Have we hit bottom yet?!

I am frequently asked about the Irish Hills Lakefront market conditions. You may find the following statistics of interest:


LAKEFRONT SOLDS
Nov. 1, 2008 -Nov. 1, 2009 avg. sold price $198,734
Nov. 1, 2009 -Nov. 1, 2010 avg. sold price $206,036
Up 3.7%

Nov. 1, 2008-Nov. 1, 2009 total dollar sold $24,136,000
Nov. 1, 2009-Nov. 1, 2010 total dollar sold $43,885,000
Up 81.8%

Units sold 2008-2009 135
Units sold 2009-2010 213
Up 57.8%

LAKEFRONT AND LAKE ACCESS (same dates)
Average sold price 2008-2009 $131,890
Average sold price 2009-2010 $159,094
Up 20.6%

Total Dollar sold 2008-2009 $ 36,008,000
Total Dollar sold 2009-2010 $56,478,000
Up 56.8%

Units 2008-2009 273
Units 2009-2010 355
Up 30%

Handful of futuristic cars in $10 million X Prize on display in Lansing; safety inspections, on-track competition kicked off this week at MIS

This article was on MLive today!

Citizen Patriot • Mike PrysonGov. Jennifer Granholm talks to one of the team members of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize competition in Lansing on Thursday.RELATED STORY:

• X Prize competitors providing boost to local economy by shopping, eating, staying here

LANSING — Automobiles of the future arrived Thursday in Lansing.

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize — a $10 million competition that will pit design and development teams of super fuel-efficient cars — kicked off its latest phase of the competition at the state capitol.

Eyes on the X Prize

Key dates for the $10 million Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize competition:

• April 26-May 7: Shakedown Stage, Michigan International Speedway. Cars go through technical inspections as well as testing for acceleration, braking distance and stability, lane change, refueling, mileage and performance testing.

• June 20-30: Knockout Stage, MIS. Teams must pass tests for range, emissions and real-world performance, while achieving at least a level of 67 miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency. Failure at this stage to pass tests at a minimum of 67 mpg eliminates the car.

• July 19-30: Finals Stage, MIS. More efficiency testing with speed and acceleration judged in scored competitions against other finalists.

• Aug. 1-21: Validation Stage, Chicago: Final technical testing. Points awarded and combined with other competitions to determine overall winners.

• June 25 and July 23: Public days at MIS. The public can also follow the competition online atprogressiveautoxprize.org

The safety inspections and on-track competition began this week at Michigan International Speedway. Three of the concept cars designed to run at least 100 miles on a gallon of gas (or energy equivalent) and produce reduced emissions were on display Thursday in Lansing.

Thirty-six cars from 28 teams remain in the X Prize competition, which began with 41 teams registered in February 2009.

One model still in the hunt for its share of the $10 million prize fund, ZAP’s Alias, looked more like the Batmobile — one large wheel in the rear and two wheels up front — than the family sedan.

“It’s fun to make prototypes and fun to have people come out and see what could be the future of automobiles,” said Gary Starr, ZAP’s co-founder.

The Alias was a star of the Beijing Motor Show last week, and there is already a deal in place to begin production of the sports car in China.

In June, Starr and the ZAP team will bring former Indy-car star Al Unser Jr. to drive the Alias in the Knockout Stage of the competition, June 20-30, at MIS in Brooklyn.

The competition will continue July 19-30 at MIS with the Finals Stage, and conclude with the Validation State and final technical inspections Aug. 1-21 at Argonne National Labs in Chicago.

Not all the cars are straight from the futuristic heliports of George Jetson or Luke Skywalker. The entry from Cincinnati-based AMP, Advanced Mechanical Products Inc., is an electric conversion of the General Motors-produced Saturn Sky convertible.

“When people sit in our car, they say, ‘Hey, it’s a real car,’ ” said J.D. Staley, AMP’s sales and marketing director. “Everybody takes a slightly different approach to this competition. But we all have the same vision.”

The public will have an opportunity to see these cars in action June 25 and July 23 at MIS. Details of the public days at MIS have yet to be announced.

