Bill Martella - Blog - Bill Martella

Recent Blog Posts by Bill Martella
RPAC Fundraising important as ever! What is RPAC?By contributing to RPAC, you are able to support REALTOR® -friendly legislators who believe in our industry and believe in protecting private property rights, preserving the American dream of home ownership, fighting for tax reforms and reducing burdensome regulations on our business. By becoming part of RPAC, you’ll not only have the power to make a change in ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:00 AM on 05/03/2012		More
Going down with the Ship! Going Down With The Ship I'm sure by now you've all heard about the cruise ship with sunk off the coast of Italy. This story has grabbed my attention....I'll be taking a cruise off the coast of Italy this spring. Among the accounts of terror and heroism was a "footnote" mention that the Captain had been arrested...accused of abandoning ship. We've all heard of the old adage ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:00 AM on 01/17/2012		More
Gaylord and Otsego County Real Estate beating the State and National trends The Traverse City Record-Eagle does an excellent job of reporting real estate sales trends on a monthly basis. They cover their region using data from TAAR, insight from TVC Realtors - which is frequently a Schmidt Realtor, and comparing their regional performance to national trends NAR'schief economist's perspective. The news for October was nearly across the board bad for that area and the ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:00 AM on 11/22/2011		More
Goodwill's Veterans Transitional Housing Community - Gaylord MI The City of Gaylord and it's residents are honored to be the home of Goodwill's Veterans Transitional Housing Community. The community is located in Gaylord and is a six-duplex project, that will house up to 24 veterans at any given time. It is the first of its kind in the area and according to sources from Goodwill it funded in part with a $589,273 grant from the ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:00 AM on 10/10/2011		More
Realtors Active in Legislative Reform - Good for Michigan In my function as the Water Wonderland Board of Realtors Political Action Committee Chairperson, I am abreast of the accomplishments that we help achieve. I am sharing this blog post with you and asking for your monetary support for a contribution when you return your annual dues to the WWBR by October 1st, 2011. Thank you for any amount that you can give! 2011 ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:00 AM on 09/08/2011		More
Coldwell Banker Schimidt Realtors Internship 2011 Intern Experience Interning at Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors has been an extremely valuable experience, which has given me an inside look into the real estate industry. The agents at Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors have provided me with an education that cannot be learned in a classroom setting, but only through real world experience. I am constantly learning and picking up new skills ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:00 AM on 07/28/2011		More
Why the (QMR) 20% down regulation is a bad idea? 20% Down Payment a Requirement for the Future? There is a proposal before regulators to require a minimum of 20 percent down on all residential transactions. According to Ron Phipps 2011 President of the National Association of Realtors®, if allowed to take effect, the rule would put home ownership out of reach for middle-income Americans. It would take the average family 14 years to save up the ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:00 AM on 05/20/2011		More
High Tech Buyers and Sellers need a High Tech Realtor High Tech Buyers and Sellers need a High Tech Realtor More than 90% of today’s home buyers and sellers begin their shopping for a home or a Realtor® on their computers. Realtors® must therefore embrace the technologies available to us to best serve our clients. Clients and customers have hundreds of websites available today to search for real estate on-line. ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:00 AM on 03/08/2011		More
2011 - A Year for Home Sellers! 2010 has come to an end and in almost all Michigan real estate markets we have witnessed small gains in the number of homes sold as well as the average sale price. The downward trends that occurred in 2008 and 2009 are hopefully gone for the future and the local, state and national economy are slowly on the rebound. This all means if you have been on the sidelines waiting for the right ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:00 AM on 12/31/2010		More
Gaylord MI Real Estate Market Update REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE - August 2010 “So are you seeing some improvement in the Real Estate Market?” That is the question I hear the most from people I talk to. Whether it comes from a person who is an active seller or buyer, or just a casual conversation on the golf course, people want to talk about the state of the market. Recently my standard response has ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 2:40 PM on 08/04/2010		More
Gaylord Herald Times Guest Column Bill MartellaGuest columnistIf you are in the category of Move-Up buyers, this is the time to move!What is a Move-Up buyer? Move-Up buyers are the people who are ready for a bigger, more expensive house than the one they are currently in. No matter what the price range of the house, as long as it’s more, you’re a move-up buyer.Why is now the time to move? There are a number of reasons, ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 9:46 AM on 05/03/2010		More
Limit Your Real Estate Risk Limit Your Real Estate Risk Spring has sprung and that garnishes an increase in activity to the Gaylord Real Estate market. Buyers are out and about seeing properties and sellers are getting their homes ready for the market. These can be exciting and anxious times for the people on both sides of the transaction and there are some good practices that can be used to limit the risks ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 1:06 PM on 03/23/2010		More
