Livonia, MI

How to Build a Website on a Shoestring – No Hosting or Developer Fees

Diana Masuoka will show participants how to build an effective website starting with a Google blog.

At this all-day workshop event Diana will provide information for you to:

Learn how to create a great blog and then convert it to a custom website

Learn how to add comments to drive your blog to the Top of Google

Learn how to add back links to your blog and get rid of the “blog” look

Learn how to find and utilize the most effective keywords and keyword phrases

Learn how to find and add pictures and images to your blog

Learn how to “ping” your blog so the Search Engines can locate you

Step-by-step instructions will be given to customize your Google Blog and convert it to a fully optimized, SEO popular website to provide internet visibility to your business.

Learn how to create a “Website on a Shoe-string” at the Internet Marketing Workshop. The fee is $97.00 if you pay in advance or $117 at the door.

Seating is limited; reserve your spot today -- Contact Karen at 248-939-6461 to register.

Here is the latest Livonia real estate update on how houses are selling. So many people are still thinking that you can put low -ball offers on homes in the area. But the Livonia real estate market is changing. It is no longer a buyers market.

It's hard to imagine that there are 84 homes in Livonia that sold for under $100,000. There are bargains in Livonia real estate right now. I have recently helped a client buy a nice house for under $100,000 and it wasn't a bank foreclosure. There are deals in short sales, estate homes, and relocation homes.

I hope this helps you understand the Livonia real estate market right now. Feel free to call me with any questions or if you want to see some Livonia homes.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit realtor

Search Livonia foreclosures and Livonia real estate listings and get the latest listings emailed to you

sold comp information courtesy of RealComp II Ltd

So cousin Joe is going to help you out and save you $300 by inspecting your Metro Detroit home. Just don't come crying to me. Last week I had cousin Joe inspect one of my clients properties. I wanted to cry.

He spent more time talking about non essential things like:

what colors to paint the walls

how little he paid for his house

how they asked for 5 years of w-2s and they are going to do it to you to

he doesn't like the stove and refrigerator next to each other

that a $50,000 mortgage is going to have a $700 payment and if they need $30,000 to fix it up the mortgage payment is going to be $1500 a month. WHAT!!!!

that he's been a cement layer, hardwood floor installer, basement waterproofer and he knows how to do it all.....I honestly didn't know how many jobs he has had but.

that you need to pick up boxed electrical sockets and put them away.... because sitting in the kitchen cupboard will causes questions from the appraiser. WHAT!!!!

Sadly this guy did a bad job of inspecting the home but he knew about mortgages, and everything else. What was worse and he said it several times " AND THE REALTOR WILL BACK ME UP ON WHAT I'M SAYING" I about choked.

Who you have inspect your metro Detroit homeis important. So what I say to anybody that is thinking about having "cousin joe" or "uncle Bob" don't take their word for their expertise. I would only have cousin joe or uncle bob do it if they are a builder or a licensed contractor. If they only have a specialty in electrical work or just cement work, or just carpentry save yourself the potential problems. Hire a professional inspector for $300. It will be the best money you spend.

Just my thoughts. It's your house and I'll go along with whatever you decide. If you decide to have cousin Bob inspect your Metro Detroit home I won't over ride your decision. It's your decision.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Search Metro Detroit foreclosures and get the latest listings emailed to you daily or weekly

Metro Detroit home inspectors

Metro Detroit home inspections

Negotiating your Metro Detroit home purchase is one of the most important steps in buying a Metro Detroit home. There are so many factors in negotiating that it is impossible to cover them all in one post. But I am going to start by dividing whether you have to have the house or you can live with the house.

If you have to have the house then the key to negotiating your metro Detroit home purchase is to not:

1. Not to insult the seller by making a ridiculously low offer. If you insult them with a low ball offer they are going to be harder to deal with. And if your spouse really loves the house, then you don't want to ruin it right from the start.
2. Stop negotiating. One of keys is negotiating is to keep both sides going. Keep going back and forth. If you become stubborn in your position the negotiations end. Give a little bit or accept their offer.
3. Don't make it personal. Keep in mind that the seller is just trying to get the most for their property. They really don't have an hidden agenda to screw you. They may need that extra $1000 for buying their next house. They may need three more days in the house because their next house may not be ready.
4. Take to long to respond. Respond quickly to their response and don't push your real estate agent to find out what is taking so long on the other side. If you want the house don't sit for two days before responding to a counter offer. The longer you wait the bigger the possibility that somebody else may come in with another offer.
5. Counter back with even a lower offer or worst offer than you had in the first place. Going backwards in the home negotiations is not smart in any negotiation and it is even dumber to do it if you really want the home.

Negotiating your metro Detroit home purchase smartly can insure you get the home you want. Whether it is a Livonia home, a Garden City foreclosure, or Northville home listen to your Metro Detroit Realtor and keep the end result in mind. You want the home at a fair price, but you don't want to overpay either.

I hope these tips help you secure your home that you want.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

Search Metro Detroit foreclosures

Does anybody realize what the new HVCC rules are going to do the real estate market? If the appraisers are so tight with the appraisals and values how will home values ever go up?

I had a young first time homebuyer that was buying a Livonia condo. She had put an offer of $122,000 in but the bank came back and said it was only worth $118,000. So my Livonia condo buyer had to come to the table with $4000 more because the sellers couldn't sell it for less. They owed that much on it.

Banks are now and appraisers are now determining market value. My client thought it was a fair price. It wasn't outrageously high. Or extremely unreasonable. But there was no Livonia condo that sold for that price in the last six monthes. There were two other offers that were full priced offers on the condo. So we weren't bidding crazy. We only go it because we had 20% down and the others were FHA offers.

Isn't that the way it is when real estate values go up? A home will sell for more than a neighbors when the demand is high. That's the way the real estate market works. Supply and demand determines price.

But that isn't the way it is going now. I wonder how long it will take Washington DC to realize they really screwed up. They have basically put a cap on real estate values in the US.

Leave it to Washington politicians to screw everything up. Home values can now go down but how will they ever go up if banks and appraisers only value the house on past sales. Doesn't what a buyer will pay really determine market value?

It is going to be real interesting and quite a while before everybody realizes what they have done.

CONGRATULATIONS WASHINGTON POLITICIANS ON PUTTING ANOTHER RESTRAINT ON THE REAL ESTATE MARKET. SO MUCH ON THE HOUSING RECOVERY.

One step forward two steps back.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent