A man died in our community yesterday.  He was bicycling, struck by a young man driving in rush hour with a storm moving in.  The lives of these men and their families will never be the same, one gone far too early and the other likely under the shadow of this tragedy for the rest of his life.  I don't know either of the men or their families, or if they believe in heaven, but I would like to think that they do and that that is where the victim is right now.

It was an odd coincidence that this event happened soon after I read chapter one of my daughter's debut novel.  The chapter is devoted to a graveside service and it made me cry;  I have been to far too many of these and recognized in her writing the numbness of the participants, the details of the scene, and the realization that it is all utterly unreal.

Sara graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2009 with a major in English Literature, a minor in Art History, and a completed novel, just short of perfection.  She has been polishing and rewriting some parts of the novel this summer, previously guided in her efforts while wrapping up her last term at Michigan, by a multi-published professor .  Sara was the recipient of a coveted Cowden Memorial Award at the university's spring 2009 Hopwood Award Ceremony after submitting parts of her novel for consideration.  It was pretty clear then that she had something good going on.

Over the last couple of days Sara told me she was putting the last puzzle piece in place - finding a literary agent to represent her and market her novel to publishers.  She sent a dozen letters out to the most suitable, reputable agents she could find who worked her brand of fiction.  These are not pay-to-read agents, or those pointing authors to vanity presses.  They are the real deal, taking on writers they believe will have critical success.  They choose carefully the authors they represent.  Sara prepared for a long wait on responses, as would be typical.  She received two responses within 24 hours; one agent asked for her full manuscript.

When I told Sara that her writing made me cry, she was surprised.  She hadn't viewed the chapter as particularly moving.  (I can only imagine what the rest of the book will do to me.)  I thought about that and realized it wasn't just what she wrote but that she had written it.  We have watched her grow up like all parents do, wondering what their children will make of themselves, and now we are here.

Sara is moving to New York City in September with a defined plan and willingness to take a risk.  We have two other children younger than Sara who have yet to have their special gifts acknowledged, though their days will come too.

Our youngest child told me, circa age 3, as we were resting before our afternoon nap so many years ago, that she had picked us.  I asked her to explain and she told me that before she was born, she looked down from heaven and saw our family, deciding then that that was where she would go.  Perhaps these were the ramblings of a preschooler who had never been schooled in any notion like this, but I choose to believe it happened just as she said it did.

Who Art in Heaven.  The beginning and the end.  One day, I hope to find out.

I just read a news piece where Bill Gates admitted to backing away from the high-tech environment he is hugely responsible for creating.  It seems that real life personal connections rather than electronic friendships might actually be something to value.  Yes, I am paraphrasing, inferring, and assuming, but Bill, I suspect you are someone just like me.  OK, at least on this one point....

Yahoo! News reports "Bill Gates quits Facebook over 'too many friends' ".  Not a problem I necessarily have on Facebook given my once monthly or so visits there but I definitely know where he is coming from.  Enough is enough.  Can't we have a private thought or moment any more?  Must we, must YOU continually update everyone with your whereabouts, your activities, your thoughts, plans, successes, and (probably not) your failures?  Please.  Tweet me not. 

The article noted that he had trouble figuring out whether he "knew this person, did I not know this person" and that "It was just way too much trouble so I gave it up."

Gates also admitted to not being that big on texting, not being a 24-hour tech person, and that he reads - sometimes not on the computer.  I would like all dying newspapers and publishing companies to sit up and take notice since there could be a backlash coming.  Some/many of the literary public want to curl up on a chair or tuck into bed and not wonder if their wireless will go that far or if the battery is going to die and need to be plugged in, leaving the reader entangled in cords.  They may not want a history stored somewhere of what they've been looking at or reading for the world to somehow resurrect if they can and care to, for whatever reason is deemed necessary, fun, or stalker-like.

While Gates admits that he envisioned a computer on every desk and in every home, and that the tech revolution has been "hugely beneficial", he seemed to caution against overuse.

"All these tools of tech waste our time if we're not careful."

