Understanding the Current Housing Market 101 When: October 23rd, 2007 Time: 6:30pm - 8:00 pm Where: United Bank and Trust 355 S. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 RSVP: 734-216-2172 Today's market is extremely challenging for both sellers and buyers. Join us for a round table discussion about current housing trends and arm yourself with knowledge about the changes in lending guidelines and programs. - Gain the knowledge that will help you buy and/or sell a home in a slow market - Discover ways to save money - Learn how to buy a home with no money down and other helpful buyer tips - Participate in our open discussion to dispel real estate myths Top 15 Reasons to Attend This Free Workshop - What You'll Learn Why you should never fall into the trap of working with the name on the For Sale sign.... 10/13/2007

The Ann Arbor Garden Club was originally organized in 1930. Club meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month (September though May) at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens at 1800 North Dixboro Road in Ann Arbor, MI 48105-9406. The club travels to interesting gardens, provides workshops, flower shows, flower arranging classes and plant exchanges. I hear they do much more for the nominal annual membership fee of only $20.00. If you are interested in joining the club, contact Treasurer Nancy Hart for more detailed information at 734-665-7072. I was able to visit and enjoy a beautiful display of flowers, some of which are pictured here.Kathy Toth and Teamwww.KathyToth.comReal Estate OneClick here to search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours - FREE! 10/11/2007

Kathy Toth and Team has been invited to participate in a new cosmetic study. Our good friend, Tammy French has a few more spots available if you would like to participate...here's what is involved. Cayman Chemical in Ann Arbor, MI is making plans to launch an eyelash and eyebrow growth cosmetic into the cosmetic and skincare industry. We are in the final stages of testing this product as we've conducted two studies to-date. In these studies we've recognized which product is proving to have the greatest results. With this knowledge we've been able to further perfect our formulation to now conduct a final study.If you or anyone you know would have an interest in participating in this study please contact me. Participation requires coming to Cayman on 3 occasions for progress photos, and w... 10/10/2007

MICHIGAN ECONOMY PICKS UP IN AUGUST REPORTS COMERICA BANK'S MICHIGAN BUSINESS ACTIVITY INDEX DETROIT / October 1, 2007 - The Michigan Business Activity Index compiled by Comerica Bank rose 3 points in August to 107, and the July reading was revised down by 1 point to 104. So far this year, the index has averaged 104, essentially the same as the average for all of 2006. "I am becoming more optimistic about Michigan's medium-term economic prospects given that GM and the UAW have agreed on a new contract and a state budget accord has been reached," said Dana Johnson, Chief Economist at Comerica Bank. "However, in the near term, the local economy is likely to remain pretty stagnant, given the distress in the local housing market, and the backdrop of sluggish national growth."Kathy Toth & Te... 10/05/2007

Ann Arbor's premier real estate team is at it again this weekend!  Imitated but never matched, the Team366 Real Estate Chats are set for this Sunday.  For those keeping track, we are now featuring five(!) Real Estate Chats across the Ann Arbor area.Before we get to the featured Real Estate Chats, Team366 would like to welcome our newest member, David White.  David has been a Realtor(R) for fifteen years and has earned the respect of his clients for his ability to listen, discern and advise.  If you are looking for an agent that knows how to get the job done, and with a high level of integrity, David is your agent!3399 Williamsburg, Ann Arbor - Sunday, October 7th, 2-4 pmThis gorgeous Colonial Square cooperative is a gem!  With all new paint, carpeting and landscaping, this four bedroom,... 10/04/2007

OK, so here I am again at midnight finally doing something I like to do, write, directly related to the thing I love to do, real estate.  But I have to say, Michigan is trying my last nerve as a realtor trying to hold on.I have been in this business for only three years, deciding to enter the professions after doing a self-administered test from a library book entitled, "Do What You Are", "Be What You Do" - I don't remember.  What I learned from the book of forgettable name was that real estate would be a very good fit for me, aside from the organization of paperwork.  It was a VERY good book, in the end.  I decided to enter this profession when good appreciation in real estate was still the norm in Michigan, particularly in the golden Ann Arbor market where I live and would be practici... 10/03/2007

