Atkinson Avenue Improvement Association

I am concerned at the number of 'For Sale' signs in the neighborhood. While I realize these are bad times for most people in the region I believe the multitude of lawn signs are a detriment to the value of the properties for sale. During the late 60's when an exodus of a different kind, occured in this area the home owners enacted an ordinance that limited the signage and reduced the visual impact on the area. While realtors are adamant about signage and push the tool for marketing the balance of the community suffers with and abundance in percieved home values. These signs give the signal that something is wrong out of the ordninary course of property turn over. Is there some common ground we can meet on with regards to signage?

Concerned

Familyman

No Concern

Dear Familyman,

As someone who is relatively new to the Detroit Metro area and considering moving to the Sherwood Forest neighborhood, I want to share some of my thoughts on this issue. I completely understand your concern, and as my wife and I walked through the neighborhood this past weekend, we could not help but take notice of the number of homes for sale. On the other hand, since we have visited the neighborhood on many occasions in the past year to look at homes, the signs make it much easier to identify homes we may be interested in. Moreover, this phenomenon is not unique to Sherwoood Forest, as we see plenty of for sale signs in Rochester (where we currently live)and surrounding areas. From our perspective, it is, as you said, a reflection of the general economy and the housing market adjustments happening across the country. It is certainly not a discouragement to potential new residents. In fact, I would say that the high taxes of Detroit have been much more of a discouragement, which we are encouraged to see has been addressed by the residents association and elected representatives. We hope to remove one of those signs in the near future! Robert