Toth Team Worldwide Network Welcomes New Addition to Their Team

Toth Team Worldwide Network of REALTORS® announced the addition of a new member, Liz Thiel, to the Ann Arbor Area Real Estate Experts team. “Liz is an enthusiastic transaction concierge,” said CEO Kathy Toth. “Her great attitude and willingness to learn and achieve makes her a great fit for our organization.”

Liz Thiel has lived in southeast Michigan her whole life and of her new position says, “I am thrilled to be a part of such a remarkable, close-knit and well-regarded team such as the Toth Team Worldwide Network of REALTORS. This fast-paced and dynamic market teaches and intrigues me every day.”

Liz has an Associates Degree of Business and has also worked as a Paralegal. Outside of work she enjoys reading and writing as well as spending time in the outdoors.

For over 30 years, Toth Team Worldwide Network has served South Eastern Michigan including Washtenaw, Livingston, Oakland, Lenawee, Jackson and Wayne Counties, including clients in Dexter, Ann Arbor, Chelsea and Saline.

Today, Toth Team Worldwide Network has global aspirations and a growth strategy to meet the modern needs of clients around the world.

Toth Team Worldwide Network is among the top one percent of REALTORS® nationally. They have been featured on House Hunters HGTV, and are proud to be endorsed by country sensation Gary LeVox of Rascal Flats as well as the only trusted agent endorsed by local celebrity Martin Bandyke on radio 107.1, and the exclusive real estate agent for 102.9 W4Country.

Toth Team Worldwide Network exceeds client expectations while delivering top performance in the purchase or sale of residential real estate worldwide. To learn more, please visit www.KathyToth.com, email [email protected].

Talking Tech With Brian Welch of 102.9 FM

One thing we take pride in is our technology. We use the latest and greatest to make every transaction a breeze.

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We’re here today with Brian Welch of 102.9 FM to talk a little bit about the technology we have at our office and how it makes the real estate process better and simpler.One thing that stood out to him was our automated chat feature, which saves chat conversations so you can come back to them later. When you combine that with our advanced home search tool, we put the power in the hands of the consumer. You can search for homes that match your criteria, pick out your favorites, and ask us questions all on your own time. 

We put the power in the hands of the consumer.

 

Another thing Brian loved was our use of virtual reality. It’s an entirely new way to browse homes online. All you do is slip on the headset and you’re transported inside the home. Everything is in clear high-definition and puts you inside the home, just like you’re walking through it.

Thanks to Brian for joining us today. We are proud to have his endorsement as one of the best teams in the area. If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

Fire Extinguisher Safety Tips

Fire safety is a huge part of homeownership, so today I’m here with Doug Armstrong from the Scio Township Fire Department to go over fire extinguisher safety.

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Today I’m here at the Scio Township Fire Department with our expert, Doug Armstrong, to talk about fire extinguisher safety.

Where should you place a fire extinguisher?

Fire extinguishers should be placed throughout the house in areas where a fire is likely to occur or where they can be readily accessible as you’re exiting your residence. The kitchen, bedroom, hallways, and the garage near a doorway are the best spots. You want to make sure you can safely get out of the house if the fire extinguisher doesn’t take care of the problem.

Is it true that fire extinguishers have a certain lifespan of usefulness?

Fire extinguishers in department stores or office buildings usually have a metal top and get inspected every year by a fire and safety company to make sure they are still usable. Residential fire extinguishers have a plastic top and a gauge to tell you whether it’s fully charged or not. You want to check to make sure the the needle on the gauge is in the green, which means it’s in service and ready to go. The recommended life on a fire extinguisher is about 10 to 12 years, and you want to shake it once or twice a year to make sure the power inside expels when you go to use it. Once you break the seal, the propellent will leak out, and that fire extinguisher will no longer work.

 

You want to make sure you can safely get out of the house if the fire extinguisher doesn’t take care of the problem.

 

How does a fire extinguisher work?

There are actually four steps to operating a fire extinguisher, and the acronym P.A.S.S. makes those steps easy to remember.

  1. Pull the pin.
  2. Aim.
  3. Squeeze the handle. This gets the power moving.
  4. Sweep. Aim at the base of the fire.

Again, once you have broken the seal and used the fire extinguisher, it can’t be used again, so you might as well use the remaining contents to ensure the fire is out.

Also, make sure you dispose of the fire extinguisher properly by bringing it to a fire and safety company. Here in Scio Township, that would be Spears Fire & Safety, 287 Jackson Plaza Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Their phone number is (734-663-4133). They will recycle fire extinguishers for $6, but they will waive that charge if you purchase a new one when bringing in your old one.

