Livonia MI Livonia is a great community town and the city officials each year put on the Livonia Spreewith the help of local businesses.  Todays the last day of the Livonia Spree with only the fireworks left.  The Livonia Spreeis held between Eddie Edgar Ice Irena and the Livonia YMCA at Ford Field off Farmington Rd between I-96 and 5 Mile Rd. The had food tents with coney islands, pizza, middle eastern food, hamburgers, hotdogs, elephant ears, cajun food.     Everybody had fun enjoying the rides and the entertainment.  Livonia Spree is a family event with lots of police presence to make sure the fun didn't get out of hand.                                        I even got into the act.                They even had racing pigs, circus acts, and other entertainment for the kids. They had... 06/28/2009

In the metro Detroit area most of the banks take 2 to 3 days to respond to the offer on the foreclosure.  If you are lucky they sometimes respond in one day.  And if you are unlucky it could take much longer. I just had one that Fannie Mae was the party in charge.  It had taken over 2 weeks and we still had no answer.  We finally pullled our offer because our first offer was low and there were better homes on the market we wanted to bid on.  (My clients realized that they had bid too low for what the recent sold prices were.)  But taking two weeks to make a decision is not the normal time period. The second part of the process is how long does it take to get the documents signed after they accept the offer?  It USUALLY takes about a week to get the documents back. My longest time was a ... 06/26/2009

This post might cost me a buyer or a seller but I have always been a person that speaks their mind.  I believe in standing up and saying what you believe.  This is just my opinion and my believe.  You decide yourself. This week is the Livonia Spree.  It is our local carnival. I have to cut to the chase and put a local church on the shame list.  Christ the Savior Lutheran Church is located right next to the Livonia spree.  Tonight there were no church services when I was there.  There were about 5 cars in the parking lot.  They had the entrance blocked off with two guards stopping from coming in.  Only people with parking passes could come in. What does that mean? I guess you had to be a member of the church to park there.  There was no Christian spirit in regards to parking at this Livo... 06/26/2009

Are you upset with a real estate agent because they won't show you a house without a pre-approval letter? Here are the real estate agent's reasons why they won't show you a house without a pre-approval letter Home sellers and listing agents won't accept a purchase offer without a mortgage pre-approval letter.  Home sellers want to know that the buyer can buy a house and that it isn't a dream.  I used to do mortgages and I can't tell you how many people think they can buy a house.  But there is no way they would be approved for a mortgage by lenders.  So if you don't have a pre-approval letter then you can't get your purchase offer accepted.  It won't even be looked at.  They won't even accept it if there are no other offers. Without a pre-approval letter you are just a "looker".  If you... 06/20/2009

Whether you are young or old it doesn't matter.  Whether you are a man or women, experienced or doing it for the first time it's easy to score your first foreclosure.  Some of the keys to scoring your first Metro Detroit foreclosure are: Knowing the Metro Detroit real estate market and housing prices.  This is a major factor in winning when bidding on Metro Detroit foreclosures.  If 1000 square foot Livonia ranches in decent condition sells in the range of $120,000 to $150,000 then when a Livonia foreclosure that is priced below $100,000 comes up for sale don't low ball it.   There was a 1000 square foot Livonia ranch that came up for sale 4 days ago.  That Livonia foreclosure sold in four days and it had multiple bids because it was listed below $85,000 and it was in decent shape.  All... 06/16/2009

Right now I am hearing the same stories again all over the Metro Detroit real estate market.  I heard that there was a house that sold in Francavilla a Livonia subdivision for $80,000.  Or my friend bought a house for $30,000 in Farmington Hills.  The first story is a blatant lie.  I checked all the sold sales there are no homes that sold for less than $180,000.  The second story is true but the Farmington home had major water damage.  There was mold in the house.  The floors were warped.  The house had to have all the drywall removed down to the studs.  It was like rebuilding the house.  The kitchen had to be gutted. The mold had to be re mediated.  The Farmington Hills home buyersthought they could redo the house a certain way, but the city won't let them do what they planned.  So now... 06/12/2009

