A buyer's agent can do so much for you.  Provide counsel, show you the best values, negotiate a great deal, make things a lot easier.... One recent example demonstrates this.  My client had been searching for a house for eight months on their own.  They decided to hire a Realtor after a few unsuccessful attempts at offering through the listing agent to "save on commission". Working as their buyer's agent, my services included: Keeping them updated about new homes to hit the market Notifying them about price changes Previewing homes that would interest them Identifying the best values Providing a list of recent sales prices Coordinating showings and driving routes Suggesting competent loan officers and ASHI certified inspectors Negotiating a "good deal" Organizing a smooth transaction Af... 07/10/2008

Plymouth Michigan offers some family friendly and interesting things to do during the summer, such as a Farmer's Market and the Drive-In theater. The Plymouth Farmer's Market is held every Saturday morning between May and September. See one of my previous blogs for more information: Plymouth Farmer's Market. How many towns have their own drive-in movie theater? Check out the link for the local drive-in summer movie schedule at Compuware Arena Hours of Operation: June 13-September 7, 2008. Gates open at 7:30pm and movies begin at dusk. Call hotline for information during inclement weather. Full service concessions are available or choose from our summer menu for dining in or carry out from the Ginopolis on the Ice Restaurant located at CA. 2008 Ticket Prices (2 movies for the price of 1)... 07/09/2008

KID'S DAY 2008 - JULY 17 AT SHIAWASSEE PARK, FARMINGTON HILLS MICHIGAN The City of Farmington Hillspresents "Kid's Day 2008" on Thursday, July 17 from noon to 5 p.m. at Shiawassee Park, located at Power and Shiawassee Roads.   The annual event, presented by the Farmington Hills City's Special Services Department, will feature fun for all ages including pony rides, carnival rides, a petting farm, miniature train rides, hayrides, and more.  Stage shows will run throughout the event and will feature a puppet show, an animal show, a sing-along, a magic show, and a Frisbee show.  Everything at Kid's Day is free, except for refreshments and carnival rides.     For more information about Kid's Day, please call 248-473-1800. ART IN THE PARK - KELLOGG PARK, PLYMOUTH MICHIGAN  This weekend in do... 07/08/2008

                  When buying a Michigan home or selling a Michigan home real estate agents can make or break a deal.  Save you money or get you a great deal.   Let me tell you about a deal I had three months ago.  We were buying a Plymouth home for sale.  We had put in an offer on the house.  Of course I had coached my clients to put in a low offer.  The other agent came back and told me out right that the seller had to seriously entertain all offers.  He told me that if the seller did not accept an offer that he was instructed by the relocation company to contact them.  He said too much.  He gave away the clients bargaining position.  We know had the upper hand inthe bargaining. The week before that one of my clients was buying a Farmington Hills home for sale.  We had put in an offer... 07/06/2008

Plymouth Township, Michigan is located west of Downtown Detroit and east of Ann Arbor.  Many times Plymouth Mi and Plymouth Township are lumped as one town when in reality they are two seperate entities with different governments.  Here are some of the upcoming Plymouth Township events in July and August.   PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWS:  CHILD SEAT SAFETY CHECK CLINIC      The Plymouth Township Police Department is hosting a Free Child Safety Seat clinic, Saturday, July 12, 2008 beginning at 10:00 am. This event will be held at the Plymouth Township Police Department, located at 9955 N. Haggerty Rd. The inspections will be by "appointment only", and limited space is available. If you would like to have your child's seat inspected by a national certified Child Passenger Safet... 07/04/2008

  I made a spontaneous stop at Downtown Plymouth's Farmer's Market this morning, drawn by individuals carrying bunches of sunflowers walking down the street and by the crowd at its usual place under The Gathering at Kellogg Park.  Every Saturday morning local farmers bring their fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs to sell, cash only transactions.  This time I lingered near the vendor's station with a wide variety of fresh herbs and vegetables.       Some of the pickings that made it to my basket.... French Tarragon, Basil, Italian Parsley (can't wait to make Tabbouleh with garden tomatoes), Chives, Lemon Thyme, Zucchini, Swiss Chard. PLYMOUTH FARMER'S MARKET EVERY SATURDAY FROM MAY TO OCTOBERFROM 7:30 AM TO 12:30 PMEvent not open on July 12th or September 6th. 06/28/2008

Tonight, the Plymouth Community Band is scheduled to take the Kellogg Park Stage for their first concert of the Summer Season at 8:00 p.m. On Friday night Kellogg Park will again be filled with the sounds of music as Gia Warner brings the rock - pop songs to the park for the Music in the Air series. Be sure to bring your lawn chairs for both events. The Friday night concert starts at 7:00 p.m. For more information on the concerts in the park check out their web site at www.downtownplymouth.org. The upcoming holiday weekend will be a busy one in the Plymouth Community. On Thursday, July 3rd Plymouth Township (734-453-3840) will be hosting a Fire Works Display at the Township Park at Ann Arbor Trail and McClumpla Road at approximately 10:00 p.m. Friday, July 4th starts out with the Good M... 06/27/2008

