Buying in the Northville area? Perform a full home search, Selling in the Northville area? Get a Home Price Evaluation 

Today, Mike Miller joins us to talk about his custom home building company in the Northville area. He started building homes in 1992. He developed an interest in this particular industry when he was younger. In fact, he studied it in college when it was less popular with a small graduating class.
He’s built approximately 200 homes independently and, with the company, has worked on closer to 400 homes. He particularly finds the framing to be the most interesting process within construction. You’re able to smell the wood and see the starting foundation as the building begins. You see your blueprint come to life. He’s involved with the process from start to finish with his talented team.

He sees customers requesting particular features to be added to their construction property that might be so new, they haven’t been tested. It could conflict with the home’s exterior environment, for instance. There are a lot of useful resources out there, such as home magazines and Pinterest, but sometimes, they create a lot of expectations for our business and the services we provide. However, we always ask for feedback and try to apply it to future projects.
His local business continues to experience increased government-mandated energy efficiency. You have to meet the minimum criteria and we have to prove this has been done by a residential check on each individual part of the property. For instance, you can increase the size of your windows and thus, raise your score, because you’re allowing more sunlight into your home naturally.
If someone is interested in working with us, Mike suggests first assembling a team with an architect, business person, and builder in a room. Secondly, you need to find a lot to purchase. It can be tough out there, especially in a high demand area. A common mistake we see with our clients is that they’ll start designing a layout a home before they find a piece of land. Ultimately, this timeline (including the design period) varies. He stresses the value of taking enough time to complete a home.
You can reach Mike on his cell phone at 248-797-7096 or email at [email protected] if you’re interested in learning more about his business.
If you’re interested in buying or selling a home in Northville, as always, reach out to us today! We’re happy to discuss your real estate needs, and perhaps goals of 2016, with you soon. Additionally, if you have a local business you’d like to refer, we warmly welcome your suggestions.

Buying in the Northville area? Perform a full home search, Selling in the Northville area? Get a Home Price Evaluation 
Hey everyone, we are coming to you today with the 3rd part in our builder series. When you get ready to make an offer on a newly built home, you want to make sure you are covering all your bases when it comes to doing your due diligence. Today, we are going to give you a list of the 9 things you should ask your builder before you enter a contract. 

1. Do you offer gutters?
 Unfortunately, this is one area where builders are cutting costs.

2. What are the grass and sprinkler systems like?

3. How many plugs are there and where do they go?
You want to make sure that your outlets are in the rooms and areas of your home that you want them to be in before you install them.

4. Are bedroom lights included?



5. Is there a humidifier included on the furnace?

6. Is there a gas line for your dryer?

7. Are appliances, like a refrigerator, included?

8. Who pays the transfer tax?
In Michigan, this can often run thousands of dollars. Some builders will try to pass this on to the seller, but it's really a seller-mandated thing.

9. What does the HOA charge for a new person? 
Sometimes, a HOA join fee can be as much as $1,100 if you are moving into a new area. 

Hopefully this series has been helpful to you. If you have any questions for us or are looking to buy or sell in the area, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to speaking with you!

Buying in the Northville area? Perform a full home search, Selling in the Northville area? Get a Home Price Evaluation 
It's moving season here in Northville! If you've been searching the area for homes, but are having no luck finding anything, building a home may be a really good option for you. Just the other day, I was sitting down with a good friend of mine, who happens to be a home builder here in the area, and he shared with me the questions that all buyers should ask their builder:

• Can I see your personal home? Most of the big building companies here in town are going to have a model house you can see. However, if you're working with a custom home builder, their personal home is often their showpiece - something they want to show you.

• How many homes have you built in the last 3-5 years? Find out whether the builder has been able to weather the storm of the recession. Now that things are going well in our economy, you want to work with a builder who has kept busy for the past 3 or so years.

• Can I talk to your current and past clients? When talking to people who have worked with the builder in the past, you're trying to see if there are any disheartening trends with the builder. For example, are they no good with technology, or will they take forever to get back to you? Find out how others feel about them before diving in headfirst.

• Are you licensed and insured with the state of Michigan? A lot of builders who have gone out of business and filed bankruptcy in the past may no longer be licensed with the state. Make sure that whoever you're working with has the proper documentation so that you're not at risk.

