Farmington Hills Real Estate and Events talk Michigan

When negotiating, there are four goals that I as your Metro Detroit real agent have on my mind:

1.)  To get the best price possible for you.
2.)  Get the most favorable terms and conditions to protect my buyer.
3.)  To minimize risk and exposure my home buyer.
4.)  To get the home and close the sale.

Those is what I try to accomplish on every home negotiation.  Prior to negotiating, keep in mind that price is determined one of four ways:

***Comparable sales. Reviewing recent sales of comparable properties (within last six monthes), how long they took to sell, and comparing the area's selling price to list price will give you a good sense of relative market value. This is one of the more important valuation techniques used by appraisers and real estate agents.  However it is not unusual to have to overpay or to get a "deal".  You also have to look at how "nice" the homes were that were sold and compare them to the condition of the home you are looking at.

***Motivation of the Buyer and the Seller. The price can be greatly affected by how much the Buyer wants the home and how much the Seller needs to sell it. The ability to get a below-market price on a home will depend on the Agent's ability to determine the motiviation of the Seller and devise a strategy to take advantage of any Seller weakness.  Sometimes it just isn't possible to get the seller to budge because of what they owe.  Or the seller may just be unrealistic on what they want.

***Suppy and demand of available properties. Simple economic principles provide that lots of buyers create a strong demand and a low supply will increase the price of Metro Detroit homes.  The reverse holds true when there is a high supply and low demand.  In real estate terminology, they are called the Seller's Market and the Buyer's Market. In a "hot" Seller's Market your Metro Detroit real estate agent's job may be to just get you the house. In that case you may pay more than list price and your Agent will aso have to find ways to strengthen your position versus that of other Metro Detroit home buyers.
 
***Sometimes a seller just overprices a home and yet it sells.  Is it luck or is it stupidity?  Sometimes buyers get emotionally attached to a home even though it is over priced.  Sometimes they have to have it.  Sometimes it may be a smart buy because of the cost of all the great updates the home has.  Sometimes it may be the nicest home and the buyer has to buy quick.  (Sometimes a relocation Buyer wants a specific home in a certain area). 

Before you start negotiations, determine the following:

• What do you believe to be the fair market value for the property ?
• What price would you like to pay ?
• What is the most you would pay ?

This last minute evaluation needs to be made free of your emotions to help you focus on your goal:

Keep in mind that:

1.  That you want this house.
2.  The best price possible is obtained when the Seller is willing to stretch to a lower price. If the stretch is too far then the negotiations will not be completed. You want the Seller to be saying "the price is lower than I would have liked, but ...".  You don't want to offend them.
3.  That this is the nicest house you looked at out of all the ones you have seen.  It may fit your needs better.  It may have the layout you want.  It might have all the ammenities you want.
4.  When you play the game you have to be willing to lose the game. If you are approaching the negotiations as a game and are going to make offers that are not like to be agreed upon, you will be keeping the door open for someone else to make an offer on the property. This is especially true for a good house in a great location in a Sellers market.    Even in this market good homes are being scooped up quickly if they are nice and reasonably priced.

Devise a strategy with your real estate agent that will achieve your goals and minimize the opportunity for someone else to make a competitive offer.

Good luck on getting your dream Michigan home whether it is Livonia real estate, or Novi real estate, or any metro Detroit home.

Information on how to buy a home in Wayne county, Livingston county, Oakland county, or any Michigan Home.

Search Metro Detroit foreclosures or get the latest foreclosures that meet your criteria emailed to you weekly.

Russ Ravary your Oakland and Wayne County real estate specialist

Woodland Lake Information Livingston County

is an all Sports lake and has about a  309 acres surface area.  The deepest point in Woodland lake is 38 ft.  The Mean Depth is 7.61 ft.   There is no public beach.  There is Michigan DNR public access located off Hilton Rd, but a permit required.   There is parking for about 26 vehicles.