When you are buying a home in Michigan (whether it is Livonia Real estate, Oakland county Real Estate, Wayne County Real Estate, Livingston County Real Estate, Washtenaw County Real Estate)  here are suggestions on what is a plus or minus in value. Where you buy your Metro Detroit home does make a difference!  Many Michigan home buyers made some bad decisions when buying new homes.  They were too caught up in buying a "new home" and that is was theirs and theirs alone! A home on the main street or on a corner bordering the main street is going to be worth less than a home inside the subdivision.  The closer you are to main streets, stores, factories brings the value of the home down.   Just because you paid a big premium for a lot when you built, because it is wooded or on a cul-de-sac ... 06/27/2008

I have to tell you a story about a lady that once worked for me and my wife about fifteen years ago.  She was brought up rich.  In the 1950's her dad gave her an allowance of a $100 a week.  Dad owned a steel company.  She was brought up wealthy but her fortune changed after her dad died and her husband ran the company into the ground.  At 65 she had to work to make ends meet. She was a funny lady and sometimes she drove me absolutely crazy.  But there is one thing I did learn from her.  She used to say "if you have a mouth you have a home".  She would get people to do things for her just by asking.  What she meant was "ask"  and you have a good chance of "getting what you want". Sure you may not get it, but I was always surprised when she had somebody we didn't even know doing her work... 06/23/2008

Michigan Home Sales Continue Their Rise in  our Region, Sales Up for Entire Realcomp MLS for 5th Consecutive Month This is information is courtesy of Real Comp,  Metro Detroit's MLS.  They have gathered some great infomation and the opinions and analysis below are theirs. May 2008 Residential and Condo SALES Summary by Area/County Area May, 2008 May, 2007 Percent Change ALL MLS 5,288 4,691 Up 12.7% City of Detroit 1,039 771 Up 34.8% Livingston County 169 153 Up 10.5% Macomb County 703 636 Up 10.5% Oakland County 1,241 1,135 Up 9.3% St. Clair Area 115 129 Down 10.9% Wayne  County 2,072 1,766 Up 17.3%   May 2008 Residential and Condo PENDINGS Summary by Area/County Area May, 2008 May, 2007 Percent Change ALL MLS 6,795 5,515 Up 23.2% City of Detroit 1,537 1,084 Up 41.8% Livingston County ... 06/21/2008

Down Payment for your Michigan home  A major consideration home buyers have is how much money they will need up front to acquire a new home. The requirements vary widely. There aren't many states that have 100% loans anymore.  VA loans are the last loans available without a down payment required. FHA loans require 3% down but you can get down payment assistance from Genisis or Ameridream.  That means you would need no money to buy a Metro Detroit home if you got sellers concessions to pay for your closing costs. Other lenders may require 5-10 percent of the purchase price or more as a down payment. Some buyers prefer to make a substantial down payment, even more than what is required by the lender, to keep their monthly payments lower. In addition to the down payment, closing costs can ... 06/07/2008

Plymouth Michigan and Plymouth Township have been on my list of great places to live in Metro Detroit.  Plymouth has a great downtown and is known to be an "upscale community".  Congratulations Plymouth and Plymouth Twp for being awarded a designation of 2008 top 100 places to relocate to.  For more on Plymouth real estate, Plymouth schools, crime statistics, parks and general information go to the bottom of this page for links to my other websites about Plymouth and Metro Detroit real estate.     The City and Township of Plymouth is a real community...like a dream come true...of small town and community pride of yesteryear, yet its location (just 30 minutes west of downtown Detroit and 25 minutes east of Ann Arbor) makes it ideally accessible to some of the nation's finest offerings: b... 05/24/2008

FHA mortgages is the way to go for many Michigan home buyers.  FHA appraisals are much easier than they were years.  So don't be afraid of using a FHA mortgage as a buyer or accepting a FHA mortgage approval as a seller. Because Southeastern Michigan has been labeled as a "declining market" (Home values falling  fast enough that banks and lenders are concerned about loaning over 90% on Southeastern Michigan homes) it is harder to get a loan approved if you have border line credit, or borderline income or debt issues.  FHA has a little more flexibility to approve borderline credit issues.  So if you think you might not be approved for a Michigan home loan ask me or your loan officer about a FHA mortgage for you. You may be able to get approved and be able to pick up a Michigan foreclosur... 05/24/2008