These are some very basic questions you should ask your builder before you commit to anything. In fact, this is only Part I of the three part series on the building process. We want you to be armed with knowledge when you go into a new construction situation, and we think these videos will help!

If you have any questions about new construction, or any real estate topic, don't hesitate to give us a call. We're here to be your real estate resource for the Northville area, and we would love to hear from you!

Buying in the Northville area? Perform a full home search, Selling in the Northville area? Get a Home Price Evaluation 
Today I'm continuing my series about building your own home. I recently talked about what you should talk to a builder about before you go to build a home, and today I'll be showing you four questions to ask before you sign a contract.

1. Ask to see a home they built 5-10 years ago. This will ensure that they're building quality homes that stand the test of time. Look to see if the home is disheveled or unkempt in any way, because this is how your home could look in the future, too.
2.  Ask what the total price of the home will be. Some builders have a base price, a lot price, and then structural upgrades that can add up throughout the process. There are lots of hidden fees with new homes, so be sure you know what you'll be paying before you break ground on a new home.
3. Make sure you know who to contact after you sign the contract. Will it be project manager, or will it be the builder themself? You need a line of communication throughout the process to ensure no problems arise.
4. What is their warranty information? Every builder will have a different warranty in terms of what's covered and how long the coverage will last. Sometimes the structure is under warranty, but not the roof or the foundation.

In my next video, I'll be speaking about 10 things to ask your builder to save big on construction costs. Hopefully this information has been useful to you.

As always, if you ever need help buying or selling in the Northville area, please don't hesitate to contact me.

There are many great Novi and Northville area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (248) 345-4894 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Lately, we've seen our market flat line. After the crash, we saw the market bounce back strong from 2011 to 2013 but now it's settled down again. To get an idea about what's happening in the market, there are a few indicators to look at. When we see a lot of homes listed that are not selling or are being forced to reduce their price, that indicates we have a buyer's market. On the other hand, when we see appraisals coming in lower that what the sales price is, we're in a seller's market.

Right now, we're seeing appraisals get a little easier because the market is flat. There are fewer multiple offer situations and appraisals are coming in around where the sales price is. Just the other day we were working with some buyers who were interested in a home in a neighborhood where homes had been selling for around $600,000.  We were able to make and secure an offer under the list price because the house needed a great deal of work - it needed new carpet, paint, appliances, etc. Six months ago, that offer never would have gone through.

What does all this mean? We have a very stable market. It's not trending up or down, but is staying consistent. This means neither buyers or sellers currently have an advantage. If you want to know what's happening in your specific area, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We can help you make the most of our current conditions.

There are many great Novi and Northville area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (248) 345-4894 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Fall is well on its way, which means winter will be here before you know it. Fall is the perfect time to prepare your home for the cold months ahead. Here are 3 basic things you should take care of before the weather takes a turn for the worse:

1. Have your furnace inspected: Make sure that it is cleaned, the filters are changed, and the humidifier is checked. You want to make sure your furnace is functioning properly before the cold weather settles in and the repair company is too busy to help you. We recommend our friend John with T & J Heating and Cooling, who you can reach at (313) 580-1319. Tell him we sent you for 10% off your service fee!
2. Change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: If you don't currently have a carbon monoxide detector, we highly recommend having one installed. It's only $40-$50 and goes a long way in keeping your family safe. 
3. Keep water away from your home: The fall is an ideal time to clean your gutters. To ensure you avoid leakage problems, you need to make sure your gutters are clear and able to transport water far from your home.

By acting now to prepare for the winter months you can avoid a lot of unnecessary problems down the road. We have a host of vendors we have worked with in the past and have a great deal of trust in that we would love to put you in contact with. If you would like more tips on how to prepare for winter, or are interested in entering the Detroit area real estate market, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email. We are always available to give you a helping hand.

There are many great Novi and Northville area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (248) 345-4894 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
 
Recently, Zillow bought Trulia for $3.5 billion in stock options - but does this affect you in any way? Unless you are a stockholder in one of the companies, it probably will have no effect on you as a homeowner. The better question to ask is: Why does anyone still use these websites in the first place?

