Services for Real Estate Pros
Renée Donohue~Home Photography
Renee has over 30 years of negotiating, sales and marketing experience to bring to your Western Michigan Real Estate transaction. You only pay for photos you want!
Cell: 702-580-1783
Office: 702-580-1783
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Real Estate Agent
Russ Ravary ~ Metro Detroit Realtor call (248) 310-6239
Buying or selling a home in the suburbs of Metro Detroit? I know the area well and understand what is happening in our local market. I will work hard to help get you the best deal possible.
Cell: (248)310-6239
Office: (248)406-2976
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All About Michigan Real Estate

By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
If you’re hoping to buy a home, you’ll be happy to hear that the average sale-to-list price has recently dropped below 100% for the first time since March 2021, according to this Money article. In other words, houses aren’t all selling for over asking price anymore, and you can negotiate a lower price than the owner is asking.That’s welcome news, and a silver lining to buyers who waited (or weren’t able) to buy a house in the recent market frenzy. While mortgage rates are higher, at least now you’re more able to successfully compete for a house, and even negotiate the price.But keep this in mind: there still aren’t a tremendous amount of listings coming on the market. So, even though you may have less competition, when a house comes on the market and it’s appealing to you, there’s a goo...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
Over the past few years, the US has been in an unprecedented sellers’ market. Fierce competition and bidding wars caused prices to skyrocket, with the national median price for a home currently sitting at $449,000.But with recent economic changes and rising mortgage rates, it looks like this unprecedented seller’s market is (finally!) cooling off.That being said, many sellers are still pricing their homes as if we were still in the peak of the sellers’ market. So, as a buyer, the question is—how can you tell if a home you’re considering is currently overpriced?A recent article from realtor.com outlined key signs a home may be overpriced, including: The home has been sitting on the market. One of the biggest red flags that a home may be priced too high is that it’s been sitting on the ma...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
You’ve probably been hearing in the news lately that the real estate market is “shifting.” Well, according to this realtor.com article, many economists feel that we’ve moved from shifting into a “balanced” market. In other words, it’s not really a sellers’ market or a buyers’ market.That may have you thinking that it’s not as favorable for sellers as it has been, and you missed out on the opportunity to get a historically high price for your house. Oddly, that isn’t the case at all.Despite what headlines and economists may say, all signs point to it being an absolutely perfect time to sell—especially if you don’t plan on buying another home. Consider the following data in that realtor.com article: Median listing prices are up 14.4% year-over-year New listings are down 12% Houses are tak...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
The value of your home is one of the most important factors when selling the property. Your prospective buyers may propose a sale amount, but you’ll need to undergo an appraisal to confirm that the home is really worth that much. Homeowners often wonder whether they can control the appraised value of their home by deep cleaning or making other cosmetic upgrades to the property.The answer to whether or not a sparkling clean home fetches more money is unclear. Appraisers are not supposed to take cleanliness into consideration, but some homeowners and real estate agents swear that deep cleaning before the appraisal worked in their favor.Appealing to Buyers With a Clean HomeRegardless of the appraised value of your home, a clean and staged house may get you more offers from prospective buye...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
It’s highly possible that an experienced home inspector could fail to find something wrong with your house. So it isn’t out of the question that you might not know about something wrong with it. But considering you live there, unless it’s something truly lurking below the surface that only a trained eye could find, the chances are you know a thing or two that’s wrong with your house.And if you do, you should disclose the issue(s) to potential buyers. But, according to a recent REALTOR Magazine article, 94% of homeowners do not disclose known issues with their home, hoping buyers wouldn’t notice. Well, they do notice, because 90% of buyers surveyed reported finding issues with the home after closing, including: Electrical (88%) Fixtures (58%) Plumbing (58%) Exterior structures (like shed...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
We’ve been in an unprecedented seller’s market for the better part of two years. But with talk of a looming recession, conversations around the real estate market are changing—and if you’re thinking about selling, it’s important to understand what that process will look like if a recession hits.So, as a homeowner, what, exactly, do you need to know about selling during a recession?A recent article from realtor.com outlined key tips sellers need to know to navigate the current market—and successfully sell their home in the case of an upcoming recession—including: List sooner rather than later. While a recession may be looming in the near future, we’re not there yet—and there could still be time to take advantage of the current market conditions. Many buyers are rushing to purchase proper...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
