As many of you know, at this moment, my home is in Grand Haven along the Lakeshore in Michigan and I am madly in love with this quaint tourist area. So when a fabulous offer knocked on my door to return to the Lansing area and rejoin Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood as a team member with one of the areas Top Producers....the decision was not made until after much prayer and meditation.
At first I waited for the loud voice of guidance or better yet a letter from my higher power arriving in my mailbox ~ of course, neither happened. I now realize that decisions like this come on a whisper, doors just keep opening in the same direction, and the feeling of wholeness begins to wash over you while you sleep.
I am excited to say that I am returning to my "home" town of Lansing, Michigan. Happy to join my family at Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood and of course all my wonderful friends and clients in the area. Right now I am busy updating all my sites, marketing, etc to now reflect Mid Michigan, the area that has been home to me most of my life and where my Real Estate career began.
Still passionate about our Great Lakes, I will continue to be an advocate for these wonderful bodies of water. And this summer, when the desire hits to get my feet back into the sand, I am only a short drive away. I am very blessed to have two homes in the beautiful State of Michigan...One in Grand Haven and one in Lansing. Life is good.
One of the best past times in the summer is boating on Lake Michigan. I love to walk the Grand Haven Board Walk and watch all the boats going in & out of the channel. You can boat from Spring Lake into Lake Michigan for a day of leisurely sun and swimming. From there you can go down to Holland or Saugatuck and grab a nice lunch and then catch the gorgeous sun set on your way back to your boat slip in Grand Haven.
For some, their weekend cottage is actually a boat ~ whether it be a stunning yacht or that beautiful sailboat, most boaters work all week dreaming of the upcoming weekend of being on the water...sun on their back, warm breezes and mist spraying their hair ~ quenching their soul for the love of being "one" with the water.
I am most drawn to the large Clipper Sail Boats gracefully sailing along the horizon, filling me with a sense of romance with the water.
And the names....reading the names of boats is such fun. I do not own a boat, but have often thought about what I would name one if I did...maybe it would be called "Out On Showings".
Regardless of the kind or size of your boat, there seems to be a huge camaraderie amongst boaters. They laugh together, dine together, and have a deep shared love for playing on the water.
Below are links to some of the Grand Haven area Marina's.
Well, I lived through the organization of the Card Board Sled race in Grand Haven to tell about it. My first year doing the event was quit the learning experience for me. I never dreamed so many people would come out and join in the day's fun activities. We had over 130 sleds register for the race (with 1-10 people per sled) plus all the friends and family to cheer everyone on! It was a great, great day!! Lots of snow. Lots of sleds. Lots of wipe outs.
Thanks to WZZM13 we now have this fun video showing some of the high lights of this Winterfest event. Click below to view.
Harbour Front Condo's in Grand Haven, Michigan are located in the old Story & Clark Piano Factory in the heart of downtown Grand Haven with beautiful views of the harbor, marina and a nice walk on the boardwalk to the lighthouse and beach.
The Story & Clark Piano factory was built in the early 1900's with manufacturing through 1984. After the manufacturing of piano's ended, renovations began to turn this factory into over 60 Condo's complete with a resturant and shops. The original floors and brick walls are found through out this building and many of the condo owners have also kept the flavor of the original architecture, making this a true gem. Each condo is unique. You can find studio condo's perfect for that weekend get-away to 3 story condo's, complete with dumbbell waiters to bring up your groceries from the lower level parking. Prices vary as each condo is so unique. Ranges any where from $159,00 to $795,00. Contact me for information on the Condo's currently for sale.
For many of the Condo's the elevator in Harbour-Front allows you to go directly from the comfort of your home to dinner at Porto Bella Italian Restaurant, grab a coffee and morning newspaper at the Coffee Grounds, or shop in one of the fabulous boutiques without going outside. High ceilings, brick walls, beautiful wood floors, location...this is truly one of Grand Haven's finest historic buildings.
Looking to buy or sell a home in the West MichiganLakeshore communities? One the best places to live and vacation! Call me today.
I guess we won't need to have the snow brought in for this weekends snow events in Grand Haven~ Winterfest 2008. The local news said tonight that we have a total of 19 inches right now and more to come. So all you card board sled competitors...get building those sleds!
The race begins this Saturday Jan 26th at 11am at Mulligans Hollow. Registration begins at 10am. All entrants must wear protective head gear. Call me for the general rules if you are interested in joining the fun. There will be prizes for Best Wipe Out, Best Use of Cardboard, Most Creative, etc.
Let the race begin!!!!
(even our local Coast Guard joins in the fun! What a sled guys!)
