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Fantastic program for teachers, police officers, firefighters, and EMT's in
Michigan that gives them a 50% discount on a HUD home. There are
homes waiting for a buyer to occupy them and rehab them. Via Terry+Bonnie Westbrook Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Forest Hills MI Real Estate (Westbrook Realty Broker-Owner):
HUD Good Neighbor Next Door Home Sales Program
This HUD program is available to a select group:
- Law enforcement officers
- Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers
- Firefighters
- Emergency medical technicians
These buyers are offered a discount of 50% from the list price of a HUD home.
The buyer must remain in the home for 36 months and be your sole residence.
The program is being offered in certain areas, revitalization areas, are listed
only for sales through the Good Neighbor Next Door Sales program for purchase
through the program for five days.
HUD requires that you sign a second mortgage and note for the discount amount.
No interest or payments are required on this "silent second" provided that you
fulfill the three-year occupancy requirement.
The number of properties available is limited and the list of available properties
changes weekly. To learn more, go to Good Neighbor Next Door.
Originally published at Grand Rapids Real Estate Blog
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The authors of the this blog write about Grand Rapids Real Estate,
the Greater Grand Rapids MI area, and what it is like to live in
West Michigan. We believe: Grand Rapids is a Great Place to Live!
  
Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids MI Real Estate
Contact Terry 616-292-7263
OUR FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM
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Waiting for spring might be a big mistake this year. We are seeing great activity NOW
and prices are not rising appreciably. Inventories are fairly low until spring, so if you
are considering selling your home, now is the best time. Via Terry+Bonnie Westbrook Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Forest Hills MI Real Estate (Westbrook Realty Broker-Owner):
Real Estate Myth #7: Waiting for Spring to Sell Your Home Will Get You More Money
The old adage that told sellers to wait until the improved spring market
to put their home up for sale is just that – an old saw. And not true today.
Buyers tend to favor the spring and early summer market to move but this time
around, it could be costly for both buyers and sellers.
If you haven’t been following real estate news, yes, I know, it starts
to become blah, blah, blah, after awhile; then you might be unaware of the
shadow inventory. All the experts agree, this 4 million+ housing inventory
of foreclosed and about-to-be foreclosed homes is weighing the market down
right now—and we have 45 more months of inventory to work through.
Continue reading......
_____________________________________________
The authors of the this blog write about Grand Rapids Real Estate,
the Greater Grand Rapids MI area, and what it is like to live in
West Michigan. We believe: Grand Rapids is a Great Place to Live!
Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids MI Real Estate
Contact Terry 616-292-7263
OUR FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM
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Ada Township MI Parks Winter 2011-2012 Activities
Ice Rink at Leonard Field: An outdoor winter ice rink is set up
at Leonard Field and is available as weather allows. It is open to
the public for general use. Children need to be supervised by a guardian.
Cross Country Trails: Cross Country Ski trails are set up at Roselle Park
and available as weather allows. The trails start near the silos and extend
through the north section of the park. Trail maps are set up along the
route. Please do not walk on or allow dogs on the x-c ski tracks.
Walking & Bike Paths: Our bets attempts will be made to clear the snow
off the trails after each major snowfall. Note that conditions may remain
wet, icy and/or slippery throughout the winter.
At Roselle Park, only a section of the paved path will be plowed in the
winter to allow for x-c skiing in the north section. Sections of the
trails will be closed when flooded.
Ada Township Parks and Recreation Winter 2011-12 Programs
School districts continually play a large role in the home buying market.
Even if you dont' have school age children in your family, popular school districts
are always a good place to buy and sell real estate because demand creates
value.
Via Terry+Bonnie Westbrook Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Forest Hills MI Real Estate (Westbrook Realty Broker-Owner):
Forest Hills and East Grand Rapids Schools on AP District Honor Roll
East Grand Rapids and Forest Hills Public Schools merited placement on
College Board’s second annual report. This report names schools that have
had significant gains in advanced placement access and student performance.
Nationwide, only 367 public schools were on the list this year. To earn a
place, schools must increase the student count enrolled in advance placement
coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students
earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.
Since 2009, East Grand Rapids High School has increased their student
participation in AP classes from 183 to 257, offering 13 different AP classes
to high school students. Forest Hills District increased their number of students
from 630 in 2009, to 774 in 2011.
East Grand Rapids Photos
Forest Hills Schools Photos
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The authors of the this blog write about Grand Rapids Real Estate,
the Greater Grand Rapids MI area, and what it is like to live in
West Michigan. We believe: Grand Rapids is a Great Place to Live!
Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids MI Real Estate
Contact Terry 616-292-7263
OUR FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM
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Roselle Park is one of the largest parks in Kent County, popular for dog walking, nature trails, and scenic views of the Grand River. With over 200 acres of protected wetlands, Michigan wildlife abounds here, close to Ada and its environs.
Via Terry+Bonnie Westbrook Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Forest Hills MI Real Estate (Westbrook Realty Broker-Owner):
Roselle Park Improvement Plans Announced
Future improvements to the popular Roselle Park in Ada Township
have been set. The Master Plan calls for a new main entrance,
a Resource Center that will hold 75 people for meetings, a kitchen,
a veranda, restrooms, and adjacent parking. Trails and boardwalk
would be extended into the park from this new building near the
new entrance across from Michigan Street. Additional future
enhancements will be an Adventure Playground and a Picnic Area
for large groups.
