Grand Rapids Real Estate News

Check Out One Of My Newest Listings at 3434 Briar Bank Pl – Grand Rapids Twp!

Fantastic Forest Hills home tucked away on wooded, private, 2-acre lot but    only minutes to downtown Grand Rapids. 5-bedroom, 3.5-bath, quality-built brick home with walkout lower level. More than 3-thousand square feet of living space plus another 1000 square feet of finished space in the lower level. Kitchen with stainless appliances is open to family room with beamed ceilings and wood-burning fireplace. Formal dining room and amazing formal living room with wooded views from each window. Main floor den can be converted in to 5th bedroom. Full bath is attached to main floor bedroom. Spacious second floor owner’s suite with large attached owner’s bath with dual sinks. Three more bedrooms on the second floor and a second full bath. Main floor laundry. Wonderful built-ins throughout home. Screened-in porch overlooking wooded ravine. Attached 2 stall garage. Newer roof and furnace. Low Grand Rapids township taxes. Forest Hills Northern High School and Collins Elementary. $399,000. Call me today for more info!

Posted in Community News, Current Listings, For Home Buyers, For Home Sellers, Grand Rapids Real Estate News, Hot Properties..., More Relocation Resources, News & Resources

Great News: West Michigan is leader in job creation, Manpower reports

The stabilization of the Grand Rapids area real estate market continues with news like this report from The Grand Rapids Press’s Shandra Martinez, citing the area’s national leadership in expanding workforces. Our burgeoning industry in  automotive, pharmaceutical, furniture and personal care products makes the West Michigan area attractive to relocating professionals. If you know someone relocating to Grand Rapids or West Michigan, please contact the CherylGrant.com team for a smooth move! Here’s the first part of the story, and the link to read the full feature on MLive.com!

GRAND RAPIDS – West Michigan employers expect to expand their workforces in the coming months, making the employment outlook for the region the fifth-best in the nation. After years of layoffs, the Grand Rapids-Wyoming region has been a leader in job creation for nearly a year, according to a quarterly employment outlook survey by staffing giant Manpower. The achievement recently was noted by Businessweek magazine in its list of America’s strongest job markets.

Read the full story at MLive: http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/09/west_michigan_is_leader_in_job.html

Posted in Grand Rapids Real Estate News

Mortgage Rates Reach Record Lows!

If you’re sitting on the fence about trading up, consider this: rates have dropped to record lows this month. That gives you more purchase power — and ratio room — than ever before. Check out this story from Realtor.com:

Mortgage rates dropped sharply the first week in August, possibly improving the purchasing power of many home buyers. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, the most popular choice among buyers, averaged 4.39 percent, its lowest average for 2011, Freddie Mac reported in its weekly mortgage market survey. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage and the 5-year adjustable rate-mortgage also both reached new historical record lows.

Rates mostly dropped across the board amid signs of a weakening economy, Freddie Mac says. (more…)

Posted in Grand Rapids Real Estate News

Grand Rapids ranks No. 2 on RelocateAmerica’s list of top U.S. cities

At CherylGrant.com, we’re pleased — and unsurprised — that our fair city has been recognized as No. 2 on RelocateAmerica’s list of top U.S. cities. As a relocation specialist, I’ve helped people relocating here find their dreamhomes. Many are moving to Grand Rapids for positions at Van Andel Institute, Spectrum Health, Churches and Manufacturing. All have been impressed with the selection of homes and prices available. They too are impressed with the education options including public and private. The other comment I often hear is how many “really cool” things are happening in the city, not only downtown, but in other neighborhoods such as Eastown and Midtown. I can easily see why Grand Rapids ranked so high in this survey.

The following are excerpts from Troy Reimink’s blog for The Grand Rapids Press at MLive.com. Please follow this link to read the full story.

Today in lists: Grand Rapids comes in at No. 2 on RelocateAmerica’s ranking of the nation’s top 10 places to live.

The Brighton-based company assembled a list of America’s top 100 cities — based on “local housing markets and economies, cultural and recreational opportunities, and safety, plus … feedback from city leaders and residents” — then asked residents to submit content that would convince the judges their hometown was a great place to live.

The top 10, announced today, are as follows: 1. Austin, Tex.; 2. Grand Rapids; 3. Boulder, Colo.; 4. Raleigh, N.C.; 5. Dallas, Tex.; 6. Greenville, S.C.; 7. Augusta, Ga.; 8. Boise, Idaho; 9. Omaha, Neb.; 10. Oklahoma City, Okla.

From the site’s write-up:

It feels especially good to name Grand Rapids, Michigan a top 10 place to live, especially after it was named one of “America’s Dying Cities” by Newsweek in January. What really caught our attention about this city, though, is its response. It didn’t get mad. It made a video. And, not just any video. A video with 5,000 residents (that’s not a typo), lip synching to Don McClean‘s “American Pie” while touring every aspect of the city. Now, that’s what we call true community spirit– and that’s what being a top 10 city is all about. (Editorial note: Newsweek claims the article was not done by them but was posted to its website as part of a content-sharing deal.) (more…)

Posted in Community News, Grand Rapids Real Estate News, More Relocation Resources

JD Power: RE/MAX Highest in Customer Satisfaction

In the 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Home Buyer/Seller Study released today, buyers and sellers award RE/MAX the highest rankings in customer satisfaction.

