Rate A Home Blog

Idyllic views of the marshlands and the river from this extraordinary home. Custom built cabinetry, handmade tiles, and handcrafted stained glass lighting fixtures, stone counter tops, are just a few of the custom touches in this well built home. The curved window wall of the of the living area captures the park like setting of the woods and river as well as provides a wonderful setting for the abundance of wildlife. The kitchen is a chef's dream, 2 fireplaces for cozy winter's nights, a great family room and a perfect spot for the media room. Well landscaped grounds with pond and fountain and underground sprinkling surround the property.front

Address: 6469 130th Ave. Type: Residential Style: 2 1/2 Story "Craftsman Style" Bedrooms: 4 "Large Master" Bathrooms: 3 Garage: Double, Attached "extra large" Basement: Yes, Walkout Size: 4,966 sq. ft. Lot Type: Rectangular Lot Size:  3.8 acres  150ft x 972ft Year Built: 1999

Features Interior Features ▪ Fireplace ▪ Laundry Room ▪ Vaulted Ceiling Cooling ▪ Central Air Exterior Finish ▪ Cedar ▪ Stone ▪ Stucco Heating ▪ Propane ▪ Radiant Roof ▪ Asphalt Shingles Sewer/Water Systems ▪ Private ▪ Well View ▪ Panoramic ▪ River View ▪ Woods Lot Features ▪ Deck ▪ Landscaped ▪ Lawn ▪ Patio ▪ Trees / Shrubs Appliances ▪ Central Vacuum ▪ Dishwasher ▪ Dryer ▪ Gas Range ▪ Hood Fan ▪ Microwave ▪ Refrigerator ▪ Washer Extra Features ▪ Garage Door Opener ▪ Satellite Dish

Contact Sylvia Rudich Saugatuck-Douglas Real Estate View a slide show at Sylvia's web site.

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Details   Photo Gallery Fennville (Michigan, US - 49408) MLS® $1,300,000 Extraordinary Home
Quick Links Request More Info Mortgage Calculator Show Map Email Listing Schedule A Showing	Click thumbnails to Enlarge.   large formal dining area

I was just reading some news clips on AOL and seen that the Monte Carlo Casino is on fire.

It appears that they were able to evacuate all the patrons. Large complexes like this have to be tough to confirm everyone has left the building.

My hopes and prayers are that the patrons, fire fighters and general public are all safe and sound.

View the Casino at AOL News.

Each of us have pet peeves that bug the do do out of us.

I am bugged by the person that I take the time to hold the door open for them, they walk past me without a simple "Thank you".

Also, the person I'm dining with that doesn't acknowledge the server like they are a commodity. These servers are humans just like us.

I know these are simple items that people may some time overlook in their busy lives, but they stand out to people around them.

Courtesy these days are sliding. I know other people are bugged by what seems to be small things in life that others do. I'm curious to hear what your pet peeves are?

Ahh, Grass Hopper courtesy of www.92ee.com

Before searching for a home or condo, start off the search by teaming up with a Professional agent or builder that is compatible with your personality and needs.

The best approach is to conduct interviews with each agent/builder you choose by utilizing the same question form for each interview. During the interview, rate the professional to determine the best choice in the agent/builder that meets your needs and requirements.

Once the interviews are complete, enter your ratings into a agent/builder rating program (See demo).

You will find that the top licensed Professionals will have no problem being interviewed and rated, as long as the interview is conducted consistantly between yourself and all competing Professionals.

Enter the Agent or Builder Rating Program.

As I read the Active Rain posts it started the brain cells working. No matter what the economy is throwing at the Profession, it still is a giving group.

So many of the Active Rain family has and continues to give what they can to the charities, their communities and the people in need.

To that my hats off to each and everyone of you. No matter how cold the sales are, there are still warm hearts to sooth the hurt, help the troubled and provide the fun a community may need. It's not always monetary giving. Time is just as valuable when it comes to helping others.

