Farmington Hills Ice Arena To Host FREE Skating Clinic Jan. 10 2009   The Farmington Hills Ice Arena will host a special FREE clinic on Saturday, January 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. as part of U.S. Figure Skating's National Skating Month.  It's Great to Skate welcomes new skaters to a fun-filled event with free skating, demonstrations of different ice sports, giveaways, and raffle prizes.   Every year, U.S. Figure Skating Member Clubs reach out to the community through It's Great to Skate activities at local rinks.  The goal of National Skating Month is to increase awareness and participation in the sport, which has enjoyed consistent growth.  National Skating Month activities offer people of all ages the opportunity to learn the basics of ice skating from professionally trained in... 12/27/2008

Clear Your Fire Hydrant Simple Clearing of Snow Saves Firefighters Valuable Time and May Save Lives    Southeastern Michigan has experienced heavy snowfalls early this year and area Fire Departments are asking for your help. "We can't do our job if we can't locate a hydrant, and that puts people's lives at risk," says Lieutenant Denny Hughes, a fire safety educator with the Farmington Hills Fire Department.  Whether you're a homeowner, business owner or snow removal company, Hughes asks everyone to do their part in assuring that fire hydrants are visible to responding fire tucks. "Some contractors have nowhere to put the snow after a large snowfall," says Hughes.  "But they need to be conscious about not piling it up on or around a fire hydrant."  Homeowners and business owners are aske... 12/22/2008

Michigan property tax assessment. I recently got this email from a first time home buyer that was visiting my website Livonia Real estate and Wayne County Real Estate I recently purchased a home in Farmington Hills, MI.  I am a 1st time home buyer and had a couple of questions regarding assessment, taxes, etc.Info:The house sold for 248,000 in 1999.I purchased it recently for approx. 148,000The combined tax bill is 4908 currently Questions:Will my taxes go down because my purchase price was lower than the previous purchase price?  If so, how do I determine what they will fall to, and when they will do down? Whom do I speak to if I have questions regarding the taxable value of my Farmington Hills MI home?Thanks so much for any information you can provide.Sincerely,Ron Smith (names, dates... 12/16/2008

  Farmington Hills Youth Choir Presents Free Concert December 17  Farmington Hills evnts  The Farmington Hills Youth Choir invites the public to enjoy a free concert on Wednesday, December 17 at 7 p.m. at the Costick Center.  The ensemble will perform a selection of holiday pieces, blending their uplifting voices with the joy of the season.   The Farmington Hills Youth Choir, created in 2007 by the City of Farmington Hills, gives its members the chance to practice their vocal skills, work with others, meet new friends, and learn performance techniques in a supportive environment.  Auditions for the 2009-10 FH Youth Choir will take place in September, and are open to all interested area youth.  The Youth Choir is directed by Brian Christian, a vocal music teacher in the Farmington Public... 12/15/2008

In todays market you are told there is no money to lend. There is, and it can be done for 3.5% of the purchase price. That can even be a gift, so it is just like a zero down payment loan again. No, you do not have to have perfect credit for this program. Yes, the interest rates are very low. As a matter of fact today they can be obtained for 5.25% fixed for 30 years. Do not be fooled by the media. Call today for honest and sound advice.   12/04/2008

You can get free publicity for your business or your website with a press release.  A press release is a write up about you, your business, product or service.   A press release is the best way to create your own credibility.   The purpose of a press release is to generate traffic to your website, but you can use press releases to increase your client base even if you do not have a website.  If you have a business, product or service, that you want to advertise, a press release is a good way to get started.  Begin by deciding what your story will be.  What do you want to inform the public about?  You might be launching a new product or making a change in your company that will affect your customers.   There are many free press release submission sites on the internet.  Simply go to the ... 11/08/2008

So you are ready to buy a Metro Detroit home, but have you thought beyond buying that dream home.  If you are stretching to get into that Northville home or that Farmington Hills home, can you afford to keep it up? I have seen a lot of homes for sale lately with my buyers that were in major disrepair.  These were not all Metro Detroit foreclosures.  Many were private owners not bank owner and they needed lots of comestic work.  I have seen Northville homesthat need lots of wood replaced because the Northville home had not been painted or caulked for long periods.  I saw a Farmington home that needed a new roof.  I saw another Farmington home that needed major landscaping upkeep, and a porch that was falling apart, and a driveway replaced. If you have to stretch to make the payment, then... 11/03/2008

