Farmington Hills Real Estate and Events talk Michigan

Right now there are a lot of Michigan lake homes for sale.  When I was checking recently I noticed that there were not as many Michigan lake foreclosures as compared to the number of foreclosures through out the Metro Detroit suburbs.

I have also noticed that lake property prices haven't dropped as much as most of Metro Detroit real estate.  There are homes in Redford, Westland, Dearborn Heights that have lost as much as 70% of the value. Yet that isn't happening to lake homes. 

There are many luxury Oakland County lakefront homes that range from $600,000 to over a $1,000,000.  In fact the last time I looked there were about 120 Luxury Oakland County lakefront homes that were priced over a million dollars.  They are beautiful lakefront homes in Livingston and Washtenaw Counties too.

What is great about metro Detroit lakes and Metro Detroit lake homes is that there is a wide variety of lakes.  There are little small lakes that only have one or two homes on it.  There are just swimming lakes, non-motor boat lakes, all sports lakes, and lakes that don't allow jet skis or wave runners.

Here is a few different lakes with indepth information.

• Portage Chain of lakes
• Cass Lake Oakland County Lakes MI
• Lake Angelus
• Lake Sherwood Commerce Twp MI
• Sylvan Lake information
• Wolverine Lakefront homes
• Lower Straits Lake MI
• White Lake Waterfront properties
• Upper Straits Lakefront real estate
• Woodland Lake Waterfront homes for sale

If you want the latest lake homes for sale emailed to you join my VIP Lake club 

Search Michigan lakefront homes for sale

I need help from all the SEO experts out there in Active Rain. I got a new website Michigan Lake Homes for sale through my company Remerica Hometown One and Delta Media.  But I am trying to do some things that I have never done before. 

My sites domain name is MichiganLakeRealEstateHomes.com but I bought two others Livingston County Lake front homes.com and Oakland County Lake front homes.com      I know how to do the 301 redirects but I am wondering about the best way for SEO purposes and should I also be hyperlinking to those domain names also from blogs.

My questions are:

1. Should I do a interior page on the website title Livingston County lake front homes and then do a 301 redirect to the page or should I just redirect to the main page of the site?
2. Does a redirect or can a redirect hurt the SEO of the main site?
3. Should I be submitting a redirect to directories?
4. When you hyperlink should you hyperlink to the redirects or to the main site?

So all you smart SEO people let me know what you think.

Do you ever realize that when you get invited to a wedding, a graduation, or a function is that you are sharing in a special moment?  It may seem a drag to you but to your friends or family member it is important.  It is more than a commitment.  It is an opportunity for you.  It is a milestone in their kids life.

My wife and I were lucky tonight.  We got invited to a "draft" party.  A friend of ours sons got a contract with the Seattle Seahawks.  He didn't get drafted in the NFL draft but he got a contract within a couple of hours after the draft ended.  He got a job in the NFL!

It was a special moment for our friend Carrie Griffin.  Her son Sean is going to the NFL.  He went to Novi Catholic Central.  And we were invited to be with them when they celebrated.  It didn't matter it was 9 o'clock on a Sunday night.  It was a special time.  A time I won't forget.

I've known Sean since he was  a little kid.  I can't be more proud of him.  I'm glad they called to invite us tonight.  I'm glad to share in his families special moment.

It's a great life and good things do happen.  Enjoy your kids and all the special times that you are invited to.  Life passes us by way too fast. 

                       Russ Ravary

 Oakland County Lake information

Oakland County has over 320 named lakes.  Some are what I would call a large ponds.  There are many all sport lakes to enjoy whatever you like including:

• waterskiing
• fishing
• tanning
• playing in the sand
• jet skiing
• sailing
• floating in the lake
• wake boarding
• boating
• knee boarding
• swimming 

The Largest Oakland County lake is Cass Lake at 1282 acres.   Whether you are looking at purchasing a small 800 square foot range or a 7000 square foot mansion on the lake Oakland County lakes have it all.  Oakland County Lake properties are ranging from $100,000 up to 10 million dollars.   It just depends on what lake you like or what type of home you want.  

Right now there are 120 Oakland County Luxury lakefront homes for sale over $1.000,000  they have been on the market an average of 300 days.

There are 45 Oakland County waterfront homes for sale between $600,000 and $700,000  they have been on the market of 307 days.