There are 6 islands (one is public).  Woodland Lake shore line is about 41,943 feet long.  Woodland lake has relatively good water clarity, you can see down 6 to 8 ft.  There are no wake restrictions that I know of.  Woodland Lake in Livingston County is fed by Ore Creek and two unnamed streams.

Woodland Lake is a "L" shaped lake with lots of small coves and bays.  It is the type of lake that I like because when you turn the corner there is more lake to see.  It just isn't a circle lake that you go round and round.

Search Brighton Lakefront homes for sale

Search Woodland Lake area real estate and waterfront properties Brighton MI

More Michigan Lake and lake real estate information

Location Of Woodland Lake Brighton MI 

Woodland Lake is located on the outskirts of downtown Brighton in Livingston County MI.  You can see the lake from Grand River or Hilton Rd.  Woodland Lake is located north of Hilton Rd, West of Grand River, east of Old US 23, South of Hyne Rd.  It is conveniently located only minutes off the Grand River exit on I-96.

Woodland Lake Fishing

There are large mouth bass, perch, muskellunge, Northern Pike, Blue Gill, crappie

General information about Woodland Lake Livingston County MI

There is a public access site located off Hilton Rd.  Woodland Lakeis patrolled by Livingston County Sheriff and DNR quite regularly.  Woodland Lake MI is fed by South Ore Creek and 2 unnamed streams.  There is a good lake association.  Contact info is:

http://www.woodlandlake.info

PO Box 617 Brighton, MI 48116   webmaster@woodlandlake.info

Woodland Lake Real Estate

Usually there are a few Woodland Lake lakefront homes for sale.  They are a mixture of colonials, ranches, bungalows, and even tri-levels.  The price range of Woodland Lake lakefront properties range from a $100,000 to over a million dollars depending on the size and location of the home on Woodland Lake. Like most of Southeastern Michigan lakes there are small lake cottages built from the 1920s to 1960s now updated and converted to year round use.  And there are new built colonials and lakefront homes with all the latest amenities. 

The economy has even hit Woodland Lake residents too.  You will notice a few lake homes that become Woodland Lake foreclosures.

Get the latest  Woodland Lake lakefront listings and Woodland Lake foreclosure homes emailed to you as soon as they hit the market

Russ Ravary your Oakland and Livingston County lakefront real estate agent

photo courtesy of Realcomp Ltd II

Last night we went to a fundraiser for a young 25 year old girl that had gotten stomach cancer and had no medical insurance.  I can identify with that.  When I was younger I thought I was invincible and never thought of getting sick or having to pay for major medical.

I was just getting by and I didn't carry health insurance.  The things you do when you are young and got lucky.  So last night my wife and I paid back on my lucky past.  It was only right.  I got lucky when I was younger and this girl needs help.

You don't get the best of care when you don't have the money to pay.  They say they don't short change you..... But I don't know about that.  My wife is a three time cancer survivor so I know what she and her family is going thru.  I have seen the bills for my wife's cancer.  I always say I could live a better life if we didn't spend so much on medical insurance and medical bills.  I think we spend between 12 and 16,000 a year on medical.  And most of ours is paid.  I can't imagine having to pay it all.  That would be overwhelming.

So we bought some raffle tickets, donated some money to make it a little less stressful for the parents and this young girl.  They had a tremendous turnout at the bowling alley and I think they raised some good money.

So a few prayers from my friends at Active Rain for this young girl so she can see fifty years old like I have.

Don't we have a lot to be thankful for! 

I don't know about you but what are the craziest questions you get when you become the local expert?  As a Metro Detroit suburb blogger I provide a lot of information about Michigan lakes, Wayne and Oakland County real estate, Local Metro Detroit suburbs.  I know a lot about the area but sometimes some of the questions I don't know the answer too.  Then I refer them to the best source to find the answer.

