January 2009

Did you know that the larges single open house event in the US takes place right here in Metro Detroit? Last year our board of Realtors sponsored The Big Open house, a huge tri county effort to have as many homes as possible opened on one day.   Agents reported great turnout, and a number of [...]

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I hate to say I told you so, but I did. Creative thinking pays off in today’s real estate market. Two weeks ago, I told you about one Birmingham MI home owner who decided to offer very attractive land contract terms to promote interest in a luxury home he was trying to sell. Guess what? [...]

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Well, there has been more interesting activity in the mortgage interest rate market this month.  The Federal Government has been busy trying to keep the economic ship afloat and they are doing OK in some areas and poorly in others (my editorial opinion, of course). I applaud the Fed’s for seeking to reduce mortgage rates [...]

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Charlie Wollborg, Chief Troublemaker at Curve Detroit surprised me with this great picture.  I was so thrilled to see Detroit’s own Aretha Franklin with such a prominent part in the inauguration as the whole world watched. I am giddy to see myself in Aretha’s big attention getter. Detroiter, Luke Song, created the buzzworthy hat for [...]

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Last month Bud Gibson from Michigan Innovators and I sat down on a snowy December morning and enjoyed a long chat about the approach Dmitry and I have used to developing our real estate business.  Much of what we do is internet based, and we use tools like social media to grow and expand our [...]

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Banks ARE lending money, they are just a quite a bit pickier about the particulars: who, what, how much, where, when etc… When I wrote this post about seller financing a few days ago, I really had no idea about how the floodgates would open. Frankly, there are very few land contract homes listed in [...]

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This morning I showed a new listing in Huntington Woods.  The cars were lined up as I left, with two other agents bringing through buyers.  I had passed another broker and her clients on my way in.  On this freezing cold Metro Detroit morning, that house is looking relatively hot. Sure, it has great curb [...]

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Tightened credit markets and a sluggish real estate market have sellers looking for ways to seal the deal. This week I saw a Birmingham builder do what he could to take control of the situation and set his properties apart. His answer: the land contract. Not only is he offering land contracts, he’s offering them [...]

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I found some pictures of Birmingham on Flickr that present a nice slice of the city. The photographer has his own blog, The Incorrigible City, where he shows the multi-faceted face of Detroit. I find his message hopeful. Take a look at this post to see what I mean. Written by Maureen FrancisSKBK Sotheby’s International [...]

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I want to stand on the rooftop and shout Screaming Deal! Screaming Deal! But I know that won’t go over too well with the neighbors, so I am keeping my large mouth closed. I can’t believe the price on this house. We just reduced it by $50,000 today and it is priced below market for [...]

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Sometimes the smallest little thing can prevent your home from being shown to a potential buyer.  I hate to state the obvious, but somehow we run into the same things over and over. This video is a favorite of our 5 year old. If you haven’t seen it yet, I think you will like it [...]

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