The cars are being judged for fuel efficiency, safety and environmental friendliness. The cars must also be production capable in volumes of at least 10,000 vehicles per year.

This week, as part of the competition’s Shakedown Stage, the cars are being tested and graded for acceleration (0-to-60 mph), braking and crash avoidance.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she hopes these new-wave vehicles will help fuel the future of the automobile industry in the state.

“When it’s time to mass produce these cars, we want it to happen here,” Granholm said. “We’ll make (the companies) an offer they can’t refuse.

“With the type of forward thinking that these companies are showing, the sky’s the limit.”

Upcoming Community Events at Lake Columbia

May 2 - LCPOA Annual Meeting

May 8 - Community Garage Sale

May 15 - Spring Clean-Up

For details - go to http://www.lakecolumbianeighborlink.com/lcpoa-news-and-events.php

Great Instructions for Adding Lattice to your Deck!

Click to Print

http://www.hgtv.com/home-improvement/adding-lattice-to-the-bottom-of-a-deck/index.html

Adding Lattice to the Bottom of a Deck

Turn the open space underneath your deck into closed storage by creating a lattice wall with a gate.

Tools and Materials:
framing nailer with air compressor and hoses
circular saw
power miter saw
safety glasses
screw gun
shovel
sledge hammer
T-square and tape measure
four 8” strap hinges
17 sheets 4x8 privacy lattice
12 pieces of 2x4x12 pressure-treated lumber
25 pieces of 2x2x8 pressure-treated lumber
25 pieces of 4x4x8 pressure-treated lumber

Steps:

1. Build the frame for enclosure. Nail 2x4s to existing posts to create the frame needed to secure the lattice panels. Start at the bottom of the frame keeping the wood 3 to 4 inches off the ground.

2. Run vertical 2x4s from the bottom plate to the existing deck. Each one will be a little different since you’re following the contour of the ground with the bottom plate. Continue nailing in vertical 2x4s, 48 inches on center. Make sure to place a 2x4 where each panel seam is located (every 4 inches).

3. Be sure to frame in an access door somewhere around the enclosure. Your local building codes probably require this.

4. To install the lattice, measure vertically from the top of the panel (the bottom of the deck) to the ground. Write it down. At the other end of the panel (4 feet away) take a measurement from the top of the panel to the ground. These two numbers will probably be different. Transfer these numbers to the lattice panel, and connect the dots using a T-square or chalk line. Cut the panel with a circular saw then nail it to the frame.

5. Build the door frame using pressure treated 2x4s. Measure the frame from one corner to the other and cut another 2x4 to that size then nail it in a vertical angle to support the frame (creating a Z pattern). For even further support, add two more diagonal 2x4s on each side of the big diagonal piece, about 2 to 3 feet away.

6. To give the lattice work a cleaner look and get rid of the rough edges and gaps, use pressure treated 1x4s to create a frame. Cut as many 1x4s as you did 2x4s. If you made a previous cut list you can just use the same measurements to save time and materials. Using a narrow-crown stapler to nail the 1x4s over the lattice seams.

7. Use outdoor gate hardware for the access panel. You can find it at home-supply stores and it usually comes in a kit with all the parts and instructions. It will also likely come with combination of bolts and screws, so make sure you have the proper bits for your screw gun. Fasten the hardware to a secure post that is holding up the deck so your access door will remain straight and won’t sag.

Summer is coming, will your boat be ready?

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Lake front Home Appraisals. In this challenging market, I am finding that even people with great credit are getting stopped in their tracks by poor appraisals. I see time and time again where an appraiser from out of the area tries to do an appraisal in the Irish Hills that doesn't understand the uniqueness of this area. They don't understand that each lake has it's own personality and even the value of being lake front versus not lake front. The solution seems to be for buyers to use a lender that will utilize a local appraiser. This should be one of your first questions when interviewing lenders. And 'local' does not mean someone from Detroit or even Ann Arbor, local like Jackson, Brooklyn, Hillsdale, Adrian. The next thing that I've seen happen is that the appraisal is done locally and then it is sent out for a third party review out of state, again unfamiliar with our area and the appraisal is devalued. Ask straight forward questions about this to your potential lender. An accurate appraisal is crucial.