Some googleicious folks over at Google via Google Documents created holiday art using cells in a spreadsheet as the pixels. A creative video was taken and is available over at YouTube and the results are like the old etch a skech . More info on how to create the canvas is available behind the scenes. They're inviting people to share their own spreadsheet art to YouTube. Let's see what creative people do with pixels. We took a quick Briarwood Mall shopping escape.  But I know I don't have the time to break from selling Ann Arbor Real Estate to create these spreadhseets myself, but I will check back in to see what develops, wont' you?  11/22/2008

1.       Savings2.       Proceeds from the sale of a primary residence3.       Gift from Relatives or Friends4.       Sale from Stocks or Bonds5.       Equity from Residence (continue to own) I was surprised to learn that 73% of first-time buyers are using money they had saved to come up with their down payment on a home.  We see many of our clients as first time home buyers as a result of attending the seminars. Per the study, 43% of repeat buyers will use money from savings to at least help partially cover the down payment of their new home. Many people get proceeds from sale of primary residence. For more information on how you can buy a home, go to the buyer section for Special Reports and see the Home Buyer Steps.  Also be sure to check when our next First Time Home Buyer Seminar i... 11/22/2008

You can browse through what has already been posted by other real estate professionals to get ideas and inspiration for your video submissions at their website:  National Association of Realtors Videos REALTOR® TV is vying to be a premier source for inspirational, informational and educational real estate video on the Web. They are looking for input and want us, National Association of REALTOR® members to submit our very own videos.  There are guidelines – no listings are accepted!    File formats that can be uploaded include and suggested length should not exceed 7 minutes: .3GP .AVI .DV h.264 .MPEG2 .MPEG4 Quicktime .WMV .FLV The channels or categories that your videos may be categorized under are: News and Analysis CommunityMembership Business Tools Events Most Popular Code of Ethics... 11/21/2008

Fully unrelated to the excellent people who run/maintain our current building, we have decided to find new office space.  We've been in the same place for one year, and when we started it was only intended as an interim location.  So we've given notice and need to make some fast plans for a new corporate home. I've concluded we don't have sufficient time to find the perfect space, so my plan B (or now plan A) is to see if perhaps there are any existing businesses with some unused space we can rent starting next month. (December 1st) We are flexible on this and would be fine with just a few hundred square feet. In case this is your first time reading, we are an established internet design firm.  We are ideal tenants with excellent references.  We're quiet, don't spend all that much time ... 11/17/2008

Many questions are answered by calling 1-800-CALL FHA. Watch the video; it is lengthy, so prepare a quiet place. Some questions posed are: Can you get FHA for refinancing, flipping, and first time buyers? What is the biggest advantage? Is it low down payment? Saving a home from foreclosure? Obtaining financing with limited credit? Flexible underwriting? You can also check www.FHA.gov for more information and updated limits for YOUR AREA and Washtenaw County and the Ann Arbor area. How long do you have to wait after Chapter 13 bankruptcy or foreclosure to get FHA? When can you eliminate the monthly mortgage premium?  Does FHA require Seller to fix deficiencies? Yes, if it affects the value of the home, per video, but appraisers are no longer nit picking repairs. Most of the market has to... 11/16/2008

The 3rd quarter market reports for condos in Ann Arbor.  Once a month I publish these reports created by Big House Data, a firm I use in Ann Arbor to scrub the data from the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors. The number of listings of condos in Washtenaw County was down, the solds were up and the sale price was up from Oct 2007 to Oct 2008. The up price was 1.5% but this is still UP ! This is a good sign because as we decrease our inventory the sales prices will stabilize. Search the Ann Arbor MLS To view more reports and graphs go to Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk. These 3trd quarter reports are only for Ann Arbor. To view Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan, Ypsilanti, Whitmore Lake you will need to view on my other blog. 11/15/2008

Everyone keeps asking me, 'Martin - who's buying homes in Ann Arbor right now?'. After getting asked this a couple of times, especially since the beginning of the current financial crisis, I decided to look into this further.   I went back two months to analyze where our buyers came from. The Bouma Group sold homes to 18 buyers in September and October of 2008. The results are interesting, and much different from the perceptions that I had.          First Time Buyers         8 Sales          44%          Relocation Buyers        3 Sales           17%          Move up Buyers           2 Sales           11%          Second-Home Buyers   2 Sales           11%          Rentals                      2 Sales           11%          Investment Buyers      1 Sale            6.5% The most interes... 11/13/2008