As Steve Earle blasts on my speakers I sit here at my desk with a bit of optimism. "How can that be?" you say, "You live in the Detroit area. GM just declared bankruptcy, Chrysler may be an Italian company by now and if the job rates in the rest of the country are bad, Michigan is worse." If I looked at things that way I could be pretty depressed. Instead I took a look at the market and strangely enough, there was some good news. Detroit is showing a 4 month supply of homes. Three of the larger surrounding communities had around a six month supply. Now if you go by the rule of thumb that six months is a normal market then we're pretty normal. The city of Detroit si oina  down right sellers market. Yes, there were towns around here like Livonia and Canton with eight and nine months suppl... 06/08/2009

Research is the key to wise investing choices; consider all the facts before making a purchase   Detroit, MI - Investing in REITs is becoming popular today; REITs are real estate investment trusts.  Investors purchase shares of REITs, which pay dividends based on profits earned from income-producing property.    One advantage of investing in REITs is that are free from the hassles associated with property ownership and management.  One only needs to purchase shares and reap the rewards as their investment grows in value.   Earl E. Bird, III is an expert when it comes to investing in REITs.  He was recently interviewed and when asked what to consider when choosing a REIT to invest in, Earl said, "You've head the phrase, ‘location, location, location' when referring to prime real estate. ... 06/07/2009

Here is a look at what Livonia foreclosures have sold for in the last 30 days. If you look at the list below you will notice that 10 sold                                           over list price 5 sold                                            within $2000 of list price 4 sold                                            less than 5% of list price 5 sold                                            between 5 -10% below list price 5 sold                                            between 10 -15%  below list price 3 sold                                            below 20% of list price  So to you the bargain hunter, you have to be aware that you may not win that Livonia foreclosure if you bid to low.  As you can see metro Detroit home buyers are willing to pay a fair price for the Livonia ... 06/06/2009

I have to admit it I am a work-a-holic.  But as I turned 50 this year I have even slowed down.  I am starting to realize that I only have so many years left on this earth and there are a lot if things I still want to do.  I have decided that I am going to scale back starting January 1 after I complete a financial goal of getting very close to paying the house.   But for the rest of this year I am getting in the slow mode of relaxing.  My wife Marianne, and I honestly find it very hard to do absolutely nothing.  So we am slowly learning to doing that.  If you count gardening as doing nothing I am doing a little less.                                      I actually sat down on the back patio today and just sat and watched the birds come in to the pond to get water.  I have a couple of sma... 06/06/2009

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 w... 05/25/2009

  This is an opportunity to learn everything you need to know about web marketing   Detroit, MI -- 30% of tradition businesses currently have a web site, according to Wall Street Journal blogger, Kelly Spors. By 2010 that number will double. Business owners are looking to get more exposure from the internet and find a wider market for their products and services in a declining economy. But will the internet also change the very nature of their business and the source of their revenues? Web marketing expert, Jayne Burch predicts it will.   The recession is cutting deep into the pockets of most companies as they see sales of their customary products and services decline. Jayne Burch, founder of the Marketing Monsoon system to help traditional small business transform to a Web Business, s... 05/11/2009

Hi Activerain Member,Did you know you can turn your customers’ questions, requests and complaints into cash and ongoing passive income? If you hate customer complaints and find questions annoying, consider this.  A shift in your perspective could help you make more money. Your customers are telling you exactly what they want and need and are willing to pay for. The one who figures out a solution will clean up!Join me for "Create Info Products for Passive Profits" and learn how to turn your customers' feedback into profitable info products.See details below!-------------------------------------------------------- -- TIME SENSITIVE ANNOUNCEMENT --*** HURRY! THERE ARE ONLY A FEW SEATS LEFT!***Jayne Burch, WebBizDiva and Founder of www.MarketingMonsoon.com presents:“Create Info Products for... 05/10/2009

