Luxury Real Estate

Courtesy of Carolyn Bowen-Keating of Hall & Hunter Realtors

Living in the Detroit Metropolitan area we know this is a great place to live, raise a family and work. We are also ambassadors to help people enjoy their experience in Detroit, because if they enjoy their time here maybe they’ll come back another time or decide to live and work here. Or maybe they’ll simply say something nice about Detroit next time it comes up in conversation. Each of those scenarios is good for Detroit and the region.

Downtown Detroit is making a comeback so the Relocation Department of Hall & Hunter Realtors arranged for a three hour field trip to tour Detroit and see the revitalization first hand. We picked a beautiful afternoon to take a tour narrated by Jeanette Pierce, the founder of Inside Detroit. Pierce’s goal was to show the many interesting and beautiful sites of Detroit from an insider’s prospective. Pierce shared the political history of the city and its buildings including the Guardian Building with its beautiful woodwork and tile map of Michigan outlining the history of our great state through illustrations of the agriculture and manufacturing.

The national perception of Detroit was once filled with fear for a person’s safety but when we were at Campus Martius there where hundreds of people enjoying their lunch and reading a book in the sunshine of the park. This midtown area is rich with new buildings and park benches for summertime enjoyment as well as the Motown Winter Blast in January. There are statues that tell the history of the politicians and sports figures that made Detroit the highlight of the nation.

Later we enjoyed Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project, which looks very different in person and has much more meaning when you see it through the eyes of Jeanette Pierce. Guyton’s project started as a way to take trash on vacant lots and turn it into art…to some this would be an “in your face” type of art but to see it in person gave me a new appreciation for this new beauty.

Formerly a Grand Trunk Railroad line, the Dequindre Cut is a below-street level path that runs parallel to St. Aubin Street, providing a greenway featuring a 20-foot-wide paved pathway, which includes separate lanes for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. You can follow the Dequindre Cut to the Eastern Market before strolling along the five mile long Riverwalk. There’s so much to see and do once you hop in your car and make your way to Downtown Detroit.

We must remember that we are all Detroit ambassadors. It is not a choice; it is a fact. We all are Detroit ambassadors because we all represent our region, and we all want it to succeed. So find something that you get excited about and be ready to share it with someone next time you’re on a plane or get stopped for directions or asked for a restaurant recommendation. We have plenty of things to be excited about, and we’d love to share them with you.

By Brian Langhorst

Over the recent Holidays I traveled to Michigan to visit my family and friends. I was once again reminded that Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate has several great members in the state representing most of the major markets. Bolton Johnston Associates of Grosse Pointe Farms, Charles Reinhart & Company Realtors in Ann Arbor, David L. Kraft Realty in Caseville, Hall & Hunter Realtors in Birmingham, and Higbie Maxon Agney Realtors in Grosse Pointe Farms.

These are all great companies who are still selling real estate despite the ailing Michigan economy. There is a tremendous amount of value in many markets across the state as Michigan was one of the first areas hit by the downturn in the economy. I would highly encourage you to reach out to any of these great real estate companies to see for yourself what is available in Michigan as each of our members are market leaders in their respective areas. You can also view luxury real estate inventory on LuxuryRealEstate.com or their local websites.

By Robert Lockard

I have some very fun news to share. A new TNT movie starring Oscar® winner Cuba Gooding Jr. is currently filming in the Detroit area, and part of the filming is being done at a waterfront luxury home on Windmill Point Drive in Grosse Pointe Park. This property is being represented by Higbie Maxon Agney, Inc. Realtors, a member of Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate and the Board of Regents.

Check out this wonderful story in the Grosse Pointe News that I received earlier this week. Sorry I don’t have a link to the story online. Apparently, that newspaper doesn’t post some of their stories on their Web site, but luckily I have a PDF version of the printed article.

The movie is called “Gifted Hands: The Story of Ben Carson” and it follows the life of Ben Carson, born into poor conditions, who was able to lift himself up and become a famed pediatric neurosurgeon. It’s scheduled to debut on TNT on Feb. 7, 2009. I love inspirational stories about good people triumphing over difficult circumstances. Actually, this discussion reminds of a blog entry that Jim Walberg, the co-Owner/Broker of The Bay Area Team, just wrote about not giving in to fear despite our difficult financial market.

The luxury property on Windmill Pointe Drive is quite remarkable. It includes near two acres of land, its own private dock and 12,000 square feet of living space for $7.3 million. If you’d like more information, you can contact Heather Adragna Ulku or check out this brochure on the property.


Editor’s Note:
Robert Lockard is the Public Relations & Media Specialist with LuxuryRealEstate.com. I am Robert. I create all of Luxury Real Estate's newsletters, write the editorials in LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine and much more. Feel free to share your good news like this with us, as well. I love reading and writing good stories for the Luxury Real Estate Blog. The photo of Cuba Gooding Jr. is from www.flickr.com/photos/rafamado/2635448556 and it is the copyright of Rafael Amado Deras.