your accountant especially if you are planning on selling a rental property after January 1, 2013.

I wanted to give out a shameless plug for a doctor in the Troy Chamber of Commerce. He told me at our meeting this morning that he is looking for companies that would like to offer a free perk for an employee appreciation day. If you think your company would be willing to have Dr. Todd Camarata and his crew come in and give employees massages on their breaks... give him a call. He did this at my office in December and everyone loved it. Call Dr. Todd at 248-338-7477 and tell him I sent you. You won't regret it.

With Spring around the bend, my Ligers softball team is lined up to start playing around mid April. First break in the weather we'll start practicing. Kel & I are chomping at the bit to hop on the motorcycles. Uncle Jim has his annual trip down to the St Pattys parade in Detroit on the motorcycles. We've gotten pretty lucky a couple years, and we've been kind of unlucky a couple years weather wise. We're hoping for Sunny and 50.

The cold and flu season has hit the fam hard. I've been texting a lot the last couple weeks due to my failing voice... if you don't get a verbal reply from me, but a text... you know why. Sorry and thanks for the patience. The grandkids all had strep throat, and flus, but at last it seems like we're all breaking out of it.

Anthony and Jessy came home last week to meet the twins. We took advantage of the time to have Austins first birthday party a few days early. He loves cake, and doesn't mind feeding himself. Mema didn't even stress out about cleaning blue frosting off everything in his vicinity.

As always, thanks so much for your referrals. They are appreciated. I am really putting the push on for listings these days though. It seems like anything listed these days that isn't a short sale gets good traffic and sells (pricing is critical though). Not sure I'm ready to say the market has bottomed out or not, but there are good signs of activity the last few months.

If you know anyone considering selling their home, even if it's months out... I'd love to talk to them. I do a lot of consulting, and don't mind at all getting to know your friends and family... you never know when they might need a great Realtor.

Thanks and have a warm March

Dave

Only three months away from better weather...

Only a few more weeks away from the spring real estate rush. Historically spring brings all the shoppers out. When? Tough to nail down but it usually coincides with sunny days and people coming out of hibernation. If you're thinking of selling, the time is now to get your home on the market. If you're a buyer looking for the right window, the time is now to beat the rush. Why compete with all the procrastinators on offers?

Interest rates are still low, financing is tough right now, but I know people. Appraisals are still tough but sellers are becoming more understanding of the market after so many years of frustration. If the Realtors do their homework during negotiations of an offer, the actual deal is typically closer to what an appraiser will approve when the time comes. It pays to go with a professional, again I know people :0).

Enough of that ... big news on the home front again. So the twins were born last month, and like a week later I get a call from Jessy asking if I was ready for grandkid number 5. Before I could spit out "what did David and Lauren do?" She told me she and Anthony were going to have a baby around September/Octoberish... Big time fun these days. Sadly I'm afraid he/she will be a Bears fans, but who could really blame "it"... i'm sure we can secretly convert the youngster to a Wings fan though.

Stay tuned for more news as it develops.

Jaxon and Carson are doing well. I had Carsons i.d. dialed in by the shape of his right ear, but the last time we were over, even that changed a bit. not sure I'll ever get them sorted out. I told the kids they better not shuffle them, that could really mess them up later in life especially if one of them has to get finger printed for work or something. Austin and Bella are doing great, Bella seems to enjoy helping, Austin just keeps saying "whats that" and pointing... Austins first snow storm yielded him an awesome fort... "whats that?"

Kel & I are fine... just watching a lot of t.v. buying time for better weather to hit and the bikes to come out of storage.

Thanks again for all your referrals. Don't be afraid to send folks my way for consultation these days. It's such a tough market, there are lots of folks with lots of questions... I'm happy to help.

See you in March

Dave

The only thing constant is change...

Wow, that's a big logo. Not sure how to shrink it, so I'll only keep it here for the month.

Lots of news in Real estate this month, but I'm saving that til last... Lauren delivered the twins she's been hiding from us for the last several months on 1/10/11. Dave tried to talk the nurse into waiting til the cool birthday but none of the women would cooperate. Jaxon Paul came first at 6 lbs and some change and Carson Michael hit the streets at just under 5 lbs. both about 19 inches long. Good thing they came, it looks like Jaxon was hogging all the food from his brother in there.

Mom and babies are doing great (see pics lower right column). So 4 kids under 5, and 3 under 1 year old... glad I set the diaper standard for grandpa early (none ever). :0)

Jessy & Anthony came to visit over the holidays for a couple weeks... we had a great time, shopped ... a lot... and took Anthony out to teach him how to shoot clay pigeons. He's a quick study, and after his first confirmed hit, his football nature came out and it turned into a competition. I don't want to tell you who lost, but it wasn't the rookie.

Yours truly made an office change just before Christmas. Real Estate One in Troy is where I hang out these days. I mailed my 2011 calendars with the new business card. If you didn't get one, the post office goofed, or I don't have your current address. send me and e-mail, and I'll shoot one out a.s.a.p. All my contact info remains unchanged so please and thank-you... feel free to send me your referrals as always.

On to Real Estate news. Across the board Realtors are talking more and more optimistically about the state of our market for 2011. Interest rates are inching up, but remain under 5% (4 3/4 - 5%) lately depending on credit scores and type of mortgages and length of mortgage.

If you were one of the unfortunate group that fell on hard times 3 years ago and had to either short sell or were foreclosed on... depending on the type of mortgage you apply for, you might be in the clear to gain approval for a new mortgage. Bankruptcy requires a 2 year wait, FHA loans and victims of short sale a 3 year wait.

If you are anxious to jump back into the property ownership game, and want more information, give me a call... I'll turn you over to the right individual. Then lets start looking for that deal.

May 2011 bring you health wealth and happiness.

Dave & Kelly Henderson