STUNNING BRICK RANCH!! FEATURES AMAZING CURB APPEAL, 2 CAR ATTACHED GARAGE, DECK, VERY SPACIOUS INTERIOR, NICE KITCHEN, INVITING FAMILY ROOM W/ FIREPLACE, HUGE BEDROOMS, 1ST FLR LAUNDRY, AND SO MUCH MORE!! ABSOLUTE MUST SEE!! ALL DATA ESTIMATED

Lovely Brick Tri-Level Home! Features Amazing Curb Appeal, 2 Car Attached Garage, Patio, Very Spacious Interior, Stunning Oak Kitchen, 1st Flr Laundry, Fireplace in Family Rm, Huge Bedrooms, and So Much More! Absolute Must See! All Data Estimated.

Three Bedroom Colonial Located In A Great Family Neighborhood. Nice Gas Fireplace in Living Room, Deck Overlooking Yard, Full Basement, and Sidewalks for Kids to Ride Their Bikes! See Additional Photos. Data Approximate.

Great Four Bedroom Colonial Home in Family Neighborhood! Nice Fenced Yard For Loads of Privacy, Stamped Patio, Great Curb Appeal! Data Approximate.

Great Home Backing To Park! Neutral Decor Throughout, Finished Basement, Two Car Attached Garage, Natural Fireplace in Family Room, Nice Kitchen with Doorwall to Deck, Beautiful Setting! Data Approximate.

Gorgeous, well maintained condo in Ann Arbor.

Beautiful Lake-front Colonial. Relax On The Deck and Enjoy the View! This Home Has Three Bedrooms and 2.5 Baths. See Additional Photos! Data Approximate.

Exquisite brick condo! Features amazing curb appeal, 2 car attached garage, deck, spacious interior, hardwood floors, STUNNING kitchen w/ granite counters. Also Huge bedrooms, office, 1st flr laundry, fire place in Living room, and SO MUCH more!! MUST SEE! Data Approximate.

Exquisite brick colonial home! Features amazing curb appeal, 3 car attached garage, patio and gazebo, stunning hardwood floors galore, very spacious interior, two way fireplace in dining room/great room, beautiful oak kitchen, huge bedrooms, and SO much more!! Absolute must see!! Bank-owned property. "AS IS CONDITION". POF required with offers. Email offers to markerteamoffers@gmail.com or fax 623-321-4757.

Livonia Neighbors and Friends Club was originally started as part of the Livonia Welcome Wagon, and in 1975 separated itself from them and changed its name to Livonia Neighbors and Friends.

They are a non-profit women's organization; striving to establish and maintain friendships, social relationships, mutual help and to take an active interest in the civic, social and moral welfare of the community. They donate to various local charities, hold numerous community events and activities and participate frequently in fundraisers.

Weekly activities include but are not limited to:

Livonia Neighbors and Friends Club is always open to new ideas and if you want to volunteer, organize an event, host an activity or have an idea for a new activity group, you should Contact the President or Vice-President for more information.

Upcoming events and charities include:

The 2009-2010 Planned Charity
Livonia Goodfellows--TBA

“The Jersey Boys in Concert,” in January 2010

Check out their website at http://livonianeighborsandfriends.tripod.com/welcome.htm

To get more information on memberships and how they can help welcome you to the Livonia, Michigan neighborhoods.

Why do I need to put money into a escrow account?

 I have already had to pay for one full year of homeowners insurance already?

Why do I need to come up with more money for closing?

That is a common comment or question from many Metro Detroit first time home buyers. Whether you are Buying Livonia real estate or a Farmington home it's the same.

 To explain it simply..... An escrow account is essentially a savings account set up by your mortgage company to make sure your property tax and insurance money is there when it comes due.

You can't give an IOU for taxes.

In the Metro Detroit area we have two taxes a winter tax and a summer tax. The winter tax is due Dec 1 and it covers from Dec 1 until November 30 of the next year. The summer tax is due July 1 and covers until June 30 next year.

So basically you need to set up your "savings account" for property taxes and home owner insurance so the mortgage lender can pay your bill when it comes due. That's why you need to bring money to the closing to set up your escrow account.

