Buckley Jolley In The News

In case you missed the Sunday, November 4, 2007 edition of the Detroit Free Press, here is an excerpt that featured Karen Jolley and the Buckley Jolley Real Estate Team. The article focused on the community of Brighton Township.

WHERE WE LIVE LIVINGSTON COUNTY: BRIGHTON TOWNSHIP
BRENDEL HIGHTOWER Free Press staff writer

APPEAL:
Brighton Township, a rural community in southeast Livingston County with a number of farms and many grand houses on large lots, has experienced steady growth in the past several years.
Its population tripled in the past 30 years, giving it the second-highest population in Livingston County, behind Hamburg Township.

More than 650 residential building permits have been issued since 2000, according to Housing Consultants in Clarkston. Most of the development has been in subdivisions scattered throughout the township and around its many lakes.

The township has gentle rolling hills, woodlands and more than 20 lakes used for recreation. The majority of the township is served by wells and septic tanks.

Brighton Township has a variety of homes priced as low as $100,000 to those with nearly 6,000 square feet and four-car garages on 1- to 2-acre lots costing more than $1 million, says Karen Jolley from the Buckley Jolley Real Estate Team in Brighton.

The city of Brighton is at the southwest border of the township. It has restaurants, shops and a walkable, old-fashioned downtown along Main Street and Grand River.

Brighton Township is in the greater Brighton area, which, in addition to the city of Brighton, encompasses Green Oak and Genoa townships.

FACTS:
This 32-square-mile community is about an hour from downtown Detroit. I-96 and U.S.-23 run through it. Go to www.brightontwp.com.

PREVALENT ARCHITECTURE:
The majority of homes (78%) have been built since 1970. They include two-story, 1 1/2 -story and ranch styles. Condominiums are also in Brighton Township.

Last year, houses sold from less than $100,000 to more than $850,000, according to multiple listing services.

POPULATION:
17,673 in the 2000 U.S. census; about 97% white, 1% Asian, 1% Hispanic. The population increased 19% between 1990 and 2000.

EDUCATION:
Math and reading MEAP scores for the Brighton Area Schools district run about 16% above state averages. Other districts are Hartland Consolidated Schools (15% above), Howell Public Schools (10% above) and Huron Valley Schools (10% above).

TAXES:
$21.20 per $1,000 of a property's taxable value in the Brighton district, $23.51 in Hartland, $21.70 in Howell and $25.98 in Huron Valley. A $285,702 (average price) house with a taxable value of $142,851 would have annual property taxes of $3,028 in Brighton, $3,358 in Hartland, $3,099 in Howell and $3,711 in Huron Valley.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
L.E.T.S. (Livingston Essential Transportation System), 517-546-6600.

PUBLIC SAFETY:
Livingston County Sheriff's Department reported 63 burglaries, 34 vehicle thefts, 13 cases of criminal sexual conduct, two armed robberies and no homicides in 2006.

SHOPPING, DINING AND ENTERTAINMENT:
Shopping and dining are available in nearby Brighton. There are no township-owned parks, but residents rely on county or state parks, schools, privately owned facilities or township lakes and streams for recreation. Some lakes offer fishing, boating and jet skiing. Island Lake State Recreation Area, Brighton State Recreation Area and Kensington Metropark have beaches, trails and campgrounds.

MAJOR EMPLOYERS:
GM Proving Grounds, Delphi Automotive, Kroger.

WHY I LIVE HERE:
Donna Alberta, 59, has lived in Brighton Township for 20 years. She says the location, recreation opportunities and country feel are the main reasons she lives in the township.
"There's great mobility, which makes it easy for a dual-income family where people are commuting in separate directions," Alberta says. She also says she enjoys the shops in downtown Brighton. She calls herself a people person and likes the restaurants, too.
"I love the sense of being out in the country, but yet not so far out," she says.