I love it when Friday comes and most of my listings in Ann Arbor and Saline have a least one showing. This is a good weekend as I have at least one showing on some of my homes that have been moving rather slowly. In Michigan, we have a very seasonal market, last year our spring market didn't really start until April or May. (I was wondering if it ever would). Finally, it kicked in and the market was steady. Then August was slow, as parents were taking last minute vacations school was starting and all the transferees were closing and getting settled in their new homes.I have lots of free time to work "on" the business and not "in" the business in November and December.  That's when I plan on catching up with all my Activerain bookmarks. When I'm in a slower season, my family gets lots of... 09/28/2007

Did you know that Google acquired GrandCentral? This might be very helpful for people who have multiple phones to check and store many contacts. What it is:One number for all your phones, for life!GrandCentral makes life simpler by letting you control all your calls with one phone number. Choose which phones ring when your GrandCentral number is called or send calls directly to voicemail depending on who calls you. You can have personalization. They say there is no need to give different people different numbers or send out a new phone number if you change your job or move. You can update your GrandCentral forwarding settings.Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions!Let's see how this beta program works.Kathy Toth & Teamwww.KathyToth.comReal Estate OneClick here to search all listings ... 09/27/2007

On Thursday, I was delighted to attend, at the Polo Fields in Ann Arbor, a presentation by National City Chief Economist Richard J. Dekaser. Along with Economic and Interest Rate Forecast, he answered two burning questions for the attendees.1. When will Michigan see the bottom? Prediction - fourth quarter 2008.2. Will the Federal Reserve do another rate reduction in October 2007? Prediction - Yes, reduced by one quarter point.To view how the National home prices were mapped, Click Here.More reports are available on the National City website for those people thirsty for more data. While we all want to waive the magic wand and arrange for immediate recovery, we still need to be keenly aware of the market trends, to be able to advise our clients who are making life choices.Kathy Toth & Tea... 09/26/2007

                                                                             Do you check to see how you're doing on your SEO results ? (SEO is Search Engine Optimization)  When I first started blogging on Activerain in December 2006, I was clueless to how it all worked. But, I joined groups, read posts, followed instructions from fellow bloggers and grew.My web site MissyCaulk.com was buried so far down in the organic searches that I finally gave up looking when I hit page 49. Forget it.......who looks 49 pages down to find a house or a Realtor. I have owned this site and domain for 9 years and was still really no where to be found.When I do a Search Engine Check in Google, I put on my Buyers Hat and search for terms that I think buyers and sellers would be looking for if they were con... 09/24/2007

We had a great time at the tail gate party hosted by Liberty Title. Pictured here next to me is Greg Koepp of Re/Max and Pam Wagner of Liberty in front of the bug. It was hosted in Angell House which is on the golf course. They set up a TV, lots of food, drinks and jello shots. There is plenty of grilling space out on the tennis courts. The big plus is a private bathroom. So we had a great time conversing and cheering on the U of M team. The weather was perfect. Go Blue!Kathy Toth & Teamwww.KathyToth.comReal Estate OneClick here to search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours - FREE! 09/24/2007

Curb appeal is wonderful for sellers but when it comes to home improvement efforts and dollars spent, most homeowners turn their attention indoors. Here is a short list of the Five Most Popular Home Improvement Projects homeowners tend to gravitate toward when doing some fixing up around the home: Bathroom remodeling - 16% Kitchen remodeling - 7% General house remodeling and room additions - 7% Floor coverings - 6% Painting and wall covering - 5% You may want to consider one of these home improvement projects to make your house more of the home you want or to prepare it for selling. Here's the full article - Five Most Popular Home Improvement Projects Click here to search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours - FREE!Kathy Toth and Teamwww.KathyToth.comKeller Williams Realty 09/24/2007

Click here to search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours - FREE!Ok, I am just recapping the Leadership University in which I participated in LA through Howard Brinton Star Power cadre. We examined the shared qualities of effective leaders, the differences in management vs. leadership, delegation and how to attract talent with integrity and character. Instructors are active in the field, and shared how to motivate and empower others. Pat Hiban is an expert in creating a winning team and he discussed how to deal with conflict. Kristen Cole spoke of how to run effective meetings and Jana Caudill touched on employee reviews, etc. Larry Kendall taught his Ninja Selling and Michael Maher presented his team advances and more. David and Melissa Crocket brought humor and organizatio... 09/21/2007

