Gary Smith

Jon,

The short answer is read your contracts. There will be clause(s) explaining what you agree to do, what the seller agrees to do, and what happens if home has defects or financing problems. Your Buyer's Agent should be helping you! - Yesterday, 06:08

Chung,

These are the major public transportation sites for southeastern Michigan. I believe Auburn Hills is served by SMART.

http://www.smartbus.org/smart/home
http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9615_29684_29686-1…

You can search for homes on the website below or on http://MoveInMichigan.com - Yesterday, 06:02

quam6246,

You can look online today through the local MLS. http://MoveInMichigan.com no sign in required. Simply enter 1 or 2 thousand for the maximum price. These will be homes offered by homeowners and most likely will require a credit check and references. Michigan is a Buyer's Agency State in that you can work with an agent to reprisent your best interests when purchasing or leasing property. - Thu Jul 24 2008, 08:16

Eileen, Trulia includes recent sales of some homes in your area within the home search. Simply select sold instead of for sale or foreclosures. I do have access to all transactions through the Multiple Listing Service and Wayne County Public Records if you would like information about all homes sold during the past few months.

As to your question, Looking for the company that sold the most homes is one way to look, but what if they sold the homes for 60 percent of their actual value. Would you still want that company to sell your home?

I suggest looking for a local company and interviewing several agents. Here are some websites that may help.

On Trulia, select Member Search and enter either Grosse Ile or your zip code to find members that have answered questions for your area. Their actual city will appear on the right hand column.

http://mirealtors.com/consumers.html State of Michigan Association of Realtors(R) website. Select Find a Realtor from the top menu. This would be the most complete list.

http://activerain.com/states/MI/counties/Wayne+County and select cities around you

Alternately, I can send you a list of several agents that may meet your needs. When interviewing agents, you should focus on their marketing and not the price range for your home. I do suggest interviewing at least 3 agents and choosing the person that best fits your needs. - Wed Jul 23 2008, 19:18

Mike, The 28,500 number appears to be fairly accurate. Several hundred will be leaving the profession because they cannot afford their board dues. Last March there were over 31,000 Realtors(R) in Michigan. - Wed Jul 23 2008, 11:32