Ann Arbor has some aggressive energy conservation goals. The Green Energy Challenge calls for Ann Arbor to use 30 percent green energy by 2010 for municipal operations and by 2015 for the whole city.  The Energy Office’s web site offers an update of how we are doing and actions that individuals can do to reduce energy consumption and help the environment.  Andrew Brix of the Energy Office has done a great job of developing programs that are focused on both renewable energy deployment as well as energy conservation.

Beyond municipal programs, it will be difficult to reach these goals without broader outreach efforts to individuals and family households, including information and energy efficiency tips that are easy and effective.  I recently read an article about one families efforts to take action in their own home.  The Troast Family journaled their efforts to identify all the gadgets in their home that were hidden consumers of significant electricity.

Here in Ann Arbor, we are fortunate to have access to many community events that educate and engage us to take action whether we are building new homes, remodeling or just taking smaller actions to reduce our electricity bills.  I recently attended a free event by Doug Selby from Meadowlark Builders and Michael Klement called Behind the drywall.  This event really explains a lot of building science in layman’s terms for those gathering ideas for new construction, renovation or remodeling … be sure to watch the video, comments welcome.

On a more modest basis, my family recently engaged in a debate about whether the extra refrigerator was needed in the garage.  We use it mostly only when we entertain and need the additional cold storage space for drinks, desserts, etc.  We purchased a Kill-a-Watt device.  You can buy these items and other handy energy efficiency tools, along with helpful advice, at the Clean Energy Coalition’s Energy Outlet in Ypsilanti. In this case, we learned that the extra refrigerator will cost us about $60/year for this convenience.  We have not thrown the refrigerator out yet, but it has us talking about everyday habits, including how we entertain, and the related impact on our monthly utility bill. Submitted by: 

Scott Phillips, President   shphillips123@yahoo.com

Meadowlark Energy Efficiency    330 E. Liberty, Lower Level

Ann Arbor, MI 48104  734.787.7509 – Mobile  734.623.8289 – Fax

With Ann Arbor’s recent proposed budget cuts came some big news – the possible closing of the Ann Arbor senior center in July of 2010.  This has been a resource for our community’s elders for the last 40 years.  Many hold a special place in their hearts for the center – “the center provides a special kind of comfort and refuge for the many who have endured the loss of spouses and other loved ones.”  The City of Ann Arbor proposes to farm out senior activities to other locales – which would mean the sense of community gained at the center would be lost. 

The needs for our seniors will only become more challenging in future times.  And, likely the need for these types of facilities will grow.  Based on online research:

• Next year Ann Arbor will have more senior citizens than school aged children
• By 2015 Ann Arbor’s senior population will be more highly concentrated than the State of Florida today

Our needs are growing.  What do you think?  Are there any creative ways to meet the requirements of the proposed Ann Arbor budget cuts yet keep the Ann Arbor Senior Center operating?  Weigh in!  We’d love to hear your opinions. 

If you want to oppose any efforts to close the center you should contact your City Council Members or Mayor Bob Hieftje. For Real Estate issues, contact Ann Arbor Real Estate Experts, 734-669-0337.

Click here to search all Ann Arbor area Michigan
homes and condos with pictures and tours – FREE!

The City of Ann Arbor recently released a budget preview for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 fiscal years.  Overall, many cuts are being made to fall in line with decreasing tax revenues.  Spending will be reduced to $85 million in 09/10 and $82 million in 10/11.  Here are a few other highlights:

• Real estate tax revenue is projected to drop 1.2 % in 09/10 and 5.2% in 10/11
• Property tax revenue is expected to fall to $51.5 million and $48.9 million respectively (current year $54 million)
• 60% of Ann Arbor’s revenues comes from property taxes, 14% from state shared revenues
• Parks maintenance revenues are expected to decrease $65,000 in 09/10 and $270,000 in 10/11
• Greenbelt open space preservation revenues are slated to drop $26,000 and $117,000 respectively
• Solid waste millage will go down $135,000 and $607,000 respectively

More details about the Ann Arbor City budget cuts: http://annarborchronicle.com/2009/04/14/ann-arbor-city-budget-preview/

Even the smallest budget cuts are being considered to ensure that spending is commensurate with future revenues.  Anyone interested in a copy of the entire proposed budget can request a copy at the public library on the second floor of the Larcom Building.  You’ll also find slides from the recent Ann Arbor city council meeting online.

