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The Environmental Protection Agency has proclaimed January "National Radon Prevention Month".

Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that is naturally occurring in the earth's crust and sometimes seeps into homes through openings in foundations or walls. It is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, and the second leading cause among smokers.

According to Governor Granholm's Proclamation, one in eight homes in Michigan (EPA's map of Michigan radon zones) have elevated levels of radon. Homes with 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher should be remediated. Consider purchasing a radon detection kit if it wasn't part of the home inspection process when you bought your home.

For more information about radon, check out these sources:

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The MichiganMoves.com Team is excited to announce our new Downtown Plymouth location. RE/MAX on the trail at 1000 West Ann Arbor Trail Road recently finished a complete renovation of their historic 1874 building. A large addition and remodeled interior has kept the unique character of the office, and an expanded parking lot to be built in the Spring will complete the renovations.

One of the reasons we made the change was we missed a downtown location, and we searched for a brokerage that didn't charge the administrative fees other brokers have resorted to, saving our clients money.

We're proud to join the 9 other agents in the office, and look forward to sharing our wonderful new location with our clients.

We wish you a very happy and prosperous… Read Full Post

Denny Grimes, President of Denny Grimes & Company in Southwest Florida, recently published his take on the traditional resolutions of losing weight and exercise and how they can be applied to our current real estate market.

In an article titled "Real estate market needs to lose weight in '08", his analogy goes like this: Our market is 'morbidly obese' therefore to get it moving again, slimming down and exercise is needed. According to Grimes, exercise requires everyone develop discipline:

Downtown Northville was front and center in the Detroit Free Press today in an article highlighting the challenges facing downtown Michigan communities in attracting businesses and consumers.

The Northville Downtown Development Authority is beginning to see the results of their recent efforts to boost the city's profile. Following up on a survey of residents about what they liked best about Northville, the DDA hired consultants to implement the new marketing campaign.

According to the article, the campaign has worked with "8 more businesses applying for licenses". I personally can attest to the Downtown Northville holiday traffic as it took 5 times around all the available parking areas to find a space on Saturday the 22nd!

Visit the Northville DDA…

Detroit Free Press columnist Bill McGraw just published an amazing profile of the City of Detroit in all is glory and decay. The six part series summarizes the 138 square miles traveled by McGraw and the Free Press staffers during their 4 month odyssey.

Intro: It's worse than you think -- but better too
Part One: Where the old meets new
Part Two:  Blight creeps into best areas
Part Three: Detroit's creative side lends hand
Part Four: Nature reclaims urban wasteland
Part Five: Detroiters' spirit keeps city going

This amazing snapshot of our State's largest city presents highlights, but doesn't flinch from showing what's wrong. Most interesting to me was the coverage of the housing in Detroit neighborhood. I've always been amazed at the incredible…

As the new Secretary of the local Women Marine Association-Motor City Chapter, I spent several hours yesterday at a 'packing party' for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The WMA Motor City Chapter's "Operation Caring Friends" ships over 200 packages per month overseas. Mary Ann Merritt has organized this monumental effort since 2003. For the holidays, in addition to care packages they've sent throughout the year, their goal called "Operation Holiday Joy", is to ship 2,000 stockings stuffed with goodies from home. With support from scout troops, schools, and the community, a little Michigan holiday spirit is being sent to those abroad defending our freedom.

While I'm not sure how many stockings were collected and shipped, the Marines and other service… Read Full Post