Metro Detroit

NEWSLETTER: APRIL 2025

April 19, 2025

WEBSITE INSIGHTS

NAVIGATING REAL ESTATE PORTALS & RELATED MISERY

Here’s a fun fact – all the listings on those real estate websites you frequent? They lie.

Harsh, we know. Maybe “mislead” would be better, but “lie” is more clickbaity.

Zillow. Trulia. Redfin. Even Realtor.com – the “preferred” portal of the National Association of Realtors; they don’t connect you with the actual listing agent, but with the agent(s) that paid for the zip code the listing is located within.

Meaning, you scroll through one of those websites, click on a listing, reach out to the agent pictured, and you get connected with an agent who is paying a fee to be featured on listings in that zip code.

More than likely, not the actual listing agent.

Sure, if you scroll down and sift through the finest of fine print you might find a well-hidden phone number for the actual listing agent (because lawyers!) but most people understandably don’t realize that.

So what ensues are endless emails, phone calls, and text messages, from an agent that has the same affiliation with the actual listing as you do – none.

Absurdity.

However, if you’ve been enjoying all those Homes.com commercials, there is more to love than just Dan Levy and Heidi Gardner; it’s also the only real estate website that connects you with the actual listing agent.

For the record, we receive no financial gain from Homes.com for sharing this; we just want to give credit where credit is due.

They are the first to do this, and are openly promoting it in some of their current advertising campaigns, but without greater context we weren’t sure if everyone understood why being directed to the actual agent needed to be mentioned.

So… context.

Speaking of real estate website experiences – we are about to revamp ours as well.

With so many options for the same info (pics, stats, generic description, etc), we are moving in a different direction; reviews and opinions (though still with pictures, of course).

Think Car & Driver, but for new construction neighborhoods.

More about that in the months to come.

In the meantime, search away, but choose your portal wisely. Or, don’t choose at all and let us do the searching for you.

Let’s connect and discuss your search!

Pictured above: self-explanatory AI animation – thank you robots!

CURRENT LISTINGS

OUR NEW CONSTRUCTION COLLECTION

WHISPERING RIDGE ESTATES | COMMERCE TWP.

We are down to our final two lots: lot 9 & lot 11. We will be starting a spec home on one of those lots soon, so if you’re on the fence about building your own home from scratch in Whispering Ridge Estates, now is the time to act – let’s chat about it.

Located near Benstein & Glengary in Commerce, Whispering Ridge Estates is in one of the few sections of the township that doesn’t require navigating 2-lane roads while winding around every lake in Oakland County, resulting in commute times that range from 30 min to the Donner Party. Yay! Connect with us for the details!

UPTOWN VILLAGE | MILFORD

Located on the north side of Downtown Milford in Uptown Village, these well-appointed 2-3 bed/2.5-3.5 bath townhomes are a short walk to one of Metro Detroit’s most coveted historical downtowns, with rows of shops and restaurants that are steeped in the authenticity that comes with nearly two centuries of cultivation.

Only a small offering of these townhomes will be built, so act soon; connect with us (if you’re already working with us), or reach out to Julie directly for the details.

16442 SLEEPY HOLLOW | FENTON

Located in the desirable Pinnacle Shores neighborhood in Fenton, 16442 Sleepy Hollow Drive offers a sprawling ranch plan from our friends at Pzarka Custom Homes.

The open concept layout offers high-quality craftsmanship and thoughtful design, on a premium homesite.

With 3 bed/2.5 bath and 2,255 sqft, this home includes a 3-car garage and a daylight basement; it is priced at $629,800.

This home will be complete this month; connect with us (if you’re already working with us), or reach out to Tina Piezarka directly for the details.

OUR NOT NEW (BUT NEW TO YOU) COLLECTION

3217 SHENANDOAH DRIVE | ROYAL OAK

Located within walking distance of the Corewell Health (Beaumont) Royal Oak campus, this 3 bed/2 bath ranch offers nearly 2,000 sqft between the main floor and the spectacularly finished basement.

We emailed agents about this home on a Thursday afternoon, and it was under contract by Thursday night! Priced at $384,900, we are accepting backup offers.

Connect with us directly for additional details!

