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Buyers
The single most common question I get from first-time buyers isn't about interest rates or neighborhoods or how many bedrooms they can afford. It's quieter and more honest than that: "Am I even ready?" And the frustrating part is that most people have no real way to answer it. They've got a vague fe
Buyers
Your credit score is quietly one of the most expensive numbers in your life, and most people don't realize how expensive until they're sitting across from a lender. It doesn't change the price of the house. It changes the interest rate on the loan, and over thirty years, the gap between a good rate
Buyers
A brand-new home has obvious appeal. Nothing's broken, nothing's worn out, everything's under warranty, and you get to pick your finishes instead of living with someone else's taste. New construction is booming across West Michigan for exactly those reasons. But here's what catches buyers off guard:
Buyers
The most important parts of your purchase agreement aren't the ones that get you the house. They're the ones that let you walk away from it with your money intact. Those are the contingencies, the conditions written into the contract that have to be met before the deal becomes final. They're your es
Buyers
Two buyers can stand in the same kitchen, want the same house, and need two completely different loans to get it. That's the thing about the FHA-versus-conventional question, there's no universal right answer, only the right answer for your specific situation. And because the choice affects your dow
Buyers
If you've served in the military, you've earned access to what I'd argue is the single best mortgage product in the country. And yet I meet veterans all the time who never use it, because somewhere along the way they heard it was slow, or complicated, or that sellers won't accept it. Most of what th
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · December 23, 2025 Buying your first home feels like one enormous, irreversible decision, the kind that keeps you up at night. But that's a trick your brain plays on you. It isn't one giant leap. It's a sequence of small, ordinary steps, each one leadin
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · November 20, 2025 The single biggest myth in homebuying is that you need a giant pile of cash for the down payment. It keeps more renters stuck than bad credit or low income ever do, and in Michigan it's often just not true. Between low-down-payment lo
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · September 26, 2025 Before the 30-year mortgage became the default, this is how a lot of Michigan property changed hands: the seller financed the buyer directly, no bank in the middle. Land contracts never fully went away, and with higher interest rates
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · August 30, 2025 A Muskegon investor sells a $150,000 rental on a five-year land contract at 7% interest. He earns a better return than any CD would pay him, and a local family that couldn't qualify for a bank loan gets to buy a home. When it's done rig
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · August 11, 2025 You found the right house, your offer got accepted, the inspection went smoothly, and then your lender orders "the appraisal." Most buyers treat that as a formality. It isn't. The appraisal can quietly make or break the whole deal, and
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · August 7, 2025 The Allure of “Sweat Equity” Every buyer’s watched a renovation show and thought, “We could do that.” And sometimes, they’re right. Buying a fixer-upper can be a smart move lower price point, built-in equity, and the creative freedom to
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · August 4, 2025 Not Every Upgrade Pays You Back Here’s the truth: not every improvement adds value and plenty of homeowners learn that the hard way. Granite countertops and trendy paint colors might make you happy, but the real question is: will a buyer
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · July 31, 2025 There's a particular look people get the first time they stand on a West Michigan dock at sunset, the water going gold, the whole reason they want to live here right in front of them. I get it; lake life is genuinely one of the best thing
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · July 14, 2025 Money drives every real estate decision whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or investing. The truth is, most people don’t need more mortgage advice… they need better , clearer explanations of what actually matters. Here are 25 of
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Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · July 2, 2025 The Inspection Isn’t the Enemy A buyer’s inspection isn’t about finding “what’s wrong” with your house it’s about confirming that everything works as expected. Handled correctly, it can actually build trust and move your deal forward faste
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · July 1, 2025 Buying a home is one of the biggest moves you’ll ever make. Whether it’s your first place, a family upgrade, or an investment property, there’s a lot of noise out there and my job is to simplify it. Here are 25 real questions I get from bu
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · June 21, 2025 The Truth Behind the Headline When the news says “rates are up,” buyers panic and sellers freeze. But here’s what most people miss: rates and prices have a relationship, not a rule. In West Michigan, I’ve watched buyers overreact to short
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · June 19, 2025 Small Upgrades. Big Results. You don’t have to gut your kitchen or replace your roof to add value. In Michigan, where buyers are often looking for move-in ready homes, even modest improvements can create a major return on investment. Let’
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · June 18, 2025 You finally accept an offer. The buyer's financing looks solid. Then the lender's appraisal comes back lower than the price you agreed on, and the stress hits. Here's the truth worth holding onto: a low appraisal doesn't automatically kil
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · June 12, 2025 The Question Everyone’s Asking It’s 2025, interest rates are still bouncing, and home prices haven’t gone back to 2019 levels. So the question on everyone’s mind is simple: Should I buy now or keep renting? Here’s the truth: there’s no un
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · May 13, 2025 Buying a home is exciting right up until the numbers start flying, and the question every buyer eventually asks, usually at 11pm, is some version of "how much do I actually need saved up?" The honest answer for most of Michigan is: less th
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · May 1, 2025 Pre-qualified, pre-approved, the two terms sound almost identical, and that's exactly why so many Michigan buyers get tripped up by them. They are not the same thing, and in a market that moves as fast as ours, the difference can decide whe
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · April 6, 2025 Closing Costs 101 You’ve made it through inspections, appraisals, and negotiations but before you get the keys (or cash), there’s one more step: closing. “Closing costs” are the final expenses required to transfer ownership of the propert
Buyers
Dave Manley · REALTOR® based in West Michigan · April 1, 2025 Let’s Make It Simple If you’ve never bought a home before (or it’s been a while), the process can feel overwhelming. But in reality, buying a home in Michigan follows a clear roadmap and once you understand it, you’ll move through each st