February 15, 2012
Builder TV interviews Marketplace Homes
Builder TV interviews Marketplace Homes at the 2012 International Builders’ Show! Builder TV and Builder Magazine’s Senior Editor, John Caulfield had the opportunity to speak with Marketplace Homes’ Managing Partner, Mike Kalis about the unique opportunity that Marketplace Homes brings for builders to find customers and likewise, the amazing opportunity that is given to homeowners to have the ability to purchase a new construction home using the Guaranteed Lease Program!
Click here to see the Builder TV interview!!
Interested to find out more? It takes 30 seconds to find out how much your house will rent for online or give us a call at 800-331-0646 to learn more about the Guaranteed Lease Program.
You don’t have to be stuck in your starter home. Let Marketplace Homes help you.
February 14, 2012
FOX Business’ Young Guns features Marketplace Homes
Marketplace Homes’ Managing Partner, Mike Kalis was just featured on FOX Business’ Young Guns series titled “Detroit Entrepreneur Sees New-Home-Buying Model Forged From Crisis” :
Marketplace Homes, which focuses on helping people buy newly-constructed homes by turning their old ones into rental properties that [they manage], started in the suburbs of Detroit, it’s spread to 17 states–and his payroll has increased from 16 employees to 60 in the last year.
“The most common client is a growing family,” he said. “They feel stuck and a lot of times, because of the economy, their old home isn’t worth what it used to be worth. We’re telling people there is a simple solution of leasing out your home so that they can get into that new home they really need,”
Click here to view the latest news piece for Marketplace Homes!
February 9, 2012
Join Us for a Winter Carnival and Find a New Home!
We would love for you to check out the new homes that one of our partner builders, Centex has to offer:
241 Clayburne Dr
Goose Creek, SC 29445
The homes range from $129,000 – $210,000, but what’s even better than the price is that you can utilize the Marketplace Homes Guaranteed Lease Program! Give us a call at 800-331-0646 and we can set you up with a phone appointment to learn more about the program and to get that guaranteed lease amount on your property!
You’re Invited to a…
WINTER WONDERLAND
at Liberty Hall Plantation!!
Join us for a Winter Carnival on Saturday, February 18th from 11am to 1pm! Liberty Hall Park in Liberty Hall Plantation will be turned into a fabulous Winter Wonderland!
There will be plenty of wintery good times, including ice skating, jump castles, s’mores stations, food trucks and lots more! We hope to see you there!
RSVP to 843.553.2901
February 2, 2012
The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) Teams with Marketplace Homes and WWJ-News Radio 950
The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) was created as a means to help families who were struggling to pay their basic utility bills and could not find relief from any other service. Marketplace Homes is a company that provides solutions for families across the country struggling to find a way to move, whether they are looking for the new construction home of their dreams or searching for the perfect rental home. Working together to help families in a way no one else can, made perfect sense, explains Marketplace Homes Managing Partner Mike Kalis.
Today, at the Dearborn Henry Ford during The Heat and Warmth Fund’s 9th annual WWJ Winter Survival Radiothon, Marketplace Homes Solution Managers, Matt Marsoupian and Matt Derocher presented The Heat and Warmth Fund with a check for $1,000 on behalf of Marketplace Homes that will go to providing Michigan families with emergency energy assistance as temperatures drop.
“The Heat and Warmth Fund is a great example of a Michigan organization creating solutions for families with no other options, and Marketplace Homes strives to do the same,”says Kalis.
To find out how Marketplace Homes can help you, contact us today.
January 24, 2012
Housing Starts — 2012 Looking to be a Promising Year!
Total housing starts three-month moving average has increased for eight months and that trend is expected to continue into 2012 for an annual rate of increase around 17%. The absolute levels of housing construction remain below half of normal and a true return to the underlying demographically driven demand for additional housing of about 1.7 million homes is still several years away.
Single-Family Housing starts increased 4.4% in December to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 470,000, the best monthly number since May 2010…if you remember, that was a time when builders were increasing their construction due to a government tax credit for first time home buyers.
A few key players in the industry had this to say about the current housing market:
Paul Diggle, economist, Capital Economics: “With demand set to improve this year, we think that homebuilding is past the low-water mark and will rise modestly in 2012. We expect housing starts to rise to about 750,000 this year in response to stronger demand, which will be supported by an extremely favorable valuation and affordability environment and a slight loosening in credit conditions. That said, with household formation still low and new builds competing with a steady influx of foreclosed properties, it may not be until 2015 at the earliest that starts reach healthy levels of around one million a year.”
