In assessing the needs of our corporate clients, we have established a team of 10 Relocation Specialists. Our specialists represent each of the company's market areas and must complete an indepth certification program. Each agent on our relocation team, has made a committment to the needs of our corporate clients, transferees, and their families. Getting started is easy. Call our Relocation Center at 734-981-5700 and we will find the best relocation specialist to fit your needs.  Seller/ Departure Services   Home Marketing Assistance OSA (Online Seller Advantage) Property will be advertised on 17 websites Postcards Sent to Surrounding Area E-cards Community Presentation Folders   Buyer / Destination Services   Buyer/ Renter Services Area Tours Relocation Package Buyer Agency / Contract ... 11/19/2008

There are several things most people look for when shopping for a clothes dryer.  With rising costs of gas and electricity, energy efficiency is important.  People tend to be pack rats, always accumulating more and more to be stored away, so space is also an issue.  Here are a few tips for shopping for a clothes dryer:       Energy Efficiency   One of the things to consider when shopping for any household appliance is energy efficiency.  When it comes to clothes dryers, the most energy efficient type is the solar type, AKA a clothesline!  The clothesline is easy to maintain, so repairs are not an issue.  Of course, this type is not convenient or time saving, so it does not meet the needs of most people's lifestyles today.    Clothes dryers are among the most expensive appliances to oper... 10/14/2008

Consumers appreciate Larry for his unending patience in teaching them about their dryer vent systems and with tips on dryer fire safety                                                                                                                             Canton, MI, -- Larry Butterfield, former automotive engineer, has transitioned to owner/operator of a Dryer Vent Wizard, Safe Homes, Dry Clothes (DVW), franchise in Detroit.  "I found DVW provided much needed solutions to consumers' dryer vent problems," says Butterfield.    DVW services help prevent dryer fires, keep dryers functioning properly and provide energy savings through dryer and dryer vent maintenance, cleaning, repair, replacement and alterations.   According to Butterfield, consumer response to DVW services has been po... 08/27/2008

Tonight I went to a cousins funeral.  She was only 37 years old and dropped dead of a heart attack. Many of us realtors and mortgage people are complaining of the bad market.  But I have always been a person that thinks we should be greatful where ever we are at. We live in one of the greatest countries on earth.  Our standard of living is better than most countries.  Even when we are slow we are living a better life than most people in Africa and many third world countries. Sure some of us are selling less homes at a lower prices, but life is still good.  Here in Detroit real estate market we have taken a 25% - 35% pay cut.  Homes are 25 - 35% less than they were 4 years ago.  That directly equates into lower commissions.  But making less is better than having no job at all. Whether yo... 08/20/2008

Canton Township, Michigan is a great place to live and raise a family.  Canton Township officials spend a lot of time putting together programs to entertain and help Canton residents. Here are some of the upcoming events and programs for the residents and the public. Family Fun! Sunday Family Days at Pheasant Run Golf ClubEvery Sunday after 5pm we invite you and your family to enjoy a 9 hole round of golf together. All you need to do is call Pheasant Run to book a Tee time and off you go. Call 734/397-6460 to make your reservation. Fees: $50 for a family of 3 or, $60 for a family of 4.Take An Historical Hike in Cherry Hill VillageTake part in Canton's historical hike!Come and learn the history of the area during this free hike offered on the first Sunday of each month now through Octobe... 08/02/2008

Michigan Home buyers tips   Condo Pros *Don't have to worry about hiring contractors to take care of outside maintenance or building problems.*Generally More Affordable *Often Offer Amenities (community pool, community club house etc.) *No Outdoor Maintenance *Earn Equity (like a house) *Get to Deduct Interest Payment from Taxes (like a house)*Insurance is usually cheaper because you are not insuring outside of condo (though this is included in your association dues)*You often get more for your money. A detached home in the same neighborhood will usually cost at least 20 to 30 percent more. Not owning your own roof or land gives you the ability to increase your buying power. A two bedroom condo can cost up to 25 percent less than a two bedroom detached home and also include a swimming p... 07/25/2008

Piperpartners.com is expanding!  Check out our new Web portal serving Plymouth-Canton MI Real Estate home buyers and sellers at http://canton.piperparters.com. We have pages set up for Canton MI neighborhoods, Plymouth Canton MI Condominiums, Plymouth-Canton Schools and more coming soon.  Search for a condo in Plymouth or Canton Michigan using our interactive map search function.  Find homes for sale by neighborhood or subdivision.  Piperpartners is now serving home buyers and sellers in the communities of Canton, Livonia, Westland, Plymouth, Northville and near by areas of western Wayne and Oakland Counties.  If you or someone you know is planning to relocate to the Plymouth Canton Michigan area please give us a call at 734-604-8242 or drop us an email for a complete Plymouth-Canton re... 07/14/2008

