A little hideaway on Lake Miramichi in Mid-Michigan only 94,900 - 06/28/08 09:55 PM
 
 It is hard to imagine you can buy a two bedroom home with 2.5 stall garage with 3 lots and have a 200+ acre record setting fishing lake just steps from your door.
This is a completely updated home inside and out.  Look at the virtual tour and see the inside...OK you are skeptical here is a photo of the large kitchen.  This home has an open floor plan and is ready to move-in. 
Notice the slider off the kitchen to the deck?  Wildlife is just out the back door and state land is close for deer hunting.  But the summer … (3 comments)

Cedar Springs has an affordable walkout ranch with 24'x36" additional gararge - 06/28/08 09:30 PM
 
 This is one of those hidden gems.  It has vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, oak trim, finished basement and much more.  This is like new...squeaky clean inside and has some real innovations.  You have the option of a main floor office or den. Two full baths 3 bedrooms on the main floor and a custom third bedroom on the walkout level.
Take a minute and view the virtual tour...be careful you might end up moving!  This home has professional landscaping all around the home and yard.  Come see for yourself with a personal tour.
Click on the link below to view … (4 comments)

Cedar Springs Michigan walkout ranch with 5 bedrooms of luxury - 06/28/08 09:16 PM
Ever dream of living in the the country without being in the country?  This beautiful 5 bedroom home comes complete with an additional 24'x36' finished second garage.
It has magnificent finished oak trim and appointed with 3 walkin closets, 4.5 bathrooms with a walkout lower level and an entertainment sized deck.  Check out the virtual tour and see for yourself.  The home sits on an acre lot back up to woods.  It has professional landscaping and underground sprinkling to keep it looking lush.  Click the link below to see the virtual tour...it is worth your time if you are looking for … (3 comments)

Home bargain in Comstock Park Michigan...this little gem is priced right! - 06/28/08 08:45 PM
Some times you get a listing that should have sold and just didn't.  Well this one isn't the one!   I just listed this home a few days ago and it is in an upscale neighborhood of executive homes.  It has lots of features and one key benefit...you will earn equity by the thousands within a year or two when the market turns.  It is under priced right now but in the short future is will be looked back on as a real steal!
http://www.flexitrealty.com/Listing/VirtualTour.ashx?listingid=1822664
Check out the virtual tour and see for yourself the features this home offers for $189,900 it should be … (0 comments)

The $800,000 house for $599,900 looking for an executive home bargain? - 06/28/08 08:13 PM
This is one of those homes that is a pleasue to show...it is unique and offer some rare feature that an executive would be thrilled to have.  This home is meant for entertaining!  Sitting on 2.2 acres or privacy out your back door with wildlife just as close.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Check out the virtual tour...this will give you an idea of what you can get for $600,000 in todays market.  It is worth the trip to see the tour.  If you have a buyer relocating to the Grand Rapids Michigan area this should … (5 comments)

The economy hurts everyones budget, help for struggling families to extend their budgets - 06/28/08 04:46 PM
This economy has affected the young and old alike.   I just spoke with one of my elderly clients and her heat budget is going to double this next winter.  She is fine but the neighbor...a working executive had his double too and now they are looking at a year round heat budget of $243.00 per month for 11 months.
The gas crisis affect everything because of our delivery system is based on trucking.  So if the cost of our delivery system rise so does everything that the system carries.  This isn't just the finished goods that we consume...the raw material before … (0 comments)

Money Magazine lists the top 10 cities for positive equity growth. - 06/21/08 02:08 PM
I am happy to not that one of the top 10 cities Money Magazine reported that should see positive growth is Grand Rapids Michigan.
I dashed out and purchased the magazine just for that reason alone.  It is something to crow about...but as a Realtor...last month 46% of the sales reported by our board were either short sales or foreclosures.
We have a huge spurt in medical staff requirements, this is a major factor in the expected growth.  One of the bright spots in the State of Michigan.
For many that are unfamiliar with Michigan....Grand Rapids Michigan is the second largest … (7 comments)

Is gas prices changing your business? Do you still have a budget? - 06/21/08 01:20 PM
The Washington post published a great cartoon...I shows a member (won't mention the party) hitch hiking with his limo parked in front of a gas pump.  The brand of the gas ANWR...think about that one.  The best part of the cartoon...the saying on the side of the senators briefcase....energy policy!
Yeah, like we have an energy policy. 
 I have written a few posts concerning energy.  I guess the reason I have posted on this subject so much is...everyone is affected by it.  Our cost of goods being delivered..think of the cost to run a semi down the road.  In our state … (5 comments)

Looking for a deal or a steal, real value may be in the home you passed for a bargain! - 06/19/08 06:32 PM
Knowing the numbers is one of the key factors to pricing and selling.  Marketing properties is more about the numbers.  For example we have over 2500 homes listed as short sales.  The number of homes that are listed as Foreclosures is over double that number, so whats in the numbers?
Do you know how many homes are priced to compete against your home?  How do you decide which homes are comparable to your listing?  Do you reach out for a few mile or many miles for price comparisons?  What about those foreclosures do they count...or is that Short Sale priced home in … (9 comments)

