Grand Rapids Neighborhoods
Grand Rapids is a happening city with thriving communities and unique neighborhoods. This video shared by Experience Grand Rapids, highlights 9 distinct “destination” neighborhoods. Enjoy.
Grand Rapids is a happening city with thriving communities and unique neighborhoods. This video shared by Experience Grand Rapids, highlights 9 distinct “destination” neighborhoods. Enjoy.
Courtesy of KeepingCurrentMatters.
Thinking of buying a home? Check out our easy-to-use search tool. Unlimited access to every home, condo or vacant lot in South West Michigan. Save your searches, save your favorites. Sign up for Email Alerts and schedule showings online.
Find out your home’s value in minutes.
Great news! Congress has voted to extend the tax deduction for mortgage insurance in Michigan through 2016.
That means that you can deduct your Michigan premiums on your federal income taxes this year and next year.
Thinking of buying a home? Check out our easy-to-use search tool. Unlimited access to every home, condo or vacant lot in South West Michigan. Save your searches, save your favorites. Sign up for Email Alerts and schedule showings online.
It has been quite a seller’s market over the last year as current home inventory is still low. If more homes don’t come on the market, prices will continue to rise going forward. Buyers are definitely out there looking to make a purchase and we are seeing very strong activity throughout the market. This includes our luxury home market and our downtown condo market but really, demand for homes and condos have extended to the entire Grand Rapids housing market.
Homes that are under contract (on their way to close) are up over 3.9% over last year. This has increased for 14 consecutive months.
We can safely project that demand for housing will continue throughout the coming months and the seasonal slowdown hasn’t yet started and will probably be minimal.
The most important data point revealed in the report was not sales but instead the inventory of homes on the market (supply). The report explained:
Here is a good rule of thumb in real estate. When there is less than 6 months inventory available, we are in a sellers’ market and we will see appreciation. Between 6-7 months is a neutral market where prices will increase at the rate of inflation. More than 7 months inventory means we are in a buyers’ market and should expect depreciation in home values.
Curious as to what your home is valued at? Find out here in a few minutes or contact me today for a detailed report of what your home will sell for.
Another day another accolade for our fair city with a river running through it.
The Grand Rapids real estate market is still rolling right along. According to a report by Trulia and reported by the Grand Rapids Business Journal, the Grand Rapids – Wyoming market is the hottest market to watch in 2016.
Based on a survey of more than 2,000 Americans, Grand Rapids is on top due to our relatively affordable housing and the job opportunities the city provides.
1. Grand Rapids-Wyoming
2. Charleston, S.C.
3. Austin, Texas
4. Baton Rouge, La.
5. San Antonio, Texas
6. Colorado Springs, Colo.
7. Columbia, S.C.
8. Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.
9. Las Vegas
10. Tacoma, Wash.
This latest report also claims that the American Dream of owning a home continues to be strong.
Those who hope to own a home is up 1% from last year with 80% of buyer in the age demographic of 18 – 34, wanting to own a home.
Interest Rates are expected to rise over the next year and while the housing market should remain strong, Americans do believe that securing a mortgage will be harder.
Thinking of buying a home? Check out our easy-to-use search tool. Unlimited access to every home, condo or vacant lot in South West Michigan. Save your searches, save your favorites. Sign up for Email Alerts and schedule showings online.
Existing Home Sales up 3.9%
Prices on Average are Up 5.8%
Inventory is Down 4.5% Over Last Year
Courtesy of KeepingCurrentMatters
Find out your Home’s value in minutes online. For a more accurate Price Trend Analysis, call or text us at 616-570-1871. We will provide you a complete breakdown of the value of your home and its projected sale price.
Try our quick home search tool. It’s mobile friendly and you can conveniently save your searches, your favorite listings for review later, get email updates and schedule showings online.
Infographic courtesy of KeepingCurrentMatters.
Excited about owning your own home? Experienced or first time home buyers or investors can start your home search here with our easy to use search tool. Save your searches, save your favorites, set up email alerts and schedule showings online. Mobile Friendly.
