Last week I closed on this very nice property located on the northeast side of Higgins Lake. The sale vividly illustrates the great bargains that are found if you stay engaged in the market. The sale was a foreclosure, not all properties will sell for such a good price.

Located on almost two acres with a 2 car attached garage, approximately 2100 SF of living space, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, full basement and in good condition. Other desirable features included and large screened covered porch and majestic fireplace in the family room.

9022 Stephan Bridge Rd

This property is the ideal home for multiple uses. Michigan State land borders on the north side making the property great for hunting, snowmobiling, ORV, and hiking. Large rooms throughout the dwelling including 4 bedrooms, 4 baths make this  home extra comfortable. The upper level has a very large master bedroom suite with shower and jet tub. Huge walk-in closets with extra storage above the bedroom area.

On the main level the kitchen has plenty of counter space and a dining area next to the kitchen. Vaulted ceilings in the living room give a spacious feel with the large generous picture windows overlooking the wooded acreage. There are also 3 more bedrooms with two full baths to serve them.

The lower level is a recreational dream for entertaining with double patio entry door! Completely finished with wet bar/kitchen area, wood burning fireplace for doing smores and warming up after after playing outdoors. The lower level also boasts a huge laundry area with clothes sorting counters, a 3/4 bath and office/study for your privacy.

The house has a total living space of over 4400 square feet with attached 2 car garage and a extra large 2 car detached garage for storing all your toys. The heating system will keep you comfort and secure with a backup furnace and the home also has central air.

The asking price is $165,900, make your offer today. Call Ken @ 989.240.0970 for more info and showing.

Need to see more listing? Click here.

View listing to the north click here.

If you need to see more listings Ken Carlson Realty has thousands of northern Michigan  properties to view right here.

Whatever real estate information you may have need of Associate Broker Ken Carlson can find you the property of your dreams.

Ken will also provide you with SOLD comparables upon request.

Foreclosures continue to have an impact upon the Higgins Lake area real estate market. The number of units sold in the Higgins Lake area  year to date are at 125,  last year 131 units sold for the entire year. With only 2 weeks left in the calendar year the market may break even for the entire year.  The average sale price this year is at $107,500 compared to 2010 average sale price at $126,376.

The number of active listings compared to 2010 have stayed about the same.

NEWS and VIEWS

 With your township tax bill arriving recently we are all reminded how important an accurate assessment is. In Gerrish Township this may be a good year to review your assessment if you have not done so in the past. During the past year I have represented a property owner that was refunded a substantial amount of tax dollars. We were denied at the BOR and appealed to the state of Michigan Tax Tribunal and were awarded all we asked for. 

Many times the assessor just does not have the time to look at every property assessment card for clerical errors. These errors can cost you! I represented one client that was assessed for 10 feet of Higgins Lakefront that was not there’s. The savings was substantial when values were around $7000 per front foot that assessment year.

of the Roscommon County Community Foundation Professional Advisory Committee. The committtee work involves asset management advice for all of life’s real estate and financial needs. Estate planning is not just for the wealthy but is now available for common people from all walks of life.

 As of December 31, 2010 the RCCF had assets totaling 5.4 million. Grants to 501(c)(3) Non-Profits, Tax exempt schools, churches (for non-religious purposes, and governmental entities and municipalities are funded from the income that is generated from the 5.4 million base endowment.

Protecting and preserving Higgins Lakes water  quality is an important effort that over the years has been funded by organizations such as the Higgins Lake Foundation, Gerrish & Lyon Townships along with many people. Many local organizations  have been grantees and donors in the effort to maintain and improve the quality of life at Higgins Lake. It is because of these efforts that real estate values have been stabilized around Higgins Lake and people will continue to live at 6th most beautiful lake in the world!

The Roscommon County Community Foundations motto is “For Good, For Ever.”

If you are considering selling highly appreciated real estate call Ken before you list your property. I am sure you do not want to pay more in taxes than you have to, so let me show you how to disinherit the IRS.