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is proof that Bill Gates lives by his words.  People and charities deserve more attention than self-promotion via social networking.  It is is real, besides.  I can't remember Bill Gates ever promoting himself - he was in the news because others wanted to promote him.  Do the right thing and you won't need to pat your own back.  There will be plenty of people lining up to pat your back for you.

Come on Bill, don't you want to be my friend?  OK, OK, just testing.

First let me state the "facts" about the Ann Arbor Art Fair:

*it will rain on opening day and perhaps throughout the entire Wednesday through Saturday event - there may even have been hail at times in past years - so far just some light rain on opening day this year - not bad!

*locals will leave town for the duration

*traffic flow will be seriously affected

*many businesses will shut down for "vacation" during this period

*massive crowds from all over the US will descend upon Ann Arbor, both artists and aficionados alike

*most visitors will go home with something "on a stick" - I have a cherished copper hummingbird that is planted in my garden beds - I have seen variatons in many locations in and around Ann Arbor - great deal for under $50 - but one does feel a bit uneducated for having fallen for the 'thing on a stick' and buying it.

To be more specific, this art fair is one of the most influential and fair art fairs in the country.  There are actually multiple "art fairs" in the mix, some with just juried work, others with whatever the market will bear, and others with everything in between.  This is not an event to be taken in in just one day.  Wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen and a hat, and leave babies and pets at home.  Bring money.

In previous years our entire family has attended but the men quickly lost interest so it has become a girls only event.  One rule we have worked with is that when we reach that artist whose work elicits a gasp of delight, we know we are done.  We may not be able to purchase that artist's work, but we are satisfied with our art fair exposure.  One year for me, it was coming across an artist booth that featured cast concrete wall art.  The low relief human faces brought my gasp of appreciation but my pocketbook did not stretch anywhere near that far to be able to do a purchase.  I will never forget the discovery though - one day, maybe one day....

This year our oldest daughter was the first to do the art fair experience.  (She and her younger sister visited again on the last day.)  She lives downtown and is walkable to the exhibits.  After viewing many artists' work, she found her gasp.  It was a photographer, with photos so vivid that she could not look away.  As so often happens, the artist emerged from his behind-the-scenes solitude and began a conversation.

First, he asked her how old she was since he said he rarely saw appreciation for his work in someone her age.  She said 21.  (She neglected to mention that she had just graduated from the University of Mighigan with a minor in art history, major in English.)  She asked how he got his depth of color in his photography and then he really opened up.

He said he preferred little about modern photography and worked with an ancient camera that had the cloth hood covering the head of the photographer - I am quite sure he relayed that more exactly than I am doing here.  He then said he had met Ansel Adams once and had quizzed him on how he achieved such depth of color, or light and shadow, in his work.

Ansel replied by throwing a glass of water on the artist's shirt.  Thinking he had offended Ansel by asking what his secret was, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was a lesson.  Ansel asked him to observe the color difference between the wet and dry parts of his shirt.  There was the answer.  Always shoot on rainy days.  This man listened and it shows.  His art has color that seems unnatural in photography.  He said he brings someone along to hold the umbrella over his head while he shoots.

My daughter wavered between two works, one framed with a rowboat and reeds - I have seen it and it is exquisite.  Another was less expensive as a matted piece but similarly compelling with the autumn foliage of a bright red tree punctuating the other fall trees in the background.

When she decided to buy the framed rowboat piece, the artist said it was one of his favorites and asked her when her birthday was.  "November," she replied.  He said he would give her the second as a birthday gift.  She protested, too much, and her birthday was too far away.  He replied, "I am 70 years old.  I may not be alive in November."

She is well on her way to accumulating original art, little by little through travels and this sort of generosity.  Her heart is touched by these exchanges and the stories will undoubtedly live beyond the lives of the artists.  She also has her provenance.

The Ann Arbor Art Fair, and Ann Arbor itself.  Prepare yourself for the unexpected. 

Let me take you back to your real estate exam days.

We all learned a lot of things to pass our real estate tests, and if you had an instructor like I had, you were likely told that most of what you learned to pass the test would not be needed in day-to-day business.  That probably explains why so many agents called me when I listed my odd Ann Arbor property quite prominently as a "TIC property sale" involving three individual residences under a TIC property agreement.  Apparently, this is the first property listed this way in all of Michigan.

