Michigan Real Estate News

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Eastland Center Mall Gasps Its Last Breaths

Eastland Center shopping mall is expected to close early next year. Its demolition will make way for a warehouse. The 1-million-square-foot mall is down to 10% occupancy. Its anchor department store have been closed for years. With the mall owner’s June announcement that it is selling the property to NorthPoint Development of Kansas City, Missouri, more Eastland tenants have packed up and closed their doors. NorthPoint will most likely keep the mall open through the holidays and then close it in January. Demolition could begin as early as February.

 

Metro Detroit Home Purchases Decline

According to data from RE/MAX, home purchases in metro Detroit had the fourth largest decline in the country. RE/MAX surveyed metro areas, and Detroit had a 19.6 percent decrease in closed homes in July. Factors that likely contributed to the decline include Michigan’s coronavirus-related lockdown that lifted in June last year, creating a backlog of pending sales that exploded into July. This lifted that month’s 2020 total. Buyers are exercising more caution and questioning the prudence of paying more than the asking price. Add the recent weather and flooding into the picture and potential buyers hesitating while flood-damaged homes are fixed. Limited inventory is also a contributing factor.

High-Rise Towers Planned for Ann Arbor Lot

The Ann Arbor Housing Commission is finalizing plans that call for a 20-story tower and a 14-story tower buildings. The city is leveraging new tax revenues to build affordable housing that could fund 1,500 new units over the next 20 years. The city’s plans include 370 housing units with a little less than half of them for tenants earning up to 60% of the area median income. The remaining units would be at market rate. The 14-story tower would include 90 rental apartments, and the 20-story tower would include 280 housing units.  The new dwellings will include a mix of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.