Michigan homes for sale

Rochester MI one of the bargain home areas in Michigan

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:48:06 -0600

Lately I have been showing Rochester and Rochester Hills homes to two different buyers. Rochester is a nice stable community. Located off I-75 or M-59 it is not too far from the City of Detroit.

What I have been noticing is that many colonials have been selling for very reasonable prices. I have looked at so many Rochester Hills homes. If you look at the Rochester Hills homes under $250,000 you will notice that they are selling under a $100,000 a square foot.

Many selling for under $80 a square foot home. Some of these Rochester homes were move in ready. Now that is a deal.

ADDRESS	LIST PRICE	SALE PRICE	DOM	SQUARE FOOTAGE	SP PER SQFT
3525 W AUBURN RD	36000	32000	20	1916	16.7014
737 DRESSLER LN	90000	90000	5	1336	67.3652
734 KENTUCKY DR	90000	100000	105	1612	62.0347
903 HIGH ST	108900	108900	1	903	120.598
940 HOMESTEAD CT	119900	110000	50	2698	40.7709
1642 DANCER DR	124900	122000	94	1454	83.9064
325 ESSEX DR	174900	131250	190	2442	53.7469
735 LEINSTER RD	164900	138000	162	2013	68.5543
816 HAMPTON CIR	145300	138000	36	2004	68.8622
655 FIELDSTONE DR	169000	145000	79	2334	62.1251
1291 GETTYSBURG CT	170000	149000	32	2316	64.335
803 LION ST	150000	150000	361	2000	75
1280 BARNESWOOD LN	151900	151900	114	2616	58.0657
205 EASTLAWN DR	179900	155000	64	2038	76.0549
2112 CHALET DR	175000	160000	89	2344	68.2593
1836 JASON CIR	159900	162000	162	3100	52.258
1666 MORNINGSIDE LN	159900	162000	9	1676	96.6587
1632 DENNETT LN	170000	165000	56	1686	97.8647
2875 CULBERTSON AVE	174900	165000	36	2140	77.1028
3842 MILDRED AVE	169900	166000	13	1844	90.0216
2180 AVONCREST DR	159900	167500	8	2478	67.5948
1014 POINTE PLACE BLVD	164900	168000	4	2754	61.0021
618 SHELLBOURNE DR	169900	169900	158	2531	67.1276
548 TEN POINT DR	169900	170000	89	2653	64.0784
1049 CLOPTON BRIDGE DR	179900	170000	16	2160	78.7037
791 SHELLEY DR	189500	175000	104	2562	68.306
2530 WORTHAM DR	174900	176000	56	2289	76.8894
6130 SHELDON RD	214000	178500	159	4630	38.5529
535 THORNRIDGE DR	189900	180000	166	2076	86.7052
2465 HILLENDALE DR	187500	180000	87	2165	83.1408
25 WALTONSHIRE CT	179900	180000	4	2498	72.0576
2089 ALSDORF AVE	185000	181000	48	1846	98.0498
2362 LASSITER DR	176000	182100	168	3058	59.5487
1680 DEVONWOOD DR	194900	185000	2	2504	73.8817
712 WHITNEY DR	189900	186000	173	2076	89.5953
1243 BARNESWOOD LN	205000	190000	162	1960	96.9387
578 WYNGATE DR	197500	194500	4	2125	91.5294
1110 E FAIRVIEW LN	219000	195000	499	2500	78
284 SHAGBARK DR	214900	197500	110	2170	91.0138
2146 WAYWARD DR	198000	198000	5	2406	82.2942
820 FIELDSTONE DR	204900	200000	110	2415	82.8157
529 PLUM RIDGE DR	215000	208000	11	2577	80.714
1285 SANDY RIDGE DR	225000	215000	36	2360	91.1016
810 AUGUSTA CT	209000	221000	35	3010	73.4219
1060 HICKORY HILL DR	225000	223000	15	2382	93.6188
430 OAK ST	249999	225000	156	1596	140.9774
3332 FULHAM DR	254900	225000	394	2035	110.5651
313 LAKE FOREST RD	249900	230000	171	2687	85.5973
187 CHALMERS DR	219900	230000	97	3000	76.6666
3112 BAYPOINT DR	239000	230000	110	2371	97.0054
1297 HICKORY HILL DR	250000	233500	127	2360	98.9406
1725 KILBURN RD	259900	235000	1	2908	80.8115
600 LEHIGH RD	228000	237000	12	2428	97.6112
3267 FANTAIL DR	229000	245000	230	2949	83.079
2062 WENTWORTH DR	274900	265000	50	2977	89.0157
2196 CHIPPENHAM CHASE	275000	265000	30	2851	92.9498
1285 CHAFFER DR	299000	271000	61	2873	94.3264
3334 EVERETT DR	291900	274000	25	2500	109.6
3801 EVERETT DR	319900	280000	28	3362	83.2837
379 MYSTIC VLY	299900	284000	35	2667	106.4866
1922 BLUE GRASS DR	325000	310000	38	2978	104.0967
755 LOGGERS CIR	325000	310000	41	3013	102.8874
3035 KENWOOD DR	319000	312500	79	3774	82.8033
1106 KRISTA LN	349900	325000	52	3014	107.8301
3493 BLUE HERON LN	349900	328000	8	3750	87.4666
1734 SKYLINE DR	369000	335000	108	3569	93.8638
1361 TULBERRY CIR	339900	335000	12	3300	101.5151
1935 WATSON CIR	374999	339000	96	3415	99.2679
1840 SUDBURY CT	350000	355000	17	4390	80.8656
1161 TERRA LN	379900	367000	21	2900	126.5517
748 WINDSONG DR	390000	370000	126	3000	123.3333
1902 WESTRIDGE DR	375000	380000	235	4072	93.3202
1447 KENTFIELD DR	419900	390000	68	3195	122.0657
544 SPRINGVIEW DR	399900	400000	6	3789	105.5687
3865 CHERRYWOOD LN	475000	430000	66	4243	101.3433
1388 PEBBLE RIDGE DR	469000	450000	381	4100	109.756
333 FERNDALE AVE	599000	515000	128	3240	158.9506
315 FERNDALE AVE	599900	520000	260	3214	161.7921
795 MAJESTIC	568000	525000	50	4070	128.9926
267 WYNGATE DR	574900	530000	37	3700	143.2432