It’s an industry joke that some buyers request the seller to repair even the most minor issue found on a home inspection, like a leaky faucet for example. But over the past couple of years, most sellers could list their house and it would quickly sell for over asking price — and buyers would often waive the home inspection — so sellers wouldn’t have to worry about that at all. Even if the buyers did have an inspection, sellers could easily reply with a firm no, and the buyers would be fine with it.So if you’re about to put your house on the market, even if you’ve heard that the market is shifting, you may still be holding onto the hope that things will be the same for you.The good news is that you’re still in a great position to get a historically high price for your house. That’s despi...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
Over the last couple of years, buyers have had to do everything they possibly could to compete. It wasn’t just about price; they also had to come in with as “clean” an offer as possible, which often meant waiving fairly standard contingencies.In case the term isn’t something you use in day to day life, a contingency is a clause in the contract that is in place to protect the buyer. The most common ones are: Mortgage contingency: If the buyer’s mortgage isn’t approved, they can back out of the contract. Appraisal contingency: If the house doesn’t appraise for as much as the buyer is offering, they can cancel the contract. Home inspection contingency: If the buyer finds major structural or operational issues with the house, they can request that repairs be made, or cancel the deal if the ...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
Listing photos are one of the most important elements when marketing your home. They’re often the first thing that prospective buyers take note of, and they can create a strong impression. High-quality photos make your home look warm, inviting, and spacious. Bad photos, on the other hand, can turn potential buyers away.Hiring a professional photographer can be a great way to ensure you get the best possible pictures for your real estate listing. However, you and your agent can take high-quality photos on your own if you’re willing to invest the time and energy. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid with your listing photos:1. Clutter and Personal ItemsYou can stage your home for pictures just like you’d stage it for an open house. Your goal is to help viewers imagine their own lives and familie...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
My fellow Agents or Homebuyers: Do you have any buyers for the beautiful almost 6000k Square foot Ranch in Bloomfield Township, Michigan with over an acre, In ground pool, Waterfalls and more?Incredible sprawling ranch in the Braes of Bloomfield sub! Situated on over 1.25-acre lot in a private gated setting, circular drive, mature landscaping and water falls that invites you. This well-maintained updated ranch features 5BR/3BA and over 5,000sqft with an additional 500sqft rec room being completed that oversees the over 5000sqft of beautiful outdoor patio, in-ground heated pool w/slide, built in jacuzzi, outdoor brick fireplace, underground sprinklers, whole house generator, extra-large 3 car garage and amazing space for entertaining. Just some of its stunning interior features include: ...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
There are a lot of reasons why you might want to sell your house. Maybe you want a bigger one. Or perhaps you’d rather downsize to something smaller. Moving closer to work is always a solid reason. At least those are some pretty common and basic reasons real estate agents typically hear.Let’s spice things up a bit and get real!Here are 7 unusual reasons to sell your house that are actually pretty reasonable when you think about it!1) You’re not having enough sexIt’s one thing to have to hide your hook-ups when you’re under your parents’ roof, but not being able to Netflix and chill in your own house is another thing altogether. If you’re finding it hard for you and your significant other to find any time or place in the house that’s safe for a romp without risk, maybe you should sell yo...
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By Tom Gilliam- RE/MAX Classic, Exceeding Your Expectations
(Re/Max Classic)
Even though mortgage rates dipped below 5% this past week, they’re still higher than they were just a few short months ago. This has priced some home buyers out of the market, and caused others to take a wait-and-see approach, hoping for rates to drop back down to historically low levels. It’s understandable why current buyers would want to hope and wait, but it’s impossible to say if rates will ever go back down to the 2% or 3% range, let alone soon. But if they do, it’s not likely to happen in the next few weeks or months, so the decision buyers have to make boils down to whether or not they’re willing to potentially wait years to buy a house. That said, based upon this Market Watch article, buyers could inadvertently be costing themselves more money by waiting for rates to come down...
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By Mike Young, FHA 203k Consultant 916-758-1809
(203kOnLine.com, covering the USA)
https://activerain.com/droplet/GKkNI've heard that over 50 consultants have been removed from the HUD consultant roster in this state alone. No notice, just purged. Many had loans in the pipeline and now the lenders are scrambling to find a consultant to finish their submissions.