The calls flooded in from agents.  "What does TIC mean?"  "Tenancy in common," I told them.  I would then go into my spiel about my particular cluster of 3 residences tied together by a common well and septic field on a parcel too small to create additional wells and septics, short setbacks on two of the three, etc.  Suffice it to say, non-conforming on multiple fronts.  However, TIC ownership could allow the properties to be sold in a fractional ownership situation with each individual/entity having designated exclusive right of use of a part of the property.  As long as the buying parties agreed to the TIC document details, which they themselves would author, or perhaps more precisely, alter to their needs and requirements, under the guidance of a TIC attorney, everything should be just fine.

Not too scary, right?

The fear factor of a joint mortgage paralyzed many from the start, no matter how many safeguards were to be written in to the TIC agreement.  Remember, Michigan is no stranger to mortgage defaults and the economic climate is not suggesting many positive vibes to the contrary.  Skepticism abounded but the showing requests were enormous since the price points are fabulous.  Breaking this $299,900 property into 3 individual sales made the list prices appealing to buyers while the 3-in1 price had been decidedly unappealing to investors.  If the properties condo-convert, there should be an equity jump for all, investors included.  

So I am looking forward to offers shortly on some of the best deals on vintage single family homes in a tranquil setting within Ann Arbor schools, opposite a picturesque lake and commutable to multiple popular destinations.  Other parts of the country long ago embraced TIC property sales and it is time for Ann Arbor and Michigan to roll out the welcome mat too.

Please click on the links below.  This is not really a listing; it is an education.  I welcome any and all inquiries.  I apologize for the lack of interior photos for some of the properties - they are tenant occupied.  View and enjoy.  Then write me an offer!

P.S.  Did I mention that a local bank is considering offering financing on the individual properties in the TIC sale agreement, removing the scary all-in-one mortgage from the table?  Stay tuned - more to come!

http://aaar.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=518109012&s=AAR&t=AAR - 7493 Plymouth, $134,000

http://aaar.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=518109012&s=AAR&t=AAR - 7491 Plymouth, $69,900

 http://aaar.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=518109012&s=AAR&t=AAR - 3865 Albert, $96,000

 http://aaar.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=518109012&s=AAR&t=AAR - buy all three!  $299,900

www.susanwalters.net

Helping you find your way home.

Specializing in TIC Property Sales.

OK, they don't call me the workin man, but that is the phrase from a classic Rush tune that my 19 year old son has adopted regarding his summer job.  He knew he needed to work, filling the gap between freshman and sophomore years at Michigan Tech, and applied just about everywhere when he arrived home in late April.  Finally, by answering a newspaper ad (so old school!) from a temp agency, he was offered two jobs in two days.  He passed the requisite drug test with flying colors and deliberated between the two positions.  In the end, the position in Saline, near his old high school, won out.

Keep in mind that our son is majoring in computer science, flirting with minors in both sound design and electrical engineering technology, and is trying to squeeze in significant humanities studies just for the love of the written word.  He works at Michigan Tech's superb Rozsa Performing Arts Center during the school year and loves every minute and aspect of the work, not to mention the performances.  So what is he doing this summer?  Working the assembly line in a flatbread bakery/factory, night shift, 10PM to 6AM.  In our still struggling Ann Arbor/Michigan economy, finding any work was quite the accomplishment.

That first day he came home exhausted, disgusted, but full of stories about the bread factory environment.  He swore he was going to quit, and swore that again the next day.  Day three he learned there is more to work than the task at hand and he embraced the opportunity to do this job.  His tales remind me of the many, many descriptive passages in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina where wealthy landowner Levin pontificates about toiling with the field hands on his land, trying to find the meaning of life.

Our family is treated daily to the adventures in breadmaking that he is a part of, descriptions of fellow workers and situations so artfully conveyed that a picture is painted.  His stories are always told with the good humor he has possessed since birth, even when he described being stop-watched as he left the assembly room floor to begin his 3AM lunch, returning precisely 20 minutes or sooner as required.  When he spoke about the hairnet, beard net, and safety goggles, we roared with laughter.  It was that day he began to shave daily, eliminating one of the three heat-trapping fittings forever.

