I've seen some increased Open House activity in the Ann Arbor area over the last few weeks, and I've added some listings to my inventory with more to follow.  It feels like spring is here.What's the buzz right now?  The most recent report I heard is that Ann Arbor will level out this year and even have a 2% appreciation overall.  I can see that in some popular areas like the Old West Side or my neighborhood Burns Park, but will we see an increase in surrounding areas?  With the condo market down so much right now over last year, I think condos are going to be a tough sell this year.  And I can see prices continuing to dip in that market.There are fewer houses on the market now than there was at this time last year, so if our buyer pool remains steady we could have a good year.Any though... 03/07/2008

The Pfizer campus has a potential buyer:  Forest City.  Forest City has viewed the area and they are considering the 2 million square foot site for future development and it would be necessary for the area to become public-private partnership between Forest City and the University of Michigan.The University of Michigan is quoted as saying that "yes, Forest City is one of the major companies" that is in consideration.  Forest City has done this in the past with ex-Pfizer developments but nothing this large was ever considered before.  Ever since Pfizer left Ann Arbor, the public has been aware that the campus is so large that it will probably take more than one company to occupy the space in the future.  We all hope the employers will come and jobs will come with them as well.   03/07/2008

To my fellow Rainers, I know Missy Caulk told you about the personalized M&Ms you can get on the M&M's site with up to 8 characters per candy, but I wanted to share the other things our Utah colleague mentioned while speaking in Ann Arbor. His site utilizes some video technology which he indicates will be huge.  Visit Verl Workman's site at VerlWorkman.com. He is a very warm, and informative speaker, of Pinnacle Quest Consulting: 801-733-4373. See what you can use from the list of tips and sites posted on AnnArborTalks.com. I was writing as fast as I could, and got as many of the tips as possible.If you have some more to add, I would love your suggestions.Regards,Kathy Tothwww.KathyToth.comKeller William's Realty 03/07/2008

The Old West Side of Ann Arbor has some wonderful aspects to it and one of these gems has been the Jefferson Market which has just been sold and the new business is:Jefferson Market and Cakery                                                   The new owner is Mary Rasmussen from Saline who fell in love with the building and location.  It was purchased from the prior business owner and manager Jean Henry.  Jefferson Market and Cakery will open with coffee and pastries at 7 a.m. except on Sunday and will also offer an array of lunch sandwiches.  She will also handle wedding cake business and catering from Jefferson Market.There is a suggestion box for the new owners.  You know like, "will you still keep my favorite....at the new store?" All of the Old West Side wants to know if she will g... 03/06/2008

Developers Dan Ketelaar and Ron Hughes propose to build a 22-story high rise and a connect 15-story tower at the corner of S. Univeristy and Forest.  The site is a large portion of the block where Village Corner, the Bagel bakery, Park Plaza Apartments, Student Bike Shop, Cahmpion's Convenience Mart and two rental houses now stand.  The building would be apartments, primarily students with retail space on the ground level.There will be a working session of the Planning Commission on Tuesday, March 11th at 7 PM in the 4th floor conference room of City Hall.  The public may attend, and no action will be taken by the Commission.The meeting of the Planning Commission will be on Tuesday, March 18th at 7 PM in the Council Chamber on the 2nd floor of City Hall.  Public commentary will be welco... 03/05/2008

Has ANYONE ever heard that?  I know when I was growing up in the dark ages, I thought I had two choices, a teacher or a nurse.  That was if I aimed high and went to college.  The other options included clerical work if I went to business school, with secretaries being highly prized - I think executive secretaries were particularly valued since they needed to dress well and were paid to do so, not to mention the time management skills they had to have that kept their much more highly paid bosses afloat....  It all came down to typing skills in the end it seemed.  Beyond these options, it was assumed a woman would be barefoot and pregnant.Well, teaching was out.  I was a great learner but not a conventional thinker - I'd be fired for nonconformity, plus I hated public speaking, even if I ... 03/05/2008

