It’s a beautiful morning on Mackinac Island, and it looks like the last of the clouds have moved off to the East. Â For those not familiar with Mackinac, it’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Midwest, and is an island in Lake Huron at the Straits of Mackinac. Â No motor vehicles are allowed on the island, so once you get off the ferry, your transport is by foot, bike or horse/horse and carriage.
I’m up here with fellow Directors for the Michigan Association of REALTORS(R), and have enjoyed some great conversation with leaders from around the state already. Â This morning Past NAR President Pat Vredevoogd Combs will be sharing some of her insight with us. Â Pat and I are meeting over coffee this morning to talk about the role and potential of social media in association activities. Â Pat’s a fantastic example of what you’d like to see in a leader: passionate about her industry, an active listener, eager learner, empowering of others, and fantastically bright. Â I take special pride that she’s a part of the Coldwell Banker Schmidt organization as well.
While we’re here to discuss association matters and work to develop a vision for the future of our association, the dinner table conversations are a great opportunity to get a sense of what’s happening in markets all over the state. Â The sense I’ve gotten so far is that there is a lot more optimism, and better levels of business are being done by most. Â Deals are still full of hurdles and pitfalls, and financing remains a challenge. Â Short sales still are a great source of frustration, and while the handling of these by the banks may be improving, it has a long way to go and still is an impediment to successful transactions, especially with large national banks.