In recent  weeks I have heard from homeowners that some companies have been increasing premiums by an average of 10% when renewals are arriving in mail boxes. I have requoted some of my clients policies and found that some are better off changing insurance companies and others have saved substanially by changing. With some home budgets being stressed going into 2012 I suggest  you look at your options. I can help you with your insurance needs, start by clicking here. I am an independent insurance agent that writes for a number of companies. The advantage is that we can customize the policy for your  needs and are not bound by one quote. When I am quoting your policy package I will check to be sure you are not underinsured in areas where premiums are normally inexpensive but coverages are very important, such as liability.

I also write Auto, Home, Rental, Boat, ATV, Motorcycle, Motorhome, Farm, Business, Life, Municipality, and Annuities for your capital savings.

I was reading the Sunday news paper this past weekend with much interest as I saw the following headline in the Wall Street Journal Biz section……….”How To Figure The Fuzzy Math of Internet Home Values.”

After reading the article it confirms in ones mind that if you need accurate information you need a broker from your market area that can evaluate the listing and sold data for you.

Consumer oriented web sites use disclaimers to cover them from such overall misinformation. The article goes on to comment on (the companies name starts with a “Z”) estimates have an overall error rate of 8.5%,  with one-fourth of the estimates are 20% off the actual sales data. In some counties such as Hamilton in Ohio the article claims that the error rate is as high as 82%.

Don’t get me wrong, the sites offer a valuable service to online surfers but the real deal is still with contacting your area real estate broker. I can say this, the next time you have your property appraised be sure the appraiser is using actual data from the register of deeds or MLS sold properties.

The article went on to say that one person in Sacramento went for a refi on a $750K mortgage after he did some remodeling and found that the online web sites that do their “Z” est. had his place  worth only $640,500. When the real life apprasier was done the value came it at $1.5 million. So use can see that the crazy numbers can go either way.

Remember the best idea for the property owner is to get the facts and you may be well served to get to a real estate agent for the facts.

the largest inland lake in the State of Michigan with a surface area of approximately 20,044 acres. The lake has about 30 miles of shoreline and has some of the best sunsets you will find anywhere because of the consistent level of the horizon. There is plenty of room for recreational use with the vast width of the lake. Measuring over 7 miles north to south and almost 5 miles at the widest point. The lakes depth averages out at 7 plus feet and in the east bay area a hole at 20 feet can be found.

The lake is known for it’s great fishery hosting the species of pan fish, crappie, northern pike, blue gill, yellow perch and large/small mouth bass. The lake is not cold enough for the salmon and trout which can be fished at Higgins Lake to the north 2 miles. The presence of Tip Up Town and summer Bass tournaments confirms the great fishing that Houghton Lake is famous for.

Houghton Lake has no natural springs for the most part but receives its water from the Cut River which flows from the north via Higgins Lake. The lake has it’s oulet at the Muskegon River which flows out at the south west shore, the Muskegon River at Houghton Lake is it’s headwaters. The lake level is regulated by a dam at the Muskegon River outlet by court ordered legal limit.

The population of Houghton area is made up of 3 unincorporated villages. Prudenville at the southeast side, Houghton Lake along the south M-55 corridor and Houghton Lake Heights at the southwest shore. Houghton Lake Heights is home to the Michigan State Police Post at the corner of Old 27 and M-55.

Privately owned real estate is plentiful around and near the lake. Over the past 8 years the real estate market has provided one of the largest inventories of residential and commercial properties for sale. Buyers looking for lakefront property have and will continue to find good buys on Houghton Lake  waterfront listings to choose from. Over the past few years the MLS has offered as many as 110 lakefront listings at the peak of the summer sales inventory. Because of the large inventory of listings Houghton Lake has some of the lowest sales prices for northern Michigan waterfront.

Douglass Houghton who was one of the areas original explorers did geology studies for the State of Michigan. The lake is named after Mr Houghton.