Earlier this month Realcomp, Michigan's largest Multiple Listing Service, released the latest sales figures showing promising signs for our housing market. For the fourth straight month this year, sales increased by 10.84% over the same period last year. Additionally, properties currently under contract show the trend is continuing.While prices have declined and the credit crunch is still affecting mortgage options, interest rates remain low and well priced properties are selling. This is welcome news, and bodes well for this year's selling season!If you know someone who has been thinking about taking the homeownership, now is the time. There are lots of really great deals out there. 05/23/2008

Plymouth "ARTFeast" 2008 Plymouth's Premiere Art Walk Plymouth Michigan is a vibrant city that is located about 25 - 30 minutes west of Downtown Detroit in the western Wanye County Suburbs of Detroit.  Here is a local event that is going on this weekend.  Friday, May 16th      6p.m. - 9p.m. (opening receptions), Saturday, May 17th  10 a.m. - 6p.m. Artists will be present on Friday during the Gala Openings between 6 p.m. - 9 p.m, with some artists present on Saturday as well! This free event features Art, Music & Food in the galleries and shoppes in Downtown Plymouth.  Featured Art will include pottery, paintings, photography, sculpture, glasswork, mixed media, fiber works, jewelry and many surprise art finds.  With more than 25 artists to see, you will have Friday evening and daytime Sa... 05/14/2008

Whether you have a Farmington home, a Canton home or Novi home there are some things you can change to over come an outside negative.  What I mean is do you have a bad view from your yard?  Do you back up to a commercial property?  Is there a cell tower or something off your property but is hard to look at? CAMOUFLAGE IS THE ANSWER.  Buy a spruce tree or arborvitaes.  Make a screen to block that commercial property.  Your neighbors property a pig sty?  A thousand dollars of six foot arborvitaes will help block that ugly view.  Buyers will usually like the privacy. A big cell tower or Highway noise.  Spend a few thousand dollars and put up the biggest trees you can to block the view or break it up.  We went to a Plymouth home last week.  The developer of the property next door had fifty ... 05/09/2008

Plymouth Michigan condos like all of the Metro Detroit real estate market has been hit hard.  Plymouth Condo Prices have dropped dramatically in the last fewyears.  Plymouth condos like most of Metro Detroit homes are taking longer to sell.  Below are Plymouth Condo Media sales prices, average time on the market for listed homes and average time on the market for sold condos.  Plymouth Township and the city are great places to live.  So be sure to check out all the information I have on  schools, parks and recreation, shopping, restaurants on my websites.  If you would like to know more about Southeastern Michigan cities email me at info@RussRavary.com  I'll help you find the home you have been dreaming of.   Russ Ravary  Price Statistics Num of Listings   110   82.5 55 27.5   0    R1 ... 05/02/2008

It is always imperative that you get a home inspection in Metro Detroit real estate.  But in higher end homes       ($300,000+) where they have wood windows you definitely need to have the windows looked at.  Metro Detroit Homeowners whether it is in Plymouth, Northville or Novi want wood windows when they buy these homes.  It is sort of a status symbol.  But the problem is that there is a huge replacement cost to these windows 15- 20 years down the road.  Sometimes even with proper maintenance these outside window frames may rot because of the exposure to Michigan diverse weather conditions.  I recently had a friend in Beacon Meadows subidvision in Plymouth Township tell me he got a quote of $50,000 to replace windows.  This is a big ticket item.  So be sure to have your Michigan Home ... 04/29/2008

Plymouth Michigan, History Whether you are relocating to Michigan or just moving in Michigan Plymouth and Plymouth Township are great places to live.  Here is a little history about Plymouth MichiganPlymouth HistoryPlymouth was first settled in 1825 and became a city in 1932.  The railroad station was built in 1871.  Plymouth is one of the few spots in Michigan where train tracks went north, south, east, and wet.  The city was named for it's historical ties to Plymouth Massachusetts.  Many of the settlers in Plymouth, Mi came from Plymouth Massachusetts.  Plymouth almost was named "Leroy".        Plymouth has been a hub of Michigan industry.  There has been a soap factory, cigar making factory, spring water sales, and the most famous "the daisy bb gun".  Plymouth was once the "air rifle... 04/29/2008

So if you are thinking of buying a Metro Detroit home whether it is in Canton, Plymouth or Novi.  Or in any state or city for the matter you need to know the facts.The most important thing to know is NOT WHAT THE SELLER PAID FOR THE HOME (who cares what they may make or might lose).  The most important factor is what comparable homes are selling for.SMART MICHIGAN HOME BUYER TIPSHere are the guidelines to find comparable homes:Must be recent sold homes.  Within the last 6 months especially in this falling home price market.  Just because a home sold for $50,000 more 2 years ago doesn't mean diddly squat!  It is what houses are selling for now that means something to you as a Metro Detroit home buyerMust be close by. Usually you like to compare the home you are buying to homes in the sam... 04/29/2008