Tricked-out Birmingham spec house targets pro athletes and empty-nesters

An under-construction house in Birmingham could serve as a unique entertainment hub for those who wish to live in easy walking distance of the a uent suburb’s central business district.

e builder of the house at 787 Ann St., on the south end of downtown Birmingham and one block west of Old Woodward Avenue, has given himself a deadline of the end of summer to complete the three-story, 3,850-squarefoot house with a nished basement. While the developers aim for occupancy by the start of the next school year, they’re not envisioning young families as the primary target for their pool of buyers.

“We know exactly who is going to buy this house,” said Dan Lynch, owner of Novi-based Lynch Custom Homes, who is developing the property.

Lynch and Realtor James Danley of James Danley & Associates in Birmingham say they’re more likely to see downsizing empty-nesters or people relocating to the area — such as professional coaches and athletes — as their likely pool of buyers.

“ ey want to live downtown, they want a walkable lifestyle,” Danley said. “And they’re not in town long enough to spend two years building a home. ey want to buy something that’s done.” e game plan, Lynch and Danley said, is to begin marketing the property soon directly to other brokers, as opposed to an open listing. A sale price of around $2.5 million is projected. e home at 787 Ann St. — on a lot that was previously home to an early 20th century, 1,300-square-foot house that a Lynch-a liated company acquired in 2021 for $450,000 — stands as his most unique at the moment, he said.

Attributes of the home include an attached, two-stall garage built in the middle of the house, a rarity on Birmingham’s smaller lots, a third-story roof-top deck and a ventilation system for smokers.

In short, the home is designed to accommodate guests, whether it be over a poker game with cigars or in the backyard that has room for a small pool.

Lynch, who has built several highend homes around Birmingham, said his company has seven homes being built in the Oakland County city and another three in the development stages.

“It’s not set up like the majority of my other homes that are de nitely a public kindergarten program, according to research out of Dartmouth University. e labor force participation rate for women in the prime working ages of 25 to 54 rose from 42 percent in 1960 to a peak of 77.3 percent in 2000, and it’s undeniable that public kindergarten played at least a role in that. In Washington, D.C., which implemented a full-day universal pre-K program in 2009, the labor force participation rate of women with at least one child under 5 years old rose to 76.4 percent in 2016 from 65 percent in 2008, with 10 percent of that increase attributed to the pre-K program, Reuters reported. e crux of creating a universal pre-K program is sustainability, however. Previous governors have attempted a program and failed. Whitmer, who has yet to reveal any funding details or plans, has the bene t of a massive budget surplus thanks to federal pandemic stimulus. But a funding model must be out- lined sooner rather than later. e funding of pre-K programs varies. Denver and San Antonio have universal programs that are funded through sales tax revenue. Philadelphia uses a tax on soft drinks. Florida’s program is funded through the general fund.

Michigan has a variety of potential funding sources, but nding a solution that satis es the increasingly large political divide may prove challenging. ough the basic idea has substantial bipartisan support, politics is always in the background, and education has become fraught with division.

“ ere are hurdles, but they are worthy of solving,” eile said. “We can’t lose sight of the bene ts of increased (post-secondary) educational attainment. College graduates innovate and hire trades workers in our state.”

Contact: dwalsh@crain.com; (313) 446-6042; @dustinpwalsh family-oriented homes, 2.5 kids and a dog,” Lynch said. “ ose homes are laid out a certain way. is one is more laid out for that person that’s probably either a little bit older or a lot younger. So I think the location and some of the design elements are just kind of unique to this type of buyer.”

Birmingham-based Je rey King Interiors is providing interior design services for the project.

While the residential real estate market has gotten soft in recent months, and homes are sitting on the market much longer, properties like what Lynch and Danley are marketing — completed homes with modern features — remain in demand, according to Crain’s interviews with real estate agents.

And for Lynch, whose business is focused almost entirely on the Birmingham market where tearing down to build new has been all the rage for years, there’s still plenty of opportunity, he said.

“I don’t think it’s 50 percent redeveloped yet,” Lynch said of teardowns and new builds in Birmingham, such as what he’s building on Ann Street. “I think you’re probably saturated around 70 percent.”

Contact: nmanes@crain.com; (313) 446-1626; @nickrmanes

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