Pictured Rocks Road Trip

The Pictures
It was National Parks Day so of course I couldn't resist the urge to north and play "Tour Guide". It was a girls weekend, rekindling friendships of high school days past.
Several had never been to the Pictured Rocks Region so we went and weren't disappointed. Spent the night at the Brevort Lake cottage and headed up to Munising first thing in the morning. A very helpful "Pam" at the Visitor Center gave us the map that would get us the best sites for the time we had. They were showing a documentary on the new Ken Burns series "The National Parks, Americas Best Idea". After many oohs and ah's we headed the back roads to a little town on Lake Superior called Grand Marais where we enjoyed some great on site brews and snacks before heading back home. We hit the village of Epoufette to watch the sun set at the Bay View Restaurant and have some local Whitefish. Another great day in the U.P.

A Road Trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Fall in the Straits of Mackinac Region

Well, what a great intro to fall. The fall has brought some beautiful weather with it and some great swimming days if your suits are still out. A great time to get out and hike some area trails and beaches and discover all these places we have to discover up here.The Festivals and Fireworks campaign wrapped up Labor Day weekend with a bang, filling a beautiful calm bay with a season finale of lights and a town full of people preparing for the Labor Day Bridge Walk. People headed up for weekend festivals in groves and you wouldn't have guessed the economy was depressed in this region, people strolling the streets and bays at night waiting for the weekly burst of Saturday night fireworks or local entertainment. Lots of people, LOTS OF INQUIREES about the area and housing industry but a little bit of a summer slump in the sales department.
Rates just dropped a little again and it's just one more reason to take advantage of them before they nudge back up in 2010. The $8,000 home buyer tax credit is still available with the industry trying to get it expanded beyond that November date but nothing is guaranteed on that note. These are great reasons to buy now. The home credit applies to first time home buyers OR buyers who haven't owned in the previous 3 years and the time restriction is it must close by November 30th, 2009. We're looking for some good activity this fall when people are more serious about buying. There are a few foreclosures out there but nothing like other areas of southern Michigan. The housing stock is larger than it’s been in years, many home prices have dropped. The new hospital is being built and slated to open May, 2010. This certainly will be another reason that the area will begin a new growth period. The Mackinac Region is a great place to live, work and play, now is the time. If you have any questions regarding the market, where it's been, where we think it's going, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Real Estate*********MackinacProperties.com

Ok, we've got a new administration, low, low interest rates and now a $8,000 home buyer tax credit, these are just a few great reasons that now is the time to buy. The home credit applies to first time home buyers OR buyers who haven't owned in the previous 3 years and time restrictions apply. We're looking for some good activity. Foreclosures are certainly out there, not in the numbers that other areas have seen but there are some great buys. The housing stock is larger than it’s been in years, many home prices have dropped. The new hospital is being built and slated to open May, 2010. This certainly will be another reason that the area will begin a new growth period. The Mackinac Region is a great place to live, work and play, now is the time. If you have any questions regarding the market, where it's been, where we think it's going, please don't hesitate to contact me. 906-643-9242 cheryl@mackinacproperties.com

St. Ignace, Michigan

3rd Annual U.P. Pond Hockey Tournament