Michael Gapen, economist Barclays Capital: “We view the softness in the headline number as mainly reflecting month-to-month volatility in the multifamily starts component and see underlying trends in both single- and multi-family starts, along with building permits, as suggesting the recent modest momentum in home building remains in place. We continue to see residential investment as making a small positive contribution to (fourth-quarter economic) growth and believe housing will not pose a drag on the recovery as it has in the past. “
Michelle Meyer, economist, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch: “The drop in multifamily starts reversed the gain in November, which reflects the noisy nature of the data. In 2011, multifamily starts are up 55% while single-family are down 9%. Looking ahead to this year, we expect a similar size gain in multifamily starts this year and little change in single family starts, leaving total housing starts to average about 710,000, up from 607,000 in 2011. While this is a decent percentage gain, it is only a modest pickup in the number of homes constructed, therefore only providing a small boost to the economy.”
Kevin Logan, chief U.S. economist, HSBC: “Month-to-month changes in housing starts are erratic, not least of all because of variations in the weather across the country. Not much should be made of one month’s decline. For the year, housing starts rose 3.7% compared to 2010. Starts of multifamily residences provided all of the strength… This pattern is likely to persist in 2012, with strong gains in multifamily starts outpacing the single-family sector.”
The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose to 25 in January, the highest reading since June 2007. This marks the fourth consecutive monthly increase for a total change of 11 points and the largest four month increase since 2003. All three components increased and all four regions showed positive change. Except for the Northeast, regional levels were last this high in 2007 and current sales and traffic are back to levels last seen in 2007. Expectations for future sales were the highest since mid-2009.
Existing home sales continued to grow on a month-to-month basis in December, rising for a third consecutive month. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported sales of existing homes comprised of completed transactions of single-family, townhouses, condominiums and co-ops rose 5.0 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.61 million. This is an increase from the downwardly revised level of 4.39 million in November. December home sales were 3.6 percent above the December level of 4.45 million a year ago. Only the West reported a slight decrease of 0.9 percent.
January 17, 2012
1025 Otter Ave. in Waterford, Michigan Featured Rental Property!
When you think of the perfect house, what comes to mind?
For me, I start thinking about things like closet space, storage, where the laundry room is, whether a basement is finished or not, etc. Like most people, I want to make sure I am looking at houses that fit my lifestyle and what is important to me.
What if I told you that I found a house that has it all?!?
Look at that gorgeous rock on the garage!
Besides a gorgeous exterior, this house that Marketplace Homes has for rent at 1025 Otter Ave in Waterford, Michigan has it all! This large waterfront home has amazing views of the lake from every room in the house! With a finished basement, perfect for entertaining, you can walk right out to the dock. Imagine the awesome summer barbeques you can throw here!
The perfect place for entertaining!
For the boating enthusiast, this house is for you! With 500 square feet of storage under the garage, it’s perfect for lake tows with a double door entry! Out back features a newer seawall on the 6 foot canal. While in the house has new windows throughout, new paint, and new fixtures!
You really can’t let this house pass you by! Call Marketplace Homes today and ask to speak with Chris! We’d love to help you move into your dream home!
January 16, 2012
New Homes in South Carolina Now with Marketplace Homes
Marketplace Homes is pleased to announce today that it has partnered with some of South Carolina’s top builders to offer new homes in south carolina with our 6 Year Guarantee Lease program in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and their surrounding communities.
It’s a great time to buy, but a tough time to sell. See how much your home will rent for in 30 seconds or call 1-877-9000-HOME (4663) today to find out Marketplace Homes can help you build the home of your dreams!
January 13, 2012
It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Joel Parrott!
While he can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound or run from here to London in a split second, one thing Marketplace Homes’ Solutions Manager Joel Parrott a.k.a Superman can do is sell new construction homes. 144 in 2011, to be exact!
Now if that sounds like a lot of homes to you…that’s because it is! Joel sold more than any other new construction home salesperson in the ENTIRE COUNTRY! Joel’s masters in real estate development and management helps, but if you ask him he will tell you that the Marketplace Homes program is a huge part in his success as the top new construction home salesperson in the country!
If you aren’t familiar with Marketplace Homes, their leasing program helps people who feel stuck in their home. Whether they are living in a home that they bought as a starter home or they are looking to downsize, Marketplace Homes offers them a solution…that solution being their Guaranteed Lease Program.
