Detroit, MI

‘For the heads’: An oral history of EXAT, Detroit’s legendary ’90s experimental and ambient techno night at Zoot’s Coffeehouse

Published

3 years ago

September 28, 2022

Press Room

‘For the heads’: An oral history of EXAT, Detroit’s legendary ’90s experimental and ambient techno night at Zoot’s Coffeehouse

click on to enlarge

Photograph courtesy of Clark Warner

DJ Clark Warner perfoms at Zoot’s Coffeehouse.

Detroit’s underground dance occasions of the ’90s are justly storied — however one of many decade’s most constantly attended and long-term impactful was small, insider-heavy, and never supposed for dancing in any respect.

EXAT — Experimental and Ambient Techno — ran each Monday evening on the legendary Zoot’s Coffeehouse. Based in late 1992 by Dan Solomon, who three years later would promote the enterprise to 2 of its workers, Aaron Anderson and Scott Michalski, Zoot’s hosted performances by all people from His Identify Is Alive to Windy & Carl, Sleater-Kinney to the Mountain Goats. And starting round 1994 — no one remembers the exact date — till the place closed early within the fall of 1997, EXAT — whose remaining evening was that Sept. 29 — decisively thickened the Zoot’s musical pot.

EXAT’s promoter was Adriel Thornton, already a seasoned party-thrower who’d put collectively the ambient aspect rooms for legendary occasions like Kevin Saunderson’s Journey By way of the Hardcore (State Theater, Sept. 6, 1992); he additionally operated Area 19, a boutique for his personal designs, in addition to a frequent rave map level, under Zoot’s. The occasion’s common DJs, Carlos Souffront and Clark Warner, have gone on to illustrious careers behind the decks. EXAT additionally hosted units by a slew of electronic-music royalty each native (Carl Craig, Richie Hawtin) and worldwide (Autechre). This was the place the scene’s movers and shakers congregated after a weekend of partying, usually to strategize.

EXAT attracted a listening crowd, or was a social crowd with the music within the background: “At was at instances was each,” says Thornton. It was much more apart from, as he and a number of other residents and regulars attest.

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EXAT was small, insider-heavy, and not intended for dancing at all. - Photo courtesy of Clark Warner

Photograph courtesy of Clark Warner

EXAT was small, insider-heavy, and never supposed for dancing in any respect.

“It was legit the one coffeehouse in downtown.”

PATRICK RUSSELL [DJ]: Zoot’s was nice. It was just a bit espresso store close to the Wayne State College campus.

CLARK WARNER [EXAT resident DJ]: For those who’ve seen [the documentary] Looking for Sugar Man, it appears like the home that Rodriguez lives in. It was certainly one of these basic Detroit Woodbridge properties, which was the realm of Wayne State campus.

AARON ANDERSON [Zoot’s employee, 1993-95, and co-owner, 1995-98]: For years, I considered it as a leftover factor from beatniks and hippies. I bear in mind there being one in Birmingham, referred to as the San Francisco Espresso Store. However there weren’t many within the metropolis.

ADRIEL THORNTON [EXAT promoter]: On the time I used to be going to Wayne State. It legit was the one coffeehouse — I feel that was it, I actually can’t consider one other one — that was round, at the very least in downtown.

WARNER: You went to the coffeehouse to both learn a guide or decide up somebody. It wasn’t a singles bar, however on the similar time it was a spot the place cool individuals have been going to hang around, as a result of who the fuck needs to go spend $3 on a cup of espresso?

THORNTON: I bear in mind on the time making an attempt to clarify to any person what a espresso store was: “It’s not simply espresso.” I’d go there to learn magazines — go to a bookstore after which sit there and flip by way of my Wallpaper.

COLLEEN DURENO [Zoot’s employee; to Detroit Is It, October 2019]: Zoot’s opened as a espresso store, however I don’t bear in mind a lot espresso ever being served. There was no liquor license but there was plenty of beer and sometimes different issues.

SEAN HORTON [DJ]: The proprietor was associates with all people. There have been a number of faculty college students. It held about 50 individuals.

ANDERSON: I feel I noticed an indication that stated [capacity] was 71. I do know we match upwards of 100 and a half in there for concert events.