2010 Gaylord Polar Plunge for Special Olympics The 2010 Polar Plunge for Michigan Special Olympics was a great success. The second annual plunge took place on Saturday, February 20th in Otsego Lake at the Otsego Lake State Park. Approximately 60 jumpers including Steve Bauman, Diane Pompei, Erin Todd and Bill Martella of Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors of Gaylord raised over $15,000 for the Michigan Special Olympics. Look ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 1:27 PM on 02/22/2010		More
Guest Column - Gaylord Herald Times Jan 26, 2010 Commercial Growtrh will bring jobs! By Bill Martella Tuesday, January 26, 2010 2:20 PM EST As we all know, the embattled Michigan economy has made it very hard for job seekers. Luckily for Otsego County residents, we have a progressive community with good leadership in local government and related private organizations that work hard to bring new opportunities to Gaylord.Because ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 8:19 AM on 02/01/2010		More
Accurate property tax assessments: Why do they matter? Guest Column: Accurate property tax assessments: Why do they matter? Email this story · Print this story · Show/Hide Comments · No comments posted. By Bill Martella, Guest Columnist Tuesday, November 24, 2009 10:07 AM EST Recently, a group of concerned taxpayers and property owners in Gaylord and Otsego ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 10:03 AM on 12/08/2009		More
Guest Column - Gaylord Herald Times - Home Sales on the Rise? By Bill Martella, Guest Columnist Tuesday, October 27, 2009 10:57 AM EDT For two consecutive months (August and September) the number of sold homes has trended upward in Northern Michigan.The 2009 year-to-date number of home sales is up 20 percent, according to the Water Wonderland Board of Realtors, the board that oversees Otsego County Real Estate firms and generally the northern central ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 11:20 AM on 10/27/2009		More
Northern Michigan Home Sales on the Rise? Northern Michigan Homes Sales Improving? Depends on how you look at it.For two consecutive months (August and September) the number of sold homes has trended upward in Northern Michigan. The 2009 year to date number of home sales is up 20% according to the Water Wonderland Board of Realtors, the board that oversees Otsego County Real Estate firms and generally the northern central part of Michigan. ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 9:08 AM on 10/13/2009		More
Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors Gaylord Office on 1st Time Home Buyers Tax Credit extension There are about 12 bills in the legislature trying to extend the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. Is this a good idea. Follow this link to TV 9&10 News report. http://www.9and10news.com/category/story/?id=171063 Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:43 PM on 09/24/2009		More
Local News stories re: Extending the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. Should it be extended? Follow this link for more information. http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=354110 Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:32 PM on 09/24/2009		More
In any Market... Time is of the Essence. In Any Market... Time is of the Essence. Today's real estate buyer may feel like it seems that half of the properties in Gaylord or Michigan for that matter, are currently for sale and that there is no need for urgency. That kind of thinking could cost you the opportunity to purchase the property that you really want. Time is of the essence! I understand that a buyer new ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 4:01 PM on 08/26/2009		More
Move-Up buyer, this is the time! Gaylord Michigan Real Estate If you are in the catagory of Move-Up buyers, this is the time to move! What is a Move-Up buyer? A move-up buyer are the people who are ready for a bigger more expensive house than the one they are currently in. No matter what the price range of the house, as long as it's more, your'e a move-up buyer. Why is now the time to move? There are a number of reasons,, but here are ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 1:24 PM on 06/29/2009		More
Coldwell Banker - Opportunities for Aquisitions and/or Mergers Great in 2008! COLDWELL BANKER AFFILIATED COMPANIES IN U.S. AND CANADA INCREASED MERGER/ACQUISITION ACTIVITY BY 71 PERCENT IN 2008; BRAND ALSO ADDED 22 NEW COMPANIES IN 2008 Vietnam and St. Kitts Office Openings Increased International Presence Last Year PARSIPPANY, N.J. (March 9, 2009) - The downturn in the real estate market provided opportunities for 96 Coldwell Banker® affiliated companies in the United ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 10:05 AM on 05/26/2009		More
A Seller's Reality Check! May 26, 2009 - Gaylord, Michigan. A seller's reality check? If you are in this real estate market as a seller, take note! I closed the sale on one of my listed houses last week in Gaylord. The house was not a foreclosure sale! The house was on a nice 4 acre lot in a beautiful neighborhood with a country feel yet very close to the city of Gaylord. ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 10:04 AM on 05/26/2009		More
Gaylord Polar Plunge! On the 21st of February the Torch Run for Michigan Special Olympics held a Polar Plung at Otsego Lake to benefit Special Olympics. The Coldwell Banker Team of Steve Bauman, Cari Hunt, Erin Todd and myself joined in the fun! Sounds cold right? It wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be even though the air temperature was 15 degrees and the wind was blowing heavy snow at us. The ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 12:26 PM on 03/11/2009		More
A Buyer's Market at Last! Full Post Posted Saturday, December 13, 2008 9:10 AM A Buyer's Market at Last Newsweek By Linda Stern December 22, 2008 issue Sunday Open Houses are starting to look a lot more attractive, and it's not just because the sellers baked brownies and slapped on another coat of paint. Since 2006, the peak of the housing boom, prices have dropped nationally by 18 percent and the rates on 30-year fixed ... Posted by Bill Martella @ 1:16 PM on 12/30/2008		More

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