Buying guide · Macomb County
This is the exact process Doni walks every buyer through, from the first mortgage call to the closing keys. It's built for first-timers and for people who have done this ten times: plain-English steps, honest numbers, and zero drama where drama doesn't belong.
The five steps
01
Pre-approval letter in hand
Before a single tour, you get pre-approved so the budget is a fact, not a wish. Doni sends you to lenders she trusts, explains the rate conversation in plain English, and makes sure your monthly payment number is one you can actually sleep next to.
02
17 towns · Macomb / Oakland / Wayne
A list of houses is not a plan. Together you pick the towns, the school boundaries, the commute trade-offs, and the non-negotiables (garage size counts, ugly carpet doesn't). Then her search finds you the houses that fit the thesis, including the ones that aren't live on the apps yet.
03
The honest-condition tour
On every tour Doni points out what's cosmetic and what's structural, what a fix costs and what a foundation looks like when it means business. You will never fall in love with a house whose problems you don't understand. There is no such thing as a perfect house; there is a house whose problems you can live with.
04
Comps, terms, and leverage
Offers get built on the last six months of sold comps for the exact subdivision, not the listing price and not anyone's feelings. She handles the counteroffers, the repair requests, and the escalation drama so you stay calm and the numbers stay honest.
05
The last two weeks, managed
The inspection window is a negotiating tool, not a panic button. When the inspector flags something, Doni tells you within a day whether it's a $300 fix, a $3,000 project, or a walk-away, because she has repaired these exact things herself. From appraisal to final walkthrough, someone on her team is on it.
The daylight report
Most buyers shop with their eyes. Doni shops with a tape measure, a flashlight, and twenty years of knowing what's behind the drywall. The house with the carpet from 1972 and the solid bones? That's the one the flippers are circling, and it might be the one you should own.
She'll help a buyer see beyond ugly wallpaper, outdated fixtures, and paint colors that should be illegal, and she'll tell you flat out when a house is going to cost you in ways no amount of paint can fix.
What buying with the collective means
New-listing alerts set up the day we start, including off-market and coming-soon homes.
Every document explained in plain English before you sign it. No fine-print surprises.
Condition checks on any property you're serious about, before you spend money on inspections.
A short list of lenders, inspectors, and insurers the team has used on real transactions.
Answer times you can set a watch to. Something moves on your deal, you hear about it.
One honest voice telling you when a house is a bad idea, even when you love it.
Ready when you are
Tell her where you're looking, what you need, and what you can spend. She'll come back with towns to consider and the first three houses to see.
First-time buyers and VA loans very welcome
Tell her where things stand. She'll get back to you, usually within a day.
Got it. Talk soon.
Your note is on its way to Doni and Emma. Expect a reply within a day or so.
In the meantime: every house has a story, and yours just got a lot less complicated.