DURENO: The property was nugatory and folks with cash didn’t usually enterprise right down to that space.

CARLOS SOUFFRONT [EXAT resident DJ]: It was a home. You’d go upstairs to the entrance door. Then you definately would stroll straight alongside the staircase to order espresso. And to the proper, within the entrance of the home, was the stage, which was elevated most likely 4 or 5 inches from the primary flooring. It was an previous, creaky wooden flooring.

SARAH VIDOSH [EXAT regular]: A whole lot of furnishings — mismatched tables and chairs, bookshelves. Flyers in all places.

ROB THEAKSTON [EXAT regular]: The coffeehouses’ different benefit was that they have been mechanically all-ages venues.

ANDERSON: I feel there was a necessity within the metropolis, throughout a number of scenes, for an alternate venue that was all ages and just a little bit extra comfy and non-traditional.

VIDOSH: There was a variety of music that was there.

THORNTON: It was poetry readings, it was reveals — it was simply quite a lot of issues that have been ongoing.

ANDERSON: There was jazz on Sundays, perhaps an occasional rock band right here, some acoustic issues, after I began — positively not DJs.

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Photograph courtesy of Clark Warner

EXAT promoter Adriel Thornton (left) and Greg Campbell.

“Twenty-five {dollars} an evening.”

VIDOSH: It was actually superior that Aaron was so open to every thing. That interval of the [Cass] Hall was just like the Wild West.

ANDERSON: I’d simply come again from a cross-country street journey. It was like, “I need to work right here.” And I form of hung round lengthy sufficient till they employed me. It was nonetheless weekly potluck dinners, issues like that.

SAM FOTIAS [promoter]: It was very numerous teams of individuals hanging out: the rock individuals, the artwork individuals, the school children.

VIDOSH: I don’t suppose that there was a serious distinction between the indie children and the techno children. A whole lot of the indie children that have been in bands ultimately wound up at dance events anyway.

ANDERSON: I grew up in Detroit. The techno scene is simply a part of it. I went to highschool dances they usually have been taking part in Mannequin 500. I owned [Cybotron’s 1981 debut] “Clear” on 12-inch as a child. I knew that stuff.

I additionally went to highschool with Sam Fotias. We each went to Cass collectively. He had been, early on, of the world that moved from Detroit techno to the rave scene. One time after we have been catching up, he’s like, “I do these events. Come on down and examine them out. It’s the brand new factor. I’ll get you within the door.” I grew up with techno, I had been uncovered to the rave scene and knew individuals in it.

Dan Solomon began the coffeehouse, ran it for about three or 4 years, and determined that he needed to do one thing else. I feel on the time he needed to try to get an structure diploma.

THORNTON: Dan’s roots have been extra within the punk scene. Zoot’s was his canine.

ANDERSON: I began working there late ’93. I labored there for a few 12 months and a half, after which Dan provided it to his workers — so Scott Michalski and I went for it and bought it — it was ’95. For $10,000 and a month-to-month cost and assumption of all money owed, Scott and I took over. Our mother and father lent us the cash.

THORNTON: I bear in mind me and Clark Warner sitting. I stated, “Hey, what about an ambient evening?” As a lot as I used to be a fan of the dance-floor stuff, I used to be actually into ambient. So was Clark. I’ll have performed round with the title, like “The Examine” or one thing like that. It was actually about bending your ear in direction of these sounds. In what we’d name “the Library,” which was the second room on the way in which to the toilet, there was a TV, so we’d additionally play like films again there, only for visuals. The entire level was to return and chill.

SOUFFRONT: He booked Clark Warner and myself because the residents.

ANDERSON: From the get, I feel it was fairly effectively attended. It had its personal built-in crowd. The entire get together scene in Detroit was so alive at the moment. Within the Midwest, rave was at its peak.

THORNTON: I used to be already, at that time, a fairly established rave promoter within the metropolis, so it made sense: All of us beloved ambient music on the time. And Zoot’s was all about it. It actually did cater to all of the undergrounds.

ANDERSON: It was $25 to get the room for an evening. Mainly, anyone with an excellent or fascinating concept may guide there for $25 an evening.

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Doug Coombe

Adriel Thornton and Aaron Anderson exterior the previous Zoot’s.