I think there still are some bargains in Rochester Hills if you are looking to buy. Information courtesy of RealComp II Ltd.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

The latest scam in Metro Detroit real estate

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:36:03 -0600

The latest scam in Metro Detroit real estate is homeowners short saleing their house to a relative. It is not supposed to happen. In fact many banks have a form that the buyer signs that they are not related to the seller. But it is happening. I myself have heard of one and have heard of others lately.

The one I know of (or believe I know of) was helped by the real estate agent. He was a friend of theirs. I think the Northville home went for over $500,000 originally. Then the homeowner bought it back for about $300,000. Not bad to shave off $200,000 off your mortgage. The way they are being able to do a Metro Detroit short sale like this is by having a relative with a different last name. Sometimes it is an in-law, sometimes a future wife, or sometimes even a spouse of a relative.

It is fraud if you sign a document that says you are related, and you really are. I know we all want to help our family out but you going to jail to save them money is not the smartest thing to do. Our prisons are full of people that thought they were really smart.

It's not worth going to jail for. Just my thoughts. May you and your family have a great week!

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

More banks failing and the banks are getting smarter

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:59:01 -0600

Yes the banks are getting smarter but it is a little too late. What I am noticing right now is that banks are cutting off business credit lines. Many of the borrowers just paid interest on the loan. Now banks are requiring many borrowers to start paying down the credit line.

The three people I know that have credit lines can barely afford to pay the interest let alone pay them down.. Out of the three people I know none of the business's are doing well. They may all close down their businesses. I wish all of them the best.

I just don't know if it would have been better that the banks never loaned them the money at all. Who am I to judge. I just hope all these good people land on their feet.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Commerce Township real estate update

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:46:22 -0600

In the last 6 months there have been 220 Commerce Township homesthat have sold. Out of the 220 homes that have sold 182 have been priced under $260,000. Like most of the Metro Detroit real estate market it is the lower price range that is selling. The upper end homes are sitting on the market longer.

Of the 220 Commerce Township homes that have sold in the last 6 months it has taken an average of 120 days to sell.

Commerce Township Home Price Statistics Legend

Range Name	Price Range	Number of Listings	Days on Market

	10000 to 60000	39	91
	60001 to 110000	41	81
	110001 to 160000	41	102
	160001 to 210000	29	98
	210001 to 260000	32	240
	260001 to 310000	17	80
	310001 to 360000	5	155
	360001 to 410000	8	163
	410001 to 460000	1	106
	460001 to 510000	6	104
	510001 to 560000	0	0
	560001 to 610000	0	0
	610001 to 660000	0	0
	660001 to 710000	0	0
	710001 to 760000	0	0
	760001 to 800000	1	44

For the 220 *Commerce Township listings*:	For the 220 *Commerce Township Sold listings*:
Average List Price	$179,570.00	Average Sold Price	$168,277.00
Median List Price	$158,900.00	Median Sold Price	$146,950.00
Highest List Price	$899,999.00	Highest Sold Price	$800,000.00
Lowest List Price	$14,900.00	Lowest Sold Price	$14,000.00
List Volume	$39,505,420.00	Sales Volume	$37,020,900.00
Avg. Days On Market	117	Avg. Days On Market	118

I hope this gives you a look at what is happening in Commerce Twp real estate market. Info courtesy of Realcomp II Ltd

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

I'm supposed to be happy

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:20:30 -0600

that my wife's pains aren't from her cancer. My wife Marianne is a three time cancer survivor. And lately she is in a lot of pain. She's had it for six weeks now in her upper back near her shoulder blade. I had to pressure her to go in to the doctor. She always feels it's better to put it off. Out of site out of mind is her motto when it comes to the cancer. I can't get into how I got her to go to the doctor (otherwise I would be dead).

