Real Estate Information Archive

IS IT YOUR BIRTHDAY?  

There are many retail businesses in Ann Arbor that have FREE merchandise and services provided to patrons on their Birthday.  Check out this Video showing some of the FREE birthday deals in Ann Arbor.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY  and have a great day !

Don't forget to keep us in mind if you or your associates might be looking for real estate.  Check out the "All MLS Listings" link above to view the complete Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS inventory of  properties being offered for sale in the Ann Arbor Michigan area.  

Get a Taste of Ann Arbor Michigan Dining Choices: Start with simple: Le Dog, elevating soup and hot dogs to haute cuisine. Or engage in gursha—eating from the same plate and sharing the same bread—at the Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant. For pizza, Food and Wine recommended Mani Osteria in their recent list of the USA’s ‘Best New Pizza Places.’ If you prefer liquid calories, the Grange Kitchen & Bar offers the GKB Manhattan, a bacon-infused bourbon masterpiece. And if you can’t make up your mind, there’s still a destination for you: Mark’s Carts—eight delicious food carts in one lively (and lovely) outdoor courtyard.

Ann Arbor’s breweries are ready to wet your whistle: Working up a thirst? Leave the food aside (or bring your own) atWolverine State Brewing Company’s pub quiz night. Or “go eco” with the ground breaking solar brews at Arbor Brewing Company. And, if you’re still hankering for a lil snack, Original Gravity can help—with mouthwatering brews and bites.

Every Ann Arbor beginning should end at the Big Z: From the world famous Ruben at Zingerman’s Deli, to award-winning fare at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, to the sweet satisfaction of the Zingerman’s Creamery, the “Big Z” is truly an Ann Arbor institution. They even ship their offerings via mail order. But we suggest you make the trip—and see how Zingerman’s earned a spot on USA Today’s “Best Off the Interstate” road trip list.

What’s your specialty?: Unfortunately, you have to eat at Home sometime. So Get help—from prep to post-meal—at Ann Arbor’s specialty stores. You can Peruse the coolest chefs’ supplies at Hollander’s Upstairs at Kerrytown Market & Shops, gather scrumptious seasonal ingredients at Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, pick out a bottle of fine wine at Morgan & York, or maybe sample and purchase sweet and savory cherry treats at Cherry Republic.

If you’re hungry to engage in the art of dining, there’s only one destination—Ann Arbor Michigan.

Related Places to Eat: Zingerman’s Delicatessen

Staging Tips for Sellers

Looking to get your Home ready to sell?  Check out these Tips for preparing your home including 10 Hardcore Staging Tactics used by professionals.  

Call us with any questions or to provide you with a FREE full service market report including comparable pricing for similar recently sold properties.  You can get started by clicking here after reviewing the link below.  

Click here for 10 Great Staging Tips for Sellers preparing their homes

The best way to describe the current market seems to be "just enough". Both the economy and market values are rising "just enough" to bring "just enough" sellers into the market to satisfy "just enough" of the buyer demand to keep the market moving and prices rising.

There is a significant shortage of available homes for sale. We are at a low point for listing inventories as we come off a high point for sales, creating a depleted inventory going into the fall and winter. This is good news for Sellers with upward pricing pressure through the winter months (which is a rarity). For many Sellers, the spread between what is owed and current values is still wider than they would like. This means there is a chance the sales rate could slow through the winter simply because there are not enough homes to sell. We could see a strange phenomenon of the sales rate falling (compared to last winter, but still a good pace) while prices rise.

As the market recovers, it is interesting to note that most of the issues holding back a real explosion in real estate have been artificially created, as are many of the key factors fueling the recovery. 

On the stimulus side:

• The Federal Reserve Buying Bonds (quantitative easing) helps keep mortgage rates at record lows
• Government entities, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae (FHA) are the funding source for nearly 90% of all mortgages
• Government refinance and short sale programs are helping reduce the foreclosure overhang

On the holding-back-demand side:

• The concern over the potential lender restrictions under the Dodd-Frank act has banks holding back on lending
• Government law suits against banks to buy back old loans have caused many to stop mortgage lending all together, restricting available credit
• Uncertainty about what will be the underwriting standards imposed on lenders going forward causes lenders to be more cautious
• Congressional inaction on extending the Rural Lending programs have reduced access to credit for many rural markets 

Combined, they seem to cancel each other out, allowing for a steady real estate recovery. Both Presidential candidates are unclear as to how they will address any of these artificial issues, so we will have to wait until next year to get a clear direction. In the mean time, Buyers keep pushing to buy and Sellers are gaining more confidence, regardless of which way the political winds blow. 

If you'd like more information on the market, like to list your property, or want information on any property with any broker, you may call or email at anytime.  Please review the resources and Links available on this website and we appreciate your consideration and comments.

Thank you,

The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is a terrific place for kids (of all ages) to learn amazing things about science, math and technology. Their vision is “to be the leader in imaginative and interactive learning experiences” and they bring technology, science and math to life in amazing ways.