I get a lot of other Metro Detroit real estateagents calling me to find out the local subdivision association phone number.  Unfortunately many times I don't have them all.  There are hundreds of them so it is hard to keep track of them all.  What I tell them to do is to do a few reverse phone number searches to talk to somebody in the subdivision.

I have people call me to find out:

• when they are going to change the lite bulb in the street lamp in a subdivision (the local subdivision association).
• out why their neighbor gave their house away
• the name of the bank so they can call the bank directly to buy the house 
• where to buy furniture from the foreclosed homes.  The guy was looking for theatre seats. (check Craig's List)
• when they were going to plow the snow (the city public works department)

Some people just want to talk and need a little direction on who to call.  It is always a pleasure to talk to the nice people.  But every once in a while I get somebody that wants to take it out on somebody and I get picked for some reason.

I think it's even funnier when another agents client ask me to get them information that their agent won't get for them.  I will point them in the right direction, but unfortunately I don't have the time to get a list together of all the subdivisions in Plymouth that allow fences.  ( that was one guy that called me.  He was upset with me when I told him that his agent would get that for him.  He didn't like it when I told him I didn't have the time to email him with a complete list of subdivisions that he could have a fence for his dog)  I will give you a general idea briefly, but you have to get your agent to do their job.  I just don't have  

It's good to be a trusted resource, but if I don't know the answer I am going to refer you out to the source.  I know quite a bit about the foreclosure process but I always say to check with an attorney or a bankruptcy lawyer.  I don't know it all by any means.  But I will help you every way I can.

I blog alot about

Michigan relocation information

Livoni real estate

Plymouth MI homes for sale and City of Plymouth data

Northville and Northville Twp

Canton Twp MI

and you can check my websites for all the information I have collected.  I put it out there for free.  I hope it helps.  I honestly don't know all the answers but I will always point you to the people that can help you. 

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent.

Search metro Detroit homes for sale and get the latest listings and Detroit area foreclosures emailed to you weekly

Here is indepth Plymouth Subdivision information

Plymouth Photos

When people move to Michigan  they many times don't have a clue what a subdivision is like or what city or neighborhood that will fit their needs.  I have included about 22 Plymouth Michigan subdivisions for you to get an idea of Plymouth and Plymouth Twp real estate.  Each subdivision has Metro Detroit suburb homes for sale info, and recent Michigan sold homes.

I f have included the styles of homes in the Plymouth subdivision, the age of the homes, features of the homes, how many car garage, names of the streets in the Plymouth neighborhoods, and number of homesin the Plymouth subdivision.  if you want to get the latest list of Plymouth homes for sale and the Plymouth sold home prices.  If you do not see your sub in here email me or contact me at info@russravary.com    If you are thinking of selling your Plymouth home get a free home valuation.  Get the latest update on Plymouth Real Estate.  This is even great to compare Plymouth foreclosures with.

Downtown Plymouth Homes
Beacon Estates Subdivision
Birch Estates Subdivision
Cambridge Green Subdivision
Colony Farms Subdivision
Deer Creek Subdivision
Greystone Subdivision
Huntington Park Subdivision
Lake Pointe Subdivision
MayFlower Village Subdivision
Palmer Acres Subdivision
Pine Ridge Subdivision
Plymouth Estates Subdivision
Plymouth Meadows Subdivision
Plymouth Commons Subdivision
Quail Run Subdivision
Ridgewood Hills Subdivision
Ridgewood West Subdivision
Trailwood Subdivision
Twin Arbors Subdivision
Westbriar Subdivision
Woodlore South Subdivision

If you have a Michigan relocation in your future.... Plymouth and Plymouth Township MI are cities you might want to investigate further.  Warm friendly towns close to the expressways make it an ideal place to relocate to if you are moving to the Metro Detroit suburbs.  

