Directory —
Real Estate —
Blog Details for "miOaklandCounty"
miOaklandCountymiOaklandCountyThe real news on South East Michigan Real Estate happenings. Moving the Motor City. Articles
Random Real Estate Stuff
2007-04-10 22:44:00 First off we have this YouTube video. As a Realtor with a sense of humor, I don’t mind when the joke is on us. Head over for a laugh, and I hope nobody has to work with a guy like this. Ever. Warning, he drinks out of the milk carton and he ... More About: Estate , Real Estate , Random , Stuff , State
The Billboard in the Desert
2007-04-09 06:02:00 Recently a very successful Birmingham Realtor asked me, “Maureen, how come you have been quoted so much in the newspaper lately? Is it your…ummm…ahh…(he struggled to find the word) … blog?” Um, yes, Mr. Successful Realtor, it just might be that as I have not been sending any gifts to newspaper ... More About: Board , Bill , Desert , The D , Billboard
Peeing Dogs Do Not Sell Homes: A Lesson For Sell-Lords
2007-04-06 16:59:00 Yesterday I had one of my top 10 most memorable showings. This is a list that you don’t want to be on as most of those showings tend to be memorable for bad reasons, like finding people asleep in beds when you think the house is empty. That is always good for a ... More About: Dogs , Home , Lord , Homes , Sell
Metro Detroit February Foreclosure Report
2007-04-06 14:42:00 Realty Trac just started sending me the press releases for their foreclosure reports, requesting that we provide this information for our readers. We don’t normally ‘reprint’ but this is valuable information and they asked. There is good news in the report. The number of foreclosures in Michigan fell from January 2007, and from February ... More About: Metro Detroit , Report , Port , Foreclosure , Metro
Now playing
2007-03-31 19:01:00 .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Now playing, originally uploaded by mainegal. I had never heard of this Detroit theater turned into a parking garage until I was watching Eminem’s 8 Mile a few years ... More About: Play
10 Things You Can?t Do If You Want to SELL Your Michigan Home
2007-03-30 06:00:00 10. Try to sell “By Owner.” Sorry, I am not just saying this because my livelihood is in selling homes. If you want to sell your home, you need to be where the buyers are. Since about 90% of sales in Metro Detroit involve real estate agents, that is clearly where ... More About: Home , Michigan , Your , Things , Sell
Beverly Hills Easter Egg Hunt
2007-03-30 00:50:00 EASTER EGG HUNT AT BEVERLY PARK ... More About: Easter , East , Ever , Hill , Beverly Hills
Breaking News: Pop Up Tax Moratorium Stalls for 2007
2007-03-29 23:16:00 Just received news (not good news) from Lansing that the proposed moratorium on the pop up tax is not likely to come to be this year. We were looking at it as a short term stimulus for the housing market and were optimistic that it would have helped to motivate home buyers over the ... More About: News , Pop , Breaking News , Tax , Break
I Heard It Through the Grapevine: Carnival of Real Estate #35
2007-03-26 15:00:00 This week the Carnival of Real Estate has landed in Motown (or suburban Motown if you want to get technical) and in keeping with the motor city’s rich musical heritage we are awarding our weekly picks with theme songs of their own. Motown theme songs, of course. So sit back, relax, and prepare ... More About: Real Estate , Hear , State
miOaklandCounty Reaches the Terrible Twos
2007-03-23 05:49:00 photo credit mdot More About: Oakland , County , Land , Reach , Aklan
Better than Average in Birmingham MI
2007-03-23 01:14:00 urious about what an “average” home in Birmingham MI might look like? By average I am referring to the city’s average home sale price in the 4th quarter of 2006, which was $431,000. Today, prices in Birmingham range between $149,000 for an 1,100 square foot bank-owned home on 14 Mile Road to $8,999,000 ... More About: Rage , Better , Vera , Bett , Ming
Michigan?s Real Estate Market IS Improving
2007-03-15 05:01:00 Mortgage Guru Ken Mascia from Oxford Financial is back today with a message to buyers who are sitting on the fence in South East Michigan . Real Estate Market improving?? If you listen to the doom and gloom crew you?d never know it! I have read so many articles in the last few ... More About: Real Estate , Real Estate Market
