I'm seeing an increase in housing activity the past week or so. I had 3 showing appointments set on the same listing within the past 24 hours. Now that has been rare this past year. But, it tells me that buyers are getting the message that now is the time to make their move.

The home buying process can seem complicated, but if you take things step-by-step, you will soon be holding the keys to your own home according to HUD, Homes and Communities. They list 9 steps to Home Ownership which give a pretty detailed list of items for your use.

We are experiencing a return to the more traditional lending standards that were in effect before the housing boom of 2001 -2005- lending standards that support a stable economic environment for both home-buyers and the nation at large. Buyers will likely need to get their credit in order, save more for down payments and work harder with their sales associate to find a suitable home.

I normally provide the names and phone numbers of Mortgage Originators to each buyer for them to compare services, closing costs, and additional fees involved in buying their home. The team effort that is created in the home buying process is important, so that all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

The Mortgage Originator is only one of those team members of your Realtor. A few more covered in future Blogs would be the home inspector, the Title Company, a Concierge Coordinator, an Attorney and many, many more. When a Realtor sells a house, many people are put to work.

Feel free to visit my websitefor additional tools and articles on buying or selling a home in the greater Lansing market. I Specialize in Lansing real estate, DeWitt, Grand Ledge, Holt, Okemos, Haslett, East Lansing, Bath, and Ingham, Clinton, Eaton County. You can search real estate here for all these areas.

"Expect the Best' Mike