Reading at the Zoo Saturday, January 10th ?

Posted on January 8, 2009 by Terry & Bonnie

As bizarre as this sounds, that is exactly what is being promoted

by the Kent District Library’s One Book One County Reading

Program for Saturday, January 10th.

The book that will be chosen for this year’s program will be unveiled

at the John Ball Park Zoo’s Aquarium building at 11:00 am.

Besides announcing the new book for this year, the zoo staff will

give tours and presentations, and the zoo will be free from

11:00 until 2:00 pm for visitors.

Winter isn’t the usual time you think about going to the zoo, but

lots of animals are more active in the winter months, such as

the tigers, who have warm coats and like cooler weather.

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate

Beer Tasting Brunch for the Holidays

Posted on December 21, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

What do Breakfast Stout and Wild Blue have in common with Dogfish Brewery?

Breakfast Beer Brunch

They are all micro brews that are unique and great to serve with a breakfast

brunch. This is the second time we have hosted a “BEER TASTING

BRUNCH”. What a lot of fun. Now, I must say I am not a beer aficionado.

The cinnamon rolls would have more appeal for me but some of these

specialty brews are really unusual. One of my favs was the Wild Blue,

made with Michigan blueberries. I know it sounds strange but

it was really good! The Oatmeal Stout was hefty…..guaranteed to have you

napping on the couch by 2pm.

The original brunch was gobbled up fast, so I only have a still life photo to

represent our feast.

This is a great idea for a Holiday Brunch…the beer lovers will appreciate it.

And the non-beer lovers will get a chance to taste beers they

never would order at a pub.

Happy Solstice, Everyone!!

Bottoms UP!!

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Realty

Photo by Bonnie Westbrook

Should you Remodel Your Home or Move to…….??

Posted on December 15, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

The Question of the Day: Do we Remodel or Move??

Dreaming of a back yard deck addition? Should you spend the money to

add it on or should you sell and look for a home with a deck already added?

Maybe you could get that extra bath since your teenager is in the bathroom

most of time.

The Wall Street Journal advises in this article: Questions you should

ask yourself before you hire a contractor or call a realtor.

So many things enter into the decision.

Sometimes it just gets down to:

Do you like the home you are in well enough to invest money into it?

Even knowing you may never get the investment back. You will enjoy the

improvements (a new deck) and you really don’t want to move. Your kids

like the school system, you are close to your elderly parents, so many

reasons to consider before you decide to remodel or move.

In this economy many contractors are more than anxious to talk to you

about improvements and the cost to complete your dream project may

never be lower. With the combination of lower interest rates, contractors

that are willing to complete projects for bargain prices, and the current

market in your area, it may be your best option to stay and invest in your

current home.

If you are contemplating a remodel, I would be happy to give you my

opinion on the return of investment for your home. This is just another

option to consider in your decision. Please contact me directly.

Grand Rapids -Ada Real Estate – Five Star Real Estate

Rare Isotope Beam Lab Coming to MSU in West Michigan

Posted on December 15, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

The Dept of Energy announced Thursday that it has awarded Michigan

State University, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), a

large federally funded research lab that will create hundred of jobs and up

to a billion dollars for our local and state economy.

This building project will take about 10 years to complete. The lab will

eventually employ 1000 university and student researchers, graduate

students, and post doctoral associates from the international community.

The Facility for Rare Isotopoe Beams will also conduct research into the

origins of the earth’s elements and the development of the cosmos.

Michigan State University also is home to the National Superconductor and

Cyclotron Laboratory.

Congratulations to MSU for its award of this scientific facility, which

should bring a much needed boost to Michigan’s economy. Once this

sprawling facility is completed, the hundreds of scientists and skilled staff

needed to operate it will also bring intellectual wealth to our state.