“EXAT was for the heads.”

SOUFFRONT: Adriel was extra an concept man. He doesn’t actually have any gear. So I introduced the gear. I’d all the time convey by way of turntables and a mixer, and I’d convey a CD participant as effectively. You couldn’t regulate the pitch, however that is ambient, so it wasn’t making actually rigorous beat-matching mixes or something.

ROBERT GORELL [EXAT regular]: Carlos was the sweetest but in addition most intimidating man to me, as a result of his data was completely encyclopedic even again then. Each time I went there, I heard tons of music I’d by no means heard earlier than. That was additionally the start of when Clark was doing operations for M_nus. EXAT was for the heads.

DEREK PLASLAIKO [DJ]: At any time when Clark would play down there was all the time fairly memorable. He appeared to have themes occurring. It wasn’t simply ambient — he would throw in some previous basic rock factor that was actually mellow.

THEAKSTON: They’d play Biosphere and Increased Intelligence Company. However then they’d flip round and play Derrick Might and Ten Second Dynasty, one other Detroit space-rock band. After which Clark would drop one thing just like the Beatles’ “Flying,” from Magical Thriller Tour.

THORNTON: There is likely to be ten of us there, lounging and actually listening to it, and somebody coming as much as the decks, trying to see what that file was, after which having a dialog with Carlos about it for ten minutes.

click on to enlarge DJ Scott Zacharias. - Photo courtesy of Clark Warner

Photograph courtesy of Clark Warner

DJ Scott Zacharias.

RUSSELL: That’s the place you’ll see children from the weekend generally. They’d be hanging out on the steps there.

HORTON: It was the primary time I actually felt as if you can alternate concepts musically, you can talk socially. You’re not in a loud membership or an surroundings when you may’t discuss.

VIDOSH: I bear in mind making out with Derek Plaslaiko at some point in a again room.

PLASLAIKO: I bear in mind making out with Sarah Vidosh within the lavatory a number of instances. That was all the time like, “Yeah, what the hell, let’s go make out.”

ANDERSON: There may be cool footage of Zoot’s {that a} girl uploaded to YouTube. Julie was a espresso store native who was an obsessive videotaper. She went in and taped like, a whole evening simply strolling round EXAT. She was a movie geek who hung across the espresso store and if there was one thing fascinating occurring, would convey her digital camera and tape it.

MATTHEW HAWTIN [DJ]: The ambient coffeehouse factor — we did a coffeehouse evening in Windsor, and there was additionally Zoot’s in Detroit. There was one in Toronto, too — that appeared to be a spot the place that music was acceptable but it surely was a Monday or Tuesday evening, after the weekend, all people needed to get collectively once more, not have a loopy evening however simply congregate. I assume perhaps individuals would simply Fb about it now.

THEAKSTON: It was all these little pockets of various membership nights — Mad Hatter and Zoot’s — from 1994 to 2004 that have been simply as vital to persevering with the entire Detroit narrative as the large golf equipment like Motor. Motor had its place, however Motor wasn’t essentially a spot the place you can be progressive.

SOUFFRONT: EXAT turned a venue for anybody who was on the town taking part in that weekend from out of city, who nonetheless occurred to be on the town, we’d invite and say, “Hey, in the event you if you wish to play to a sitting viewers, you may.”

DAVE WALKER [MW-Raves post, May 14, 1996]: Why pay massive bucks to see “DJ Trance” or no matter in a curler rink thirty miles north of town when you may see guys like Stacey Pullen, Claude Younger, Carl Craig, Mike Huckaby, and many others., taking part in at Zoot’s or the Shelter or Galligan’s for $2 to $5 through the week?

PLASLAIKO: Kenny Larkin performed reside down there one time.

THORNTON: One other standout for me was, Autechre got here by to play after they performed one other promoter’s get together that weekend. From what I perceive, they really stayed as a result of they needed to return to EXAT and play.

PLASLAIKO: I bear in mind speaking with Autechre that evening for some time. I requested a silly query: “Do you may have any recommendation for aspiring younger producers?” They usually informed me, “Yeah — purchase a chunk of drugs, study it for months on finish, and once you suppose you’ve realized every thing else, go study a pair extra months. After which once you suppose you’ve realized all every thing else, once more, go a pair extra months after that — and then purchase one other piece of drugs.” That scared me off of manufacturing for just a few years.

