You know summer is just around the corner when it’s Tulip Festival time in Holland, Michigan. Celebrating the Dutch heritage, the small town of Holland literally explodes with hundreds of thousands of Tulips each year and regularly draws a similar number of visitors.

“Like most celebrations, the Tulip Time Festival started as a relatively small event, which was proposed by Miss Lida Rogers, a high school biology teacher. In 1927, Miss Rogers presented the idea of commemorating Holland’s Dutch heritage, history and culture to the Women’s Literary Club. Her proposal was accepted, and in 1929, the City of Holland planted its first crop of 100,000 tulips. The overwhelming number of visitors to our small town resulted in the community’s decision to repeat the event. As thousands of spectators soared to hundreds of thousands, the celebration lengthened by days, and pageantry, costumes and parades and the popular Dutch Dancers were added to produce a week-long festival that is now over 80 years old. Visitors to the Tulip Time Festival are invited to take some tulips home—in paper form. (It’s a violation of city ordinance to pick live tulips.)

Since 1982, the Tulip Time Festival commemorative poster has been a much sought after reminder of the annual festival. In years past, the Festival Poster Committee has invited fine artists to submit ideas for the poster. For 2012, we are holding an “Art in Bloom Poster Competition.” Artists submitted their work in October 2011, and a jury of art experts will choose the 2012 Tulip Time Festival Poster. Don’t forget to purchase your copy of the 2012 poster, and see the top 19 poster finalists displayed throughout downtown Holland during the Tulip Time Festival.”

The Holland Tulip Time Festival has been recognized as one of the top 20 events in the world by the International Festival and Events Association, as one of the top 100 events in North America by the American Bus Association (21 times), it as received the Award of Excellence from Premier Tourism Magazine and has been acknowledged as America’s Best Small Town Festival by Reader’s Digest.

Tulip Time Festival Dates

May 5th to May 12th, 2012

Tulip Time Festival Event Information

FINALLY!!! Our very own, New and Improved, Fulton Street Farmer’s Market is having their 2012 season Grand Opening on Saturday May 5th at 8:00am. Speakers for the event include FSFM Campaign Chairperson Diane Griffin, Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell and Commissioner Rosalynn Bliss.

The Market is located at 1145 Fulton St Eand has been in operation for 90 years. As the oldest and largest in Farmer’s Market in the Grand Rapids area, it was established in 1922 there were three other markets in operation: a large wholesale market located on Market Street by the river and railroad tracks, a smaller market on Cottage Grove Avenue on the Southeast side of town, and one on the West side of town by the river on Leonard Street.

Originally known as the “East Side Market,” the site where the Fulton Street Farmers Market currently sits was set aside by the city to ease traffic congestion caused by farmers selling produce block by block from their vehicles or wagons. In 1926, an office structure was built, where it remains to this day. The building enjoyed a brief stint as a diner from 1953 to 1955.

New renovations to improve the 90-year-old Fulton Street Farmers Market, a Grand Rapids landmark includes, the completion of an underground/infrastructure, open-air shed and plaza construction work.

I am looking forward to it!

Is the market recovering? All signs are certainly pointing to that conclusion. According to a new report from the National Association of Realtors, pending homes sales are up by 12.8% in March compared with a year ago!

“The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 4.1 percent to 101.4 in March from an upwardly revised 97.4 in February and is 12.8 percent above March 2011 when it was 89.9.  The data reflects contracts but not closings.

The index is now at the highest level since April 2010 when it reached 111.3.”

As far as we are concerned locally, we are seeing the same trends. It is especially noticeable when I call on listings for clients, only to find out they have accepted offers and are pending! I am also noticing busy open houses, several showings booked at the same time and multiple offers on the really exceptional and well-priced homes.

If you are thinking of selling, it is truly a great time to put your home on the market. The Grand Rapids Real Estate Market is hot right now and inventory is down. If you would like to know what your home is worth in today’s market, visit our Market Analysis page to get an accurate breakdown of your home’s value. This report will include your closing costs, current competition in the area and recent comparable solds. This will give you a great idea of what to expect.

To see what I do to market and sell my listings, visit my home seller’s page or contact me anytime.