Since 1978, when Cynthia Yao and team of energetic volunteers converted an old brick firehouse into the Hands-On Museum, it has offered an incredible array of exciting educational programs. The Museum offers nine specialized galleries with over 250 interactive exhibits. Whether the subject is nature, physics, health, math or something else, hands-on learning is fun for everyone.

The Hands-On Museum also offers marvelous special programs like the ability to host a birthday party or to participate in a Camp-In. Use this link to explore the array of special programs at the Hands-On Museum.

Here are some of the Museum’s regular, new and science exhibits (a partial list only – see the museum website for the complete details):

First Floor Concourse – Visitors love the “Building in a Building,” the tornado and the water table.

All About You – Learn amazing facts about the human body. Examine your own fitness, step into a full-size ambulance or check out X-rays.

World Around You – Climb a rock wall, enjoy a walk-on piano and the magnet exhibits.

Light and Optics – Learn about light and optics by playing the stringless Laser Harp.

Michigan Nature – In this Discovery Room you’ll discover Michigan’s native plans, flowers and animals through the interactive nature wall, a soundscape and samples of lake fish and geology.

Preschool Gallery – Designed for children 4 or younger, this gallery let’s kids

New Exhibits

Ferrofluid Magnetoscope by Michael Flynn – This exhibit employs a magnetic field to make three-dimensional patterns in ferrofluid — a special liquid holding evenly dispersed ferromagnetic particles dissolved in an organic solvent. Using handles to move the magnets up and down, visitors can watch the shape of the liquid change.

Chaos Chimes – These celebrate the intersection of art and science by using musical chimes to demonstrate chaos theory in mathematics. Designed by Roger Sonntag, an engineer, artist and science exhibit developer, Chaos Chimes are similar to traditional wind chimes but are feature a motorized mallet which sounds the chimes unpredictably.

Engineers On A Roll – Funded by Toyota Technical Center, this is a combined engineering lab, playscape and climber for preschoolers. Using bright colors and keeping kids constantly active, the Museum’s youngest visitors will enjoy directing, sorting, and experimenting with balls in motion.

Block Party – Hundreds of foam bricks are the building blocks to stimulate the imagination. The Block Party inspires creativity in architecture and construction. This new 1,600 square foot exhibit allows kids to imagine, build, and then knock it all down. Kids can work together on large structures and have a blast.

ViewSpace Exhibit from NASA – This is a unique exhibit which allows visitors to see the newest and the best-quality images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, its successor. ViewSpace uses current Internet feeds from the Space Telescope Science Institute. Daily updates include amazing visual explorations of astronomical subjects, updates from Mars Exploration Rovers, the Saturn orbiter and the Titan lander. It also introduces constellations, planets, deep sky objects, and much more.

The Egg of Columbus – This exhibit illustrates how AC electric motors work. For the 1893 World’s Fair, Nikola Tesla invented the Egg of Columbus, and this is certainly an electrifying exhibit not to be missed!

Bernoulli Blast at Pittsfield Branch of Library – An exhibit demonstrating Bernoulli’s Principle is on display at the Pittsfield branch of the Ann Arbor District Library. Designed exclusively for the library, this unique exhibit is over 15 feet tall and sends balls upwards on a column of air and then swirl down a steel sculpture to start once more.

Energy Exhibits

Waste 2 Watts – This exhibit demonstrates how environmentally friendly technology can make electricity from trash. This intriguing exhibit demonstrates how methane gas from landfills can be used for alternative energy which can hopefully reduce our need for other fuels.

Solar Collector

Partnering with a neighboring fire station, this exhibit explains the function of a solar hot water heater and monitors the input and output temperatures of the fire station's solar water heater.

The Hands-On Museum presents special programs each year including Hands on Holidays and Tech Twilight.

To see the current calendar of activities click here.

Here is the Hands-On Museum’s calendar:

Admission Prices: Members enter free; $10/person Ages 2 and Up; free for babies under two. ACM Reciprocal Program members visit free.

Explore becoming a member of the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. Family memberships are $75 while the family-plus membership is $100.

For additional information, see the Hand-On Museum’s Facebook page.

On June 27, Barracuda Networks, headquartered in Campbell, California, made two big announcements that will bring great benefit to Ann Arbor. The information security company unveiled a plan to expand its local workforce by about 184 new employees (adding to its current staff of 180), and Barracuda also said it will relocate from 201 Depot Street to the space formerly occupied by Borders bookstore.

Over three years, as it moves to 317 Maynard in downtown Ann Arbor, Barracuda anticipates adding 184 high-tech and engineering jobs and it plans to invest between $6 million and $7 million. This is one of the biggest commercial leases in recent Ann Arbor history. Barracuda will occupy the rear portion of the building that also previously housed Borders’ East Liberty Street store, which is owned by First Martin Corporation.

Barracuda looked at about 100 possible venues, but the downtown Ann Arbor building was the most appealing. Ann Arbor SPARK and the Ann Arbor office of Colliers International worked with Barracuda to find the right location.

John Teeter, property manager at First Martin, indicated that renovations would be underway in early July to transform the former Borders Books space into an appealing, high-tech office space. Plans call for Barracuda to move in this fall.