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By Jon Boyd, Ann Arbor Real Estate Buyers Agent
(Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor)
Our own University of Michigan did it again.Money Magazine Rates University of Michigan Number One!Money routinely rates our big Ann Arbor University highly, but this year we hit the top! Money bases their evaluation on three criteria:1. Affordability – Michigan is for in-state students is priced less than about 600 other colleges.2. Quality – The graduation rate is about 93% which pegs it at one of the highest in the U.S.3. Student Outcomes – Salaries for graduates are much higher than average and a very high percentage of graduates are successful at getting hired right out of school. As a University of Michigan Graduate myself, looking back I can appreciate the contribution the school had to my life.Engineering school was challenging, but it did prepare me to be very successful in wor...
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By Ted Cantu
(i Cantu Media LTD)
Looking For Cash Home Buyers Waterford MichiganClick here https://www.tyecoonestates.com/ Click here https://www.tyecoonestates.com/ Sell Your House This Week We Buy Waterford, Michigan Houses Fast!... And Give You A Fair Cash Offer Selling a house can be stressful, time-consuming, and expensive. We can eliminate that stress and give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing your house hassles are completely done – without having to fix it up, show it, wait for buyer financing, or evict the tenants. And, it all happens SO FAST.We work with people every week who need to sell their house fast. From people in foreclosure, going through a divorce, relocating and can't sell their house, those who own a vacant house they don't want to deal with any more... to landlords tired of dealing wi...
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By Dave Benneton, Fast Cash Offers
(Digital Bullet)
Why Should You Look Into Working With a We Buy Houses Michigan Company?Do you need to sell your house fast in Michigan? Selling your home for cash might be the best option for you. If you know where to look, you can get the best offer for your home plus the benefit of not dealing with piles of paperwork. Selling a house can be stressful, but you can make the process a lot easier by working with a company that buys homes for cash. You can rest assured knowing that the company will handle every aspect of the sale with professionalism and discretion. Plus, you can sell your house as-is – so there are no repairs or cleaning required on your end. Whether you need to sell for financial reasons or because you're relocating, selling your house for cash is well worth considering. What is We Buy ...
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By Richard Stewart, REO Realtor-RDCpro, CDPE Free list of Foreclosures
(REO Specialists llc)
Richard Stewart, the principal Associate Real Estate Broker at REO Specialists Llc in Kalamazoo MI has been designated by the Residential Real Estate Council as a Certified Residential Specialist/CRS. This designation signifies his commitment to the real estate profession through advanced training and experience.  Richard Stewart, RealtorREO Specialists llc828 Portage StKalamazoo MI 49001269-345-7000www.RichardStewart.com Try our FREE selling tools at www.iListMichiganHomes.com
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By Robert Harrell - Realtor®
(Real Estate One)
Buying or selling a home is a very personal and strenuous process. If you've decided you need a real estate agent to assist you in your search, make sure they're a top-notch professional. If you plan to look for a real estate agent in Michigan, you’ll find a huge list of names to choose from. Thousands of people claim to be the greatest in the state, and many claim to be the best. But how can you know which is the best option for you?The best Realtors® in Waterford, MI, are experts at addressing your inquiries and concerns. They're skilled enough to handle everything from the negotiating process up until closing day! Choose one who has different experiences throughout various markets, so you can be sure they know what's happening where it matters most and have some experience with how t...
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By Russ Ravary ~ Metro Detroit Realtor call (248) 310-6239, Michigan homes for sale ~ yesmyrealtor@gmail.com
(Real Estate One)
Homes on Clifford Lake Brighton MichiganClifford Lake in Genoa Township in Livingston County Michigan is also known to some people as Round Lake.  It is a small lake but a nice lake that people have been coming to for decades.  It is not too far from downtown Brighton or Howell.Clifford Lake waterfront homes are on smaller lots. What I mean by that is they do not have wide lake frontage.  The lake frontage is sometimes as small as 50' of lake frontage. There is one home on a lot that is one acre in size, but I do not know of any others that are on lots over an acre in size.  Many of the homes are relatively close together.  This is not a lake if you are looking for space or privacy. The lakefront homes are a mixture of old and newer.  There are quite a few older cottages . (from the 192...
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