Property Taxes: Michigan to Consider 18 Month Moratorium on Pop-Up Tax
2007-03-14 18:13:00 Potentially good news out of Lansing for Michigan home sellers. Democrats are initiating legislation to allow home buyers to pay the same amount in taxes as the home seller was paying. Under the state?s current tax structure, the assessed taxable value of a home can rise annually by no more than 5 percent or the ... More About: Pop , Taxes , Tax , Property
miOaklandCounty?s First Annual Spam Count Contest
2007-03-13 15:54:00 Here comes a post that has nothing to do with real estate or metro Detroit or Oakland County . Some times we just have to do something just for fun, right? Today miOaklandCounty.com is about to pass a memorable milestone. Akismet, our spam comment blocking program is about to devour its 15,000 piece of comment ... More About: Contest , Spam , Land
Jack White?s Michigan Crib is Under Contract
2007-03-12 16:51:00 This has nothing to do with our normal coverage of Oakland County real estate, but we have been tracking the sale of performer Jack White ’s Detroit home since last fall. Well, it looks like Jack and a buyer came to terms last month. The home went under contract in mid February at a ... More About: Michigan , Contract , Crib
Screamin? deal on an intown Birmingham condo!
2007-03-12 01:53:00 Heads up investors and bargain hunters. I know of an in-town 2 bedroom condo that is currently on the market for under $170k. The seller paid $210,000 for it in 2001, according to public records. The location is excellent. Another comparable unit in the same building is on the market for $224k. From where I ... More About: Condo , Scream , Ondo , Deal , Town
Oakland County Home Sales UP in February!
2007-03-09 10:50:01 Nothing like a some good real estate market news. Yes, I have said I don’t like talking about statistics, but our MLS, Realcomp reports that Oakland County home sales were up between 4 an 5% in February, and about 1% over February 2006. Good news indeed. Here is the story from the Detroit News. There are some outstanding values in the market today. It is a phenomenal time to buy a home. Photo by B TalTechnorati Tags: oakland county home sales, oakland county home buyers, oakland county real estate market More About: Sales , Home , Sale
Another Reason to Recycle
2007-03-07 16:47:02 Yup, another report from the self professed Channel 15 Junkie (that is our local access cable channel for those of you who don’t have Comcast or live here). Tuesday night, a Beverly Hills Village Commissioner reminded me of the second benefit of recycling. In addition to being a great thing to do for the planet, it happens to save our communities money. Commissioner Dorothy Pfeiffer claimed that more than 14% of the Village’s trash removal expenses are covered by the income the Village receives from recycling. It’s a double win. Less in the landfill and reducing costs for local government, which helps reduce tax needs. Recycling might be less popular than it once was, but who wants to pay more taxes? It’s not just for tree-huggers anymore! Troy Recycling Guidelines Beverly Hills Recycling Birmingham Recycling Karen’s Recycling by The Stakhanovite Twins More About: Other , Cycle , Recycle , Reason , Another
The Proposal A Shock: My House is Worth More Than Last Year??
2007-03-06 22:45:02 It is Board of Review time again, and citizens across the state are headed in to appeal their property taxes. If they read the Freep today, the might be left with the impression that they are destined to be overtaxed. Yes, it does seem ironic that property taxes went up last year by 3.7%, the largest increase since 1994, in a year that property values fell. A few things to remember: Dmitry and I routinely assist our clients with property tax issues. You will need a recent set of comparable sales to defend your request for a reduction in taxes. We will provide this for our clients. The city of Birmingham lays out the board of review process very well. If you are considering a move in the next few years and you have lived in your home a long time, you should closely review your assessment. Even though your taxes are capped, they will become uncapped for the next purchaser. If your SEV is above market value, this could impact the resale of your home as the new buyer will be payi... More About: House , Shock , Proposal , Last , Worth
Where is Grosse Field?