But she went last week and got a bone scan. We got great news that it wasn't cancer. But she's in tremendous pain. She taking 4 motrin at a time, on ice packs, icy hot, vicodene. She's up at night and in pain during the day. So all of you active rainers with a hot line with prayers....Marianne can use a few.

She's going into the doctor tomorrow to find out more. So who knows what is wrong, but at least she is going in on her own.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Three items you will find in a Metro Detroit real estate purchase agreement

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:59:33 -0600

"Earnest money deposit" or "good faith deposit" is the amount of money that you put down as a gesture of good faith. You see you have to put down what the call consideration. A legal contract is made up of three things.

Offer -what you put down in the contract and sign
Acceptance - What the seller agrees to and you agree to.
Consideration - something of value. Money, a check. In Metro Detroit real estate it is usually $500, or $1000 or more that the real estate company or title company holds.

If you have any questions about Metro Detroit real estate purchase agreements feel free to call me on my cell (313) 310-9855.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Farmington Hills real estate update

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:28:14 -0600

Here is what is happening in the Farmington Hills real estate in the last six months. There have been 418 Farmington Hills homes that have sold in the last six months. Out of 418 Farmington Hills homes 314 of them have been under $210,000.

The average sold price for Farmington Hills homes is $162,873.00 (the last six months) and on the average they took 120 days to sell.

Price Statistics Legend

Range Name	Price Range	Number of Listings	Days on Market

	10000 to 110000	121	104
	110001 to 210000	193	122
	210001 to 310000	85	122
	310001 to 410000	13	181
	410001 to 510000	1	157
	510001 to 610000	3	138
	610001 to 710000	1	189
	710001 to 810000	0	0
	810001 to 910000	0	0
	910001 to 1010000	0	0
	1010001 to 1100000	1	507

For the 418 listings:	For the 418 Sold listings:
Average List Price	$171,254.00	Average Sold Price	$162,873.00
Median List Price	$164,937.50	Median Sold Price	$155,500.00
Highest List Price	$1,199,000.00	Highest Sold Price	$1,100,000.00
Lowest List Price	$2,100.00	Lowest Sold Price	$12,000.00
List Volume	$71,584,260.00	Sales Volume	$68,081,070.00
Avg. Days On Market	120	Avg. Days On Market	121

I hope this quick Farmington Hills real estate update gave a glimpse of what is happening in Farmington Hills. Information Courtesy of Real Comp II Ltd.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Keeping your house safe Livonia real estate and Metro Detroit real estate sales tips

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:51:46 -0600

Whether you are selling Livonia real estate or any Metro Detroit real estate here are tips how to keep your house safer when selling it. What I mean by safer is keeping your valuables safer.

When you sell your house you need to put your valuables out of reach of potential criminals. I'm not saying potential lookers or potential home buyers are going to steal from you. But why give anybody temptation.

So here are my tips:

Put your jewelry in a safe, lockbox, or at a trusted friends house.
Guns, especially pistols should be hidden, or locked up
Cash, change jars, wallets, payrolls should not be left lying around
Documents that have account numbers, social security numbers should not be left out on counters, or in top pull out drawers.
Anything valuable that is easily pocketed or put in a purse should not be left around.

Potential buyers open drawers, and open closet doors. We as real estate agents can't watch every movement of buyers when we go through houses. Anybody that is a thief and is looking to steal has it already figured out how they are going to do it. They know where to look. They know where you will keep your valuables.

So be smarter than them store your valuables somewhere other than your home when selling your house. The reason I am writing this is because I was in a Livonia home today where in the kids room there was a hundred dollar bill laying around. At some point that hundred dollar bill is going to be missing. So be sure to get your kids piggy banks too.

I hope these Livonia real estate and Metro Detroit real estate sales tips help you.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Clear to close now what - Metro Detroit real estate

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:19:45 -0500

We got the clear to close today and now what do we have to do when buying Metro Detroit real estate

Now that we are clear to close and have the date and time set up this is what happens next. Your lender sends the closing documents to the title company. The title company prepares the final HUD statement which is the final numbers document. The title company figures out the tax pro rations and put all the closing fees on one document. Then they send it back to the lender for final approval. Then your lender will call you with the final number you need to bring to closing. You lender may not call you until the day of closing with those numbers. Though most of the time they get it to you the day before. If you have an early morning closing they will get it to you the day before. Here is what you need to bring to closing.