This investment property buyer was looking at Farmington Hills homes with another agent.  It was a 1000 square foot Farmington Hills foreclosed home.  The Farmington Hills home was only listed at $26,000.  Well the home buyer looked at the property.  It was in decent shape.  And then he wanted to go back and look at it again.  But by then the investment property was already pending. If you are looking at Metro Detroit foreclosed homes and the home is a bargain priced you need to act quickly.  If the home if priced way below current market prices for similar homes don't be a dummy and put in a low ball offer.  YOU WON'T GET THE FORECLOSURE.  SOMEBODY WILL OUT BID YOU. It is not unusual for Detroit foreclosures that are listed below market to sell at or above what the bank has listed the ... 10/28/2008

Anything worth doing should be done right. This is especially the case when it comes to filing your business name paperwork. Doing it wrong could mean someone else is able to use your business name or even take it out from under you once you have your company established.   There is some paperwork involved in this step of the process, and it needs to be done right. This is one of those times when you want to double-check you work.   First, make sure you have what you need to sign up your business name. Here's a quick checklist to make sure you look like a real business:   Phone Number - Your business should have it's own phone number. This is not to be your home phone number, because you want the state to see you as a professional business, not a person who is calling about the kids soc... 10/07/2008

When you go to look at Wayne County foreclosures you need to be prepared that many of them are in disrepair.  Think of it this way.  The homeowners couldn't pay their mortgage bill how could they think of spending money to maintain their Wayne county Home. Most Wayne County foreclosures are a mess.  Many of them are dirty and not a place you want your kids crawling around on the carpeting.  So if you have a child under five I would recommend leaving them with grandma or getting a sitter.  You definitely don't want to have them fingering the walls or sitting on the carpet. When going to look at Wayne County foreclosures bring a flashlight.  Banks have the electricity shut off and shut the water off.  So the toilet will be shut down, you can't use them.  But once in a great while you will... 10/05/2008

Farmington and Farmington Hills MI is a great place to live.  Here is one of Farmingtons upcoming events. Colonial Liberty Tea Oct. 14 at Historic Longacre House  With the days getting shorter and the nights getting cooler, what better way to warm the spirit than with a cup of tea?  Welcome the season in the manner of Colonial America, experiencing cuisine from authentic recipes at the Colonial Liberty Tea on Tuesday, October 14 from 1 - 3 p.m. at the Longacre House, located at 24705 Farmington Road, just south of Eleven Mile in Farmington Hills.  Marlene and Mac Lipon, authorities on the Colonial Era, will dress in period costume and delight you with tales of life in 18th century America.  Learn fascinating facts about taverns, coffeehouses, and how tea got to Colonial America.  Tea wi... 10/03/2008

 NORTHVILLE CLASSES AND EVENTS Lifeguarding Class - 10/3/08 - 11/1/08 Registration has begun.  Early registration will hold your spot.  This class will fill to capacity!  American Red Cross Lifeguarding Class Meets on: Day/Date Time Location at RCH Fri, Oct 3 6:15-8:00pm Pool for Pre-Skills Pre-skills testing will consist of a 300 swim (12 lengths) of both front crawl & breaststroke and a brick retrieval/swim. Sun, Oct 5 11:00am - 2:30pm Crow's Nest B Tues, Oct 7 5:30pm - 8:30pm Pool Sat, Oct 11 10:00am - 2:00pm Room & Pool Sun, Oct 12 11:00am - 2:30pm Room Tues, Oct 21 5:30pm - 8:30pm Crow's Nest B & Pool Sat, Oct 25 11:00am - 2:00pm Crow's Nest B & Pool Tues, Oct 28 5:30pm - 8:30pm Pool Sat, Nov 1 10:30am - 2:00pm Final Testing Room & Pool Activity #: 266206.01Class Fees: FREEMaterial... 09/29/2008

7 Michigan cities meet the standard of the most secure place to live in the US.    According to the 4th annual Most Secure U.S. Places to Live rankings from Farmers Insurance Group of Companies®, there are seven cities in the top 200. city that best meets those qualifications is Corvallis, Ore. Farmington Hills MI, Warren, Troy            167th place Ann Arbor, MI                                        139th place Bay City, MI                                          96th place Holland - Grand Haven, MI                     112th place    These ranking were determined using the following factors crime statistics extreme weather risk of natural disasters environmental hazards terrorism threats air quality life expectancy job loss numbers They looked at 379 U.S. municipalities. The study d... 09/26/2008