With new home sales up 8.9% since last year, Joel and the other Solutions Mangers at Marketplace Homes offer home owners a rent payment on their home, regardless if their is a renter in their home or not, for the next SIX YEARS!
Featured in Builder magazine, Joel is a regular Superman around here at Marketplace Homes. With helping Denver and Chicago builders sell 144 homes in 2011, he helped Marketplace Homes sell 543 homes in that same year!
If you feel stuck in your home and would like to find an option, check out Marketplace Homes out on the web at www.marketplacehomes.com and give us a call today!
January 11, 2012
Immediate Occupancy, New Construction Homes…AVAILABLE NOW!
Are you dreaming about the day that you can have a home that NO ONE has ever lived in before you…a new construction home? Freshly painted walls; brand new carpeting; and most importantly, bathroom tiles that have never seen soap scum before. Doesn’t that sound nice?
What if I told you that dream could become a reality…immediately?!?
Lombardo Homes, here in Michigan (and one of Marketplace Homes’ partner builders), have two immediate occupancy models available. One in their Woods of Forest Ridge community that is over 2700 square feet with a finished room in the basement for just $247K! The second home is in their Stone Ridge community. It’s 1900 square feet and is going for $228K!!
Now if those prices don’t knock your socks off, I bet this piece of information will. We will guarantee a lease payment, regardless if there is a renter in your property or not, for the next SIX YEARS!
I’ll let you digest that for a moment. It’s OK. Jump up and down…this is just as exciting as when Oprah gave cars away to her audience! “A home for you and you and you and you…”. You can move into a new construction home without having to worry about your old home!
Check out Marketplace Homes online at www.marketplacehomes.com for more details about the Guaranteed Lease Program and give us a call today! These magnificent homes won’t be around for long!
January 2, 2012
Featured Home! 434 Holiday Drive in Somonauk, IL!!
Picture this…it’s 75 degrees outside, you have the day off and all you want to do is kick off your shoes and enjoy the latest novel by your favorite author on your gorgeous deck overlooking the lake.
Isn’t that view just gorgeous?!?
After a relaxing day on the deck, it’s time too cook dinner. You can do this in your absolutely gorgeous, gourmet kitchen that includes raised panel custom cabinets, beautiful granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances! Just look at that island!
Can’t you see yourself cooking a feast for your family and friends in this beautiful kitchen? This kitchen is made for entertaining!
This gorgeous, lakefront home will not be around for long! Give Marketplace Homes a call today at 877-9000-HOME to see how you can rent this 2800 square foot, 5 bedroom and 3 bathroom beauty…with a finished basement! You really couldn’t ask for a more perfect home!
434 Holiday Drive in Somonauk, IL could be yours! Give us a call today to find out more about our rental program or our rent-to-own option for this house!
Wouldn’t you love to relax after a long day in a bubbling hot tub? I know I would!
December 28, 2011
Marketplace Homes Wishes YOU a Happy Holidays!
From our family here at Marketplace Homes, we wish you a very happy holidays and a wonderful New Year!
Let 2012 be YOUR year!
Check out our website at www.marketplacehomes.com or give us a call today at 877-9000-HOME.
We would LOVE to help you move out of your old home and into the new construction home of your dreams!
November 28, 2011
Let Marketplace Homes be YOUR Magic Lamp!
If you were given a magic lamp and told that if you rub that lamp, you’ll be granted three wishes…what would you wish for? I know some of you would say “oh that’s easy, I’d wish for more wishes”…but that’s kind of cheating. So let’s make one rule…you can’t wish for more wishes; you only get those three wishes. So think about it a moment, what would YOU wish for?
Me, I’d wish for the following:
- World Peace. I really would. I would wish that EVERY human on planet Earth (and any extraterrestrial beings) would get along. We’re talking, holding hands and singing Kumbaya, getting along.
- More Money. Not millions and kajillions of dollars…just enough to live comfortably and pay for all the college my two kids need. Oh and enough to get me that little two-seater sports car I’ve been eyeing!
- A new house. One someone hasn’t lived in before…a new construction home. One that I can pick out everything for from countertops to floor tiles.
Now obviously if I had a magic lamp, getting a new construction house would be easy peasy, but we all know that there are no such things as magic lamps that when you rub them, a little man floats out of it. But what if I told you that a new construction home IS possible? Even in this market…I know I know you’d rather believe in the magic lamp and floating man. But hear me out!