The township form of government are the units that provide municipal services to the residents. There are 4 townships, Denton, Roscommon, Lake, and Markey. Markey township is the seat of the Roscommon County airport. The properties around Houghton Lake all have well water for drinking and municipal sewers for waste disposal. The water quality of the lake is good and improved after sewers were installed in the 1970s. The Houghton Lake Improvement Board regulates control of Eurasian Milfoil which is an underwater plant that can crowd out native preferred plants. The board has done a good job of balancing the control of the weed. The board funds the control efforts with a special assessment to properties that benefit from waterfront access. The assessment  costs a few hundred dollars per year or less.

View Houghton Lake Data Map

This home is sure to please with 4 bedrooms, 5 baths huge rec room with wet bar and  wood burning fireplace. The  attached 2 car garage has power door openers. The master suite has large walkin closets, jet tub  and a private deck looking over the woods. For storing all the ATVs and snowmobiles there is a detached 2 car garage the a private bath for convenience. For those hot summer days there us central air and decking along the wooded side of the home.

All this can be yours for $165,900.

Located in Roscommon County Higgins Lake is noted for it’s deep rich blue waters and one of Michigan’s premier waterfront real estate values for ownership. Higgins Lake has approximately 9,900 acres of surface area and has about 21 miles of sandy shoreline. In size Higgins Lake is Michigan’s 10th largest lake.

The lake receives over half of it’s water from submerged springs with the deepest spring in the north basin at a depth of approximately 130 feet deep! Some of the incoming water, 6% may come from inlet streams and runoff from rain. The lake supports very little weed and organism growth because the lake water is scientifically called oligotrophic meaning very low levels of nutrients to support algae and plant life. However it has high levels of oxygen which is why the lake is cold, supports cold water fish such as trout and has very clear water. The water is so clear there have been reading of being able to see a sicchi disk at over 20 feet below the surface before it disappears.

The lakes main outlet is the cut river and a dam is located at the mouth of the river to regulate the court ordered legal level,  the lake has a summer and winter controlled legal level at the dam. The Cut river flows from Higgins Lake and flows into Houghton Lake, Michigan’s largest inland lake.  

The local property owners around Higgins Lake along with governmental agencies are very proactive about protecting the lake water resource. Gerrish Township and Lyon Township have worked in concert with the Higgins Lake Foundation the Higgins Lake Property Owners Association (HLPOA) and the Higgins Lake Civic Association. Over the past 20 years studies have been completed studying the water quality which has resulted in preventative measures being implemented. One of the biggest potential pollutions the lake can experience is storm water runoff from yards, septic tanks to close to the waterfront and road ends that lead to the lake. Because of Higgins Lakes great amount of public access roads (over 70) which gives ready public access to the recreational features, it is also one of the main contributing points of potential degradation of the water quality.

The tax base of the communities around and near Higgins Lake owe their good life to the large amounts of money that the lake supplies from the revenues that the lake produces each year. It is imparative the residents and visitors alike protect the lake from missuse of the wonderful natural resource entrusted to us. As an illustration the tax base of Gerrish Township alone, it provides approximatley 1/4th of the total tax base for the counties entire 11 townships!

Higgins Lake is a water wonderland for vacation and summer residency. The lake has been noted for fetching $2,000 to $3,000 per week for rentals and not long ago land values topped out at $8,000 per front foot. Waterfront property will always be a source for unparalleled pleasure and investment. Waterfront property will probably always be the best investment value of real estate purchases since there is very little available to buy compared to offshore real estate which by comparison has many times more parcels available.

The lake is named after Sylvestor Higgins who was Michigan’s first chief of the topographical department of the Michigan Geological Survey. Years ago National Geographic named Higgins Lake the sixth most beautiful lake in the world. I personally live just a mile from this gorgeous lake and probably will till I leave this earth. If you have any questions about Higgins Lake I can be your source for the answers.