**It's Time to Watch**The Ann Arbor Film Festival is one of the best film festivals in the country and is juried.  The schedule is available on the website and there are many films to enjoy.When you attend the shows you can go back to the website and provide feedback!  Go to the Community Home and it allows you to "add to your calendar" and then "review and rate it".  Talk about interactive and FUN!There are 14 different film categories and you should pay attention if you want to attend a film with children make sure you go to the "family friendly" films then you will enjoy!Tickets can be purchased by the film or with a season pass for the whole time or weekend pass.Enjoy the shows, reviews and let us know what you like.  We would l... 03/23/2008

The Ann Arbor YMCA is Committed to Our Community!Keep Moving Day @ Ann Arbor YMCA is a day dedicated to keeping America moving no matter the age.  Outsmarting Arthritis is the purpose of the FREE health and wellness event open to all of the community.  What:    A series of events for older adults and anyone with an interest in older adult exercise and wellness.When:  Thursday, March 27Whom: Open to everyone.  Participants need not be YMCA members.Cost:     Free!Schedule:·        Cholesterol & Glucose Screenings – Michigan Visiting Nurses, 10am – 1pm, 4pm-7pm·        Bone Density Screening – Michigan Visiting Nurses, 10am – 1pm·        Hearing Aide Maintenance - Fluke Hearing, 10am – 1pm·        Vision Screenings - Bennett Optometry, 10am – 1pm·        Salsa Workshop – Linda Briggs, 10am... 03/22/2008

The Ann Arbor News has taken the concept of March Madness to another level!In yesterday's "Connection" section, we looked upon a familiar sight - March Madness brackets.  Except, this one was a bit different.What the News has done is take 64 great things about Ann Arbor, seeded them into 4 regions and 16 seeds, and matched them against each other.The result?  The greatest thing about Ann Arbor is Zingerman's.Now, you may or may not agree with the ultimate champion - is there ever consensus agreement about the eventual NCAA basketball champion?  This bracket will sure get tongues wagging on what was included and left out!The other three in the final four?  Football Saturdays, the Michigan Theatre, and the Art Fairs.  Now, really, is there anything better about Ann Arbor than these final ... 03/21/2008

REALTOR;  Heck of a day yesterday, heck of a day today.  Deals coming together, deals falling apart, deals on hold.  Seminars, meetings, eat, sleep, you get the drill.SISTER/AUNT:  Everything was PROMISED to be OK just 2 days ago.  My brother and his wife had a baby on March 10th; they had known for months that their son would be born with a heart defect that would require 3-4 surgeries in his first year of life.  The prognosis was good.  I received much less positive news today after his first surgery but there is a two day wait until the worst, if it becomes the worst, will be apparent.  If we're lucky.REALTOR:  My schedule did not allow for this news - it was not pencilled in.SISTER/AUNT:  They are in another state and the emotions are muted as a result.  I feel for those who are fie... 03/20/2008

To those of us who live in Ann Arbor, we have always thought we were exempt from the rest of the state of Michigan when it came to the housing industry downturns. Not this time. A quick look at Foreclosurenet.net will give you a list of all the foreclosure homes in Washtenaw County. There are 298 homes listed on this site. Most of foreclosed homes in Ann Arbor and in the State of Michigan are due to homeowners either loosing their jobs or being transferred and not being able to sell their homes for what they owe.In the 90’s many homeowners were quick to refinance their homes, assuming the market would continue to rise at the historical 8% in Washtenaw County rate. Opps, it didn’t happen and the refinance appraisals were coming in high. As a Realtor when I visit sellers and the homeowne... 03/19/2008

Last night was the wonderful event commonly known as “CHEFS” which is a fundraiser for Top of the Park.  The food was fabulous but the wine choices left much to be desired.  Loved the appetizer from Katherine’s Catering, which was a tuna trio with citrus seasoned greens and a wonderful crispy wonton wafer.  Eve from the restaurant prepared a wonderful spicy quail over very garlicky greens, which I loved, but my friend skipped the greens.   The soup prepared by Duc from Pacific Rim.  It was duck consommé with a stuffed wonton that was fabulous and the salad from Food Art was also wonderful.  The entrée from Zanzibar was a very well received Moroccan lamb shoulder and they did offer a vegetarian option, which no one tried at the table, but the tagine was so excellent I would go back for ... 03/19/2008

