Plymouth, MI

Last Thursday 10/22 the Penn Theater had a showing of Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein. I grew up watching reruns of the Abbott and Costello movies and I love them. I took my kids out to see the movie, which was shown to a SOLD OUT crowd. The movie was shown in it's original form and still had the audience rolling. What a great night of family fun...my kids really liked the movie, I'm really happy the Penn Theater is still there and still showing great classics as well as today's movies.

This Thursday night the Penn is showing "Bride of Frankenstein" at 7:00pm. Get there early if you want a seat.

If you're interested in moving to or from Plymouth, please do not hesitate to call.

Tim Courtney
Associate Broker
Remerica Hometown
734-354-8440

I saw a blurb on short sales on a national morning news channel this week. What they were showing is that short sales are taking a long time. They say they are taking twice as long as they were a year ago. They showed a couple of people that took 8 months and 12 months. In the metro Detroit area most short sales are taking about six months. The issue usually is that sellers are trying to short sell their property too late. If you think you are in trouble or need to sell call a Realtor quickly. Get the home listed as soon as possible.

The news channel also said 12% of all homes on the market are short sales. They also said that only 60% of the short sales get done. I honestly don't think anybody really knows that number. What I am finding out or noticing is that short sales don't get completed for these reasons.

1. Buyers don't stick around. They get tired of waiting and being in the dark.
2. Banks don't approve the short sale because they want more money.
3. The seller doesn't cooperate with the bank or the real estate agents.
4. The bank doesn't agree to short sale the home because of the sellers situation.

What percentage of short sales actually get done is a guess. But many are getting done if you stick it out. I myself have been on both sides. Sometimes getting done, sometimes never even getting close. I had one fall apart today.

The buyer wants to buy, the seller wants to get out, and the bank wants a certain price. We ended up $17,000 apart. The seller decided they wanted to let it go to foreclosure. They gave up on the game. So the house most likely will go into disrepair for the next 7 months. The 2nd mortgage holder will lose everything once the house goes to foreclosure. The lose.

It was a mixed day for weather here in Detroit. It was a normal October fall day. A light wind with a mix of sun and clouds. Weeven got a shower. You see here in Metro Detroit September and October seem to be wetter, but they aren't.

In October the average rainfall is 2.1 inches. The average temperature is 51 degrees. There are an average of 8 days that are clear, 9 days are partly cloudy, 15 days are cloudy. And there is usually a nice breeze almost every day.

I got some of my tomato plants out and I got some of the perennials cut down. I even started putting up some of my Halloween decorations for the kids. Now all I have to do is talk my wife into a small Halloween party!

I hope your day was as relaxing and enjoyable as mine. Have a great night!

Russ

Are we protecting the home buyer enough? Here in Michigan we have a seller's disclosure form that has to be filled out by the seller unless it is a foreclosure..........

It's a shame really.... We as Realtors need to step up to the plate and get the home buyers protected better. This sellers disclosure should have a section for the realtor and the asset manager. We should be notifying the future home buyer that there has been water damage or if the basement has been flooded or if the water pipes have burst.

We as real estate agents should be held to a higher standard. If we know of past problems such as flooding and water damage that created mold then it should be revealed to potential buyers. Too many flippers and investors are getting away with covering up mold. Some banks are cutting out moldy walls, cutting out water damaged floors. The real estate agent and or the asset manager know that the house has mold. Shouldn't the consumer know too?

Investors and flippers should be held accountable to just covering up mold. Just because they don't live in the house....they shouldn't be allowed to gloss over the issues they know about. If the real estate agent helped them buy a moldy house then the real estate agent and the seller should have to fill out a portion of the sellers disclosure revealing all they know.

Just my thoughts.... some realtors won't want to do that because of liability. But telling the truth should never be a liability.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

doesn't me it is yours. I had a buyer call me over the weekend all upset. He had driven by the house and a lawn ornament that was in the flower bed was missing. He was all upset about it. He thought if it was in the picture it was part of the house. He thought it was his.

So I had to explain to him that lawn ornaments like gnomes were personal property. The grill or the flower hanger doesn't come with the house. If you are a buyer and want something like that you need to tell your agent that you want this or that out of the house. Your agent then will ask for it in the purchase contract.

You may not get it but you might. The seller may have emotional attachments to the item. But normally what is included in the home sale is anything that is permanently attached to the house. Some of the items that are included are

• shelves
• light fixtures
• curtain rods

What is not included is any personal items like pictures, lawn equipment, furniture. I have had people take down the light fixtures or take plumbing fixtures. It is wrong, you will have to put them back. I have had people try to switch out fixtures after the purchase agreement is signed. You can't do that.

As a buyer I recommend you to take pictures of the home so we have proof of what was in the house. If you are a seller take down what you want out of the house before it goes on sale. Make the switch before you put it on sale. I did have one client say it's so nice it will help sell the house, but I want it. If you want it take it down. Don't do a bait and switch.

But bottom line lawn ornaments are personal property. If it isn't attached to the home it belongs to the seller unless it is listed in the purchase agreement.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent