Real Estate Information

A new flood plan ordinance has been introduced for Northville Township. The flood plan ordinance will help locals obtain insurance for commercial and residential properties prone to flooding. The ordinance is meant to ease the challenges flood area residents face while providing them with access to necessary compensation in the event of a catastrophe.

An enforcing agency made up of Northville Township’s building officials will designate regulated flood hazard areas under the provisions in the state construction code. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been updating the National Flood Insurance Program’s flood rate maps, which evaluate residential and commercial properties to determine their flood risk and whether flood insurance is required. The overall idea of the ordinance is to help those in flood-prone areas who would otherwise be unable to obtain insurance.

FEMA has asked Northville Township to adopt the flood plan ordinance based on their latest map assessment, according to Don Weaver, public service director of Northville Township. The new areas included in the flood plan ordinance are along Johnson Creek in the Arcadia Ridge subdivision and Northville Road and the Middle River Rouge. The Arcadia Ridge subdivision was surveyed for the flood plan before it was developed. Weaver stated that homeowners in Arcadia Ridge should already be apprised of the designation, and that residents along Northville Road and the Middle River Rouge have known about potential flooding as well.

The updated assessment does not reflect any changed circumstances, including previously unknown flood areas and/or emerging vulnerable properties. Rather, the flood plan ordinance reflects existing flood-prone areas.

In this post-Black Friday season, it seems like everyone’s plotting the most cost-effective ways to ‘give’ to their loved ones; where’s the best sale for that Blu-ray player your dad wants? How about that sale on Louis Vuitton purses, for your sister? Yet, not everyone in the Novi community is focused solely on giving back to their loved ones. In fact, some are looking to spread the holiday cheer a bit further out than their own homes.

Novi Middle School teacher Peter Cemate is one of those people. According to writer Nathan Mueller’s article on Hometownlife.com, Cemate has used his hunting spoils from the last four deer hunting seasons not to keep his own winter pantry stocked, but to help out the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. He was even able to rope some of his coworkers into the food-gathering effort, and, as a group, they’ve managed to donate nearly 160 pounds of venison and 1,000 pounds of food.

Cemate isn’t the only Novi resident who’s been tapping into their inner Santa. In fact, according to Cemate, many of the school district kitchens will donate excess food to emergency food suppliers, like Capuchin. Joanne Clements, the director of food services in the Novi School District, said that before break, all food that will expire while the students are off is donated either to Cemate or to Forgotten Harvest, another Detroit food provider. Joanne went on to say that it’s better “to feed people than to feed trash cans.”

The great thing about having a community hero it that he or she can inspire the rest of us to be heroes, too—and that’s exactly what we’re seeing here, with Cemate’s example. So don’t throw away the leftovers, or extra canned goods you picked up by accident; contact one of the programs (or Cemate himself!) and give a bit back to the rest of the community this holiday season.

What do you want in your hometown? Do you want posh downtown locations, where you can indulge in a bit of chic, current culture? Shopping centers and concert venues where you can see or hear something new and exciting every so often?

Or would you rather have that close-knit feel, where neighbors all know each other by name, and life happens at its own, natural pace? Where you know everyone walking down the street?

What if it didn’t have to be a choice between one or the other?

Novi is, in many ways, a city that is the perfect compromise between both cultures, and the newly-opened Elle Salon is the perfect example of this fusion. Operated by siblings Marina Bojaj and Gjoni Comaj, the salon is a sleek, high-end establishment—but it’s still very much a family-operated business, with no real desire to stray from its roots.

In fact, according to Comaj, that’s exactly the point. In a recent Hometown Life article, Comaj said that their business strategy is “all about making people feel comfortable. There’s no snootiness, and you feel like you’re walking into your own home. It’s ‘house-meets-salon,’ and very family-oriented.” As if to emphasize this point, relatives and family members of the siblings are constantly stopping in to the salon, making it seem as though, if it’s not their customers’ house, at least the salon closely resemble the siblings’ own respective homes.

Both owners have worked as hair stylists in the Novi area for a number of years, and they bring their extensive experience to Elle. The salon offers a full-range of services, including haircuts, coloring, treatments, esthetics, and even eyebrow extensions.

It’s always nice to have the options to live in a town with a splash of high-end culture, but it’s even better when everyone in town is also like an extension of your own family. And that’s exactly what Elle represents; familiar, neighborly posh.

With the sudden, early reminder of winter, it’s the perfect time for a hot bowl of soup—and that’s exactly what volunteers are serving tomorrow, between 4 and 7 pm in Northville High School.

According to Nancy Kelsey’s article on Patch.com, the soup dinner will follow a day spent packing food to be sent out to those in need, both within the United States and without. Volunteers from Northville will be working alongside volunteers from Detroit and Hamtramck to pack thousands of food bags, each containing rice and soy that will be given to children around the world. It’s a great opportunity, both for the hungry and for the kids participating, as they’ll be working with kids they might never have met otherwise. According to event organizer Dottie Garrity, kids will be “working together, problem-solving, to benefit other children around the world.” The hope is that, in doing so, kids will learn to make connections with other communities that may even last a lifetime.

Yet, there’s no doubt that some lives will be changed. Kids Against Hunger, the organization behind the soup dinner, has packaged and sent nearly 410,000 bags of food to hungry children around the world since the organization’s founding in 2005, all in their effort to help reduce world hunger. The organization is dedicated to helping children, both abroad and at home; echoing Dottie Garrity’s sentiments, the organization’s website describes its mission as to teach kids “to help people around the world…and [also] around the corner.”

Few communities can boast the kind of dedication to civic duty that Northville can, and that’s what makes it such a wonderful place to raise a family. Community leaders are dedicated to espousing notions of global citizenship to the next generation, all in an effort to raise a more engaged community that looks beyond the neighborhood to the wide world beyond.

Several weeks ago, I wrote a post on Novi’s hazardous waste day and how it provided Novi residents an outlet to safely—and inexpensively—get rid of any household materials that might not be safe to leave around for the dog or kids to poke into. This month, it’s the Northville community’s turn to get rid of its trash; starting at 8 am tomorrow morning, the Wayne County Department of Public Services will be picking up household hazardous waste materials at 122000 Beech Daly Road in Redford, MI, so don’t miss this chance to safely, and environmentally, dispose of all those empty paint cans and antifreeze containers. Not sure if something will be accepted? There’s a handy online flyer detailing all of the items that will be accepted, along with those that won’t be. Be sure to check it out before loading up your car!

It’s probably safe to say that every homeowner wants to live in a clean, safe neighborhood, and hazardous waste disposal programs—such as the one in Wayne County—ensure that our communities remain clean. However, it also takes some effort on the homeowner’s part, too; according to a statement by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, our day-to-day actions have a lot more impact on the environment than we imagine—it’s not just chemical companies poisoning our water systems! Everyday mistakes like improper waste disposal and littering can leave lingering effects far beyond what we might imagine, so here are some tips, courtesy of SEMCOG, to keep in mind when cleaning up the house after a major renovation or move:

1. Always make sure that toxic substances are identifiable. That means storing them in their original containers, and making sure that the labels are conspicuous.
2. Keep toxic materials in cool, dry places, away from curious little hands or paws.
3. Only purchase as much of a toxic material as you need, and consider using less-toxic alternatives. SEMCOG suggests using vinegar and water instead of window cleaner, for example.
4. Always dispose properly at a toxic waste center on collection day. Never throw toxic materials out in the trash or sink.

By keeping these tips in mind, we can ensure our communities remain clean for the generations to come. And don’t forget to stop by Redford Toxic Waste Center tomorrow, between 8am and 2pm!

The Midwest’s bi-annual Great Lakes Art Fair is just around the corner. This weekend, October 14-16, more than 200 booths of fine arts and crafts will fill the Suburban Financial Showplace in Novi. Upon entry, an anticipated turnout of 12,000 attendees will find an elaborate Grand Garden Gallery, spotlighting numerous works from selected artists.

The Fair will feature a vast array of activities for both adults and children, including a Town Spa, which will be located on the show floor. Vision’s Spa Salon—one of the event sponsors—will offer patrons “luxurious treatments such as messages, make-up applications, manicures, pedicures, and hair treatments,” according to the Fair’s main website.

The bistro-style Marketplace Café will be positioned at the center of the floor, a convenient central location that will be handy when attendees start getting hunger pangs. In addition, Generation Art Displays will be showcased across the floor: local school districts will contribute elementary, middle, and high school students’ artworks to the Fair. This is a great way for students to show off their talents for a wider audience. Art activities will also be offered for children who are present at the Fair.

The Main Stage will be utilized for a daily fashion show and various performances put on by local music groups. Clothing and jewelry from the Fair’s numerous artists will be exhibited here. One of the greatest aspects of the Fair is said to be the Artist Demonstrations: original artwork will be crafted on-site by dozens of artists. So, be sure to stop by and observe as jewelry, glass, ceramics, and other materials are configured into professional works of art right before your eyes!

For dates, times, and admission rates, please visit the event’s website: www.GreatLakesArtFair.com.

I'm often asked if this is a good time to buy a home. Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already. They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy. The problem with this approach is that you don't know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you've missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.