About Ann Arbor's Downtown

Located above the Arena Restaurant at East Washington and Fourth Avenue in the Historic Metzger building. 203 Washington unit #2 Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Unique and rare opportunity for more than 2100 square feet of residential loft space in downtown Ann Arbor. To be converted from existing office use. Can be taken back to original brick walls and ceiling joists or remodel current and usable floor plan. Lots of historic details including corner turret and arched brick windows. Two entrances. High ceilings. Unbeatable downtown location. Has own utilities.

If you have been shopping for Downtown Ann Arbor Condominiums, you know how hard it is to find what you are after. This is a one of a kind space with nothing like it presently on the market.

For a private showing, Contact Andy Piper 734-604-8242

Are you a Lone Wolf or do you summon the power of synergy?

If you take a list of the top 100 business books of all-time (regardless of industry) and look for an absolute common denominator, a key to success or the magic potion, you will find two that are very prominent: visualize your goals and learn to work with great people. For today, I am going to chat for a second about the ladder: synergy.

synergy |ˈsinərjē| (also synergism |-ˌjizəm|)

noun

the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

There exists in the World, very few people with the ability to conquer an industry and profession as a Lone Wolf. Even the most elite to ever exist had a supporting cast, or team, that helped them bring their legendary status to fruition. Take Michael Jordan for example; although players such as Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman will never be known as the player that Jordan was they played an integral role in bringing 6 NBA Championship trophies back to the Chicago Bulls. Even if Jordan had been allowed to play by himself, he would have never acheived the same level of success without synergy.

If you had a chance to see the award winning movie, The Social Network, than you know that, while Mark Zuckerberg (Founder of Facebook) was able to create an amazing portal for students to communicate with each other by himself, it took a team of people to create the billion dollar company that exists today. Synergy.

The gift of gab and a magnetic personality can take you far in Real Estate but it is the use of synergy that makes you a force in the market. It is not about your way, or their way. It is not about the right way or the wrong way, but it is about a better way! So the question is do you have your billion dollar team? Do you have your Scottie Pippen's and Dennis Rodman's in place? Okay, not literally; you may not need someone with full body "tats & piercings" that occasionally dresses like a woman... What I mean is do you have people that have a "championship" level of thinking like you do? Are you delegating your weaknesses to people that fill those voids? Do you all have the same goal in mind for the "team"? Being surrounded with people that expand your level of thinking, hold each other accountable and strive for the same results is like having the magic whistle in Super Mario Bros 3 (i.e. - a shortcut for those who didn't play...)

Some suggested reading would be books like The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey or Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill. They allude to the powers of synergy many times over in these best-sellers. For us in Real Estate our "teams" can consist of people that we employ directly, that work in the same office and people that work out in the real world. Many top producing agents have teams of buying agents, marketing managers, web developers and ops managers. How else could they handle that much business? But what do we use until we get to that level? Many offices have fantastic resources that, often times, go unused such as graphic design artists or in-house attorneys and lenders. Even when your office/broker does not employ people of this nature make it a point to keep track of the different title companies, attorneys, lenders, etc. that you use in your every day business and create relationships with these people so that you can call on them when needed. You may be surprised when you do when a referral comes from one of these people! There is a certain art to creating relationships such as these and it can be learned by immersing yourself into the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

I'm no expert myself but I'm continually working on it. I've taken a lot of time to carefully assemble the team of people that we use and I'm proud of who we are. I do not directly employ one single person but have made many professional contacts that I've turned into resources for my business. I'm always looking to find a win-win, I'm always looking to understand before being understood, I'm always looking for synergy!

If your looking to add to your team, ask yourself what can I do for this person and try to have an open conversation with them about working together and creating synergy. A great method (as a Real Estate Agent) is to ask them if they accept referrals. Find out who their "best customer" is and promise that you will help bring those customers in as you are a very active Real Estate Agent in the community. If they like the idea you may even propose a "fair trade" so that they may send you referrals as well. The more you engage into this type of win-win relationship, the easier it will be for you to also ask these people to be a part of your team. Will you get "no's" and doors shut in your face sometimes? Of course, but don't foget; this is sales - you signed up for it.

-Josh Kercher of The Kercher Group (Reinhart Realtors)

The very same Michigan Theater on Liberty Street here in Ann Arbor, where solar panels were recently installed, is known for its eclectic program of film offerings, iincluding the Summer Documentary Series and a wide variety of indie films, which enrich the local culural scene. The theater's Historic Auditorium is also known of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. The theater also hosts a series of children's stage productions entitled "Not Just For Kids," and a concert series entitled "The Legends of Rock & Roll."

What makes the Historic Auditorium special is its crown jewel - a 1927 Barton theatre pipe organ. The Historic Auditorium was built during the days of silent film, when the action on the screen was accompanied by live music. The organ is one of 7,000 organs installed in American movie houses between 1915 and 1930. The Barton Organ Company (originally called the Bartola Musical Instrument Company) of Oshkosh, Wisconsin built 250 of those organs; the one at the Michigan Theater is one of only 40 movie house organs still in its original location. In its heyday, Barton was the fifth largest builder of theater instruments in the nation, and had over 150 employees.