147 Oakland County waterfront properties currently for sale in the $400,000 to $600,000 rangeo and have been on the market an average of 247 days.

In the $200,000 to $400,000 lakefront homes range there are 287 homes currently for sale that have been on the market an average of 219 days.

And in the under $200,000 lakefront properties there are 133 properties that have been on the market an average of 187 days.

What is interesting is that 479 Oakland County Lakefront homes have sold in the last year after being on the market an average of 167 days.   Which means there is almost 1.7 year supply of Oakland County lakefront homes. 

Whether you want to live on the south side of Oakland County or west side of Oakland County you can search any of the cities below for lakefront homes. 

Or just call me on my cell at (313) 310-9855 or email me to talk about what you want in your lake home.

Russ Ravary your Oakland County Lakefront real estate agent

I am sitting here with my wife watching the "Lake House".  Finally I might get out of trouble.  It was several years ago I was working at home on the computer and I was watching TV.  I watched the Lake House  by myself.  I don't know how I got to watching it but I watched when my wife wasn't home.

Well about two weeks later she and I were sitting in front of the TV and I made a terrible mistake.  We were looking at what to watch.  My lovely wife said what about the Lake House?  I made a mistake and said "no I watched that already"  Boy was she wasn't tickled with me at that moment.  She had wanted to watch it and had heard it was good.

She couldn't believe I would watch a romantic movie by myself.  She told me why didn't I watch one of those shoot them up, kill them dead, bloody movies that I usually watch.  Why did you watch the Lake House.  Unfortunately I had no good answer at the time.  So for the last two years I have heard about the Lake House and how I didn't watch it with her.

So tonight I am making it up and watching the Lake House.  It's good even the second time around.  Plus I am watching it with my lovely wife.  Life is good!

Here is the latest update for Westbriar subdivision in Plymouth MI.  Plymouth and Plymouth Twp have lots of great subdivisions and homes.  If you have a Plymouth relocation or Michigan relocation in your future feel free to check out my websites for more great local Metro Detroit Michigan information

Westbriar Subdivision homes for sale as of 3/6/2009
Average time on the market                   108 days
Average List price                                    $259,467

Westbriar subdivision homes that have sold in the last six months
 Average time it took to sell                      113 days
Average sold price                                     $267,000

Plymouth Subdivisions Wayne County MI

Plymouth MI Real estate updates

Plymouth Township MI

                                      Russ Ravary your Plymouth real estate agent

I was out on the lakes this morning getting pictures for my new company website and my old Oakland County Lakefront real estate website.  It was beautiful sunny and about 80 degrees by noon. 

Then this afternoon the weather changed.  We have a saying in Michigan about the weather  "wait a minute it will change.  It's dark, windy and pouring rain.

This month we have gone from 45 degree weather one day to 80 degree weather the next.  The record Metro Detroit temperature was 15 degrees and the high was 90 degrees.  The average April high temperature for Metro Detroit is 57 degrees and the average April low temperature for metro Detroit is 38 degrees.   The average April mean temperature for Detroit Michigan is 48 degrees.   The average April rainfall for Michigan is 3.0 inches.

The average yearly rainfall for Detroit Michigan is 32.23 inches.  So if you are looking for more Metro Detroit relocation information feel free to call or email me.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

The key to get a good home deal in the Metro Detroit is to either know the market or have a good real estate agent that does.

So many home buyers depend on friends, family, or other people on what is a good deal or how they should bid.  After all the TV newscaster says......   As a metro Detroit real estate agent we can tell you what is going on in the market.

There are home bargains out there but you can't:

• decide if the home price is good because of the listing price

Many metro Detroit home buyers want something off the list price.  But some banks and short sales are putting the list price below the market price.  Other homes in the area might be selling for $25,000 more.  So your bid on the foreclosed house may have to be at or above list price.  It just depends on where the list price is and what the recent sold prices are for the area and for a similar home.

• low ball every home or every offer

I recently pull all the Livonia foreclosed home sold prices and compared to them to the list prices.  Out of 25 homes 11 homes sold at or above list price and only 1 sold at 25% below list price.  But I pulled Novi sold homes and the result was completely different.  I even found some homes that sold in the same Novi subdivision.  There were 3 or 4 homes that sold for over price and it was about the same amount that sold for 20 -25% below list price. 

• go off what the home was worth 2 or 3 years ago. 