My advertising is working! - 06/18/08 07:03 PM
Well I wanted to pursue more buyers...my advertising is working...now I have to figure out how to give buyers some logic lessons!
I don't usually think badly or even second guess clients.  I take them as they come.  I offer a very detailed outline for a needs and wants list to help narrow what I am doing.  This certainly helps me but offers the client what they want to see when home hunting.
Today I get a call from one of my cable spot ads.  The male voice on the other end of the phone says..."Yeah, I want a home that is … (21 comments)

Are you kicking your gas guzzler to the curb or hanging on for comfort and safety? - 06/15/08 11:20 AM
It has been reported as the gas prices soar past the $4.00 a gallon mark people are trading those SUV's in for the more economical cousins that sip gas and offer modest creature comforts.
Today we are seeing more people shopping on line, looking for homes on line, dumping the toys that suck gas and looking for alternative sources of entertainment.
The used car lots are filling up with SUV's and if you thought gas is high now wait.  Many feel that when they trades happen...people will feel like they can go farther on that tank so they will go right … (20 comments)

Are you going to seize the summer breeze or fizzle? - 06/14/08 08:36 PM
Right now is the time to decide how you are going to enjoy the summer.  Is your summer going to be full of new listing and closing sales or is it going to fizzle?
All I can say is I am busy and no end in sight.  This may be due to the fact that I have adjusted to the market.  I also am not going after many listings they are coming to me just as fast as I can write them.  Why?
Some of it has to do with the marketing programs, some has to do with other Realtors not … (5 comments)

Searching for the impossible? - 06/14/08 08:12 PM
I have found that many times buyers will expect a miracle and get it!
This market has changed how we do business.  It has changed how we view buyer requests too.  Only a few years ago if a buyer said I want a nice home in a nice neighborhood with a three stall garage and a large yard we would have smiled......until they said, "we want to buy it for $40,000.00 under the other homes in the neighborhood".
Then the smile would have turned into a big laugh and your response would have been....sure and people in "Hell" want ice water!  … (8 comments)

Who's idea was it to put the well under the house? - 06/14/08 07:15 PM
I am listing a home and in Michigan you can not convey a home that has a well that is not to code.  OK there are certain case where you can...but try to sell it to John Q Public and the answer will be no...replace the well.
How does this happen?  Simple or maybe not so simple...if a well is drilled and then a concrete slab is poured over the area where the well is drilled with the stub sticking up and the well capped you no longer can get a well driller to pull the well point.  Why because the modular, … (10 comments)

A Father's Day tribute to fathers never known or seen. - 06/14/08 06:38 PM
I have to say like every young boy I idealized my father.  I thought he was the best even when he wasn't, but I had him for many years.  Then in the late 50's my parent divorced and bitter exchanges by my parents changed my relationship with my father for life.  At his passing I had not seen him in over 30 years.
This is not about my relationship with my father or how life's journey can alter our relationships.  It is about father's who for one reason or another never knew their children.  They never had the opportunity, their lives … (7 comments)

Finding a niche that needs an itch! - 06/13/08 05:53 PM
Sometimes you find a niche that has been missed by your competitors or they simply never thought it existed.  This week I have been so busy with just that type of multiple clients.
You might find the same thing in your market.
We find many reasons to avoid cultural or ethnic clients because we do not understand their cultural methods.  Rather than offend them we are more likely to pass them off to another agent that can maybe speak to them in their native tongue or who shares their cultural background.  Matching clients and making sure who represents them to fit their needs better serves … (10 comments)

Going Ape is not for everybody! - 06/07/08 09:39 PM
I have a promotional program I use but it is not appropriate for every listing.  High end listings would not benefit from my promotional ape.
I know you wonder what the heck I am talking about.  We have all heard the jokes where does a 500lb. Gorilla sit....anywhere he wants...well my Gorilla is just about like that...he is 30 ft. tall!
I tried to put him up today but the wind was just to much!  He is a handful to set-up when the winds exceed 10 miles per hour.  I have used him very successfully in my advertising, brochures even as a publicity … (70 comments)

Do you know your sellers can really sell? - 06/07/08 07:40 PM
This is such a simple issue I am surprised it comes up as often as it does.  I always run a check on the property tax records to see who has title or deed and move forward accordingly with a listing.  I never take another step until this is done.
I have had three situations in a month where the seller's were not the sellers.  One where the sister actually owned a home the brother was living in...and the brother decided to sell the home.  The sister never lived in the home but anyway...he could not sell unless she signed the papers.  She … (4 comments)

 
White_gary3 Rainmaker_large

Gary White~Grand Rapids Home Selling Pro Call: 616-784-2360

Grand Rapids, MI

More about me…

Flexit Realty "Flexible Home Selling Solutions"

Address: Grand Rapids, MI, 49505

Office Phone: (800) 336-5124 x 0

Cell Phone: (616) 821-9375

Email Me

Grand Rapids Real Estate & West Michigan real estate markets, trends and issues discussed. Technical and personal thoughts pertaining to buying and selling real estate. How-to information, view 1000's of active listings. Go to our website for over 30 Free Reports that could save you thousands. For immediate service... Call: 616-784-2360 or Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com Flexit Realty® offers "Flexible Real Estate Home Selling Options"


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog