Detroit Developers Hope To Capitalize On Superbowl Buzz

"While most of the 100,000-plus visitors expected for the Super Bowl won't be tempted to spend their cash on a pricey new house or condo, builders and marketing experts say the intense interest in the game, billed as the world's largest one-day sporting event, can boost sales among local buyers.

So builders plan to host open houses during Super Bowl week, offer a tour of upscale homes in partnership with the Somerset Collection in Troy and dole out freebies like plasma screen televisions to people who go ahead and buy that new Tudor or colonial.

"You can take advantage of all the people peering at Metro Detroit in the two weeks leading up the game," said Jeff Stoltman, a marketing professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. "It creates urgency. It puts people in a good mood. It's exciting."