So what exactly does he do?  His shift is spent standing on a cushioned mat, flipping a bag of flatbread as it comes down the line, rotating it into a precise position, then off it goes to a sealing machine.  I asked how quickly the bread bags arrive; he replied, "Five every three seconds."  For 7.5 hours.  WOW.

Recently he came home and told us that only he and one other temp worker had been kept on.  He was told he was the only newbie on the line who hadn't needed the conveyor belt slowed down until they got the hang of the job.  Productivity was up.  His common sense emerged too whenever there was a breakdown in the line, box folding error, crumpled or torn flatbread (it is called flat for a reason...), overheated ovens, overloading of product into a bag, etc.   Calm, calm, calm.  Adjust.  Carry on.

There is a new appreciation for every job out there and for the intensity of the 40 hour work week.  There is enthusiasm about reaching high academic success when returning to Michigan Tech in the fall.  There is a changed attitude apparent.  It is more than making bread for the summer; this is the bread of life.

Kevin, we call you the workin man.  

Being opinionless has never been my problem.  Being discreet about my opinion, well, I only occasionally have managed that.  I once got into trouble for a blog post, actually just a response to a blog post, that ended up costing me quite a few dollars and within certain circles damaged my reputation as well.  It was not identifiable to client in any way except decision processes, but when condemned I confessed.  I am nothing if not truthful.  It wasn't my finest moment.

Tonight I almost did it again.  I read an article on CNN and thought a particular Congressperson had the perspective all wrong on a point.  I have never written to a government official before but decided it was time to start.  I composed my letter on the contact website, perfected it, then, right before sending I erased it - just like so many blogs I have written here since the incident previously mentioned.

Am I afraid?  In a word, yes.  I am afraid of the negative consequences of speaking my mind - on big public topics that beg for opinion, and on little topics that I feel like commenting on.  Real estate is not that great in Michigan to allow me to offend anyone.  Gaining fans with my opinion?  Like that old adage, they'll be ten complaints for something done wrong to every one praise for something done right.  How do I know beforehand if my opinion is "wrong" or "right"?

In the interest of my business right now, I don't dare risk it.  I must say though, I am getting mighty bored and there will come a time when this top will blow.  The blogs I would write, the drafts on hold, I guess they will have to hold until the market turns and I have the luxury of losing clients.  We are getting there, I am getting there, the market having driven so many Ann Arbor area realtors out of the marketplace.  I am busy, even if the deals are low dollars.

I am looking forward to being myself again, tempered though, as life tends to do to us.  Underneath, understand that I will be seething, opinionated, impassioned, no matter how measured the words.  I have a lot to say and I can't wait to be talking again.

In the meantime, I could post stats and my listings, and do a lot of commenting.  I could recycle other people's topics in my own words (no plagiarism, that I promise), or supply links to expert opinions and hope to benefit from that.  I could re-blog too. 

You know what?  I don't want to do any of that.  I want to say what is on my mind, lose the potential clients who may not agree, and earn the clients who do agree.  I like original thoughts; I am quirky like that.  For the moment though, mum is me.  I am hoping 2009 will allow the changes I need to see.  Things are looking good so far but it is too early to tell. 

I hate being vanilla.  Butter pecan is my passion and I truly despise mint chocolate anything.  I can't get into too much trouble with these ice cream admisssions, can I?  One never knows....       

I am working on a deal right now and though it wasn't required by county code, I encouraged my buyer to complete a septic inspection.  The water is city, not well - no inspection warranted.

The company who did the inspection is highly reputable but the recommendations begged another opinion, particularly given circumstances of a very heavy snow melt of a season's accumulation two days prior.  The downspouts on the back of the house were also submerged and not very far from the field.

The verdict had been cautionary - septic field failure in one to three years.  The second and third opinions differed considerably.  This was the make or break part of the deal.  The sellers were already upside down in the mortgage, even with relocation company help, and the buyer was as far up in price as he could go.