I wanted to provide a blog where we can give other Active Rain family members an ataboy or atagirl! That person who is taking the time to give back to others without any hope that they will benefit themselves in anyway. It's just what they do and who they are. Please feel free to add them in the comment section, we all know one person that is going above and beyond in helping others.

I would like to give an atagirl to Renee Parker of Grand Haven, MI. I know she doesn't look at her contribution to the community as a "Hey I'm gonna be well known because of what I'm doing" she gave her time because it's for a great cause to bring the community together. Read her post here to help get the event she is chairing out to the public. Kudos to you Renee!

Please share your ataboys and atagirls with us.

St Joe Michigan. These photo's were taken recently by Ted Swoboda of Swoboda Images.

 Ted has taken the time to photograph and share some of the Light House's of Michigan.

 The St. Joe area is a beautiful place to visit, take the time to enjoy it's beauty.

 Located on the West Coast in the Southern part of Michigan, easily a weekend trip location from the City of Chicago and Northern Indiana.

 St Joe, hasn't experienced the snow that the neighboring counties along the shore line have.

With the frigid temperatures the ice sculptures that form are incredible.

Pictured is the Light House located in Grand Haven, Michigan.

These photo's were taken by my good friend Ted Swoboda this past week.

West Michigan has been experiencing lake effect snow and recently seen over a foot of snow blanket the area in a 24 hour period.

Grand Haven is a beautiful area for summer activities along with the winter beauty.

Ted informed me that he spent hours bundled up to capture the photos.

In the first photo you can see the force of the waves at the far end of the pier. The crashing waves leave a spectacular ice sculpture along the pier and rails.

The old light house's have always been intriguing to me. Thinking back many years when they were constructed to guide the ships to safety is mind boggling.

This photo was the final shot that Ted took. The sunsets that West Michigan receives are some of the best I've seen.

I still have to admit, even with these awesome shots, I'm still looking forward to some warm weather, soon!

Thank you for taking the time to enjoy the Light House of Grand Haven, Michigan!

Photo's compliments of Ted Swoboda of Swoboda Images, Saugatuck, Michigan

You have to check out this awesome way to fold a shirt in a matter of seconds. The technique is amazing.

I know this doesn't have anything to do with Real-estate, but the time management you will save can get you back to your real-estate sales quicker.

I received this via an e-mail awhile back and was blown away. View the 10 second video here.

Enjoy.

The past couple of days I have been tagged by fellow Active Rain family members for a MeMe. As I'm not use to talking about Me. I'll give it a shot.

My name is Duane Marlink from the West Michigan area.

My personal background:

I was married for nearly 25 years to what I thought was my high school sweet heart. She filed for divorce nearly five years ago as the Michigan economy started to implode. Have to admit she had vision as she ran with all the working capitol. LOL. Lost my hair in the process. :-)

We have two beautiful children that have ventured off in their own careers. Our daughter as a CPA, and our son who builds large commercial buildings around the Midwest for a local commercial builder. Josh is engaged to be married this coming June, his fiance is a wonderful girl that we look forward to having as part of our family.

I remarried three years ago to a beautiful caring person that has been my rock through these tough times. The support she possess is out of this world. Money, isn't any where close to the top of her love list. For that I'm thankful. With our marriage I became an instant Grandpa to five fantastic grand children, what a riot to watch them grow. Joyce has 2 wonderful children with excellent spouses that have become my extended family.

My Business background:

I started out with my father in the family building business constructing affordable housing around the West Michigan area. I obtained my builders license at the age of 18 which was back in 1978, you do the math. OK, I'm 47. Back then affordable housing in our area consisted of duplex style homes. We built a ton of them, before moving into the single family housing market. We ended up expanding into the condo market as well as light commercial. I recently shut the business down due to economic ice age here in Michigan. It was a sad day after nearly 46 years of constructing homes for the kids of previous customers. But none the less rewarding as I drive past homes we had built over the years. There's still that pride factor of fulfilling a customers dream.