I am going to start with the bottom line. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE RESULTS OF A HOME INSPECTION AND DO NOT WANT TO BUY THE HOME. DON'T DON'T LET YOUR REALTOR TALK YOU INTO BUYING IT IF THERE ARE THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE But do listen to everybody.  Sometimes items that need repair or fixing seem insurmontable.  Sometimes if a buyer is unfamilar with contractors or repair processes the repair seems major.  If your inspector tells you something is wrong with the house., research it.  Talk to a contractor, research it on line, listen to your realtors input.  Then make a sound decision that YOU CAN LIVE..... WITH ALL THE FACTS. The reason I am blogging about this is that I am working with a first time home buyer that is a Ford engineer.  He is very analytical.  There has been evidence of water in... 07/12/2008

Canton MI is a great place to live whether you are a single, young, old, married, with or without kids.  The township is always putting together great thing to do in Canton.   Here are some of the upcoming events in Canton Township, Michigan. 3rd Annual Cherry Festival - July 26 : Canton Area residents are in for a treat at the 3rd Annual Cherry Festival on Saturday, July 26, when Cherry Hill Village will overflow with arts, entertainment, and great family fun. Stroll through local businesses, the Village Theater, and Canton's Historic sites, all while enjoying delicious festival food, live entertainment, Old Tyme Farms Days, crafts and activities for the whole family and more cherry goodies than your eyes can believe. Don't miss the Cherry Sweet Treats & Dessert Bake-Off during the fes... 07/04/2008

I read a article on foreclosures this morning that was surprising to me.  Detroit is still number 5 in the number of foreclosures for last month.  That's not surprising.    What amazed me is that Realty Trac is saying that foreclosures have increased for the past 29 months - year of year.  What they mean is that the number of foreclosures in May of 2008 was greater than May of 2007.   And April 2008 foreclosures were greater than foreclosures in 2007.  And so on and so on going back 29 months!    So going back 2 years and 5 months ago foreclosures have been rising from the previous year in the same month.  Where will it stop?  What I am noticing is that people are planning their exits out of their homes.   They are letting them go into foreclosure or it is just a matter of time.  I know... 06/16/2008

This is what Active Rain is all about.  Whether you are a Realtor, or just a consumer that is blogging to promote their business spider posts are important.  This is what is great about active rain you can help people across the country. Rob you contacted me about Spider posts and what they are.  Here goes.  A spider post is where you link to back blogs you have done about a Certain topic.  I am going to do one about Relocating to Canton Michigan. CANTON MICHIGAN RELOCATION Canton Michigan is suburb of Metro Detroit about 25- 30 minutes west of downtown Detroit, 20 minutes from Metro Airport, and about 20 minutes to Ann Arbor.  It is a great place to raise a family. Here are some past blogs of mine that can give you a flavor of what Canton Michigan is like if you are relocating to Michi... 06/08/2008

Canton Michigan is a great place to raise a family in Metro Detroit.  Here are highlights of there Liberty Fest 2008 that is coming up soon. Now in its 17th year, the Canton Liberty Fest will take place on Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, returning with all of your favorite summer activities in Heritage Park, located behind Cantonâ€TMs Administration Building and the Canton Public Library, just west of Canton Center Road between Cherry Hill and Summit Parkway. If you're looking for great food, top-notch entertainment, and fabulous family fun, you'll want to check out Liberty Fest on Friday, June 13 from 1 p.m. â€" dusk and Saturday, June 14 from 11 a.m. â€" dusk. There is no admission to the festival grounds and the majority of activities are free of charge. The Thursday Night Su... 06/07/2008

When buying a Michigan home and applying for a Michigan mortgage one of my old bosses had a great saying.  "if you want the money you have to jump through all the hoops".  "It's their money" What I mean by that is many times banks and lenders will ask for more information or documentation to clarify a situation or to meet the documentation standards for them to sell a loan.  Many banks and lenders sell the loans so they have to show why they approved a loan.  There is certain standards they have to meet. Sometimes it is as simple as "all pages of your bank statements"  even though you know the 3 page is full of legal mumble jumble and nothing to do with your account.  You have to get the bank all pages.  You can't print off a statement off the internet sometimes if it does not have your... 05/31/2008

