Half of 2008 is gone already - - - Snow Country Real Estate is #2 in sales out of the 8 agencies in our area! Total sales are just under $18 million, well above the $14 million mark of 2007.

Most out of town buyers I receive calls from mention how bad the real estate market is whereever they live and assume the same up in this area. I always have to tell them that we never experienced the "big bubble" like so much of the country and so we never got hit with the "bubble burst" either. The sales numbers do support my comments.

2008 has been a good year for not only the company, but individual agents. We have 5 agents in the top 20 producers (3 in the top 10), a definite improvement over last year. I have a closing scheduled for later in July and another couple of buyers who are close to making decisions, plus a few others who are just starting to look, so I hope to improve my own standing dramatically by the end of the year!

According to the local newspaper, residents along Alfred Wright Blvd in Ironwood, MI can expect torn up streets during the summer of 2008….and given that residents selected the stretch of Al Wright from McLeod Ave to Norrie School as being one of the worst in the city during town hall meetings, I would expect most of them will be relatively happy to deal with detours and the inconvenience for a few months.

City manager, Scott Erickson said the project will include sidewalk replacement and water main and sewer rehabilitation work. It was planned for 2009, but the street is falling apart so quickly that it was decided that it needed to be taken care of a year early. Local company, Coleman Engineering got the engineering bid on "an hourly, not to exceed" basis. The project will be funded through Michigan's Department of Transportation with the state being responsible for obtaining construction bids.

Ironwood has suffered through its fair share of bad roads, but a number of them have been repaired in the past couple years and it's good to see plans for future rehab. With new people moving into our area for new jobs at the Grandview Hospital, Walmart and Walgreens, it's great to be able to tell them our community does take pride in its appearance and accessibility; that we are a progressive town worth moving into. From a personal perspective, I appreciate that any improvements in Ironwood's infrastructure make my job as a real estate agent a little easier. My sellers want to sell their home at the best possible price and living on or close to a stretch of road that's been recently upgraded helps them and my buyers (particularly the out-of-town buyers) expect to move into neighborhoods that look well maintained. I believe a disintegrating street can pull down the value of an entire neighborhood and as well, I firmly believe that a well maintained street should motivate home owners to keep their homes and yards looking nicely kept.