Also improving was average days on market, with a decline from 116 in 2010 to 103 in 2011.

Average price per square foot increased from $99.89 to $108.46.

The most expensive transaction in the Village of Beverly Hills in 2011 was at $505,000, and that is the only statistic that fell short of 2010 numbers, when the most expensive home sold transacted at $565,000.

From many agents and buyers’ perspectives there was actually a shortage of inventory on the market in 2011, which helped to push up prices. We see this trend continuing into 2012.

Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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2011 has been a better year for residential real estate sales in Beverly Hills than 2010.  We’ve seen increasing prices and a shorter market times. The average sold price has risen 6.6%, from $195,500 to $208,000.  Average Days on Market has fallen from 100 days to 96.  The number of sales in the first half of both years was almost unchanged at 89/90, but in our opinion, this is primarily because there is an overall shortage of inventory this year.  There are buyers out there right now who simply are not able to find a house they want. 

Prices would rise faster if appraisals could keep up.  So far this year, the highest closed sale in Beverly Hills was 19070 Bedford, a lovely 3 bedroom colonial that our office had listed.  The buyer paid $490,000 for the wonderfully updated 3,000 square foot home.

We’ve compiled a free report with all of the single family home sales in the Village of Beverly Hills, MI in the first half of 2011 that is available for download. 

If you are considering a move to or from Beverly Hills, we would be delighted to help you.

The chart below is for all of area code 48025, so it encompasses, Beverly Hills, Franklin and Bingham Farms. It illustrates our contention that prices are on the rise and inventory has fallen.

Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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Community volunteers have also put a tremendous effort this year in to raising funds for local education by working with children on a project to set a Guinness Book Record for the longest lemonade stand.  Dmitry, Katya and I will be at our stand in Beverly Park on Saturday, August 20th, and we hope to see you there.  It’s not too late to get your own stand and participate in the fun.

  Personally, I am taking great enjoyment in participating in the Beverly Hills Community Garden, which is in it’s first planting year.  The founders have done an exceptional job of creating a wonderful asset for Beverly Hills.  Thank you Matt Roman, and many others.

We see all generations out working together in the garden, sharing in the excitement of seeing something grow.  Young children take great pleasure in discovering cucumbers hidden under leaves, and the squash, corn, melon and tomatoes soon to be ready for us all to enjoy.  And when they get bored, they wander over to the nearby playground to hang out. The garden has a special plot where the veggies will be donated to the hungry, and we can all add to that from the excess bounty in our personal plots. 

Members have worked together to build a fence, till plots, learn about drip irrigation and spread a formerly gigantic pile of compost.  We’ve shared in fantastic educational events that have helped us all learn a thing or two about how to be better gardeners.

Since we began planting in June, there hasn’t been a time that I have gone to visit my heirloom tomatoes that I have been there alone.  There are always a few other happy gardeners tending to their plot.  I just love walking around and seeing what other people have growing and how we all have different approaches to vegetable gardening. 

  Personally, this is my most concerted attempt at using a method of composting called Comforter Compost, where I am actually composting right in the plot and attempting to build better soil right on site.  My garden looks very different from the others with it’s layers of Starbucks coffee grounds, spent straw and last years leaves piled over cardboard and burlap.  The tomato plants seem happy about their home though, and the earthworms I find under my layers look especially happy.  Ever the gardening optimist, I think next year will be even better as my soil begins to get really built up with decayed organic matter.  I will let you know how the tomatoes turn out!

PS.  Thanks to the woman who was riding by on her bike with her son today and shouted out “Beautiful Garden!”.  I love that this community is embracing this new shining star!

Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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Ask any successful Birmingham Bloomfield Realtor and I imagine you will hear a story similar to ours. We are having one of our best years EVER. Our office, SKBK Sotheby’s is on track to have it’s best month EVER this month (and it is the oldest real estate office in Birmingham). Sales volume is up, and prices are rising along with it.