A picture ID preferably your driver's license. You can not close without this.
The check with the full amount your lender told you. It must be a cashier's check. The title company will not accept personal checks. Have it made out to you and then at closing you will sign the back of it and sign it over to the title company.
Bring a copy of the homeowner's insurance just in case the title company needs it.

Also before closing be sure to have the utilities switched over into your name. The seller will be shutting them off on the day of closing. So you won't have any lights in the house that night. If the house is a foreclosure you may have switched over the utilities already for the inspection so disreguard this.

DTE 800-477-4747
Consumers Power 800-477-5050

If you have any last minute questions feel free to pick up the phone or we will see you at closing.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Ah a wonderful day in the life of a Livingston County water front home realtor

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:20:06 -0500

It took some time but we finally got the deal closed on the Livingston County water front home. It was a for sale by owner who picked an attorney out of the yellow pages because the attorney lived close to them. Boy was that a mistake.

It took 2 months to get this Livingston County water front home closed. Sure it needed propate court approval, but 8 weeks on a cash deal!!!! I had to call the attorney at least twice a week to keep them moving. Sadly the attorney always had an excuse why this or that wasn't done. The only reason it closed this week is because I set the closing and alerted all parties that is was closing today. Even though the attorney wasn't ready to close it.

The attorney had to get the document from the court. Something he had been putting off for three weeks. He of course didn't show for the closing. The seller said he would have fired the attorney, if it wouldn't have slowed the deal down more.

Unfortunately this happens way too much in our business. Every once in a while the other real estate agent, title company, attorney, or mortgage company just falls down on the job. Even though I got this one closed today, I got a bombshell on another deal.

A downriver home needs a city inspection to close. Sadly the real estate agent never bothered to order it and only ordered it when I called to schedule the closing. Yes that agent fell down, but we are at least on the right path. And today I got the news that the title work came in on another house after 26 days. Again the real estate agent didn't order the title work for 16 days, then the title company didn't send it over for 10 days. The mortgage company was calling every single day for the past week. Sadly the listing agent and the title company didn't do their job well on that deal.

But that is what my clients pay me for. To handle the issues and push the other people to get their job done. It's my job to call, and to be the pain in the rear so the deal can close. Hopefully on time, hopefully without cost to my client, and as soon as possible. With as little stress as possible. That's my job to get your home deal closed. No matter if it is a Livingston county water front home or just Northville real estate we all have to do our job well.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

are you an out of state or out of country investor

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:43:48 -0500

and have a few thousand bucks to invest. But is Detroit the place to invest your money? Sure you may have never heard of such low home prices. Yes homes in your country or state may be much higher. In fact they may be hundred of thousands of dollars higher. But just because a home is $500 or $1000 or $10,000 doesn't mean it is a bargain.

What will be your return on investment?
what will be your downside?
what will it cost to bring up to code or to saleable condition?
what is Detroit and rental market like?
what will it take for your investment to be worth more money?
what are local professional investors doing in the City of Detroit.

I myself would not buy investment homes in the City of Detroit. I would put my families or friend's money there either. I don't know of any investors that have done well in the City of Detroit. In the suburbs yes, but not in the city.

I have to be a little more specific why not to buy in Detroit

poor school system in the city of Detroit. Nobody will want to move to Detroit from the suburbs because the school system is so bad and unsafe for their kids.
High crime statistics
High home and car insurance rates
Poor city services in my opinion
high property taxes - they could be as high as $3000 for that $500 property - hard to get the high property taxes reduced.
Detroit is unfriendly for investors and property managers - hard to evict and landlord is responsible for people leaving cars or dumping garbage or leaving personal property to be removed. have to board up the house when vacant.
when home is vacant very likely the furnace, the copper plumbing, and the hot water heater will be stolen. Anything valuable has a chance of "walking" how will an out of town investor know when the tenant is gone?
too many great investment homes in the suburbs which will give a better return on investment. Sure not $500 but you'll still have a home intact when it is vacant

My advice buy in a city that the homes will increase in value quicker. Call me if you want to know what makes a good investment home.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

It was a relaxing day in Michigan

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:03:48 -0500

It wasn't a picture perfect weather day. It was a little cloudy but it was a picture perfect day for Marianne my wife and I. We are waiting for results from a bone scan she had done the other day. So I set up what she needed the most. She needed a little comfort from Ryan our son.

The fall colors were beautiful. We got off the main highway and took some back roads for an hour.

I called him (he lives in Chicago) but he was busy. I was going to drop in with Marianne but he had a Halloween party planned with friends. But he was great and said he would meet us on the west coast of Michigan to go to an apple orchard on Sunday. So Marianne and I drove about 2 1/2 hours and he and Katie drove a couple of hours to meet over on the west side of the state.

