Thought for the Day

Remember that the tone of your voice often conveys more accurately what is in your mind than do your words.

Thought for the Day

Disappointments are just God's way of saying: "I've got something better"' Be patient, live life, have faith.

Metro Detroit Home Prices Soar, Especially in Hot Spots

This nice couple from South Lyon are in the middle of a real estate
market upswing more dramatic than we are seeing Downriver.

It's no secret that Metro Detroit real estate prices are going up, and have been for a while.  After the big crash in the second half of the last decade, up is about all they could go.

What is not so apparent, but should be known, is that not all areas are going up uniformly.  Some areas lead the pack and some areas lag.  In our area, we have no leaders, at least according to the article.  We do have a laggard, Romulus.

Statistics don't lie.  I am not shocked that the Grosse Pointes are once again in vogue.  What I don't understand is why more people do not realize the great neighborhoods and cities Downriver and give them a little love.  Our area gets an unfair rap, in my humble opinion.

Oh well, read the story in the Free Press anyways.

Link:
http://www.freep.com/story/money/real-estate/home-sales/2014/10/12/real-estate-hot-spots-michigan-housing/17107651/

Thought for the Day

I may not have my dream life at this moment, but each day it's worth striving to reach toward that dream to make it a reality.

Thought for the Day

Be very selective in your choice of friends. 

A Dramatically Transformed Detroit is Coming

John Gallagher suggests in the Freep that Detroit in ten years could look very different, and for the better.  Yes, we've heard it before, like for the last 50 years or so.  But now we can point to specific changes that have already happened.  So I agree with him.

Remember this look, because it will be changing soon.

How about the new Red Wings arena/entertainment district?  The growth of neighborhoods surrounding downtown?  M-1 Rail?  The re-birth of Capitol Park from ashes?

Detroit in ten years will have an active, walkable downtown core.  Maybe Dan Gilbert will have sold some of his 60 buildings by then.  Or maybe he will own 100.  More about that later this week.

Neighborhoods will benefit from improved services, although this will not happen overnight.

By the way, what do you think about the idea of filling in I-375 and turning it into a surface street?  Feel free to post comments below.

Link: http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2014/09/28/downtown-m-rail-arena-bridge/16343825/

Thought for the Day

None of us can think we are exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice - Pope Francis

Thought for the Day

Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others.

Reminder: We Try to Take Sundays Off

Especially when it's my birthday.  Like today.

Thought for the Day

If you don’t know why you failed, you are no wiser than when you began.

Update: Coulter is Lincoln Park Emergency Manager

Brad Coulter

Brad Coulter has been named by Governor Rick Snyder as the Emergency Manager in Lincoln Park.  He comes from a background in the private sector and is known as a corporate turnaround expert.

We posted earlier this week that this move was rumored to be imminent.  As it turned out, the announcement came out later that same day.

We must confess some curiosity as to why Lincoln Park's City Council took the unusual step of asking for an Emergency Manager from the state when they probably could have operated under a consent decree and retained local control.  Instead, the local elected leaders voted to just abdicate their authority and give up.  For most of them, they were there and voting when the deficit budgets were approved in prior years, and now they will not be making the tough choices to fix the fiscal carnage.

We don't approve of that sort of action, and hope they will not continue to draw a paycheck for what is now a symbolic role in their local community that they served so poorly.

In any case, good luck to Mr. Coulter and the citizens of Lincoln Park.

Link:
http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2014/07/05/news/doc53b57476cc69c446412338.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Previous post: http://downriverhomes.blogspot.com/2014/07/breaking-lincoln-park-gets-emergency.html

Radon: Silent Odorless Killer

A silent, colorless, odorless radioactive gas that can cause cancer.

You might have got a radon test when you bought your current house, and that was the last time you thought about this dangerous gas and the cancer it can cause.  Think now.  Get a detector (they're cheap!) and educate yourself here.

Don't just brush by this and not act.




Link:
http://www.familyhandyman.com/smart-homeowner/home-safety-tips/what-is-radon/view-all#step1

Wilford Brimley Sows Oats in Town, Instead

I bet he'll miss this part.

Wilford Brimley, who is turning 80, has decided he is at the time of his life when he downsizes.  As a result, he is selling his 275-acre ranch and has moved his oatmeal eating, diabetic self into town, instead.  Here he is blacksmithing at his place.

Thought for the Day

Count your blessings, not your problems.

Thought for the Day

It's never too late to be what you might have been.

Post Civil War Farmhouse in Northville

This house, 134 years old, is located in a great location five blocks from downtown Northville.  As the Detroit Free Press observes, that means a lot of great events you can walk to.  Since we did not get a Featured Listing Friday post up recently and this is for sale, after all, we have decided to have Featured Listing Friday on Sunday, instead, this week.

Fortunately, the Free Press has A LOT of pictures, so we are able to give you a good flavor for how the place looks.

Thought for the Day

Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.

A New Country Checks In-Bahrain

It has not happened in a while, but we had a new country show up on our visitor's list last week, checking out our humble blog.  We wish a hearty welcome to those from Bahrain who choose to read us.

Housing Market Goes Boom

That's "boom" in a good way, as in booming.  Not boom as it was in 2007 when the market blew apart.

Yesterday  I posted a video that now was a good time to buy your first home.  Well, I did not promise it would be easy.

Metro Detroit home prices have gone up, houses are selling fast for near-full price, there are a lot of cash offers, and sellers are loving it.  Also loving it are builders, who are ramping up new construction to soak up the increased demand, particularly on the high end of the market.  All this according to the Free Press today.

Great for sellers, not so great for buyers, and good for owners who are doing neither.

Link:
http://www.freep.com/article/20140427/BUSINESS04/304270119/Metro-Detroit-home-buying-season-2014

Thought for the Day

You find that you have peace of mind when you know that it was a 100% effort that you gave, win or lose. -Gordie Howe