Graphic artist Jonathan Wright has been living with fairy doors in his Ann Arbor home since the mid- 1990s, when the kids in his wife’s day-care discovered one under the stairway.

When the precisely detailed 6-8 inch tall doors started showing up in downtown Ann Arbor businesses, Wright (who deftly sidesteps questions about any personal connection to the doors) decided to study this teeny, tiny real estate phenomenon. He planted journals in fairy-friendly establishments, gathered the observations and artwork of the masses and put together a book, “Who’s Behind the Fairy Doors?”

Since that first tiny door appeared under the stairs, others have shown up in the kitchen and living room of Wright’s home, in his wife’s kindergarten classroom, and at Sweetwater’s Cafe, Peaceable Kingdom, Selo/Shevel Gallery, The Ark, Red Shoes, the Ann Arbor District Library, Google, and Nicola’s Books. Other doors have appeared and disappeared from the Jefferson Market and Ann Arbor Framing.

Wright also documented the phenomenon of “fairy droppings” – which aren’t what you may think. It turns out visitors sometimes leave things for the fairies – pennies, paper clips, notes, and buttons. “One little girl told me she left some pennies for the fairies to show them that not all people are mean,” Wright said. Because fairies have no idea what to do with money, he says, they donate their loose change to local charities.

Wright now has a website devoted to the urban fairies, and they’ve gotten press in the Ann Arbor News, the Ann Arbor Observer, Metro Parent, the Toledo Blade and even the Washington Post. The site includes information about the doors, fairy door-related merchandise and a printable Fairy Door walking tour map.

In the wake of all the attention, some establishments have started selling install-it-yourself fairy doors. They come in a variety of colors, but lack the distinctive detail of the original Ann Arbor fairy doors.

Search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours…Free!

Kathy Toth & Team: Ann Arbor Area Real Estate Experts

www.KathyToth.com

Keller Williams Realty

hear-no-evil

I am so exhausted from the news negativity!  Walk on the positive side with me and my friend Jay Kinder.Read on and tell me what you think:

‘Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!’

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one…. Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell, ‘It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!’

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up….

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher….

This one wouldn’t give up! At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the
one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?

It turned out …. that the winner was DEAF!!!!

The wisdom of this story is:  Never listen to other people’s tendencies to be negative or pessimistic…. because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you — the ones you have in your heart! Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!

Therefore:  ALWAYS be …. POSITIVE!

Dexter Daze annual festival held in Monument Park had entertainment, crafts, face painting, parade, music and plenty of food.  To help organize next years events visit  Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce or call them at 734-426-0887.

I have to say that in spite of construction for Main Street Bridge and Gordon Hall for The Cedars of Dexter, there was a successful turn out and support of local merchants.  The Dexter Area Historical Society conducted tours of Gordon Hall.  The Dexter Rotary Club raffled and built another playhouse. Also participating was Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department and the Dexter Area Fire Department.

We cannot wait to welcome you to Dexter and to find your dream home here.

Related Posts:

Dexter Daze Activities in Dexter, Michigan 48130

Who doesn’t love pie? Watch Dexter Daze Pie Eating Contest

Search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours…Free!

Kathy Toth & Team: Ann Arbor Area Real Estate Experts

www.KathyToth.com

Keller Williams Realty

Wishing You & All The People You Know Happiness On Thanksgiving & Always!

I was searching around for something interesting about Thanksgiving Day.  I found a site that I thought was great.  There are all sorts of interesting and funny Thanksgiving Facts including:

• The First Thanksgiving
• The Pilgrims’ Menu
• Thanksgiving Fun Facts
• Mayflower Myths
• Thanksgiving Quiz
• History of the Turducken and Much More!
  

One of the joys of Thanksgiving is the chance to tell people how thankful we are for them, so Thank You, I hope that you have a great holiday!

Search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours…Free!

Kathy Toth & Team: Ann Arbor Area Real Estate Experts

www.KathyToth.com

Keller Williams Realty

According to the 2007 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from National Association of Realtors, the top five sources of down payment money follows:

1.        Savings
2.        Proceeds from the sale of a primary residence
3.        Gift from Relatives or Friends
4.        Sale from Stocks or Bonds
5.        Equity from Residence (continue to own)

I was surprised to learn that 73% of first time buyers are using money they had saved to come up with their down payment on a home.  We see many of our clients as first time home buyers as a result of attending the seminars.

Per the study, 43% of repeat buyers will use money from savings to at least help partially cover the down payment of their new home. Many people get proceeds from sale of primary residence.

For more information on what  how you can buy a home, go to the buyer section for Special Reports and see the Home Buyer Steps.  Also be sure to check when our next First Time Home Buyer Seminar is with free pre-approval.  If you need to get your credit under control, let our lenders help you step by step, like fitness training for your wallet.