Grand Haven Michigan is often referred to as "The US Coast Guard City" and has celebrated the Coast Guard for 83 years with a festival, which today has become a week long event each summer.. This years event runs from July 23 - August 3, 2008. (I will post more details later) The Coast Guard festival is one of the largest festivals in Western Michigan, attracting more than 300,000 visitors. The community has also created a National Memorial Service during the week ~ giving honor to those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Grand Haven residents are proud! Proud to be part of the lives of our Coast Guard families living here along the Lake Shore.
The Grand Haven Coast Guard sits on the Grand River with a beautiful view of the light house and Lake Michigan. http://www.uscg.mil/d9/grugh/
There is no place better to be part of the Coast Guard family than in beautiful Grand Haven, Michigan.
For information on buying or selling a home in Grand Haven ~ call me today! I would be proud to be part of this exciting time in your life.
We have all seen those homes where every room is wall papered. I had a buyer once looking at a very high end home and did not purchase it due to the work entailed in removing all the wall paper in the house!
I am sure the seller did not remove it for the same reason. HARD WORK! But wall paper usually does not sell, unless it is current with today's trends.
I have heard of an easy way to get this job done. Fabric softener. I personally have not tried it, but have heard from a few different people that this works so well. You just wet a sponge in liquid fabric softener and soak the wall of wall paper. "They say" it peels right off.
Has anyone else tried this or another technique with any success?
My town of Grand Haven is a very tourist community. With that comes a lot of rental cottages around town. A lot of the people are able to get what we call a "Winter Renter" for the months of Sept-May and then rent weekly in the summer tourism months. It is a great investment. If you are well informed.
I met a woman who purchased a cottage style home and it was licensed as a rental. It was in an area that the tourist love....walking distance to downtown, the pier, boardwalk, parks and Lake Michigan. She assumed that she would rent it out in the winter months and then do the weekly rentals all summer long. After she began renting weekly, the City contacted her and told her that this home was not zoned for "Seasonal Rentals" and that she would need to cease all weekly rentals immediately. You can imagine her shock and disbelief. She purchase this as an investment property only to find out that there are two types of Licensed Rentals in the area. Also, the zoning areas had changed for the "Seasonal Rentals" due to many of the areas being high residential and the folks living in those areas did not want it to become Party Central during the summer months.
She assumed and her realtor either did not know the zoning guidelines or just did'nt speak up at the time of purchase. She was given the Rental License at the time of closing, but it was not for the type of renting she intended to do. Now she owns an investment property that she never would of purchased if given the correct information.
The moral to this story is....KNOW your zoning. Especially in a resort town where a lot of people like to invest in rental properties. Just because it looks like a great location for rentals...does not mean that it can be used as such. Zoning changes. You need to keep well informed if you sell to investors!
Looking for something fun to do with the entire family?
Well, break out of the house and join us for Winterfest 2008 in Grand Haven, Michigan. An entire weekend beginning on January 24th through the 27th packed full of fun crazy winter actives.
Human Dog Sled Race
Polar Ice Cap Golf Tournament
Cardboard Sled Race
Ice Sculpting
Luau Extravaganza ~ yes, a Luau in the middle of winter! Complete with Conga lines, palm trees, tropical beverages and music!
Dollar family ski and board
Prizes
and more......
So, grab your gloves and boots and join us for an entire weekend of FUN!!
Do you live or vacation around the Great Lakes of Michigan? If so, you know the beauty and most likely have a strong love for these bodies of water. Breathtaking year around, the Great Lakes are one of the worlds largest resources of natural water. But they need help. From you. Your friends, family. From me. I find the people not involved in saving these pristine bodies of water, want to...but just don't know what to do or where to go.
There are many great organizations that you can contact with.
I am involved with Alliance For The Great Lakes ~ http://www.greatlakes.org/ They have two headquarters, one in Chicago and one in Grand Haven, Michigan. If you check out their web site you will find publications, special reports and more. If you want to get involved you can become a member and/or:
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
I am madly in love with this quaint tourist area. So when a fabulous offer knocked on my door to return to the Lansing area and rejoin Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood as a team member with one of the areas Top Producers....the decision was not made until after much prayer and meditation. 
mailbox ~ of course, neither happened. I now realize that decisions like this come on a whisper, doors just keep opening in the same direction, and the feeling of wholeness begins to wash over you while you sleep. 
a sense of romance with the water. 
Below are links to some of the Grand Haven area Marina's.
llow. Registration begins at 10am. All entrants must wear protective head gear. Call me for the general rules if you are interested in joining the fun. There will be prizes for Best Wipe Out, Best Use of Cardboard, Most Creative, etc. 
Grand Haven residents are proud! Proud to be part of the lives of our Coast Guard families living here along the Lake Shore. 
;)
;)
