After buying their first house in Hancock, Mich., in 2010, Dan and Michelle Seguin vowed their next move would be their last. After a decade and a half filled with lots of life, planning, and hard work, that dream is close to becoming a reality.

Dan and Michelle met as students at Michigan Tech University. They fell in love with the area and knew it was where they wanted to put down roots. They set their hearts on one day building their forever home amid the rugged beauty of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

After an extended season completing degrees in their respective fields – Dan in engineering and Michelle in medicine, the Seguins started their careers years after many of their peers, and with more student loan debt.

Finding a Perfect Property

A few years after buying their first home, Dan and Michelle came across a beautiful piece of property near Houghton. It was exactly what they were looking for, and it was for sale. But it was completely out of their price range. While unable to make an offer, the Seguins kept their eye on the property. It never sold and eventually went off the market. After a few years, they assumed that was that.

But it wasn’t.

“By complete happenstance, I was working with a colleague of mine, and we were just talking about future plans—wanting to get some property, wanting to build a house,” said Dan. “He said, ‘You should talk to my friend Marty.’ And it turns out Marty was the person selling this place we had looked at five or six years earlier.”

The next weekend Michelle came up from Marquette, where she was working at the time, so the couple could see the property together. The 120-acre tract included a bustling trout stream, rustic cabin, and endless potential.

“It was absolutely perfect,” said Dan.

Dan and Michelle knew they didn’t want to let the property slip away for a second time.

“By not going through a realtor, we saved some money, and by us being in a better financial position, we were able to work directly with Marty and with GreenStone to close on the property,” said Dan.

Working for a Dream

In spring of 2024, Dan reached out to GreenStone again, this time to discuss a construction loan. Amber Hanson, Dan and Michelle’s financial services officer, helped them put their goals into perspective and make a plan for achieving them.

Approval didn’t happen overnight. It started with early, transparent conversations about where the Seguins were financially—and where they needed to be. Initial construction loan conversations revealed a gap between the home they envisioned and what their finances could support.

“We looked at it right then as a snapshot—this is where you are, this is what your debt is, this is what your income is, and this is what we can do,” said Amber. “At that point, the loan amount was not going to get them to where they wanted to be.”

For more than a year, Amber worked with Dan and Michelle as they focused on paying off debt in pursuit of qualifying for a construction loan at an amount that would allow them to build the home they wanted.

“We started looking at things line item by line item. … He (Dan) would call and say, ‘Hey, just so you know, we paid off this and this and this.’ And I’d say, ‘OK, here’s where you’re at now—debt-to-income wise, it’s moving in the right direction,’” said Amber.

Using the equity from their recreational land loan and knowing the Seguins would be selling their home in town after construction was completed, they were approved. Soon after, the biggest hurdle in the Seguin’s journey nearly derailed it all together.

The first appraisal for the construction loan came back dramatically lower than was expected. The news took an emotional toll on the Seguins.

Amber pushed for a second appraisal. This time, the property was broken into a 40-acre tract where the home would be built and a separate 80-acre tract. By separating the land into two tracts the appraisal came back where it needed to be for Dan and Michelle to move forward.

“When the second appraisal came back, it was like Christmas Day,” said Amber as she recalled the Seguins’ excitement.

“We had quite a few little adjustments along the way and small little hiccups like you always do with such a project,” said Dan. “She (Amber) was awesome to work with through the entire process, and I give her great credit for working with us and being patient with us and helping us along the way.”

Building a Forever Home

Construction on the Seguins’ forever home began in September of 2025 and is expected to be completed by early summer of 2026. After the long journey to get to this point, Dan and Michelle were thrilled with how quickly the home has taken form – especially in the often-unforgiving fall and winter seasons of Michigan’s upper peninsula.

“To think that on September 1 it was just a hole in the ground—and now it’s fully sealed in—is pretty amazing,” said Dan. “You can stand in the skeleton of the house right now and see where life is going to happen.”

“Every time I get a text message with a picture (of the progress), I’m just so happy for them,” said Amber. “I’m really so, so, so happy that it worked out for them… and just really thankful that I have them as my customers.”

The Christmas season is uniquely meaningful to Dan and Michelle. They were engaged around Christmas in 2008. Nearly two decades later, they celebrated their last Christmas at their home in town and got a taste of their new life in the country. With the porch of their new home completed, they had the opportunity to sit in lawn chairs over the 2025 Christmas and watch their son Oliver sled down the driveway like he will do for years to come.

“This is what it is going to be like,” Dan recalled thinking in that moment. “Every Christmas is going to be like this.”