So we hung out at Jollay Orchards in Coloma. We took a hay ride, had a carmel apple, drank some cider, and swatted away all the bees that were after the sweet stuff.

We fed the animals and then we had a meal at the Friendly Tavern in downtown Coloma. If you are in the area I would recommend both places. We had some great service and good food at Friendly Tavern. 206 N Paw Paw St, Coloma, MI 49038-9589
(269) 468-3037

It was a great day. Ryan lifted Marianne's spirits. I hope you all had a good weekend too.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Metro Detroit short sales Part 2

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:14:08 -0500

If you are selling your Metro Detroit home here are the two areas you may have liability.

1. Tax liability - currently there is no tax liability because President Bush declared there would be no tax liability for on a principal residence. It hasn't expired yet. Before President Bush did that the banks would send out a 1099. The borrowers would be liable for the tax on the deficiency. If it is a investment property you can get a 1099.

2. Deficiency liability - Difference between sales price and loan amount. The banks can come after the borrower for the deficiency. The only protection the borrower has is if you get a release of deficiency letter for them. Many real estate agents are not following up on this. Some banks are putting the release in the short sale letter others are not. Some banks require the seller to be responsible for the shortage. It just depends on the bank.

So be careful and check with an attorney and your CPA also on what your liabilities may be.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Metro Detroit relocation information

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:40:01 -0500

Metro Detroit Relocation Information

Whether you are relocating to Metro Detroit area from out of state or just moving to Wayne or Oakland County from within Michigan you want make the right choice in the neighborhood and the right city. You want to know about the neighborhoods in the area. For example you might want to know: What about Plymouth crime statistics, Northville schools? How do they compare to Novi or South Lyon Schools? What age group are most of the residents in Livonia? Is Canton, or Redford a better place to live? What about the taxes?

On my Livonia real estate home page or on my metro Detroit real estate information website I have many cities listed, millage rates, subdivisions within the city. Scroll down the whole front home page and click on the area for valuable city info. Below are links and suggestions on how to find more information than even I have on my sites.

Metro Detroit Relocation Information is important to you the buyer. The first thing I recommend you should do is search the city. Google or Yahoo the information you want. Go to the actual cities site and the chamber of commerce and read about the community. Read about the schools, police and fire department. Then use outside sources to get through the "hype"

Metro Detroit School Information So your move to Michigan is going to take you to Redford. What about the schools, what about the test scores, How does Redford compare to Northville. Or how does Plymouth schools compare to Novi schools. Here are some ways to compare them:

www.greatschools.net http://www.schoolmatters.com/ michigan.privateschoolsreport.com www.schooldigger.com www.publicschoolreview.com www.schoolmatch.com www.ratemyteachers.com

Demographics about Metro Detroit information Are you relocating to Michigan and want to know about Canton Michigan or a city in Oakland County. You might want to know the average age, the average income, the races of the people to see if you are going to like the area or fit in. You don't want to move your 6 kids into an area that 85% of the residents are over 65.

http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html http://www.maps-n-stats.com/ http://profiles.nationalrelocation.com http://www.muninetguide.com/ http://www.epodunk.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki http://michigan.hometownlocator.com

Metro Detroit crime Statistics How bad is the crime in Northville, how does it compare to your old city? How good are the Michigan crime statistics?

http://www.infoplease.com/ http://www.cityrating.com/
www.crime.org http://livonia.areaconnect.com

Best places So you are nervous about your Metro Detroit relocation and you want the best possible city. Here are a few more areas to check out. Novi Michigan may be the town for your family.

http://www.bestplaces.net/ http://www.findyourspot.com/ www.cityrating.com www.homefair.com

Local Metro Detroit suburb Data Now here are spots to get information about your Metro Detroit relocation. Whether it is Livonia, Garden City, Wayne county, Oakland county or any county in the local metro Detroit area you can learn a lot about the spot you are moving to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki http://www.city-data.com/ http://www.relocationnow.com/ http://www.infomi.com
http://zipskinny.com/

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Aren't short sales harder to negotiate?

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:01:29 -0500

This is a question I received from one my clients the other day. They are looking to buy a Canton Michigan home. Basically how the negotiations go depends on how the listing agent priced the home. There are two main components I believe in a short sale that determine how the negotiations go.