Marketplace Homes, located in Plymouth, Michigan has been granting wishes for years. So how do we do it? By simply making it possible for you to step away from your current home and into the home of your dreams! Marketplace Homes will guarantee up to 6 years of lease for your home provided you purchase a new construction home from one of our partner builders!
That’s 6 years of lease regardless if there is a tenant in your home or not! No other rental property management company can promise that! But I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet…if Marketplace Homes decides to buy or sell your home during the lease you get 100% of your asking price. It’s a total win-win situation!
So why let your starter home hold you back from the home of your dreams, give us a call today or check us out on the web. We would love to be your magic lamp!
June 16, 2011
Can Moving be Fun?
Do you long to be in an amazing new home, but dread the idea of actually physically moving? You’re not alone! In a recent survey that involved 5 people that work in our office and our really nice Fed-Ex guy, we statistically surmised that 100% of all people in the world don’t want to physically go through the process of moving.
So here is the question, do you need a Realtor or a Moving Company? We thought about this at Marketplace Homes and decided that you need a Simplified Moving Company. What if there was a company to handle every part of the moving process in a simple manor? Would that make moving fun?
Again, of our survey in the office, all voted for the really, really fun moving company. So just like that… we shifted, spoke to our trusty marketing team and came up with the following:
Marketplace Homes – Moving the World!
We are pleased to have changed our new Logo to include the phrase “Moving the World” to reflect our shift from just a real estate company to a company that helps the world move. This also reflects our entrance into 36 new markets this year. If we are not in your community, wait a second. Hang on… now we are there! Phew… that was close!
What’s the difference between Old and Outdated Real Estate Agents and a New and Shiny Marketplace Homes’ Solutions Manager?
An Old School Realtor (generally known for offering average service and extraordinary commissions)-Sends you some litigious agreements that slant hard in their favor and usually suggest walking away as a “smart business move”. They then forget to call you back for a couple months. Most of the time, they stop here, but can often be found hanging out at free lunch-ins wondering why they can’t make any money. We recommend staying clear.
A Solutions Manager at Marketplace Homes – Completes appointments in your living room over the phone any place in the US, on time 99.2% of the time! What a time savor! You never have to visit our office if you don’t want to! So while you’re hanging out eating some nachos and sipping a Diet Coke, our team is diligently coming up with answers for your home. We even offer a 5 DAY SOLUTION!!! Meaning that within 5 days of contacting our office, we will have solved all your housing woes!
These answers include things that no Realtor would suggest such as our Trade Mark “6 year Guaranteed Lease Program”. What a stress free way to move! In addition, our agreement is just 11 bullet points and only 1 page long. You can read it without the legalese. What a concept! No attorneys needed! Talk about a fun saver! You can often find our solutions specialist in somewhat unique places around town complaining that they are selling too many homes, more than 1 a day!
So do you see the difference?
Realtor = NOT fun
Marketplace Homes Solutions Manager = VERY FUN
Let’s make moving fun! Are you ready for us to move your world?
Regards,
Mike Kalis
Marketplace Homes Managing Partner
P.S. What about having an amazing home warming party when you move in? We are here to eat your potato salad! Please send extras and use Fed Ex, we really like our FedEx guy and he mentioned that he loves potato salad.
May 20, 2011
‘Michigan 50 Companies to Watch’ 2011 honors Marketplace Homes
Marketplace Homes was honored at an awards ceremony during the seventh annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event, April 28 in Lansing, Mich.
At Marketplace Homes we like to think of ourselves as “Unsticking the Stuck”, because that is exactly what we do. We help those who are looking to buy a new home actually be able to. In today’s economy, many people are finding it difficult to sell the home they are currently in for a number of reasons. Many of these same individuals are growing families who desperately need more space but can’t sell the starter home they currently own. Others may need to relocate for employment and can’t seem to make the move work without selling their house. These people are STUCK in their home, but they don’t have to be. Marketplace Homes wants to help! With our one of kind program, we will agree to a guarantee lease of your current home for up to 6 years when you buy through one of our many national partnered builders.
“It’s a great time to buy, but a tough time to sell,” says Managing Partner Mike Kalis. “We are so glad to be honored by Michigan Celebrates Small Business and look forward to many more years of continued success.”
