UPDATE: LANSING - You’ve probably heard people talking about how the housing market is finally improving, but it may not be as good as it sounds--at least not for everyone.


“If you're a buyer, things are terrific—,” says Bill Acheson, of the Franklin Street Community Housing Corp. He and his staff provide counseling to those undergoing or in danger of foreclosure, as well as first-time homebuyers.

“They see that the prices are way down and that the interest is way down and they're probably never going to do this well again,” said Acheson.

Jeff Burke, president of the Greater Lansing Board of Realtors says that homes are selling faster than they have in the past since the crash.

“The market is definitely looking up. In January, we were up almost 40 percent in our sales--we sold 175 more homes than we did in 2011,” said Burke.

Many are profiting from the current situation, but there are so many who are still suffering. Like Michelle DeLeon, who grew up in the Meridian Township and now rents in Haslett with her family.

“We'd like to buy a home, some place where we don't have to move again, call home, do what we want with it. That's very important to us, but with the way the economy is, it's really hard for us we're struggling,” said DeLeon.

She and her family would love to take advantage of the historically low interest rates, but they aren't in a position to qualify for a loan.

So if you're a first-time homebuyer, you're in good shape. However, if you've been struggling, you'll likely still be struggling for a while, anyways.





ORIGINAL STORY: LANSING - You’ve probably heard people talking about how the housing market is finally improving, but it may not be as good as it sounds--at least not for everyone.