This is a roundabout way to start this commentary but years ago I worked in a high end restaurant in East Hampton Township, village of Montauk, Long Island, NY, playground of the rich and famous of NYC .  I learned a lot about food that I probably never would have learned anywhere else.  I skinned and deboned smoked eel, cleaned raw squid, ate mussels remoulade for the first time, and disliked the looks of anchovie immediately but discovered they were deliscious in a recipe once melted from their flattened earthworm appearance.  The most important thing I learned at that restaurant, however, was the day the owner/chef said that someone confident in themselves could share everything they knew without fear that the sharing would diminish them.  I was teaching someone how to assemble an ap... 09/20/2007

Search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours FREE! I'm revisiting this article entitled Should Home Sale Prices be Kept Secret?.  I've read recently that some agents are actually in favor of this policy, thinking that it will give them the upper hand in some way. Most states do disclose prices one way or another, but some don't. Does nondisclosure help consumers? It certainly does benefit the real estate industry.  What do you think?Kathy Toth and Teamwww.KathyToth.comKeller Williams Realty 09/20/2007

I was jogged to check out Zillow once again by a news release that they had received a $30 million dollar packet in a business proposal. For curiosity, I went there once again and typed in my own address to see what would come up as value and comparables.  The value was a bit lower than I had hoped for, but I am living in Ann Arbor amidst some of the most trying real estate times Michigan and the nation presumably has seen in decades, so no surprise there really.  I just hope my husband holds onto his job in the auto industry since the real estate industry is not currently making me a millionaire!  I do appreciate that holding on in real estate and seeing first hand what is happening in this incredibly down market will ultimately benefit me.  I will be a much stronger agent in the end t... 09/19/2007

Click Here to search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours - FREE!The Ann Arbor Area Board Market Data is posted in the chart below. The average residential sales prices year to date are down 4 percent year to date for our August market. This is the classic time for the market to taper off more in the next months, when the kids return to school. Specifically, the numbers are August year to date 06' $265,642 vs. 07' at $254,998.As far as the number of homes sold, they are down 11 percent; August year to date is 2396 vs. 2130 in 07'. All in all, we have comparable number of residential homes on the market as we did in 06' so our inventory is stable, albeit still higher than we would like.It is interesting to note that the days on market improved by 2 days from 78 days in 06' to... 09/18/2007

-FREE ANN ARBOR HOME BUYING SEMINAR-When: September 18th, 2007Time: 7:00 pm (6:30 pm - Private Pre Approval)Where: United Bank and Trust355 S. Zeeb RoadAnn Arbor, MI 48103RSVP: 734-216-2172 or Click Here to register onlineLearn The Smart Home Buying Strategies That Will Save You Thousands At The FREE Smart Homebuyer Workshop!The 2007 NAR Profile of International Home Buying Activity research reports further about the characteristics of second-home purchases in the United States made by international clients.Forty-seven percent of all international buyers purchased homes exclusively for vacation, while 22% were motivated primarily by investment. Nearly a third of foreign buyers cited both vacation and investment as reasons for their purchase. International homeowners spent an average of ... 09/18/2007

This past Sunday, I held a Real Estate Chat on the EastSide of Ann Arbor at a beautiful, sun-filled home.  To add a little excitement to the day, I LiveBlogged the event.  With ten groups of attendees, it was a little hairy to keep up with welcoming folks, answering their questions and posting a continuous blog, but it was great!What was even more fun was that a few folks let me take their photo for the blog!Check out the post here.Here's the video walk-through of Bellwood in Ann Arbor: House for Sale - Ann-Arbor, MI 48104 - Real Estate Video Tour 09/17/2007

Click Here to search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours - FREE!Second-home purchases in the United States made by international clients is now reported by by the 2007 NAR Profile of International Home Buying Activity.Foreign buyers purchase homes across the United States, but 52% of sales in 2006 were concentrated in three states - Florida (26%) California (16%) and Texas (10%).The South attracted nearly half (49%) of international buyers last year, while 31% purchased homes in the West.Nearly a third of the Realtors® surveyed worked with international clients or prospects during the previous year. Realtors® who actually closed sales of homes to international clients reported an average of 1.9 clients, representing 15% of their annual business.Most Realtors® reported a ris... 09/17/2007