Originally, the organ was used to accompany silent films; at other times, it was used in combination with the theater's 11-piece orchestra. When "talkies" arrived at the Michigan in 1929, the orchestra was released. The Barton organ has been fully restored, and has retained all of its original electropneumatic operating systems. No portion of it has been digitized. The instrument is professionally maintained and played daily prior to most film screenings, making it one of the most-heard theater organs in the country. A staff of five organists (including three professionals) perform on the fully-restored Barton.

The Michigan Theater - like so many other historic landmarks in Ann Arbor - offers a wide array of musical, stage and screen events to satisfy nearly anyone's personal cultural tastes. Likewise, Martin Bouma - your Ann Arbor neighborhood expert - can meet virtually all of your Ann Arbor real estate needs. Whether you're buying or selling a home, the Bouma Group can answer any questions you have about real estate in Ann Arbor. Interested in Washtenaw County, or a specific Ann Arbor neighborhood? Call the Bouma Group today! And don't forget to check out our Condo Hotline - we've got a handle on the Ann Arbor condominium market.

The Ypsilanti-based Clean Energy Coalition (CEC) is the parent organization for the newly-formed XSeed Energy, "Ann Arbor's Community Power Project." XSeed's inaugural project, approved at their August 12 meeting by the Historic District Commission, will be the installation of solar panels at the Michigan Theater at 603 East Liberty Street.

Using funding from community donations and grants, XSeed Energy was created with the goal of developing renewable energy projects in Ann Arbor. Profits will be recycled back into an ‘Energy Bank' to fund ongoing renewable energy installations. The goal - and hence, the name - is to ‘seed' community funded, and possibly community owned, power projects in Ann Arbor.

For this first project, a set of 60-foot solar panels will be placed on the south-facing wall of the Michigan Theater, then connected to the local power grid. According to Bonnie Bona, project manager for XSeed Energy and former chair of Ann Arbor's planning commission, the Michigan Theater was selected for XSeed's first project "because of the public visibility of the solar panels, the theater's willingness to participate, its community involvement, and the fact that it is already pursuing other renewable energy solutions."

Russ Collins, executive director and CEO of the Michigan Theater, notes that the roof of the theater was recently painted white, significantly reducing its carbon dioxide emissions. The theater has also switched many of its light bulbs to more efficient compact fluorescent lamp bulbs. "We will continue to pursue green improvements as we can," Collins said.

The panels themselves will be selected over the next few months, and Michigan-based products and installers will be given preference. XSeed hopes to use this project to catalyze the green jobs sector in Michigan. The installation is scheduled to take place in November.

The CEC is partnered with the City of Ann Arbor, the Michigan Energy Office, the University of Michigan, and the US Department of Energy. CEC's ongoing initiatives include Clean Cities, Biofuel Incentive Grants, Solar America Cities, Rebuild Ypsilanti, Energy Outlet, and Michigan Energy $ense.

Want to be part of the greening of Ann Arbor? Whether you are buying a new home, or selling your current residence, the Bouma Group can help you with your real estate needs in Ann Arbor, as well as keep you up to date about Washtenaw County and specific Ann Arbor neighborhoods. And check out our Condo Hotline to learn everything you want to know about the Ann Arbor condo market.

As of last Thursday, there are big changes beginning near the Ann Arbor Downtown Library. Fifth Avenue from Liberty to Williams is now closed, and will remain so for at least a year. The northern section of the Library's porch is closed, and handicap access has moved to William Street (with a new incline that ends across from the automated door). Bike hoops are now near the flagpole. So why are all of these changes being made?

At present, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is building an underground parking deck on the Library Lot site, which is the cause of the immediate (and ongoing) disruption. However, the top of the lot has been - and remains - under discussion. Several months ago, the League of Women Voters hosted a public meeting about possible uses for the Library Lot. At that meeting five, five-minute proposals for potential development were presented, followed by an hour of questions and answers. The League's intent was to keep the city council apprised as to what kinds of development Ann Arbor residents were interested in seeing.

Part of the issue, as discussed in our previous blog Plannning for Green Space in Arbor, No Walk in the Park, is over whether the land should be used for commercial development or for greenpsace or other public purposes.

Two proposals for the development of a combination hotel/conference center at 319 South Fifth Street are still in competition, but things have come to a momentary standstill. That's because both of the companies accepted would like for the city of Ann Arbor to risk millions of dollars - before ground is broken - for development of the property.

In January, the DDA earmarked $50,000 for the hiring of an independent real estate consultant to evaluate the proposals for the Library Lot. A consultant firm had been selected, but circumstances within that firm changed, causing a re-evaluation of that choice, according to City Council Member Stephen Rapundalo (D-2nd Ward). In June, Rapundalo said that the city still hopes to hire a consultant to determine the feasibility of the project. Mayor John Hieftje and the city council all want firm assurance that any project will be financially beneficial to the city.

Want to be in on future developments in Ann Arbor? Martin Bouma - your Ann Arbor neighborhood expert - can meet all of your Ann Arbor real estate needs. Whether you're buying or selling a home, the Bouma Group can answer any questions you have about real estate in Ann Arbor. If you're interested in Washtenaw County, or a specific Ann Arbor neighborhood, call the Bouma Group today! Don't forget to check out our Condo Hotline - we've got a handle on the Ann Arbor condominium market.