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Photograph courtesy of Clark Warner

DJ Clark Warner perfoms at Zoot’s Coffeehouse.

“An excellent-important rave assembly.”

BRENDAN ROHAN [writer; Orbit, April 1995]: On March 5, 1995, I used to be swept up within the large police raid that netted lots of of children and a smattering of medicine. My crime? Attempting to have an excellent time. . . . The week earlier than the occasion, the Detroit Information ran a narrative by freelance author Irvin Jackson, detailing drug use and stoned-out, sexually promiscuous minors partying at a 1315 Broadway get together, a block away from the 1515 Broadway website. . . . TV2’s Amy Jacobsen reported that she was broadcasting from an underground “rave” get together simply days after the bust. That report, full with downward, darkish, and jerky digital camera angles, was really filmed at Zoot’s Coffeehouse throughout regular hours.

FOTIAS: Each Monday, we had our Detroit promoter conferences there. It might be me, Dean [Major], Adriel; Wealthy would come each every so often; our buddy Jason Vetrano who did events, our different buddy Alan Bogl. As a result of there wasn’t e-mail, Fb, or message boards, that’s how individuals convened and talked about, “I’ve bought these dates,” or, “What are we going to do about this police state of affairs?” — nose to nose.

VIDOSH: I’ll always remember: Richie Hawtin got here to an EXAT on Monday for a super-important rave assembly between the entire promoters. He was about to sit down down and stated, “You need to be in right here, Sarah.” I used to be making an attempt to not fucking smoke the ground after I ran in there.

THORNTON: After the raid, Channel 2 — I’m undecided in the event that they hit me up or in the event that they hit Zoot’s up. However both means, we knew they have been coming. And I feel we’d have been having a quote-unquote “scene assembly.” I bear in mind Richie there. Matt was there, Sam [Fotias], all of the promoters within the metropolis; there was fairly just a few DJs. I distinctly bear in mind us arising with a plan proper there, actually, to not talk about our scene with them. I probably could be the spokesperson. Once we noticed the ultimate piece, they legit tried to make like they have been at a rave. It was so silly. It was like, “Nicely, that’s some fucking inventive enhancing proper there.”

click on to enlarge "It was one of these classic Detroit Woodbridge homes, which was the area of Wayne State campus." - Photo courtesy of Clark Warner

Photograph courtesy of Clark Warner

“It was certainly one of these basic Detroit Woodbridge properties, which was the realm of Wayne State campus.”

“However that’s solely sustainable for therefore lengthy.”

THORNTON: Zoot’s was nonetheless a type of issues the place you sort of needed to know what it was. And it catered to such a distinct segment crowd — the ravers, some punk children, and hip-hop children. However that’s solely sustainable for therefore lengthy.

ANDERSON: I used to be a horrible enterprise proprietor. We’re 23-year-old enterprise house owners, you already know? We knew the ins and outs, at the very least, of the right way to make drinks and have occasions and promote. However the different finish of it was not good. I used to be fairly wild in my twenties. That didn’t actually combine it up as a enterprise proprietor.

THORNTON: I simply bear in mind having this dialog with Aaron at one level about him being aggravated as a result of they stored discovering spoons within the lavatory, wiped out from the underside.

ANDERSON: EXAT was energetic proper till the top.

VIDOSH: I can’t consider I’ve had these associates for nearly 30 years. Those self same persons are the those who I used to be going to EXAT to see.

PLASLAIKO: That’s how I bought nearer with all these individuals. These persons are nonetheless household to me.

Encore: Might 2000

RUSSELL: Carlos Souffront’s three-hour set [at DEMF 2000; on Souffront’s YouTube page] — he was taking part in the Underground Stage and it rained fairly heavy all morning. Fluorescent lights have been on the entire time. Carlos performed the broadest spectrum of what he was about, entrance to again. His EXAT stuff from Zoot’s, B-12, super-pretty early UK stuff. It stored getting weirder and weirder and weirder and weirder, and the final 45 minutes have been all jams: Kraftwerk, Liasions Dangereuses, Boards of Canada — it turned this super-intense factor. It positively was my favourite set of the weekend.

