Middy
@middymatthews.bsky.social
I’m a realtor for the Ann Arbor and surrounding areas.
Ready to find a home that fits your ACTUAL life?
Let's talk about what matters most to your daily routine.
Reach out to The Arbor Move Team. Let's start a conversation about your real priorities.
Let's talk about what matters most to your daily routine.
Reach out to The Arbor Move Team. Let's start a conversation about your real priorities.
December 12, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Ready to find a home that fits your ACTUAL life?
Let's talk about what matters most to your daily routine.
Reach out to The Arbor Move Team. Let's start a conversation about your real priorities.
Let's talk about what matters most to your daily routine.
Reach out to The Arbor Move Team. Let's start a conversation about your real priorities.
Before you buy, visualize your average Tuesday.
Not the fantasy version. The messy, real version.
That process reveals your truth.
Find a home that matches your life, not just one that looks good on a spreadsheet.
Not the fantasy version. The messy, real version.
That process reveals your truth.
Find a home that matches your life, not just one that looks good on a spreadsheet.
December 12, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Before you buy, visualize your average Tuesday.
Not the fantasy version. The messy, real version.
That process reveals your truth.
Find a home that matches your life, not just one that looks good on a spreadsheet.
Not the fantasy version. The messy, real version.
That process reveals your truth.
Find a home that matches your life, not just one that looks good on a spreadsheet.
Remote work changed the math.
When the commute matters less, everything else matters MORE.
The clients who thrive made conscious trade-offs.
They prioritized how they interact with their space over what the industry told them to value.
When the commute matters less, everything else matters MORE.
The clients who thrive made conscious trade-offs.
They prioritized how they interact with their space over what the industry told them to value.
December 12, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Remote work changed the math.
When the commute matters less, everything else matters MORE.
The clients who thrive made conscious trade-offs.
They prioritized how they interact with their space over what the industry told them to value.
When the commute matters less, everything else matters MORE.
The clients who thrive made conscious trade-offs.
They prioritized how they interact with their space over what the industry told them to value.
Take the North Side of Ann Arbor.
It operates like a village. Diverse. Great diners. Walkable schools.
Buyers who choose this over the "prestige" neighborhoods often tell us the same thing a year later:
They feel more at home.
It operates like a village. Diverse. Great diners. Walkable schools.
Buyers who choose this over the "prestige" neighborhoods often tell us the same thing a year later:
They feel more at home.
December 12, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Take the North Side of Ann Arbor.
It operates like a village. Diverse. Great diners. Walkable schools.
Buyers who choose this over the "prestige" neighborhoods often tell us the same thing a year later:
They feel more at home.
It operates like a village. Diverse. Great diners. Walkable schools.
Buyers who choose this over the "prestige" neighborhoods often tell us the same thing a year later:
They feel more at home.
Here is our contrarian advice for Ann Arbor buyers:
Stop imagining your *aspirational* routine.
Look at your REAL one.
Do you actually need walkability to a coffee shop you visit once a month?
Or do you need a fenced yard for the dog?
Stop imagining your *aspirational* routine.
Look at your REAL one.
Do you actually need walkability to a coffee shop you visit once a month?
Or do you need a fenced yard for the dog?
December 12, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Here is our contrarian advice for Ann Arbor buyers:
Stop imagining your *aspirational* routine.
Look at your REAL one.
Do you actually need walkability to a coffee shop you visit once a month?
Or do you need a fenced yard for the dog?
Stop imagining your *aspirational* routine.
Look at your REAL one.
Do you actually need walkability to a coffee shop you visit once a month?
Or do you need a fenced yard for the dog?
We can tell you the price per square foot.
We can't tell you if your neighbors will become your friends.
We see buyers chase the "right" neighborhood and end up in a home that fights against their actual daily routine.
We can't tell you if your neighbors will become your friends.
We see buyers chase the "right" neighborhood and end up in a home that fights against their actual daily routine.
December 12, 2025 at 11:54 PM
We can tell you the price per square foot.
We can't tell you if your neighbors will become your friends.
We see buyers chase the "right" neighborhood and end up in a home that fights against their actual daily routine.
We can't tell you if your neighbors will become your friends.
We see buyers chase the "right" neighborhood and end up in a home that fights against their actual daily routine.
The industry loves "Location, Location, Location."
But that advice is OUTDATED.
It made sense when your whole life happened in a 5-mile radius.
Research shows 94% of residents with a strong sense of COMMUNITY report being happy.
But that advice is OUTDATED.
It made sense when your whole life happened in a 5-mile radius.
Research shows 94% of residents with a strong sense of COMMUNITY report being happy.
December 12, 2025 at 11:54 PM
The industry loves "Location, Location, Location."
But that advice is OUTDATED.