Join state and local REALTOR® associations across the country in the 2012 REALTOR® Nationwide Open House, Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29, 2012. By participating in the largest-ever national open house campaign, you will help bring value to your members as well as to home buyers and sellers.

Here are the current Interest Rates, courtesy of John Fein at Fifth Third Bank. Houses are selling better today than at any time in the last few years and the current inventory has been dropping. If you are considering purchasing a home or refinancing your current loan, please give John a call at 616-261-4093.

You can search for homes online from this website and if you see anything interesting or are looking for something specific, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Mortgage Rates

3.99%    30Yr Fixed Conventional
3.375%  15Yr Fixed Conventional
3.875%  30Yr Fixed FHA
4.375%  30Yr Fixed FHA 203k
4.25%    30Yr Fixed Jumbo
4.25%    30Yr Fixed FHA MSHDA
4.625%  30Yr Fixed FHA MSHDA with DPA
4.00%    30yr Fixed RD
4.125%  30Yr Fixed VA
2.50%    5Yr Arm conventional

John Fein
Fifth Third Bank
Phone 616-261-4093

john.fein@53.com

In a tough market I am always looking for an advantage to help market and sell my listings. Grand Rapids is a tough market and although it is improving, any edge you can use can only help you in the long run. This is where Staging Your Home using a professional like Julie Stone, can be a huge benefit to you. By ensuring your home is presented right the first time is extremely important. You might only get one shot so your home must be in showroom condition.

Julie Stone with Staged To Sell by Julie, is an interior designer and an accredited staging professional. Here is a great, inexpensive tip on how to highlight your home’s best features.

Highlight Your Home’s Best Features

When preparing a home for sale or re-decorating your existing space; determine what the best feature is in each room.

For example; a fireplace is the best feature of the living room. Often times, the fireplace is blocked by a large sofa, not allowing the best feature to be seen when entering the room.

Instead, move the sofa and other furnishings to the side of the fireplace; allowing full view of the best feature. Highlighting the fireplce with a few bright colored accessories will draw the eye to this feature in the room, creating an invitation to sit down and relax.

HOME STAGING is the very best proven way to help a home sell faster. If the house is priced right and looks better than the competition, the house will sell in less time. Setting the scene throughout the house to create immediate buyer interest is the key to HOME STAGING.

When my family and I moved to Grand Rapids sixteen years ago, we didn’t know what to expect. But one of the things we noticed right away was how much of a friendly and family oriented community it was. We were grateful for the warm welcome. Years later and now with kids of my own, I couldn’t be happier with Grand Rapids. The city has only striven to improve each year. Even through tough economic hardships and a hard hit real estate market, the city has taken steps to ensure the future would be bright.

With the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market looking like it is ready to make a long awaited and welcome comeback, we believe that Grand Rapids can make an excellent home for anyone and a recent study shows this to be true!

Grand Rapids, Michigan doesn’t boast a lot of affluence. The metro area population of 774,000 carries a median household of $47,040, good for just 65^th place among America’s 100 largest MSAs. The city’s major claims to fame come from being a national leader in office furniture production, and for being the hometown of a U.S. president, Gerald Ford.

What Grand Rapids doses have: the distinction of being the best metro area in the country to raise a family in. Income may be relatively low, but the cost of living is even lower. The local school system ranks in the top third in the country. Commuting to work is a breeze. The housing foreclosure mess didn’t leave Grand Rapids unscathed, chopping about 12% off area home values over the past few years. But that’s still quite modest compared to many other places. Almost 90% of Grand Rapids’ housing stock is affordable to a family at the median income level, the seventh-highest rate in the country. And the local crime rate falls well below the national average.

“The housing bubble never burst because there was never any real bubble,” says Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, pointing out the mostly modest, 2,200 square foot colonials that dot the local landscape. Heartwell is a believer in public-private partnerships: Several neighborhood associations, using grant money in partnership with the city, work to keep things in good repair. Call it steady as she goes. If Miami, Florida, with its glitz and glamour giving way to real estate bust is the hare, Grand Rapids is the tortoise. “Even our most depressed neighborhoods are not blighted,” he says.