Russ Ravary your Plymouth Mi real estate agent

   Livingston County lakefront homes and Livingston County Lakes

Runyan Lake Livingston County Data

The lake size is approx 180 acres

Runyan Lake is an All sports lake    

There are no Wake Restrictions that I know of

Max Depth is 55' deep

Mean Depth is 32.8 feet 

No Public Access

No Public Beach  

The Shoreline is approx 36.6 miles

There is a Lake Association        Yes (see below)

Runyan water source is Spring Feed and creek fed

Jet skis and wave runners are allowed on Runyan Lake Livingston County MI.  As far as I know there are no wake restriction hours.  There 3 sand bars and one island on the lake. There is an active waterskiing team made up of lake residents who regularly practice on the lake.

 Location of Runyan Lake

Runyan Lake is located in Tyrone Township, Livingston County, approximately 1 mile south of Fenton, Michigan. It is east of US-23, South of White Lake Rd, west of Hartland Rd, North of Center Rd and Foley Rd.

Runyan Lake Fishing

There is decent fishing from what I have been told by one of the residents.

• Northern Pike
• Bluegill
• Crappie
• Yellow Perch
• Walleye
• Pumkinseek sunfish
• Largemouth Bass
• Smallmouth Bass

Runyan Lake Association

•      Runyan Lake Association    

All Runyan lakefront properties on Runyan Lake are members of the Runyan Lake Association. The lake association is responsible for weed control, and the private boat ramp.  The small island on the lake is owned by the lake association. The island has a large shallow area around it and is a favorite gathering place for Lake Runyan homeowners during the summer.

The lake association is very active and organizes many parties throughout the year including an annual fireworks show around July 4th.  Some of the events they organize are:

• Lobster Bake
• U of M vs State Party
• Winter Games
• Game Party

Only boats that can use Runyan Lake are boats registered to riparian (Runyan lakefront) property owners who have paid their membership dues up to date. Membership dues are $155 per season per property owner. They are strict about not allowing boats owned by "friends" or non-riparian owners to be on Runyan Lake. Runyan lake has no public access.  So the bottom line is that only residents of Lake Runyan can put a boat on the lake.

Runyan Lake Real estate and Runyan lakefront homes

Runyan Lake homes are connected to are connected to the Livingston County Regional Sewer system. Which is a good thing that the septic fields are not running into the lakes.  All properties have private wells.  All Runyan Lakefront homes are part of the lakefront association.  But there are also a few different homeowners associations  along Runyan Lake Point, Spring Street, and within Runyan Lake Heights.  The members of the different home owners associations maintain their private roads and communal areas.  Runyan Lakefront homes are located in Fenton School District.

Here is an idea what Runyan Lakefront homes are like.

• 2-5 bedroom
• 1 - 2+ bathrooms
• 1 & 2 car garages
• mostly vinyl exteriors but also brick and cedar
• ranches, bi-levels, colonials, cape cods
• 1000 square foot to over 3700 square foot
• Some have basements some do not.  Some are walkout.
• The homes have been built between 1950 and 2003.

The Runyan Lakefront homes that have sold in the last few years 2006 -2009 have sold in the range of $200,000 - $500,000. 

Runyan Lake East Subdivision

If you want to get the latest Livingston County lakefront real estate listings emailed to you daily so you don't miss out on the deals join my Livingston County lakefront & Livingston County waterfront foreclosure list VIP Club.

Russ Ravary your Livingston County waterfront property real estate agent.

My young buyer was so happy.  She got her bid accepted after three previous failed bids.  She was so excited.  She was looking at low price homes and Westland foreclosures.  The issue she had was that the houses she was looking at were in the 30 and 40 thousand dollar range.

In that range many investors will pay cash.  My buyer had to get a mortgage.  So she was losing out to investors because even though she had a great bid that was comparable to the investors the banks were taking the investors bids because they were cash.

I love it when one of my clients win the home they want when the cards are stacked against them.  Congratulations Sarah on getting a winning hand!!!!

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

I remember coming to active rain and seeing 10,000 points and thinking that was an enormous number.  How would I ever get that many.  It seemed so overwhelming.  I would never get that many points.