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Detroit, MI

After a disastrous inning vs. the Guardians, Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers are on the verge of completing an epic collapse

Published

2 days ago

September 24, 2025

Press Room

After a disastrous inning vs. the Guardians, Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers are on the verge of completing an epic collapse

CLEVELAND — It has taken an extraordinary and unlikely sequence of events over multiple months for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians to be tied for the AL Central lead with five games left to play. It’s only fitting, then, that the game that secured the deadlock atop the division — Cleveland’s dramatic, 5-2 victory over Detroit on Tuesday at Progressive Field — featured one of the more preposterous half-innings imaginable, the ultimate display of baseball randomness and absurdity.

Entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Tarik Skubal, as usual, was in control. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was tasked with reversing the misfortunes of a Tigers team that had seen its once-sturdy lead atop the AL Central completely evaporate over the past month. And for five innings against the rival Guardians — whose spectacularly hot stretch in September combined with Detroit’s skid to culminate in an unexpected division race — Skubal exhibited his trademark ace behavior.

The four-seam fastball was humming, climbing as high as 101 mph. The sinker was exploding into the strike zone at unhittable angles. The slider and knuckle-curve were breaking sharply. And, of course, the changeup was giving hitters fits. When Skubal struck out David Fry with a 99.6 mph heater to end the fourth, he confidently skipped off the mound back toward the dugout, certain another masterpiece was in progress. Cleveland mustered two baserunners in the fifth, but Skubal squashed the threat, finishing the frame with his pitch count at just 74.

[Get more Detroit news: Tigers team feed]

The Tigers had afforded Skubal a two-run lead thanks to a Wenceel Perez RBI double in the third and a Riley Greene solo home run in the sixth. Given how Skubal was throwing, those two runs appeared to be a rather comfortable cushion on which Detroit could rely en route to a victory that would snap its six-game losing streak.

But the Guardians had other plans.

With Skubal dialed in, fighting fire with fire was a fool’s errand, especially given Cleveland’s dearth of offensive thump; the Guardians rank 28th in MLB in slugging percentage, 30th in barrel rate, 30th in hard-hit rate and 30th in average exit velocity. Instead, Steven Kwan led off the sixth with a picturesque bunt on the first pitch from Skubal, racing to first with hopes of sparking a rally.

Before the packed Progressive Field crowd of nearly 30,000 could quiet down after Kwan’s successful gambit, No. 2 hitter Angel Martínez followed with another bunt on the first pitch of his showdown with Skubal. The ball trickled down the first-base line with delicate precision, forcing Skubal to charge and either attempt to make a difficult play or pocket the ball and yield another baserunner with no outs and José Ramírez coming up.

Skubal opted for the former, but in unthinkable fashion: Facing home plate, he reached down, grabbed the ball and flipped it through his legs toward first, as if he were hiking a football. The ball sailed over first baseman Spencer Torkelson’s head and into foul territory, allowing Kwan to reach third base and Martínez to coast into second.

“He was in a tough position as a left-handed pitcher to make that play in general and didn’t want to wheel and throw it down the line,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch explained postgame. “So instead, he chose to do the emergency flip, which is not something that is easy to do, and it obviously didn’t produce a good play.”

Skubal echoed that sentiment, referring to the Martínez ball as an “impossible play” while reiterating his intention to prevent a second consecutive bunt hit at all costs. He also revealed that the between-the-legs toss was something he’d tried before: “Yeah, in Miami, actually,” he said. “Same result.”

Indeed, Skubal attempted a near carbon-copy of the play two years ago against the Marlins, when Jon Berti chopped a ball down the first-base line. The result was nearly identical, but the circumstances couldn’t have been more different. That was in the second inning of a July contest on a Sunday afternoon in Miami. Skubal wasn’t Skubal yet, and the Tigers were 47-59. Trying something like that then? Fine.

But on Tuesday, in the biggest game of the season thus far, with Guardians players and their fans desperate for any ounce of momentum? That was a poor choice.

“That is an example of an uncharacteristic mistake piling up on us at the worst time,” Hinch said.

