If there’s one thing that sets Clare County apart from a lot of other real estate markets in Michigan, it’s the abundance of lakes, rivers, and recreational land. This is truly a special place for people who love the outdoors, and that makes our market “unique” in interesting ways — a word that does a lot of heavy lifting in real estate conversations, though I’ll admit I’ve heard worse at dinner.

Lakefront property has always been in high demand here, and that demand has only grown in recent years. In large part due to the Seacord, Wixom, and Sanford Lakes dam failures. The buyers who would have typically sought out those lakes quickly discovered Clare County’s lakes and what a great value they could get. In turn, we have seen prices for lakefront homes increase leaps and bounds. It will be interesting to see how our county’s lakefront homes hold their market value as the dams in Gladwin and Midland County are repaired and those lakes begin the restoration and attempt to bring back the health and ecosystems of those lakes starting this year.

Additionally, when the pandemic changed the way people worked and lived, a lot of buyers from larger cities started looking at lake homes in a new light. Instead of a place to visit a few weekends a summer, a lake home became a place to live full time, or at least a significant portion of the year. Turns out, sitting in traffic isn’t a mandatory part of the human experience.

That increased interest has had a real impact on values. Waterfront and water-access properties have appreciated significantly. If you own a lake home and haven’t thought about what it might be worth in today’s market, you might be surprised — pleasantly, for once. A local agent will be able to educate you on lake dredging projects, special assessments, Central Michigan District Health Department well and septic requirements, and homeowners association particulars. This is an excellent example of how working with a local agent will benefit you, as opposed to learning about special assessments at the closing table because your agent wasn’t knowledgeable in the local market.

For buyers looking at lake property, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, know the difference between lakefront, lake access, and lake view. Lakefront means your property directly touches the water. Lake access means you have the right to use a shared access point, but your home isn’t on the water. Lake view means you can see the water from your property — sometimes only with binoculars while standing on the roof. Each of these has a meaningfully different value.

Also consider whether the lake is all-sports, allowing motorized watercraft, or restricted. All-sports lakes tend to command higher prices. Look into the depth of the lake, the water quality, and the homeowner’s association rules if one exists. The Department of Natural Resources has good resources on the public lakes across our county, and additional information can be found on their website.

Seasonal versus year-round use is another consideration. Some lake homes in our area are set up for year-round living with full utilities and insulation. Others are more cabin-style and better suited for three seasons. Know what you’re buying. Is the home on a paved road? Does it have natural gas or propane? What internet service, if any, is available? These details will impact both the price of the home and your quality of life.

Whether you’re looking to buy or curious about the value of a property you already own, I’d love to help — stop by the office, give me a call, or send a message. Lake property is one of my favorite things to work with, and I promise to keep the enthusiasm professional.

Daniel Dwyer-Snyder is an Associate Broker with CENTURY 21 Signature Realty in Clare & Lake. He can be reached at 989-321-9927.

Real estate is more than just buying and selling homes. I know, shocking right? But stick with me here, because in small communities like ours in Clare County, the real estate market quietly does a lot of heavy lifting for the local economy, and it doesn’t get nearly enough credit at bar stools and BBQs.

When a home sells, the economic ripple effect is broader than most people realize. Inspectors show up to deliver bad news professionally. Appraisers arrive to confirm what you already suspected. Surveyors walk your yard with purpose. Title companies handle the closing, which is essentially a very expensive paper-signing ceremony. Then the movers (AKA family and the people you find out are your real friends fast) show up, and the new owners realize the paint color is, in fact, not their problem anymore. Except now it is. So they paint, renovate, landscape, and furnish, and suddenly half of Clare County’s contractors are booked out six weeks and the hardware store is out of paint rollers.

Property taxes are another important piece of the puzzle, and I say this as someone whose job depends on home values going up. Those taxes fund schools, roads, emergency services, and the other infrastructure we all use while pretending we built it ourselves. When home values rise, the tax base grows. When they fall, everyone remembers they have opinions about the economy.

New residents bring economic activity with them. A family relocating from a larger city isn’t just buying a house. They’re enrolling kids in local schools, shopping local, eating local, and generally participating in the community whether the community is ready for them or not. That has a genuine, measurable impact. We have measured it. It’s good.

Real estate investment, rentals, renovations, new developments, creates jobs and adds to the local housing stock. And frankly, our local communities are starving for affordable three-bed, two-bath ranch style new construction homes. All of which contributes to healthier, more vibrant local economies, which is the kind of thing that sounds like a chamber of commerce brochure but is actually just true.