In 1991 I became the youngest President of the Grand Rapids, MI Home Builders Association. In turn I became the youngest Life Director for the Michigan Association of Home Builders as well as the second youngest Life Director in the National Association of Home Builders. All three associations are top notch in protecting and educating the general public and builders. Most of my urging to step into a leadership roll came from my dear friend Judy Barnes, the Executive Officer of the Grand Rapids Home Builders Association. Without her "prodding" I could have just blended into the every day world as a home builder.

In the late 1990's I obtained my Broker License. Shortly after that a friend and I opened a real-estate company. As my building company was hopping at that time, I became the silent partner. The company operated for nearly three years until we figured out how much fun a brokerage really wasn't. Kudoo's to all the owners of brokerage firms, my hats off to you.

In 2005, our kids were going through the home buying process. The frustration they ran into while dealing with their agent in the home search was apparent each time we spoke. During a family get together we we're chatting about the buying process. The conversation expanded into how the buying process could be streamlined. That's when the family decided to dive into their current company called Rate A Home. I helped them develop the programs to remove the frustration they went through. Today I help them promote the company and get great joy from hearing how the system works for the buyers. The job pays dividends of pizza and beer on occasion, LOL.

Where I go from here is still in the air. I've always loved Real-estate and helping people. I would have to guess I will continue helping in the marketing side of the company. Plus I enjoy and appreciate the extended Active Rain family members I have made.

Thank you to the taggers for making my mind work this afternoon. Wishing each and every Active Rain member the true success in 2008 and beyond that each of you deserve.

Sincerely,

Duane Marlink

I've learned that I have to MeMe three Active Rain members, these are the family members I am sending requests to:

Heather Jemison, with Elite Realty of Las Vegas NV

Robert Brown, with Five Star Realtors of Grand Rapids, MI

Lola Audu, with Audu Real Estate of Grand Rapids, MI

There's nothing worse then the fangs of a seller being exposed. Today's market has produced more tension between the Seller and the agent.

Seller's want lighting fast action when it comes to the home they are looking to sell. Today, it's most likely not going to happen. Longer listing periods where a property nearly becomes stagnant are getting pinned on the agent.

The fact is, no matter how much advertising dollars an agent throws at a listing, or the hours invested in open houses, just doesn't cut it today.

Seller's have to understand that the agent wants the home sold as bad as the seller. No sale, no pay is about as simple as I can put it. Plus the agent would like a business relationship with the seller for years to come. It's not just the money. Just know they aren't intentionally selling your home, we can all thank this economy were experiencing.

Seller's, please be understanding to your partner in the sale, they will put their best effort forward to make it a successful transaction for you.

Agent's be understanding on the frustration the seller may go through. The emotional roller coaster is one that you will have to help them be securely strapped in for the ride.

Team work starts with both parties.

Photo courtesy of www.92ee.com

Michigan Lakeshore is open to members around the state of Michigan who deal with or near our lake fronts.

The recent name change opens the blog site to cover the entire lakeshore's of Michigan. Please join today and start posting your properties and input.

Promote your area. Promote yourself. Promote your listing.

I look forward to your joining.

Duane

What if you had a magic Crystal ball that would tell you about the future.

Would you dare to ask those tough questions such as when will your life end?

Would you really want to know the end date? What would you do different if you discovered that your life will end in three months?

Thankfully none of us know that answer. The stress of the result would be to hard to handle. But our lives should be lived as if tomorrow never comes.

Are you holding a grudge against a friend or family member? Take the time now to make it right. If that person leaves this world today and the dispute was never settled, could you live the rest of your life knowing you didn't say you were sorry. Or that you didn't take the precious time we are all awarded to make it right?

We all know someone in our circle that is harboring drastic feelings towards someone. Take the time and encourage them as a friend to take the steps to mend the hurt.

Life is short and we do get one shot at making a first impression. But, a lasting impression in your own mind of doing what is right for the people around you will never go away.

