Introducing The Sanford Team: Your local real estate experts!

In the busy world of real estate, it is hard to know who to call when you want to buy or sell a home or get information about real estate. In the Greater Lansing Association of Realtors alone, there are over 3,000 licensed real estate agents! Penney Aiken and The Sanford Team are here to assist you with anything and everything real estate.

Neal Sanford started with Preview Properties in the early 1990’s and is now in his 26th year with the company. He started The Sanford Team a few years ago, when real estate started to pick back up. Late in 2015, he added Merle Boehmer to his team to take the lead as a buyer’s agent. Merle has a background in agriculture, lending, insurance and sales and is a knowledgeable team member. In April of 2016, he also added Penney Aiken to the team to serve as an assistant, listing and closing coordinator as well as the marketing manager. Her varied background in commercial real estate, lending and marketing have helped make her a valuable part of the team. In August of 2016, Penney received her real estate license and has assisted in listing homes as well as working as a buyer’s agent.

The Greater Lansing real estate market is at a turning point and we are excited to bring you a regular column filled with real estate information! Homes are selling, on average, for $45,000 more than they were six years ago, and inventory is at an all-time low. Any houses that are being marketed for sale are selling quickly; most in under 30 days. This is a seller’s market and it is time to take advantage. Selling your home can be scary, but having a listing agent that is pro-active, innovative and encouraging is vital. The Sanford Team takes care to make sure every listing is promoted and marketed using today’s internet. For buyers, this means having representation that is responsive, fast and willing to find you what you want to buy. They have to be quick to show you homes that you’re interested in and have a good handle on what you’re looking for.

With so many agents out there, we encourage you to find the right fit for you. Key things to look for in a real estate agent are: a) ability to communicate effectively with you, b) knowledge of the local market, c) experience in negotiating as well as knowledge of the sales process, and d) a pro-active person who will guide you through the process, not just play damage control.

We look forward to bringing The Chronicle community real estate information, updates and more! If you have any questions or want specific information on buying or selling a home, contact Penney Aiken at penney@sanfordteam.com.