Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk

Saturday, December 1^st the 32^nd annual Christmas Parade is coming to downtown Saline, Mi.

The theme for 2007 is “It’s A Wonderful Life in Saline”. The theme was chosen this year in honor of Saline, Mi being twice named in the Top 100 Cities my CNN/Money Magazine.

The parade will begin at 5:30, with Michigan Avenue being blocked off. But, you can come early and experience the “Hustle and Bustle” with music and street entertainment at various locations.

I started attending the Saline Christmas parade about 18 years ago. At that time, it was short and sweet. Now it is the parade that never ends. Boy Scout Troops, The Saline Marching Band, day-care centers, senior citizens, Ms. Saline, the twirlettes, floats, Paws for a Cause, Dance Alliance, Girl Scout Troops, churches and just about everyone participates in this annual holiday event. Sometimes I wonder, who isn’t in the parade, but the sides are packed.

The Kiwanis Club is always there giving away free hot-chocolate and popcorn. The Saline Christmas Parade is sponsored and coordinated every year by the Saline Chamber of Commerce. Many local businesses also contribute to make it a success. To see the list of sponsors for the 2007 Christmas Parade you can click here.

Santa’s Village will be held immediately after the parade in the Chamber of Commerce building in down-town Saline.                                                         

                                                            MEMORIES

1) I have so many fond memories of the parade. One year, when Allyssa was only 7 months old, I held her under my coat nursing during a blizzard, because the other children didn’t want to go and it was soooooooooo cold.

2) Years later I was able to watch her and her dance company Dance Alliance Repertory Company do a Rockettes dance down the middle of the street.

3) My husband coached Ann Arbor Jr Wolverines for 9 years and the year they won the State Championship, we had the whole team march in the parade, passing the football back and forth with the Championship Banner.

4) A few years ago, I was in charge of decorating the down-town area for the Chamber, we had so much fun buying all the accessories to be in the park behind Mac’s Seafood Restaurant and Merchant Memorial Park.

5) For several years, RE/MAX had a float and one year we had the hot air balloon. That was nice it warmed everybody up as it went by.

When I sell houses to clients moving into Saline, Mi., I make sure they all know about the Christmas Parade. It is such a great event and being a small community it is so much fun to run into old friends and past clients.  

Lots of memories at the Saline Christmas parade so I invite you to come out and make some of your own. This is one reason I love living in a small town.

Yes, it is “A Wonderful Life in Saline, Mi.”

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Area residents and business people in Saline Community are celebrating today the fact that Saline has been named to CNN Money Magazine’s annual list of “Best Places to Live:  Top 100 in the United States”.  The list represents extensive demographic research that examines areas like financial performance, housing, education, quality of life, leisure and culture, and health.  A complete list of the study’s details is on their website (http://www.money.cnn.com/).          The City of Saline, located in the heart of Washtenaw County in Southeast Michigan, was one of just three communities in the State to make the list (#59).  The other two were Plymouth Township (#37) and Farmington (#55).  In 2005 Saline was also made this list.  According to Saline Mayor Gretchen Driskell, “We’re all really proud to be on the list again.  It’s a direct reflection of the dedication of all the people who live in our community”.

          The Saline Area Chamber of Commerce is planning an award presentation honoring this outstanding recognition and accomplishment.  “Considering the study looks at tens of thousands of communities in the United States, the list is narrowed down to 3,500, and then the final cut is made down to a scant 100, making the list is a real honor”, said Larry Osterling, Executive Director of the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce.  “Everyone who calls Saline home can take pride in their contribution and that includes our folks in the surrounding areas of Pittsfield, Lodi, York, Bridgewater, and Saline Townships.  We have some really terrific small towns in Washtenaw County and it’s great to see this type of recognition come our way.” 

Saline Chamber of Commerce

Search Saline Houses

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The Ann Arbor, MI market is is fluctuation. It is changing almost daily.Pricing a home right is THE MOST important thing I do.

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, buyers don’t care what you “need” to sell.

Mr. and Mrs.Seller, It is not wise to “test the market for a month.”

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, Yes, they can just “make and offer” but they won’t.

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, The buyer is looking at all the homes in the price range you have priced the home in. Your home just does not compare in that price range.

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, Your home is helping to sell the other homes listed in your price range, because it looks like they are getting a good value on the other ones.

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, All the marketing of your home will still not sell an over-priced home.

Mr.and Mrs. Seller, get it right the first time.