It made sense when your whole life happened in a 5-mile radius.
Research shows 94% of residents with a strong sense of COMMUNITY report being happy.
But that advice is OUTDATED.
It made sense when your whole life happened in a 5-mile radius.
Research shows 94% of residents with a strong sense of COMMUNITY report being happy.
Six months later?
Some are thriving. Others are wondering why their dream location feels... empty.
The difference isn't the house.
The happy ones didn't just ask "Where?"
They asked "HOW will we live here?"
Some are thriving. Others are wondering why their dream location feels... empty.
The difference isn't the house.
The happy ones didn't just ask "Where?"
They asked "HOW will we live here?"
December 12, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Six months later?
Some are thriving. Others are wondering why their dream location feels... empty.
The difference isn't the house.
The happy ones didn't just ask "Where?"
They asked "HOW will we live here?"
Some are thriving. Others are wondering why their dream location feels... empty.
The difference isn't the house.
The happy ones didn't just ask "Where?"
They asked "HOW will we live here?"
Technology made me more efficient.
But efficiency was never the bottleneck.
The bottleneck is TRUST, EXPERTISE, and the human ability to navigate complex situations where emotions run high and stakes are enormous.
That's the competitive edge you gain with local expertise.
But efficiency was never the bottleneck.
The bottleneck is TRUST, EXPERTISE, and the human ability to navigate complex situations where emotions run high and stakes are enormous.
That's the competitive edge you gain with local expertise.
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Technology made me more efficient.
But efficiency was never the bottleneck.
The bottleneck is TRUST, EXPERTISE, and the human ability to navigate complex situations where emotions run high and stakes are enormous.
That's the competitive edge you gain with local expertise.
But efficiency was never the bottleneck.
The bottleneck is TRUST, EXPERTISE, and the human ability to navigate complex situations where emotions run high and stakes are enormous.
That's the competitive edge you gain with local expertise.
The truth:
An algorithm can optimize your search.
It cannot hold your hand through the anxiety of a six-figure decision.
It can match you with properties.
It cannot help you envision your future in a space.
Technology is a TOOL. Real estate is still a HUMAN business.
An algorithm can optimize your search.
It cannot hold your hand through the anxiety of a six-figure decision.
It can match you with properties.
It cannot help you envision your future in a space.
Technology is a TOOL. Real estate is still a HUMAN business.
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The truth:
An algorithm can optimize your search.
It cannot hold your hand through the anxiety of a six-figure decision.
It can match you with properties.
It cannot help you envision your future in a space.
Technology is a TOOL. Real estate is still a HUMAN business.
An algorithm can optimize your search.
It cannot hold your hand through the anxiety of a six-figure decision.
It can match you with properties.
It cannot help you envision your future in a space.
Technology is a TOOL. Real estate is still a HUMAN business.
After 12+ years, I've learned:
Transactions rarely go perfectly.
Inspections reveal surprises. Appraisals come in low. Buyers get cold feet.
These moments require human judgment and the kind of relationship where a client trusts your advice even when it's hard to hear.
Transactions rarely go perfectly.
Inspections reveal surprises. Appraisals come in low. Buyers get cold feet.
These moments require human judgment and the kind of relationship where a client trusts your advice even when it's hard to hear.
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
After 12+ years, I've learned:
Transactions rarely go perfectly.
Inspections reveal surprises. Appraisals come in low. Buyers get cold feet.
These moments require human judgment and the kind of relationship where a client trusts your advice even when it's hard to hear.
Transactions rarely go perfectly.
Inspections reveal surprises. Appraisals come in low. Buyers get cold feet.
These moments require human judgment and the kind of relationship where a client trusts your advice even when it's hard to hear.
The skills that don't compute:
The pause before someone accepts an offer.
The tone shift that signals flexibility.
The question that reveals what someone actually wants versus what they're asking for.
These moments require emotional intelligence algorithms don't have.
The pause before someone accepts an offer.
The tone shift that signals flexibility.
The question that reveals what someone actually wants versus what they're asking for.
These moments require emotional intelligence algorithms don't have.
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The skills that don't compute:
The pause before someone accepts an offer.
The tone shift that signals flexibility.
The question that reveals what someone actually wants versus what they're asking for.
These moments require emotional intelligence algorithms don't have.
The pause before someone accepts an offer.
The tone shift that signals flexibility.
The question that reveals what someone actually wants versus what they're asking for.
These moments require emotional intelligence algorithms don't have.
The Ann Arbor advantage:
Technology can show you school ratings.
I can tell you which neighborhoods flood during heavy rain.
Which streets have the strongest sense of community.
Where the hidden gems are that never hit the market.
This comes from LIVING here.
Technology can show you school ratings.
I can tell you which neighborhoods flood during heavy rain.