Photo provided by www.92ee.com

How do you escape the bad news of the Real-estate industry?

With all the negative news floating around about the industry it's going to be up to the Real-estate Professional to counter act the situation.

The only way to get some positive news produced is by preparing news releases. Good news doesn't get posted as quick as bad news, we all know this is true. But when an agent or company does some thing good for a client, community or the industry they have to gloat the news to the world.

Bragging, yes maybe, but the cold hard fact is the Real-estate Profession has provided many wonderful and positive influences to people worldwide.

Think of the contribution (not necessarily monetarily) you or others personally have made to better ones life. This may have resulted from helping a buyer or a seller out of a tough situation. This may come in the form of saving an historic building from demolition. It may be in the form of being a Big Brother or Sister to a child. The list is only the tip of the ice berg on what the Professional does behind the scene. It's all news worthy!

Be proud of your Profession, walk the walk, talk the talk, tell the world.

If you know of a Real-estate Professional, Company or yourself, that deserves special recognition for their kindness they provided, brag it here.

Photo provided by www.92ee.com  

What ever happened to the day when a handshake was like ink on the deal?

I miss those days when a persons word was golden. In today's litigious world, the save a tree concept has been throw out the window. Paperwork documenting every aspect of the transaction is now needed to CYA. (Naughty word)

There's now documents to sign that offset previous documents. One's like, the person signing agrees that no legal input was given by a particular person. Closings have swelled in time involved by 2-3 times what they use to take. Just have a client decide to read every document and see how long a closing table can be tied up.

Wishful thinking that the handshake of yesteryear's will ever come back, those days are gone.

Disclaimer: The photo was provided by www.92ee.com, no undo pressure was asserted by them in use of this photo.  :-)

I'm a lover not a fighter. I threw in the towel on Real-estate sales, and moved over to the service side of helping the Real-estate Professional and their clients streamline the buying process.

I loved working with the buyer's since 1978. I loved seeing the smiling faces of the customer when they found their dream home.

I loved when that same client referred their family members and friends back to me.

I loved when they returned to the office when they decided to move up the housing ladder.

Helping the buyer shop for their home was my solution for going to the mall. My expertise was new home construction.

I spent plenty of long hours learning to read peoples minds. What were they really looking for in a home? What were they thinking for the final home choice?

I found that most people weren't really sure themselves. That's where the frustration and fight began.

I found that today's agent needed a creative side. Creativity in today's market is a must to survive and provide the services the savvy buyer requires.

Every person out there has a creative side, they just have to dig a little deeper in their archived minds and bring it to the top. Daring to be different then your fellow competitor will help you to stand out from the mass crowd the buyers have a choice to deal with.

Be a leader in your field! Dare to be different not only for yourself, but more importantly your clients!

Rate A Home, Helping you choose! The dare to be different choice.

Photo's by www.92ee.com

Thought I would share some photo's of Saugatuck, Michigan taken by Ted Swoboda www.swobodaimages.com

These photo's were taken this past summer. We're now enjoying a blanket of snow, but summer is right around the corner.

Photo was taken from Mount Baldy over looking downtown Saugatuck just before dawn.

This was the 4th of July where many boaters congregate to view the fireworks.

In the back ground (top right hand corner) you can see the ship museum that is open to the public. It's been beautifully restored back to it's original status.

The bay and town becomes a large party gathering.

Same evening as dusk settles over the town.

Fireworks over the bay occur three times a year.

Thank you to Ted Swoboda for the beautiful photo's he provided to us.

Hope to see all of you someday in beautiful Saugatuck, Michigan.

I just received an e-mail with "Political Promises". I thought you may all enjoy the photo that was included.

It's an election year and time for more bashing and BS campaigns. I would love it, if just one year the campaigns could all be kept clean, and honest. If the politicians would run their campaigns on a positive note of what they actually stand for, instead of where the opposing person went wrong it would be so much more enjoyable for us, the general "voting" public.