Of course, this was an exceptionally challenging play for Skubal; expecting him to have recorded an out without trouble feels unfair. That said, his decision to uncork a low-probability toss rather than hold on to the ball and keep Kwan and Martínez at first and second proved extremely costly.

And so, with the bunts having spiked the volume in the venue, up came Ramírez to try to cash in. As Cleveland’s top slugging threat, Ramírez was the one Guardian Skubal didn’t need to worry about attempting a bunt. But baseball has a funny way of surprising you. When Ramírez swung hard at a 99.9-mph fastball with two strikes, the result was roughly the same as the two bunts that preceded it: a weak roller up the third-base line, poorly struck with a harmless exit velocity of 65.5 mph, and too slow for third baseman Zach McKinstry to corral and make a play. Kwan scampered home for Cleveland’s first run. Martínez advanced to third.

The unexpected rally was far from over. But the game took a scary turn before things continued. With still no outs and runners on the corners, Fry came up to the plate. Sticking with the theme of the inning, he squared around to attempt to bunt in hopes of garnering another defensive gaffe. But Skubal’s 99.1-mph fastball ran up and in, hitting Fry squarely in the nose and sending him to the ground.

Although it was ruled a foul ball, replay fairly clearly showed that the pitch didn’t graze Fry’s bat at all, instead making flush contact with his face — a terrifying sequence considering the velocity. The crowd went silent, and players on both teams, including Skubal, were visibly shaken. Thankfully, Fry was able to rise to his feet and get on the cart to be transported to a nearby hospital, where he is expected to remain overnight as he undergoes testing.

“I’ve already reached out to him,” Skubal said afterward. “I look forward to, hopefully at some point tonight or tomorrow morning, getting a text from him and making sure he’s all good. The health of him is more important than a baseball game.”

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said postgame that Fry stayed conscious the whole time and the team would provide an update as soon as possible on Wednesday.

Such a harrowing injury scare is difficult to move past, but the high-stakes timing forced the two teams to reengage immediately — and it took just one pitch for the chaos to resume. Rookie George Valera replaced Fry in the batter’s box with a 2-2 count, and Skubal’s first pitch to the new batter was a wayward changeup that got past catcher Dillon Dingler and allowed Martínez to score the tying run, with Ramírez advancing to second.

Valera eventually struck out, but then, while facing Gabriel Arias, Skubal balked for just the second time in his career, enabling Ramírez to move to third, still with one out. He then scored easily when Arias tapped one softly to first base, marking Cleveland’s third run of the inning and a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Before Tuesday’s sixth inning, Skubal had allowed just one run in 27 innings against the Guardians this season, with 37 strikeouts and just five walks. Then, over the span of five plate appearances — with an average exit velocity of 52.8 mph and without a single ball leaving the infield, except for the one Skubal sailed himself — the Guardians conjured three runs. Because of course they did.

“They showed that the team that made the most contact got rewarded for it, even if it wasn’t great contact,” Hinch said. “They did a good job with that.”

To his point, Detroit’s disastrous inning wouldn’t have loomed quite as large had the Tigers been more productive offensively. But Cleveland starter Gavin Williams had a heck of a night himself, matching a career high with 12 strikeouts over six solid innings of work. Detroit struck out 19 times total Tuesday, the franchise’s most in a nine-inning game since the 2019 club — a team that would go on to lose 114 games — matched the ignominious feat on two occasions.

This Tigers team will not lose 114 games. In fact, this Tigers team might still win the AL Central, despite an unfathomably bad run of play that has them at risk of making history for all the wrong reasons. With the victory Tuesday, Cleveland clinched the season series over Detroit, giving the Guards a critical tiebreaker should the two teams finish with the same record after 162. But there’s still ample opportunity for the Tigers to avoid that fate and fight their way back into enviable playoff position.

“We got to flush today’s game and then get ready to play again tomorrow. The team across the way doesn’t feel bad for us, so there’s no reason we should feel bad for ourselves,” Skubal said. “That opportunity to come out there and win tomorrow and win a series — I think that’s what really matters.”

“We have to get to tomorrow and get to a better result,” Hinch said. “Everybody knows. There’s no hiding behind anything other than showing up ready to play.”

