Paul Bastian, Realtor

05/06/2026

Kermit and Pat made a decision at the beginning of March that it was time to find a condo and downsize. They had an offer accepted at the start of April, and now at the beginning of May have closed on a wonderful new place to call home! Their daughter Kristen was there every step of the way, and everyone was breathing sighs of relief at a quick and smooth process. You’ll see my sign in front of their house in Grosse Pointe Woods soon!

04/27/2026

PLEASE CLICK AND READ FULL POST!!

I’m not of a mind to share private matters on a professional page, but something that’s really hit my heart happened over the weekend, and I’m hoping that social media might help remedy this situation.

Getting to the point, Some clients who recently purchased a home were cleaning out their garage and found… an urn. With someone’s ashes inside.

I’m asking anyone reading this to share this info in hopes of reuniting this individual with their family. Here’s what I have, taken directly from a form that was inside the urn:

Name of Deceased - Ronald Ware
Next of Kin - Caroline Ware
Address - 2###X Seyburn Ave., Warren, MI
Date of Death - 4/19/2010
Date of Birth - 9/21/1964
Date of Cremation - 4/26/2010
Place of Death - Wayne County, Detroit
Cause of Death - Pending
Funeral Director- Rudy Funeral Home
Cremation Handled by -
Meadowcrest Memorial Cemetery & Crematorium

I’ve contacted the funeral home that handled this person, the Macomb County Register of Deeds, and the Title Insurance Company that last handled a transaction for what I believe might be this person’s family. I’m pursuing every possible avenue.

I’ve found names for people I believe might be related, based on property transaction records:

Linda Bailey
Russell Bailey
Charles Bailey

And some others based on other public data:

Anika Ware
Arika Ware
Ashley Ware
Ashli Ware
Clint Ware
Michael Ware
Pamela Ware
George Bailey
Yvette Bailey
Judith Curle
Jaci Meffer
John Meffer
Jessica Sardo
Laura Shively

If you know anyone that might be related to the decedent, please message me directly.

I’d like to help reunite Ronald with his rightful guardian.

THIS POST IS PUBLIC - PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA.

04/27/2026

I do love working with first time homebuyers! Caitlin and Mikhail were referred to me by their family, and we had such fun together. While it doesn’t often work out this way, it only took them three showings to find “The One!” Congratulations to these two for making it all happen!

03/02/2026

Starting my Monday with 6 hours of Real Estate Coursework!

A huge part of the reason you want to work with a Realtor is the fact that, not only are we licensed professionals, but also that part of maintaining that license requires regular continuing education courses. This keeps us up to date on new regulations in fair housing practices, changes in legal requirements, and current relevant case law. You can always decide to represent yourself in a transaction, but… would you also represent yourself in court, or perform your own surgery?

TL/DR: Realtors know more because we have to.

02/18/2026

Are you planning to purchase a home in Oakland County?

The Oakland County Treasurer was at the most recent Royal Oak City Commission meeting to speak about Oakland County’s Homebuyer Assistance Program. If you earn less than $123,000 annually and are going to use at least $1,000 of your own funds towards a home purchase, you could qualify. Funds can be used toward a down payment or other closing costs, and the funds are stackable with other grants and programs! Follow this link to learn more.

The Oakland County Treasurer’s Office, in partnership with Independent Bank, is proud to introduce the Home Buyer Assistance Program. This innovative initiative is designed to help low- to moderate-income individuals and families in Oakland County overcome financial barriers to homeownership.

01/14/2026

If the last three years are any indication of a new trend, The Spring Market in Michigan will start springing soon! While online real estate sites can be a reasonable place to start, they’re wholly untrustworthy when trying to pinpoint a number at which to list your home, or what to expect to pay in the neighborhood you wish to move to. This article is the perfect explanation of how and why online platforms’ algorithms will fail you, from an inability to access the most accurate property information or comprehend hyperlocal market trends, to knowing what improvements have been done or having an accurate sense of a home’s condition.

TL/DR: Online real estate platforms are an unreliable source of information. Contact a trusted Realtor to give you the most accurate data and a common sense explanation about your local market.

How accurate are Zillow Zestimates? Here are a few things you should consider when looking to Zillow for information on your home.

08/25/2025

Every bit of THIS.

They had unlimited data. Billions in funding. The best engineers money could buy.

And they still lost nearly a billion dollars of cash and $40 billion of market cap trying to flip houses using their own Zestimate.

Think about that: The company that tells YOU what your house is worth couldn't figure out what houses were worth when their own money was on the line.

Here's what actually happened: They'd make instant cash offers based on their algorithm.

Bought thousands of homes. Then reality hit.

The algorithm didn't account for foundation issues. Couldn't smell the mold. Didn't notice the neighbor's garage band. Couldn't feel that the neighborhood was shifting.

Meanwhile, local agents were watching them overpay by $30-50k per house and laughing.

The best part?

While Zillow was hemorrhaging money, they were still telling consumers to trust the Zestimate.

Still showing those "Your home is now worth..." notifications.

Still letting people make the biggest financial decision of their lives based on an algorithm that literally bankrupted their own house-flipping division.

Their own CEO quietly selling his Seattle mansion for 40% under its Zestimate wasn't just embarrassing.

It was him admitting what every agent already knows: Real estate is local, emotional, and human.

But millions still check their Zestimate daily like it's their horoscope.

You know who never lost $881 million buying houses?

Your local agent who's sold 200 homes in your zip code.

They know the builder who cut corners in 2003.

They know which streets flood.

They know the school rezoning coming next year.

But sure, trust the algorithm that couldn't even save itself.

08/20/2025

I love it when friends become clients! An old high school friend and her husband recently reached out, wanting to relocate to a new home in a great school district before the new school year begins. Shortly after the adventure began, BOOM!, this gem popped up in Berkley. Even in a multi-offer situation, we put together an offer that the sellers couldn’t refuse. Are you thinking of making a move? Drop me a line and put me to work to help make your goals a reality!

07/09/2025

But does YOUR house have an ‘80s playground style, steel spring mounted, rideable elephant? Can’t say I’ve ever shown a house with anything like this before!

06/25/2025

One of my favorite parts of doing showings is seeing homes that been in the market in decades. On a recent trip to Huntington Woods, I saw some amazing silvery wallpaper, legitimate interior window shutter, a beautiful wood-and-glass-paned door, and a very unique chandelier. I can’t get enough of this kind of thing!