Fair market value of the home. The bank that is selling the property is going to do an appraisal or a BPO on the home. They are going to look at the fair market value of the home and compare it to your offer. If your offer is far below the fair market value that the appraiser says it is, then they may say no to your offer. The bank considers the market trend in the area (are home values falling) The bank considers the costs of keeping the property. The costs of the attorneys fees, the costs of maintaining the property. Then the bank comes up with a number they can live with. It is usually a drop dead number.
Whether there is a second mortgage company is involved. This usually complicated the whole short sale process especially if it is a different mortgage company from the first. Some times the second mortgage company don't want to co-operate. Sometimes they feel the borrower is collectible so they don't want to take anything less than full amount. Sometimes they need to get at least a fraction of the money owed. Even $5,000 or $10,000 is sometimes better than nothing. A second different mortgage company throws an unknown factor into the mix. Sometimes they just never close.

So you can't really low ball a short sale much lower than what foreclosures are going for in the area. Sometimes you don't get a second shot at the offer. So my opinion is...if you want to low ball offers then do not go after short sales. If you want the house put in an offer that is close to the market value so you make sure you get the home you want. That's just my opinion.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

introduction to blogging and social media part 1

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:02:54 -0500

They have asked me to teach a class in February for our Remerica firm so I thought I would start now with what I will talk about. There is so much to talk about.

Social media and blogging scares a lot of newcomers. The biggest question is how will I make money from blogging or participating in social media sites. I am going to start first on blogging. Some of the questions most newbies ask are:

Where do I start?
I don't know how to write?
What do I write about?
How do you blog?
How much money will I make from blogging?
What sites should I blog on?
How much time does it take?
Does Blogging work?

So to answer the last question..... Yes blogging works. Yes blogging brings business. Blogging is an bigger time investment versus a money investment. So for a newbie to the real estate business it is a great way of building a business. For somebody who has been in the business a long time and now finds they are slow...... blogging is a great way to invest your time. A great way to build a web presence inexpensively.

Just to give you general idea of what blogging can do. I have read stories over over 4 million dollars of sales coming from an investment of one hour a day. Myself I get any where from 5 to 15 leads a week. I do a good business from blogging.

Check out active rain success stories to see how it has helped others.

Stay tuned for more info on:

what are keywords
how to hyperlink
what to write about
what's a perfect blog
why be personal
what's the benefits of blogging and social media
facebook, linkedin, plaxo, twitter
profile pages
what sites to blog on
how to pick a website
how to manage your time and still sell real estate
how to put blogging, websites, and social media together

I need help with more topics so all of you active rainers add what else I should talk about and write about between now and February.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

It's a tough night here in Metro Detroit.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:32:22 -0500

I want to say I have to hand it too Michigan State Spartan football team. They played a heck of a game against Iowa. To lose the game with 2 seconds left was a heartbreaker. They played tough and they played well.

To all the young men on the team when you look at yourself in the mirror tomorrow be proud. You may have lost but I'm proud of you and I'm sure many other people are in Michigan. Football games sometimes are won with one key play and Iowa did it. But you made us proud by playing a great game.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Metro Detroit Short sales

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:16:32 -0500

I saw a blurb on short sales on a national morning news channel this week. What they were showing is that short sales are taking a long time. They say they are taking twice as long as they were a year ago. They showed a couple of people that took 8 months and 12 months. In the metro Detroit area most short sales are taking about six months. The issue usually is that sellers are trying to short sell their property too late. If you think you are in trouble or need to sell call a Realtor quickly. Get the home listed as soon as possible.

The news channel also said 12% of all homes on the market are short sales. They also said that only 60% of the short sales get done. I honestly don't think anybody really knows that number. What I am finding out or noticing is that short sales don't get completed for these reasons.

Buyers don't stick around. They get tired of waiting and being in the dark.
Banks don't approve the short sale because they want more money.
The seller doesn't cooperate with the bank or the real estate agents.
The bank doesn't agree to short sale the home because of the sellers situation.

What percentage of short sales actually get done is a guess. But many are getting done if you stick it out. I myself have been on both sides. Sometimes getting done, sometimes never even getting close. I had one fall apart today.

The buyer wants to buy, the seller wants to get out, and the bank wants a certain price. We ended up $17,000 apart. The seller decided they wanted to let it go to foreclosure. They gave up on the game. So the house most likely will go into disrepair for the next 7 months. The 2nd mortgage holder will lose everything once the house goes to foreclosure. The lose.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Was I wrong....should I pull the previous blog post

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:44:35 -0500

I admit my wife's health problems have me on edge. I'm a little touchy. But I have always been a guy that says what I feel is right. You see I'm the guy that will tell the young kid that parked his motorcycle in the handicapped spot that they are losers. I feel I don't need to call a cop when the kid is standing in the McDonald's line in front of me. There are older handicapped people that needs those spots.

Unfortunately I'm the guy that will say something when an older male is being rude and obnoxious to a young waitress about something that isn't under her control. You don't need to be rude, and yell just because you are buying the meal. People have feelings and to make any waitress cry is over the top.