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Metro Detroit homebuyers face higher prices but more inventory, lower mortgage rates

Published

2 weeks ago

September 15, 2025

Press Room

Metro Detroit homebuyers face higher prices but more inventory, lower mortgage rates

Eric Vance knows a good house when he sees one.

The 54-year-old contractor from Southfield, who has spent years buying and flipping homes, recently toured a property in Redford Township that immediately caught his attention.

“It was the fireplace and that kitchen,” he said. “Because I am a family man, and it put me right where I needed to be and what I needed to see.”

Buyers like Vance who are looking for a new home are navigating the housing market at a time when inventory, prices and days on the market are on the rise, even as interest rates begin to trend down. Metro Detroit’s housing market saw prices climb modestly in August, even as sales slowed, with the market heading into a seasonal slowdown.

The median sales price across Metro Detroit rose 4.4% year-over-year to $332,500 across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Livingston counties, according to the latest RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan Housing Report. The supply of inventory increased to 2.8 months in August, compared with 2.6 months in July and 2.4 a year earlier, according to the report.

“We are continuing to see a bit more inventory coming into the market that is starting to be reflected in the month supply,” said Jeanette Schneider, president of RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan. “We’re seeing that inch up a little bit. That’s a signal that we’ve got more and more inventory coming to market.”

The median sales price rose across a broader area — 18 Michigan counties — to reach $289,000 for residential and condo sales combined, according to a Realcomp August sales report, up 5.1% from $275,000 the year before. Realcomp, the state’s largest multiple listing service, looks at Genesee, Hillsdale, Huron, Jackson, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Montcalm, Oakland, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Clair, Tuscola, Washington and Wayne counties.

The supply of inventory across the 18 counties increased 16%, from 2.5 months to 2.9 months year over year. Pending sales decreased 4.9% from 10,345 to 9,839 year over year, while pending sales increased from 9,778 month over month by 1%. Closed sales decreased 3.7% from 10,530 to 10,138 year over year, and decreased from 10,507 month over month, a decline of 3.5%.

“As we prepare to move from summer into fall, homebuyers have more choices than they have had all year,” Karen Kage, CEO of Realcomp II Ltd., said in the report. “While median sales prices remain fairly consistent, inventory is at its highest August levels in 5 years.”

‘Holding our own’

One notable point in the data was Detroit, which saw its median sales price jump about 16% from last year to a record $111,500, according to Realcomp.

Darralyn Bowers of Bowers Realty in Southfield said the housing market remains healthy in the city and across Metro Detroit: “So far, we’re holding our own, and we’re still seeing property values go up.

“Even in Detroit, we’re seeing growth. Michigan is unique in the Midwest here. We’ve got so many positive qualities, like the water and the amenities and the desirability of Detroit and some of the things that are happening here in Detroit. I think those all accelerate to a better market.”

Nathan Boji, an agent with RE/MAX Classic in Farmington Hills, said the market varies across Metro Detroit, with Oakland County staying strong in cities like Novi, Farmington Hills and Bloomfield Hills. Livingston County properties are selling quickly, while Macomb County offers solid value. He said Wayne County remains the most affordable for entry-level buyers, with Livonia and Dearborn competitive under $400,000. Sterling Heights is also seeing steady activity.

“If it’s priced right, it’s selling,” he said. “If it’s not priced right, it’s going to sit.”

Jessica Belanger, an agent with RE/MAX Advisors in New Baltimore, said homes in the northern subdivisions in Macomb County, such as New Haven and Shelby, Washington and Macomb townships, are selling relatively quickly: “The nice houses, nice upgrades that don’t need a lot of updates and not priced hopefully over market, are still selling.”

Mortgage rate slide helps

As housing prices rise, mortgage rates continue to trend down, according to Freddie Mac. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.35% as of Thursday, down from the previous week when it averaged 6.5%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.2%.

“The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 15 basis points from last week, the largest weekly drop in the past year,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, said in the report. “Mortgage rates are headed in the right direction and homebuyers have noticed, as purchase applications reached the highest year-over-year growth rate in more than four years.”

Schneider said September will be the month to watch as the Federal Reserve meets mid-month and markets look for a possible rate cut.