It doesn't matter what the house was worth 3 years ago.  What matters is what comparable homes are selling for right now.  Forget about what the house was worth years ago... it's old news and has no bearing on it's price now.   A new car 3 years ago was worth alot of money but today it is 3 years old and worth a lot less.

Having a real estate agent that will go the extra mile for you that's what is important.  A agent that will pull the recent sold foreclosures and the recent sold homes in the area and not just go with any number to just get the deal done.  If you base your offer on what other similar homes have sold for recently you will know whether you got a bargain.

I recently had an attorney advise their client to put in a low ball bid on a home the home buyer really, really wanted.  We had looked at about 30 homes and they loved this one.  It was decently priced and I suggested to only come in at 5% below list price.  But no the attorney said the Canton real estate market was very bad.  So put in a 25% below list price said the attorney.  The listing agent called and said there were multiple offers.  The attorney said they were bluffing and not to raise the price.  I knew they were going to lose the house.  When the home closed with the other buyer it sold at about 3% below list price.  My home buyers were heart broken. 

But the good news is that we found another house and they listened to me and didn't listen to the attorney the second time.  They got the second home below market price.  Not a lot but a little, and they got the home they wanted.

Russ Ravary your metro Detroit area Real estate agent

Years ago my wife was in the craft business.  She used to make Santas, Christmas and Halloween decorations.   She ended getting a contract with Potpurri and Expressions catalog for some of her Halloween products.  Of course I ended up helping a lot in the business.  She got so busy we used to hire kids to crumple newspaper to ship the product out.  The items were big so it would have cost us a small fortune to buy packing peanuts.

One of the kids (Sean Griffin) has grown up and played for the University of Michigan football team as a long snapper.  He grew up here right here in Livonia MI.  He went to St. Michaels and then to Detroit Catholic Central.  He is considered one of the top collegiate long snappers.  He has been ranked as one of the top two.  He got invited to the NFL combine.  For all of you that don't know what that is..... it is basically a meat market where NFL teams check out the players.   Only a certain number of players are invited.

Well Saturday is the NFL draft and Sean Griffin is hoping to get drafted on Sunday.  So everybody out there on the rain put out some good thoughts for the kid. A good Irish prayer for Sean would be great. Even though he is just a friends kid I'm proud of the kid and all he has done.  He's come a long way from crumpling paper in my family room.

It's a dream he wants and I hope it comes true for him on Sunday.  Go Sean!!!  

                                                  Sean Griffin  No 59 

Well it was a very interesting day.  I was closing on a Detroit multi family home today.  The closing was taking place in Northville.  The seller and I got there about 5 minutes before the closing.  Well the closing time came and no home buyer.  We waited 10 minutes and then I called my home buyer.  NO answer.  I called again in five minutes.  No answer.  I called again no answer.  Finally my investor called.  It was like he wasn't worried about being there!

I just don't get it.  Yesterday I sent him an email with all the necessary information.

• where the title company was located at
• when the closing was to take place
• title company phone number
• to bring his social security card and photo id
• how much the check was to be, and who to make it out to
• all the closing documents so the buyer could look over them

Then I called him and told him what he needed to know.  I had called him on Monday to confirm the day and time of the closing.  It's not like he didn't know when and where he was closing.

I simply told him that he would lose his earnest money deposit.  I then told him the caretaker of the property was moving out today so the property would be empty.  I also told him the seller was leaving for vacation tomorrow.  (Which he was).

I think all of that sank in.  That he was going to lose money and lose the home.  He hadn't gone to the bank yet even.  And he was over a half an hour a way.

He finally strolled in about an hour and twenty minutes late.  He wanted to buy more properties but I won't be his Metro Detroit Real estate agent.  If somebody doesn't understand or realize my time is valuable then I won't work with them.  This guy had no regard for the title companies time, the seller's time, or my time.  Sad...

  I completely understand when the bank is jammed and it takes a while to get your check.  I understand when buyers run into traffic.  But I don't buy it when somebody doesn't take other peoples time seriously.  But it is just a day in the life of a Metro Detroit real estate agent.  At least this buyer showed up for the closing.  I have heard stories from other agents where their buyers get cold feet and don't show up at all. 

I guess I should be thankful for the buyer showing up.  Other than sitting in a waiting room for a hour and a half today was great!

May your tomorrow have no surprises like this and may others respect your time this week.