Thank you active rain - 06/30/10 06:28 PM
Thank you for the flowers, the thoughts and the prayers.  I want to thank Active Rain management for the beautiful flowers that you sent my wife.  It was so very thoughtful.  My wife like most spouses always wondered why I spent so much time on active rain and I never seemed to be able to answer her completely.
But she will cry over the flowers from all of you on the west coast.  It could not have come at a better day.  Today the doctors had to break it to Marianne that she was dying.  For the past two weeks I have … (92 comments)

What my wife Marianne has taught me - 06/30/10 01:35 AM
I thought I would be starting this series about love, or kindness because those are two of Marianne's strongest traits.  But last night I couldn't help but laugh.  Here is a lady in a fight with cancer,.... laid out on a hospital bed and what do you think she is doing?
She is feeding her visitors.  She is playing hostess.  I wish I had a picture but I don't have my camera with me.  But on her counter in her room she has a dessert bar.  Off her lunch and dinner trays she has two cookies that she hasn't eaten.  Then she … (14 comments)

Your blogs are forever but the maybe they shouldn't be - 06/29/10 10:55 AM
I got an email today from Brad Anderson.  He had gotten a contact from a buyer who had purchased one of my listings.  They had their own buyers agent.  They asked Brad to ask me to take the blog down on the home they purchased.
I did right away, but it got me thinking.  Know I have to start searching some of my old blogs on other homes because really they should come down.  Or do you think they shouldn't come down?  It is an interesting question because of course we lose the back links to our websites when we delete … (10 comments)

Canton MI foreclosures - 06/27/10 09:17 AM
Here is the latest list of Canton MI foreclosures that are on the market as of 6/27/2010. 
These Canton MI foreclosures have been on the market an average of 38 days.  Which means the turn over for foreclosures in Canton MIis relatively quick.    Some of the foreclosures have been selling for over list price so my advice to you is to have your real estate agent pull recents sold homes in Canton.  That way you will know roughly what the house is worth.
Feel free to call me if you want to see any of these foreclosures in Canton.
Click on … (2 comments)

My current life - 06/26/10 09:20 AM
 I sit here at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak Michigan as my wife quietly sleeps.  It makes me feel good that she is getting this much rest and is out of pain.  We have been here 11 days now.  I have been off active rain for those days as my mind is on our options.
Marianne's breast cancer has spread to other parts of her body.  She now has cancer spots along her spine, her brain, and her lungs.  We are fighting the battle the best way we can against this hideous disease.  Marianne is fighting ever step of the way.  … (91 comments)

It's a tough week in our household - 06/16/10 10:31 AM
We have been on a roller coaster here in our household.  Marianne has just gotten halfway through her chemo.  It has been a very rough three months for her.  I feel so bad for her.  She has lost over 20 pounds because she is so nauseous.   She can't seem to hold anything down some days.
The chemo has really taken a toll on her.  She has no energy to do anything.  She wants to get out of the house but doesn't have the energy to do it.  I wish there was more I could do for her.  Some days I feel … (5 comments)

Canton Real Estate - What should I do now - 06/16/10 10:00 AM
Today I saw a question on a national news morning show and I thought it could be about Canton Real estate.  Interesting enough it really was from Michigan.  The sellers were having to relocate.  They sold their Michigan home but because home values had fallen so much they didn't not get any money from the sale of their home.
WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?
How do they buy a new home if they got no money from the sale of their old Canton Home.  My suggestion is to go back to the basics.  Get an least expensive apartment and LIVE BELOW … (0 comments)

Dear Mr. & Mrs Seller - Farmington Hills home selling tips - 06/15/10 10:16 PM
Now that summer is here here are some summer Farmington Hills home selling tips.  Michigan home buyersare out in force right now.  After they look at pictures of your home on the internet many times they will do a drive by.
They don't call to tell you that they are coming by. 
                   They don't send you an email to let you know. 
                                          Your real estate agent doesn't call you. 
 So when you are selling your Farmington Hills home you need to keep the outside looking good.  Here are my tips:
If you have a junky looking or overfilled garage … (1 comments)

I had to go to bat for a client tonight. - 06/14/10 10:35 PM
This loan officer was trying to steal home from my client. 
                                  
 My single woman home buyer was being robbed by a loan officer.  She was buying a Brighton Lakefront home.  When I first met my buyer I called the loan officer to go over what my buyer needed in sellers concessions.  He told me she would need about 3.5% sellers concessions.  I point blank asked him what the closing costs would be in the beginning.  He had told me there were no points for the loan as my client had great credit.
Well tonight the night before closing my … (8 comments)

Livonia real estate - Livonia home inspections - 06/13/10 10:08 PM
Here is a quick update on Livonia real estate and the new rules on Livonia home inspections.  The City of Livonia Michigan has instituted a vacant property inspection.  Whenever the city determines a home has become "abandoned" it is required to be inspected by the City of Livonia.  I believe the cost is $400.   Then all violations have to be repaired and fixed before anybody can live in the home.  I think the city is keying on foreclosures that have not been lived in a while.
I have been told that there is several ways they determine if the home is … (0 comments)

BP oil spill - is now becoming a two nation disaster - 06/10/10 10:50 PM
Yes we have it tough in real estate right now.  Home prices are down and the market is tougher.  But it could be worse.  Think of all the people that depend on the Gulf for a living.  The shrimpers, the tourism industry is taking devastating losses.
Then think of all the innocent wildlife is dying because of the oil spill.    Animals and birds that have done no wrong, now are suffering immensely.  Some are dying.  Too many things are being destroyed by man's stupidity and greed. 
Now thousand's of British people are going to suffer.  BP's stock prices have fallen dramatically.  … (5 comments)

