Christine Merryweather, Realtor, Jaqua Realtors

09/28/2026

Welcome potential house buyers warmly by decorating your home with warm shades.

09/28/2026

Need some stylish decor ideas for your home now that autumn is here? Search no more.

09/25/2026

It can be really stressful to be in the process of selling and buying a home simultaneously. With the help of a good real estate agent, it's not impossible.

Here are five tips to help you sell and buy a house at the same time.

09/23/2026

If you could only have either a great front porch or a relaxing deck area, which would you pick?

09/23/2026

There's a deed that lets you keep every ounce of control over your house while still guaranteeing it skips probate the day you die.

It's called a Lady Bird deed, also known as an enhanced life estate deed. Here's exactly how it works.

You set it up, and your home passes to your chosen heir automatically at death, no probate involved. Until then, you can sell it, refinance it, change the heir, or revoke the entire thing whenever you want. No permission needed from anyone.

Compare that to a regular life estate, which sounds similar but works completely differently. With a regular life estate, your heir has to consent before you can sell. Your heir has to consent before you can refinance. You cannot change the heir once it's set. You cannot revoke it. And because it counts as a gift, Medicaid's look-back period can apply.

A Lady Bird deed skips all of that. No Medicaid look-back penalty. You keep full control. Nothing needs anyone else's permission until the day you're gone.

Here's the catch, and it's a real one. Only five states recognize this by law. Florida, Michigan, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia. A few other states have attorneys drafting similar deeds without an actual statute behind them, which is far riskier.

Everywhere else, a transfer on death deed or a revocable trust does a similar job instead.

If you're in one of those five states, this is worth asking your estate attorney about directly. If you're not, ask what your state's equivalent actually is before you assume this applies to you.

09/22/2026

Just sold! It took nearly 2 years to find these super fun buyers just the right home on Austin Lake in Kalamazoo. We looked at a lot of beautiful homes in the Kalamazoo area, but this one was a show stopper and we were ready. Congratulations!

09/22/2026

Happy First Day of Fall

09/21/2026

Doesn't this lawn game look fun? The real challenge: creating the longest word possible with your letters.

Upcycle leftover cardboard into letters to create this fun, oversized lawn game.

09/20/2026

Welcome home to this spacious 5-bedroom, 2.5 bath traditional home located in the desirable Texas Heights neighborhood, all within the Mattawan School District. Offering an impressive amount of living space, this home combines classic style with a comfortable, functional floor plan designed for ever...