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Metro Detroit

Home Stager Experiences Drop in Property Values Firsthand
2008-06-01 07:06:00
When the Feds dropped the prime a couple of months ago, my husband and I decided to refinance our home in Rochester Hills. Our 5-year ARM was maturing in September. We never planned to refinance this home. In fact, I believe the phrase “if we’re still living here in 5 years, I’m going to shoot myself” ...
It?s Sunday, I am a Mother and a Realtor, and I am NOT doing an Open House
2008-05-11 21:31:00
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Oakland County (and farther afield) mothers out there. Gloomy as our weather here may be, I hope it is a special day for all. We’ll now return to our regularly scheduled real estate discussions. There is a Mother’s Day tie-in since today is Sunday, open house day ...
Metro Detroit Home Sales UP for the 4th Consecutive Month
2008-05-06 20:54:00
Yes, that headline is correct. Sales are up over last year for the fourth month in a row, according to our MLS, Realcomp II. We’ve told you, we are seeing a lot of activity, and we are busier than ever. Spring has sprung! Here is Realcomp’s report. Yesterday I tried to show 4 ...
Observations: Oakland County Housing Market Spring 2008
2008-05-01 10:19:00
Dmitry and I have had our busiest Spring in real estate in years in 2008.  We are working with more clients than ever before.  Last week we had a couple of closings and we asked the other Realtors and mortgage brokers if they were seeing what we are seeing: a lot more buying activity in ...
March 2008 Oakland County Property Statistics
2008-04-18 21:58:00
This just in from MCAR, our board of Realtors. Sales figures for March cooled off a little from the previous two months. In February, for example, sales in Oakland County were up seven percent year-to-year. For March, sales dipped four percent. One likely culprit: the fourth snowiest March since 1880. And home buyers that may have ...
Polar Bears Swimming
2008-04-16 20:22:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } polar bear, originally uploaded by Maureen Francis. Been to the Detroit Zoo lately? No school today, so we took a rare family trip to the zoo to enjoy the first days of spring. The ...
WP Upgrade ate my blog
2008-03-31 15:27:00
Things look funny here today.  I will work later on getting the blog back to the way you are used to seeing it.  I upgraded to wordpress 2.5 last night and it did not like something in my theme’s header.   I threw this theme up in the meantime. Back later!
So, You Want to Buy an Oakland County Foreclosure
2008-03-31 14:18:00
Dmitry and I happen to represent a couple of banks on their higher end Oakland County foreclosures. Most of the sellers we work with are your garden variety homeowner, and working with the banks is a completely different animal. For the banks, we do a lot in the way of reporting and maintenance. ...
Taxes. Taxes. Taxes.
2008-03-28 05:17:00
Source: ShutterstockWell, it’s really Millages. Millages. Millages. I’m interrupting our series on Oakland County luxury homes today to bring you a post about property taxes. I was perusing a report on 2007 Oakland County Millage Rates and decided to see where we would find the highest property tax rates. The winners: Lathrup Village, where the homestead millage ...
Taxes. Taxes. Taxes.
2008-03-28 05:17:00
Source: ShutterstockWell, it’s really Millages. Millages. Millages. I’m interrupting our series on Oakland County luxury homes today to bring you a post about property taxes. I was perusing a report on 2007 Oakland County Millage Rates and decided to see where we would find the highest property tax rates. The winners: Lathrup Village, where the homestead millage ...
Orchard Lake?s Most Expensive Home
2008-03-27 12:41:00
We are continuing our series on Oakland County’s most expensive homes on the market today by stopping off in Orchard Lake. We started Sunday in the City of Bloomfield Hills on Vaughan Road. Tuesday found us in Bloomfield Township?s gated community, Turtle Lake, at a home on Turtle Ridge. Wednesday we were ...
miOaklandCounty Turns 3
2008-03-22 15:14:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Jester Topsy Turvy Cake, originally uploaded by PinkCakeBox. This little old real estate blog is turning three tomorrow. It did not want to share it’s birthday with Easter, ...
#1 Rule in Home Staging . . . No Playboy Bunnies!
2008-03-20 04:17:00
I was asked to stage a vacant house in Royal Oak which had been on the market for 6+ months with no offers. It definitely needed furniture in place to give it some ?oomph? and show how lovely the property truly is. As I toured the house to take measurements and devise a plan of ...
