I Love Working with First Time Buyers - 03/29/09 06:08 PM
One of my favorite responsibilities as a Realtor is working with first time buyers.  While I enjoy all aspects of being a Realtor, I find uniqueness in the vulnerability of someone buying their first home and trusting me to guide them through it.  Right now I am working with several first time buyers in what I consider the "perfect storm" for buying a home.  There is the $8,000 buyer incentive, a huge amount of inventory at bargain prices and low interest rates.  If someone is in a position to buy a home, this is the perfect time.
Why do I like … (5 comments)

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit - 03/29/09 06:07 PM
The newest version of the first time homebuyer credit ($8,000) applies to anyone who purchases a home on or after January 1, 2009 through December 1, 2009.  Anyone who purchased a home last year is eligible for the previous credit of $7,500.  However, unlike this earlier version, the current $8,000 does not have to be repaid. 
This credit is equivalent to 10 percent of the purchase price of the home, is capped at $8,000 and applies only to first time buyers and principal residences (as opposed to vacation homes).  First time buyers are defined as someone who hasn't owned a principal … (0 comments)

New Things About Short Sales Sellers Need to Know - 03/23/09 03:39 PM
About a year and a half ago, I attended a day long seminar on foreclosures.  Short sales happened to be a secondary topic.  Led by an asset management company who listed foreclosures, they recommended it would be a good idea to do short sales.  That was the first I had heard of them so I kept increasing my knowledge of the short sale process until I finally successfully closed my first one.  For an explanation of a short sale, click here. If you are a buyer and want to know the ins and outs of buying a short sale, click here.
… (5 comments)

Tweeting The Content of Others on ActiveRain--Better than Reblog - 03/23/09 12:13 AM
The AIG fiasco has been the focus of much opinion and emotional conversation.  My nephew posted a thought about it on his Facebook page and I made a quick uninformed comment.  My niece (his sister) responded with a lot of interesting points about what is really going on.  Shortly after, I read AIG is just a Smokescreen! by Katerina Gasset - a well written and informative view about the reality of what is going on with AIG and the bailout. 
I was sure my niece would enjoy reading it and posted a link on her Facebook page.  The ActiveRain logo came … (44 comments)

Buying A Short Sale? – Keep This In Mind - 03/22/09 05:05 PM
I have represented sellers in short sales and my basic conversation with buyers about short sales is "just know it will most likely take a long time to close and Be Patient!" 
After representing a first time buyer who was getting married last August, I learned a few more things to say and how to advise buyers - particularly with all the short sales currently on the market.  My clients put an offer on a home in April and I advised them to keep looking--something better may come on the market.  If not, we always have the offer on this one.  We put two … (2 comments)

Basics of a Short Sale--Why Would You do a Short Sale and Understanding How - 03/22/09 05:02 PM
What is a Short Sale?
The very basic definition is when a home is selling "short" what is owed to the lender.  Another significant piece is that the lender has to be willing to take less.  This means that s seller has to prove to the lender that they are incapable of making the payments and are about to go into default or already have.  This is known as proving "hardship".  For a lender to agree to take less, it requires a hardship package to be filled out by the seller to prove their financial status.  This may vary from … (6 comments)

Buying HUD Homes in Michigan - 03/19/09 12:26 PM
There are over 9000 HUD homes for sale in Michigan and 3800+ in the tri-county area of Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties.  These figures and more were discussed by a representative from Michaelson, Connor, & Boul, Inc. (MCB) at a recent HUD seminar held at Realcomp II in Farmington Hills.  Facilitated by several local brokerages that list HUD homes in this area, the seminar further educated local Realtors on the process of online bidding for HUD homes, notification of winning bids, the inspection process, buyer incentives and more.
 For those that may not know what a HUD home is, basically they … (3 comments)