While mortgage rates are more closely tied to the 10-year Treasury than the Fed’s actions, she said Fed decisions can signal direction and influence buyer sentiment. Schneider added that even if rates don’t drop significantly, a Fed cut could give buyers more confidence and push some off the fence, potentially leading to more activity in the fall housing market.

“So it seems, from my perspective, the market has already kind of anticipated what the Fed is going to do, and the interest rates are already starting to kind of reflect that,” she said. “So I don’t necessarily think we’re going to see a huge drop in the mortgage interest rates, even if the Fed does a cut. But what I think a Fed cut could do is psychologically be a very positive confidence booster for buyers that have been iffy.”

While mortgage rates have eased into the mid-to-high 6% range, Boji said many consumers are still holding back: “A large percentage of the consumer still sees that as being a very high rate. They’re sort of holding their breath for a kind of a magic kind of reduction, in the sense of possibly seeing rates that we saw several years ago — 3, 4, 5%.”

Jessica Belanger, an agent with REMAX Advisors, said she’s noticing some clients becoming accustomed to the mortgage rates. “Everybody out there in general is kind of coming to that realization that those 2.5% interest rates were not a realistic expectation. It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

To help prospective buyers make home ownership more affordable, Bowers said her team hosts a monthly brunch to educate them about down payment assistance and help them explore their options. She noted that some banks are offering grants up to $17,500, while others provide low- or no-interest loans, some with no income limit.

“If you had a grant of $10,000,” Bowers said, “that also is equity.”

Vance, whose budget is between $200,000 and $250,000, said he isn’t a fan of the current mortgage interest rates. But a divorce last year has prompted his move.

The father of three, including two adult children, is considering the three-bedroom home in Redford Township for its roominess. He said he could see himself building an outdoor kitchen off the back patio, a place for entertaining and spending time with loved ones.

For Vance, homeownership is about more than space: “When you are a homeowner, it means a lot. It gives you that peace of mind … a feeling of accomplishment, like you’re doing something right.”

cwilliams@detroitnews.com

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Tigers magic number update: Here’s when they can clinch AL Central Division

Published

2 weeks ago

September 13, 2025

Press Room

Tigers magic number update: Here’s when they can clinch AL Central Division

Detroit Tigers are down to 13 games left in the 2025 MLB regular season. They still hold a commanding lead in the American League Central Division over the Cleveland Guardians, but the Tigers (84-65) are just 6-12 in their past 18 games and have been sloppy recently.

They are no longer the top seed in the AL playoffs, losing ground to the Toronto Blue Jays.

But what’s the Tigers’ magic number in the AL Central?

The Tigers are 2-3 on this road trip, losing three in a row after Saturday’s wild 6-4 loss in 11 innings to the lowly Miami Marlins (70-79).

The Tigers still need to clinch a playoff spot, and they can do that with a good week of play coming up to seal the division, which would guarantee them homefield advantage in a playoff series.

What is the Tigers’ “magic number” to clinch the AL Central Division for the first time since 2014? Let’s break it down.

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Detroit Tigers magic number to clinch AL Central Division

Through Saturday, the Tigers’ magic number to clinch the division is 8 over the Cleveland Guardians (77-71), after the Tigers lost a heartbreaker to the Marlins, 6-4, in 11 innings. The Guardians beat the White Sox, 3-1.

The Tigers’ magic number to eliminate the third-place Kansas City Royals (74-75) from the division is 4.

The Guardians face the White Sox on Sunday before making the trip to Detroit for a three-game series.

How do you calculate a team’s magic number in baseball?

There are two different ways to determine a team’s magic number.

The first: 163 – (first-place team’s win total + second-place team’s loss total) = magic number. In the case of the Tigers, that’s 163 – (84+71). 163-155 = 8.

The second: Games remaining + 1 – (losses by second-place team – losses by first-place team) = magic number.

When could the Tigers clinch the division?

This depends on how the next series goes between the Tigers and Guardians at Comerica Park. Each win by the Tigers in that series chops two games off the Tigers’ magic number.

It’s looking more likely the Tigers might have to clinch in Cleveland in the first series of the final week. However, if the Tigers beat the Guardians in at least two games this week, they could have a chance to clinch the AL Central against the bumbling Atlanta Braves at Comerica Park over the weekend.

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