We see a lot of fires where people have gone right past a fire extinguisher to exit the building, which causes a small fire to grow. That’s why it’s so important to practice using a fire extinguisher so they are comfortable with one should a fire occur.

As a residential homeowner, the best kind of fire extinguisher you can buy is one that is rated for A, B, and C type fires. The fire extinguisher should have both those letters and pictures of those types of fires on it.

If you have any questions for Doug, you can reach him at 734-665-6001.

As always, if you have any real estate-related questions, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

How to Avoid 3 Costly Mistakes When Moving

 

Today we’re discussing the top three mistakes people make when packing and moving and how you can avoid them.

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Today, we have three tips on how to avoid three major mistakes when moving that we wanted to share with you. We are joined today by Sharon McRill, the owner of Betty Brigade, to help break down these three issues and how to avoid them when moving.

1. Not prioritizing. For example, Sharon sees people who pack up their kitchen when it’s the basement, garage, or attic that needs work first.

2. Not figuring out what to take to the new space. If you don’t measure the space and the furniture, it’s very difficult to find out how it will all work together. After figuring out the space, decide what you’ll keep and sell or donate the rest.

3. Relying on friends and family. Pizza doesn’t always cut it when it comes to moving! You have to motivate people with something else many times. That’s why Sharon recommends hiring professionals. If friends and family want to help, she says let them help, but don’t count on them for everything.

 

Pizza doesn’t always cut it when compensating movers!

 

Thanks to Sharon for joining us. If you find yourself in need of the Betty Brigade’s services, you can call them at (734) 994-1000.

If you have any questions about our market or you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, give us a call or send us an email. We’d be glad to help.

 

 

Ann Arbor Real Estate Market Report

Let’s take a look at the Ann Aror real estate market. Currently there are 41 sales pending in the Ann Arbor market overall, leaving 446 listings in Ann Arbor still for sale. The resulting pending ratio is 8.4% (41 divided by 487). So you
might be asking yourself, that’s great…but what exactly does it mean? I’m glad you asked!

The pending ratio indicates the supply & demand of the market. Specifically, a high ratio means that listings are in demand and quickly going to contract. Alternatively, a low ratio means there are not enough qualified buyers for the existing supply.

Taking a closer look, we notice that the $200K – $300K price range has a relatively large number of contracts pending sale in Ann Arbor.

We also notice that the $200K – $300K price range has a relatively large inventory of properties for sale at 112 listings. The median list price (or asking price) in Ann Arbor for all properties in this
market is $417,000.

Ann Arbor New Listings

Ann Arbor Off Market and Sold

A total of 800 contracts have closed in Ann Arbor the last 6 months with a median sold price of $344,500. Breaking it down, we notice that the $200K – $300K price range contains the highest number of sold listings.

Alternatively, a total of 50 listings have failed to sell in Ann Arbor in that same period of time. Listings may fail to sell for many reasons such as being priced too high, having been inadequately marketed, the property was in poor condition, or perhaps the owner had second thoughts about selling at this particular time. The $100K – $200K price range has the highest number of off-market listings at 10 properties.

ann arbor median days on market

Looking at the chart above, you might be wondering why average days on market (DOM) is important. This is a useful measurement because it can help us to determine whether we are in a buyer’s market (indicated by high DOM), or a seller’s market (indicated by low DOM). Active listings (properties for sale) have been on the market for a median time of 44 days.

Analysis of sold properties in Ann Arbor for the last six months reveals a median sold price of $344,500 and 8 days on market. Notice that properties in the $0K – $100K price range have sold quickest over the last six months.

The recent history of sales can be seen in the two charts below. The median sold price for the last 30 days was $342,830 with a DOM of 8 days.

Since the recent DOM in Ann Arbor is greater than the median DOM for the last 6 months, it is a negative indicator for demand. It is always important to realize that real estate markets can fluctuate due to many factors, including shifting interest rates, the economy, or seasonal changes.

Ratios are simple ways to express the difference between two values such as list price and sold price. In our case, we typically use the list-to-sale ratio to determine the percentage of the final list price that the buyer ultimately paid. It is a very common method to help buyers decide how much to offer on a property.

Analysis of the absorption rate in Ann Arbor indicates an inventory of 3.3 months based on the last 6 months of sales. This estimate is often used to determine how long it would take to sell off the current inventory of properties if all conditions remained the same. It is significant to mention that this estimate does not take into consideration any additional properties that will come onto the market in the future.

Ann Arbor median sold pricing