Real Estate Information Archive

Home styles vary around the world and Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Interesting article on ancient architecture covering different parts of the world below.  Here in Ann Arbor you can find different homes for sale in Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities by clicking this link.  Homes for Sale in Ann Arbor.

Please call or click the link below if you would like help with any Real Estate Matter.  Note the All MLS Listings link above for direct access to the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors data base containing every listing for sale in Washtenaw County Michigan.  

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Commuters attempting to transverse the confluence of Ellsworth Road and State Street in Pittsfield Township, just south of Ann Arbor, can expect to face more roundabout detours to avoid the roundabout construction zone that has shut down that intersection since early June.

The most recent update reported on Ann Arbor.com back in August stated that the project was at least showing progress, as the section of Ellsworth Road west of State Street that has been under construction would open to accept traffic flow, while the section of Ellsworth east of State would be closed. It was estimated that this latest closure impacting those who have to navigate through this beehive work zone, where traffic running in both directions on State Street would be maintained while one of its usual two lanes will continue be closed, would stretch into at least mid-September.

Although it is no doubt disrupting a number of area residents' lives, businesses roundabout the intersection are staying open for the project's duration. Additionally, the $2.4 million improvement project coordinated by the Washtenaw County Road Commission is transitioning into its third phase, and thereby inching (like commuter traffic at the intersection) closer to its completion target of late September.

Initiated in 2012 by Pittsfield Township as a proactive solution to many of the anticipated traffic hassles, problems and issues have likely coincided with the opening of a new Costco store at 771 Airport Blvd. The large national retailer is reportedly footing about $500,000 of the construction bill, with payment for the remaining costs taken care of via two federal grants.

Pittsfield Township formed a partnership agreement with the City of Ann Arbor to split $42,000 spun off from the project, which will ostensibly go toward prettying up the roundabout intersection once construction's completed with some concrete stamping work.

Located within Buhr Park, in the very heart of Ann Arbor, MI, the Cobblestone Farm and Museum offers a glimpse at what life was like in southeast Michigan during the mid-19th century.

The property features a neo-classical style, cobblestone farmhouse, constructed in 1844 for Dr.Benahah Ticknor, a naval doctor. Today, the restored farm and farmhouse are open to the public and offer a variety of historic decorative art pieces and artifacts from the 19th century.

Special Events at Cobblestone Farm
Cobblestone Farm hosts a weekly farmers' market on Tuesdays, from May through November. The more than 25 weekly vendors offer local produce, plants, canned goods, flowers and dairy products.

The property is also the site of numerous special events, including: Living History Days, Michigan Log Cabin Day, Spring on the Farm, an Independence Day celebration, and Country Christmas.

Visiting the Cobblestone Farm and Museum
The Cobblestone Museum is open on Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and admission is free.

The Cobblestone Farm and Museum is located at 2781 Packard Road in Ann Arbor.

At a time when many Midwestern towns - both small and large - are shrinking, Ann Arbor bucks the trend, and is growing. The town, affectionately referred to as "Tree Town," is now Home to more than 116,000 residents, a gain of more than two percent over 2010 numbers, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

That makes Ann Arbor the fifth largest city in Michigan, behind Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren and Sterling Heights. The new 2,000+ Ann Arbor residents bolster the town's population above that of the Michigan state capital, Lansing.

"CNN Money" magazine named Ann Arbor one of the top 100 places to live in the United States in 2012, citing both the nearness of Big 10 football (Ann Arbor is the home of the University of Michigan), and the town's many job opportunities.

The positive news about America's real estate market bouncing back from the infamous bubble bursting has reached the Ann Arbor real estate market, and reflections of this optimistic outlook have actually taken on a physical manifestation, at least in statistics form.

According to the “Monthly Housing Statistics” - a publication produced by the Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS®, which reports on the housing activity in Washtenaw County and is based on data from the Multiple Listing Service - the overall state of the residential real estate market in the county is strong so far in 2013.

