If you are buying or want to buy, a date of interest to you is May 1st ( I could be off by a couple days so if so please let me know). Why? May 1st is the last day to place a homestead exemption on a home that a previous owner may have rescinded.

This would mean that you could and based on the budget situation in Michigan probably will be taxed at the non-homestead rate for upcoming 2007 tax bills. A rate in some cases 30% higher.

If you are looking to buy, odds are pretty good that you will buy a home that is vacant, over 50% of the homes on the market are vacant(according to MLS statistics 5430 homes are actively for sale in Genesee County and over 2800 show immidiate occupancy, usually a pretty good indication they are vacant).
And so far this year there have been 918 sales in Genesee County and over 600 indicate immediate occupancy on the sold MLS sheet.

So this is a good tip to save you money on your home purchase.

Also mortgages are getting more complicated and difficult to obtain by the moment. If you do not have sterling credit and a decent down payment, I would be looking now. This is not a scare tactic or sales pitch, it is the truth.

If you are selling keep in mind that mortgage funds will become increasingly tighter to come by for a lot of buyers in our market.