Michigan

Well if you had the good fortune of reading the blog by "Bob Hertzog", on the Indy Mac story.

I ran into this peice on a wonderful website called Lender Implode.

If Bobs' article happen to strike a nerve, just wait to you start hearing other examples on why the banks are dragging their feet in the effort to help homeowners and save home values.

"THEY ARE SUCKING THE HOUSING MARKET DRY"

http://ml-implode.com/viewnews/2010-02-04_MinneapolisBankingForeclosureSchemeExposed.html

Yes, I am a Mellennial

Being born a "Mellennial", or as some call us "Generation Y" or "Generation Next" I am faced with many generalities.   There were about 80 Million of us born between 1980 and 1995 and we began to take over the work force. 

We have crown up with computers and the ability to have constant, streamlined communication.  Our education platforms where full of Internet bound technologies such as email, instant messaging, texting, You Tube and social networking.  I would have never thought that my generation would lead to corporations be trained on how to harness our abilities and talents while making them fit with Corporate America.

I can admit that I am a motivated, workaholic that does not like to take no for an answer, I love technology and the role it plays in my professional life, but I can see how it can be difficult to attract my generation and allow there work to come third after their personal and family life.  Mellennials do not sacrifice them selves the same way that we saw our parents do.

Check out this great editorial from CBS News Videos Online:
Watch CBS News Videos Online


What do you think about this?  How are Mellennials going to make your business strive?

I'm sure your new purchase in Rudyard MI will be successful at creating a nice home for a new home purchaser...

Thank you for what you do...

Remember, I can refer you to an agent through the Michigan Women's Council of Realtors referral network. Agents that know education leads to better service.

Green for the future...

Angie Ridley, NAR 'green' , EcoBroker Certified

Serving Real Estate needs in Michigan's Oakland, Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties
810 744 4600
Angie@AngieRidley.com
Complete Realty, LLC

I ask that you disregard the severed head below: but did you realize that the Aztecs and their Leader- Montezuma-introduced Chocolate--the 'bitter water drink--from the cacao tree fruit.

When first used as a drink, it appears to have been mixed with the Chilie plant;
which, somehow, disturbs the "Chocolate dreams or desires".





Did you Know:


...that the Spanish conqueror Cortes took the cacao fruit home to Spain



...that Hershey Co. makes 'mini-kisses' for baking-lose the other ingredients & eat
...that there are over 300 chemicals found within chocolate
...that chocolate contains the neurotransmitter-Serotonin--acts as a antidepressant
...that chocolate can produce that sensation equated to the "runners High" experienced by joggers
...that chocolate is high in potassium, magnesium, B1-B2-D-& E
...that chocolate, taken in moderation, can actually help prevent Binge eating that torments dieters
...that scientists are starting to disprove myths about the dangers of consuming chocolate
...that the Eastman Dental Clinic in NY concludes that 'milk chocolate is one snack food--least likely to
contribute to tooth decay--as it contains phosphate plus other minerals.

...that there is a great web site about chocolate: www.chocolatemonthclub.com/chocolatehistory,htm
...that the site: www.prohealth.com lists foods that are high in flavonoids; these are--cocoa beans,
red wine, tea, strawberries, cranberries, apples, peanuts, which bring certain combinations to mind.
...that some studies of chocolate and cardiovascular disease:
www.prohealth.com/library/print.cfm?libid=8326

The articles, papers & studies [in prohealth] were the result of research commissioned by Mars Inc.
and the use of an experimental cocoa supplied by Mars Incorporated.

It is also true that the American Cocoa Research Institute [ACRI] from McLean, Va. has jointly funded research [with Mars Inc.] to try to find the health benefits to use of chocolate. Though original research was for 'flavor' facts, it soon shifted to the health benefits.

The research, by various companies in the food industry, is a responsibility of each such company;
whether this research is the basis for some claims seen in advertising is another item.
The companies in the food industry are investing dollars [some with financial aid] in research of the nutrients & nutritional value.
The public has become more clinical and skeptical of such studies--as the studies in themselves seem to be self-serving--but the starting of such research will bring the independent labs around the world to conduct their own clinical research to confirm or decry food industry research. Where there are confirmations, there are further expansion of large-scale projects.

BUT, all research aside, do we really need the food industry or the FDA to tell us that chocolate has benefits?
I think not, but it is an aid to the 'guilt-gene' with which most of us are born.