Best Places to Raise Kids - Ann Arbor Ranked High BusinessWeek teamed up with OnBoard Informatics, provider of real estate analysis, to create a list of each state's best affordable towns for raising children. Factors in the analysis was school performance, affordability, safety, cost of living, air quality, job growth, racial diversity, parks, ball fields, zoos, recreation centers, museums, and theaters. Among the top ranked were Mount Prospect, IL Phoenix, AZ, Columbus, OH, and our very own Ann Arbor, MI, Huntsville, AL, Lexington, KY.  Also mentioned was that Ann Arbor is the most kid-and cost-friendly city in Michigan. The Web site establishes it as one of the best college towns in the United States for its acres of parks, galleries, museums, restaurants, boutiques and seven gold co... 11/12/2008

OK, Here goes... my 1st blog. The Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors recently held elections. The purpose was to elect 2 individuals for 3 year terms. The ballroom was packed with an overflow crowd. There was hushed silence as the many candidates spoke. Although the field was competitive 2 stood out from the crowd with their vision for the Board members in these trying times.   There was a lot of excitement in the room as the results were finally announced amid cheers & raucous applause. Keller Williams had made a clean sweep. The Team Leader, Chet Hill stood up and announced that there would be a champagne toast to congratulate Ann arbor icon LaTanya Keith and Missy Caulk's win.The Board's EO, Nancy Merdzinski helped us celebrate.     OK. This was my 1st post. Yes, I know that it was a b... 11/11/2008

  The most recent issue of the Michigan Realtor (MAR) is out and has a great article outlining the Michigan housing market compared to the rest of the country.  To sum up the article: Michigan did not rise to the housing value heights that other states have; Housing market recovery will likely follow an economic recovery in Michigan; Michigan housing prices are back to 1999/2000 price points. Team366 and this blog have talked about price being king when it comes to real estate sales.  The Big House Data summary for the Fourth Quarter 2007 Inventory Report state: Putting the area on notice, that to sell a home, you need to be at or lower than the 2000 and 2001 price points, many Pfizer’s relocation department showed us what it takes to sell homes in slow markets….Price. And that summary ... 11/11/2008

I am so exhausted from the news negativity!  Walk on the positive side with me and my friend Jay Kinder.Read on and tell me what you think: Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs....who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.... The race began.... Honestly, no one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as:     'Oh, WAY too difficult!!'     'They will NEVER make it to the top.'  or    'Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!' The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one.... Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher. The crowd contin... 11/09/2008

Ok, I'm sure I have your attention and I promise not to disappoint you, even though the topic of this article is G rated and has nothing to do with adult entertainment.  This is about how to put yourself, your business, product or service at the top of Google.  What does this mean?  It means more of the people who are doing an internet search for your product or service will find you.   Internet Search Engines   A search engine is a set of programs which searches an index and returns matches to a specified keyword.  In other words, it is a directory of internet content.  If you are looking for information on a specific subject, a search engine will list the websites or internet content where you will be likely to find what you are looking for.    The Top of Google   Google, the most pop... 11/08/2008

Take a look at NAR power point Housing Market Outlook Through Economic Recession by Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist.  The reports is for residential real estate and illustrate the Euro, vs US Dollar, price trends, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Recovery Act all in one compact .  While we know real estate is local, we each are a part of the big US picture.  Detroit, Las Vegas and Miami are featured as area having sub prime loans and that impact.  Take a look and let me know what you think.     http://www.realtor.org/wps/wcm/connect/12be64804ae9f9bca7b4f74da33b78d3/LY_SummitFinal.ppt?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=12be64804ae9f9bca7b4f74da33b78d3#257,1,Slide 1 11/08/2008

Did you ever think you are in your box and you need to get out?  Maybe you are in your box and don’t know you are stuck.  There is a whole world of music out there that you might have not heard. Just take a 2 minute look at this Japanese water fall to get a fresh perspective on water and the messages you see. Are you thinking out of the box? Inside The Box Thinking inside the box means accepting the status quo. Charles H. Duell, Director of the US Patent Office, said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.”  In 1899,he was in the box! Outside the Box Thinking outside the box requires questioning; different thinking and leaving the comfort zone: Willingness to take new perspectives with day-to-day work. Openness to do different things and to do things differently. Focusing ... 11/07/2008

