I am usually shy at tooting my own horn about what I am up to but I am genuinely excited to have my efforts in creating videos recognized by RE/MAX--and they found out about it through ActiveRain! Deborah Ball, RE/MAX Times Associate Editor called me when looking to write a story about the importance of video as a tool for Realtors.  Of course I was very excited and asked how she heard about me. She was reading posts in ActiveRain to find a RE/MAX agent who was utilizing video in their business.   It was a great interview where I very enthusiastically talked about the vision of being a "local expert" and networking with the community and businesses--having something to offer while also promoting my real estate business.  I have Brad Andersohn to thank for his generosity in creating the ... 01/05/2009

The following is an end of the year market analysis for Birmingham, Michigan.  It compares only residential homes sold in 2007 with 2008 to determine the # of homes sold for the year and the increase/decrease in average sold price.  It also distinguishes how many homes were recorded to be Bank Owned as opposed to private owned.   Total number of Homes Sold include private, bank owned and short sales.  In the latter part of 2008, Realtors were required to categorize ownership status so figures may not truly reflect the actual number of bank owned for 2007 and part of 2008. To insure that leases were not included, the search started at $25,000 minimum price. 30 Bank Owned Homes sold in 2007 Average List Price $293,065.00 Average Sold Price $272,150.00 Highest List Price $829,900.00 Highe... 01/03/2009

2008 has certainly provided for lots of unexpected surprises for Metro Detroit.  In January we will be rolling out a new series of posts for Metro Detroiters on how to deal with the challenges in today’s real estate market.  The good news: there are previously unseen opportunities for buyers.  Sellers, you are not left out, there are ways for you to get your home sold in 2009. Dmitry and I started this year with one of the most intense personal challenges of my life.  Along with our young daughter, we moved in with my parents to help care for my dying father in his final months.  We put most business aside and purely focused on our family.  I am thankful that real estate allowed us to make that choice, and our clients understood.  We miss my dad enormously, but we feel so fortunate to h... 01/01/2009

Well, tomorrow is the BIG DAY to start fresh... Another Year - Another Goal! So, does that mean that you can go crazy and do whatever, eat whatever, say whatever, drink whatever, be whatever you want today...tonight? How about your goal or goalS from 2008? Did you accomplish what you set out to do to accomplish to meet to set? If not... do those goals roll over like Cingular / ATT minutes? or... do you cross them off as non inportant or outdated goals of the past as you change, your business, and your life have changed in the last 365 days? I took 2 great things out of the workshop yesterday (GOAL 2009 @ Automation Alley) and that was 1. Simplify and 2. Set your goals in 90 day measurements. I thought these were 2 great pieces of advice to work from and I plan to do just that for 2009 w... 12/31/2008

What is the 'Happy Medium' between Holiday work & Holiday Play? I am seeing this across the board with my clients, those in my office, those in other offices, and those at closings... I am seeing some who want to work through the Holidays because the business is out there RIGHT NOW to be gotten and some who take this time depsite that fact and re-charge their batteries whether its not returning phone calls or emails and laying low around the house or heading out of town to families or to cottages. I am a little of both I guess, leaning more towards the working throughout the Holidays grabbing up the business to be gotten right now! Where do you find yourself and those around you during the Holidays? Thanks, Keith Stonehouse 12/29/2008

For 2009 - What is your New Years Resolution in Real Estate (Anything under the umbrella ie. Mortgages, Title, Appraisals, investing, Inspections, etc)? What do you plan to do better in your career and for the ones around you in 2009? If it takes you 10 bullet points, so be it...   Thanks,  Keith Stonehouse   12/29/2008

OK - so, as I wait for my meeting with a great local Michigan Realtor... with some time to burn there is some time to think and during the Holiday Season we do a lot of that in wondering how do we give back to the ones around us properly. I ask what is your definition of giving during the Holiday Season? Christmas is celebrating the life / birth of Jesus Christ who GAVE his life for us - for our sins... Hundreds of years later we celebrate this with an abundance (if we are blessed enough to do so) of gifts in a material form that society tells us we have to - to sustain a prosperous economy, to compete with the Jones', to have the next best thing for the year, to show your love through a price tag or style, etc etc... Is this truly giving or multiplying what you've been doing throughout... 12/23/2008

For about 40 years, Kerry Borgne has decorated his home for the holidays - the past 30 years have been at their current residence at 1948 Washington St, Birmingham, Michigan.  Kerry made Snoopy characters himself along with a friend and Jan's sister.  Jan Borgne, Kerry's wife, said they were out a good part of the morning after the big winter storm this week shoveling the snow off all the decorations.    Over the years (and out in the elements), she said the decorations are starting to get fragile and it takes a lot of climbing in the cold weather to put them all up--but the neighbors have come to count and will usually update them on the amount of traffic that drives by to enjoy.  It takes Kerry a couple of months to get everything in place.  He synchronizes the music through a "gadget... 12/20/2008

I was at the NAR conference last month.  I am a newbie to the real estate space so it was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the service providers in this industry and to chat with agents and brokers.  My background is in technology so I spent a lot of time learning more about the latest and greatest tools that are out there for real estate professionals. I'll bet if I walked the show floor some 10 years ago, I would not be seeing the number of vendors promoting some type of computer technology, hardware, online databases and multimedia products.   And looking at the session topics, I'm sure the whole idea of social media would have made most brokers and agents heads spin back then.  But welcome to 2008 and the onslaught of technology - where the NAR session on Blogging 101 ... 12/17/2008