The relative strength of Grand Rapids’ housing market is enough to push it past the next two cities on our list, Boise, Idaho and Provo, Utah, both of which are particularly noted for low crime and high school quality. Not to mention the chance to mix urban and outdoor lifestyles.

If you are considering a move to Grand Rapids, feel free to contact me anytime. You can also search for homes or condos right here on this website.

Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is one of Grand Rapids’ main attractions and a must see at any time of year. There is always something going on for the whole family. As we speak, the Butterflies Are Blooming annual exhibit is ongoing and is always a favorite. Another great one is the Christmas and Holiday Traditions From Around the World.

“The exhibition boasts more than 40 different species from the Far East, Africa and Central America. Each week hundreds of chrysalises arrive at Meijer Gardens and are painstakingly sorted, inspected, labeled and pinned in our sealed Butterfly Bungalow. The chrysalises are then placed in a special emergence area of the Bungalow where visitors can witness through a window their magical transformation into butterflies!”

Summer Concert Series

Each summer, the annual Summer Concert Series runs May through September and features beautiful terraced lawn seating with food and beverage concessions. Popular with the local residents and visitors alike, we have seen major artists perform like: Doobie Brothers (China Grove), George Thorogood (One Burban, One Scotch, One Beer) , Lyle Lovett and the Indigo Girls and many more.

This year features a great line up of artists including the B52′s (Love Shack)…. (this one I won’t miss), The Steve Miller Band (Fly Like an Eagle), Grace Potter and The Nocturnals and more! Make sure to reserve your tickets soon! They go on sale April 28th (for members). Non members can purchase tickets in May.

Lots of good things happening in the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market these days. It is a very encouraging scenario for home buyers and home sellers. Buyers have been very active and with interest rates at historical lows and house prices also still low, there has been a lot of activity as pending and solds numbers are up over last year. Interest rates are on the upswing however so if you are considering buying, now is the time.

Grand Rapids Home sellers can be encouraged by the reduced inventory, a slight uptick in home prices and in some cases, for particularly nice homes that are priced right, we are seeing multiple offers. This is really great to see and we are hoping that this trend continues!

The Grand Rapids Downtown Condo market has been solid so far with several sales and even more pending listings so far this year. There is so much to do downtown and it is definitely a fun and vibrant lifestyle. With all of the great Restaurants for every budget, the various Art Museums,Live Music at Rosa Parks Circle, the concerts at Van Andel Arena, it’s a no-brainer that condos are in demand!

Grand Rapids Downtown Condos Sales

River House Condos continues to be one of Downtown Grand Rapids’ fastest moving and most popular condos. There is always a buzz about these condos. River House is now over 87% occupancy. There have been several sold so far this year and there are currently many pending listings.

Union Square Condos have also seen a couple of sales as well as several pending listings so far this year. There are still a few developer owned condos and these have the added incentive of the Neighborhood Enterprise Zone Tax breaks. This will take care of up to 90% of your property tax. A nice savings.

Park Row Condos have seen increased sales due to their reduced prices. Located in the Medical Mile, these condos have sold several units and offer one of the more reasonable association fees in town as well as covered parking.

Boardwalk Condos have sold several units and have several more under contract. Boardwalk offers many amenities and covered parking and right across the street from the Grand River. They have also just been approved for FHA financing.

Some of the other downtown Grand Rapids condos at Hillmount and Plaza Towers have several pending listings as well.

If you are considering a move downtown, you can search for homes and condos from this website. For any additional information, don’t hesitate to contact me anytime.

Senate Bill 349, sponsored by Senator Dave Hildenbrand (R-Lowell) creates two Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) filing dates; one on June 1st, and the other on November 1st. Additionally, this legislation allows bank-owned properties to retain their PRE so that buyers can qualify at the lower rate of taxation. This is particularly important since foreclosures have flooded the market in recent years.

Senate Bill 349 now heads over to the House for consideration. The MAR greatly appreciates the hard work that was put forth in crafting this legislation, and is pleased that Senators on both sides of the aisle unanimously supported its passage. The MAR will continue to keep the membership updated as this bill makes its way through the legislative process.

Courtesy of Scot Veneklase at Exchange Financial.