Real Estate One Academy Wants More Required Training Hours

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According to Bonnie Richter, the director of the Real Estate One Academty, real estate education needs to change to keep up with the needs of consumers. Real Estate One is pairing new agents with experience Realtors in an effort to keep more people in the field. Richter says there’s an enormous interest in real estate careers. Classes are full and in high demand, but the longevity is not there. People don’t expect the career to be as demanding as it is. Richter believes that license instruction should require more hours (60 at a minimum), as there isn’t enough time to get all of the information in with the existing instruction requirements. In addition, beefing up the instruction time would better protect consumers so that licensed real estate professionals would have the needed expertise.

 

 

Farmington Hills Council Considers Hotel Conversion Project

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In June, Farmington Hills Council members approved a Planned Unit Development to convert a hotel on 12 Mile Road into a senior housing complex. This week, city officials will look at the agreement that finalizes the project details. Manor Senior Living wants to convert the Radisson hotel’s rooms into 217 memory care units, 51 assisted living, and  56 independent living units. When the PUD was approved, five senior housing projects were in the works. Since then, St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher property proposals have stalled.

 

Corktown Apartment Tenants Have Water and Heat Restored

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Tenants of Corktown’s Victor Attar Court apartments have had their water and heat restored over the weekend. They were previously told they would have to relocate because of health and safety concerns. The building’s owner received 22 tickets amounting to $13,142, according to the city’s Buildings, Safety, Engineering and Environmental Department. The apartment residents were notified last week that if the landlord did not restore heat and water and bring the building up to code, they would have to vacate the building. Real Estate developer Emre Uralli is listed as the trustee of 1324 Porter Street Trust, the entity that bought the property when it was in foreclosure. Uralli claims he was unaware of the heating issues and the tickets. They’ve since met with inspectors and cooperating with them.

Jefferson-Chalmers Neighborhood Now Part of FEMA Flood Plain

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The Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood has been prone to flooding for years. The neighborhood is bordered by Clairpointe Street, Jefferson Avenue, Grosse Pointe Park, and the Detroit River. Due to climate change, rising water levels in Lake St. Clair are spilling over into the Detroit River causing residents to experience regular flooding with no permanent infrastructure fix in sight. Raising the seawall in Jefferson Chalmers by almost 2 feet would solve the problem, but the multi-million dollar cost and the private property ownership along the Detroit side of the river complicate matters. While FEMA does not look at a community’s infrastructure to determine its flood hazard status, it may change that practice, according to the regional flood insurance liaison for FEMA’s Region 5 in the Midwest.

 

 

Director of Planning and Development Engages Neighborhoods in Revitalization Efforts

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The director of Detroit Planning and Development, Antoine Bryant, thinks of Detroit as a “city of neighborhoods.” He has reached out to residents to talk about blight, flight and a lack of investment in neighborhoods that have felt left behind while Detroit’s downtown and community corridors have gained attention. Bryant has intentions to grow Detroit with projects that preserver architectural history and value the input of neighbors. In an effort to avoid building up downtown commercial sectors first, Bryant intends to engage neighborhoods as part of the revitalization process. His primary goal is to connect with residents in all of Detroit’s 200 neighborhoods while working through challenges with food deserts, vacant land and safety. 

 

 

Partnership Looks to Grow Greenspace

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A partnership between the city of Grand Rapids and Kent County Drain Commissioner Ken Yonker is focused on developing some much needed greenspace on the city’s Southeast Side. Located at 1516 S Division Ave., the property and an adjacent parcel are two of 11 properties the Grand Rapids City Commission will move forward on. The other nine properties are along Carrier Creek on the city’s Northeast Side. The city plans to turn them into park spaces, while maintaining the storm water management functions that are in place. The parks will focus on recreation opportunities like walking trails, overlooks and benches.

 

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Slow Pace Continues for Hudson Site Project

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Dan Gilbert’s Hudson site project broke ground in December 2017. The original plan intended the tower to be taller than the RenCen, but even after the downsizing of its planned tower, it’s a long way from being complete. According to experts, it takes about four to five years to build big skyscrapers in the U.S., yet the Hudson site development is moving slower than recent projects in Chicago with higher towers. The pandemic’s negative impact on the demand for office space, more hotel rooms and more luxury apartments may be factors in the slow pace of construction. According to Mayor Mike Duggan, people who have office buildings are rethinking the amount of office space they’re using. Convention business has also been impacted. Downtown hotel occupancy was 36% in September, 34% drop from the previous year. The $900 million-plus project had an original completion date of summer 2022. 

 

Metro Detroit Housing Market Still Heated

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Metro Detroit’s housing market is still hot for sellers and confounding for buyers, although not as intense as in spring and early summer. The median sales price for houses and condos was up over 7% in October from a year earlier, according to Realcomp multiple-listing service. That figure includes Oakland, Wayne, Macomb and Livingston counties. The amount of on-market listings was down almost 13%, and the average days on the market decreased by 7 days when compared with October 2020. The numbers show that sellers are still benefitting, even though the market has cooled a bit from earlier in the year.

 

Amway Grand Plaza’s Renovation Completed

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The $40 million renovation of the Amway Grand Plaza’s 29-story tower is complete. Renovations began in January 2019 and outfitted the tower with new glass that provides guest rooms and the restaurant, MDRD, with floor-to-ceiling views of the city. Prior to the renovations, the 285 tower rooms had windows that started at knee level. According to the chairman and CEO of Van Andel Institute, the tower’s original glass was at the end of its useful life. The new glass is expected to save 10% in energy costs. The tower’s crown was outfitted with new LED lighting. The hotel was received new metal cladding, a backlit crown logo, and updated balcony rooms.

 

Bedrock Gives Tour of Book Tower Progress

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 On Thursday, Bedrock gave a tour of its renovation progress on the historic Book Tower. The renovations include restoration of the original limestone and masonry facade,  replacing 2,400 period accurate windows, and repurposing former office space into 229 residential units. It will also offer retail, hotel and office space when completed. The $313 million project also includes the 13-story Book Building structure. The development will include retail in the basement and first floor, office space on the second and third floors, and the ROOST Apartment Hotel will occupy floors four to eight, featuring 118 studio, one and two-bedroom units. A rooftop bar and outdoor terrace space are also in the plans.