Nationally the median down payment by first-time buyers was 4 percent, up from 2 percent in 2007; the number purchasing with no money down fell from 45 percent in 2007 to 34 percent in the current survey. “The study covers transactions through the middle of 2008, so we can assume the down payment numbers have shifted recently because credit tightened and no-down payment loans all but disappeared around the close of the survey,” Lawrence Yun, Chief NAR economist, explained.

Of first-time buyers who made a down payment, 69 percent used savings and 26 percent received a gift from a friend or relative, typically from their parents. Another 7 percent received a loan from a relative or friend, while 16 percent tapped into a 401(k) fund, stocks or bonds. Ninety-two percent chose a fixed-rate mortgage.

Remember to tell any one looking to buy a home about our…

ANN ARBOR HOME BUYING SEMINAR
January 20th at 6:30 pm

Savvy Michigan homeowners are battling all-time-high energy costs by incorporating building techniques to make their homes more energy efficient. As more people begin to struggle to meet rising utility costs, these practices are expected to grow in popularity.

Just as current Ann Arbor homeowners are renovating with energy savings in mind, new home builders are seeing increased demand for green buildings and energy-efficient homes.

Here are some ideas for how you can reduce your energy consumption – and costs – this winter by selecting building materials and appliances that promise to improve your home’s energy efficiency.

1. Use Highly Rated Energy-Star Appliances: This is not a new idea, but as costs rise, Ann Arbor real estate buyers are looking at the yellow energy-consumption tags on new appliances more seriously. Retailers know that buyers are paying more attention to the higher-rated appliances, and this could lead to more advertising and discounts for such products.
2. Consider How You Heat Your Water: Most homes have a traditional tank-style water heater. However, with rising heating costs, this practice may change. Other options for heating water in your home include solar heating and tankless water heaters.
   ~Solar water heating requires a significant upfront investment, but once it is installed you no longer need to pay for heating the water. Installation includes a pump, plumbing through which the water circulates for exposure to the sun, and possibly large glass tanks for storing the hot water.
   ~A tankless water heater has no storage tank and the water is heated as you need it. Heating water on demand is much less expensive than heating water and storing it until it is needed.
3. Supplement Your Electricity: Installing photovoltaic roof shingles instead of standard asphalt shingles lets you use the sun’s energy to generate supplemental electricity for your home. A wire is pulled from each shingle and connected to the home’s power grid. You might not be able to generate enough electricity to meet all your needs, but with rising costs, every bit of savings can be a huge help during the middle of our freezing Michigan winters.
   ~If you are considering a new roof or you are building a home, consider using this roofing material to decrease your utility bills.
4. Consider Your Home’s Placement: If your home was built 50 or more years ago, it probably is already more energy efficient than most new homes. This is because central air-conditioning was not prevalent in the past. To keep homes cool in the summer, windows were located strategically for cross-drafts. Also, the largest windows were designed to receive the morning sun, thereby helping to heat the home.   As energy prices declined, many homes were built without these considerations. However, today’s builders are beginning to return to traditional building practices in order to have more energy-efficient homes.
5. Consider Your Window Treatments: Whether you live in a new or old home, or are building your home, you can control your window treatments. What you put on your windows can make a serious different in your home’s heating and cooling costs. Light- and heat-filtering blinds and heavy draperies may significantly reduce the need for continuous air-conditioning.

Hopefully, this information has given you some ideas for countering rising energy costs. By using one or more of these suggestions, you can make your Michigan home more energy efficient. If you decide to sell your home in the future, these updates may make your home more attractive to buyers.

The US Department of Energy has a very informative website which includes a Consumer’s Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.  There is a ton of great information available.

Related Links
See What Ann Arbor is Doing to GO GREEN | Click here
Ann Arbor Green Building Continues on Downtown Projects

BusinessWeek teamed up with OnBoard Informatics, provider of real estate analysis, to create a list of each state’s best affordable towns for raising children. Factors in the analysis were:

• school performance
• affordability
• safety
• cost of living
• air quality
• job growth
• racial diversity
• parks
• ball fields
• zoos
• recreation centers
• museums
• theaters

Among the top ranked were:

1. Mount Prospect, IL
2. Phoenix, AZ
3. Columbus, OH
4. Our Very Own Ann Arbor, MI
5. Huntsville, AL
6. Lexington, KY.

Also mentioned was that Ann Arbor is the most kid-and cost-friendly city in Michigan. The Web site establishes it as one of the best college towns in the United States for its acres of parks, galleries, museums, restaurants, boutiques and seven gold courses. It reported our population as: 118,194 and median household income as: $87,061.

Just click for more local community and school information on Ann Arbor, Brighton, Michigan International Speedway, Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake Community Tour, Manchester, Pinckney, Saline, Stockbridge, Ypsilanti.

We love our area and welcome newcomers with open arms. For Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County videos visit my YouTube.   GO BLUE!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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.