A Comparative Market Analysis is only what a house is worth in a certain location, in a certain condition and at a given point in time, within a 30-90 day time period. In the Ann Arbor, Michigan market homes need to be re-evaluated every 30 days. Your realtor should stay on top of what is listed, what has sold and what has been reduced. A market value is always changing so you must change with it and price accordingly.

My website offers lots of great tips for selling your home.

Search other homes and see on-line how your house stacks up to the competition. Look at location, size and ammenities. Be brutely honest with yourself. Put on your buyers hat. Would you buy your house or another one?

In our market right now, it is not so much the comparables that have SOLD but what your competition will be looking at.

Mr and Mrs. Seller, we will price your home to be in the Top 5 homes that are looked at for any buyer moving to Ann Arbor or Saline, MI.

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 It has been said that people don’t want to be SOLD, they want to buy.  Years ago when I first started my career in Real Estate, I was interviewing different companies around Ann Arbor, and Saline, Mi. I was looking for the “right fit” for me. That meant “no cold calling”, “no knocking on doors”.  Shortly after, when I started working with buyers, I discovered that wonderful little secret.

My little secret that has made my life fun (most of the time) is that my job was to just introduce people to the homes that matched their criteria and they would either “fall in love” with the right house or move on.

It completely takes the pressure off of me. There is nothing you can do to fall in love and there is not much you can do to stop it. The experts say that the first thing we fall in love with is the physical appearance of the other person, the way they walk or talk, their personality. It is a strong instinctive attraction. It is very physical, and often times we don’t really know why at first.

Buying a house is often like that. You have been out showing homes all day, and found a couple of “possibilities”. Which means they would work for them as far as the floor plan, location and price.

Then it happens, Mr. and or Ms Buyer walk in a home and bang it hits them over the head. This is it ! Excitement is all over their faces. Gone is the logic, of yes this will work, it is the right location, the right price. Sometime it is even higher than they wanted to go. But, they have “fallen in love”.  People buy with emotions and then justify the price.

Often the decision makes no sense to us, because we’re not in love. In fact, logic many times goes out the window. Do you whip out a purchase agreement?  Do you say, “Lets, go back to the office and write this house up, and get it under contract?”

This is not some new revelation, we have all experienced it with our buyers. The lights go on, their pulse increases. At this point, all logic goes out the window. Sometimes like in a relationship it is really not the right house for them. But, nothing will stop them. They have found their house and they are in love.

What have I learned over the years as I discovered this, “little secret”.

1)  One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Many houses I have sold over the years, didn’t appeal to me at all.

2)  Keep my mouth shut about certain features that they may love and I would never live with.

3)  Keep looking until the lights go on.

4)  For my sellers, I encourage them to take every offer seriously, even a low ball offer. If they care enough to sit down and write an offer there is some emotion involved.

5)  There are all kinds of people and tastes, and internally they know when they have found the “right house”.

6)  Unless there is some major requirement that is missing, don’t try to talk them out of it. (like we need to be 10 minutes to the hospital). Then I would point it out, “this is over 10 minutes to the hospital, are you ok with it being 20 minutes)

7)  That I am not a salesperson, but a match maker. In Jewish literature called a shadchan.

This completely takes the pressure off of me. I love seeing the lights come on. 

Yesterday I closed on 3 houses, two I would not have lived in. But, at the settlement everyone was happy. The sellers were thrilled that the buyers were in love with their former homes. The excitement was still there, the  buyers couldn’t wait to move in. Ahh…….all in a days play, opps work !!

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Home Owners Associations are a love-hate relationships.

What?

People that live in residential communities are usually governed by HOA (Home Owner Association) rules and regulations. In Michigan, on our Purchase Agreements Realtors check the box that the buyer will review the HOA Documents, or their attorney will review the association documents within so many days.

Not a problem, it is a standard business practice here. People want to know what the rules and covenants are prior to proceeding with the purchase of a new home. Can I have a pool? Does it have to be in the ground or can it be above the ground? How many pets can I have? If I want to add a garage, can I? Who approves any design changes? Etc…

In most of the nicer subdivisions you have to get permission from the board for any improvements.  My experience in my own subdivision is the people who run for the board, have no pets and no kids. They take it upon themselves to police the neighborhood. Why don’t they go volunteer at a non-profit if they have so much time on their hands ?

Tonight I had a call from one of the board member in Hunters Ridge Subdivision. It was ironic as I was going to be writing a post on HOA anyway. She called to ask, “What is the ramp in your front yard?”