During this 'busy' Holiday time of the year - How do adjust your marketing, your business, your mornings, your days, and your nights to your clients and potential clients with all in mind of the hussle and bustle of the season? Keith StoneHOUSE 12/15/2008

I just ran a complete search of home sales in Birmingham MI for the first three quarters of 2008. There were 243 home sales (225 sold, 18 pending sales) between January 1st and September 30th, 2008. I decided to create a pdf file so that readers could take a look at these sales themselves. Statistics about Birmingham home prices are always skewed by the high number of $1 sales, deeds that are recorded without the actual sales price. So far this year, I counted 48 $1 sales. So basically over 20% of the home sales data is incorrect or hidden. Unfortunately, this leads to huge distortions in the statistics we receive from our MLS and our board of Realtors. These statistics are most skewed for Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, where the practice is most common. The numbers are consistently s... 11/09/2008

Rock Tops Granite and Marble Fabricators are the Leading Experts with over 100 Years Combined, Specialized Experience   Rock Solid Service with Rock Tops Quality Features:   Artfully merge the Latest Technology with Old World Stone Craftsmanship Computer controlled cutting equipment for 100% Precision and Accuracy Superior Polished Edge and Perfect Cut No need to remove existing countertops to take measurements and collect accurate data 100% Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed   The Advantages of Rock Tops Granite Countertops:    Organic Beauty, Indisputable Strength, Ultra Durability Among the Oldest and Most Respected Building Materials Traditionally Chosen by Architects and Engineers Enduring Color and Texture Complete Freedom from Deterioration Easy to Maintain - Indoors and Outdoors -... 11/03/2008

I was thinking about this the other day when I was talking to some of my long time clients in Real Estate and started asking what have they done DIFFERENT in their business from the "hay day" til today... obviously it is a different world in Real Estate and Financing and you have to change to the what the market provides around you - What have you done DIFFERENT in... Marketing? Calls? Networking? Advertising? Ok, so all of the above could fall under 1 bullet point - but, you get the point of the question... Thanks, Keith Stonehouse www.michigiganrealtormasterminds.collectivex.com 10/28/2008

This morning my 5 year old and I made that annual visit to the pediatrician for her back to school check up.  Katya is a healthy child, but she “freaked out” last year when Justin, the nurse, had to prick her finger to do a blood test.  Ever since she has had a deathly fear of “blood shots.” I intentionally hadn’t much mentioned the trip to the Dr.’s office today because I did not want her to get all worked up.  But when the topic did come up as she got dressed, I showed her the pictures of Dr. Molly’s on Molly’s blog.  Looks pretty cool.  No stuffy lab coats.  No scary looking equipment. Filled with funky bean bags, and other kid’tastic finds, Birmingham Pediatrics feels hip and comfortable.  Dr. Molly’s daughter Mairen greeted us and got Katya settled in with a fun filled activity pa... 08/06/2008

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Birmingham Michigan posted some nice housing numbers in February 2008 according to the April Edition of Metropolitan Realtor. Total home sales were up 26.32% as compared to February 2007. The median sale price was up by 9% and the number of on market listings declined by almost 8%. While one month does not necessarily represent a trend, the fact that all of these categories posted encouraging figures, gives cause for optimism. I suspect that many buyers who have been waiting on the sidelines, have jumped at this current opportunity to live in Birmingham. Prices have dropped considerably over the last few years and interest rates have remained low as well. Hence, many are now able to live in an area that they previously thought they could not afford.  04/18/2008

02/06/2008

    January 15th               Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends and Influence People February 12th             Continuing Education with Jack Waller March 11th                  The Ritz Carlton Way April 8th                       The Luxury Home InstituteApril 18th                     State Spring Meeting May 13th                     Top Producer Panel June 10th                    Innovative Marketing Techniques July 8th                        How to Succeed in a Challenging Market August 12th                Pro-Golf Lessons and Networking September 9th           Negotiation Strategies October 14th              S.W.A.T. -  Interactive Self Defense November 20th          2nd Annual Holiday Dinner and Auction December 9th           Awards Ceremony and Installation Luncheon 02/06/2008

InvestorTeams.com has decided to add professional rehabbing to their real estate company's profile. They have started by rehabbing two properties; one in Birmingham, Michigan and the other in Huntington Woods, Michigan. "We decided if we were going to be a real estate investor resource, we better get into the game ourselves" says Corey Perlman, Owner and Co-Founder of Investorteams.com. InvestorTeams.com has also enlisted Greg Morad as their real estate agent for both properties. Greg is a multi-million dollar producer and in the top 3% of real estate agents with Weir Manuel and Sherwood award winner in 2003 and 2005. When asked about the chances of both these houses selling, Greg replied, "They bought right and created brand new beautiful products and also listed them at great prices. ... 01/08/2008

Big dogs   Small Dogs   Pure Bred and Muts  walked their masters during the 2007 Dream Cruise.The estimated number of people involved in the dream cruise this year was one and a half million.  The number of dogs no one has estimated.JUst as the car owners are willing to let you photograph their cars the pet owners stop for photos and will talk about the dog. Where did they come from, what tricks they do and how old they are.The Cruise was a great event.              Now for those who like pictures of cars  I have a whole tour for you    Photos of the Tour   09/21/2007