Which streets have the strongest sense of community.
Where the hidden gems are that never hit the market.
This comes from LIVING here.
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The Ann Arbor advantage:
Technology can show you school ratings.
I can tell you which neighborhoods flood during heavy rain.
Which streets have the strongest sense of community.
Where the hidden gems are that never hit the market.
This comes from LIVING here.
Technology can show you school ratings.
I can tell you which neighborhoods flood during heavy rain.
Which streets have the strongest sense of community.
Where the hidden gems are that never hit the market.
This comes from LIVING here.
What algorithms fundamentally LACK:
Reading body language of a buyer hiding enthusiasm.
Smelling the pet odor that will torpedo an inspection.
Knowing the seller's getting divorced and needs to close by month-end.
Real estate is about reading PEOPLE, not just data.
Reading body language of a buyer hiding enthusiasm.
Smelling the pet odor that will torpedo an inspection.
Knowing the seller's getting divorced and needs to close by month-end.
Real estate is about reading PEOPLE, not just data.
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
What algorithms fundamentally LACK:
Reading body language of a buyer hiding enthusiasm.
Smelling the pet odor that will torpedo an inspection.
Knowing the seller's getting divorced and needs to close by month-end.
Real estate is about reading PEOPLE, not just data.
Reading body language of a buyer hiding enthusiasm.
Smelling the pet odor that will torpedo an inspection.
Knowing the seller's getting divorced and needs to close by month-end.
Real estate is about reading PEOPLE, not just data.
Here's what skipping an agent ACTUALLY costs:
FSBO homes sell for $55,000 LESS on average.
That's not a typo.
Algorithms can analyze comparable sales and suggest prices.
But they cannot negotiate with an emotional seller attached to their childhood home.
FSBO homes sell for $55,000 LESS on average.
That's not a typo.
Algorithms can analyze comparable sales and suggest prices.
But they cannot negotiate with an emotional seller attached to their childhood home.
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Here's what skipping an agent ACTUALLY costs:
FSBO homes sell for $55,000 LESS on average.
That's not a typo.
Algorithms can analyze comparable sales and suggest prices.
But they cannot negotiate with an emotional seller attached to their childhood home.
FSBO homes sell for $55,000 LESS on average.
That's not a typo.
Algorithms can analyze comparable sales and suggest prices.
But they cannot negotiate with an emotional seller attached to their childhood home.
The DECEPTION problem:
AI-generated listing photos in 2025 are creating chaos.
Buyers waste time, gas money, and energy visiting properties that look nothing like their online versions.
One buyer said it bluntly: "AI is making an already tedious task even more difficult."
AI-generated listing photos in 2025 are creating chaos.
Buyers waste time, gas money, and energy visiting properties that look nothing like their online versions.
One buyer said it bluntly: "AI is making an already tedious task even more difficult."
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The DECEPTION problem:
AI-generated listing photos in 2025 are creating chaos.
Buyers waste time, gas money, and energy visiting properties that look nothing like their online versions.
One buyer said it bluntly: "AI is making an already tedious task even more difficult."
AI-generated listing photos in 2025 are creating chaos.
Buyers waste time, gas money, and energy visiting properties that look nothing like their online versions.
One buyer said it bluntly: "AI is making an already tedious task even more difficult."
It revealed why we MATTER.
Algorithms can show you listings in minutes.
But they can't tell you that the "sun-drenched living room" faces north and stays dark most of the day.
That requires walking through the space.
Algorithms can show you listings in minutes.
But they can't tell you that the "sun-drenched living room" faces north and stays dark most of the day.
That requires walking through the space.
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
It revealed why we MATTER.
Algorithms can show you listings in minutes.
But they can't tell you that the "sun-drenched living room" faces north and stays dark most of the day.
That requires walking through the space.
Algorithms can show you listings in minutes.
But they can't tell you that the "sun-drenched living room" faces north and stays dark most of the day.
That requires walking through the space.
The paradox nobody talks about:
AI has transformed real estate searches. Virtual tours. Instant valuations. Automated everything.
Yet 89% of buyers and sellers STILL use agents.
That number was 69% two decades ago.
Technology didn't replace us...
AI has transformed real estate searches. Virtual tours. Instant valuations. Automated everything.
Yet 89% of buyers and sellers STILL use agents.
That number was 69% two decades ago.
Technology didn't replace us...
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The paradox nobody talks about:
AI has transformed real estate searches. Virtual tours. Instant valuations. Automated everything.
Yet 89% of buyers and sellers STILL use agents.
That number was 69% two decades ago.
Technology didn't replace us...
AI has transformed real estate searches. Virtual tours. Instant valuations. Automated everything.
Yet 89% of buyers and sellers STILL use agents.
That number was 69% two decades ago.
Technology didn't replace us...