Fresh Eyes on The Birmingham Bloomfield Luxury Home Market
2008-03-13 17:11:00
I’ve just finished up a whirlwind two days with clients in from Miami who were looking at luxury homes in Birmingham and Bloomfield. Their comments gave me a fresh perspective about our area and about our housing market. It was good to hear how we look from the eyes of those seeing the area for the ...
I Am Not Whining About Being Too Busy Selling Homes?
2008-03-12 12:41:00
Sure, the Southeast Michigan real estate market has hit a rough patch. There are lots of homes on the market longer than the owners want them to be. But right now, Dmitry and I barely have time to eat dinner together. We are both running in different directions taking care of clients’ needs. In the last ...
Eastern European Investors Interested In Metro Detroit Real Estate
2008-03-10 07:39:00
When I first landed in the Former Soviet Union in 1992, the average wage was probably about $20 a month and investment was a new concept. Early “business men” were thought of as thugs, and the notion of capitalism was still very foreign. In fact, as a Peace Corps Business Advisor, I was ...
Grandma ?Got It? When Her Home Became a House
2008-02-25 14:32:00
The number of senior citizens trying to sell homes is growing.  As our parents and grandparents reach the ?golden years,? it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to live unassisted.   Rising co-pays and health care costs combined with decreases in retiree pension benefits are draining this generation?s bank accounts at an alarming rate.  Health issues ...
Good, Better, Best Real Estate Marketing for the Michigan Home Seller (via
2008-02-16 15:37:00
Todd Waller is a Realtor whom I hold in high esteem. Todd and his Team 366 work the Ann Arbor market, and Dmitry and I share a passion with them for innovative real estate marketing. The number one motivation to keep ourselves on the bleeding edge of real estate technology, at least for ...
Happy Valentine?s Day
2008-02-14 15:26:00
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Winter Love, originally uploaded by scottwills.
The Granddaddy of all open houses coming to Metro Detroit in April
2008-02-02 05:43:00
Calling all home buyers, looky-loos, nosy neighbors and undecided: mark your calendars for Sunday April 27th. Agents in four counties?Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Livingston?are invited to hold open houses on Sunday, April 27. The open houses will be publicized in a special tabloid-sized section of both the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News the ...
Birmingham Realtors ? Thanks for the Great Support!
2008-01-30 18:06:00
On Tuesday this week, our group of 9 top producing Realtors in the Birmingham Bloomfield Realtor Network held another of our broker tours. Dmitry and I held open our brand new listing in the Estates Section of Bloomfield Village that we had just put on the market the day before for $1,650,000. I ...
Oakland County Real Estate Statistics 4th Quarter 2007
2008-01-30 16:47:00
Realcomp, our MLS, sends me real estate statistics every month because I asked to be on the special list of recipients of real estate stats.  Along with their report comes a note that says the stats are not for redistribution.  Hence, I have not been publishing them on my blog.  But our association of Realtors ...
Where is Waldo?
2008-01-28 00:04:00
Oooops, I mean where is Kwame? Can the mayor of Detroit really try to hide from the Sex Lies and SMS scandal? We have not seen him in Michigan since the news broke this week. Trying to run away from your problems is such a fine example to set. Technorati Tags: kwame kilpatrick, ...
Where are you from?
2008-01-26 05:44:00
Thanks to Logan Albertson for the use of this clever photo. In light of yesterday’s post, many Michiganders might be wishing they were from a state shaped like a different body part…
How is the Market?
2008-01-25 05:04:00
Or, “how bad is the market?” Yep, we get asked that all the time. First, let me say that we are busy. Our business has been very steady since we started selling homes in 2001. We’ve always looked at this as a business, not a hobby or something to fill our idol time now that ...
Sex, Lies and Text Messaging
2008-01-24 22:31:00
In a modern day twist on a James Spader film, Detroit’s Hip Hop Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, and his Chief of Staff, Christine Beatty, have the State of Michigan watching aghast as details of their extramarital affair are paraded before the world. Unfortunately, in addition to the 5 children and the 2 spouses (one ...