Number two and three septic opinions turned in a different verdict and both said the field probably had plenty of life in it.  There wasn't true "failure" evident and the quality of the gravel/stone in the pit was evidence of that.  Most likely, water table conditions, clay soil, downspouts, flat lot, and the early spring thaw all contributed to the equation and initial verdict.

The lesson here?  When a buyer says they are about to throw in the towel on a deal, on a property they really like, seek additional advice!  There are so many variables in a situation like this that no one really can predict what might happen.  In this case, the family size will be decreasing from previous so right away there would be improved conditions in the field with less water usage.

This is a deal that could have fallen apart.  A reasonable buyer and additional advice is saving the deal.   All is well that ends well.  Now let's march to closing! 

After spending a fair amount of time working through taxes with my husband tonight, I totally let loose and camped on the sofa.  Woo Hoo!  I scanned the channels for good movies, found nothing appealing, and worked my way through the regularly scheduled offerings.

As usual, I gravitated to the DIY and abundant real estate oriented cable shows.I'm thinking that with all this programming, and I suspect the audiences would not be there if there were no interest, we are in for a huge upsurge in activity when the fear factor in real estate evaporates.  Just my opinion....

Anyway, I clicked on one show that shall remain nameless but in looking at the description, "A Charming Home Has Been On The Market For Over A Month," I immediately thought, "In what market!!!!???"

Real estate is local, and I know I am preaching to the choir here, but if people are watching these shows and believing that one month on the market is a catastrophe, well, we are all incompetent real estate fools!  One month may introduce buyers to the property, excite real estate professionals to the property if price and condition are ideal, but to call in emergency help?  Hmmmm, seems a bit extreme to me.

I am selling in Ann Arbor, Michigan and I gladly accept your pity.  :/  However, I am seeing a huge uptick in buyers right now but urgency can hardly be described as their motivation.  Choice is still so huge in the market that decisions are difficult, even for those who carefully whittle down their showing preferences to just a few properties.

Sellers are generally realistic and motivated.  I spent Saturday evening presenting to sellers my plan for making their property more palatable to buyers.  It involved furniture moving/elimination, cutting holes in walls, new doors, new kitchen counters and eating areas, more landscaping (if spring ever comes to Michigan), and the addition of more baths.  I had lain awake one night thinking about how to get their property to sell and arrived that day with floor plans and enthusiasm.  They couldn't have been more delighted.  My ideas had been in their minds already to some extent, but at much more cost.  We actually moved some furniture that night and I bet the other transformations are well on their way.  Sometimes perception is NOT reality, and that is all I see their problem being - there is much more space than meets the eye but solid walls do not convey that. 

So back to those cable TV shows.  NAR has had a great ad campaign running for a long time now, talking about real estate being local.  It couldn't be more true.  National news does not represent local reality, good, bad, or otherwise.  Consult a local realtor for the real story.  Forget about cable TV.

As we weather the unusually cold winter in Michigan, with snowfall already close to the season expectation and half the season still ahead of us, we recently invested in some supplemental electric heaters.

We are watching every nickel we spend since my husband lost his automotive position in late October and heat was big on the list of "can do without."  Of course, we cannot completely do without it and fortunately have two zones of heating in our home - one in the primary area of the home and one in the bedroom area that also includes my office and the kitchen.

Zone 1 was adjusted to a 60 degree temperature for day and lower for night.  Zone 2 was adjusted to 55 degrees day and night.  There are time variations for weekends via the programmable thermostats but those temperatures are not toasty by any means.

The three supplemental electric heaters were purchased for under my husband's desk, under my desk, and under our high school daughter's desk.  With a cooked meal in the kitchen for dinner, we were heating up the property to a comfortable level.  No t-shirts allowed; we dress for winter with two layers on the top plus socks and slippers on the bottom. 