Our energy conscious city, Ann Arbor, just got a big nod from the national net on ElectricTV.net! ElectricTV is a joint production of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. This web TV program reports on the latest and greatest developments in the electrical construction and information systems industries.

Ann Arbor recently embarked on a journey to reduce power consumption – saving the environment and its pocketbook. They employed the latest in LED technology to light the streets and reduce consumption across the board. Every year precious taxpayer dollars are spent to upkeep community services such as street lighting. Ann Arbor was spending about $1.4 million a year to keep the city streets illuminated. After the initial installation of 1,000 LED street lamps, the City decreased energy use from 120 watts per fixture to just 56 watts per fixture. A savings of more than half on their energy bills! Eventually all 6,600 street lamps will be replaced resulting in a yearly savings of about $700,000 which will enable the city to pay for the replacement program in only four years. Not only that, but the new LED bulbs last 10 years as opposed to a two year life span on the previous bulbs – this also decreases costly labor.

For every three fixtures replaced, carbon emissions are reduced by the same amount as taking a car off the road for a whole year!

Four years ago, the City of Ann Arbor was charged with slashing their city budget by 60% – despite the decrease they have found success with some “out of the box” thinking. You can be very proud of our “green” city! Take a look: Ann Arbor LED Project on ElectricTV.net

Kathy Toth and Team
www.KathyToth.com
Keller Williams Realty

At the most recent Ann Arbor city council meeting, administrators discussed more than just budgeting.  On the agenda were also discussions about a proposed expansion to the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority’s downtown transit center and timing for an the approved $42 million underground parking structure on fifth avenue.

Expansion plans for the downtown transit center have touched on utilizing some of Fourth Avenue, North of Williams Street for the new bus center.  Suggestions call for an altering of the street with some sort of covered structure, yet not a total abandonment of the street (perhaps keeping a single lane of traffic).  The budget allows for $2.5 million to be used for the expansion project.  Some existing real estate at the Blake Center could also be redeveloped for public or private use.

As to the underground parking project, city administrator, Roger Fraser, feels it’s pertinent to wait for future above-ground plans on the fifth avenue site before jumping full swing into the project.  He believes the development authority could save big bucks (up to $1 million) by waiting to coordinate with street level development at the site.  Placing a conceptual plan in place for above-ground development could greatly influence the design and infrastructure costs of the underground structure.  He hopes to see the city solicit proposals for the above ground site before they steam ahead with the underground infrastructure.

Both ideas are newly suggested and at this time it’s unclear whether or not they’ll be explored further. 

If you are looking for the latest updates in the Ann Arbor real estate market, just give us a call.

FREE MLS Search – View Current Homes for Sale Search the local Ann Arbor MLS and find the homes for sale in your desired area. Stop looking through 3 different papers, get the whole Ann Arbor homes list here for FREE. Plus receive daily updates via email, for any new listings. All for FREE – no strings attached!

Find Out  the Value of Your Ann Arbor Home Get an over the net estimate of how much your Ann Arbor home is worth – FREE! We search the local MLS, along with data the public does not have access to, and find out how much your home is worth in current market conditions.

Google’s co-founder, Larry Page, plans to visit our bustling city this spring to deliver the University of Michigan’s commencement address.  Although he already has a degree from the U, he will be receiving yet another honorary degree as well.  This is really Page’s first big appearance since the inception of the Ann Arbor AdWords headquarters downtown, and has many wondering if he brings any news for future plans.  Last week Google announced they’d be cutting about 100 recruiters and consolidating some engineering offices.  So negative economic forces even affect the big guys on some levels. 

Many are curious about Google’s future plans for Ann Arbor.  Their original plan was to bring at least 1,000 sales employees into the city in the first five years.  A goal they are on pace to fall short of based on their rate of hire.  By most accounts, they are rumored to have about 250 employees to date.  Then again, company representatives report that hiring is typically done in bursts – and we’re just over two years in.  So perhaps we’re just a little impatient.  Considering the current economic downturn however, it would be nice to know that our gentle giant is up to.  So far, mums the word.  Maybe we’ll hear more from Larry Page in the springtime. 