Online home search sites have inaccurate data 10%-40% of the time. We get calls all the time asking to see a home found on Zillow or Trulia - 9 times out of 10 the home is no longer available or was never available in the first place. If you aren't planning on moving anytime soon but are curious about what the market looks like, online home search sites aren't so bad. They are easy to use and pretty to look at. This is intentional - they want you to visit, click, and give them your data so they can sell it to real estate agents.

If you want accurate and up-to-date information, your best source is your local real estate professional. If you want good data, you need to find someone who is knowledgeable, can interpret data, give you market trends, and let you know what's going on in general. If that sounds better than the misinformation found on the web, give us a call or shoot us an email. Our knowledge and expertise is at your disposal.

There are many great Novi and Northville area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (248) 345-4894 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hey all, I've noticed a trend in our town that I think important enough to share with you. Having worked closely with many Northville residents, I've found that buyers are more concerned with the quality of the home than the size.
This has ramifications for those of you who are looking to build a house. Because it is an investment, you should be aware of what buyers are looking for so you can get the maximum return down the road.

For example, it means that you should reconsider adding that extra square footage and instead put some thought into spending that money in other ways.

I often advise my clients to perhaps use the money to finish the basement, or purchase a walk-out lot. Focus on things buyers will be looking for down the road, such as updated kitchens and bathrooms. 
These are but a few examples of the easy ways in which you can improve the quality of your home. It's a simple but necessary fact to remember: in this market, quality trumps quantity just about every time.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on any further developments in our market. For now, be sure to make the investment in quality, you won't regret it.
If you're thinking about selling in the Northville / Novi area, Contact me via phone or email if you're interested.

There are many great Novi and Northville area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (248) 345-4894 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Now is the Perfect Time for an Open HouseToday I was on a listing presentation speaking about how I use open houses as an efficient way to sell properties. I think they're an extremely useful tool because in seller's markets (like the one we have here in the Northville area) buyers flock to open houses. 
When inventory is low, buyers want to make sure that they see everything on the market. Open houses are a convenient way to invite potential buyers right into your home, and because you get so many people at once you have a high likelihood of receiving an offer. On the flip side, when there are lots of homes to view, open houses don't draw too much of a crowd because there are so many other properties available. However, right now is a perfect time to conduct an open house because we have a low inventory of homes. 
I have found open houses to be an extremely effective selling tool in seller's markets like ours here in Northville and Novi. The way I thoroughly market my open houses gets 30-50 people coming through. This isn't your typical open house where you put out one sign and pray someone shows up. I market the open house online to over 200 websites and mobile apps, invite all our buyer leads, invite local brokers with potential buyers, and invite the local community including people currently renting that may want to buy.
So, would you rather have 30-50 individual showings or would you rather leave for an afternoon and come back with a purchase agreement? When you go through with an open house you will have your home seen by many different buyers and it will significantly increase your chances to sell with multiple offers.
If you're thinking about selling in the Northville / Novi area, I would urge you to consider holding an open house on your property. I can almost guarantee you good results. Contact me via phone or email if you're interested.

There are many great Novi and Northville area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (248) 345-4894 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
New Construction is Opening up Opportunities for Buyers

Today I wanted to speak about some of the opportunities that you might have to buy new construction. Because home values are shooting up like crazy, new construction is almost on par with resale property.

I get many buyers calling me, and they say that they can't find what they want online, so they ask me about new construction. This is a great option to consider for all the areas that I cover, which includes Northville, Canton, Novi, Plymouth, and South Lyon. New construction actually represents 20-40% of the total sales in those areas for the past year or so.

There are some things that you might not think about when looking at new construction. Usually landscaping is not included when you buy a new home, and other things like appliances, finished basements, and patios or decks are not often included with new home purchases. These things you will have to pay out of pocket for, so if you're on any kind of budget, you might want to consider this.

There are ways to finance these side projects through different builders and lenders, but each case will be different, so if you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Feel free to give me a call if you're looking for new construction because a lot of these homes have not come onto the market yet. You can also give me a call about resale properties or if you have, any questions about real estate in the Northville, Novi, Plymouth, Canton, or South Lyon areas.

Thanks for tuning in!