This may appear flippant given all the rough economic news we've been force fed recently, but it's a fact!  93.5% of Ann Arbor area residents are employed!  Holy Smokes!  Given the amount of doom and gloom we've seen economically, I expected there to only be five of us still working! Oddly enough, 93.5% is the number of folks in the United States that are still gainfully employed! Why is it important that 93.5% of nation, and the city of Ann Arbor, are employed? It's important because we've been focused on negative news for a LOOONG time.  93.5% employment rates mean that there are a lot of folks working, earning a paycheck, living day to day and helping move a sluggish economy along.  Recognizing that 100% employment is a pipe dream, at what point, at what level of unemployment should ... 11/07/2008

  The standard setting organization of real estate buyer agents is meeting today and tomorrow in Orlando to talk about the business and the challenges home buyers face today. The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA.ORG) met at this same hotel seven years ago. There is a good group this year. As a past president of the group it was much more relaxed this year for me because I wasn't in charge of anything and  I wasn't  presenting. I think this is the first year in the last five that I've been "free".   The speaker during this session was Meredith Oliver. She had a lot of great things to share.   Jon Boyd, Broker/ManagerThe Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor, Inc.Click here for more Ann Arbor real estate informationmember office of http://naeba.org734-662-6240 1908 W. Stadi... 11/05/2008

Yes if you can believe it, we went back to the Dexter Cider Mill this weekend.   You guessed it, for some fall wine tasting and this is what some patrons said about some choice wines they selected in video below.   The Dexter Cider Mill will be closing soon so be sure to check the Dexter Cider Mill site for dates and times. It is located at 3685 Central Street, Dexter, MI 48130, just a bike ride away from Loch Alpine subdivision.  Of course we could not leave without a couple bags of fat pills – ‘er’ I mean doughnuts.  We would have gone to Warrior Park to munch on our treats by the Huron River, but it was closed for Bridge construction, so home we went and sat on the dock.  I love this time of year in Ann Arbor, Michigan!  Taking a break from selling Ann Arbor real estate makes me grat... 11/03/2008

Kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects are the most expensive and they offer the highest return on one's investment    Ann Arbor, MI - Charlie Thiede, owner of Rock Tops Granite, recently agreed to a series of interviews.  During one of these interviews, he discussed home remodeling projects and he explained that kitchens and bathrooms are not only the most expensive, but they offer the highest return on one's investment.   He said, "Your countertop is one of the most noticeable features in your kitchen; it's also one of the most used and abused surfaces in your home.  This is why the choice of material used for your kitchen countertop is very important.  There are many types of materials, colors and designs to consider."   Rock Tops Granite specializes in the fabrication and installa... 11/03/2008

Let Rock Tops Bring Mother Nature's Art Gallery into your home   Rock Tops Granite's Goal is to artfully merge the latest technology and old world stone craftsmanship to create elegant countertops and professionally install them in your home.       Rock Tops expertise allows us to offer a large variety of products including:   Kitchen Countertops and Bathroom Vanity Tops Walls, Floors and Steps Fire places, Table Tops and Tub Decks Restaurant Tables and Hotel Counters Building Exteriors and Galleys on Yachts   Rock Tops has over $3 Million dollars of the most up to date computer controlled cutting equipment to deliver an unmatched, polished edge and a perfect cut and outline every time.   At Rock Tops Granite, Your Satisfaction is Set in Stone    Visit one of Rock Tops beautiful showroo... 11/03/2008

TRICK-OR-TREATING MAY TAKE PLACE IN ANN ARBOR NEIGHBORHOODS ON FRIDAY, OCT. 31, 2008, BETWEEN 5 AND 8 P.M. Halloween is the children’s night for tricks and treats … ghosts and goblins … haunts and horrors. Unfortunately, some of the horrors are all too real. Every year, on Halloween, many children suffer from auto accidents, fire injuries, falls, cuts, bruises or poisoned treats. Be aware and be informed so your children can have a safe, enjoyable Halloween. Supervise your children’s evening, and stay in neighborhoods that are well-lit and familiar. Here are more precautions to help keep your Halloween happy. RISKY ROADWAYS • Children become careless from excitement and may run into the road. • Dusk is the time of poorest visibility for drivers. Try to Trick or Treat while it is still ... 10/31/2008