Author Archives: Mark Jacobsen

About Mark Jacobsen

Real estate agent with FreedomRE at Keller Williams focusing on Okemos, Haslett, East Lansing, Dewitt, Holt, Williamston, Mason, Grand Ledge, and Lansing.

Hangin’ in there

Not every deal is a slam dunk. Sometimes a seller can be difficult, but a good Realtor sticks with their client to find a way if there is one. This was one of those times 🙂 Ultimately, my buyer got what he wanted, and I’m super excited to see what the future holds!

If I can help you with your buying to selling needs, I’d love to chat.

You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

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An #unreal experience

Not sure why I hadn’t asked before, but about a week ago I asked some past clients to provide testimonials and ratings on FB, Realtor.com, Zillow, etc and boy did they respond! Over the next month I’ll be posting some of them here along with a bit of commentary.

Take the testimonial below as just one example. As a Realtor I pride myself in not only taking care of a client during the deal, but also afterwords. There’s a reason I say choosing FreedomRE is an #unreal experience. My clients are clients for life, and I hope that when you’re ready you reach out and can experience the difference.

We couldn’t have asked for a better experience! Our property sold quickly at full asking price. I highly recommend Mark to anyone buying or selling a home!

Looking to sell quickly and at a good price? Let’s chat!

You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

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June 2018 Lansing Real Estate Report

Welcome to the June 2018 edition of the Lansing Real Estate Report! Below you’ll find what happened last month in the school district of your choice.

Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or know someone who may – I’m here to provide an #unreal experience. Contact me today!

School District Sold Cash Sales Listed
Okemos 42 7 75
Haslett 28 5 42
Mason 24 3 35
Holt 50 7 78
East Lansing 44 12 69
DeWitt 23 3 40
Grand Ledge 74 12 72
Williamston 17 1 22
Waverly 32 4 53
Lansing 182 43 272
You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

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Radon and Slabs

Radon isn’t a problem if your house is on a slab, right? To find out I went to my trusted inspector and radon tester, and this was his reply…

Radon gas comes up from the earth at a ground level slab just as it does under the basement slab.  There is an easier route for radon to enter into a basement in a home with footing tiles and an open sump crock.  But, any negative pressure inside of a slab home or a basement without footing tiles and a sump crock can draw radon up into the home through cracks in the slab floor. This negative pressure is created by items such as furnace and water heater exhausts, running a dryer or just general stack/chimney effect.  So, I have had high readings in homes on a slab, but you are correct in that it is much less frequently than a home with a basement.

So, do you want to bother with a radon inspection if buying a home on a slab? I’ll leave that decision to you 😉

You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

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April 2018 Lansing Real Estate Report

Welcome to the April 2018 edition of the Lansing Real Estate Report! Below you’ll find what happened last month in the school district of your choice.

Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or know someone who may – I’m here to provide an #unreal experience. Contact me today!

School District Sold Cash Sales Listed
Okemos 40 12 64
Haslett 19 2 31
Mason 23 5 30
Holt 39 4 53
East Lansing 32 5 39
DeWitt 27 2 33
Grand Ledge 45 8 69
Williamston 15 1 19
Waverly 33 4 37
Lansing 147 46 213
You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

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March 2018 Lansing Real Estate Report

Welcome to the March 2018 edition of the Lansing Real Estate Report! Sorry for the delay. Let’s blame it on spring break and the snow 🙂 Below you’ll find what happened last month in the school district of your choice.

Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or know someone who may – I’m here to provide an #unreal experience. Contact me today!

School District Sold Cash Sales Listed
Okemos 25 2 37
Haslett 13 4 24
Mason 23 5 26
Holt 39 4 47
East Lansing 32 5 45
DeWitt 19 3 24
Grand Ledge 31 5 53
Williamston 13 2 14
Waverly 21 2 35
Lansing 142 39 203
You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

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February 2018 Lansing Real Estate Report

Welcome to the February 2018 edition of the Lansing Real Estate Report! Below you’ll find what happened last month in the school district of your choice.

Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or know someone who may – I’m here to provide an #unreal experience. Contact me today!

School District Sold Cash Sales Listed
Okemos 19 1 26
Haslett 18 3 20
Mason 14 1 24
Holt 25 6 60
East Lansing 21 6 32
DeWitt 7 1 19
Grand Ledge 26 4 41
Williamston 4 0 14
Waverly 17 3 22
Lansing 97 36 147
You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

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January 2018 Lansing Real Estate Report

Welcome to the January 2018 edition of the Lansing Real Estate Report! Below you’ll find what happened last month in the school district of your choice.

Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or know someone who may – I’m here to provide an #unreal experience. Contact me today!

School District Sold Cash Sales Listed
Okemos 15 1 33
Haslett 14 1 17
Mason 7 2 26
Holt 29 8 31
East Lansing 32 7 30
DeWitt 13 1 20
Grand Ledge 26 3 39
Williamston 13 1 16
Lansing 94 33 148
You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

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16 Tips for Selling Properties Faster and for More Money

Listen to the full episode here, but here are the main points – some commentary added 🙂

  1. Have a pre-listing inspection performed by a licensed home inspector.
  2. Clean up your home. – Please, please, please – you have no idea how often this is missed/skipped
  3. Does it pass the sniff test? – It better unless you want it to take longer to sell.
  4. Take great pictures of your house. – That’s why you hire a great agent – like me!
  5. Be available.
  6. Have your home ready for showings at all times. – You never know when or where your buyer will show up.
  7. Be informative.
  8. Use an agent. – At your service
  9. Ask your agent for selling advice.
  10. Price your house right. – You mean Zillow doesn’t know everything?
  11. List in peak market time. – If you can. If not, I wouldn’t consider this a deal breaker. Just be ready for it to potenially take longer.
  12. Double check your listing information.
  13. Stage those weird areas that don’t have an obvious use.
  14. Leave during your showings and make sure you take your pets with you. – So awkward when the seller sticks around. Get out! I would also add “take any valuables and medications” as well.
  15. Be prepared to walk away from an offer.
  16. Tell everyone you know that your house is for sale.
You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

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December 2017 Lansing Real Estate Report

Welcome to the December 2017 edition of the Lansing Real Estate Report! Below you’ll find what happened last month in the school district of your choice.

Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or know someone who may – I’m here to provide an #unreal experience. Contact me today!

School District Sold Cash Sales Listed
Okemos 29 6 21
Haslett 14 3 15
Mason 20 0 17
Holt 34 3 27
East Lansing 37 9 29
DeWitt 19 0 27
Grand Ledge 34 4 21
Williamston 10 1 9
Lansing 117 33 109
You or someone you know looking to buy or sell?

Sell My House | Buy a Home | Contact Me | Newsletter