Northville & Northville Twp. Market Analysis Homes Sold February 2009 - 03/18/09 07:33 PM
The following is a monthly market analysis for Northville & Northville Twp., Michigan.  It compares only residential homes sold in Feb. 2009 with Jan. 2009 to determine the # of homes sold for the month and the increase/decrease in average sold price.  It also distinguishes how many homes were recorded to be Bank Owned/HUD. as opposed to private owned.   First figures include all homes--private, bank owned and short sales.  In the latter part of 2008, Realtors were required to categorize ownership status so figures were not accurate and not calculated for bank owned Feb. 2008 or YTD.  To insure that most leases were not included … (0 comments)

Happy Go Lucky - Choosing to be Happy - 03/15/09 08:59 PM
In life we make a lot of decisions but how often do we powerfully choose who to be in any given moment - or choose what life if giving us without wishing for something else? 
I recently watched the movie "Happy Go Lucky".  I watch a lot of movies and Sally Hawkins was nominated for an Academy Award (plus Mike Leigh directed) so I was quick to rent it when it came out on DVD.  Title was upbeat and I had seen a few film clips of her happy face and maybe a bit of a ‘too good to be true' … (2 comments)

Berkley Market Analysis Homes Sold February 2009 - 03/15/09 01:57 PM
The following is a monthly market analysis for Berkley Michigan.  It compares only residential homes sold in Feb. 2009 with Jan. 2009 to determine the # of homes sold for the month and the increase/decrease in average sold price.  It also distinguishes how many homes were recorded to be Bank Owned/HUD. as opposed to private owned.   First figures include private, bank owned and short sales.  In the latter part of 2008, Realtors were required to categorize ownership status so figures do not truly reflect the actual number of bank owned Feb. 2008 so bank owned is not calculated.  This Berkley Market Analysis also compares February YTD 08 … (0 comments)

Ferndale Market Analysis for February 2009 - 03/14/09 12:15 AM
The following is a monthly market analysis for Ferndale Michigan.  It compares only residential homes sold in Feb. 2009 with Jan. 2009 to determine the # of homes sold for the month and the increase/decrease in average sold price.  It also distinguishes how many homes were recorded to be Bank Owned/HUD. as opposed to private owned.   First figures include private, bank owned and short sales.  In the latter part of 2008, Realtors were required to categorize ownership status so figures do not truly reflect the actual number of bank owned Feb. 2008 so bank owned is not calculated.  This Ferndale Market Analysis also compares February YTD 08 … (4 comments)

New Uses of Video for my Clients - 03/13/09 12:05 PM
I finally got on the Video bandwagon and started using video to cover local events and businesses--a great way to be known as the "local expert" where I sell Real Estate.  I researched video cameras and went through a lot of trial and error because I realized this was a good way to provide something useful for the community while subtly promoting my services and listings.  This is a "what's in it for them" approach to networking.
Creating videos to showcase homes (and posting them on YouTube) is also a very good tool I include in listing presentations.  I don't make videos for … (12 comments)

Oakland County Market Analysis Comparing February 2009 to January 2009 - 03/13/09 11:15 AM
The following is a monthly market analysis for Oakland County Michigan.  It compares only residential homes sold in Feb. 2009 with Jan. 2009 to determine the # of homes sold for the month and the increase/decrease in average sold price.  It also distinguishes how many homes were recorded to be Bank Owned/HUD. as opposed to private owned.   First figures include all homes-private, bank owned, HUD and short sales.  In the latter part of 2008, Realtors were required to categorize ownership status so statistics are not included for bank owned Feb. 2008.  Oakland County Market Analysis also compares year ending Feb. 2008 to Feb. 2009.  To … (0 comments)

Beverly Hills Market Analysis for February 2009 - 03/12/09 05:45 PM
The following is a monthly market analysis for Beverly Hills Michigan.  It compares only residential homes sold in Feb. 2009 with Jan. 2009 to determine the # of homes sold for the month and the increase/decrease in average sold price.  It also includes Dec. 2008 to show the extreme fluctuation over the last few months in Beverly Hills.  This market analysis also distinguishes how many homes were recorded to be Bank Owned/HUD as opposed to private owned.   First figures include private, bank owned and short sales.  In the latter part of 2008, Realtors were required to categorize ownership status so figures for bank owned for … (1 comments)

