During my travels in the Grand Rapids real estate market I come across some great deals and I thought it would be  fun and informative  to share these awesome deals with my readers. The market has been a buyer’s market for quite a while and even though the Tax credit incentive has come and gone, homes and condos are still selling. Interest rates are at all time lows, housing prices are still low and I have been showing and selling quite a bit of Grand Rapids homes and condos.

Interestingly, many of my new clients are connecting with me through my websites at GRRealEstateInfo.com and this website, GrandRapidsRealEstateTrends.com. A lot of them are relocating to Grand Rapids and I have been meeting people from across the country that are finding work here in GR. I think that is such a big positive for our city!

I will update this page weekly with the latest deals. For most of them, I will not be the listing agent and even though I do personally carry some great listings and wonderful ownership opportunities, I will be featuring listings throughout Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas that, in my opinion, are great deals. If you have any questions about any of these homes or condos, feel free to contact me anytime as I would be happy to work with you as your Buyer’s Agent.

This week’s listing is a short sale. I showed this one several times and it is a spectacular home in Cascade Township. Short sales can be a long drawn out affair, often lasting months and months. However it is possible to purchase this home with a full price offer and avoid the short sale. That is not something I would recommend but in this case it is well worth it as recent comps show a tremendous value can be had. Instant equity is good.

This year there are a couple of must see places in Grand rapids to bring the family to help celebrate July 4th and take in some awesome firework displays and live entertainment.

Grand Rapids Independence Day Celebration

Ah Nab Awen Park: The July 4 activities along the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids will begin with various musical performances at 6 p.m. Fireworks display begin at 10:30pm. Best to get there early as it fills up fast. Some of the live entertainment will include Octaglee (vocal octet), Spittin’ Image, Gabrial James, Silversmith, Four Finger Five, Ralston Bowles and Natchez Trace. Ah Nab Awen Park is located at the corner of Front and Pearl.

Front Row for the Fireworks: Located at the Grand Rapids Art Museum beginning at 7pm thru the end of the fireworks. Member tickets are $10/adults and $5/children. Non-member tickets are $15/ adults and $7.50/children. Check out the museum exhibits, rides, planetarium shows and organ concerts while waiting for the fireworks to begin. Food and drinks are also available.

Artprize is back and downtown Grand Rapids is getting excited to be hosting such an original and creative competition. ArtPrize is a different type of art competition that turns Grand Rapids into a giant art exhibit. Not only limited to local artists, competitors will place their art entries around the city at official venues and the public is invited to visit and vote on their favorite pieces. The grand prize for first place is $250,000! That’s a lot of cheese! The top 10 entries receive a prize and artists can make one entry.

I took the kids there last year and was amazed at the incredible amount of art. There are some really creative people and Grand Rapids is proud to be able to showcase their work. It also doesn’t hurt revenue for local businesses as there were throngs of people making their way downtown. This year’s attendance should surpass last years and I’m excited for it to begin.

Registration for artists has ended but the competition officially kicks off September 22nd and  runs through October 10th. Last year was an amazing success with $449,000 in prizes given out. There was 334,219 votes cast by 200,000 visitors at 159 venues over 16 days!!! There were 1262 artists competing from 41 states and 14 countries.

It was truly a varied and interesting collection of art. Some of my favorites was the River Monster (above), the kids liked that one. Then there was the amazing table and chairs that was built on  top of the Blue Pedestrian Bridge over the Grand River. The Grand Dance, a kinetic sculpture made of metal, was constructed in the center of the Grand River on a small pile of rocks. And then there was my personal favorite, Portraits. Portraits was a series of three 4×6 portraits of female faces. 3 large pictures made entirely of pushpins. 23,625 pushpins for each portrait…! This effort won 3rd place and $50,000.

Don’t miss this years ArtPrize!

A bill has been introduced that would extend the “closing date” for the Home Buyer Tax Credit. The original deadline to have a fully executed purchase agreement was April 30th, 2010 and that has not changed. However, one of the criteria in order to be eligible for the Tax Credit was closing before June 30th, 2010 and many buyers will not make it. So there was a measure introduced to extend that deadline to September 30th of this year instead. The measure was offered as an amendment to H.R. 4213, a tax extension bill now in the Senate.

I don’t mind this at all as I have a few clients that have purchased homes that are short sales. These homes typically take much longer to close and buyers are at the mercy of the banks which are totally swamped with distressed properties.

The single family homes sales average price is up 9.8% over May 2009. The year  to date average sales price is $115,099, up 15.6% compared to the same time last year. Homes sold in May was down by nearly half compared with last year and the inventory of homes for sale remains relatively unchanged. Year to date 5,099 single family homes have sold through May, up 13.7% over the same period one year ago.

The drop off of sales in May can be attributed to the tax credit expiring however I am seeing more interest  and more inquiries about Grand Rapids real estate this year compared to last.

Parade of Downtown Grand Rapids Condos

June 11 – 13, 2010

• Friday 4pm – 8pm
• Saturday 10am  – 5pm
• Sunday 12pm – 4pm

Well it’s that time of year again when downtown Grand Rapids’ condos open up their doors and show off a little. If you have been curious about the downtown condo market and would like to check some of them out, the Parade of Downtown Living is a great opportunity to not only learn about the various condos like Riverhouse, Fitzgerald, Park Row, 38 Commerce, Boardwalk etc, but also to enjoy a fun afternoon in the city.

ADMISSION

Admission is $10.00 for all 3 days.You can purchase a wristband at any of the properties on tour and catch a bus to visit all of the properties.

FREE PARKING & BUS PICKUP

City Lot Area 7 is south of Michigan and north of Pearl
Northwest lot is behind Boardwalk Condominiums, enter off Mason street between Monroe and Ottawa.