Our family TV area has a large bed-size quilt made by my mother that is incredibly warm and can cover multiple people on a sectional sofa.  It feels a bit like Little House on the Prairie sometimes, particularly The Long Winter, but no one is complaining.  It is a source of conversation to our regular visitors who know to dress warmly when coming to our house.  One of our children's friends gleefully exclaimed once, "You have so many fleece blankets!"  We do....  We raise the temperature for our less regular visitors who haven't necessarily dressed for winter.  It is a trade-off to enjoy their company. 

Back to my main point though.  Do these little supplemental heaters really keep our massive propane expenses in control, given that we are adding electric charges to the mix?  The cost of the units was less than $100 and they will likely last for years so cost can be considered inconsequential.

I was thrilled to see that Ask This Old House was covering the topic of supplemental electric heaters the other night but disappointed to not have any information reported as to whether the idea makes financial sense.  They were heavily in favor of the oil or water-filled radiant heaters, reminiscent of the old fashioned radiators removed from older homes and happily discarded when ductwork was installed for central air.  What a mistake - those units will throw heat long after the boiler has stopped firing; I know, we owned 2 previous homes with them and miss them greatly.  No blast of cold air as the furnace turns on or cools down, just heat, always heat, hotter and then very slowly cooler.  Progress is not always progress.

So thoughts anyone?  Aside from caulking, weatherstrip, insulation, and the passive solar technique of covering windows on sun-less days/times and opening the window treatments wide on sunny days, do these supplemental heaters really help?  We feel better but will our pocketbook?  We need to know and haven't yet seen an electric bill reflecting changes.  Why suffer if it makes no difference in the end?  Comments are appreciated and wanted.   

I first heard this phrase of wisdom from Norm Abram on This Old House in the early 80's when my husband and I bought our first house and I became engrossed in the series.  I literally never missed an episode for years - it was the thing I cared about most.  OK, in TV time, it was the thing I cared about most....

I learned so many basic skills from watching the guys on the program that I felt I could do anything.  A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing but when a friend of my husband's came to our home one day and we were showcasing the things we had corrected in the 1940ish structure, he was shocked when I said we needed to scribe the woodwork to fit the plaster-contoured wall into the basement.  "How do YOU know about scribing?" he asked.  "I watch This Old House," was my answer.  (What a chauvinist!)  It was the first DIY show, it is still the best, for true construction knowledge (in my opinion) and I will love it until the day I die.  I do watch other DIY shows and was caught up in one tonight about renovation mistakes.  So much was true - some mistakes we have made, some we have avoided.  I loved the one about accurate measuring.  Measure twice, cut once.

My best example of this error was when we had an addition put on our house about 6 years ago - very competent company and subs.   We were relocating/reusing windows that were being displaced; I had supplied the dimensions for the windows and the framers had taken my word as gospel.  The windows did not fit into the framed openings.

When the error of my measurements collided with rough openings needed, the supervisor and I came up with a simple plan to rearrange where the windows would go.  I think only one or two openings out of five needed minor modifications, and to my delight, a spare window found the perfect home in what would have been a blank second floor wall.  The contractor just looked at me, put an arm around my shoulder, and the framers said at least I was always one step ahead of them.  Sometimes you cannot plan these things and out of lemons you make lemonade. 

Renovations can be treacherous.  We still laugh about the addition and having those guys in our house for months, almost like family.  My youngest recollects the day she slightly awakened to find a man pushing open the attic access in her room while she still slept (they started VERY early and it was summer break).  Me, I remember the day I was washing dishes in the kitchen and singing, as I so often do for fun in my home (I can't carry a tune) until my older daughter reminded me that there were men just 15 feet away while I belted out, "I need some hot stuff, baby, this evening!"  They told me I was their favorite customer ever, but I did put on coffee every morning and had a cooler stocked with soft drinks, carbonated and not, and beer for the end of the day.  Those guys did a great job!

There was some material left at the end of the job - small pieces that we asked them to leave for fire starters in our natural wood-burning fireplace.  There were also a few large pieces of the tongue and groove they used for the ceiling - we finished parts of the interior of a basement room with that and created a frame for our youngest's work of art.  I doubt there would have been any leftovers at all but I was privy to the conversations.  They knew what they were doing - they measured twice and cut once.  Who wants to go back to the lumber yard for just one board?

h