Saugatuck, Mi - Sept 22nd was the date of the Hayride, Bonfire, Star Gazing and Harvest Dinner for Dee Dee Hanson's clients from 2012 and those who had referred clients to Dee Dee last year.  The weather was not the best so the Star Gazing fell by the wayside as all we could see were clouds but clients enjoyed the dinner and the hayride and there was plenty to drink!  We got a couple of rides in before the rain and another one after dark.  Come on over to Saugatuck!  Become a Dee Dee Client and join the hayride next year.  It is great here in the fall when the crowds are gone and the trees are starting to turn and it is time for the Hayride.  Remember - Life is Too Short Not to Live in Saugatuck!   See you soon.                         09/28/2012

Saugatuck Douglas Art Club is having its annual clothesline Art show and Sale on Water Street in Saugatuck at the Park from 10 AM to 2 PM this Saturday, September 15, 2012 from 10 AM to 2 PM. Art Club members will be showing and selling their artwork.  It is displayed in the unique clothes line fashion which has been the venue for over 50 years for this sale.  If you want to purchase authenic views of Saugatuck in art works crafted by locals at a fraction of the prices in the galleries, this is your chance.  Come and meet the artists and check out their work. You will be able to see yours truly accompanied by Ilsa, the dog, at the show displaying my quilted landscapes of Saugatuck and the copies of antique postcards which are copied onto used tea bags which are then quilted in a group a... 09/11/2012

Saugatuck, Michigan is exploding with real estate sales!  I have been so busy that I have not been blogging as usual. Here is the market study for Saugatuck, Douglas, and Saugatuck Township comparing a year ago from today (9/8/11 to 9/8/12) to the previous time period from two years ago to last year (9/8/10 to 9/8/11). From 2010 to 2011, 129 single family homes and condos sold.  From 2011 to 2012, 257 single family homes and condos sold.  There are a lot of buyers in the marketplace trying to take advantage of the lower interest rates and to get their little piece of paradise before the prices increase.  THAT IS DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF SALES THIS LAST YEAR FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR! Dollars spent this year is $27,882,277 versus $36,013,577 which is down by 22%.  Since the median price has inc... 09/07/2012

Always wanted a secluded log home?  Here it is.  Located in Saugatuck, Mi with just under two acres.  Home was built with half logs milled from the property.  Lots of trees.  Very secluded. Two fireplaces and a finished basement.      And as an extra added bonus, there is a fantastic barn in the rear with three distinct rooms (one with a pull down for the upstairs)  Great for a workshop or studio.  It has a good rental history with a following should you desire to rent this out when you are not using it.  Asking price is $289,900.  Call for a private showing. 05/18/2012

Saugatuck area real estate sales are up - way up - year to date as compared to the same time in 2011. In 2011 to May 18th, 25 single family homes have sold in Saugatuck, Douglas, and Saugatuck Township for a total dollar value of $7,083,900.  This year for the same time frame 37 homes have sold which is an increase of 48%.  The dollar value this year is $10,799,119 for an increase of 52%.  The lowest priced home last year was $25,100 and this year $40,000.  The highest price home last year was $845,000 and this year $2,650,000.  The average sale price is up 3% and the median sale price is relatively constant. Of the three areas, Saugatuck City, City of the Village of Douglas, and Saugatuck Township, properties are moving to the greatest extent in Saugatuck City.  This is very good news ... 05/18/2012

Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Mi was delightful last night.  It was great to take a few minutes away from the real estate world to view one of those pink and blue sunsets.  Very restful.  Not quite as manic as the orange and yellow ones which are also great.  Parts of the horizon were non existant as the sky and the water blended.  Great Weather.  No bugs.  Come on over.  Saugatuck is waiting.  Lots of action over here.  Real estate market is getting busier and busier.  03/21/2012

Saugatuck, Mi  weather has been interesting.  June in March.  Temperatures in the 80's.  All the flowering trees are blooming and swimmers are entering Lake Michigan at Oval Beach!  Come on over!  The water is fine.   03/21/2012

Saugatuck Mi Real Estate is shifting from a buyer's market to a seller's market gradually.  Check out my blog from year end 2011 versus year end 2010.  It used to be that we were listing more homes in that area than we were selling.  Now that has changed and we are selling more than we are listing so the inventory is gradually diminishing.  Very slight shift so far but if you are a buyer, don't wait any longer to take advantage of the market.  If you are a seller, your day is on the horizon. Call Dee Dee at 616-836-8535 to buy or sell real estate in the area and I will give you a full market analysis for your price range. 02/04/2012

Saugatuck, Mi turkeys are thriving in the Turkey Protection Program.  Here is their photo in an undisclosed location. There used to be eighteen and now there are thirteen in this group so they have joined the Turkey Protection Program and are traveling incognito.  As they are really creatures of habit they arrive at this location every day for their corn fix.  They should be really big by spring if they continue to lay low. 01/26/2012

CRS Convention in Phoenix was fantastic!  I learned so much from some real heavy hitters.  This is "The Oscars" for real estate.  400 attendees with 29 from Spain and only two from Michigan.  What is wrong with this picture?  Michiganders, where are you? Classes in Mobile Marketing, iPad Revolution, Twitter Jumpstart, the Cloud, Gadgets and Gizmos, etc. and very inspiring Keynote Sessions.  I attended six to eight classes a day until my head was spinning. This was really worth the trip.  Just one idea facilitating one sale will pay for the cost. I was getting ready to go and guess where Ilsa was.  She couldn't understand why she couldn't come. After all she is my mascot!  She thought she would just ride along and was disappointed when there was no room in the suitcase for a little dog. ... 01/23/2012

