Good press for Detroit

Hi all,

I'm currently working for a company that has a twofold mission

1.) Highlight the GOOD aspects of Detroit
promoting tourism, investment and community upliftment

2.) Sell properties in Detroit and other Cities [[international scope)

So basically, I'm wondering if anyone here has any ideas on good highlights, sight seeing attractions that I might have missed...

I've been doing pretty generic articles based on what came to mind for me - but am looking for a more grass roots approach.

would love some feedback!

Ok I'LL try to be nice. Sounds like you want to buy homes at auction and flip them. An "investor" from New York bought the mostly section 8 Town house community at the end of my block and now it is a burnt out hulk. Not real keen on outside investors.

My limited nice is you should check DY archives. Many many posts on what to see or do here

Sumas, really? Do we not need folks from outside our bubble to bring their money and energy to the City? Do you truly think the New Yorkers bought that Section 8 place, flew in to town and gutted the place? Don't you think it is more likely that our fellow Detroiters gutted the place?

investor guy, there are any number of blogs and site which sing the praises of Detroit. Here is one which has garnered a bit of attention: http://girl-in-the-d.blogspot.com/

Hey Gnome, hope you are being ironic. Assholes from New York bought the place, wanted more money, evicted the women and children [[section 8). Drug sellers moved into a few of the units and neighbors worked closely with police to get them out. Of course scrappers had a field day

It's a burnt out hulk now. Thanks to those "investors"

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Originally Posted by gnome

Sumas, really? Do we not need folks from outside our bubble to bring their money and energy to the City? Do you truly think the New Yorkers bought that Section 8 place, flew in to town and gutted the place? Don't you think it is more likely that our fellow Detroiters gutted the place?

investor guy, there are any number of blogs and site which sing the praises of Detroit. Here is one which has garnered a bit of attention: http://girl-in-the-d.blogspot.com/

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Pretty well known that lots of "investors" buy property cheap, thinking it will be easy to flip and make a huge profit on... except no one wants the property, so it ends up abandoned, in tax foreclosure and back on the auction block. Some outside investors are definitely doing great for the city, but there is a chunk of them, a sizeable chunk, that are Not Good.

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Originally Posted by motz

Pretty well known that lots of "investors" buy property cheap, thinking it will be easy to flip and make a huge profit on... except no one wants the property, so it ends up abandoned, in tax foreclosure and back on the auction block. Some outside investors are definitely doing great for the city, but there is a chunk of them, a sizeable chunk, that are Not Good.

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The only difference I really see is that those outside investors are the ones losing the money instead of the previous owner. If no one wants the property, it's going to end up abandoned regardless of who bought it.

Nothing like being presumed guilty before proving your innocence, yet some of the same critics are the ones willing to give Orr a long, long leash.

Honestly Spartan, do the drive. There are so many beautiful properties not yet gutted. They are desirable.

If I had money and some fixer upper talents, I would so buy them and see our homeless housed. People really do not understand the homeless issue. Nice dream...not happening. No money, no talents.

What happened to our housing in the city is close to criminal.

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Originally Posted by gnome

Sumas, really? Do we not need folks from outside our bubble to bring their money and energy to the City? Do you truly think the New Yorkers bought that Section 8 place, flew in to town and gutted the place? Don't you think it is more likely that our fellow Detroiters gutted the place?

investor guy, there are any number of blogs and site which sing the praises of Detroit. Here is one which has garnered a bit of attention: http://girl-in-the-d.blogspot.com/

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Do you mean like the guy from OH that was "saving" the Van Dyke place?

Well, thanks for the link Gnome, Sumas, your points are probably cause for an article on that very subject, how locals have been disillusioned with outside / ill-informed investors. I've been doing alot of research on michigans latest foreclosure laws and even did an article recently

[[tried to change the font size after pasting but didn't work :/)

Foreclosure Laws for Michigan

and one on:
Wayne county foreclosure auction set for later this year

Yes, it's obvious that there is a heavy push to investors in my editorials, but the more I work on these articles the more I want to focus on the good press aspect ... I also have gone to increasing lengths to promote and encourage thorough research BEFORE any purchases and looking into 'hidden costs' and unexpected fees...

But thanks, I'm tkaing it under advisement and will look into Gnome's link!

:)

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Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Do you mean like the guy from OH that was "saving" the Van Dyke place?

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No I was not thinking about that guy; I was thinking about the guy from Australia who was murdered by a Detroiter who was keeping it real.

nice try though.

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Originally Posted by gnome

No I was not thinking about that guy; I was thinking about the guy from Australia who was murdered by a Detroiter who was keeping it real.

nice try though.

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He being the one who got shot by a protective father whose daughter owed back-rent? [[Australian landlord visited to query late payment and got killed). Being an out-of-towner/foreigner [[who bought a run-down Detroit apartment block on the cheap) he was the only person not legally entitled to own a gun.

That story passed by me, never heard of it. I try to read the papers daily.

We do have a group in the area from Europe sponsored by local churches who want to invest in the area. The big thing, is they want to live in the homes and improve them. Could care less that they want a collective home/homes. They seem to be charming young people.

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Originally Posted by gnome

No I was not thinking about that guy; I was thinking about the guy from Australia who was murdered by a Detroiter who was keeping it real.

nice try though.

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No "try" Gnome, touchdown! The guy buys a historic building, and starts dismantling it for content value. Another Canadian buys a historic bank building and tries to level it for a parking lot. Both buildings are in excellent condition. Those are the kind of outside investors not wanted or needed.

Maybe I need that morning cup of tea of coffee but it does not look like girl-in-the-d has updated her site since 2008? What up wid that?

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Originally Posted by gnome

....there are any number of blogs and site which sing the praises of Detroit. Here is one which has garnered a bit of attention: http://girl-in-the-d.blogspot.com/

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

Maybe I need that morning cup of tea of coffee but it does not look like girl-in-the-d has updated her site since 2008? What up wid that?

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Maybe she's said all there is to say?

I hate to say it but I too tend to be wary of umm, 'investors' until I see some evidence to the contrary of the usual scammola... especially the template web site having, cell-phone-only contact, store front crowd. I was working in Southfield during the hey-day investor, property sub-prime lending "REFI" boom.

I did some marketing work for one of these 'investors'. Heck that particular entity even paid me for design services only to clear out of his suite the next month! I'd done quite a bit of branding for the dude with the current address. Talk about a transient. I'm lucky I was paid...

Some of these folks where at the front-end of the housing re-fi scam and collapse. Now they're at the revised 'invest' auction, and flip back-end. Joy. As a rule, I refuse to do any further marketing or design services for them.

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Originally Posted by sumas

...Thanks to those "investors"

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That's a 'cheerful' way to look at it. I'll not be back for a followup. Dead websites do not garner frequent visits or SEO numbers...

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Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Maybe she's said all there is to say?

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That truly was tragic and ugly and an example of an investor with integrity and an agenda to do the work towards sustaining the city.

But we don't need the scammers types.

And we need to support the investors who do come here with good intentions. I am down for the 100%.

The scammers can go kick bricks with their shoes off!

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Originally Posted by gnome

No I was not thinking about that guy; I was thinking about the guy from Australia who was murdered by a Detroiter who was keeping it real.

nice try though.

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Now I am serious unhappy. Of course we need to support investors that are serious. Murder is a horrible thing.

Yes, there was an Australian guy [[probably with no 'nefarious' agenda - Detroit has a HUGE potential) who bought a Detroit apartment block with the eye to becoming a legitimate landlord. Being a foreigner, he could not be licenced to carry a gun.