Tour guides will be on the buses to help you with your questions. You can volunteer and get a free pass for the weekend. Call 616-459-3133 for information.

Special Events

SPECIAL EVENTS

These events are included in the costs. Wristbands are required.

Friday, June 11

4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The Gallery
Cocktail Party

4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Dwelling Place Art Exhibit and Open House
For many artists, downtown Grand Rapids is home. Visit an available Dwelling Place artist live/work space and enjoy the work of local artists and refreshments.
62 S. Division Avenue at Avenue for the Arts.

Saturday, June 12

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
38 Commerce
Rooftop Champagne Brunch

12 PM – 2 PM
Boardwalk Condos
Free grill-out and drink specials on
JD Reardons’ restaurant deck in the pool courtyard
[Free Parking]

11 AM – 1:00 PM
The Fitzgerald
A free lunch will be served on the Green Roof Terrace.

Sunday June 13

12 PM – 2 PM
Boardwalk Condos
Free grill-out and drink specials on
JD Reardons’ restaurant deck in the pool courtyard
[Free Parking]

Well worth the $10 if you are interested in learning about the downtown Grand Rapids condo market. If you would like a private tour, more specific information about a certain condo or have a home to sell, contact me anytime.

2010 Festival of the Arts

Beginning today on Calder Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids, is the 2010 Festival of the arts. Art, food and entertainment all starting today. Music from all genres, entertainment including films, dancing and theater. There will be dozens of food booths with a wide range of dishes, indoor and outdoor stages featuring various artists and bands.

The regional art exhibition features local artists and the Youth Art Exhibit will display artwork from local students. Some of the artwork will be on sale at Calder Plaza.

Artists and bands will perform on indoor and outdoor stages.

All performances, exhibits and activities are free, thanks to donations from organizations and individuals.

Dozens of food booths will be set up, offering a range of courses and dishes.

The Regional Art Exhibition will feature local artists, and the Youth Art Exhibit will display artwork from students.

2010 Festival of the Arts

Selling a home in today’s Grand Rapids real estate market can be tough.  There is a lot of inventory and depending on the location of your home or condo, you could have several properties to compete with. As a buyer, it couldn’t be a better time, but as a seller, you will want to make your home stand out and get buyers looking at it. The first place to start is establishing the price.

Pricing

The first place to start is to request a list of recent home sales in your area. You’ll want to look at similar styles of home, bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage. What upgrades, number of garages, etc. If you have a condo, the best comps are those that have sold in the same building or development. How does your Grand Rapids Condo stack up against the competition with regard to amenities, upgrades, parking, location or association fees?

Show-ability

Your home or condo should be neat and tidy when a buyer first walks through. Remove as much clutter as you can, remove nick nacks and pictures from the walls. The kitchen and bathrooms in particular should be spotless and touch up any walls that need touching up.

Interest Rates

Interest Rates have an impact on home sales. When rates are high or rising, demand for housing weakens. When interest rates are low, demand for housing increases. Right now, interest rates are at historic lows but experts project them to climb steadily throughout the year.

Short Sales and Foreclosures

In a normal market, distressed property wouldn’t really have the impact that they currently are having. There is such a large amount of short sales and foreclosures in Grand Rapids, the market can’t help but be affected. In some areas, most of the comps are either short sales or foreclosures. One of the factors not yet felt is the ‘shadow inventory‘. Shadow Inventory is an inventory of homes that are held by the banks and are not yet on the market. When will these be released and how will they affect the market?

We can sell your home or condo. If you would like to have a cup of coffee and talk about the market and what your home would be worth, feel free to email me or call any time.

Macromarkets has recently completed a study on just this situation. They have assembled a panel of over 100 economists, investment strategists and housing market analysts. They are surveyed every month regarding their 5 year expectations of future home prices. 70% of the participants in this study believe that home prices will drop or remain the same with 60% predicting lower prices. What this illustrates is that it may be best to sell your home now rather than wait it out. The buyers are out there and sales have increased over the same period last year.

Selling Grand Rapids homes and condos is what we specialize in. We employ the latest in internet marketing techniques and our websites are always at the top of the search engines. These powerful tools enable us to expose your home to the most qualified local and relocating buyers in the shortest amount of time. Knowledge of the market helps us educate you on price and what to do to stage your home for maximum effect. We also are experienced in Grand Rapids Short Sales and can help you sell your home and negotiate with the lender even though you may owe more than the market value. If you have any questions, we would love to help you.

Hollywood heavyweight and a really funny guy, Ben Stiller, is set to produce a movie in Grand Rapids, MI! The name of the flick is 30 Minutes or Less and will be directed by Zombieland director, Ruben Fleischer. The movie stars Danny McBride (”Land of the Lost,” “Tropic Thunder,” “Pineapple Express”) and Aziz Ansari (”Funny People,” episodes of “Reno 911!” and “Parks and Recreation”). 30 Minutes or Less is a comedic-heist film about two criminals who force a loser pizza deliveryman to rob a bank for them in 30 minutes or less. The film was written by Michael Liliberti and Matthew Sullivan and is expected in theaters August, 2011.

“30 Minutes or Less” is a comedy film about two criminals who force a loser pizza delivery man to rob a bank for them in 30 minutes or less. Eisenberg will play the role of the pizza delivery man in the film which also stars Danny McBride and Aziz Ansar. The film was written by Michael Diliberti and Matthew Sullivan and Sony hopes to have it in theaters on August 12, 2011.

The film boasts the largest budget of any film made in West Michigan.

So you think you can act? Follow this link for Tips on becoming an extra!