Companies making it to the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” list are a remarkable group of second-stage companies. Defined as having 6 to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants, these companies form the backbone of Michigan’s economy. Representing all regions of the state and a diverse range of industries, companies like Marketplace Homes are known for their exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, creation of innovation or use of innovation in creative ways, and their sustainable competitive advantage.
Winners were selected by Michigan-based judges from the banking, economic development, entrepreneurship development and venture capital communities.
May 10, 2011
Detroit Home Values Increasing? Marketplace Homes Takes Credit!
The Standard & Poor’s Case–Shiller Home Price Indices are constant-quality house price indices for the United States. In the just released report for February 2011, there was only one market in the United States where home prices actually jumped, Detroit!
You’re probably wondering how a market such as Detroit home values increased; once the 4th most distressed real estate market in the entire country, Detroit managed to be the only major metropolitan area in the country where home prices are actually on the rise. One writer at The Wall Street Journal suggested it was due in part to the Eminem/Chrysler ad in the Superbowl. The president of a Michigan brokerage firm proposed the rising number could be attributed to a decline in foreclosure sales. However, we at Marketplace Homes know the real reason! IT’S US!
In 2010 alone, Marketplace Homes helped attribute to 12% of all new construction sales in the Detroit Metro area. At a time where many builders were pulling out of the Detroit market, Lombardo Homes stayed. Their partnership with Marketplace Homes helped them become the nation’s fastest growing builder of the year.
Many of these deals could not have happened without Marketplace Homes’ one of a kind Guaranteed Lease program!
Numbers don’t lie. The proof is in the pudding. You can word it however you’d like. The truth is Marketplace Homes works!
With our proven success in Detroit, we are spreading our wings into other markets in the country that need us. These markets anxiously await the arrival of Marketplace Homes to turn around their market as well.
We are an innovative; solutions based company that is taking over the world, one housing market at a time.
February 17, 2011
The world’s first and only “Cloud Real Estate” company makes moving is a little “fluffier”
We believe that parents should be able to provide a home in a school system and area that makes sense for their family.
We believe that a hard worker who needs to relocate for a better opportunity shouldn’t have to worry about a home to sell.
We believe that a retiring couple that has saved their entire life shouldn’t have to wait even longer to enjoy the lifestyle they deserve just because the market turned at the wrong moment.
We believe that too many people are being held back by a tough market.
We believe that we are going to unchain people from an old home and change the way the world moves!
“ That’s nice but…. what the heck is Cloud Real Estate anyways?”
Cloud Real Estate is the idea that you can find out everything that you need to know to purchase a home though the internet and over the phone with Marketplace Homes. We know that time is at a premium and meeting face to face with Ethel the Realtor is soooo 2002. Information is easy to access and finding a new home at a great price is no longer the challenge. The challenge is how to put together a solution for your existing home that makes sense for you. Marketplace Homes addresses your current home first, all you have to do is apply online!
The second you log into Marketplacehomes.com our team immediately starts analyzing your home. We have hundreds and hundreds of years of combined experience and have some of the biggest Real Estate nerds you can imagine working on your home. Being a nerdy real estate guy myself, I’ve found that Real Estate Nerdiness may not get the ladies… but real estate nerds will get you out of your home!
We look at what homes are selling for, what homes are available, what homes are renting for and get a really good idea of your situation. We then put together a solution that utilizes our company’s national reach and it can include a sale, a tenant, or even in some cases a tenant buyer that will rent and purchase later! We are solutions specialist so the bigger the challenge, the more fun it is to put it together.
Once we have a plan in place we set up a 30 minute solutions meeting over the phone with you. Yep, you can hang out in the living room in your pajamas and eat some nachos while you learn about the market. Maybe even while you enjoy a fizzy Diet Coke. Our solutions specialists then end each call with something no other company offers… a guarantee! You’ll receive a guaranteed lease amount by email at the end of the call. It should come in just about the time you finish last chunk of cheese from that amazing nacho plate. 30 minutes and a plate of nachos can solve all of the housing woes for your family? Yep!
Did we mention how simple our lease is? It’s the world’s first and only 12 bullet point, 1 page lease. An easy to understand real estate document? Sounds too good to be true. It’s just one small way that we are helping to make your move a little simpler.
So this is cloud real estate! You’ve finished some nachos, and you have a couple sips left of your Diet Coke, now what?
We recommend driving out to one of our builder’s models on the weekend and checking out how awesome your family’s new life in a new neighborhood is going to be! No old home means a new home is within reach! Imagine how your spouse will feel! Imagine what this means for your kids! Oh quick… finish off the rest of the Diet Coke.
