Top 3 Reasons to Have a Beer in Grand Rapids Tonight - 04/27/08 07:00 PM
Fact: Grand Rapids citizens like their beer. There are six flourishing micro-breweries/or brew pubs here.
Award winning brewers have come up with stouts and ales that discriminating beer drinkers will make a
pilgrimage to Grand Rapids to taste. No kidding, we had friends in from Cambridge MA last winter and
they had to go to Founders to get the Breakfast Stout. In fact, we had a Beer tasting Christmas Brunch
that was fantastic......... Then I took a nap.   
 
Founders Kentucky Breakfast Bourbon Aged Stout is touted as one of the best beers in Michigan
by RateBeer.com. Supporting our local economy … (17 comments)

Grand Rapids Michigan Area Real Estate Market ~ 1st Quarter 2008 Report - 04/27/08 06:23 PM
In researching real estate comparisons of several areas around
the Grand Rapids housing market in 2007 and  2008,
I was looking for the trends we all watch:
Days on the market.                                                                                                       Average sales Price. Units sold. Cost Per Square Foot (Main floor square footage only) Comparison from 1st quarter 2007 to 1st quarter 2008.  
Some areas have had quite a change, others have not been affected
 by market conditions nearly as noticeably. 
 
School System        Units sold  Avg Sales Price   $per Sq/ft   DOM             
Grand Rapids Schools
2007                            410       $104,656             $77.23      100
2008                           423        $ 75,218             $54.53        96
 
Forest Hills Schools       
2007                          136        $259,484            … (6 comments)

Attorney General Clarifies Important Exemption to Michigan Transfer Tax - 04/23/08 01:17 PM
I sent three files in for review to my title officer today. The calls to the clients that they might get a refund
of the State Transfer tax was received with surprise and appreciation that I had gone to the trouble of
doing this after the sale was completed. Not all of the title companies are aware of this. You still need
to pay the transfer tax at close and then request the refund.
                                                                                                                
I hope you have some clients that might be able to take advantage of this law.
You get to be a valued business person and … (2 comments)

Roller Derby is Rockin' the House Saturday Night!! - 04/22/08 11:02 AM
 If you are wondering what to do on a Saturday night in Grand Rapids, I'd suggest coming to the
Roller Derby with us! I just got this update from the Roller Derby Gals and thought I would pass it
on to all of you. I have mentioned the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls before ( see links at bottom of article)
for an evening of unparalleled fun and flat track skating prowess, it doesn't get any better!
                                                    Hope to see you there!    
 
                            
  
… (11 comments)

May 1st deadline for Dual Principal Residence Exemptions in Michigan - 04/22/08 10:26 AM
In case you weren't aware, if you or a client have purchased another home in the State of Michigan,
and they are trying to sell their original residence, they may be able to claim homestead exemptions
on both properties for up to 3 years.  Please review the guidelines below and notify your sellers! 
I am taking my clients paperwork to the Grand Rapids Assessor personally this week to meet the
May 1 deadline.      It could save them thousands of dollars.
 

 
 
Principal Residence Exemption Forms Now Available- Must be Submitted to Assessors by May 1 
As a follow … (5 comments)

The Black Hat Realtor or The White Hat Realtor - 04/16/08 10:43 AM
You know the saying about good guys finishing last, well, I'm not so sure. This recent scenario is
 pretty typical of a dilemma the real estate agent faces every day.
 
I recently went on a listing appointment. It was a referral from a very happy past client, the home was
about 6 years old, professionally decorated and had many extras. A very nice house to have listed.
 EXCEPT...the seller didn't want to move right away, they wanted to list  this spring and move in
November.
 
                              
 
 
I did my CMA and told them their price would be around … (9 comments)

West Michigan Goes Hollywood !! - 04/13/08 10:33 AM
The enactment of the Michigan legislation to offer rebates and agressive tax incentives to movie
production companies in Michigan has prompted Tictock Studios, based in Holland, Michigan, to
 announce plans to operate a financing and production company with the ability to invest up to
 $20 million per project with most films coming in under $10 million. Their first film will be "Tug,"
which qualifies for the incentive programs and is set for production in early summer.
Tictock, which bills itself as the first Michigan-based studio, has acquired the ReddiWhip factory in
Holland and plans to renovate the 76,000-square-foot facility with … (4 comments)

Michigan Woos Movie Industry with Tax Breaks - 04/13/08 10:25 AM
The Los Angeles Times and Variety reported that the state of Michigan is offering 40% rebates
to movie studios to make their movies here now that Governor Granholm has signed pending
legislation into law this last week. 
 