City of Bloomfield Hills Taking a Look at Itself From Buyers? POV
2008-01-24 05:10:00
Kudos to the City of Bloomfield Hills for the efforts they are taking to find out why buyers chose (and don’t chose) to live in Michigan’s wealthiest zip code. We received this email yesterday from the City asking for our input. Competition is high for home buyers right now, and unsold homes result ...
Michigan Foreclosure Forum
2007-11-30 06:00:00
Mike Cox, Michigan’s Attorney General is organizing a forum for people behind on their mortgage payments and those potentially facing foreclosure.  This problem is affecting every segment of Southeast Michigan’s housing market, from our grandest estates to our most modest dwellings.  Not a week goes by that Dmitry and I do not receive ...
Michigan Foreclosure Forum
2007-11-29 18:00:00
Mike Cox, Michigan’s Attorney General is organizing a forum for people behind on their mortgage payments and those potentially facing foreclosure. This problem is affecting every segment of Southeast Michigan’s housing market, from our grandest estates to our most modest dwellings. There are options out there for homeowners and the Attorney General is ...
Michigan Millage Rates By County
2007-10-31 01:09:00
If you are interested in local millage rates, this is the definitive source for 2006.  As soon as the 2007 publication becomes available, I will publish it here. Oakland County property tax rates begin on page 110.  I did notice a mistake under the Birmingham City section.   I am not aware of any homes in Birmingham ...
The little blog that could?
2007-10-29 15:49:00
For the last 18 months, maybe longer, a significant part of my job has been to disappoint people. I get to deliver messages that nobody wants to hear: “Your home is not worth what you paid for it.” “You owe the bank more than your house is worth.” “Your neighbors got more last year than you will ...
Join Us Tuesday to See 9 Spooktacular Homes
2007-10-29 01:13:00
The Birmingham Bloomfield Realtor Network is at it again this month. Join us! I will be at 1680 Norfolk in Birmingham. This event is open to the public. Hope to see you…   SPOOKTACULAR Tuesday October 30 from 10 to 1 Tour these Nine Homes for some great ?Treats? 32311Arlington - Beverly ...
Uggh@! Beverly Hills First Christmas Tree Stand
2007-10-25 06:02:00
The leaves in Beverly Hills and Birmingham are still on the trees, so imagine my surprise when I found a Christmas Tree stand erected at the corner of Pierce and 14 Mile on October 23rd! After shopping at Costco last weekend, I knew that the retailers were ready to start the season. But ...
Council Approves Rezoning of East Beverly Hills
2007-10-16 19:41:00
After years of study and discussion, a plan to rezone Beverly Hills, particularly the East side of the village, was recently approved. The proposal had passionate opposition. I attended a Village council meeting at Groves High School where the police were summoned by the council president to remove a member of the audience. ...
Oakland County Home Sale Statistics-Third Quarter 2007
2007-10-13 04:01:00
Housing market figures for Oakland County in September reflect a decrease in sales activity compared to September 2006: sales and sales volume were down eight percent and 18 percent, respectively. Among the municipalities experiencing positive sales activity in the year-to-year comparison (with a minimum of 15 sales) were: Commerce Township, which ...
Oakland County Gives Away FREE Radon Test Kits
2007-10-11 16:15:00
The Oakland County Health Division will offer free radon test kits to residents during National Radon Action Week Oct. 22-26. The kits normally cost $10. From the EPA’s Radon site: Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can?t see, smell or taste. Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family’s ...
This is not a buyer?s market!
2007-10-04 21:21:00
I can take this discussion in two directions. First, I checked the sales in the MLS this morning, just like I do every morning (and again periodically through the day). In the past few days 11 houses have rented in Birmingham and Beverly Hills and 6 were sold. I would call that a ...
Architects offer Royal Oak Home Tour
2007-10-02 00:40:00
The Detroit Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Detroit) invites the public to attend the ?2007 Royal Oak Home Tour,? a walking tour showcasing six AIA architect-designed homes. The homes feature intriguing design concepts of urban living and contemporary design amenities that characterize the city. The Royal Oak Home Tour occurs on Sunday, ...
Metro Detroit Foreclosure Home Prices Fall By 18%
2007-10-01 15:32:00
The median price of the houses in Metro Detroit went down to $154,919 in August 2007 from an initial price of $188,274 in August 2004, according to Realcomp Inc., the largest multiple listing service in Metro Detroit. Housing prices in the region declined sharply by 17.4 percent compared to the value three years ago. Experts blame ...