As John D. Rockefeller famously said, "The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets." - from the Time article Whoa!  There is a great article in the February 25th, issue of Time Magazine.  The article, Ignore the Headlines, is a great article on why timing the bottom of the real estate market is not only tricky, but could negate any potential gains. For folks in the enviable position of being able to purchase a home without selling a residence, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for buyers.  Housing inventories are high, interest rates are low, you know that mantra by now.... Consider this:  the same concerns that will cause the slowing economy to turn around, will also cause the cost of financing to increase.  On a macro-scale, not a bad thing, after all,... 03/03/2008

On Sunday, March 2, 2008, the regular season ended for the University of Michigan Women's basketball team.  For my daughter and I (season-ticket holders), it was a bittersweet day.  The bitterness came from the outcome of the game, a 48-63 loss to the Golden Gophers from Minnesota.  The sweetness came from the terrific turn-around from last season.  This year's team finished with a 16-12 overall record, and a 9-9 record in the Big Ten.  When you consider that the team won only three Big Ten games COMBINED in the past two seasons, you understand the magnitude of the change.The make-up of this year's team was nearly the same as last year's.  Only one senior graduated last year - Kelly Helvey (a terrific player).  Thus, this year's team had only one freshman member - Veronica Hicks (who ha... 03/02/2008

First let me define the title.Fiddlers ReStrung is a Saline, MI high school group of select musicians who perform under the guidance and regulations of Saline's Community Education department and Saline Area schools.  Audition is mandatory and many do not make the cut.  It is not a club, though at the younger levels that feed into the group, all levels of abilities are welcome without qualification.  Go to www.fiddlersrestrung.com for all kinds of pertinent information.Next, there is my son Kevin, who has been a member of this group for 3 years.  Before I go into my accolades of him, I must mention that as noted above, there is an audition process and he was defeated there the first year of tryouts.  The second year, tail figuratively between his legs, he auditioned and succeeded.Since ... 03/01/2008

The title of this piece is a quote from my husband, circa 1990, I'm guessing, when we were in such dire straits financially that we had 20 cents in our local savings account.  I am not kidding.  When the savings statement came from the bank, my husband looked at it, uttered those words, and continued with, (if somebody gave me a nickel) "We'd have a quarter in our savings account."We were in that position since we had decided to function as a family with just my husband's income to provide for us.  That had not been the plan, pre-children, and we had definitely not saved enough for the path we ultimately took after 11 years of two paychecks and no children.  Our household income was cut in half when I stayed home to care for one, then two, and a third child in 4.5 years.  We exhausted o... 02/29/2008

Top 10 Things We Love in Ann Arbor10. Going up "North" for vacation                       9. Coffee shops  8. Downtown   7. Diversity  6. Parks  5. Art and Art Fair  4. Music  3. Schools  2. Books  1. Michigan Football   Top Things We Hate* in Ann Arbor   10. Cloudy days  9. Art Fair  8. Long drives  7. Drivers who don't look for pedestrians   6. School officials who take jobs, make plans and then run out of town  5. Closing streets...(what do you mean you're considering Main between Stadium & Keech????  Are you crazy?)  4. Clubs that don't allow diversity among members or leaders  3. Potholes  2. Property taxes                                                                          1. Ohio StateYou can think of this list as things we really dislike and we don't hate OSU graduates...it... 02/29/2008

Will this ever end? I took this photo yesterday, driving through my neighborhood. Very cute, huh?   Cute but can we say, I am tired of it?   Stonebridge Golf Course in Ann Arbor, MI is a beautiful golf course in the Ann Arbor, and Saline Area. The subdivision Stonebridge is divided between the Ann Arbor and the Saline School Districts.   Stonebridge Golf Club is currently offering special pricing on golfing this summer until February 29th. One great package is you sign up for 10 rounds of golf, you get one round free with a cart for $425.00.   The Saline Chamber of Commerce has sponsored several fund raisers at Stonebridge Golf Club usually held the last week of school. It is a fun, community event and one of the  largest fund raisers for the Saline Chamber. This year it will be played ... 02/28/2008

I have some wonderful news for people moving to Ann Arbor Area.  We have a mid Winter break with both the Ann Arbor Public schools, Saline Public Schools as well as the University of Michigan.  The schools take advantage of the break and we certainly could use it to recharge our batteries.If you are a snow bunny you will find lots of company in Northern Michigan for this break as well as friends on flights to the Rocky Mountain Resorts.  If you decide a bit of sun and sand is what you are needed I would highly recommend a break in Jamaica.  My family just flew down for a short break from the snow and it was a wonderful time!   One of the especially impressive points about Jamaica is the welcoming nature of the people who live there and they want your experience to be an excellent one.  ... 02/26/2008