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

368 WEST EVELYN AVE | HAZEL PARK

One of the benefits of being a friend of The Experts, is that when you have a new construction listing that is ready to set the world on fire, we’re over here playing with matches. Which we probably shouldn’t do in a timber-framed house, but details.

Our buddy Lance Starler, who was involved in our Ferndale shipping container build a couple of years ago, just finished this beauty in Hazel Park and it’s worth a look.

Featuring 3 bed/2 bath and 1,560 sqft, this open-concept ranch plan includes luxurious finishes, a full basement, and a 2-car garage.

Priced at $450,000 connect with Lance directly for the details, or if you’re already working with us, reach out!

IN OTHER RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION NEWS…

APRIL 2025 NEIGHBORHOOD UPDATES

Pulte Homes is offering incentives at a number of communities across Metro Detroit, from $18,000 up to $25,000 on to-be-built homes. The discount will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and is typically tied to specific lots. But in the current climate, we’ll take it!

The VIP list has started for The Preserve at Davis Creek (pictured); detached ranch condos by Robertson Brothers Homes. Located on the east side of Pontiac Trail between Silver Lake Rd and 11 Mile, pricing is still TBD but our guess is they’ll start somewhere in the $400s.

Lombardo Homes opened Starkweather in Plymouth earlier this month, and with it launched their new City Homes product, geared towards in-town living. Priced from $669K, so far they’ve released 6 lots, with 3 now under deposit; they will only have 15 lots in total.

INDIAN VILLAGE | DETROIT

Last May, we took a look at the first new construction homes in decades to be built in/around Indian Village in Detroit.

Nearly a year later, we check-in on the progress.

So far, they’ve closed 5 homes, with 1 more closing later this month; they have 6 additional homes under contract/construction.

The developer, Greatwater Homes, expect to build 15 homes this year, and another 25-30 in 2026.

With homes finishing out around $200-$225/sqft (less than what you would typically find for similar new construction homes in the ‘burbs), momentum seems to have picked up since the pre-sales began; having finished homes to show typically helps with that.

With condos being the main source of residential new construction in Detroit for the past decade or so, we are excited to see single-family homes on the rise.

You can read more from Crain’s Detroit Business here.

BUILDERS: DON’T JUST LIST YOUR HOMES…

GET THEM IN FRONT OF THE RIGHT BUYERS!

Our website caters exclusively to new-home-specific buyers, so in addition to the usual audiences found on the MLS, Zillow, etc., we also bring you local buyers searching specifically for new homes, by creating original, organic content, and pairing it with a social media strategy that guides prospects directly to your listing; and we do it for less than what resale agents charge.

If you’re already working with a client and they have a house to sell, we can help with that as well – using our knowledge of the construction process, to help prevent any issues with timing, etc., when we list their home.

Get in touch to find out how we can sell your homes (and your client’s home), and save everyone money in the process.

Also… if you like what you’ve seen in our April 2025 newsletter, connect with us to find out how your homes can be featured in future newsletters!

AGENTS: BECOME AN EXPERT…

WE ARE THE HOME FOR NEW HOME SPECIALISTS!

Join us. We are growing our national network of New Home Experts® agents across the United States and beyond.

If you are a builders sales rep looking for something different, or an agent/broker with a masterful level of experience selling or building new construction homes in your local market, we want to talk.

Set your business apart from competitors by focusing on this lucrative real estate sector; one that most other agents are either afraid of, intimidated by, or both.

Interested? Let’s chat about the life of an “expert” and if it’s the right path for your career.

CLIENTS: WE LOVED WORKING WITH YOU!

…AND WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AS WELL.

(at least, the ones who are like you)

Our clients mean the world to us, and watching their dreams turn into reality is what keeps us going. We appreciate all of you, and would love the opportunity to help your friends, family, and co-workers as well.

If anyone you refer to us builds, buys, or lists a home with a New Home Experts agent from now until the end of 2025, we will send you a $100 Amazon gift card to show our appreciation.

Call, email, or just send them our way – we’ll take it from there.

And of course, if YOU decide to build, buy, or list with us again, the same offer applies to you.

CONTACT US

Questions about your new home search? Call or email us today – we look forward to hearing from you! Not ready for that kind of commitment? Check out our new-home-specific-search and email us incognito. Use a name like Casey Deeya. We’ll never know it’s you…