Living in Ypsilanti is sort of like a kid growing up in a candy store for Eric and Karen Maurer.
The city has the second-largest historic district
in the state, filled with picturesque Victorian homes on tree-lined
streets. You want houses with towers and oculus windows? Ypsi has them.
How about artistic detailing like gingerbread siding or plaster
medallions? Ypsi has more than it knows what to do with. What about
big, wrap-around porches and Mansard roofs? They're in Ypsi, and the
Maurers own them the way little girls own doll houses.
The couple makes it their business
to buy, restore and rent out historic homes in the city. But working
(and playing) with these homes is often more leisure than labor. The
couple is raising their sprawling family of seven in a
4,500-square-foot mid 19th Century Victorian that drops the jaws of passersby.
Steer the conversation toward
restoring historic homes and the couple turns giddy. They bring out
pictures of their latest acquisition the way a child shows off a new
toy. The Maurers become so excited about these vintage properties they
start finishing each other's sentences.
"It can get a little addictive at times," Karen Maurer says. "Which can be our strength and our weakness," Eric Maurer adds.
Numbers
Running the numbers on the Maurers is revealing. Their company, Maurer Management & Properties,
owns about 100 rental units in 70 different buildings. Thirty of those
are commercial spaces, and are all within a three-mile radius of each
other. The buildings range from stately Victorian mansions subdivided
into apartments to downtown storefronts with lofts above ground floor
retail space.
The
Maurers are at the forefront of making downtown Ypsi a 24-hour location
by creating new lofts and business space. They've converted a couple of
downtown storefronts into residential loft space and are about to begin
renovating another this spring when they start refurbishing the Mack & Mack building.
"Stewart Beal and the Maurers were
the first ones to get together and figure out how to make it happen,"
says Brian Vosburg, director or Ypsilanti's Downtown and Depot Town
development authorities. "If it wasn't for them these buildings would
be sitting there vacant. These are the buildings other developers
passed by. Keeping these buildings is what keeps Ypsi, Ypsi. We have
one of the largest historic districts in the state and it's largely
intact."
The Maurers’ own home is a mid-19
Century mansion built by a fur trader in a time when Ann Arbor played
second fiddle to Ypsilanti’s big money. It was the first home built on
the block and had a clear view of sight to the Huron River where now
row after row of houses stand.
And
the Maurer's little empire is growing. They have reached the point
where they own entire blocks of mansion apartments. If a perspective
tenant doesn’t like a unit they can check out the one next door and the
one next door to that and the next one... until they reach the end of
the street.
"They are certainly in the Top 10 of
Movers and Shakers in Ypsilanti," says Stewart Beal, a developer in
Ypsilanti, "maybe even Top 5. That says a lot."
As
each property reveals its history during restoration, the Maurers have
discovered that their passion has landed them somewhere between
archaeologist and developer. It’s hardly what they intended.
"You take what comes to you and you
make it work. Then you realize you're a historic preservationist,"
Karen Maurer says. "Making history your home," Eric Maurer adds,
quoting their company's motto.
They
point out that the struggling economy has created the best home-buying
market in recent history. There are so many houses currently up for
grabs that the Maurers see more opportunities than they can possibly
take advantage of. They hope others will jump in and revitalize these
grand old homes.
"If you can buy now and your family
can back you up, now is a great time," Eric Maurer says. "There are a
lot of opportunities out there."
Ypsilanti has many of the
ingredients that encourage gentrification: Exceptional Victorian
housing stock, a major employer in Eastern Michigan University and a
pair of historic downtowns. All three were key factors in the Maurers'
decision to stake their claim.
And not only is Ypsilanti a walkable
community with well-planned neighborhoods, there is a constant need for
quality student housing.
Read any treatise on building creative class communities and a quality rental market is a key component in developing a community that attracts young talent.
"They rent so fast," Karen Maurer says. "People want to be in a historic structure."
"There's
more appreciation for it," Eric Maurer says. "For example, lofts. It's
not just young people. It's people in their 30s and 40s who appreciate
well done apartments. ... I think it's inspiring to people. It's
something about the architecture. It just makes you feel good."
A version of this story originally appeared in Concentrate.
Karen and Eric Maurers House-Ypsilanti
Karen and Eric Maurer-Owners of Maurer Management & Properties
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE LEWINSKI
Dave Lewinski is Concentrate's Managing Photographer.
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