Yeah I'm the guy that will say you need to get a job to pay your bills. Yeah I'm the guy that will tell the young kid to go to college and get an education. And I'm the guy to stand up to anybody that treats me or my family like s*%t. I'm going to tell them the way it is, in public or otherwise.

In this world we need to treat people with the common courtesy. Don't go out of your way and just say you were looking for the best opportunity. You can get good opportunities in life without walking all over people. You can get a good parking space without denying a handicapped person one.

You can get good service without berating and demeaning the person behind the counter. And nobody wants to work for free and not get paid. This is life, this is your world. Make it a little better place and don't be afraid of standing up for yourself.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Rashid Khan Farmington Hills MI I'm ashamed

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:55:44 -0500

Rashid Khan of 24136 Lori Ct Farmington Hills is one guy that I don't think much of. You see in the last few weeks my wife if having some health problems. She's a three time twenty year breast cancer survivor. She's one of those people nobody can ever say anything bad about. She's just a sweet person.

Unfortunately Rashid Khan of Farmington Hills is going to feel my wrath of this uncertainty. See he is everything my wife is not. My wife is a giver, Rashid is a taker in my opinion. My wife is a person that tells the truth, Rashid well....

You see I have taken Rashid Khan out for several months looking at homes. My wife even helped to find homes for him. She took time out of her busy day to help him and his fiancee look at homes.

But last week I got this email from Rashid.

Hi Russ,

Hope everything is well. Maria and I are deciding to stop our house search since it is getting really close to our wedding date and we are getting hectic with arranging things and we also have to fly out of town for week or two which will give us even more less time to see homes and make a decsion. Also it is getting harder to find the home and deadline being so close we didn't want to rush into anything and just concentrate on wedding first and then home. We want to thank you for all of your efforts and time for showing us the homes and giving us the wisdom on what to look for in a home. When we are back in the market to look at homes we will sure to give you a call first. Again thank you for everything. I can go ahead and have my bank cancel the check that I gave you for Earnest money.

Thank You,

Rashid

So I sent this email back to him and shredded his check immediately for him.

Rashid,
I understand completely. I was amazed that you had the time to look with the wedding coming up. To save you money I can either shred the check or mail it back to you. I don't want to have you spend money on a cancellation fee.

May you and Maria have a great wedding and until we meet again may life treat you both well.

Russ

Unfortunately today I found out Rashid signed a PA for another house and the email was a lie. He wasted my time. But I am more upset about him and Maria wasting my wife's time. I asked my wife Marianne to help me help Rashid because I was busy. His lie was an insult to my wife and the time she put in. My belief is Rashid Khan ethic's are opposite of my wifes. She only has so many good days to be wasting them on the likes of Rashid Khan.

It makes me mad that we put off going to dinner one night at a nice restaurant and got carry out instead because we were showing houses to Rashid Khan and Maria. My wife is too nice to have wasted time on a person I believe to be a dirtbag like Rashid Khan.

Luckily I have a exclusive buyers agency contract signed by Rashid Khan. So I can go after my commission from the other agent or from him if I choose to. Maybe I'll take my wife out to dinner with the money. She deserves it.

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

What initials do you need? Or where should you spend your money?

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:15:18 -0500

I always get a kick out of it. Certifications ABR< GRI < ABC < CRM < EPRO < XYZ? Are they really worth anything? I myself think education is great. We should take all the classes we can and learn from others. But sometimes I think some of these certifications are over priced. And I am definitely not going to pay a yearly fee to some organization that gives me some initials.

My office was giving old books, CD, and training manuals pertaining to the real estate business. Books that cost 10 - $100 each. They were once the hot selling system. At every seminar real estate agents spend hundreds of dollars buying up the latest and greatest real estate tools. I believe many of the certifications mean the same thing. Just another way for an organization to make a profit.

In Michigan we are required to do 6 hours of continuing education. We attend company meetings that are full of info. We read lots of great info here on the rain. I myself think you should take the $500 you are going to spend on the latest and great sales system or certification and invest it into good marketing. Whether it is pay for clicks or a new website I think your money will be better spent than getting a certification if you spend the time getting the same info for free.

If you are buyers agent that has been in the business for a few years. And are doing over 25 transactions a year I myself think you don't need a ABR certification if you read and keep up with what is going on in the industry.

I myself think Active Rain can be an important source of information, a source of knowledge. It's better than a certification in my opinion. If you have lots of extra money then spend it and buy some initials. I myself think the classes are great if you get something out of them. But nothing replaces the good ole school of hard knocks and on the job experience. I just don't think buyers and sellers really care about the initials.

Russ Ravary GSHN Graduate School of Hard Knocks

ARJ Active Rain Junkie

AWHFY Always Working Hard for You

BAWE Buyers Agent With Experience

HCC Honesty, Communication, Commitment

IWA Internet Web Agent

Feel free to use any of my initials free of charge. If you feel the need to pay for them send $20 to the American Cancer Society, The march of Dimes, The salvation Army. They can always use it.