I want to thank all my clients for a fabulous year I had in 2011.  This was Dee Dee Hanson's best year in the number of sales (24), amount earned, and total dollars of all my sales.  Happy New Year to everyone and looking forward to a 2012 even better than 2011. 01/06/2012

Saugatuck, Mi, Real Estate single family sale numbers for Saugatuck, Douglas, and Saugatuck Township is a mixed bag.  Dollars spent on single family homes decreased by about 5 % from $25,388,135 to $24,175,874 and the number of homes sold decreased by 13% from 94 homes to 81 homes BUT the interesting news is that the median price of homes sold went UP 3% from $235,000 to $243,000 and the average price of homes sold went up 10% from 270,087 to $298,468.  NOW HERE IS THE REALLY GOOD NEWS!  Sales of vacant land in Saugatuck, Douglas and Saugatuck Township has increased by 241% from total sales of $1,662,150 in 2010 to $3,999,350 in 2011.  Twenty two properties sold in 2010 and twenty six properties sold in 2011.  The average price of vacant land has doubled from $75,552 to $153,821!  If la... 01/06/2012

Yesterday I came into my office to a vase of fall flowers and the best testimonial note I have ever received. It reads as follows (on a small floral card attachment) "Dee Dee - You are the realtor every Buyer dreams of!  Thank you so much for helping us get our home, we may have ended up in that green s__t hole if it weren't for you!  Your the best!  XoXo  Shanna, Mikey and Oscar Oscar is the Jack Russell Terrier who owns Shanna and Mikey.  Shanna and Mikey are artists.  My clients had looked at a green house where the leaking roof had not only rotted out the walls but also the studs!  We found them something much better - a red home renovated from a barn with no rotting walls.  There really was no where to go but up after the green house. It is clients like these that make this a wonde... 11/10/2011

Real Estate in Saugatuck, Douglas and Saugatuck Township in Michigan is showing slight fluctuations from last year.  From Jan 1 to Nov 1 in 2010, 101 units (single family homes and condos) were sold.  In the same time period in 2011, 93 units (single family homes and condos) were sold.  There was an 8% decrease in the number of units sold. In the same time period, $24,840,955 was spent on these homes in 2010 and $24,314,909 in 2011.  There was a 2% decrease in the total expenditure on homes. The average sale price in 2010 was $245,900 and in 2011 it was $261,451.  This is an increase of 6% in the average price of homes. The median sale price in 2010 was $207,00 and the median in 2011 was $$227,500 for an increase in median price of 9%.  It appears that the prices of homes and condos are... 11/03/2011

Saugatuck, Mi Real Estate Clients are trading up in a down market. Second home owners who wanted a small, get-away cottage a couple of years ago have now decided they would like a bigger home so they can eventually retire to THE SAUGATUCK - DOUGLAS COMMUNITY.  These owners are taking small losses on the cottages that they purchased in a more expensive market and saving a great amount on the larger homes they are trading up into. Just yesterday, two of my clients sold their cottage for $214,500 that they had purchased in 2007 for $227,000  And they were thrilled!  This sale generated a 5% loss in the purchase in 2007 to the sales price in 2011.  However, statistics from 2007 versus 2011 (Oct to Oct) shows that the reduction of the average price of homes sold in Saugatuck City from 2007 t... 11/02/2011

Every year the Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society presents awards for preservation and also construction of new homes in the Saugatuck Douglas Area. This year the award went to Angela and Sven for their lovely home "on the hill" in Saugatuck.  The home, although new, was in character with the cottage feel of Saugatuck in scale and design and is truely lovely. CONGRATULATIONS, ANGELA AND SVEN.  You are a great asset to our community! 10/19/2011

Dee Dee's clients and friends attended a hayride, bonfire, and harvest dinner at Dee Dee's last Saturday.  Lots of fun for the whole group.  Everyone had a great time.  May have to make this an annual event.  The weather had appeared threatening but the rain stopped and the wind died down and we had a great time     . 10/17/2011

Saugatuck Real Estate for Saugatuck, Douglas, and Saugatuck Township has remained pretty constant year to date in 2011 as compared to the same time period in 2010. Jan 1 through Oct 1, 2010 saw 87 residential units (single family and condos) sold for a total sale price of $20,879,837 and a median price of $200,000. Properties sold at 89% to 98% of asking price Jan 2 through Oct 1, 2011 saw 85 residential units (single family and condos) sold for a total sale price of $22,372,059 and a median price of $229,000 with the sellers realizing 90% to 95% of their asking price. It appears that the sale price of individual units is up slightly and the percentage of sale price to asking price has stabilized between 90% to 95% as opposed to the wider swing in this percentage in 2010.  Numbers of bu... 10/01/2011

Oxbow is lovely and the air calm even when it is windy at Oval Beach.  In September artists take up residency to do their own things.  The light is perfect for painting.All the buildings are very charming and some of the leaves have fallen for a better view of the architechure.  Charming place to visit in the peace and quiet of September. 09/20/2011

This is a great time to visit Oval Beach.  Weather is fantastic and the crowds are all gone.  I was out there this week and took these photos.  The clouds were at their best.                                 This could be you!  Come on over and enjoy the beauty and quiet and look for your own cottage with Dee Dee Hanson.  Wherever you look at Oval Beach there is beauty.  No entrance fees to the park after Labor Day so all this beauty is free 09/19/2011