I’m proud to work in an industry that connects people to this community. Every transaction I’m part of is about more than just real estate. It’s about people planting roots here in Clare County, like my family has been doing since the 1800s.

So what did March actually look like?

March was a seller’s market, but a mild one, which is probably the most Clare County way to do anything. A balanced market typically carries around a six month supply of homes. With 128 active listings and 22 homes sold in March, we’re sitting at roughly 5.8 months of supply, which puts us right on the edge of balanced market territory. Sellers still had a slight edge, but buyers had real options to choose from. Homes averaged 34 days on market, so things were moving but nobody was panicking. With 52 new listings coming in, inventory is healthy and building. If you’re thinking about selling, the timing is still solid. And if you’re buying, this is actually one of the better moments you’ve had in a while to take your time and make a smart decision.

My office team is growing, and I couldn’t be more proud of the agents making it a great place to work. Good things are happening here and we’re doing it the right way. If you’re just starting out in real estate or an experienced agent ready for something better, let’s have a conversation. My current agents will tell you, it’s a pretty amazing place to work.

Daniel Dwyer-Snyder is an Associate Broker with CENTURY 21 Signature Realty in Clare. He can be reached at 989-321-9927.

If you’re buying a home, one of the most important steps in the process is the home inspection. And yet, it’s also one of the most misunderstood, right up there with why your neighbor’s car without a muffler and the stereo blaring needs to warm up for 45 minutes at 5 a.m. every single morning, including Sunday.

Today I want to walk you through what a home inspection is, what it covers, and how to use the results wisely.

A home inspection is a visual examination of a home’s major systems and components, performed by a certified inspector. Think of the inspector as a good mechanic giving your future home a bumper-to-bumper look-over, except instead of checking your fluids and belts, they’re checking your rafters, foundations, plumbing and circuit breakers. The inspection typically takes two to four hours, and at the end you’ll receive a detailed written report including photos that describe everything the inspector observed. It’s a lot of reading, but trust me, it’s more useful than the owner’s manual for your riding mower that you’ve never once opened. It is important that you understand the findings are opinions of the inspector and their critical findings should always be followed up by with a licensed builder, plumber, or heating and cooling professional.

Here’s something important to understand: NO HOME IS PERFECT. I’ve been managing real estate offices across Clare County for years, and I can tell you I have never, not once, seen an inspection report come back completely clean. Even brand-new construction homes have findings. The goal of the inspection isn’t to find a reason to walk away from the deal. It’s to help you understand exactly what you’re buying so there are no unpleasant surprises after closing. Nobody wants to move the last box in on a Saturday and discover the furnace has been running on pure stubbornness and a prayer and the attic is full of bats and mice.

As a buyer, I strongly encourage you to attend the inspection in person if at all possible. This is your chance to learn about the home from someone whose only job is to give you an honest, objective assessment. No feelings hurt, no sales pitch, just the facts. Tag along, ask questions, and find out which items are minor maintenance issues versus which ones are more significant concerns. A good inspector will talk to you like a neighbor explaining what’s wrong with your truck, not like someone reading from a legal document.

One more thing on finding an inspector: choose your own. Don’t let your real estate agent hand you a name and call it a day. Ask your coworkers, your neighbors, the folks you trust. Find out who they used, how the experience went, and most importantly, whether they would hire that inspector again. Check online reviews too. A good inspector is worth their weight in gold, and the right one is out there. You just have to do a little asking around, which if you’ve lived in Clare County for more than a week, you already know how to do.

Once you have the report, you and your agent can decide how to proceed. You might ask the seller to make certain repairs, request a price reduction to account for the issues, ask for a credit at closing, or simply accept the home as-is if the findings are minor. In some cases, serious structural or safety issues might give you reason to reconsider the purchase altogether, and that’s okay. That’s exactly what the inspection is there for.

The cost of a home inspection is typically a few hundred dollars and often based on the home’s square footage. For a little perspective, that’s less than a weekend of poor decisions at the casino in Mount Pleasant, and the return on investment is considerably better. Think of it as due diligence on one of the biggest purchases of your life, not the homework you avoided in high school.

Don’t skip the inspection. Out here in Clare County, we’re practical people. We check the oil before a long drive, we don’t plant tomatoes before Memorial Day, and we don’t buy a house without knowing what we’re getting into.

It’s one of the best investments you can make in the home-buying process.

Daniel Dwyer-Snyder is an Associate Broker with CENTURY 21 Signature Realty in Clare. He can be reached at 989-321-9927.