Easy, yes!
Fluffy, sure!
Fizzy, why not!
Welcome to Cloud Real Estate!
Welcome to Marketplace Homes!!!
December 13, 2010
Preconstruction Sale Underway at Preserves
November 15, 2010
Lennar Homes, Colorado Announces Alliance With Marketplace Homes
Lennar Homes Colorado, one of the nation’s leading homebuilders, is helping get more prospective homebuyers into its brand new homes through its recent strategic alliance with Marketplace Homes in Denver, Colorado.
Any prospective homebuyer that thinks they can’t move into a brand new home because they need to sell their current home to move should think again. Why not buy a brand new Lennar home at today’s low prices and wait and sell your current home later, when prices recover?
September 1, 2010
Rental homes are hot in all price ranges
Second of two parts
The housing slump has put some unique homes on the market for lease when they don’t sell, including mansions that rent for more than $10,000 a month.
And although many people have damaged credit because of a foreclosure or short sale, they still have good-paying jobs that qualify them to lease a nice home until they can buy again, said Renee Acho, a Realtor with SKBK Sotheby’s in Birmingham.
“It could take two to five years to repair that credit. In that time, they have to rent,” she said.
RELATED CONTENT
• “Reluctant landlords in metro Detroit rent to pay mortgages”
The choices range from a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in Warren with a fenced yard and patio for $550 a month to a six-bedroom, 7.5-bathroom colonial in Bloomfield Township with 6,800 square feet on a resort-style lot with a pool for $14,500 a month.
The good ones go quickly, said Linda Hiller Novak, an associate broker with Max Broock Realtors in Birmingham. She had eight offers on the first day she put a three-bedroom home up for lease in Ferndale for $1,200.
“It ended up leasing for more than the asking price,” Hiller Novak said. “I had that house on the market for sale for six months and didn’t have one offer.”
FROM NO-FRILLS TO GATED LUXURY
The leasing market for single-family homes is particularly strong in metro Detroit now as more people, not able to sell, are willing to rent their homes to cover the mortgage while they go on to a larger home or even a job out of state.
Depending on what you can afford, there are interesting options in the rental market — everything from a no-frills, three-bedroom starter home to a four-bedroom lakefront home with its own pool and hot tub for eight.
LESS THAN $1,000
For this price, you typically will find fairly basic housing: a three-bedroom, one-bath home with 1,000 square feet in communities such as Southfield, Detroit, Eastpointe, Grosse Pointe, Clinton Township, Ferndale, Warren and Allen Park.
Melissa Maynard, 39, who works in the insurance industry, bought a 1,160-square-foot house in Rochester Hills with three bedrooms and one bathroom in 2001, and then couldn’t sell it for what her family needed as it grew. Maynard; her husband, Randy, 36, and three children were living in cramped quarters.
“We never imagined we would be raising our family there for 10 years. We got upside down and were stuck there,” she said.
They found a larger home with four bedrooms and three bathrooms in Oakland Township, and decided to rent the Rochester Hills home. They just rented it to two Oakland University students. Her Realtor, James Silver of Keller Williams, handled the leasing for her in exchange for one month’s rent of $975.
Another find at this price range: a two-story home in Detroit with 2,809 square feet, four bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. The monthly rent is $850. The home features a library, hardwood floors, a fireplace and bay window.
$1,000 TO $2,000
In this range, you generally will find three or more bedrooms, 1.5 or more bathrooms and about 1,200 to 2,650 square feet of living space. The communities include Mt. Clemens, Birmingham, Detroit, Ferndale, Grosse Pointe Woods, Livonia, Warren, Beverly Hills and Garden City.
Bill Wen, 35, who owns a four-bedroom home in Shelby Township, hopes to lease it for $1,850 a month when he moves next month to Texas for a new job. He’s an automotive engineer. Although he wouldn’t lose money by selling it, he wouldn’t make money, either. He said he hopes that by waiting the market out for a few years, he will be able to recoup some of his investment.
The home features 2,651 square feet, 2.5 bathrooms, a two-car attached garage, cathedral ceilings and a view of a pond. “This is our first house. Both of our daughters were born here and we have lots of close friends, so it is emotional. It is right now our preference not to sell,” he said.
Another find at this price range: a three-bedroom, two-bathroom brick ranch in Ferndale for $1,300 a month. It has 1,091 square feet, hardwood floors, a two-car attached garage and is close to downtown.