Hey Bob Stewart, I think one of your old girlfriends is propositioning me - 06/09/10 11:37 PM
 Well today I got two contacts from Vivan.  I myself think Bob Stewart threw her over and now she is trying to make him jealous by going out with a better looking older guy.  I think she just wants to get back at Bob.  But I'm not going to fall for it.   I am a very happily married man.  No matter how hard she wants to get back at Bob, I'm not going to be part of it. She is just going to have to find another good looking guy to go out with.  Though I thought I would help here out.
… (11 comments)

Caddy Shack rerun- my battle with the ground hog - 06/09/10 11:07 PM
Last year I got back into vegetable gardening.  I gave away a lot of the vegetables to some of my recent buyer clients.  I would put tomatoes, cucumbers, zuccini, and peppers in a little bag with an olive oil bottle.   My clients were happy to get the fresh vegetables.
                                                                                   
Last year in July one ground hog invaded my garden and ate up quite a few cucumbers, tomatoes, and cucumber plants.  I successfully live trapped the ground hog and relocated him to a wildlife area.  Well this year I one invaded my garden early and caught him too.  I let him lose on … (3 comments)

Canton home selling tips - do the Beverly Hillbillies live next to you? - 06/09/10 11:02 PM
Here is the latest in my Canton home selling tips series - do the Beverly Hillbillies live next to you?

When you are selling your Canton home your next door neighbor's habits can hurt the chances of selling your home.  If a Metro Detroit home buyer comes to your house and sees messes like this they may just walk away.
                                                              
Sometimes home buyers don't like to see people working on cars in the next yard.  Boats, motor homes, and trailers stored in the back yard can make buyers run too.

Now these pictures are not of Canton real … (0 comments)

Metro Detroit real estate Investors and why some real estate agents don't want to help them - 06/09/10 07:22 AM
Here is a story about Metro Detroit real estate investors and why some real estate agents don't want to help them. 
Many times Metro Detroit real estate investors want to buy the low price homes under $35,000.  That is great but it doesn't provide the real estate agent much of an income.  A $35,000 house only brings a $1000 commission.  So would a real estate agent rather take somebody out looking for a $200,000 house that would bring them $6000 pay check versus a investor looking for a $35,000 home.
Investors are great to work with if they know what they … (1 comments)

Are you a reliable referral source - 06/08/10 10:00 PM
A recent situation in my office caused me to think about when we give out contractor referrals to our clients.  This is my experience:
A person I trusted as a leader in our office gave me a name of a heating & cooling guy when I needed one.  Well I called Therma Cool Garden City and he said he would be out Friday.  Well he didn't show up on Friday like he said, then he said he would be out over the weekend,  He didn't show.  Then he said he would get to it that week.  Well Therma Cool Garden City … (4 comments)

How a great day can go south - 06/07/10 09:21 PM
As a real estate agent you have your highs and lows.  This is just another day in the life of a real estate agent. 
Today started out great.  I had showed houses all weekend with 6 different buyers.  In the metro Detroit real estate market many foreclosed homes are going over list price if they are in good shape.  I started off the day putting in 4 offers on homes.  What I liked is that 3 of them were strong offers.  One offer was 15% over list price.  That home had multiple offers.  So hopefully we end up strong and win the … (2 comments)

Buying Oakland County waterfront property - 06/05/10 11:06 PM
There is so much to consider when buying Oakland County waterfront property. There are a few more items to consider when buying Oakland County MI waterfront property.  So many home buyers need to add a few more categories to their decision making process.

1.)  What is the lake front of home like?  Does the lake have a sandy bottom?  Is it weedy?  Does the lake area in front of the home have a mucky bottom?
2.)  Is there a lake association that you have to belong to or can belong to?
3.)  Does the lake association have a park?
4.)  Is the … (1 comments)

How do you blog? - 06/03/10 11:48 PM
How do you blog? Somebody on Facebook stated that you need to be interesting to keep readers coming back.  Sometimes we forget that is one of our goals.  Readership.  Well being interesting is a key, but is continueing readership your strategy or the absolutely right strategy? I have heard stories about about a real estate agents blog writing about restaurants.   Another realtor writes about baseball.  I believe there can be two trains of thought on how to write a blog or who to write too.  Continueing readership or a specific reader. 
 I'm different, I don't write blogs that bring back continuing readers. I'm not what … (9 comments)

I have poor credit, but I want to buy a home.... what should I do? - 06/01/10 08:46 PM
 If you have poor credit but you want to buy a home... here is what you should do?
I got an email
I don't know what to do, I'm at my wit's end.  I have to have one of the lowest credit scores possible that it is under 500.  I can afford most of the houses that I've priced.  Most will cost me $300.00 less than the rent that I am currently paying ($800.00 a month) including property taxes.  But my credit is so bad is that I can't get out of the hole, what can I do other than file bankruptcy?  And … (5 comments)

 
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Russ Ravary - Metro Detroit homes - Michigan Real estate & Mortgage info

Novi, MI

More about me…

Keller Williams Commerce

Address: 2900 Union Lake Rd Suite 210, Commerce Township, MI, 48382

Office Phone: (248) 406-2976

Cell Phone: (313) 310-9855

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Michigan and Metro Detroit area real estate. Local, up to date by a Michigan real estate specialist. Novi Real estate, Livonia real estate, Northville real estate, Wayne county real estate, Oakland County real estate, Livingston county real estate. Buyers and sellers tips


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