2007-03-02 16:42:02 I have to assume they meant Gross e Ile. Asking price: $9,000,000 More About: Here , Field , Where , Ross
Mortgage Rates
2007-03-02 16:42:02 Rates are subject to change without notice. 30 Year Fixed Rate Points APR Lock Days 5.625% 2.000% 5.872% 30 5.875% 1.000% 6.030% 30 6.125% 0.000% 6.186% 30 The APR is calculated using a loan amount of $200,000 and these typical fees. 15 Year Fixed Rate Points APR Lock Days 5.250% 2.000% 5.663% 30 5.500% 1.000% 5.757% 30 5.750% 0.000% 5.851% 30 The APR is calculated using a loan amount of $200,000 and these typical fees. 5/1 ARM Interest Only Rate Points APR Lock Days 5.125% 2.000% 7.119% 30 5.500% 1.000% 7.137% 30 5.875% 0.000% 7.137% 30 The APR is calculated using a loan amount of $200,000 and these typical fees. Ken Mascia, making mortgage loans since 1991 248-642-4744 www.oxfordfinancial.com More About: Mortgage , Gage , Rates , Rate , Mort
Oakland County 2006 4th Quarter Home Sales
2007-03-02 04:41:02 I try to write about home sales statistics more often, but the truth is that I find it painfully dull. No, I don’t find the statistics dull. I find them rather informative quite honestly. The Economics major in me loves stats, charts and such things. It is the writing about them that I find tedious. Still, I think this information is important, so today I am making the effort. According to Realcomp II, our MLS: In the first two months of the fourth quarter, 4,430 jobs were added to the payrolls of Oakland County. As a result of these new jobs, the average monthly unemployment rate fell from 5.7% during the third quarter to 5.2% for October and November. The strong employment climate may help to create demand for home purchases. …I like the thought of creating demand for home purchases. Sounds good right now, doesn’t it? What happened in Oakland County in the 4th quarter of 2006? The average price of a home fell in the fourth quarter of 2006 from $250,200 to... More About: Sales , Home , Arte , Sale
Tech Obsession Gone Too Far: A Decorating Don?t?
2007-02-28 16:39:02 Check out these stools. Yes, stools. Do you think Bill Gates has them? Somehow I don?t think he does. Actually I like the quirky creativity. Let me know if you have them. (h/t Cleveland Real Estate News) More About: Tech , Obsession , Decor , Gone , Decora
Hope To See You Tomorrow
2007-02-27 04:38:01 Tomorrow is another of our fun and creative Birmingham-Bloomfield Realtor Network Last Tuesday Tours. I will be at 975 Fairfax between 10 and 1 and I would love to see your smiling faces. For those of you who missed my post about cooperation, the BBRN is a group of 10 top producing agents from competing Birmingham-Bloomfield offices that works together to increase exposure for it’s members listings. We meet once a month to discuss our new listings and jointly plan a marketing event. These events have come to take on a life of their own with other agents looking forward to our next effort. Last month we had between 50 and 75 agents through the 10 homes on the tour. That was amongst the highest traffic I had ever seen at an open house. And that was in spite of a fresh 6 inches of snow that fell the night before the open house. I am hoping the weather is more cooperative tonight. Regardless, the group is really a great thing. We share ideas freely even though we are compe... More About: Hope , Tomorrow , Morrow , Tomo
Does Your Realtor Have A Lasso?
