There are few areas in Ann Arbor as well known and as lively as State Street. This eclectic mix of establishments really is part of the community and landscape of Ann Arbor.

However, it is evolving! There are some businesses leaving and some that are inbound! The Shaman Drum Bookshop at 311 S. State is closing after nearly 30 years in business; a CVS Pharmacy may build a new store at 209 S. State; and a new University of Michigan dorm and privately operated student housing high-rise promise to bring hundreds of new residents to the immediate area.

The area is a shopping destination for the whole community and while some stores are in a transition, the area is as popular as ever. There are well established restaurants offering a range of foods from the quick service fast food variety, through to higher end fine dining.

With the natural gentrification of the State Street area as well as students who live near the district wanting more diverse options it is sure that the place is urban, trendy and definitely a great place to be.

Click here to search Ann Arbor Real Estate using our complimentary Ann Arbor Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Kathy Toth and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Ann Arbor Real Estate needs.

One of my goals I had set for 2009 was to do a photo blog.

Inspired by Ines's Miamism Photo Blog, I loved the idea of keeping folks thinking of moving to Michigan up to date on business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Saline with the power of photos.

Enter the Dakno boys...

At ReBar Camp Chicago at a before party, I was talking to Bobby and he told me that Dakno had just launched a new product for Photo blogs. Talk about perfect timing. Since I already had Dakno build my blog and new web-site this was perfect.

I could keep the themes the same but use each site for different purposes. As you may or may not know Google likes different content on page ONE. So I have my web-site, by blog and now my photo blog I am working on getting optimized for each of them.

I use each site for different purposes as my marketing strategy.

• Ann Arbor Real Estate for my listings, neighborhoods, and market stat's.
• Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk for consumer information about Ann Arbor and Saline
• Ann Arbor Photo Blog for showcasing Ann Arbor, Saline and Devils Lake

No here is the really cool thing about it, for those of you thinking, "How do you do all this?"

The Photo blog is tied to my Flickr account.

I take a photo on my phone, email to Flickr and Flickr sends it to my photo blog. Easy huh?

I am so excited to be able to take photo's with people in Ann Arbor and Saline. Of course it will be years to be anywhere near the quality as Teresa but I am going to have fun.

According to the Dakno Marketing blog, via Bobby,

"Photo blogging can be a great way to quickly and easily build credibility with both site visitors and search engines. With this in mind, we wanted to give you a few options for photo blogging and show you step by step how to setup your own photo blog."

***************************************************************************************************

Missy Caulk & Team can be reached at 734-216-2822 or email: Missy@MissyCaulk.com

Our TEAM of 6 buyer associates are available to help you relocate to Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan, Ypsilanti Township, Clinton, Manchester, Whitmore Lake, or throughout Washtenaw County, MI.

• Free Home Evaluation

• Search the Ann Arbor Area MLS.

• Google Profile

• Market Reports in Real Time Updated Weekly

• Profit from Technology for Realtors and Lenders

Ann Arbor Michigan is known for its great community feeling, the city is large enough to offer the amenities of a large city, but small enough where you will know the name of your neighbor.

This small town feel is what draws people to visit Ann Arbor and to relocate here.

Places such as the Washtenaw Dairy just outside downtown Ann Arbor have become part of daily life for many residents who still call in for a coffee and a freshly made doughnut. This dairy has been part of the Ann Arbor landscape for 75 years this year and is still growing strong. The doors open at 5am every day of the week and the dairy is tucked on a corner behind an unpretentious cement facade and surrounded by clapboard homes and has for generations been the defining element in its turn-of-the-century neighborhood — a remainder, if you will, of an older America, before modern zoning codes banned businesses in residential areas.

The dairy is somewhat of a local stalwart, a friendly kinda place where you can walk, enjoy a doughnut (daily sales of over 1200!) or an ice cream (yearly sales of over 100,000 cones!) - depending on the weather of course - and soak up the atmosphere.

It is this atmosphere that modern towns desire to recreate through new urbanism, the sense of history, permanence and presence that local institutions like Washtenaw Dairy offer (click here for a map to the dairy). Here at the Kathy Toth real estate team we wish the dairy a happy birthday!

If you are thinking about relocating to Ann Arbor then please click here to search Ann Arbor Real Estate using our complimentary Ann Arbor Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Kathy Toth and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Ann Arbor Real Estate needs.

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

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

Ann Arbor may be a great city known for its open spaces and vibrant community, however downtown there is much happening with areas which are not working being spruced up and rejuvenated and unused sites cleared for new developments.

For instance there is a new high-rise building called the "Metro" apartment project - a 202 unit, 9 story building at Washington & Division Streets which has approval from the city council in 2006 no has asked for a two year extension of the site plan approval.

The 0.12 acre lot was purchased in 2008 by Illinois based hotel developer "First Hospitality Group" who changed its plans for the building last year to 16 studio units and 72 one bedroom properties, originally the proposal included 12 studios and 30 two bedroom units.

Despite the delays it is expected that this project will go ahead and the extension will go through the approval process shortly.

Watch this space for more information on downtown Ann Arbor Real Estate & Development.

Click here to search Ann Arbor Real Estate using our complimentary Ann Arbor Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Kathy Toth and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Ann Arbor Real Estate needs.

Kathy Toth and Team

www.KathyToth.com
Keller Williams Realty

Below you will see the graph with market data in Ann Arbor for condo's. It shows the days on the market vs the amount of inventory. The median price is down and the inventory is up.

It is a buyers market for condos in Ann Arbor.

******************************************************************************

Missy Caulk & Team can be reached at 734-216-2822 or email: Missy@MissyCaulk.com

Our TEAM of 6 buyer associates are available to help you relocate to Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan, Ypsilanti Township, Clinton, Manchester, Whitmore Lake, or throughout Washtenaw County, MI.

• Free Home Evaluation

• Search the Ann Arbor Area MLS.

• Google Profile

• Market Reports in Real Time Updated Weekly

• Sign up here to receive weekly market reports.