Listed below are some of the numbers published by the Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS® that back up the positive rhetoric:

• Residential sales up 6 percent - 183 units sold versus 173 in January 2012
• Condo sales increased 32 percent over January 2012, with 41 units sold
• Amount of residential listings fell by 20 percent compared to January 2012
• Average sale price in January 2013: $232,751, 34 percent more than $173,865 in January 2012

Some of the factors involved in creating this real estate enthusiasm, according to the National Association of Realtors, include a pent-up or repressed housing demand, a general increase in employment opportunities, and the near-record low mortgage interest rates.

One nagging cloud in Ann Arbor real estate's otherwise clear blue sky is inventory. As the stats above show, the listings of residential real estate dropped by 20 percent in the last year. So, the fact that more and more people are wanting to buy a Home (demand), coupled with the fact that the number of homes being listed for sale is not keeping pace (supply), has caused the average price for a home to rise accordingly.

According to the latest (February) Multiple Listing Service information and figures from Realtor.com, homes in the U.S. continue to sell at a quick pace as demand from potential buyers increases, resulting in an extremely low inventory of homes for sale. The website goes on to report that homes sold faster last month than any other February since 2007, averaging a median of only 98 days on the market. This is 123 days less than February 2011.

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home, give us a call at (561) 880-2626 or send us an email to explore your options and to find out when is the best time for you to make a move.

The Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum stands as physical proof that the line, "if you build it, they will come" can become a reality.

After the City of Ann Arbor gave her their stamp of approval in 1978, Cynthia Yao gathered together a team of dedicated volunteers, who rolled up their sleeves and got to work on their own hands-on project. About four years later, in 1982, the group had transformed an old firehouse into a two-story wonder. Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum opened its doors, offering 25 exhibits, employing two staff people, and gaining support and help from 10 volunteers.

During its inaugural year of operation, the museum welcomed approximately 25,000 eager, curious, young and not-so-young minds. Since then, more than 4.5 million people have walked through the museum's doors, according to its website (www.aahom.org).

The museum was an unqualified success, and about 10 years after it opened (1993), it utilized a Kresge Foundation Grant to convert the firehouse's third and fourth floors into exhibit space, and kick-started another expansion via a $6.5 million Capital Campaign to purchase a number of adjacent buildings for forthcoming programs and experiences. The National Science Foundation also has contributed about $1.7 million over the museum's lifetime.

Permanent Exhibits

• All About You - explorations inside and outside of the human body, featuring a physical fitness gauge, Huron City Ambulance and more
• Light and Optics - spotlights the science involved in making light bend, creating shadows, and applying light to various aspects of life
• Legacy Gallery - presents simple machines and shows how they can make complex systems work
• Lyon's Country Store Exhibit - recreates a 1920s-era country store
• Media Works - explores the science of telecommunication and television
• Michigan Nature Discover Room - uses an interactive wall, soundscape and native freshwater fish and geology samples to teach visitors about Michigan's natural environment
• Preschool Gallery - designed specifically to entertain and enthrall kids less than 4
• World Around You - contains imagination stimulators like a climbing wall, bubble capsule and magnet exhibits
• Concourse - offers myriad visitor favorites, such as Building in a Building, tornado, Google Liquid, a water table and whisper dishes

The Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum's visitor information is listed below, as well as on the web (www.aahom.org).

Phone:
734.995.5439

image via www.aahom.org

One of the most agreeable aspects of owning property in the Ann Arbor area is the wealth of resources associated with the University of Michigan. Among the best of these is the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA.) Founded in 1909, UMMA is one of the largest university art museums in the United States, with a permanent collection that includes nearly 19,000 objects.

About the Museum

The University of Michigan Art Museum is housed in a 94,000-square-foot exhibition space that combines the historic Alumni Memorial Hall with the new Frankel Wing. The remodeled museum, opened in 2009, houses a variety of permanent and temporary exhibits. Highlights of the museum's permanent collection include works by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, James Whistler, Claes Oldenburg and Max Beckmann. The collection includes examples of American, European, Asian, Middle Eastern and Asian art and spans from the pre-Columbian era to modern times.