Sure home prices are low, but Metro Detroit home sales are picking up.  Today I talked to an agent that had 8 offers on one home.  It is not unusual for me to call to set up a showing on a homes that my clients want to see only to find out that they are sold.  Homes are selling.  Not all homes are.  Yes they are Metro Detroit foreclosures, they are Michigan bargains that are selling.  Homes that need work, or are overpriced, or have negatives are sitting on the market.    By negatives I mean poor location such as backing to a main road, or backing to a commercial property.  So be sure to put your home in the best possible condition to sell. Many homes in Canton, Livonia, Redford are selling for as little as a $100 a square foot.  I am still surprised that some agents still "don't get it... 05/09/2008

How does your home look to a buyer?  Once again I was showing homes in Canton Michigan to one of my buyers.  He needs to buy within 2 weeks. One home had wallpaper everywhere.  Let me say this "Michgan home buyers do not want to remove wall paper.  They want a Michgan home that is ready to move into.  This home had wall paper in every room and even wallpaper on the ceiling on one room.  This Canton Home will take a long time to sell.  If two Canton homes that are priced similar the home without the wallpaper will sell first.  I believe that there would have to be a $10,000 price difference in the homes for the one with wallpaper to sell quicker. Can you get the wallpaper taken down and painted for less than $10,00?  If you can and you don't do it, you are losing money.Another home had a... 04/25/2008

Are you ready for spring in Metro Detroit.  Now is the time to do the simple little cleaning items so they don't become big repair items. Now is the time to clean the gutters out.  So the water flows down the pipe and over the gutters.  When water flows over the gutters you have a greater risk of water damaging the facia board and the roof.  Water sometimes can find it's way back up under the shingles if the gutters are overflowing over the top because of a leaf clogged drainpipe.  If you don't like ladders or heights hire somebody to do it.It is time to make sure your gutter rain water is running away from the house.  Most basement water leaks come from improper grading.  Make sure the ground slopes away from the house, so the water runs away from the house not towards the walls.  But ... 04/11/2008

Canton Michigan events Michigan Bowling Tournament to bring 45,000 women to Canton Township...For the next three months between 600-800 women will be converging on Canton every three to four days to bowl in the 2008 United States Women's Tournament.  The tournament will pump over $40 million into the economy of the Detroit area.  A marketing team of the Canton Chamber, the Downtown Development Authority and Canton has been working to publicize Canton businesses and provide general information. The kick-off for the event will be on April 10 at Super Bowl.  Super Bowl will be closed during the 80-day tournament.  The 2008 Leadership Canton class created a welcoming program called "Pins on Parade."  Pins will be placed at many of the Ford Road intersections as a means of welcoming the wome... 04/05/2008

Here is an update on the Canton real estate market.  It is a buyers market in Southeastern Michigan with Canton real estate being no different.  In Canton some bargain homes are selling for as little as $100 a square foot.  There are lots of bargains out there if you are patient and search for them.  If you don't let your emotions get the best of you will get a great home value.  Newer Canton homes seem to be holding their value better, but there are even good deals in homes under 7 years old.  Feel free to go to my website www.russravary.com to search for Canton Homes for sale. Here are statistics on how long Canton homes in Michigan are on the market in different price ranges.  If you are thinking of buying a home and have a home to sell, look at the chart carefully.  Can you afford t... 01/30/2008

Hey all, I was wondering if anyone has ever had to restage a staged home?  I have a client whose home has been on the market for over 18 months at the request of the their latest Realtor I was asked to see if anything could be done to help make an impact.  Not knowing beforehand the home had previously been staged, I went in and could see some efforts had been made but fell way short.  It was later that I found out the home had been staged.  No-Way!  This concerns me that there are stagers not doing the best they can do, or not knowing what they are doing, and putting other stagers under scrutiny that do know what they are doing. Are you wondering what the other stager did?  Here's a sample... the walls were painted white except for the living room that was painted a soft lemon.  There ... 11/13/2007

I recently visited a Jungle Java the other day.  It was amazing how many moms of toddlers and young children showed up.  The day happened to be a rainy morning and to my suprise moms and children started filtering in after 10am.  I would have expected earlier if they had dropped older children off at school, but I was wrong.  Many seemed to have already been acquainted, while others, like myself were new.Jungle Java offers free entry for adults and tiny children, while all others of in between years must pay.  They offer membership prices of 3-6 month, regulars can stop in during that time as often as they wish, or a there is a price for the one time visitor. They have a menu of different types of coffees, sandwiches, some desserts, and soups.  They offer a small area for toddlers to pl... 10/12/2007