Diane Schwartz
Providing Real Estate Solutions
70 Long Lake Rd, Ste 100, Troy, MI 48098
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“Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care, it is about the safest investment in the world.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
Diane Schwartz
Providing Real Estate Solutions
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Southeast Michigan 2020
Year End Report
View market updates for YOUR neighborhood!
Our numbers do tell the story!
View this flyer to see how we rank in the industry.
See how our leaders, Dan and Stu Elsea are on Swanepoel Power List and why they have been inducted into the RISMedia Hall of Fame!
With the help of a strong year-end finish, 2020 sales pulled even with 2019, undeterred by the spring shutdowns. Despite having half the inventory, December closings were up 17% over a year ago and that strong demand will carry over into 2021. Values and price per square foot are up across all price ranges but have increased the most (about 5%) for homes in the middle price ranges. Although there was a significant increase in upper-end sales, values of those properties were flat. Expect strong demand and low rates to drive 2021 sales, regardless of the limited inventory.
Like and Share my Real Estate Facebook Page! Also, check me out on LinkedIn, to stay updated with Real Estate News.
In Other News...
Moving Company Scams!
Before you select a moving company, make sure they are legit! Some companies appear real with a FAKE company website and customer service reps! What happens is, they quote you a price for moving then after they have packed your belongs and left your house, they hijack your belongings and tell you they need more money! If you don't pay, you don't get your belongings! More than that, you don't even know where they took your belongings and they won't tell you unless you pay.
Be smart and do some research on the movers you decide to hire. Check the Better Business Bureau.
Other helpful Web sites include:
http://www.protectyourmove.gov;
The American Moving and Storage Association's Web site, http://www.moving.org; and http://www.movingscam.com, a user-generated site that maintains a "blacklist" of alleged scam moving companies.
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Read More! Moving Company Scams
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Here is an example of a FAKE website. This company hijacked my friend's belongings from New York to Maryland.
Beware of the moving companies below:
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Blue Oaks Moving
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Silverback Moving
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Shae Moving
They are all the same owner. Not very good at estimating. $1,700 estimate ended up being $3,400. Also very unprofessional!
Wire Fraud Alert!!
Wire fraud in real estate transactions continues to grow. Please verify with your title company before wiring money!
The fraud is this; the bad guys hack into someone's e-mail (buyer, seller, agents, etc.) and impersonate your agent. They then send you (typically the buyer) an e-mail under your agents name with wiring instructions for your money, often it is a notice saying "disregard the old instructions and use these new wire instructions" which of course will send the money to the criminals.
Clients, particularly buyers, should take the following steps to avoid becoming a victim.
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Always verify any wire instructions, provided by e-mail, with a voice to voice confirmation with someone you know in the transaction.
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Always assume any requests to change the wire instructions are fraud and ignore them - title companies and banks don't change wire instructions in the middle of a transaction, only criminals do that.
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Do not use any phone numbers or e-mails included in the fraudulent wire instruction e-mail, to verify the wire instructions.
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E-mail instructions should come in an encrypted e-mail from your title company. If you receive an unencrypted (i.e. standard type) e-mail that includes closing documents and/or wire instructions, confirm that it is a legitimate e-mail with a face to face or voice to voice confirmation before doing anything with that information.
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Change your e-mail passwords on a regular basis.
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