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Our home market
JBI was founded in Ann Arbor by Michigan natives. That connection is the starting point for our work here: understanding the property, the people behind it and the community it serves.
A Michigan address tells only part of a property's story. A neighborhood storefront, a suburban drive-through and a highway service location can serve very different customers, even within the same county. We frame research around the property's use and immediate surroundings before making wider comparisons.
The boundaries matter. A mailing address may not identify the municipality responsible for zoning, and the nearest major city may not describe the actual customer area. Establishing the parcel, taxing jurisdiction and relevant planning authority keeps the research tied to the right place.
Property records and business records answer different questions. A recorded deed can identify a grantee; an entity filing can provide organizational details. Neither alone establishes who has authority to discuss a property today. The relationship needs to be checked before an outreach conversation proceeds.
For an owner with several Michigan properties, the research may also need to distinguish individual parcels, separate ownership entities and sites that happen to share an operating brand. We do not infer common ownership solely from a familiar business name.
County population data can provide background, but a statewide total cannot explain a particular retail corner. Employment locations, commuting patterns, neighboring uses and access can help define more relevant questions. Census OnTheMap, for example, presents information about where workers live and work; it is not a measurement of store visits or sales.
The date and geographic boundary of each source belong beside the observation. A community-wide trend should not be presented as evidence of a tenant's performance, and a proposed development should remain identified as proposed until its status is verified.
Our founders graduated from the University of Michigan in the same year and chose Ann Arbor as the place to establish their own firm. Today, JBI's work centers on research, direct outreach and introductions. Our connection to Michigan does not replace property-specific diligence or the work of licensed professionals.
For an initial conversation, a property address, general ownership context and broad timing are enough. Valuation, transaction representation and other regulated work require a separate engagement with the appropriate professional.
No. Ann Arbor is our home base. Research assignments may concern properties elsewhere in Michigan or across the United States, depending on the property type and the question being addressed.
JBI does not provide appraisals, broker price opinions or valuation advice through this website. A qualified appraiser or other appropriately licensed professional should address those questions.
External resources provide background. Their publishers are not affiliated with JBI.
For general information. JBI provides research, origination and introductions; it does not provide brokerage, valuation, legal, tax or investment advice. Scope & disclosures
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