The stimulus money is also being funneled into other areas and not just being used for job creation, including tax cuts for residents and small businesses, weatherization projects, college tuition grants, unemployment insurance benefits and plugging the deficit in the state budget.
The community offers all the amenities that Ann Arbor offers and is close to the University of Michigan and its downtown campus. The units are built around small ponds and creeks that feature walking trails around the development. Garage parking is available, and a clubhouse, outdoor pool, & tennis court are maintained for recreation. This makes Traver Lakes the ideal community to relocate to in Ann Arbor!
Craigslist has become a very powerful tool for many real estate professionals. We typically recommend posting your listings to Craigslist. It is also a great place to post events like Home Buyer Seminars, general ads like “Receive a FREE Market Analysis of Your Homes Value”, and even for recruiting new agents.
As Real Estate Virtual Assistants, the online marketing efforts that we implement can be pretty extensive. At RealSupport, we provide package pricing per listing for listing marketing and we are often asked to recommend the best sites for advertising our client’s listing. I’m a big believer in Craigslist (however, I do realize there are reasons it doesn’t make sense for some agents), so this site is typically part of each of my client’s listing package.
Some of our clients spend upwards of $400 for us to market their listing. We want to be certain they are getting the most bang for their marketing dollars. In search of a tool that would allow us to make sure we have the data to back-up our positive opinion about Craigslist, we have been testing a free tool call http://craigslistadtracker.com/ that can be used to track the activity of each Craigslist ad. So far we have found this tool to be easy to use, accurate, and consistent in providing us hit reports on each ad.
With that said, perhaps we find the result to be the opposite and our ads are not being viewed… before you throw out baby with the bathwater, I recommend tweaking your ad title. On a similar note, if you are posting your ads with HTML code from some other source (like Postlets), you MUST still upload a photo. Most Craigslist users will not click on an ad that does not have a PIC (which is the notification next to the title indicating there is a picture uploaded to the ad). I did not like the way the uploaded photo looked with the attractive HTML code from Postlets, so we tricked the system and we upload a blank image… now the ad still looks nice and the ad indicates there are pictures (which of course there is because that is part of the HTML).
How it works
Register an account
Create a tracker
Insert the tracking code on your craigslist ad or webpage
Every page view will be logged for reporting
Analyze the report
Why use this service?
Know the number of page views your ads receive
Know which type of ad gets the most clicks or generate more leads
Know your visitor locations
Up-to-the-minute real-time stats
Email notifications
Track unlimited postings
Several reports and charts to help you analyze your stats
Invisible and seamless tracking
Timezone conversion for reporting
Image hosting and tracking
It works on Craigslist, Oddle, Myspace and other networks that support HTML listings
If all this sound just a little to complicated, you need a Real Estate Virtual Assistant! Let a REVA do the work for you… all you should worry about are the results, right?
Before jumping into market data, click on picture for Chelsea, Michigan Tour.
As of September 30th, there were 162 active Chelsea homes down from 172 active homes for sale last month: ranging from 1 bedrooms to 6, 1 bathrooms to 7 and priced from $65,000 to $995,000. The average asking list price per square foot was $129.77 down from $137.41 last month.
There have been 99 homes sold in Chelsea this year ranging in bedrooms from 1 to 5 and bathrooms from 1 to 6. The largest home sold was 3,800 square feet down to the smallest at 600 square feet. The average list price of the homes that sold in 2009 was $189,904 and the average sold price was $179,684. This represents an average annual sold price per square foot of $97.40. The sellers got an average of 94% of asking price this year. The Chelsea Real Estate Market from October 06 to September 09 is graphed below with the wide sold price swings displayed. September Chelsea sales data is represented by the Ann Arbor Area Board as dipping from last month shown by the yellow line below.
The chart below shows that there is about a 7 month supply of homes for sale in Chelsea, Michigan, so we are still in a buyers market and may be stabilizing unless we see a rash of foreclosure homes hit the market. The inventory under $200,000 is shrinking and we are seeing multiple offers. There is still an abundance of choice, low interest rates and great prices.
JAN
FEB
MAR
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUG
SEP
Listings
174
115
148
161
177
148
169
172
162
Under Contract
7
5
8
14
12
16
18
9
8
Sales Past 12 Months
304
328
290
295
287
274
279
273
291
Absorption Rate/
25.3
27.3
24.2
24.6
23.9
22.8
23.3
22.8
24.3
Months Supply
6.9
4.2
6.1
6.5
7.4
6.5
7.3
7.6
6.7
Other charts below show the trends over the last 12 months.