MORE THAN $2,000
This price range grants renters access to some of the most remarkable homes in metro Detroit, including ones in Detroit’s historic neighborhoods such as Sherwood Forest and Indian Village; Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Shelby Township, Clinton Township, Bloomfield Township and Grosse Pointe Farms.
Square footage is likely more than 2,000 and up to 5,500 in some cases. There’s an excellent chance you’ll get four bedrooms or more and at least 2.5 bathrooms.
Paul and Lisa Toenjes decided to rent their Grosse Pointe Woods home for $2,200 a month after buying a larger home in Grosse Pointe Farms this summer. The four-bedroom, 2.5-bath brick colonial features 2,790 square feet. The couple made numerous upgrades during the 18 years they have lived in the house, including a new kitchen and turning a porch into a first-floor library. There’s a three-car garage, hardwood floors and a large family room. The home already has been leased.
The home had been for sale at $279,000 since January. They decided to rent it after finding their new home, said Paul Toenjes, 50, who works for Compuware.
IF MONEY IS NO OBJECT …
Then there are the luxury homes, such as a five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom house in a gated community in Bloomfield Township up for lease at $7,900 a month. Steve Cole, a Realtor at Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel in Birmingham, suggested to the owner that he lease it instead of letting it languish on the sales market, where it had been listed for $1.3 million, $2 million less than the cost to build it in 2006.
The 5,400-square-foot home sits on more than an acre and features a gourmet kitchen with a copper prep sink on the granite island, hardwood floors, first-floor master bedroom suite, his and hers closets and dressing areas, dual staircases, three fireplaces, theater room, exercise room and a three-car garage.
The owner works in finance in New York and was transferred before he could even move into the home.
“It’s been for sale for a couple of years, but no serious offers,” Cole said.
Cole said there has been a substantial amount of interest in the home, adding that it has had 80 showings in the last six months, half of which were from those interested in leasing.
“Leasing is a great option, but you have to be very selective,” Cole added.
Contact GRETA GUEST: 313-223-4192 or gguest@freepress.com
May 17, 2010
Marketplace Homes Named as Finalist in 2010 American Business Awards
PLYMOUTH, Mich., May 17 /PRNewswire/ — Marketplace Homes was named a Finalist today in the Most Innovative Company of the Year category in The 2010 American Business Awards.
The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit entries – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.
“We are so excited to be a Finalist at the national level for Most Innovative Company of the Year,” said Mike Kalis, Owner and Managing Partner. ”We offer something no one else does – and it benefits both consumers and the new construction industry. We’re experiencing tremendous growth because of this.”
Marketplace Homes offers a unique 6 year guaranteed lease program to consumers providing them the opportunity to build a new home with preferred builder partners. Marketplace Homes will lease your first home for up to 6 years – with payments, utilities, and maintenance guaranteed – even tenant damage up to $5,000 is guaranteed.
Mr. Kalis is a recognized and active entrepreneur in the metro-Detroit community and one of this year’s Michigan Economic Bright Spot award winners. In 2009 Marketplace Homes contributed to the sale of 12% of all new construction homes in Metro-Detroit and will be in 12 national markets by the end of 2010. Currently, Marketplace Homes helps to market over 40 communities in the Metro-Detroit market through partnerships with local and national builders.
This year’s Stevie Award winners will be announced during the annual gala on Monday, June 21 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. More than six-hundred executives from across the U.S.A. are expected to attend. The event will benefit Oceana (oceana.org), the largest international organization focused on ocean conservation. The ceremonies will be broadcast on radio nationwide by the Business TalkRadio Network.
More than 2,700 entries from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in more than 40 categories, including Most Innovative Company of the Year, Management Team of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Corporate Environmental Responsibility Program of the Year
Members of the Awards’ Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and specialized final judging committees will select Stevie Award winners from among Finalists in final judging that will continue through May 28. Finalists were chosen by business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May.
About Marketplace Homes
Marketplace Homes based in Plymouth, Mich., is a privately held company with operations in Metro-Detroit. All available homes, success stories and builder partners can be found at www.marketplacehomes.com. Please visit for more information.
About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about The Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.
Media Contacts:
Patty Cox
586-817-5745
Mike Kalis
mike.kalis@marketplacehomes.com
734.862.4750
Read more: Marketplace Homes Named as Finalist in 2010 American Business Awards(SM)