Some time around February, when I don’t think most of us were really expecting it, the market turned overnight from a strong buyer’s market to a more balanced or even, in some cases, a seller’s market. You’ll find many a frustrated buyer out there today, racing from new listing to new listing, hoping to be the lucky one to have their offer accepted. It takes a few lumps as a buyer to accept that the reality you’ve been hearing about for the last few years is not the one you will experience when you make your own purchase.

More than ever, it is a market that requires professional guidance on both sides of the transaction. We are not done with appraisal issues, by any means. Knowing what is coming on the market before it actually hits the MLS has also proved essential to many a buyer over the last few months.

We’ve seen 10-15% appreciation on some houses in Birmingham that we visited last fall in anticipation of marketing them this spring. There are sales out there that support these new prices. We are still not back to historic highs, but it is wonderful to see a new stability in the market.

So please, don’t let a headline generated by the Associated Press guide your sense of what your home may be worth or how it might sell today. Nor, if you are a buyer, should those articles give you a false sense of how you will use your fierce negotiating skills to beat the seller senseless. Those sweeping generalizations don’t apply and can cost you money and grief.

Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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When Real Estate is listed for sale the listing contract calls for the seller to pay a set commission to the Realtor’s involved in the transaction regardless of whether that is one real estate agent or two. This means the seller has to pay the same real estate commission whether the property is sold directly through the listing agent or through a buyer’s agent.

As a home buyer you need to have your own representation – an agent specifically working on your behalf. Here are the top 5 reasons to have your own agent:

1) A professional working specifically in your interest and on your behalf to help you find the right home at the right price.

2) The Buyer’s Agent‘s fiduciary responsibility (their loyalty) is to his/her client (you). The Listing Agent has already signed a contract to represent the seller and their first loyalty is to the seller. How can they represent the seller and you at the same time and still get you the best price on the home?

3) A stronger negotiating position and better contract protection for you. You have a separate agent negotiating the price on your behalf with the seller. You also get an independent purchase agreement contract drawn up by your agent to protect you. Plus, your agent holds the earnest money deposit as opposed to the listing agent controlling your money.

4) More candid comparable sales and market transparency. You have your own agent showing you recent sales of similar homes so you can determine the correct offer price.

5) Having your own agent comes at no additional cost to you! The seller has to pay the real estate commission on the sale of real estate so it is costing the buyer nothing to retain the services of a professional realtor.

The bottom line is that it is foolish to not utilize the services of a trained professional Realtor to help you unlock the door to your new home. As a buyer, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So, if you’re in the market to buy a house the first step should be to find the right Realtor to work with!

Written by Ken Mascia
Prime Capital Mortgage, 248.644.1200
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In 2010 there were 167 single family home sales in the Village of Beverly Hills. We’re offering our free downloadable report with detailed information on every property sold to readers of our site. Be warned, the file is large, so if you would like a copy emailed to you, just drop a note to Maureen(at)maureenfrancis.com (replace the (at) with @) or call me at 248.430.4450.

Like many of you, we’ve invested in this community, and we appreciate all that the Village of Beverly Hills has to offer.

There is probably more information here than most people will need. If you would like us to provide a market analysis specific to your home to help you get a better assessement of current value, please feel free to contact us. Here is a link to a quick and easy statistical summary that is at the end of the long report.

In addition to both being full time Associate Brokers with SKBK Sotheby’s International Realty, we are proud Beverly parents, and I’ve has served on the Village Zoning Board of Appeals for the last 4 years.

Thank you again for your interest in the real estate market in our village.

Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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I am sure there are many more, but those are just a few of our favorite things about living in Beverly Hills, Michigan. What are yours?

Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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Certified Residential Appraiser Linda Shurtliff, owner of Troy-based Reliable Residential Appraisals, LLC agrees.  “A staged home has much more appeal than an unstaged home.  A staged home has no clutter, very few personal items and appears clean and welcoming.  A home that is well-maintained, has good functional utility including strategic staging of furniture, has fresh paint and is clean will appraise higher than one that’s not.”