Not only has the market changed dramatically, but so has the way my buyers and sellers make decisions. The fact is, the way I  spoke to last year's clients cannot be understood by them today. I must literally learn a new way to communicate with customers. I must be direct, factual and provide CONCRETE reasons why you must move  NOW!  02/24/2008

In public English buildings, constructed in the days of yore when people were a foot or so shorter than modern folks, there are often signs over truncated doorways that read, "Mind Your Head."  The sign itself forces the eye upward and the message immediately signals - DUCK!!!The semi-detached house we lived in for two years in London, just about a decade ago, had a doorway just like that.  My husband at first refused to even consider the property since he whacked his head hard during our walk-through.  I fought to lease the house, even with that doorway, since it was the best of the bunch.  One of the other contenders had a great garden (yard) but required even very thin people to enter the upstairs bathroom sideways.  I knew that wouldn't work.  Some had so much built-in furniture tha... 02/23/2008

We were once called the "family of sarcasm" by someone who knew members of our family in different capacities and therefore was SURE that what he was saying was exactly true.  We weren't insulted.  Sarcasm is a biting form of humor that some people get and others don't.  We get it, we enjoy it - I think it may actually be hereditary, from my family's side.My husband's family, on the other hand, is all about dry wit.  That must be the British in them, cordial, reserved, non-confrontational.  I once saw a Monty Python skit where a motorist hit a bicyclist and while the motorist was at fault and horrified, the bicyclist kept apologizing for having gotten in the way.  He insisted that his crumpled two-wheeler was just fine, that he needed no assistance despite his banged-up appearance and k... 02/22/2008

Ever heard of the DISC personality profile?  Recently our office had an event and we were asked to complete a questionaire.  Though the creators of this profile system might shun my analysis, my cliff notes version of the letters signify:  D, dominant or driving, I, interactive or extroverted, S, sensitive or steadfast, C, controlled or compulsive.  My results were different than I had expected.  The "I" was understandable, but the "S", not so sure that should have been so high.Within two weeks we were at another event with many agents and offices from our region and another DISC questionaire. The results were not the same.  On the ride back, my team leader said the test was a more recent version - AHH, modern times call for new standards.  Suddenly I was a "DI" - I could agree with tha... 02/21/2008

My daughter is somewhere over the Atlantic right about now, February 18, 2008, if all is going well.  Tonight she left for Paris for a 4 month study-abroad program via the University of Michigan.I remember the day she graduated from kindergarten and how I cried to another parent.  I knew these years would fly by and that mother laughed, yet they have.  As each school year would begin, it seemed an eternity to the end, then suddenly the end was in sight and another year was just around the corner.Each year I took pictures of our three kids on the first day of school, decked out with new backpacks and their finest new clothes - not that you could tell when they were pre-distressed from the factory.  I was mocked the year that I made them all turn around so I could get a photo of the backp... 02/20/2008

  Ann Arbor is a great city for walking, biking and some mass transportation and to increase the sustainable future of Ann Arbor there is going to be a discussion tomorrow Thursday, February 21, 2008.  Please join us with your questions and comments:    Crazy Wisdom Bookstore Tea Room114 S. Main Street in Ann Arbor 7:30 pm        The attendees are going to be David Konkle, Energy Coordinator, City of Ann Arbor's Energy OfficeSean Reed, Executive Director, Clean Energy CoalitionNancy Shore, Program Director, getDowntown, Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce Hope to see you there! 02/20/2008

It's no wonder that UM is one of the top 2 Universities in the Nation for Environmental Engineering.Take a look at what Metaefficient, the optimum Green Guide, wrote about our city...Inspite of the cold weather, downtown Ann Arbor thrives with the area restuarants and shops.  The trees are also lit up with white lights to give the quaint, whimsical effect.  The LED lights are not only energy effecient and longer lasting, they are easier on the eyes!Ann Arbor is on track! 02/20/2008