2007-02-22 16:34:01 I guess I am an undercover Real tor cowgirl. If I can, I will cast out my lasso and rope a buyer for my home sellers. No, not literally, though I confess I have been tempted. The cowgirl analogy sounds funny for a Realtor who works in the upscale suburbs of Metro Detroit, I know. Yesterday I was at Pulte’s Realtor appreciation luncheon at the Townsend Hotel. It was a lovely affair and it reminded me that I needed to pull out a post that I never finished. Apparently my secret weapon really is a secret and most other Realtors have never even heard of it based on the questions they asked the speaker. So, with out further ado, I will unveil . . . My top secret lasso: The Reverse Offer. How it works is that the seller makes an offer to the buyer outlining the terms they will accept if the buyer will buy the home. Yes, you heard me correctly, the seller makes the first offer, not the buyer. This certainly is a roll reversal from what most buyers and their agents expect, but th... More About: Your , Alto , Have
Unique Homes of Oakland County
2007-02-19 04:32:01 .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Houses of Goa Museum, originally uploaded by David Wilmot. Here is a plea for assistance. We want to run a series on unique homes in Oakland County . The home in the photo is actually in Goa India, and I sincerely doubt we will find much along this line here in Metro Detroit. So far we are planning to write about a home made from strawbales and some “green” earth-friendly luxury new construction. If you have other ideas of homes we could be writing about, please pass them along. Technorati Tags: oakland county, unique homes, unique homes in Oakland county More About: Home , Homes , Unique
Blue Skies In Birmingham
2007-02-18 04:31:01 I’ve long extolled the importance of good internet marketing for homes. Multiple photos and virtual tours are a must. Buyers want to see pictures. I usually manage to get decent images with my digital camera, but I have no control over the Michigan weather. I haven’t done any scientific research, but my guess is that in the winter we have more gray sky days than blue sky days in South East Michigan. Gray skies don’t necessarily look the greatest. On the other hand, sunny skies can create lots of shadows that don’t end up looking the best either. Last week I got Photoshop Elements and our handy tech guy in the office, Travis, helped me to begin to contend with the uncooperative weather. I present, for your viewing pleasure, the before and after pictures of our Birmingham listing at 975 Fairfax. All we did was change the sky and remove a stick in the front lawn. Could I have captured a similar image on a different day, definitely. Am I deceiving a ... More About: Blue , Ming
The Whitney Has Changed Hands
2007-02-14 16:29:01 Ironically enough my Valentine’s day post is about the place where Dmitry and I were married, The Whitney , a beautiful restaurant in Detroit. The mansion was built by David Whitney, a lumber baron, in 1894 and a newspaper at the time described it as “the most elaborate and substantial residence in this part of the country.” I’ve included this particular photo of the library because that is the room where our family and guests dined. I recommend a quick tour of their web site as they have done a great job of presenting the history of the mansion. The Freep has reported that a former neighbor of ours, Bud Leibler, has just bought The Whitney and he is planning on making some changes over the coming months. We’re looking forward to seeing his vision. Happy Valentine’s Day. If you are in Detroit, why not have lunch or dinner today at The Whitney? I think we might. Technorati Tags: the whitney, detroit More About: Change , Hands , Hand , Chang
The Best Corned Beef in Oakland County
More articles from this author:2007-02-14 16:29:01 People end up on my blog for funny reasons. Someone landed here today because they Googled “Who has the best corned beef in Oakland County .” Well, I don’t remember ever writing much about corned beef here before, but the question is a good one. And, fortunately for that reader, I have the answer! I would love to find a better corned beef sandwich than I enjoy at the Bread Basket Deli in Oak Park, but I am not sure that it exists, except maybe in heaven. Really, their corned beef is sublime, and so is the crusty rye bread they serve it up on. I don’t think I’ve often strayed beyond the #17 1/2 which comes with Russian dressing, swiss cheese and coleslaw. The sandwiches are huge–enough for two meals. There is always a line, so plan on a wait. The atmosphere is pure, authentic diner with no pretenses of being anything else. I have to tell you a funny story about the Bread Basket. I was a long time vegetarian. For something like 15 years. B... More About: Corn , Beef , Best 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
|
