Categories: Education Licensing and Regulations Water Rights and Environmental Listing Tools Miscellaneous
Real Estate Resource Room
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Friends, I have rearranged a little. Check out the expanded water rights portion. On the three new laws if you click on the law you be able to read the actual legislation.
ITEM
1: Minimum Service Requirements--Public
Acts 90 and 91 of 2008
(House Bills 4416 and 4417) will become effective July 1, 2008. They create
minimum service requirements for licensees who act as sellers' and buyers'
agents. These requirements are NOT applicable for licensees acting as
transaction coordinators.
A list of duties and services typically provided by licensees acting as agents has been added to the Disclosure Regarding Real Estate Agency Relationships form. When applicable, a licensee must also note on that form when they're acting under a "Limited Service Agreement."
These acts also create a new "Limited Services Agreement" form that must be signed and dated by sellers and buyers when waiving services that are allowed to be waived under these acts.
ITEM 2: Additional Principal Residence Exemption Public Act 96 of 2008 (House Bill 4215) was enacted on April 8, 2008. It provides property tax relief for sellers who have moved out of their homes, but are attempting to sell them. It also allows a seller who has purchased a replacement principal residence to claim exemptions on both the new and old residences while attempting to sell the old residence.
A seller is eligible for an additional exemption for up to three (3) years if the property is not occupied, not leased (it may be available for lease), not used for any business or commercial use, and is currently offered for sale.
To qualify, the seller must file a "conditional" rescission form on or before May 1 for the year claimed. The Michigan Dept of Treasury has created form 4640 which must be filed with the assessor. Click here for the form.
ITEM 3: Owner Built Residence Transfer Act Public Act 6 of 2008 (Senate Bill 577) will become effective August 10, 2008. It attempts to curtail the practice by individuals who are not licensed builders, but who build new residences and immediately resell them. Supposedly, many individuals have essentially made a living by doing this without ever being licensed as residential builders.
Unless there are "unforeseen circumstances," a non-builder owner who builds a new residence may not sell it for at least 365 days after receiving an occupancy permit. The "unforeseen circumstances" exception may be used only once per calendar year.
A non-builder owner who sells the residence within two (2) years after receipt of the occupancy permit must provide the buyer with an "owner-builder notice." The notice must be on a "separate piece of paper" (meaning that incorporating the notice into a Buy-Sell Agreement doesn't comply), must be in a 12-point font or larger, must include a statement that the owner is NOT a licensed Michigan builder, and must be signed and dated by the seller.
An owner who fails to comply with this law is liable for all of the following for up to 24 months after completion of construction, first occupancy, or purchase, whichever occurs later: (1) the cost to repair any defects in workmanship; (2) the cost to bring the structure into compliance with the building code in effect at the time the occupancy permit was issued; (3) the cost for temporary shelter for the buyer if repairs require the buyer to vacate temporarily or if structural defects render the home uninhabitable.
Thinking about going for your broker's license, getting into
real estate as a salesperson or taking continuing education.
For my 2007 schedule click here. 
This effects you! Telemarketers may access the registry at telemarketing.donotcall.gov Telemarketers who disregard the registry may be fined up to $11,000 per call. Further information for telemarketers is available.
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Licensing and Regulations and Realtor Association: Michigan and Other States:
The Department of Labor and Economic Growth Click here
Other State's licensing departments click here
The Red Book has been amended. CLICK HERE for the latest copy of administrative rules.
List of all the local Realtor associations in Michigan with
links to websites 
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Water Rights and Environmental Issues
On the Great Lakes where does your property end? Find out! Indiana's DNR has one of the best explanations of littoral rights I have ever seen. Click here: Ordinary High Water Mark
In 1997 The Law Enforcement Division of the Department of Natural Resources issued a paper on water rights. This includes a list of bodies of water that have been ruled or by statute named navigable or non-navigable. Click here WaterRights97
Walking on the beach. Better keep moving. You may, now "traverse" the beach. July 29, 2005, the Michigan Supreme Court reversed the Appellate Court Decision
Michigan Land Use Institute re: Glass V Goeckle Appellate Court decision.
In 1978 Frank Kelly issued an Attorney General opinion on the right of trespass on beaches. Click here for Opinion Lake Michigan Water and Port Information
Department of Environmental Quality Department of Natural Resources
A booklet prepared by Legislative Services entitled: Michigan Natural Resources, a Citizens Guide. This tells you about every law written intended to protect our environment.
Who is polluting your community? Click here and then enter your zip code to find out.
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Three brand new links. These are great. Thank you Dan Stiebel.
A very complete site with information about universal accessibility. Make sure you check out the accessible gingerbread house. http://concretechange.org/Default.htm
Selling a mobile or manufactured home? You probably need a Form BCC-961 Affidavit of Affixture
Statewide Search for Subdivision Plats - Home
This site allows you to look at the milleage for every district in the state. There is also a calculator to determine homestead rate and non-homestead. Click here
Michigan State Police, crime statistics, neighborhood information
Wondering about private schools that may be available in that county, click here.
Great site for evaluating locations http://www.bestplaces.net/
Michigan Association of Equalization Directors
Taking a buyer/client property shopping and find out there may be credit problems. What is that FICO score all about: Credit Info
This one is kind of specific to the Grand Rapids area, as it provides parcel information about Kent county www.accesskent.com
Another specific link which should bring you to a link for free mapping for Ottawa county, Michigan parcels. This includes property dimensions, aerial photos, etc www.gis.co.ottawa.mi.us/ottawa/
Emmet County Equalization plus some interesting info about GIS mapping www.co.emmet.mi.us/equalization/
Need a topographical map or the GPS readings to a particular location Topozone has what you need.
TerraFly by TerraFly.com at Florida International UniversityTerraFly is an interactive "fly-over" application designed to aid in the dissemination and visualization of geospatial data via the Internet. The incorporation of USGS data could make TerraFly one of the largest databases on the Internet. TerraFly will show the user a new and innovative way to explore their digital earth. (CRADA) Also includes a link to the National Weather Service you may wish to bookmark.
Then of course, there is the ever popular Terraserve 
Property Managers and landlords, you have been long overlooked. All of your forms and information are in a different room. Click here
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Miscellaneous:
On the Michigan State Police site there is a street conditions connection Road Conditions
Real Estate Newspaper 
Real Estate Magazine 
Sample forms MYREALESTATEFORMS
Traverse City Real Estate http://www.taar.com/
Michigan Association of Realtors http://www.mirealtors.com/
Realtors, got a client with a property that needs to swap in a 1031 exchange? Check out Realtors Land Institute
MSHDA's links page the best links reference I've found Hundreds of sites to choose from.
Ever feel in a rut? Need some helpful sales hints or motivation. Broker Agent News as many live interviews from top producers for free.
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