Last Tuesday at our sales meeting, our team leader surveyed the room and in typical fashion asked if anyone had any success stories.  A few hands went up and stories were relayed.  We murmured our congratulations and then I raised my hand to report that I had written five buyer deals in the previous week.  My team leader raised his hands in applause that was seconded by my colleagues in the room.Well, here we are on another Tuesday and if I wanted to be really truthful, I'd have to raise my hand to say that only one of those deals remains a "sure thing" - probably just jinxed that one, that's why it is in quotes.  Another is a half/maybe, and two others seem dead and dead.  The fifth deal is an ongoing HUD bid online; I have become a machine, daily upping the offer incrementally on a pr... 03/18/2008

It has often been commented that Ann Arbor is 24 square miles surrounded by reality. Oft times, that statement has been used to point out some disconnect between the city and its neighboring communities. Well, in a startling twist, the City of Ann Arbor is considering a proposal to allow city residents keep chickens! Chickens! Specifically hens, because no one likes to be woken at the crack of dawn by a crowing rooster. The Team366 Real Estate Rooster is simply not amused!Thank goodness the proposal doesn’t also include a car in every garage. That would be almost to spiffy! "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" - President Herbert Hoover, 1928 We’re not on our way to creating Hoovervilles again, are we? Next story-line: When Chickens Go Bad! 03/17/2008

It’s St.Patricks Day and the place to be in Ann Arbor is Zingermans Deli and Conor O’Neills. Zingerman's Delicatessen "All-You-Can-Eat Corned Beef and Cabbage": The menu features Sy Ginsberg corned beef from United Meat & Deli (Detroit), named Best Corned Beef in New York City by Slow Food USA. The hand-sliced corned beef is served with local cabbages, potatoes, and carrots, along with Zingerman's Bakehouse Irish brown soda bread and Guinness gelato from Zingerman's Creamery. $16.99   422 Detroit St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (734) 663-3354 Get directions  "St. Patrick's Day": Conor O'Neill's.  An all day long celebration features Irish ceili dancers and bagpipers, along with traditional Irish ballads and drinking songs by the Detroit trio The Diggers.   "Here's to a long life, and a merry on... 03/17/2008

Today is St. Patrick's Day.  Given that my father had nothing but Irish blood in him, despite being a few generations deep here in the United States, St. Patrick's Day was a celebratory time.  Always a singer, his Irish songs started creeping in and repeating probably right after Valentine's Day.  (There were a bunch of Valentine's Day songs too, but those were personal between my parents - my mother always laughed when our father sang them.  I think we kids intuitively knew not to ask.)When I was growing up, I never understood that other families didn't have these singing fathers.  I probably only realized it when I had children of my own.  As we traveled in the car or did things at home, I was always singing some crazy song.  I'd make up the words if necessary, or if I was making up t... 03/16/2008

Below are the market reports with data from the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors and compiled my by my friend Todd Waller, of Big House Data. A few things to point out from a historical perspective from 2005 to 2008: Average list prices:              Average Sale Price       Average Days on Market   New Listings 2005 $286,800.                     $233,238.                      91                              628 2006 $274,919                      $226,707.                      93                              793 2007 $283,039.                     $247,108.                      99                              1373 2008 $ 255,827.                    $232,250.                     103                              727   Average List price is down 9.5% from February 2007 to February 2008. Ave... 03/16/2008

From the Big House Data Executive Summary: February 2008 is in the books and the listing pace is down by over a full quarter of the market. That means that there is currently a quarter less new inventory for purchasers to choose from! Depending on your view of the current market, this is either good or, at worst, neutral news for the real estate market as a whole. Of course, from a seller’s perspective, this is decent news. There is less competition among homes currently for sale. However, the flip side is that sales prices are not rising, on average. Meanwhile, buyers are still having a field day. Great inventory of properties to choose from, still relatively cheap cost of money…if you are soon to be or already in the market for a new home, this is a great market for you! We will like... 03/14/2008