Governor Granholm said Michigan's program is designed to increase the number of productions
filmed on location in Michigan, attract production facilities, grow industry activities that support
film production, create jobs, and train workers for those jobs.             
                                                                                                     
 She cited other states that have used incentives including
Louisiana, which has seen reported annual production rise
from $7 million to almost $350 million; Connecticut's
… (2 comments)

Grand Rapids Dream Home vs Grand Rapids Real Home - 04/10/08 07:19 PM
 Spring brings the urge to buy a new home or a bigger home. Lots of internet searches for the perfect
home are being done at midnight in the robe & slippers, here in Grand Rapids Michigan, as elsewhere
around the country.  The mortgage rates are low, the apartment idea was great but now some
may have decided they want a piece of the American Dream. They want their own garage,
their own deck and decorate with flamingos if they want.
 
Let's take a peek at that midnight computer search & see what the average consumer is searching for.   
    … (6 comments)

Caledonia Michigan 49316 Will Build Lot #7 Curley Trail SE ~WITHDRAWN - 04/09/08 11:49 AM
8420 Curley Trail SE Lot # 7 is the site for new construction of a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with lots of
extras. The builder proposes to use quality materials, such as 2 x 6 construction, Pella windows,
prewired for all communication needs, 9' to 12' walls on the main floor, and walk out lower level
can be completed to add 3 more bedrooms and a full bath for an additional 2200 finished square
footage. 
  Located in Troy Farms Site Condominium, South off 84th Street between Kraft and Patterson,
this ranch style home on a 1.08 acre site is … (4 comments)

Homebuyers: How to Avoid Paying Too Much ~ Part Four of Ten - 04/07/08 02:56 PM
                       HomeBuyers : How to Avoid Paying Too Much   Part Four of Ten
Homebuyers Series: Part One: Know what you are looking for  & Shop for a Mortgage
Homebuyers Series: Part Two: Make sure your Realtor knows what you are looking for and
                                             Location, Location, Location are covered in depth.
 Homebuyer Series Part Three: Narrowing your prospects, show interest in all homes &  don't
                                                           shop with your heart are covered in depth. 
 
Tip No. 9 - Don't ignore red flags when evaluating a home's pluses and minuses - When evaluating the
advantages  and drawbacks of a particular property, … (0 comments)

Remodeling Cost vs Value ~ Returns on Home Improvements - 04/02/08 06:14 PM
Is it economically wise to make major home improvements in this market or just sell and move up?
In the past few years, the former was true, with the value of homes increasing every year, it was smart
to stay and make major home improvements. Now with home prices falling in some areas, is it still a
wise decision?
Remodeling Magazine says returns on home remodeling has decreased from 2006 to 2007, but the
decline is slowing. Remodeling is still a good investment, with two-thirds of upscale and midrange
projects evaluated by their national study. The returns were 65 to … (8 comments)

Home Buyers: Avoid Paying too Much ~ Part Three of Ten - 04/02/08 04:43 PM
                             HOMEBUYERS: Avoid Paying Too Much for Your Next Home  ~ Part Three
 Homebuyers Series: Part One: Know what you are looking for before you start &  Shop for
                                                            a Mortgage
 Homebuyers Series: Part Two: Make sure your Realtor knows what you are looking for and Location,
                                                           Location, Location are covered in depth.
 
Tip No. 6 - Use your agent to narrow the prospect list. - A good agent brings to the table an in-depth
kowledge of the current houseing inventory in their area, and continually updates that knowledge by
 touring homes as they are … (2 comments)

Is Radon on your Radar in Grand Rapids Michigan ?? - 04/02/08 03:15 PM
If you are wondering what radon is, it is a odorless, colorless gas that is produced by the radioactive
decay of the element radium. Radioactive decay is a natural, spontaneous process in our atmosphere. 
Radon is measured at about 1 picocurie per million in the air we breathe and is no threat to us at that
level. The problem exists if you are in an enclosed space with little ventilation, such as your basement.
  According to the US Surgeon General's office, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in
the country.  A thorough explanation of radon is given at US Environmental Protection Agency. 
… (2 comments)

Grand Rapids Whitecaps Baseball = Family Fun - 04/02/08 02:53 PM
             We are very fortunate to have a Class A Baseball Team here in Grand Rapids Michigan,
called The Whitecaps.   The Whitecaps are affiliated with  the Detroit Tigers and play their home
games in beautiful Fifth Third Ball Park - 4500 West River Dr. Comstock Park. MI.
 Started in 1994, the Whitecaps belong to the 14 team Midwest League, otherwise known as 
the  Minor Leaques.  They play 70 home games and 70 road games each season. The Whitecaps
are a local favorite for family & youth entertainment and sports action.   The staff works very
hard to make it an enjoyable experience for all ages.   
                  … (0 comments)

 
Terry_bonnie_close_up_large Rainmaker_large

Terry+Bonnie Westbrook Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Forest Hills MI Real Estate

Grand Rapids, MI

More about me…

Westbrook Realty Broker-Owner

Address: 5673 Far Hill Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546

Office Phone: (888) 240-1968 x 0

Cell Phone: (616) 292-7263

Email Me



Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog