A rare shot at the Armory: Since developer Ed Shaffran converted the fortress-like National Guard facility at 223 E. Ann St. to condos in the late 1990s, its thirteen townhouses have rarely been on the market. Three still belong to their original buyers, and most of the others have been sold just once or twice. But No. 7 is the anomaly: it has changed hands seven times. After selling for $560,000 in 2023, it’s back on the map at $599,000.
One very hot, quick flip: It’s barely news when houses are bought low and sold fast for a bundle, but even by local standards the speedy turn for 3163 Norwood St. is head-spinning. Retired U-M chemistry prof Ronald Woodard’s trust put it on the market in August 2023 for $465,000 but ultimately accepted $350,000 from Ann Lin in April. Lin went to work, updating the 4-bedroom, 3-bath, two-story with new floors and a new driveway as well as refreshing the kitchen and bathrooms. Just four months after closing on it, Lin listed it for $595,000; in late September, she got $580,000.
Developer buys lots on Platt: The last time the media took note of the 3600 and 3700 blocks of Platt Rd., it was because vacant homes there were being demolished. That was more than a decade ago, when the scuttlebutt was that someone hoped to put a strip mall on the site just north of I-94. This month, finally, there are signs of life: four adjacent parcels were snatched up for $1.01 million by an entity linked to Auburn Hills–based developer Anthony Randazzo. The addresses aren’t on the map because the lots remain vacant, but we expect them to reappear in a future condo project.
This Old House of the Month: The seller’s description of the 4-bedroom, 3-bath, 3,044-square-foot abode at 14 Geddes Heights says it was “crafted with granite boulders reclaimed from the original University Library.” That alone would probably qualify for TOHotM honors, but everything about this 1925 mansion is impressive. The aforementioned granite is evidenced on the lower exterior, the driveway wall, and a sensational first-floor fireplace and chimney. The location is hard to beat, too: it’s nestled among mature trees in a cul-de-sac, with an entrance to the Arb steps away. It went for $1.1 million.