Well, we sprung forward in Ann Arbor and Saline, but where is Spring? I don’t know about you but I am ready for summer. Time to see the flowers pop out of the ground. Did you know you can buy organic flowers to grow in your garden?According to an Article from Environmental News Network, the flower industry is one of the heaviest users of agricultural chemicals and 60% of the flowers sold in the U.S. are imported from countries whose environmental standards are more lax than ours.Roses for example can contain up to 50 times the amount of pesticides that are legally allowed in on the food we eat.I love beautiful flowers in my home, throughout the year, but lately I’ve been pondering about the environmental issues and the workers that are being exposed to those chemicals every day.Project ... 03/13/2008

I changed my laptop background today.  Actually, I am so low-tech that I had my 15-year-old daughter come and help me do it.  Someone told me yesterday that if I am blogging, I am not low-tech.  Heck, blogging is just talking, and those who know me well know I can do that really, really well.  (For those of you wondering where this is going, rest assured there is a real estate theme - I am a rambler; you must persevere.)That beauty thing in the title?  It is directly related to my laptop background, and to my 15-year-old.  It is a photo of our front yard in the spring.  She took the photo by lying down on the lawn to get the best angle, when she was about 13 years old.  (I think I know what she is going to be when she grows up, but I don't think she does yet.  I try not to push.)  Her h... 03/12/2008

It isn't even spring in Ann Arbor, Michigan and snow is on the ground we are still thinking about summer in the city. Every summer Ann Arbor has a wonderful party for the town. It is the mark that summer is here.  Top of the Park!  Oh how we love this town party!There is music every night and movies on a big screen outside. Think of a drive-in without your cars. Everyone brings their blankets and rollings them out on the lawn while the kids watch the movie and the best part of this summer tradition is that it is free!It doesn't cost anything to attend and its open to the whole community but it costs a lot to produce. One of the fundraisers for Top of the Park is coming up: Tuesday, March 18th, 2008.6:00pm Champagne reception6:30pm Seated DinnerIt is located at Zanzibar216 S. State Stree... 03/11/2008

Foot experts at the American Podiatric Medical Association have chosen the best and worst walking cities in America.  Their rankings were posted on March 7, 2008.  Ann Arbor made the list!One of the best benefits of Burns Park and the Old West Side (and a big reason for their popularity) is the proximity to downtown and campus.  Residents can walk to restaurants and entertainment without having to search for parking.  Now the news will be more widely known with this recent announcement.  I think it's great to note that Ann Arbor (with 114,000 people) has the second smallest population, behind Cambridge's 101,000.  The other top 10 are all major urban areas or state capitols, and even Cambridge is just across the river from Boston.More than 500 U.S. cities were evaluated and ranked on 14... 03/10/2008

The marketing of real estate has always been a process that changes. In fact, the one constant about real estate marketing, is that it changes rapidly!AcceptableSeller's have come to expect a level of service already. That level of service may vary from region to region, but I suspect that the norm looks something like: ads in the local paper, ads in the local Homes magazine, postcards to the neighbors, open houses, maybe some actual door knocking. A good base from which to begin an all encompassing marketing effort. GoodUsed to be a time when an agent could Wow! their clients with the prospect of having their home marketed on the agent’s own site, the broker’s site and likely Realtor.com. Frankly, seller’s take that for granted now! Having a store front on the internet is great, but h... 03/09/2008

Today was inspection day for a condo I am selling to an out-of-state investor.  No catastrophes noted, just needs paint and carpet, all new doors and lighting, kitchen updates, two new bathrooms, and maybe a new heating unit - but we knew that going in and the offer price reflected it.  Somehow I missed the cracked window; hope it doesn't kill the deal....  There was more chat than usual since it was just the inspector and me.  Oh did he have stories to tell!As expected, the worst of the worst comes down to real estate's most dire enemy.  No, not FSBOs,overpriced sellers, incompetent/crooked "professionals", or gun-shy buyers.  The enemy is not bats in the attic, raccoons in the chimney, termites in the sillplate, or knob and tube wiring.  The enemy is....water.Story number one regarded... 03/08/2008

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