The first chart - Chelsea: Median Price (FS, Sold) shows home prices listed are up 7% and sold prices are down by 9% comparing September 08 to September 09 with trend lines showing a slight price increase over the last 12 months.
Chart 2 - Chelsea: Supply & Demand - # Units (FS, UC, Sold) below shows that units for sale from September 08 to September 09 are up 25% and sold units are down 9%. At least the number of active homes for sale is being reduced somewhat indicating we are on the way to stabilizing.
There is still an abundance of choice, low interest rates and great prices. If you know any one who is a first time home buyer looking to use the first time home buyer tax credit, time is running out to ensure closing by November 30th, 2009. Le us know you if are coming to our home buyer class this month: 734-845-6542.
Take a look at what’s happening in Dexter, Michigan during the month of October!
10/5 - Planning Commission Regular Meeting Time: 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Category: Village of Dexter - Planning Commission Recurrence: Occurs the First Monday of every month Location: Senior Center 7720 Dexter-Ann Arbor Street, Dexter, MI 48130
10/6 - Arts, Culture, and Heritage Committee Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Category: Village of Dexter - Arts, Culture & Heritage Recurrence: Occurs the First Tuesday of every month Location: Senior Center 7722 Dexter-Ann Arbor Street, Dexter, MI 48130
10/7 - REAL ESTATE BUYER ROUNDTABLE Time: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Category: Education Kathy Toth and Team Keller Williams Recurrence: Monthly Diane 734-845-6542 for reservations Location: United Bank and Trust 355 S.Zeeb, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, South entrance
10/7 - Village Council Meeting Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Category: Village of Dexter - Village Council Recurrence: Occurs the Second and Fourth Monday of every month Location: Dexter Library 3255 Alpine Street, Dexter, MI 48130
10/12 - Village Council Meeting Time: 7:30 PM Category: Village of Dexter - Village Council Recurrence: Occurs the Second and Fourth Monday of every month Location: Senior Center 7720 Dexter-Ann Arbor Street, Dexter, MI 48130
10/20 - Parks Commission Meeting Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Category: Village of Dexter - Parks Commission Recurrence: Occurs the Third Tuesday of every month Details: Regular Parks Commission meeting Location: Village Offices 8123 Main Street, Dexter, MI 48130 Directions: Second Floor of National City Bank
10/26 - Village Council Meeting Time: 7:30 PM Category: Village of Dexter - Village Council Recurrence: Occurs the Second and Fourth Monday of every month Location: Senior Center 7720 Dexter-Ann Arbor Street, Dexter, MI 48130
The fallout from the recession has cut deeply into the housing security, employment and income of many Americans. But some parts of the country are clearly faring better than others. Here, three interactive maps show foreclosure and jobless rates and household income by county.
This interactive foreclosure map available for the Country. I searched for Michigan and it shows Washtenaw foreclosures are 1 out of every 289 households with 147, 026. Washtenaw County Labor force is represented as I75,165 and unemployment at 9.5 percent. Washtenaw County Median household income is represented as $59,883. Move your curser over Counties of choice to uncover details.
Hope this is helpful and let me know what you think.
I am very impressed by the thought put into this form of electronic communication by MAR as they say,
"The Michigan Association of REALTORS® is a professional trade organization for real estate professionals and the primary source for Michigan housing and real estate data. Comprised of 45 local REALTOR® Associations, at the Michigan Association of REALTORS®, we serve more than 23 thousand members in a number of ways, such as providing free legal advice and pre-printed forms, discounts on insurance and phone service, educational classes and networking opportunities. All of our members adhere to a strict Code of Ethics, established by the National Association of REALTORS®". You can quickly forward to a friend. I suggest you let other associations in other states take a peek.
I am a fan of Michigan videos, used in almost every blog post on www.AnnArborTalks.com. I hope to see more of these with more timely input from around the state!
Diane Ratkovitch Earns Certificate Specializing in Short Sales and Foreclosure Transactions Joins the Kathy Toth Team’s Distressed Sales Division
In response to requests from many Ann Arbor sellers, and the regularity of short sales and foreclosure-related transactions, Keller Williams created a Short Sale and Foreclosure Certification plan for Pre-Foreclosure Specialists. Video of the instruction can be found below.
