Laura Degiovanni Milford Exclusive Buyer Agent

The DNR stocks the Huron River with Trout (Brown and Rainbow) in late March/early April and at the Proud Lake Recreation Area (3500 Wixom Rd, Commerce Twp, MI) the fishermen soon show up in droves. From April 1 through April 25, catch and release rules apply. After April 25, all baits are allowed and anglers may keep up to 3 trout over 8 inches in length. Although you sometimes find these fish in the Milford Mill Pond later in the year, I don’t think many of them make it past May....

One thing that was striking during this visit was the vast number of dead or dying trees. The trees in my own yard are not doing great so maybe I notice sick/dying trees more than I used to. There were whole stands of trees that appear to be in really bad shape. It’s pretty distressing....

Laura Degiovanni

The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor

I live off of a (mostly) beautiful country road in (mostly) beautiful Milford Township, Michigan and we’ve had a lovely white blanket of snow almost constantly since sometime last November (some say it was October...).

Unfortunately, when temperatures start to rise, a whole winter’s worth of litter starts to emerge from the melting snow—and now that litter is many times nastier than it was when it was initially chucked from passing vehicles.

Seriously, who still throws garbage from the car window?

We ALL need to do our part and pick up garbage when we see it—even if it’s not on our own property. If we don’t pick it up, people will add to it—that is a given! Here are a couple of ways to pitch in:

DOWNTOWN MILFORD SPRING CLEANING

For those who would like to help keep our little corner of the world beautiful, the annual spring clean up of downtown Milford is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th this year. Volunteers should meet at 6:00 AM at the Milford Baking Company and if possible, bring a broom, shovel or rake to help with the clean up. Free coffee and donuts will be served.

HIGHLAND EARTH DAY CLEAN UP

Highland Township is holding their larger annual roadside clean up event from April 20th through the 24th. People who would like to participate should call Supervisor Triscia Pilchowski's office at 248-887-3791, Ext. 6 for more information. You can choose which road you'd like to work on, but it's important that you stop by the township offices and sign up for it--not only to prevent everyone from going to the same location but also so arrangements can be made to pick up your full bags.

The RCOC will be providing garbage bags and residents can pick them up between April 13th and April 17th at the Highland Township offices (205 N. John Street). Instructions on what and how to pick up the litter is also available as well as vests for those who would like to clean up busy roads.

***The nasty mattress was finally properly disposed of :-)

Laura Degiovanni

The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor

If you are like me, you were maybe a little shocked when you received your 2009 Notice of Assessment.

The assessed value of my Milford home has been reduced for the third year in a row and really the only good thing about that is I will be paying less in property taxes this year—actually, A LOT less....

The tentative 2008 assessed value of my home was ~ 2.8% less than the 2007 assessed value. By appealing to the Board of Review last year, I was able to get both the assessed and taxable value lowered an additional ~ 6%.

Because there were more sales of homes similar to mine in 2008 than there were in 2007, I had much better comps to use in my appeal this year. The tentative 2009 assessed value was ~4% less than 2008 but through my appeal, I was able to get an additional reduction in assessed value and taxable value of around 11.5%!!! Those two successful appeals will save me almost $800.00 in property taxes this year.

While I still feel my home is worth about 15% less than the assessor thinks it is, I’m pleased with the results of my appeals. Every little bit helps these days.

Laura Degiovanni

The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor

Some hunters call them "Kensington Deer" because they probably spend at least part of their day in Kensington Metropark. Hunting isn't allowed in Kensington but for the past several years, they've been having sharp-shooters "cull" the herd sometime in February. I think one of the main characteristics of Kensington deer is that they are somewhat tame (used to seeing people) and I think that is why hunters like them.

I like them because I like most animals and love to have them visit my yard. Truth be told, I "bait" deer to get them to stop by. Now, because they found CWD (chronic wasting disease) in one deer from a private breeding facility in Kent County, I'm not going to be allowed to feed the deer this winter.

Why, I wonder, are private breeding facilities allowed in a state in which deer herds need to be culled yearly? Just asking.

Laura Degiovanni

The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor

On August 25th, Main Street shop owner Tom Motley passed away and Milford lost a part of what makes it so special and unique. Mr. Motley was a lifelong Milford resident and also the long-time owner of the historic Arms Brothers Store for Men located downtown.

Tom Motley was instrumental in creating the Milford we residents know and love. He was a founding member of the Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Milford Downtown Development Authority and the Milford Merchants Association as well as other organizations. He was a hometown boy who worked to maintain the character and essence of our town.

"Mr. Milford" was only 69 and even though he was on the cusp of retirement and was soon no longer going to be found behind the counter in his store, I'm sure he would have stayed active and visible in the community. We are...less, now that he is gone and he will be greatly missed.

For more, read The Milford Times article.

Laura Degiovanni

The Home Buyer's Agent of Ann Arbor