Are you looking for a easy to navigate Livonia Michigan Home Foreclosure search?  Here is a great home search tool we offer.  Just go to www.BobandTeena.com or www.LivoniaBusyBees.com and click on the search for homes button located on the left side of the page.  The next screen that comes up will be where you enter in the search criteria for you local Livonia home search.  On this screen you will notice you have two choices to search all active listings available on the site or to just search Livonia foreclosures available on this site.  To search the foreclosures just click on the tab to the right of active listings tab titled foreclosures.   Another easy way to search for Livonia Michigan Foreclosed homes is to follow this link Michigan Foreclosure Home Search .    If you have any qu... 04/27/2009

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 o... 04/23/2009

Early spring brings Aprils showers in Michigan.  And with those April showers come leaky basements.  Sometimes basements can stay dry for years and then all of a sudden you have water problems. After a heavy rain the ground becomes saturated and water looks for the place of least resistance.  So if the sump pump isn't working your Michigan basement will flood.  That is why it is good to have a back system for your sump pump in case the electricity goes off. There are two main types of basement walls in most Metro Detroit homes.  They are either cinder block walls or poured concrete walls.  Today I will talk about poured basement walls because most homes are being built with poured concrete walls. When they pour the concrete walls they have metal rods through them that they remove.  They... 04/21/2009

What I love about the internet is that you can find just about anything you want to know about.  Blogging allows us to share who we are, and gives potential Metro Detroit real estate buyers and sellers to learn about me. I am sitting here relaxing in front of the TV watching the Red Wings playoff game. (Go Wings!!!)  It was another beautiful day here in Metro Detroit.  It got up to 70 degrees.  I spent most of the day working on my ponds and my gardens.  I grew up in the landscaping business.  I spent a lot of time when I was young at a Uncle's who owned a landscaping business.  I was cheap labor for him.  Anybody that had a parent or relative that owns a family business knows what I mean.  I worker for a dollar an hour when I started working.  But I have to thank my Uncle Bob for givin... 04/18/2009

Members can utilize a library of educational and research tools to assist them as they prepare to make the best investment decision for their financial situation   Detroit, MI - The new online broker, REITBuyer.com officially launched their website in February, 2009, to give real estate investors information for researching and investing in REITs.  They are proud to announce that the site is now beta tested and fully operational for investors to purchase REITs to add to their investment portfolio.   The site contains all the information an investor needs to learn about REITs.  The information is clear and easy to understand so that even beginners can learn and invest.   The unique online Assessment Wizard is an easy to use investment tool designed to help investors choose an account typ... 04/18/2009

In high school, I was voted "girl with the Most Beautiful Hair".  I had natural blonde hair that I could sit on.  While I still care very much about my hair and appearance, I have grown a little less obsessed with the title bestowed on me.  My hair is now a darker blonde and my hairdresser blends in highlights that give me the illusion of being the natural blonde of my youth.   Hair is important to almost every woman I know.  A friend was constantly asking (several times in an hour) for advice about her hair-of which she never followed.  Finally I forbid her to talk to me about her hair. After an operation, I still remember my sister (still groggy) being rolled into her room asking "how does my hair look.  The "good hair" days and the "bad hair" days can be a significant barometer of ho... 04/12/2009

Over the last few weeks I have noticed that the Metro Detroit real estate market is going strong.  Homes are selling.  I will bet Metro Detroit real estate sales will be up for March and April.  My clients and I bid on one home that there were 11 bids on, and another client bid on a home that had 5 bids. Right now I have 3 bids sitting out there.  Yes on Friday and Saturday three of my clients decided to put purchase offers in on three different homes.  Sellers are taking their time to respond to purchase offers.  I honestly think they are realizing that there might be another offer come in if they wait a few days. We had one verbally accepted but I never believe a deal is truly accepted until I get the purchase agreement signed.  So I am cautiously waiting until they all respond in tom... 04/12/2009