Farmington Hills Real Estate &                    Farmington Hills Subdivisions Farmington Hills Links City of Farmington Hills official site  Farmington Schools Farmington Harrison High School  Farmington Hills Parks and Recreation My City of Farmington Hills info site Farmington Hills  High School  Other Farmington Hills  Subdivisions Farmington Hills Police Farmington Hills Public Library  Farmington Hills Chamber of Commerce City of Farmington official websiteMy other Farmington Hills websiteRelated Links State of Michigan Oakland County Wayne County Livingston County Washtenaw County City of Novi Official Site Farmington Square subdivision is actually 4 subdivisions .  Farmington Square has approximately 690 homes in it.  The homes were built during the years of 1979 - 1986.  The h... 09/09/2008

I had a offer in on a short sale on a Farmington Hills home.  Well for 4 months nothing happened.  Then 2 days before the bank was to take possession of the home they accepted the offer and then said we had to close in 2 days.  Well my clients needed a FHA Mortgage and needed time to get it together.  We had the appraisal, they had all the documents in but the bank needed a signed PA. Of course the other agent did not have a clear title policy or gotten a copy of the signed PA.  Anyway it was an impossible deal even if my clients would have had cash.   The soonest the loan officer said it could be done in was 3 days.  Beyond the foreclosure date.  But I haven't given up on getting this home for my clients.  I have been calling Fannie Mae each day trying to track down who has the loan fo... 08/28/2008

Farmington Michigan events and Farmington Hills real estate Cities Help Promote "Great Tree Hunt of 2008"  The Cities of Farmington Hills and Farmingtonhave joined with the Farmington Public Schools to support the "Great Tree Hunt of 2008."  This community-wide project is an environmental initiative designed to locate the biggest and best trees in our area.  All students in kindergarten through 8th grade will learn about the program at the start of the fall semester.  Organizers hope that it will turn into a family activity with parents helping their children hunt for the best tree specimens while enjoying the outdoors together.  Children will be asked to seek out and provide specific information about great trees, including location, how big around measured at 4 ½ feet above the ground... 08/27/2008

What a way to end the day of searching Metro Detroit Condos.  I had a first time home buyer that wanted to drive through one more Farmington Hills condo complex because it was a little newer.  On the way through the Farmington Hills condo complex we saw a home that had a real estate sign but was not listed on the local MLS. So I called the number on the sign to see if we could get into the condo.  A guy answered and I was surprised to find out that the homeowner was a licensed real estate agent that was trying to sell his condo.  We went inside and his story came tumbling out.   His wife had a stroke a few years ago and he was taking care of her.  He had bought the Michigan condo a few years back and he had $335,000 into the Michigan condo.  He needed to sell the Farmington Hills condo ... 08/27/2008

If you are a first time home buyer in the Metro Detroit real estate market one of the keys is to list what YOU WANT IN A MICHIGAN HOME.  As a first time home buyer you are going to get advice from many different sources.  Co-workers, friends, and family will all be helping you.  They all have thoughts and ideas on what make the perfect house and what you should be checking for. But buying your own home is  like choosing the type of food at a restaurant.                                                           Do you want fish, pasta, steak, or a salad?  It is your preference.  What you really want or like may not what the other person at the table wants or likes.  It is the same way with buying your first Michigan home.  That is why it is important to write down and remember what you w... 08/21/2008

Farmington Hills real estate  MI  Oakland County Schedules Home Ownership Retention Seminar in Farmington Hills  Another My Home - My Future Home Ownership Retention Seminar has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at the Farmington Hills Costick Activity Center, 28600 Eleven Mile Rd., Farmington Hills. This meeting is free and open to all Oakland County homeowners.  Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson has initiated free foreclosure intervention and prevention seminars to help families protect their most valuable asset, their home. The impact of rising foreclosures on Oakland County families and communities is of great concern to county and community leaders. Besides losing earned equity, damaging credit and other monetary losses, losing a home to forecl... 08/18/2008

Farmington Hills, Michigan Join the "Battle of the Badges" Blood Drive  at the Costick Center on August 21  The Southeastern Michigan branch of the American Red Cross will sponsor a blood drive on Thursday, August 21 from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the Costick Center on Eleven Mile Road between Middlebelt and Inkster in Farmington Hills.  This blood drive will be the annual "Battle of the Badges," a friendly competition between the Farmington Hills Police and Fire Departments.  Donors can cast a "vote" with their blood donation to help raise the tally of either department.  During the summer, there is a significant decrease in the number of blood donations while there's an increase in the need for blood.  August is traditionally the most difficult month to collect donations and local invent... 08/14/2008