Taxes going up even with value going down

I got a email from a past client who was concerned about his home's tax bill going up, even while his home's value wet down.

We had a 20 minute conversation, but here is an article that goes over the same information:
http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071223/NEWS01/712230325

Relationship between a home's age and its value

I've had a number of buyers ask me if a new home is always more expensive than an old one.

The short answer is no.

The more in depth answer is there is often no correlation between a home's age and its value.

Often the older homes are in more desirable areas so much of their value is in the actual dirt under the home.

On the other hand there are a lot of desirable features that are desirable today that were not even considered when older homes were built like 3 car garages and bubble tubs in the master bath. Even master baths were not a typical feature in homes built 60 years ago!

Important article to show seller in negotiation

Here is a post about an article in MLive that could be very useful if you are negotiating on a home purchase:

Ann Arbor Home Buying: News article to share with sellers during negotiation

You probably will never see a regular real estate agent in Ypsilanti promoting an article like this because they represent sellers.

We are the big Exclusive Buyer's Brokage in the area and that is why we can talk about negotiation on the buying side!