May life treat you and your family well

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

What's happening In Oakland County lake front homes for sale

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:03:52 -0500

This is just my opinion on what is happening in Oakland County lake front homes for sale. I myself don't think Oakland County Lake front homes have dropped that much in value. Many Oakland County lake homes are holding their value. Sure they have dropped a little but not as much as the rest of the Metro Detroit real estate market.

Many of the lakefront homes in the upper price brackets are not selling. The market is not there. There are currently 114 Oakland County water front homesthat are priced over a million dollars. 114 homes. And only 7 of them have sold in the last year. That means we have a 16.3 year supply of million dollar waterfront homes. That's a lot of homes.

I think we will start see some more drastic price drops over the winter. The longer the Metro Detroit economy is in the dumps the farther home prices will fall. We just don't have the confidence to put that kind of money out on luxurious homes whether they are second homes or a primary home.

So my guess is that we will start seeing some Oakland County lake front home prices start to fall toward the end of the winter.

Russ Ravary your metro Detroit real estate agent

SEARCH OAKLAND COUNTY WATER FRONT HOMES FOR SALE

photos courtesy of Real Comp II ltd

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

12 days left for the first time home buyer tax credit

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:08:00 -0500

Unless our lazy politicians get off their butts the first time home buyer tax credit will expire on Dec 1. To most home buyers that means they have to have a purchase agreement signed by November 1 in order to get the mortgage done in time.

It is going to take most Michigan mortgage companies 30 days to get the mortgage done. So if you are trying to get that first time home buyer tax credit get moving quick. Don't depend on those politicians to come thru. I think they have lied to us once before.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Get the latest foreclosure listings emailed to you and search Metro Detroit foreclosure listings at your convenience

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Escrow account explanation

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:38:55 -0500

Why do I need to put money into a escrow account?? I have already had to pay for one full year of homeowners insurance already? Why do I need to come up with more money for closing?

That is a common comment or question from many Metro Detroit first time home buyers. Whether you are Buying Livonia real estate or Farmington home it's the same. To explain it simply..... an escrow account it is basically a savings account set up by your mortgage company to make sure your property tax and insurance money is there when it comes due.

You can't give an IOU for taxes.

In the Metro Detroit area we have two taxes a winter tax and a summer tax. The winter tax is due Dec 1 and it covers from Dec 1 until November 30 of the next year. The summer tax is due July 1 and covers until June 30 next year.

Each month you make a house payment your payment includes 1/12 of the summer taxes, 1/12 of the winter taxes, and 1/12 of your homeowners insurance. Let's say we are going to close on November 1. You are going to make one payment before December 1. So you will have only 1/12 of your winter taxes in the account. But 12/12 is DUE!!! So the mortgage company is going have you put 11/12 of the winter taxes in the account if you close on November 1. That way you will have the full amount that is due on December 1.

The same thing goes for summer taxes. It's due on July 1 and you are only going to make Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, payments. That's only 7/12 of the amount due. You have to have 12/12 to pay your summer taxes. So the mortgage company is going to have you bring 5/12 of the summer taxes to closing.

So basically you need to set up your "savings account" for property taxes and home owner insurance so the mortgage lender can pay your bill when it comes due. That's why you need to bring money to the closing to set up your escrow account.

If you still don't understand this feel free to call me or email me and I'll be glad to explain it to you a little better.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit Realtor

Search Metro Detroit homes for sale

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website

Ahh.... nothing like a good fight

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:08:09 -0500

In the real estate business we see families up close and personal making a big decision. Remember this is the biggest purchase they are making so needless to say we see some good disagreements. It's rough sometimes because different members of the families have different priorities.

Last week I saw one of those days. My clients were Metro Detroit first time home buyers. They had made the decision on which city and which school system was important to them but they were far from being on the same page.

The wife would have bought two houses but the husband wasn't happy with either one. He was ready to up his mortgage limit over $30,000 in order to get a house he wants. I'm sure they both can find a house they like in that range. Would have been interesting to be a fly in that car on the way home.

But my best fight was when the wife really wanted a house, but it was over their budget. My clients were relocation buyers and we were sitting in the hotel lobby. It got so hot that they asked me if I would take their baby out and give them a few minutes.

She was going to have to give up some of her "weekly frivolous shopping budget" in order to get the house. They bought the house but I don't know whether she gave up the shopping budget. I have a feeling the husband gave in on that one.

Russ Ravary your metro Detroit real estate agent

Get the latest Metro Detroit foreclosures emailed to you weekly so you don't miss out on the deals

May life treat you and your family well today.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Metro Detroit real estate and relocation information website

Oakland County Lake front homes and Livingston County waterfront real estate information website