If you are a regular Ask the Realtor reader, or know me personally, you have heard my fervent declarations that Northern Michigan in general, and Traverse City in particular, is The Greatest Place on Earth. And I'm not just talking about the real estate.
Well, word is getting out.
CNN/Money magazine has recently named Traverse City Number 3 of the 25 Best Places to Retire in the United States.
Residents enjoy miles of sandy beaches on both the Great Lake and many smaller ones. But this place is no backwater. Munson Medical Center is ranked among the 100 top hospitals in the country, and the area is a hotbed for the arts. The Traverse City Film Festival draws film buffs from around the country, the Dennos Museum Center houses one of the largest collections of Inuit art, and the nearby Interlochen Center for the Arts hosts hundreds of concerts, art exhibits, and theatrical and dance productions each year.
They don't even touch on the four seasons of outdoor recreation available; the fantastic boating, golfing, biking, sailing, skiing, hunting, fishing, swimming, or hiking. The strong local school systems and the low crime rate aren't even touched upon. There is no mention about the healthy religious communities that grace our area, nor the continued local investments preserving natural public spaces. And how about our fantastic food?!
Actually, Money magazine is only the most recent publication to highlight the Grand Traverse area. Traverse City made the NY Times' list ranking the Top 100 Places to Retire. USA WEEKEND's MoneySmart magazine mentions Traverse City in its Top 5 Places to Retire. So does U.S. News & World Report - twice - in their Ten Great Places to Retire for Wine Lovers and Ten Affordable Places to Retire compilations.
Field & Stream magazine lists Traverse City as the 3rd Best Fishing Town in America, saying, "Between May and October, there is no consistently better place to be fishing in America than Traverse City, Michigan." And that was before the World-Record Brown Trout and pending World-Record Musky was caught in the area this year!
Fly Rod & Reel lists Traverse City in their Top 12 Fly-Fishing Retirement Towns. Forbes magazine lists Traverse City among the top Cheap Places to Live Rich (2006). TopRetirements.com highlights Traverse City, as does Relocate-America.com. Even the AARP lists TC as one of the Best Places to Live if You're 50+.
Now I am admittedly biased. My beautiful wife and I are both natives of Traverse City, and now our three kids are too. I would put Traverse City up against any place as a Top Place to Raise a Family.
Plus, the Grand Traverse area is currently one of the best bets for real estate investment in the United States. Prices are still very affordable compared to other markets around the country of similar caliber, and Traverse City continues to enjoy insulation from the most severe economic difficulties that threaten much of the rest of our state.
MSNBC's Today Show recently highlighted the Top 12 Emerging Real Estate Markets, and Saginaw, Lansing, and Grand Rapids all made that list. A quick review of the market data shows Traverse City to be considerably stronger than any of those three Michigan areas. If you watch the video clip closely and review the figures, many of the other "emerging" markets have simply stopped plummeting so rapidly, whereas the Michigan markets are actually showing marked signs of growth.
CNN/Money Magazine's recent recognition of Traverse City is sure to boost some local egos (besides my own), but more importantly it is a reaffirmation of what many of us have grown to know in our bones. Traverse City is a first-class community to call home, with many of the benefits and amenities of much larger metropolitan areas, but without many of the difficulties faced by most major cities in America.
I can get as frustrated by the changes wrought by the influx of new residents to our area as the next person, but the bottom line is that when compared with almost everywhere else, Traverse City is an outstanding place to live, work, recreate, raise a family, or retire. The Grand Traverse area boasts high-caliber professionals in almost every category that you generally don't find in a community of this size - from doctors to teachers, accountants to florists - considering it is a hundred miles to the nearest "metropolitan area." And that says nothing about all of the other benefits of culture and community that we enjoy on a daily basis.
Next time you are driving along the Grandview Parkway, take a moment to gaze out over the Grand Traverse Bay and be thankful for whatever decision or destiny has brought you to The Greatest Place on Earth.
There, I said it again...
All the best,

Mike Gaines, Licensed real estate agent
Century 21 - Northland
m: (231) 883-7441
o: (231) 929-7900 x 32
f: (231) 929-2780

em: MikeGaines@C21Northland.com
w: GrandTraverseAreaRealEstate.com

Office address:
3337 S. Airport Rd. West, Suite 2
Traverse City, MI 49684