Visiting the Museum

UMMA is located on State Street on the U of M campus. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission to the museum is free, but donations are encouraged.

Special Museum Programs

In addition to the permanent and temporary art exhibits, UMMA hosts a full schedule of classes, lectures and special programs. These include drop-in art classes, poetry readings, parent and children art workshops, film screenings and gallery talks. The museum also offers a variety of art tours that focus on examples in the collection of a particular artist, period or genre.

Other Ann Arbor Area Museums

UMMA isn't the only museum in the greater Ann Arbor area. The Cranbrook Museum in Bloomfield Hills features a changing array of modern art exhibits. The Detroit Institute of Arts, located two miles north of downtown Detroit, houses one of the largest and most diverse art collections in the United States. And, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn features a huge collection of historic objects and Americana.

The number of Home sales in Washtenaw County has increased as of September, 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, according to the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors. Virtually all segments of the real estate market are growing, with residential properties leading at 7.23 percent. Residential properties had an average sales price of $214,059 for September, 2012, an increase of 12.5 percent over the same period last year.

Washtenaw County Real Estate Numbers

In addition to residential properties, condo sales are up 6.1 percent, compared to this time last year, with an average sales price of $127,500. The average number of days that properties sit on the market has also improved, dropping from 76 in 2011 to 59 in 2012.

A Seller's Advantage

What do these number mean to you, an Ann Arbor area homeowner? If you've been waiting to sell your home until the economy improves, this may well be the right time to list your home. Although home sales prices have increased, the average number of listings is still lagging behind. In fact, there are 20 percent fewer properties on the market this year than in 2011. This means there are more people willing to buy property, but not more homes on the market. That's a recipe for selling your home quickly and for the top dollar possible.

Buyers are ready

Real estate sales figures aren't the only good news in the Washtenaw County and Ann Arbor area. Unemployment in our area is down to five percent, a decided improvement compared to previous years. In addition, mortgage interest rates are still at historic lows. According to the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors, many potential home buyers are already approved by their bank for a home loan and are just waiting to find the right property. Who knows? Maybe your house or condo is the new home they've been looking for.

Ann Arbor residents have always had access to excellent health care facilities, but the level of care just increased for area veterans because of the strengthened alliance between the University of Michigan and the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in Ann Arbor.

The University of Michigan (U of M) and the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Hospital announced in late October their plan to Lease a new 24,600-square-foot research facility on the U of M campus and to staff it with 150 researchers from the Ann Arbor VA's Center for Clinical Management Research (CCMR.)

Benefits of New UM/VA Alliance

The move will consolidate research work at the facility to the benefit of veterans throughout the U.S. Said Dr. Eve Kerr, director of CCMR, in a recent press release: "From improving treatment of chronic conditions to preventing suicides and enhancing hospital care, all of us are eager to make an impact on care through research."

About the UM/VA Research Partnership

The majority of the researchers tapped for this initiative have joint appointments to CCMR and U of M Medical School, the School of Public Health or the School of Nursing. The primary goal of the project is to find cost-effective ways to manage common chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. These include increasing the ways that patients can self-manage their care. A second group of researchers will focus on ways to manage veterans' mental health problems and to help reduce suicides and drug overdoses. The move to the new space is expected to be completed by early 2013.

About Ann Arbor VA Hospital

In addition to the research facility, the Ann Arbor VA Hospital offers a wide range of health care services, including a 105-bed acute care hospital, a 40-bed extended care facility, a mental health care center and a program to offer quality health care to homeless veterans. The center also manages satellite health care facilities in Flint and Jackson, Michigan and in Toledo, Ohio.

The number of veterans using VA facilities across the United States has increased dramatically within the last five years. More than 57,000 southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio veterans used the Ann Arbor VA health care facilities in 2012, up 24 percent from 2007.