Northville, MI

Northville and Northville Townshipare two separate governed communities but many people talk and think of them as one and the same. Northville is located on the western edge of Wayne County.

I would consider Northville as an "affluent community". A upper end community. I judge the community not by income levels but by the price levels of homes.

Northville and Northville Twp have many homes for sale priced over $500,000 to a million dollars. Here is Northville's 2008 sold home data.

1 Northville home sold $1,812,001 - $1,878,869

1 Northvile home sold $1.3 - 1.4 million

1 Northville home sold $1.1 - 1.2 million

2 Northville homes sold $1 - 1.1 million

1 Northville home sold $912,000 - $1,012,000

11 Northville homes sold $812,000 - $912,000

6 Northville homes sold $712,000 - $812,000

14 Northville homes sold $612,000 - $712,000

33 Northville homes sold $512,000 - $612,000

48 Northville homes sold $412,000 - $512,000

68 Northville homes sold $312,000 - $412,000

57 Northville homes sold $212,000 - $312,000

33 Northville homes sold $112,000 - $212,000

10 Northville homes sold $68,000 - $112,000

If you are relocating to Michigan you don't know what Metro Detroit real estate is like. There are many Detroit suburbs that don't have homes priced over $200,000 or $300,000. A city like Northville that has luxury homes over 5000 square ft or priced over a million dollars is a prestigious city where the wealthy want to live. Where people want to raise their kids that is what Northville an Northville Township is about.

Search Northville homes for sale

More Northville subdivision information

Northville City Data

I heard at a party this guy telling me "that he wanted to put a $350,000 offer in on a $700,000 Metro Detroit foreclosure". His dad's friend told him that if he offered cash that he would get the home. Because the bank wants the cash deal.

I just about choked on the meatball I was eating. Banks are not accepting half price cash offers just because it is cash. IT IS AN URBAN MYTH. Cash is king only on reasonable offers. Banks are pricing many metro Detroit properties below market price to sell them quickly. Those homes are being sold quickly especially if they are in good shape. By throwing a low ball cash offer you most likely be wasting your time over and over and over. I have seen foreclosures sold at over list price when they have been priced way below market price. I see multiple offers many times on well priced homes.

I have seen 10, 15, 20, and 25% offers accepted but I never seen a 50% below list price offer accepted. I had a group of investors try the same thing on Detroit foreclosures. They had heard on TV that Detroit real estate was being given away. As cheap as a $1, The investors were from out of state. They wanted homes that were in decent shape. They put in 20 half price offers. They got 5 counters. Then they wanted to counter back again. By the time it was said and done 18 of the 20 foreclosures were sold to other home buyers and investors. They never ended up closing on a Metro Detroit home. They got discouraged from the whole process.

As a Metro Detroit real estate agent my job is to tell you about the Detroit suburbs real estate market based on my experiences and what happening with other agents. What is actually happening in our market. The real deal.

I want you to buy a home, I want you to have a good buying experience. Not a disappointment time after time. After all the goal is to buy a home. To close the deal.

On a side note: if a property has been on the market 6 or 7 month sure a low ball offer may be in order and may be accepted especially if it is cash. Remember banks like cash for the reason that it eliminates the chance of the mortgage not going through. They will sometimes take a cash offer over a mortgage offer if it is a little lower. How much lower is anybody's guess and is different with everybody bank.

For more Michigan home buyer tips

more Metro Detroit home buyer advice

I closed two deals today that I am extremely proud of. I didn't want to blog about them until they closed because I was afraid of jinxing the deal. They both closed today.

The first one was a 1800 square foot Northville homethat we bought for $170,000. Downtown Northville homes were selling for up to $200 a square foot a few years ago. The seller bought the home in 2000 for $287,500. That is a huge loss for any home seller. This Northville home was updated inside. $94 a square foot for a nicely updated home. Here is a picture of the kitchen with granite counter tops.

The second home was a brand new construction home in Ypsilanti. It was a 1700 square foot home that we bought for $138,000 and 6% sellers concessions. What a steal for a brand new home. $81 a square foot for a brand new home. Unbelievable.

Both of my home buyers got good deals on their homes. There are lots of great Metro Detroit homes out there. You just have to look. Take your time and search through listings. If you need help give me a call. I'll work hard for you.

Good luck house hunting

Photos courtesy of RealComp II Ltd

Metro Detroit foreclosures do affect your neighborhood in many different ways

• Price - foreclosures drive down the price in your neighborhood. The government and banks don't want to own homes. They want them off their books. They will keep lowering the price until the home sells. If the foreclosure is on the market too long they sometimes just dump the house. I had heard of one home that originally sold for $999,000 that sold for $520,000 because the home owner removed lighting fixtures out of the house and many other items. The bank wanted to dump the house. That Northville Foreclosure set a new low price for the subdivision. Which in turn lowers the value for your home.
• Appearance - banks don't do a good job of keeping up the property. Grass grows longer, trash piles up in the yard. In some areas people actually dump garbage at abandoned properties. Neighborhoods and homes that are not kept up lower your property values. Again if the property looks bad it will sit on the market longer. Then the price will keep dropping.
• Crime - Foreclosed homes are targets for thieves. Some thieves take furnaces, hot water heaters, lighting fixtures, and even the copper plumbing (for the scrap metal). Kids also sometimes target foreclosed homes as hangouts. I have even seen a foreclosed home burnt because some kids started a fire in the basement and the whole basement caught fire. The house as far as I was concerned was a total loss.

There is nothing you can do about a foreclosure in your neighborhood. But you can take the time to pick up the trash or keep the yard maintained. A yard and home that looks lived in won't draw criminals and juveniles. Sometimes parking your car in the driveway helps. Contact your neighbors to help keep your neighborhood looking good. The bank isn't going to do it regularly. Remember the longer it sits on the market the lower the price your home will fetch.

They have no vested interest in your neighborhood, but you do. Keep it up if you can.

For more on Wayne County Mi foreclosures give me a call or visit my website Livonia real estate and Wayne County real estate.

There are still lots of great real estate deals out there.

Russ Ravary

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designates January as "National Radon Prevention Month".Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that is naturally occurring in the earth's crust and sometimes seeps into homes through openings in foundations or walls. It is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, and the second leading cause among smokers.

In August I wrote a blog post on the importance of testing for Radon because of a recent experience with a crazy high radon reading in a Northville MI home.

According to a proclamation signed by Governor Granholm last year, one in eight homes in Michigan (EPA's map of Michigan radon zones) have elevated levels of radon. Homes with 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher should be remediated. Consider purchasing a radon detection kit if it wasn't part of the home inspection process when you bought your home.

For more information about radon, check out these sources:

Reducing Radon Risks, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
A Citizen's Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Radon,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Radon Video Discussion