Michigan lake homes and Novi boat show

http://www.russravary.comWell we stopped by the boat show in Novi. I've decided you either are a boater or you aren't. I remember going to the boat show as a kid. It still is exciting. I love sitting in the boats checking out all the neat options. Some of the ski boats are so darn expensive. I can't believe some of them are $50,000 plus. You have to be a wake board or ski boat fanatic. I wish they had more booths with the toys that go with the boats. That is what adds up in cost. The tow ropes, the skis, the fishing rods, the tackle, the tubes, the life jackets. That's what makes the boat even more fun.
The reason we went to the boat is that I found a house on a lake for a client. They got a great deal on a 2800 square foot house on a lake. Now they need a boat. It had all the fun stuff in a home. A 16 ft bar, a sauna, a hot tub, boat hoist and docks. The master bathroom was the nicest bathroom we saw in the $430,000 to $585,000 range. It is a beautiful house. Even the chandelier was on a wench so it could lower so you could clean it with out getting up on a ladder. So if you are looking for a lake property now is the time. Lake properties around Metro Detroit have come down in price. Search for lake homes in Livingston County, Oakland County. There are great deals on homes in Metro Detroit right now. Lake homes have become more affordable in the last year. If you are thinking of making a move to a lake now may be the time to start your search. Go to Russ Ravary's dream home finder and put in what you want. I'll email you listings of homes that fit your criteria. Start dreaming of being able to relax after a hard day at work on your boat on your lake. Think of having a cold drink in your hand, watching the sunset on the horizon. It's possible with this market. Have a safe weekend Russ Ravary

More smelly real estate

Not to be one sided on the smell thing. We walked into a home last night that the dog smell was so bad in one room that my client walked in and turned right around. She said let's go. Deal dead. Make the house smell good. May God bless all that you do today. Russ Ravary

Smelly real estate

Remember when you sell real estate your home needs to smell good. You may be used to the smoky smell, or the cat smell, or the fish smell, or the mildew smell in the basement, or the curry or garlic smell. But that odor is offensive to some. It's a turn off to buyers. It is a major strike against your home. People walk in and out of prospective homes. They notice smells right away. Get rid of the dirty diapers!
I have actually walked into a room that smelled like the baby was right there with a smelly bottom. Needless to say we didn't stay in that house long. Mildew smells make people start looking for water leaks. If your basement has a water leak fix it and then clean up the smell with a commercial deodorizer. They have great products that eliminate the bacteria that cause the smell and not just cover it up.
Put baking soda around to soak up the smell, clean the area, and deodorize it. Make your home smell good. Buy a chocolate chip cookie, or Cinnamon smelling candle. Candles are supposes to neutralize odors but a spray from the store will work best. Happy home selling. For more tips on selling your home go www.russravary.com Have a great day. Russ Ravary

Pictures of your Home, what's it worth?

One More Idea to get your home to sell. Everybody knows the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, it is so true. Especially in the Internet real estate market. You need to have as many pictures as possible of your best features of your home to get people interested in it. You want to create the desire for them to come and see it in person. Like everything, real estate is a numbers game. The more people that see it in advertising, the mls, and the Internet, the more people that will come thru it. The bigger chance you have to turn a looker into a buyer. Numbers. Numbers of pictures of good pictures create interest. They show off the best features and get people to come in.
So when your agent is coming out, set up your house to look it's best. Make sure your home has five or six pictures. If your house has only one picture your agent is not doing you justice.
If it is winter, you should have pictures of the outside in the summer. You want them to be able to picture how nice your house is with green grass, flowering shrubs, and bright sunshine. For more tips on how to sell your home visit my website http://www.russravary.com/ If you are thinking of selling and want to know what your house is worth go to http://www.checkmyhousesvalue.com/
Thought of the day If you are bored and down in the dumps. Take the time and volunteer for one of our charities. Go to your computer and Google: volunteer and the major city near you. There are many people who are less fortunate than us. Give them a hand. There are many organizations that can use your help whether it is one time for a few hours, or once a month. May life treat you well.

Russ Ravary

Well I had another laugh last night. I was putting in an offer on a home in Livingston
County. The house was already overpriced by about $50,000 in this market. Obviously either the agent or the homeowners were on crack. We had to put an offer in of $100,000 less just in case they want to negotiate and split it right down the middle. Sometimes it is harder to negotiate with people that don't have their feet on the ground. The agent even had the audacity to say it was priced right. It was a nice home but obviously they had not checked the sold comps. They must of been relying on "for sale" comps. I do not know if we can negotiate down to the right price or if the current home owners will have to sit on the house for another 6 months to a year before they get wise.
The current homeowners have already been on the market for 6 months. The four most recent comps were $40,000 lower, $45,000 lower, $57,000 lower, and $100,000 lower. If you took into account that some of those houses sold months ago the difference is even bigger. Because home prices are still falling. 3 of those houses were in better neighborhoods or better school systems. Which made our prospective home worth less than them.
If you truly want to sell your home you must price it right. If you are moving and want to find out the value of your home go to http://www.checkmyhousesvalue.com/ Have your agent pull the sold comps. Sit down and think how yours compares to them. If they sold while yours was on the market then why "if yours is such a great deal, didn't it sell?" Because like these buyers you are over priced for the features you have. Check out the for sale homes in your area. Which one would your cheap uncle buy? Would he really buy your home because 0f.... www.russravary.com

Well today I read that Toyota was opening another plant in the USA. (Mississippi) I'm glad that they are making more cars in the US though still 46% of their cars sold here are made overseas.

And then the other big news is who I believe is the biggest creep and dumbest criminal suspect this week is: Stephen Grant of Mount Clemens, who is the prime murder suspect of his wife. I never understand why guys murder their wife and think they are going to get away with it. I know money and custody disputes are big issues but just get divorced. It's not worth going to jail the rest of your life. Let's see he's worried about losing his wife, losing custody of his kids, and splitting half his assets when he gets divorced. But killing her he loses his wife, loses custody of his kids and loses all his assets, and loses his freedom. Not the brightest guy in the world.

If you are getting divorced and want to know what your house is worth click here. Sure you might have to sell and downsize but it is better than being in a 6 x 9 cell the rest of your life. Starting over is not the worse thing in the world. Some great men have started over late in life. Ray Kroc started McDonald's in his fifties. Life is good, enjoy every minute of it. If you want to search Michigan homes Have a great day Russ Ravary

Everybody knows that Home values have fallen in the last two years in the Metro Detroit area. The early retirements and buyouts at Ford Motor, GM, Chrysler have taken the toll on the number of homebuyers available. The simple truth is that we have too much supply and too little demand. Out of the 11 houses I showed last weekend 8 were vacant.

If you don't have to sell don't put it on the market.

Depending on who you talk to the amount it has dropped varies from 10 to 20%. I even heard one Realtor at a seminar yesterday say that home values were dropping about 1% a month. That may be a little off base. At some point they will level off.

It's a great time to buy. If you are looking for homes in Southeastern Michigan it is a great time to start searching before the normal upswing in sales in May and June.