If you still don't understand this feel free to call me or email me and I'll be glad to explain it to you a little better.

The Marker Team

Keller Williams Realty

39500 Orchard Hill Place, Suite 100

Novi MI 48375

248-348-1500

Fax: 623-321-4757

According to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index, Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Michigan is one of the top 10 most affordable large metro areas. With that being said, the graph below shows the Listing Price Statistics for the years 2006, 2007 and current for 2008. The additional graph below shows the Listing Price Statistics for REO's (Bank Foreclosures) in 2006, 2007 and current for 2008. Below is the inventory history for all three years.

Even though the real estate market has slowed down in most parts of the Detroit area, a down market does not have to mean that you cannot sell your home or buy a new one if you are facing a situation such as a job relocation.  You just have to re-think the way you play the game!

This article from CNNMoney.com offers advice on how you can still make a smart move in this unpredictable real estate market.  I wanted to share some of the top tips:

• Sell smart – if you are trying to sell your home, make sure you set a realistic price based on the current market.  You will also want to discuss with your Realtor the current average “days on market” that most properties are taking to sell.  This will help you better plan for your move.  If you are not willing to list for the current market value, and you are not comfortable with the current market times consider waiting out this down market, as real estate tends to work in cycles.
• Spend wisely – try to follow the rule of thumb of spending no more than 20% of your home’s value on renovations.  At a time when your home may be worth less than it was this time last year, this is not the time to be sinking money into it.
• Foreclosures are still your problem – remember that, even though you are not facing foreclosure, the other properties in your neighborhood that are foreclosed upon will decrease your home’s value.  As a general rule, for every home that goes into foreclosure in your neighborhood, your property value drops about 1%.  That value will stay depressed for about two years.  To find out where the foreclosures are in your area, go to realtytrak.com or foreclosurenet.net and type in your zip code.
• Recheck your mortgage – many homeowners do not know what kind of mortgage they have.  If you are one of them, pull out your old closing documents and find out how often you're rate will increase and what caps there are to how much that increase can be.  This information should be on the Adjustable Rate Rider, among the first few pages in your documents.

Remember, the Detroit MI real estate market is always changing from month to month and neighborhood to neighborhood.  To find out what your home is worth, visit MetroDetroitPropertyValues.com for a complimentary market analysis.  You may also visit TheMarkerTeam.com to learn more about Detroit MI real estate, or call me at 248-348-1500.

May your Thanksgiving be blessed with the bounty of the season and the love of family and friends!

We’ll be back next week with more of the latest Detroit MI real estate news and information!  In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at 248-348-1500 or visit TheMarkerTeam.com.

With the recent coverage of the devastating fires in California, home fire safety is a most timely topic.  Although we may not be at great risk for wildfires here in Michigan, winter is peak season for home fires due to the use of various heating sources.  An important part of responsible home ownership is having a plan for keeping you and your family safe in the event of a fire.

This printable Fire Safety Checklist, provided by FireSafety.gov, is a great resource for determining what fire hazards may lurk in your home, how to make them less hazardous, and what to do in the event of a fire.  The Today Show also provided some useful tips to ensure you would know what to do if you had to evacuate your home in the event of fire.  These tips include:

Make copies of your documents.  Either put them in a waterproof and fire-proof safe, or give the copies to a trusted friend or relative.  Make electronic copies, as well.  Remember that valuables left in a safe deposit box at a bank could also be destroyed in the case of a widespread natural disaster.

Get your insurance information in order.  If disaster strikes, make your claim right away, and be sure to take pictures of the damage.

Prepare an emergency kit.  Don’t wait until it’s too late.  Gather essential items such as a battery operated radio, bottled water, food, medication, blanket, first-aid kit, etc.

Come up with a family plan.  Again, do it now!  Make sure everyone knows where the important documents are, and agree on a meeting place in case you become separated.

Many of these items are tips we hear over and over again, but they never really seem useful until a disaster strikes close to home.  By the time that happens, of course, it is generally too late to put the tips to use.  Preparedness now can save time and, possibly, lives later.

If you are thinking of becoming a homeowner in Detroit MI, please call me today at 248-348-1500 or visit TheMarkerTeam.com.  You may also begin searching Detroit MI real estate here!