CNN Money’s “100 Best Places to Live and Launch” recently unveiled Ann Arbor at #42!  The biggest pros listed were a strong, high-tech industry, an eco-minded community and abundant college sports.  The University of Michigan has been marked by business leaders and entrepreneurs to be the hub of our forward thinking city.  Our pool of educated workers and many start-ups are also U of M credits.

Ann Arbor’s high-tech industry is fueled by Ann Arbor Spark – a public/private venture providing pre-seed captital for tech companies in advanced automotive, manufacturing, materials, alternative energy homeland security, defense and life sciences.  Ann Arbor Spark will fund up to $250,000 with matching funds from the entity for an equity stake in the return.  Recently the Michigan Business Tax was also instituted providing tax credits based on income and gross receipts to help businesses reduce overall taxes.

Ann Arbor’s cost of living is perceived as high for the region, but city amenities such as arts and culture, excellent restaurants, freshwater lakes, college sports and more far outweigh any potential cost of living downsides.

If you are having trouble with your house payments, don’t give up and assume you have to go to foreclosure.  See video below: 

200 N. Main St., Suite 200
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
Phone: 734-222-6600
Fax: 734-222-6632

If a work out is not available, and if short sales are the best option for you, then we can help you move in that direction.  Short sales are where the borrower shorts the bank the full amount owed and the debt is discharged. Let’s explore the possibility of a short sale for your property, avoid foreclosure, and potentially save your credit rating.

You need an experienced agent to assist you.  This is no time to fool around.  Don’t hire any REALTOR.  Like anything, hire experience.  There is no replacement for success and results.  We are aligned with experts including Ron Garber, Indy Mac Consultant, to get your home pre-approved.  What that means is we work quickly to get a response from the loss mitigator to give us their bottom line for acceptance.  The bank gets the house off their books, the seller does not go to foreclosure and the buyer gets a deal. Be sure to ask your agent, “How many short sales have you closed?  How many short sales that you listed have not closed?”

Life is not all lemonade, so let’s try to take the lemons you have and make some lemonade.  If you know someone who wants to buy distressed homes; these are updated weekly.  

Ann Arbor was recently named number seven on a list of best digital cities (Pop. 75,000 to 124,999) by e.Repulic’s Center for Digital Government and Digital Communities Magazine.  Awards go to the cities that use technology to create a seamless environment between local government and constituents.  The city was ranked for its online services (at city website www.a2gov.org) including:

TRAKiT – featuring online access to development reviews and building inspections

GovDelivery – an email notification service providing information about road or lane closures, general news and other notables

Citizen Request System – a tool allowing citizens to request city repairs such as parks maintenance, pothole and street light repair. 

The cities placing in Ann Arbor’s population category were:

• 1st City of Roanoke, VA
• 2nd City of Independence, MO
• 2nd City of West Palm Beach, FL
• 3rd City of Richardson, TX
• 3rd City of Santa Monica, CA
• 4th City of Arvada, CO
• 5th City of Orem, UT
• 6th City of Lawrence, KS
• 7th City of Ann Arbor, MI
• 7th City of Westminster, CO
• 8th City of Boulder, CO
• 9th City of Lee’s Summit, MO
• 10th City of Pueblo, CO

According to the Executive Director for Digital Government, Cathilea Robinett,”Cities are incorporating newer technologies such as Webcasting, podcasts and blogs while continuing to use IT to enhance delivery options for citizens and businesses.”  This is good news considering budgetary challenges.

FREE MLS Search – View Current Homes for Sale Search the local Ann Arbor MLS and find the homes for sale in your desired area. Stop looking through 3 different papers, get the whole Ann Arbor homes list here for FREE. Plus receive daily updates via email, for any new listings. All for FREE – no strings attached!

Find Out  the Value of Your Ann Arbor Home Get an over the net estimate of how much your Ann Arbor home is worth – FREE! We search the local MLS, along with data the public does not have access to, and find out how much your home is worth in current market conditions.