If you aren’t a rocket scientist, you might like to check out the additional

information about rare isotope beams here: Office of Nuclear Physics

Grand Rapids Ada MI Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate

Nuclei chart from Dept of Energy web page

Foreclosure Help for Kent County MI Homeowners

Posted on December 4, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

Kent County Michigan has put together a response team to help individual

homeowners who find themselves facing foreclosure. This team has over

40 groups that are available through Foreclosure Response, including banks,

legal aid sources, housing and service agencies, city and county government,

and real estate professionals.

Home Repair Services serves a the central hub for information and

coordination of resources. They just hired their 5th counselor to help

people in Grand Rapids keep their homes. They have over 270 success

stories to date. An article in the Grand Rapids Press and an article in Good

Housekeeping’s Quick & Simple Magazine tell a few of their stories.

Home Repair Services fills a much needed role in our community. They offer

Financial Counseling classes, this month they start on Dec 10th. They

welcome donations of building materials, tools, volunteer your time, or

give financial aid. This great non-profit organization says a lot about our

community and the people who live here.

Grand Rapids Ada MI Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate

Realtor Magazine's Remodeling Cost vs Value Report 2008

Posted on December 4, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

The New Realtor Magazine is out and with it comes the annual

Cost vs Value Report.

One of the most common questions sellers and buyers ask me is:

“Should I remodel or add on to my house? Is it going to be money

I can recoup when I sell?”

This report gives an estimation of the return and an approximate cost

of several common remodels, additions and rehab projects in the home.

It is specific to different regions of the country.

COST vs VALUE

Since I am from Grand Rapids Michigan I have directed you to that page

but you can navigate to other areas of the country from there. I hope this

article is helpful in the decision making process if you are considering a

home remodel or addition.

As always feel free to call me about specific questions for our specific area.

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate

Wm Seidman Talk hosted by GVSU Alumni

Posted on December 2, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

We had an interesting start to our day. We had a sit down talk with William Seidman,

commentator for CNBC, former FDIC chairman, and Grand Rapids native son.

Well, we were sitting in the audience with about 200 other Grand Rapidians while Bill

told us how he believes we got into this financial crisis. He was scheduled to talk about

which candidate would be the best one for our financial times. With all that has

happened in the last few weeks, his advice was sage and to the point.

Check out their financial advisors.

Neither candidate is a businessman or financial expert, so they will be getting lots

of advice. Try to find out who is advising them and vote for the one whom you

considered to be well advised. He also said we are in uncharted waters with this

whole mess. It will take some original thinking to get us out. And we need to come

out of the “PANIC STAGE” we are in now.

We caught a few minutes of Bill’s Talk at the GVSU downtown campus that you can

see on this short video:

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate

Why Pricing Your Home is Soooo Crucial to Getting Top Dollar

Posted on December 2, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

When we sit down with potential clients to list their home, there are so many issues

and hot buttons to discuss. Inevitably we come to the one where we really have to

agree to get the home sold quickly and for the most money.

P-R-I-C-E

Most homeowners want to start high and then come down – if they have to – to sell.

Of course, they are hoping their home is an exception, it will sell for more than the

market value of all the other homes in the area. We see this over and over again.

If you don’t price your home within the price bracket it will eventually sell for, you

are hurting your chances of selling it for top dollar. If you price your home correctly,

You are not giving away money!!

I repeat, YOU ARE NOT GIVING AWAY MONEY.

This phantom money that you think you might get if the one person comes along

who will do anything, pay anything to own your “special” home does not exist.

Let me repeat that –

The uneducated buyer with money falling out of their pockets, sprinkled in fairy dust,

so you can make the money you would like to out of your home sale —–

DOES NOT EXIST!!!

You are not letting go of money, you are letting go of the dream scenario where you

get the price that is 25-30% over market value. We have seen literally thousands of

home sales and it just isn’t going to happen.

What will happen, is your home will be posted on the MLS, online, many places where

buyers can look at it. Buyers then compare your price to others, and say, why would

I buy this house?? There are 10-15 others I can look at that are competitively priced

and look great.