Most of these future improvements are waiting for funding through
grants, memorial gifts, and donations by local individuals and service
groups. If you are interested in donating funds, a tree or bench in
memorandum, contact Mark Fitzpatrick, Ada Director of Parks at
616-676-9520 or email him at mfitzpatrick@adatownshipmi.com.
Roselle Park Photos
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The authors of the this blog write about Grand Rapids Real Estate,
the Greater Grand Rapids MI area, and what it is like to live in
West Michigan. We believe: Grand Rapids is a Great Place to Live!
Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids MI Real Estate
Contact Terry 616-292-7263
OUR FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM
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We have this black algae problem on our roof, not serious but unsightly.
It never occurred to me that there was a simple remedy like zinc strips.
Thanks for sharing this information Rueben. We will keep this in our
arsenal of advice for homeowners. Via Minneapolis Home Inspections - Reuben Saltzman (Structure Tech Home Inspections):
While black stains on roofs are a cosmetic issue, moss growth is more than just cosmetic. Not only does moss look terrible on roofs, it will also shorten the life of the roof covering and possibly lead to roof leaks. Whether you have wood or asphalt shingles, moss can grow on the roof if it doesn't dry properly.
As with black algae stains, the most common place for moss to grow is on the north side of the roof, but if there are enough overhanging trees or other forms of shade, moss can really grow anywhere. If you want to kill the moss, follow the link above that explains how to remove black roof stains; the process is the same for killing moss. The results certainly won't be as immediate, but it's effective. Today, the focus is on what you can do to prevent moss growth on your roof.
Have you ever noticed that moss and black stains don't appear on roofs underneath the areas with galvanized metal?
The roof stays minty fresh zincy fresh below the vents because every time it rains, a small bit of zinc gets washed off the metal, which runs down the roof and kills whatever is growing on the shingles - whether it's moss, algae, lichens... whatever. If this is so effective, doesn't it stand to reason that you could install strips of zinc along the top of the roof, and have them protect everything? Of course. You can actually buy rolls of zinc made just for this purpose. The 50' roll of zinc pictured below was about $25 at Home Depot.
The zinc is supposed to be installed at the ridges of the roof, or along the hips as needed to make sure that the rainwater washes zinc down the roof.
I've heard many roofers say that these zinc strips are worthless and ineffective, so I decided to conduct my own semi-long term test. For my experiment, I installed a zinc strip along the ridge of a moss-covered garage roof approximately sixteen months ago. I didn't do anything else to this roof - no scrubbing, no chemicals, no nothing. The before and after photos are shown below, and I think the results are pretty conclusive - zinc strips are effective at killing moss.
Before
After
That's a pretty dramatic difference, isn't it? I cleaned up the roof a bit before taking the second photo by using a leaf blower, but that was all. Remember, I applied that zinc strip to a roof covered in moss just to see what would happen; zinc strips aren't supposed to be used as a moss remover, they're supposed to be used as a moss preventer. If you're not in any hurry, they'll apparently remove moss too though.
As they say, individual results may vary. Zinc strips might not work for every application, but they're not terribly expensive, and they're not difficult for a roofer to install. If you have an existing roof with a moss problem, try zinc strips. Copper strips are supposed to work the same way.
Zinc strips are also supposed to be effective at preventing black stains from showing up on the roof. I'm starting a long-term experiment on my own house; I'll report back with the results in a couple years.
Stay tuned 
Forest Hills Michigan Top Best Buy Waterfront Homes Oct 2011
Waterfront homes are in high demand in all areas and in all localities,
proving the old adage: the 3 best things to consider when purchasing
a property are: Location, location, location. West Michigan is very
fortunate to have many lakes and rivers that make wonderful
year round homes on the waterfront a viable option.
We have included a list of 22 homes in Forest Hills Schools Kent County Michigan
under $500,000 with private water frontage. Autumn is a great time to purchase
a waterfront home. The market slows down when winter approaches and sellers
might consider an offer very seriously.
Address Price
6588 Tanglewood SE $ 170,000
2780 Thornapple River Dr $ 179,000
2693 Thornapple River Dr $ 179,900
4007 Clearview NE $ 197,500
1891 Laraway Lake Dr SE $ 199,900
2900 Woodridge Cir NE $ 229,900
2902 Woodridge Cir $ 229,900
3059 Thorncrest Dr SE $ 249,750
6995 Burger Dr SE $ 249,900
4131 Clearview St NE $ 264,900
762 Mooring Dr SE $ 274,900
2909 Cascade Springs SE $ 299,000
1172 Dogwood Meadows Dr $ 329,900
7600 Leonard St NE $ 375,000
1855 Forest Shores Dr SE $ 389,900
3010 Thornapple River Dr $ 399,000
4651 Little Harbor Dr SE $ 409,900
3704 Monarch Dr NE $ 420,000
4555 Little Harbor Dr SE $ 449,500
7278 Cascade Rd SE $ 469,000
4567 Little Harbor Dr SE $ 499,000
7500 Alska Ridge SE $ 499,900
If you would like to view a Forest Hills or other waterfront home,
give Terry a call or contact us through our website.
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Bonnie & Terry Westbrook Grand Rapids MI Real Estate
Ada,
MI
More about me…
Westbrook Realty
Address: Grand Rapids , MI, 49546
Office Phone: (888) 240-1968 x 0
Cell Phone: (616) 676-9141
Email Me
Real Estate, Home Staging Tips & Local Community Information in the Grand Rapids Area, including Ada, Cascade, Caledonia, East Grand Rapids, Rockford, Lowell,and Kentwood.
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