Shurtliff, who has been appraising properties for 18 years and has owned her firm for 14 of those, has seen her share of houses for sale.  She knows that factors other than comps affect the final value.  “In doing an appraisal on a house, the appraiser estimates the current market value as of the day of inspection, but we also look at the house as a prospective buyer.  Everything is considered in an appraisal … how well it’s maintained, the quality of the cabinets, flooring, lighting, etc.”  Since the main goal of home staging is to present a home looking it’s very best, it follows that staging will address all of these factors and affect the appraisal.

“If something is really offensive, it forces us to look at lowering the range of value” according to Robert Vacanti, president of Northeastern Appraisal Associates.

Samantha Maziarz Christmann, Consumer Reporter for The Buffalo News offers the following tips:

• Set the stage. Make the house look as nice as you can, as if you were staging it for a buyer. Making the home as pleasant as possible can help give the appraiser a subconscious nudge in your favor.

• Got wild taste? You might want to consider toning it down for the appraiser.

• Completing needed repairs won’t increase the value of your home, (but) neglecting repairs and maintenance will decrease the value.

A favorable appraisal is in everyone’s best interest.  The seller is justified in listing at a higher price point, the buyer feels confident that they have paid fair market value for the house, the mortgage lender will be more likely to approve the loan to the qualified buyer, and the listing agent makes the sale!

Many great outcomes follow from a small investment in staging.  Shurtliff sums up her belief in home staging:  “It’s one very good thing a homeowner can do to help make their home stand out from the rest.  They need to be able to detach themselves from their home, especially in today’s market, and let the professionals market it.”

Linda Shurtliff, CRA can be reached at (248) 689-3489.

Written by Marianne Sweet
Home Sweet Home Staging, (586) 212-8400
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The article can be viewed here:

http://blog.homegain.com/home-improvement/homegain-2009-top-12-home-improvements-survey-results/

I have already had an agent ask if $300 for Home Staging is realistic.  The answer is yes, a $300 Home Staging can make a major improvement in the way an occupied house shows.   Call a Home Stager for more details.

Written by Marianne Sweet
Home Sweet Home Staging, (586) 212-8400
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Helping home sellers achieve their goal.

Offers will come faster.

Marketing strategy.

Effective selling technique.

Selling a home for all it’s worth.

Taking a tried and true approach.

Always looking better than the competition.

Get better appraisal values.

Internet photos will show a must see property.

Never giving you a bad first impression.

Gain more exposure with better listings.

Written by Marianne Sweet
Home Sweet Home Staging, (586) 212-8400
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But did you know that it is possible to get a Home Stager’s expertise without a huge price tag?

The Home Staging Consultation is a great, low-cost alternative to a full-house staging.  The Home Stager will tour the property inside and out, and provide a comprehensive room-by-room list of recommendations for the homeowner to Stage their own house.  This to-do list follows proven guidelines to make the house show it’s best and hasten it’s sale.  It will include what to keep and what to store, furniture and art placement, color recommendations and suggestions to pump up the curb appeal, among other things.

Photo courtesy of blogspot.com

The consultation usually runs around $200 (depending on the Stager and square footage) and most Stagers will include a follow-up visit to check progress and fine-tune the results.  This service is invaluable to those getting ready to sell their properties and are able to do the work but don’t know where to start.  For the house that has been on the market but hasn’t received an offer, a consultation can pinpoint the reasons why the house hasn’t sold and give remedies.

If the homeowner runs out of time and energy and can’t get the work done, the Stager will gladly come back to complete the Staging and add the final “Wow” factor to the property.  Good Stagers also have an arsenal of reliable contractors (painters, handymen, landscapers, etc.) that they can refer to get trickier jobs done.  We also know which storage unit facilities will give the best deal if you need to store  extra belongings while the house is on the market.

Hiring a Stager for a consultation is a great investment in the sale of the house.  We know what needs to be done and will tell it like it is.  A note to agents … add a Staging consultation to your marketing plan.  We’ll make sure the house is ready to show, and we’ll be the “bad guy”, so you don’t have to!  We don’t mind.

Written by Marianne Sweet
Home Sweet Home Staging, (586) 212-8400
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