But over the last year and a half I have been consistently blogging away.  Blogging about anything that comes to mind.  Anything that might help clients.  Free information to any potential buyers and sellers.  I wasn't a rock star.  I'm not a great writer.  I'm not a english major.  But i kept on even when I didn't get many comments.

I blogged for potential clients.  About the trial and tribulations of a Metro Detroit real estate agent.  I didn't get a lot of leads right away.  One here or there.  Then I got more.  Then this year I put some more tips I learned here on Active rain.  The flood gates of leads have opened.

It's been a great ride here.  Lots of great people sharing information to make the world a little better place.

Russ Ravary just a local Metro Detroit real estate blogger

If you keep dreaming about buying an Oakland County lakefront home or having Michigan lakefront property then now might be a great time to start looking.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to relax on your pontoon boat next Memorial day?  A lazy day on the hammock watching the kids play in the water.  With your family and friends.  Isn't that why we work hard?

Close your eyes and think about the sun beating down while you are relaxing on the lawn chair watching the ducks swim by.  And then imagine later that night sitting around the campfire cooking marsh mellows and making smores.  And looking up at all the stars that you don't see in the city.

That's what Livingston County lake living is all about.  Would you like to start living and stop working so hard?

As you know Metro Detroit home values have been dropping.  And it is the same with Livingston County lakefront home values too.  Livingston County lake front properties that were out of reach years ago are now starting to become affordable.  So feel free to call me and get started on your Livingston County Lake front home search.

Search Livingston County lakefront homes for sale and get the latest Livingston County waterfront foreclosures emailed to you.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate specialist

photos courtesy of Realcomp II Ltd.

Usually every year we put lots of flats of annual flowers around our yard.  Begonias, impatiens, Gerber daisies, and all sorts of geraniums.  Many time we spend over well over $300 on flowers.  With this economy I told my wife that we weren't going to do that this year.  We are planting veggies.

I'm having a great year with helping lots of Metro Detroit first time home buyers find great bargain homes.  But.....Detroit's economy is very rocky right now with GM and Chrysler on the bankruptcy time table.  So many auto workers, construction workers, and suppliers are on the ropes.  I honestly don't know where the economy will go.  I don't know what the Metro Detroit real estate market will be like next spring.  What next year will bring.  It has never been like this.  You can't bank on making the same money you did this year next year. 

So I told my wife that instead of flowers we were going to plant vegetables in the flower beds.  ( I love my wife she goes along with most of my ideas no matter what)  I kind of got this idea from some of the ethnic clients I have.  They plant their vegetables everywhere.  Front yard, back yard, in between the bushes, on the sides of the house.  Everywhere!

Over the last two weekends I have planted over 20 tomato plants, lots of onions, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and even a few peas.  I am pretty excited about our change this year.  My wife is Italian and a great cook.  So she won't have to buy tomatoes to can for spaghetti sauce this year. 

 And we will have lots of tomatoes and cucumbers for

•         the tomato and cucumber salad she makes
•         bruschetta
•         tomato and cream cheese on bagels

I have even thought about what I will do with the excess!  I think I am going to have my wife type up the recipes for me.  Then I am going to laminate them with all my contact info, websites, blogs, and business card on the back side of the recipe.  Then I am going to put the ingredients in a gift bag and deliver them to my clients, friends, and neighbors.

Somehow I think I planted way too many tomatoes but that is the gardener in me.  My wife and I are always addicted to buy one more different plant.   I think we have about 6 different types of tomatoes, and about 10 different types of peppers.  I even have tomato plants in the big pots that usually overflow with flowers.

Alright everybody I need ideas and recipes from active rain on what else I can do with my future harvest.

But we are looking forward to harvest time.  I just looked out the door and they haven't grown a bit since I  looked out 5 minutes ago.  Gotta go.... I have to rapid gro everything right now.   

Have a great night 

Russ Ravary Your Metro Detroit real estate