Small Business Saturday – November 30, 2013Small Business Saturday – November 30, 2013

Back in 2010, the American Express Company started advertising a ‘small business Saturday’ on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  The general idea was to use your American Express cards and patronize the local ‘Main Street’ businesses, rather than shopping at a big box store.  It was quite successful.

Since then, there have been a number of other ‘small business Saturdays’ at other times of the year.  With that history in mind, we now have another such day coming up on November 30^th.  Being in real estate, I see that there are many factors that keep a community strong and vibrant.  And honestly, nothing makes me madder than scraping off every penny by shopping online providers.  If your local business district isn’t healthy, your community is suffering. If your community is suffering, your schools will suffer, your property values will suffer, and a downward trend has been formed.

I make a point of shopping locally. Sometimes I pay a few pennies more for an item and I’m OK with that.  I’d rather do that than see empty storefronts on Main Street.  The trade-off in service, return policies, and attention certainly make up for the small premium I pay when I shop local. And that’s not to say that there’s always a premium. Many local businesses will match prices – especially if you ask.

 So here’s my request to you.  This year, on Saturday, September 30^th, be sure to do some shopping at your local small businesses.  Maybe it’s a jeweler, a specialty shop, or a boutique.  Maybe it’s a wine store, a meat market, or a bakery.  If you value that kind of diversity in your local community – support it. I’ll give up a $5 specialty coffee once a week to spend a few extra bucks at a small local business. How about you?

Howell Winter Marketplace Open For The Season

The Farmer’s Markets are closed until Spring 2014, and while that means we’re not going to have fresh local produce, there are still some great options for local shopping. The Howell Winter Marketplace is one of those choices.

It is open 2 Sundays a month through April 2014, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Some of the items that will be available are fresh eggs and butter, baked good (including gluten-free products), jewelry, arts and crafts.  A new local coffee shop, Teeko’s, will also be on site to sell coffee. 

The Howell Winter Marketplace is at the historic Howell Opera House at 123 W. Grand River, Howell 48843.  The schedule for this season is:  November 3 & 17, December 1 & 8, January 5 & 19,  February 2 & 16, March 2 & 16, April 6 & 13.  For more information, visit the Howell Opera House website and click on ‘events’ or call 517-540-0065. While you’re on the website, check out the other great activities that they are hosting for the community.

http://howelloperahouse.com/events.html

Recent Solds in Howell Michigan

I've had some recent solds in Howell Michigan.  1282 Morning Mist in Marion Township (48843) sold for $204,000.  It was a foreclosure that was put into 'move in' condition by the bank.  Paint, carpet, kitchen appliances, refinished hardwood floors - a do-nothing-but move-in home.  Multiple offers, of course.  Great neighborhood with sidewalks and municipal services, a bit of dirt road to get to the sub (quarter of a mile perhaps), but very good location for downtown Howell and I-96 ramps.  I hate seeing foreclosed homes, but it's wonderful to see them occupied by owners that will help keep neighborhood values up.

Another one is the other side of the coin.  410 W. Clinton, a block off Grand River in the downtown Howell area was a very distressed property.  It had apparently been used as some sort of a group home.  Much deferred maintenance, shoddy repairs, and generally chopped up. It was bad enough that the bank decided (uncharacteristically) to sell it 'as is'.  Now, all bank properties are sold 'as is', but this one was without repairs because the scope of work would have been extreme.  I want to give some kudos to Paddock Builders for taking this project on.  I don't know if they'll rehab and flip it to a private owner or turn it into a rental, but it is a very large project regardless of which way it goes.  The one thing I do know is that the adjacent owners will be happy to see somebody putting some money into it and making it a viable residence again.  There's a place for everybody in this world and that applies to investors, too. Not all investors are ruthless money grubbers.  You can make a very good case for investors being transitory owners that provide stepping stones to healthier neighborhoods - in some instances.

Sometimes investors get short shrift from private owners.  You'll hear things like, "they're in it only for the money", or "they don't care about us", but my guess is the neighbors of this property will be very happy in comparison to when the prior owners had it. The important thing is that whomever owns the property doesn't let the area get dragged down.

Food for thought: Google "broken window theory", including the quotation marks.  You'll get articles pro and con for this topic, but basically the theory postulates that an abandoned home with a broken window or grafitti will cause some local residents to lower their standards of adhering to the norms of the area.  That means that small infractions (at first) result and if left unpunished they continue to escalate - all the way up to major crimes.  Food for thought, indeed.