Maureen Francis & Dmitry Koublitsky, SKBK Sotheby's - Metro Detroit

This morning my 5 year old and I made that annual visit to the pediatrician for her back to school check up. Katya is a healthy child, but she “freaked out” last year when Justin, the nurse, had to prick her finger to do a blood test. Ever since she has had a deathly fear of “blood shots.”

I intentionally hadn’t much mentioned the trip to the Dr.’s office today because I did not want her to get all worked up. But when the topic did come up as she got dressed, I showed her the pictures of Dr. Molly’s on Molly’s blog. Looks pretty cool. No stuffy lab coats. No scary looking equipment.

Filled with funky bean bags, and other kid’tastic finds, Birmingham Pediatrics feels hip and comfortable. Dr. Molly’s daughter Mairen greeted us and got Katya settled in with a fun filled activity pack that kept her occupied while I filled out papers. Mairen suggested we might be more comfortable over in the bean bag corner. When Katya wanted to take a look at the Kresge Farm out of Dr. Molly’s private office, Mairen took her right in and then told her that Katya would have binoculars in her exam room. Actually, I don’t think they call ‘em exam rooms and they don’t look like exam rooms. There was no table with a roll of paper on it!

Katya had a great visit. Tonight she told me she loves Dr. Molly and asked when she could go back.

Dr. Molly has figured it out. Your kids will love you for taking them to see her.

You can follow Dr. Molly’s adventures on her blog

Birmingham Pediatrics and Wellness Center

Molly O’Shea, MD, PLLC
3270 West Big Beaver • Suite 400 • Troy, MI • 48084

248 816 2558

Post appears courtesy of miOaklandCounty.com

Fast forward to 2008. I am back in the US with my “Ultimate Souvenir” from 8 years in Ukraine (a.ka. Dmitry). It seems that the residents of the Baltic States and the Former Soviet Union caught on quickly.

Head on over to continue reading about Eastern European real estate investment in Metro Detroit.

photo credit: maesejose

Yesterday afternoon I had a closing rescheduled at the last minute for Monday, and I seized the opportunity to grab my adventuresome 4 year old and head off to the zoo right before closing time. Of course, a Realtor's job is never done, so my phone rang numerous times while we were on our 7 minute train ride to the back of the zoo. A clanking train is background noise that is not so conducive for business, but that is not the point.

We were headed for Katya's absolute favorite place at the zoo, the tunnel underneath the polar bear exhibit, where the seals swim overhead. There was a clear advantage to being there at the end of the day. The tunnel was almost empty! It is magnificent to watch the seals slide seemingly all around you , twisting and gracefully gliding through the water. Katya loves it and I do too.

We were also late enough in the day to watch Mr. Polar bear being fed his dinner. His keeper tossed him many, many fish, and Katya wondered how many he would served. We could not keep count.

The zoo boo is coming up and it is a great time to make a visit. The crowds are smaller and the flowers, planted by volunteer gardeners, look lovely. If you haven't visited the Detroit Zoo, Katya and I recommend a trip!

Consumers might not notice this readily, but a different kind of correction is taking place in the Southeast Michigan real estate market: agents are quitting the business.

The exodus in the mortgage industry began some time ago, maybe more than a year. With refi business falling off and purchases at a lower rate, mortgage pros were finding it hard to pay the bills. In recent months, we’ve seen large offices shut down and major players announcing their demise, as the entire mortgage industry faces tumultuous times.

But, until quite recently, Realtors seemed to be able to endure the slowdown, for the most part. I attribute this to a couple of factors.

• First, many Realtors sell homes as a part time job or a second source of income after retirement. The earnings they gain from selling homes is a bonus, or welcomed additional income. When times get tough they are less effected by a reduction in earnings.
• Many Realtors have a spouse who is the primary bread winner, providing medical insurance and other traditional benefits.]

For the first time since Dmitry and I entered the business in 2001, we are seeing experienced and outstanding full time agents leaving the business. Many of them have joined the exodus from Michigan, put their homes up for sale, and moved on to new careers in cities that are not facing the economic challenges that we are facing here.

I am sure I should not be saying this out loud, but this trend upsets me. Like many of the good agents I see leaving, Dmitry and I have only one source of income to support our family: selling homes. As we have long told our sellers, “we are as motivated as you are to sell your home.” But I worry less about us personally than I do about the choices that could be left for consumers as experienced professionals leave the area.

Admittedly, the Metro Detroit real estate market has more Realtors than it needs. The market can afford to lose some agents. But this business is not necessarily the perfect model of capitalism, rewarding those who are best at their jobs. If it were, I would not have seen some of those agents who I considered to be excellent at this job leave Michigan recently.

Often Realtors are rewarded for being in the right place at the right time, or just for showing up. Consumers hire their Aunt Tilly to assist with a purchase without concern that Tilly has never been to Oakland County, let alone sold a home here.

This is all part of the consumer’s right to chose. However, I am left thinking that consumer would be better served with a few less choices. I don’t say that because I want less competition. I actually would just like to see the level of professionalism in this industry elevated. I am all for increasing the continuing education requirements for retaining a license in Michigan. The 6 hours we need now is inadequate, as is the 40 hours of coursework we take in order to handle most people’s largest financial transaction of their life. Of course, with the challenges our state faces at the moment, I admit that a change in real estate licensing law is not the highest priority.

My thought for the consumers who read this post: choosing your Realtor is one of the most important decisions you will make in buying or selling a home. Make an informed decision. There are lots of us out there, but we were not all created equally.

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copyright 2007, Maureen Francis. Post appears courtesy of miOaklandCounty.com

There are all kinds of articles on the web for first time buyers. Plenty of advice, including seminars, classes and such. But rarely do I hear someone talking about first time sellers and the questions they may have. Yes, first time sellers have been on the other side of the transaction once, but the needs of a seller are quite different from the needs of buyer.

To read the full article please click through to it on miOaklandCounty.com

If this is the first time you are selling a Michigan home, here are some things you may not know:

You will find no shortage of our thoughts on selling a home in Seller Information. Our Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller series contains some of our best advice and commentary on selling a home.

If you are a first time Michigan home seller and need assistance, call Maureen Francis at 248.961.0801.