When prepping your home for sale, or if it is already on the market, you should already know the importance of making it as presentable as possible. You wouldn’t show up at a first date with a big hunk of potato in your beard would you? The interior is obviously very important and we will leave that for another post, but lets talk about the simple, inexpensive things you can do to the outside of your home to really make that important first impression.
No time to paint your entire house? Then paint just your front door to make your place feel cared for as potential buyers cross the threshold.
“If your house is a neutral hue, use the front door to add a pop of bright color; and if your house is not neutral, paint the door a complementary color,” says Sheila Schostok of Your Home Matters Staging and Redesign.
If landscaping the whole yard won’t fit in your schedule, just sprinkle some bark mulch around in-ground plants to give the whole yard a polished look.
“Mulch is the No. 1 way to give your garden a face-lift really fast,” says Julie Zelaska, vice president of real estate firm Smith Schnider in Arlington, VA. And if you don’t want to prune every tree and bush on your lawn, be sure to pare down anything that obstructs visitors’ view of the house or crowds the path to your front door.
Before they decide whether to attend an open house, home shoppers might drive by after dark, so add extra outdoor lighting to ensure your home looks warm, welcoming, and safe. Rejuvenation makes outdoor lights in a range of styles that look both classic and contemporary.
For extra panache, place up-lights under big trees and add path lights leading to the front door. Last but not least, put the lights on a timer so they’ll always switch on at dusk (especially important during the fall and winter when you might not get home until after dark).
“Freshen up your mailbox with a coat of spray paint, maybe the same color you used on the front door,” suggests Schostok. If your mailbox needs more than paint to look appealing, replace it with one with a brushed metal finish.
Visually prominent street numbers send a message that your address inspires pride, so show it off with number forms that have clean lines and are visible from the street. One affordable style: The Cast House Number, available at Wayfair, strikes a balance between modern and traditional and is available in nickel, copper, and bronze.
When the day of your open house arrives, place a flowering potted plant or two on the front porch to create a cheerful, welcoming effect and distract from any less-appealing aspects of the home’s exterior.
“Keep flower choices simple and tied to the season, like pansies in the spring, flowering petunias in the summer, mums in the fall, and evergreens in the winter,” says Schostok.
A brand-new doormat looks welcoming and can distract visitors from the fact that your windowsills need to be painted.
“Skip the monogram, and stick to a classic style to appeal to the biggest swath of buyers,” says Schostok, who suggests a lattice rubber mat or a natural fiber mat such as these “picture frame” coir doormat or braided knot doormat.
You know to put away your family photos and knickknacks when showing a home. However, it’s equally important to remove personal touches on the outside. So pack away any kid and pet toys, take down the flag of your favorite football team, and remove the life-size animatronic manger scene from last Christmas. In fact, hold off on all the holiday décor, since not everybody celebrates the same holidays or gets festive in the same way.
One sneaky way to make your home look more high-end on a shoestring budget is to make sure little things match. For example, when you replace the doorknob, door knocker and front porch light, use the same finish and style.
Thanks to Realtor.com for the article
Always remember that your home’s listing price, in any market, is the most important factor in selling your home. To find out your home’s value, you can use our InstantValue service. It’s free and can get you on your way to researching your market. For a more accurate assessment, give me a call. I will stop by and perform a Price Trend Analysis for you which will give you a very good idea of what your home will sell for.
Are you dreaming of someday owning a home? Well that dream maybe closer to reality than you think. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority or MSHDA, offers a variety of home mortgage programs that can help you purchase your very own home as well as up to $7500 in down payment assistance.
OR
You can see a complete list of these targeted areas at the MSHDA website.
The MSHDA programs also offer DPA Loans up to $7500, making purchasing a home less of a financial burden up front. Combined with a MSHDA first mortgage, a DPA loan is:
Contact your bank, credit union or mortgage lender and ask for a MSHDA mortgage. You can also enroll in a MSHDA home buyer education class which is offered free of charge. You can find participating counselling agencies online at michigan.gov/mshda.
You can also call Scot Veneklase at Mortgage One. Scot has many years of experience in the lending industry and is up to date on all of the Mortgage options available. You can also download his Mortgage App to calculate payments, contact Scot and more.
Start your home search here. Save your searches, homes or condos that interest you, receive email updates of new listings and schedule showings online.
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