So I told her about Allyssa and that is was temporary. I said do you really think I would have put up a ramp like THAT, if it was really not necessary? She was very nice about it, but give me a break! I’m not that stupid. Maybe I should have mentioned the Handicapped and Disability Act, and that it is a protected class in Michigan. I asked her if anyone had complained and she said one person had called her to ask about it. But, our annual meeting is coming up in September and she wanted to be prepared to answer if it came up again.

Several years ago, one of my neighbors was going to use brick pavers in their drive-way and they were at the end of their drive-way too long. So they slapped a big lien on their house. I also had a neighbor that her husband was with Ford. He was transferred shortly after they built their house for a year. They had a friend living there to take care of the place. He moved out about a week before they returned and the HOA had a lien on their house, because the grass was too long. Welcome Home Neighbors!

I know rules and regulations are good, they keep people from putting farm animals and trailers on the property. We all want our neighborhoods to look good. But, give me a break.

HOA rules are only as good and as gracious as the people who enforce them. See what I mean by a love-hate relationship?

I bought a condo for my two sons, a couple of years ago in TN. I kept asking my realtor for the Association By-laws, and she said I would get them at closing. Had a read them I would not have bought the condo. Two sons, who like to play guitar and sing at night. Needless to say, I sold the place after a year. Too many letters telling me they were too loud. No electric equipment, just acoustic guitars and in Nashville!

Last year I had a client from Maryland. She asks me to please not show her houses in a neighborhood where the neighbors were nit-picky. Now how do you deal with that?

What is your experiences been with HOA?

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Hi Tom and Michelle,

Thanks for visiting my web site: Search Ann Arbor Area Homes and contacting me about your move to Saline, MI  As a mother of five children who has been in the Saline School System for many years,  I can tell you I am very pleased with the education my children have received.

Here are several web sites you might want to check out, since you are considering moving to Saline.

Saline Area Schools

Saline Chamber of Commerce

Also I have written many blog posts about Saline, MI and our schools. You will especially enjoy the one where Saline Schools were ranked in the top 16% of the nation. The City of Saline was also ranked in the Top 100 Best Places to Live by Money Magazine.

You mentioned in your email that you would like your two children to be able to walk to school. We have two new subdivisions in Saline, called Centennial Park and Centennial Farms. Both of those are within walking distance to the new Heritage School.

I have included three homes that I think you would be interested in and that your children would be able to walk to school.

1035 Bicentennial, with 3558 square feet, includes a finished basement. This home is priced at 399,900. Walk to Heritage School. Views of protected wet lands, walk-out LL with 3rd bath. Two story great room with soaring ceilings.

6439 Wilson, with 2404 square feet, priced at 389,700. You can still pick your colors and cabinets. Walk to Heritage School. First floor master bedroom suite, 3 car garage, and two story family room. 9 ft basement walls for finishing off at a later date.

6176 Wilson, with 2447 square feet, priced at 339,900. Plus a finished basement. Walk to Heritage School. Professional landscaping, and a view  of the pond are one of the highlights of this home. First floor study, formal dining room and generous size bedrooms. This home is really priced very well.

I believe these homes fit your price point, square footage requirement and the children being able to walk to school.

Before your trip to Saline, next weekend, I am including my list of preferred lenders. Please call any or all of them. I can promise you great customer service and many programs to choose from. I have worked with each one of the lenders over the years and can recommend them without hesitation.

Maria Labie

Citizens First Bank

734-353-0505

MLabie@cfsbank.com

Kay VanOrman

Wells Fargo

734-213-8981

S.Kay.VanOrman@WellsFargo.com

Sandy Stanford

GMAC Mortgage

888-648-4622

Sandra.Stanford@gmacm.com

I look forward to meeting you both. We will have a good time, as I love to show off my home town and community. I know you will find Saline to be a warm, and welcoming community. My husband and I like to joke that Saline is the most doting, family community in Washtenaw County.

I will pick you up at the Marriot at 10:00 on Friday the 29^th and we can start our tour at that time. Please send me your top 10 MLS numbers at least 48 in advance so I can confirm they are still available and set up the tour. Don’t hesitate to me if you have any questions.

Warmest Regards,

Missy Caulk & TEAM

RE/MAX Platinum-Ann Arbor

Direct Line: 734-302-1500

Search other homes at this wonderful site with Google satellite images, Google maps and many photos.

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