The project includes remodeling the façade, adding windows along the Maynard Street frontage, and constructing a small engineering data center along with a training center, exercise facilities, and break rooms with games.

A key for Barracuda was the City of Ann Arbor’s offer to provide a 5-year tax abatement estimated to be worth $85,150, while the Michigan Economic Development Corporation also offered up to $1.2 million.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said, "The expansion of Barracuda Networks demonstrates the importance of our strategy to help companies grow and flourish. This investment highlights the value of Michigan's highly competitive business climate and incredible workforce abilities for cutting-edge companies looking to expand."

According the company’s director of new product initiatives, Sean Heiney, Barracuda is now hiring about two employees per week. “Barracuda Networks continues to thrive, and Ann Arbor is critical to that success,” said Heiney. “We’re doubling down on our commitment to the region, bringing new and exciting jobs that are helping to shape our new economy. We’re extremely thrilled about our expansion and look forward to breathing new life into such an iconic space downtown.”

According to Barracuda, the company will be staffing positions including software engineers, systems administrators, user experience designers and quality assurance staff, among others. Heiney said Barracuda is hiring all types of different employees to work at the Ann Arbor office, including engineering, support, sales and customer service. Those interested in applying can visit http://www.barracudalabs.com/recruit/.

Barracuda’s move is obviously great news for the business community and Ann Arbor overall. When the community attracts well-paid, professional jobs it naturally carries over into other sectors, including restaurants, service businesses, real estate and many others.

It looks pretty likely that downtown Ann Arbor's future includes another new high-rise structure, most likely a residential building.

Last month, the office property at 413 E. Huron, zoned for high-density development, was sold by the Thomson Family Trust to Greenfield Partners, a real estate investment firm based in Connecticut.

Located between Sloan Plaza condos and Papa John’s Pizza, the 10,300-square-foot building and its parking lot has housed a varied series of tenants over the years. At one time it was an A&P market, later a Michigan Bell office and then office space for the University of Michigan. The property, which was constructed in 1930, sold for $4.5 million ($400 per square foot). It had been on the market at various times since 2007, when it was listed at $6 million.

Bruce Thomson and his wife, Linda, had considered renovating the site in 2008 with plans calling for total redevelopment of the building and construction of a 15,000-square-foot, two-story building next door. This project was slated to have seven luxury student apartments and eight retail stores but the downturn in the real estate market dealt a blow to the Thomson’s plans.

The 413 E. Huron property resides in the D1 zoning district which means it’s meant for mixed commercial/residential projects reaching a maximum height of 150 feet. According to Bruce Thomson on AnnArbor.com, “I assume it will end up a high-rise of some kind, but I don’t know what they will do. It’s zoned for high-density development, which is what makes sense, so I’m sure it will end up some kind of high-density development.” Ann Arbor’s downtown is currently experiencing a boom in housing construction, with six projects either being built or approved in the downtown area. These include The Varsity, Landmark, Ann Arbor City Apartments, Zaragon West, 318 South Main, and City Place.

Greenfield Partners (which does business as Ann Arbor Green Property Owner LLC) is privately owned. According to their company website, the firm majors on direct investment and development and redevelopment of properties among other activities including financial asset restructuring.

Spring is Here and Ann Arbor Real Estate Market is Active

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This is a pretty interesting Video on What is Perhaps the Future of Education

Do you think Ann Arbor School District Should Consider Such a Program?  

Please comment below.  

If you are new to the area you can click here to Get Ann Arbor Real Estate Listings and other surrounding communities.  Note there is information on the Ann Arbor School District test scores under the School Reports link in our Links section under Resources top Right Corner of this Page.  

Tom Stachler is the Counties Leading Real Estate Buyer Representative and welcomes you to check out his references above or Contact for consultation and assistance.

It is no secret that it’s been a rough four years for real estate in all pockets of the United States. It seems that no community was immune to the plague of foreclosures and tanking Home values. Cities that were once golden children of the real estate boom became the poster children for the bursting housing bubble. So, it has been a dark era for the real estate sector for several years, but now there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Ten standout cities are leading the turning tide, hopefully becoming bellwethers for the general recovery and stabilization of the housing market nationwide. Realtor.com has selected these ten cities based on year-over-year improvements in three areas: increasing median home prices, decreasing length of time that houses sit on the market unsold, and decreasing unemployment rates.

This is certainly good for the nation, but doubly good for our community considering the difficulties the Michigan economy has faced in recent years. Number ten on Realtor.com’s list, proudly representing the Midwest, is Ann Arbor, Michigan!

Ann Arbor has seen its home prices climbing steadily. In fact, according to data compiled by Realtor.com in October 2011, the median prices of listed houses went up more than a whopping 8 percent from October of last year. Meanwhile, inventory has gone down, almost a full 25 percent. This means the supply of homes is virtually in balance with the demand—good news for folks trying to sell their homes! The prices at which homes actually sell are also going up steadily, rising nearly 5 percent for the year.

A top-ten ranking as a turnaround town is just the icing on the cake for Ann Arbor, a city already special on many other counts!