Kevin Crampton, Associate Broker - Modern Realty

07/15/2026

If you are making an offer in a competitive market, know this clause before you sign it: the appraisal gap guarantee.

It means you promise to pay, in cash, the difference if the home appraises for less than your offer. Say you offer 300,000 and it appraises at 275,000. That is 25,000 you owe at closing, on top of your down payment, and your lender will not finance it.

The danger is the ones written with no cap. You can end up owing more cash than you have.

Before you sign one, cap it at a number you could write a check for that day. You keep the negotiating power without the landmine. I have watched an uncapped version nearly sink a deal over exactly this.

Making an offer and not sure what a clause commits you to? Ask me before you sign.

06/05/2026

Most sellers spend money before listing their home that doesn't help them, and in some cases actually hurts them.
I put together a video covering 12 things you should stop doing before your home hits the market. Every one of them has little to no return on investment, and most sellers don't find that out until it's too late.
If you're thinking about selling, watch this before you start a single project.

The most common home selling mistakes to avoid don't happen at the ...

05/26/2026

Sometimes knowing what NOT TO DO is the most important thing to know!

Discover 'What not to do when selling' your home in Midland, MI. Learn 'What not to do when selling' to save time and money. Read more!

05/21/2026

What agents actually net after splits, taxes, and the annual expenses. What your commission check becomes by the time it hits an agent's pocket. What the schedule actually looks like. And why 62% of new agents earned less than $10,000 last year.

If you've ever questioned what a real estate agent does or what they earn, this one gives you the honest answer.

The real estate agent income numbers you've seen online are wrong. ...

05/20/2026

Most people think real estate agents make $80,000 to $115,000 a year.

That number comes from self-reported salary sites skewed toward the top performers who bother to fill out surveys.

The verified data tells a different story.

After brokerage splits, self-employment tax, and the annual expense stack that every licensed agent pays whether they close deals or not — the median REALTOR® nets $36,600.

New agents? Median gross of $8,100. 62% earned less than $10,000.

I wrote the full breakdown — income, hidden costs, the schedule, the deals that fall through without a paycheck, and what the commission on your home sale actually becomes by the time it hits an agent's pocket.

If you've ever wondered what this job really is, it's worth a read.

I've been doing this for 12 years.I hold an Associate Broker license. I work out of Modern Realty in Midland, Michigan. I specialize in first-time homebuyers and move-up buyers and sellers. I have sat across the kitchen table from hundreds of people at some of the most financially stressful moments....

05/15/2026

A home inspection report shows up as a 50-page document and most buyers have no idea what to do with it.
Some panic over a list of 35 items and walk away from a perfectly good house. Others skim past the one finding that should have sent them straight to a structural engineer.
I made a video that walks through the whole process, what the inspector is actually hired to do, what the report categories mean, how to structure a post-inspection negotiation, and the 5 things a standard inspection does not cover.
If you are buying, selling, or just trying to understand the process before your next move, this one is worth the watch.

A home inspection covers far less than most buyers assume, and what it skips is exactly what costs them money. This video breaks down what does a home inspec...

04/21/2026

Most buyers have never heard of an assumable mortgage. Most sellers don't know they might have one.

If you bought a home between 2019 and 2022 with an FHA, VA, or USDA loan, your mortgage may be one of the most valuable things you own right now, and not just because of what your house is worth.

I wrote a full breakdown of how assumable mortgages work, who qualifies, what the process looks like, and why sellers with low-rate loans may have a listing advantage most agents never mention.

Assumable mortgages let buyers take over a seller's existing loan at the original interest rate. With 30-year rates near 6.30% today, this strategy can save buyers hundreds per month and help sellers sell faster at a higher price. Here's how it works, which loans qualify, and what both sides need to...

04/08/2026

Most people who sign a land contract don't fully understand what they signed until something goes wrong.
Land contracts can be a legitimate path to homeownership but they come with risks that a conventional mortgage doesn't. Forfeiture clauses, due-on-sale triggers, balloon payments, and title issues that most buyers never see coming.
I put together a full video walking through how these deals actually work, what buyers and sellers need to know before signing anything, and how to protect yourself on both sides of the transaction.
Watch it here:

Land contracts are one of the most powerful and least understood financing tools in real estate and millions of Americans are using them without fully knowin...

04/01/2026

1.4 million Americans are making payments every month on a home they don't legally own yet. 🏡
That's what a land contract does - the seller holds the deed, you hold the keys. And in Michigan, these deals happen more often than most people realize.
Used correctly, a land contract can be a legitimate path to homeownership. Used without understanding the fine print, you can lose every dollar you've paid if one payment goes wrong.
I put together a full breakdown, how they work, Michigan-specific protections, the risks buyers miss, and what sellers need to know about taxes and federal rules.
If you've ever heard the term "Land Contract" and wondered what it actually means, this is the guide. 👇

According to research by The Pew Charitable Trusts, approximately 8 million Americans have used a land contract at some point to pursue homeownership. Right now, an estimated 1.4 million people are actively living under one - many of them without fully understanding what that document means for thei...

03/26/2026

The median age of a first-time home buyer just hit 40. That's an all-time high.

The common assumption is that affordability is the problem. Affordability is part of it. The other part is an information gap — and that gap is costing people years.

Here's what the 2026 data actually shows:

→ 30-year fixed rates have dropped from 6.63% to ~6.00% in the past 12 months
→ On a $300,000 loan, that's roughly $200/month in savings and $72,000 less in total interest
→ Conventional loans are available with 3% down — $6,750 on a $225,000 home
→ VA and USDA loans offer zero down payment for eligible buyers — two paths most buyers don't know exist
→ Michigan's MSHDA program offers $10,000 in zero-interest down payment assistance, statewide
→ Forecasters at Fannie Mae and Morgan Stanley project rates could reach 5.50%–5.75% by mid-2026

The people who understand these options are buying. The people who don't are still renting and waiting for a "better time."

I put together a complete guide — mortgage options, side-by-side cost comparisons on a real $225,000 home, qualification requirements, the full home buying timeline, and the 10 mistakes that derail first-time buyers most often.

There's also a full video if you prefer to watch rather than read.

You don't need 20% down to buy a home in 2026 — and most first-time buyers don't know that. This complete mortgage guide breaks down every loan option availa...