"Someone that comes out of the program will have enough education to be a resource," said Marian Benton, operating principal for Keller Williams Temecula and Ann Arbor Market Centers. "It will familiarize them with the terminology and give them a road map to manage these transactions."
To earn the PSC certification, REALTORS® must complete a two-day education program and pass a written test. Diane Ratkovitch joins the Kathy Toth Team distressed sales division in preparing clients in selling and purchasing these properties.
Ratkovitch is a seasoned sales professional focused on client satisfaction and enjoys connecting with home buyers to help them find their dream home. She also hold the Certified Relocation Specialist designation to facilitate relocating families to Ann Arbor, Saline, Chelsea, Dexter and all of Washtenaw County.
About Kathy Toth and Team
Kathy Toth and Team, REALTORS®, ranks among the top one percent of REALTORS® nationally, has been helping individuals and families find a place to call home in all price ranges for over 20 years in Washtenaw and Southern Livingston Counties. A Certified Distressed Property Expert and Accredited Seller Representative, Kathy Toth has helped over 1,000 people maximize profits and minimize costs in the sale or purchase of homes and condos. Whether you are looking for your first home or your dream home, planning to relocate, or need to sell for the highest value, the Kathy Toth Team can help. For more information, please call 734-669-0337 or visit www.KathyToth.com ****
Comprehensive list of Bank Owned, Pre-Foreclosure and Short Sales list. The team will assist you with any of these. It is estimated that 50% of sales in 2009 will be from these type of properties as buyers are looking to take advantage of low prices and interest rates. Short Sales are properties that are selling for less than what is owned but buyer will get clear title and no liens.
And don't forget about our new feature on our website which allows you to do a self search of properties offered for sale in Washtenaw County – Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Dexter, Saline, Michigan: www.KathyToth.com. This system will also allow you to receive automatic e-mails of new properties that match your search criteria. Best of all it's FREE.
Many of our clients are bringing money from other countries and we want to provide a currency converter. Before transferring money for a transaction, check with your lender and the title company regarding homeland security issues. We just had a closing not close because the parents transferred $52,000 into the Ann Arbor condo buyers bank account. He only needed $12,000 so the lender had to have documentation for the additional funds which happened to be from China. Once documentation was secured (one week later) the son was able to close. He was thankful for the money, but the additional funds could have waited until after closing to prevent the delay.
One of the cool things about living here is having many international friends, some who are foreign language professors. Some of our professor friends have volunteered to help us with relocation buyers language translation needs. Talk about personalized service!
You know, we help many families relocate to Ann Arbor. Diane, one of our buyers agents is a certified relocation specialist, which is the highest designation showing she has a higher standard of care and knowledge to assist our clients.
Coming from another area, you will may want to know about Washtenaw schools, crime, neighborhoods, shopping, sports, dining, clubs, recreation, your interests, and organizations. That is alot to digest.
Some of Ann Arbor’s Honors for 2009:
America’s 75 Best College Cities (Third Best Small City) - American Institute for Economic Research, 2009
Best Place to Spend a Sunny Day (Gallup Park) and Best Overall Park/Playground (Gallup Park and Mill Pond tie) - Ann Arbor Family Magazine, 2009
Top-rated Midsized Metro (No. 5) - Bizjournals, 2009 list
Best Place to Raise Your Kids - Business Week Magazine, 2009 list
Ann Arbor’s Best Golf Course: Leslie Park Golf Course - Current Magazine, People’s Choice list, 2009
Top 10 U.S. City to Visit With Your Dog (No. 10) - DogFriendly.com, 2009 list
Just know we come from a servant’s heart and live by the platinum rule. We treat others how they want to be treated. We have relocated ourselves. Now our children have relocated, so we bring a lot of experience to the table for you. Allow us to serve you and your family when you transfer to Ann Arbor. Let me know if you need tickets to a University of Michigan taligate party - that will get you into the swing of things.
We like to be helpful whenever possible. One of the added values we carry is a measuring device. Our Ann Arbor Area Board does not require room measurments. Agents can take them and enter them, and we do. But when we are at other listings, it can be very useful to the buyers to know room measurments. I can’t tell you how often the electronic device has helped our Ann Arbor Real Estate buyer clients. Most buyers want to know if the bedroom furniture will fit, or if the side yard is big enough for the dog kennel, or if the garage is deep enough for their truck, or just generally to measure out room or yard dimensions. So if we’re working together and you’re wondering how big a room is – just ask! We’ll grab and measure to see if the property measures up.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
How it works
Carrie Gable, President 
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