In our daily lives we have to take the time to enjoy the serenity of the beauty that God graces us with every evening. Time flies by so quickly, the children grow, the hair turns gray (or in my case left my scalp) and the body slows down. Yet, the artistic eye candy He provides can reduce the every day stress, if only we take the time.

Enjoy each and every day in your life. A good friend with MS still approaches life in a positive way. Her favorite saying is "Carpe Diem" (Seize the Day). Excellent words to live by, because tomorrow may never come.

These photo's we're taken by a good friend of mine while visiting Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan this past summer.

Are your buyer's scratching their heads, wondering what home to buy?

With the current buyer's market, taking the steps to be pro-active instead of re-active is the key to a happy client. A happy client is a referral base for sales down the road. And happy clients happen when outstanding services are provided.

Agents, it's time to remove the head scratching frustration from your buyer's house hunting life. By utilizing a home selection program to streamline the housing choice, a client won't have to second guess their decision. You, their agent will become the marriage counselor they will have avoided because of the service you can provide. There's nothing worse then a couple fighting between themselves when the wife has an idea of her Dream Home, while the husband is focused on his Dream Home. In many cases, these Dream Homes are in two exact opposites of the spectrum.

Opposites Attract, so true. As a past Broker, I've seen the frustration that can develop from opposite thinking between a couple. Therefore, I helped develop the Rate A Home program to eliminate any question on what property really meets both individuals needs and wants as a couple.

The program includes buyer note keeping, tracking of properties they tour, and provides ranking reports that combine individual ratings of a couple for each property they tour, displaying the top choice property.

Unlike conventional home buying merely on emotions, the Rate A Home program combines emotional buying along with due diligence buying, as any smart investor would do with any investment they make. Why expect your buyer to make the largest investment in their lives without the smart tools and information to make the correct choice? It's time to think outside the 4 real-estate walls most are stuck between.

How Rate A Home will help you and your buyer:

• As you tour the buyer through numerous properties, each individual within a couple can rate as many features as they choose from a list of 61 features.
• The most common amount is between 5-10 of the same features, agreed upon by the couple before the start of the tours. These may include "sufficient kitchen size, first impression of exterior," etc.
• Choosing to rate 5-10 features allows the buyer to complete the rating report within 1-2 minutes on the road trip to the next showing.
• Once back to the office, it takes about 2-3 minutes to enter the ratings, which are automatically e-mailed to the buyer by the agent.
• The result, a ranking report of the best choice of home, condo or rental that meets their combined needs.

Rate A Home is the one and only "buyer decision making program" of its kind available on the market.

Take the time for your clients sake to view the demo of how Rate A Home will work for you and your buyer. We chose to rate all features on the menu, keep in mind the buyer could rate one feature or the entire menu. It's up to you or the buyer on the amount of features they wish to rate.

One low price covers all your buyer's, no matter if you are working with one or a hundred buyers. Sign on today. It's a small investment to make for a happy client.

Your happy customer will brag your services to their friends and family!

Dare to be different then your competitor!

Rate A Home Subscribers are discerning agents who care about their clients making the right choice in the largest investment of their life. When you are on the move, choose Rate A Home.

Photo's courtesy of http://www.92ee.com/

A cry for HELP is not uncommon these days among home buyers.

"Help us find the right place to call Home"

"Help us locate the best rate and mortgage company"

"Help us keep track of the many properties we tour"

"Help us to make the right offer"

"Help us to line up a Professional Home Inspector"

"Help us get to the closing table without any troubles"

Help, Help, Help and yet the Professional Agent gets the evil eye sometimes for the services they provide.

Today's market has the agent running like a chicken with it's head cut off to fulfill the needs of the buyer.

I wanted to say bravo to the agent of today. It's a different real-estate world we are living in.

May you meet the challenges, provide the services and exceed the customers expectations!

May 2008 be your best year ever!

Design courtesy of www.92ee.com