It’s clear: RE/MAX Associates like Cheryl Grant are the ones consumers trust most to guide them through one of the most challenging real estate markets ever seen in the U.S.

“I want to personally thank and congratulate every one of you for contributing to this prestigious recognition,” says RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger. “It truly reflects your professional excellence, your enthusiasm for education, your commitment to distressed sellers, your individual drive, and many other qualities that serve the interests of your clients. Your efforts change lives, and those people have spoken.”

Homebuyers ranked RE/MAX on a 1,000-point scale with a score of 805 and home sellers put RE/MAX on top with 791, leading all other real estate franchises in the survey. Consumers rated RE/MAX in the following categories:

Overall satisfaction
Agent/Salesperson professionalism
Variety of additional services
Real estate office
Real estate company marketing (seller survey only)

The 2011 Home Buyer/Seller Study includes more than 4,200 evaluations from more than 3,680 respondents who bought or sold a home between March 2010 and April 2011. The study was fielded between March and May 2011. (more…)

Posted in For Home Buyers, For Home Sellers, Grand Rapids Real Estate News, News & Resources

Check Out this MLive Article About Realistic Seller Expectations

A recent article in the Grand Rapids Press highlights the challenges of selling a home in the present market, just in time for the start of the spring real estate season. On the plus side, the story reports that inventory remains at 2005 levels, meaning sellers are in better shape than they would be if the market were flooded with homes for sale. On the other hand, the phenomenon of pent-up foreclosures that were stalled in coming to market after the recent freeze on foreclosures will have an impact once those foreclosures hit the market. Cheryl Grant advises serious sellers to list their properties while inventory is low, but to keep their eyes wide open in terms of expectations.  A good place to start is to read the story “Realtors want West Michigan Home Sellers to Be Realistic, Especially About Price.” The story opens by comparing the process to the five stages of grief:

“Trying to sell a house in today’s market is a lot like going through the five stages of grief.Most people start with denial by pricing their home too high. They become angry when their home lingers and their real estate agent says they need to lower the asking price. They bargain with their agent, trying to convince them of the home’s worth. They fall into a depression as they realize their home will never sell for that price. Finally, they move on to acceptance. They lower the price and sink in a few more dollars to get an edge over the competition. And the home eventually sells.”

Read the rest of the story at Mlive.com

Contact us for an analysis of whether it’s the right time to make a move.

Posted in For Home Sellers, Grand Rapids Foreclosures, Grand Rapids Real Estate News, News & Resources

Check out the Cost Vs. Value Report for Grand Rapids, MI

It’s spring, and home improvement’s in the air. But before you remodel that kitchen, bath or great room, check out this Cost Vs. Value Report for Grand Rapids. This detailed report is generated by Remodeling magazine’s Cost Vs. Value interactive national data collection and management system. The report estimates the cost of a wide range of remodeling projects and scopes and shows the resale value and cost recouped locally, regionally and nationally. Now homeowners can be informed about the likelihood of a project garnering a strong return on investment. To visit the interactive Cost Vs. Value Report follow this link for the full-featured experience, including a Google Sketch-up feature and project quicktime movies. Search the East North Central Category and click on Grand Rapids. You will be able to create a downloadable PDF.

Posted in For Home Buyers, For Home Sellers, Grand Rapids Real Estate News, News & Resources

New and Breaking News from CNBC Real Estate Reporter Diana Olick

Realty Check takes you from the housing boom to bust and beyond. Led by Diana Olick, we were here when the house came crashing down and have the singular expertise to explain how it will be rebuilt. The goal of this blog is to bring the market, the rescue plans, the politics and the pontification home to you, with clear concise explanations of the wildly complicated issues in all facets of real estate today and tomorrow. Realty check is read by the leaders in the real estate industry: Investors, Realtors, Big Builder CEO’s, Mortgage Bankers, Wall Street Analysts and Administration Officials to name a few.

Posted in For Home Buyers, For Home Sellers, Grand Rapids Real Estate News, News & Resources

Are We At The Bottom For Housing..or Another Massive Dip In Values?

Real Estate website Trulia’s founder and CEO, Pete Flint,  tells CNBC he thinks the overall real estate market is coming back. CNBC’s Diana Olick weighs in.

Posted in Grand Rapids Real Estate News, News & Resources

Grand Rapids’ Eastown homes first in line for energy-saving upgrades from federal grant

Check out this Grand Rapids Press article that discusses the impact of a new $500,000 federal grant program that will help homeowners in Eastown make their homes more energy-efficient. Follow the link at the bottom to read the whole story at Mlive.

GRAND RAPIDS — Lee Hardy cringed as a thermal infra-red camera showed cold air leaking from a recessed ceiling light during an energy audit of his Eastown home.
“I regret putting them in,” Hardy said with a wan smile as the hand-held camera revealed a black wave of cold air streaming across an otherwise golden background.
Hardy and 428 of his Eastown neighbors will soon be able to fix energy leaks like that and reap other energy savings in their homes thanks to a $500,000 federal grant program.

Read the rest of the story HERE

Posted in Community News, Grand Rapids Real Estate News, News & Resources

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