The Mysteriously Missing Tenants: A Precaution to Potential Investors
2007-09-19 21:59:00
I doubt that there has EVER been a better time to make an investment in Michigan real estate. Opportunities abound, and smart investors will be rewarded. Not long ago, I heard about an out of state “investor” who made his first real estate investment in Michigan. He was sold a high end home in ...
The aftermath of using your home as an ATM
2007-09-17 16:32:00
Right out of college I worked as a commercial loan officer for First of America Bank in Kalamazoo. Every loan decision in every area of the bank was made manually, by a human being or a committee of human beings if it were large. One spring, the residential mortgage department was buried in applications ...
Double Whammy Hits Metro Detroit
2007-09-12 20:47:00
The MidWest labor market is feeling a double-barrel blast from the national housing slump and the continuing woes of Detroit’s auto makers.  The subprime mortgage meltdown continues to take its toll on automakers while auto workers flee to find new employment. Shrinking home equity and higher rates make car buyers nervous.  That puts the industry on pace to sell just over 16 million vehicles–almost 1 million fewer than what carmakers sold in 2000.  General Motors announced last week it would cut North American production by 10%, sending ripples further down the supply chain. Across the region, the fallout in the auto and housing markets on plants and factories are showing up in unemployment numbers.  The unemployment rate for the five-state region that includes Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, was 5.7% in July, the highest of any region in the country, according to the latest government data.  Michigan’s 7.2% unemployment rate leads the nati...
Oakland County Home Sales Hold Steady in August
2007-09-11 15:25:00
Last week the Detroit New’s new Real Estate reporter, Nathan Hurst, and I had a chance to talk on the phone. Nathan has been here a couple of months now, and is excited about his new position covering the Metro Detroit real estate beat. He comes here from Boston and Nathan admitted that ...
Another Real Estate Market Correction
2007-09-10 04:57:00
Consumers might not notice this readily, but a different kind of correction is taking place in the Southeast Michigan real estate market: agents are quitting the business. The exodus in the mortgage industry began some time ago, maybe more than a year. With refi business falling off and purchases at a lower rate, mortgage ...
Forbes Magazine Says Metro Detroit Homes Are Affordable
2007-09-03 23:48:00
Metro Detroit ranks 3rd in terms of the nation’s most affordable housing markets, according to Forbes magazine.  They report these stats: Median home price: $154,600 Median household income: $63,052 Recent affordable home sales: 87.4% They explained that it would take just over two years of gross income to purchase a home in a market like Metro Detroit, though many ...
FHA, Foreclosures and Foregiveness
2007-09-01 04:14:00
It’s not often that I comment on anything being done in Washington on this blog. I am not apolitical, but I keep this place as local as I can, and usually Washington isn’t doing too much that I want to talk about. Take that comment as you like. When the news popped up in my ...
Birmingham?s Booth Park
2007-08-23 11:23:00
Last week my family had a lovely dinner outside at Salvatore Scallopini at the corner of Harmon and Old Woodward in Birmingham. Salvatore Scallopini, the world’s only Italian restaurant that does not serve Chianti, is now on the short-list to get one of Birmingham’s new Bistro licenses, which will allow them to sell ...
Lower property taxes on the horizon for Oakland County
2007-08-21 15:47:00
Could there be a silver lining to the increasing number of foreclosures in Michigan? Maybe. Maybe not. The State of Michigan just changed the laws allowing foreclosures to be taken into consideration in property tax assessments. Previously the depressed sales were disallowed as aberrations. In Oakland County areas particularly hard ...
Selling a Michigan Home is a Business Decision
2007-08-21 08:32:00
Quite often, home buyers and sellers are cavalier toward picking an agent to represent them in a real estate purchase or sale. They will use their Aunt Matilda even though she lives 90 miles away and sells 1 house every 4 years. Or they will call the first person in the phone book. ...
Hands Along Woodward & Dream Cruise Are Here!
2007-08-16 17:15:00
This weekend is a biggie for Metro Detroit. The Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise, the world’s largest gathering of classic cars, takes place. The official date is Saturday, but those of us who live and work along Woodward all know that it began in full swing last week, with the beautiful old cars taking ...
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