Category: Uncategorized

If you’re planning to move, one of the first decisions you’ll run into is whether to buy your next place first or sell your current one first. There’s no universal right answer, but there is a right answer for your situation. Selling first gives you clarity. You know exactly how much you have to work…

If you’ve inherited a house that’s going through probate, one of the first questions is usually the same: when can I actually sell it? Probate is the legal process that settles someone’s estate, and in Michigan it typically takes anywhere from about five months to a year, sometimes longer if the estate is more complicated.…

A quick one this week, but worth knowing about if you are in or around Van Buren Township. A developer wanted to rezone the old Harbor Club golf course from single family to multi family housing. The original plan called for 277 apartment units plus 92 single family homes on the property. After neighbors pushed…

I live in Ypsilanti Township. I drive past the Textile Road site on my way to the office almost every day. I have been following this data center fight since it started, and I have decided I am not going to sit this one out and just report the headlines. As someone who has built…

*Best Neighborhoods in the Ann Arbor Area* “Best” is one of those words that means something different for everyone, so instead of ranking neighborhoods against each other, it’s more useful to look at what each one actually does well. Here are six that consistently stand out across the Ann Arbor area, each for a different…

Anyone who’s poked around Zillow the last few weeks probably noticed something: more listings are sitting a little longer, and there’s more to choose from than there was in the spring. That’s not a red flag. It’s September. Every year, the Michigan market shifts as summer winds down. Buyers who were racing each other in…

One of the most common questions I get from people selling an inherited house is whether they should fix it up first or just sell it as-is. The honest answer is it depends on the house and what you’re trying to get out of the sale. Selling as-is means less work and less money out…

Inheriting a house with your siblings adds a layer most people don’t expect: now more than one person gets a vote. Even close families can hit friction here. One sibling might want to keep the house. Another might need the money now. A third might not have strong feelings either way but doesn’t want to…

*Best Places to Live in Ann Arbor: The Stonebridge Community* Stonebridge comes up a lot when people ask about golf-course living near Ann Arbor, and it’s worth a closer look, along with one small clarification. Stonebridge technically sits in Pittsfield Township, not the city of Ann Arbor itself, about six miles southwest of downtown and…

*What Is the Nicest Part of Ann Arbor?* This one comes up a lot, and it’s a harder question to answer honestly than it sounds. “Nicest” means something different depending on who’s asking. A retired couple and a grad student are not going to agree on it, and neither should they. So instead of picking…