Rochester Hills Market Analysis for February 2009 - 03/10/09 07:44 PM
The following is a monthly market analysis for Rochester Hills Michigan.  It compares only residential homes sold in Feb. 2009 with Jan. 2009 to determine the # of homes sold for the month and the increase/decrease in average sold price.  It also distinguishes how many homes were recorded to be Bank Owned/HUD as opposed to private owned.   First figures include private, bank owned and short sales.  In the latter part of 2008, Realtors were required to categorize ownership status so figures may not truly reflect the actual number of bank owned for Feb. 2008.  To insure that most leases were not included in data, minimum sale price … (1 comments)

Birmingham Market Analysis for February 2009 - 03/07/09 10:57 PM
The following is a monthly market analysis for Birmingham Michigan.  It compares only residential homes sold in Feb. 2009 with Jan. 2009 to determine the # of homes sold for the month and the increase/decrease in average sold price.  It also distinguishes how many homes were recorded to be Bank Owned/HUD. as opposed to private owned.   First figures include private, bank owned and short sales.  In the latter part of 2008, Realtors were required to categorize ownership status so figures may not truly reflect the actual number of bank owned Feb. 2008.  Birmingham Market Analysis also compares year ending Feb. 2008 to Feb. 2009.  To insure that … (3 comments)

Henry's Cafe at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital - 03/06/09 11:07 PM
This is the third part of a series on the Open House at Henry Ford West Bloomfiled Hospital.  From the time I entered the demonstration kitchen and the Living Well Shoppe, I was hearing about Henry's cafe. Actually I didn't need any convincing to set it as one of my destinations.  I had heard that Matt Prentice (founder/owner of Matt Prentice Restaurant Group) is the culinary director of the Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and he and a team of twenty chefs developed the menus.  Located at the end of Main Street near the atrium, I was impressed with the variety … (0 comments)

Royal Oak Market Analysis Comparing February 2009 to February 2008 - 03/05/09 11:54 PM
The following is a monthly market analysis for Royal Oak Michigan.  It compares only residential homes sold in Feb. 2009 with Jan. 2009 to determine the # of homes sold for the month and the increase/decrease in average sold price.  It also distinguishes how many homes were recorded to be Bank Owned/HUD. as opposed to private owned.   First figures include private, bank owned and short sales.  In the latter part of 2008, Realtors were required to categorize ownership status so figures may not truly reflect the actual number of bank owned Feb. 2008.  To insure that most leases were not included in data, minimum sale price used … (3 comments)

First Culinary Learning Institute at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital - 03/05/09 11:59 AM
The main lobby of the Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital includes a 90-seat demonstration kitchen where anyone is welcome to learn how to prepare healthy meals.  Patients suffering from health conditions like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases can sign up for cooking classes along with their family, friends and the local community.  In partnership with Schoolcraft College, Henry Ford has created the world's first culinary institute for health care
During the Open House of the new Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, I was lucky enough to find Dr. Bruce Muma, Chief Medical Office at the Hospital.  Dr. Muma was … (0 comments)

Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital - Healthy Healing - 03/05/09 11:46 AM
I heard about the new Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital a couple of years ago when I was listing a home about a mile or two of the new facility. Since the market was declining and the home wasn't selling, the owners were encouraged with the future possibility of keeping their home to lease. The opening of this anticipating the new positions that would be created upon completion.
That day has finally come with the opening of Henry Ford West Bloomfield on March 15. There was no hesitation when I heard about their open house. Not only was I curious to … (0 comments)

 
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Cathy Tishhouse Royal Oak Real Estate

Royal Oak, MI

More about me…

RE/MAX Showcase Homes

Address: 912 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, MI , 48009

Office Phone: (248) 647-3200 x 20

Cell Phone: (734) 777-7212

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Royal Oak Realtor located in Birmingham Michigan, selling Real Estate in Birmingham, Royal Oak, Beverly Hills, Berkley and surrounding communities on Oakland County and Metro Detroit


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