Real Estate Information

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.

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,

Home prices are back to 2003 levels in the latest sign of an improved housing market.

 In another sign of a turnaround in the long-battered real estate market, average home prices rebounded in July to the same level as they were nine years ago.  Ann Arbor and Saline are now in their fourth year showing modest annual appreciation gains.  

According to the closely watched S&P/Case-Shiller national Home Price index, which covers more than 80% of the housing market in the United States, the typical property price in July rose 1.6% compared to the previous month.

It marked the third straight month that prices in all 20 major markets followed by this index improved, and it would have been the fourth straight month of improvement across the full spectrum if not for the slight decline in Detroit in April.

The index was up 1.2% compared to a year earlier, an improvement from the year-over-year change reported for June. While home prices have been showing a sequential change in recent months, it wasn't until June that prices were higher than a year earlier.

The July reading matched levels last seen in summer 2003, when the market was marching toward its peak in 2006. The collapse of the market after that led to the financial crisis of 2008.

"The news on home prices in this report confirm recent good news about housing," said David Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices. "Single-family housing starts are well ahead of last year's pace, existing home sales are up, and the inventory of homes for sale is down and foreclosure activity is slowing."

Record low mortgage rates and a tighter supply of homes available for sale have helped to lift home prices which starts in the stronger markets and then will follow to their surrounding communities as time progresses. Lower unemployment also has helped with home prices, although job growth in recent months has been slower than hoped.

Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve announced it would buy $40 billion in mortgage bonds a month for the foreseeable future. This third round of asset purchases by the central bank, popularly known as QE3, is its effort to jump start the economy through even lower home loan rates.

Related: Best home deals in Best Places

Mike Larson, real estate analyst with Weiss Research, has stated that part of the improvement in the housing market is due to investors using the low mortgage rates to buy up homes that are in foreclosure and renting them in a strong rental market.

But he said that he doesn't think there's much chance of housing prices forming any kind of new bubble in the foreseeable future.

"Clearly the worst is behind us for this market., but this is not a market that is going to take off again," he said. "While you have a firming up, you still have tight lending standards and people who have been burned are reluctant or unable to get back in the market." He predicts it will take several more years before housing prices can gain more than 1% to 2% a year.

Related: Buy or rent? 10 major cities

But that is good news for a housing market that was plagued by plunging home values and high foreclosure rates for much of the last six years. And the good news has the potential to build on itself, said Joseph LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist for Deutsche Bank.

"Housing remains a rare bright spot in an economy that is otherwise muddling through," he wrote in a note to clients Tuesday. "The price trend for housing is significant, because it provides economic stimulus via stronger household balance sheets."

2 Acre Home Close to the Village of Saline

New Listing: Cute home located in Award Winning Saline School District that has been completely updated.  The home has a newer, larger garage and updated electrical, plumbing and High Efficient Furnace and Water Heater. This home sits on two partly wooded acres and is a must see for those wanting to located within this school district at an affordable price.  Check out the virtual walk through below.

Please call for a showing appointment today.  View additional information and photos on this listings located at 10708 Saline Milan Rd., Milan, MI here.

View other Saline Homes for Sale by clicking here.

​10708 Saline Milan Rd. 10708 Milan Saline Rd., Milan, MI 48160.  Tom Stachler homes for sale in Saline Michigan. Properties for Sale, Saline MI.  Saline School District. real estate for sale

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.