Then…. they are gone.

They don’t come back and revisit your home as an option. Other homes are new on

the market to consider. Your home has been rejected as: too expensive, too

much work, not what they are looking for.

Buyer Activity on Listed Homes

The charts above illustrate the buyer trends we tell our sellers about. These

charts of buyer activity are on actual listings that are currently listed by us.

You can see that the first month is usually the only month that gets

high traffic.

Some of our sellers will listen, most don’t.

Sadly, two, six, eight months later, we are still trying to get them to agree to

the price they should be listed at, if they want their home to sell. Chasing this

downward price spiral is not the best way to get top dollar from your home.

When it first hits the market it has the most exposure and best chance of getting

the best price!

Have questions about pricing your Grand Rapids home?

Contact me directly at 1-888-240-1968 ext 0

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate

December in Grand Rapids MI ~ Lots of White Stuff

Posted on December 1, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

It started before our family had dispersed yesterday.

It came down all night.

This is what we woke up to this morning.

The first big snow is always an event.

There will be snowmen, snowball fights, snow forts, lots of winter fun.

The first snow is still novel. Wish you could all be here to enjoy it with us.

Since that would be unlikely, we thought you might like a photo tour.

If you will notice the nicely shoveled driveway, it would be appreciated.

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate

Photos by Bonnie Westbrook

Robinette's Farm Market is a Fall Destination in Grand Rapids MI

Posted on November 22, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

Robinette’s Farm Market is a favorite Grand Rapids destination for families,

shoppers, sippers, pie aficionados, hay ride enthusiasts, and just plain folks.

We like to sample the wonderful home baked fruit pies, donuts,

bear claws, and other bakery goods. And of course, the fresh apple cider.

In fact, on weekends in season, you can see the old fashioned apple press

at work.

Located at the East Beltline at Four Mile Road in northeast Grand Rapids

Township, Robinette’s is a farm market that has diversified to anticipate

their customers needs.

Their newest venture in the big red barn is Robinette Cellars,a wine tasting

cellar, which they have added to their repertoire. They feature Michigan wines

and Cider, the typical red and white table wines, a hard cider, and cherry wine.

For the more adventurous, they also offer a sweet Pear Wine, Mirtillo Wine

made from Michigan blueberries, Cyser, a blend of apple & honey wine,

flavored with dates and raisins. MMMmmmm, that sounds good, not sure

I got to taste that one.

Robinette’s offers old fashioned hayrides on their wagons in the fall, they

have lots of pumpkins for holiday decorations, and of course, the apples,

cider, and all things made from them.

We stopped a few weeks ago and took a short video so you could see the

activity on a beautiful fall day. If you haven’t been to Robinette’s Farm

Market for awhile, you might consider a trip for lunch or a weekend drive.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8NU5KQc8hs&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate

No remuneration or compensation was given for this recommendation of

Robinettes’ Farm Market.

Grand Rapids Real Estate

Grand Rapids Real Estate Information

Category Archives: Grand Rapids Michigan information

Reading at the Zoo Saturday, January 10th ?

Beer Tasting Brunch for the Holidays

Should you Remodel Your Home or Move to…….??

The Question of the Day: Do we Remodel or Move??

Rare Isotope Beam Lab Coming to MSU in West Michigan

Foreclosure Help for Kent County MI Homeowners

Realtor Magazine's Remodeling Cost vs Value Report 2008

COST vs VALUE

Wm Seidman Talk hosted by GVSU Alumni

Check out their financial advisors.

Why Pricing Your Home is Soooo Crucial to Getting Top Dollar

P-R-I-C-E

I repeat, YOU ARE NOT GIVING AWAY MONEY.

DOES NOT EXIST!!!

Then…. they are gone.

December in Grand Rapids MI ~ Lots of White Stuff

Robinette's Farm Market is a Fall Destination in Grand Rapids MI