Are You are BIG enough to Get the Little Picture?

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Terry & Bonnie

Are you Big Enough to Get The Little Picture?

You might have to really look at this picture to see the details.

When I went to our local food store recently, I needed to to make a

necessary stop. When I saw the bathroom, I had to go to my car and get

get my camera to take this shot above. Our local grocery store is one of

the best I have ever been in. They listen to their customers and try to

make life easier and more convenient for them.

We (and everyone we know) love Forest Hills Foods. This is just one of a

dozen reasons. If you have little children, would they like to go to the

bathroom where they can have a stool and sink at their height?

Would it make it a fun experience for them? You bet!

Thanks again, Forest Hills Foods, for thinking about your customer’s

grocery store experience.

_____________________________________________

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. Grand Rapids Michigan is a vibrant, growing

metropolitan area with a diverse business community, great medical

research & services, numerous universities, plus lively arts and

entertainment of all kinds.

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

Forest Hills Schools Get A Face-Lift This Summer

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Terry & Bonnie

Six different schools in the Forest Hills Public School District are under

some kind of construction this summer.

Every school site will receive different combinations of security cameras,

roof repair/ replacement, parking lot resurfacing, and energy

conservation/sustainability improvements (window replacement,

lighting and mechanical system upgrades).

See details at Forest Hills District News Site

Some photos of the Construction Sites:

Warning - if you like hard hats, you will be in 7th heaven!

Ada Elementary School

Central Middle School

Forest Hills Central High School

School districts reflect the interest people have in their

community public education systems. Forest Hills Schools are

one of the best in our state in almost every category. New

school updates are one of the ways we try to keep you informed

on what is happening in the Forest Hills District.

Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Real Estate

Photos by Bonnie Westbrook

Forest Hills Michigan ~ Public Schools 2009 Update

Posted on May 6, 2009 by Terry & Bonnie

Forest Hills Michigan – Home to a Growing Public School District

We just received the Superintendant’s News Letter with all the Forest

Hills Public School news. Of course, there was talk of budget challenges

and difficult times. Even school districts that are well-funded, like Forest

Hills Public, are having budget issues because of state funding reductions.

Forest Hills is focused on student education, and is still reducing

administrative overhead. 76.7% of the school budget is spent on

classroom and instructional support.

2009 Forest Hills School News:

3 Teachers recognized on state & national levels for excellence
Conserved 1.9 million in reduced energy costs
ALL Forest Hills Schools receive Green Certificates
Received David D Smith Award for Environmental Stewardship
Growing enrollment while 80% of Michigan districts are declining
2007 Bond Issue allows investment in infrastructure
10,100+ students, 2nd in size in Kent County, 23rd largest in

Michigan, out of 552

2009 Student MEAP Scores Highest in Michigan

Grand Rapids Real Estate ~ Westbrook Realty

Watermark Country Club ~ Cascade Michigan ~ Pool Time!

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Terry & Bonnie

Watermark Country Club in Cascade Township has a wonderful pool facility.

We are not members but being members of the golf course we are allowed

to use the facility several times a year at a small charge.

Yesterday was POOL DAY!! Our grandson, Jeffy is up from Indianapolis for

his yearly “Grandparents Camp Week” with us. The pool is one of his favorite

places to go.

It was in the eighties and humid—perfect pool weather, even though the

clouds looked menacing. We had tried on Monday but got rained out before

we could get wet. The pool staff keeps a sharp eye on the weather and closes

the pool if a storm threatens. Watermark has lunch available poolside and

we had hamburgers and a hotdog to keep our energy up for the big day.

We took a couple of pictures, so you can see what a great place it is.

This is a shot of both pools, the adult pool with slide tower in back, and

the kid’s pool in front. There is a putting range behind the storage

building in the background for the kids to use.

The kids pool is THE MOST popular area – a small slide, 2 water shooting

animals to ride,and the dumping pails tower in the center make this fun

for big and little children.

The pool house has a men’s and women’s locker room with showers,

toilets and changing stations. An additional restroom is located close

to the pool. Grilled burgers and other lunch favorites are available until

the pool closes at 8 pm.

The sand box is a draw for big and little children. A small play structure, a

large play fort with slide, and a swing set are all set in this huge sand box.

Jeffy is on the right heading for the water spigot, he is excavating a water

trench with buckets and shovels.

That’s me taking a few swings at the driving range – just over the fence

from the pool.

The Watermark Residences

The Grille at Watermark

Watermark Country Club

If you would like further information about Forest Hills Homes, please

contact me directly: 1-888-240-1968

Terry@TerryWestbrook.com

Grand Rapids Michigan Real Estate – Westbrook Realty

Photos of Watermark pool area by Bonnie Westbrook

Grand Rapids MI Absorption Report Dec 2008 ~ Tamarron Estates in Cascade Township

Posted on December 22, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

Forest Hills Central HS Entrance

Tamarron Estates is an upscale suburban development with large

wooded lots, walking access to Thornapple Elementary School and

the Thornapple River Backwaters. It is located just off of

Thornapple River Drive and Cascade Road in Cascade Township.

The house styles vary from large, comfortable ranches, traditional

two stories, to contemporary homes. Many of the homes were built

in the late 1970’s to the mid 1980’s, though there is a new street

that has much newer homes on acreage settings. Some houses close

to and surrounding this development are in the upper price brackets

in the Grand Rapids real estate market.

Tamarron Residential Real Estate

December 2008 Market Report

5 Sold, 7 For Sale, 7 Expired

Tamarron Active Listings: 7

Tamarron Average Active Price – $ 500,329

Tamarron Average Active Price/SqFt – $ 137.25

Tamarron Average Active Days on Market – 138

Tamarron SOLD Listings: 5

Tamarron Average Sold Price – $ 339,480

Tamarron Average Active Price/SqFt – $ 98.11

Tamarron Average Sold Days on Market – 63

Tamarron Expired Listings: 7

Tamarron Average Expired Price – $ 265,629

Tamarron Average Expired Price/SqFt – $ 112.74

Tamarron Average Expired Days on Market – 124

234 homes have sold in Cascade Township in 2008

Average home selling price is $306,712

At the current selling rate, we have an Absorption rate of 16.8 months,

which means if no new listings come on the market, it will take 16.8 months

to clear the current supply of homes.

MARKET SYNOPSIS: Tamarron homes are selling but not at the prices that

some sellers would like to see. Today’s market is accepting homes under

$100.00 a sq ft. This is a price reduction for this area. As you can see,

most sellers think their homes will sell at $ 137 a sq ft. This isn’t happening.

Even the expired listings aren’t selling at $ 112.00 a sq ft. If you have to

sell your Tamarron Estates home now, be sure you are price competitively with

other properties on the market. Condition plays a large factor in these older

homes. If you haven’t updated, you aren’t going to get top dollar for your

home, the market place is telling you that you need to be at $ 100 a sq ft or

less to see your home sell.

Cascade Township has seen tremendous growth in the last fifty

years, though the growth rate has slowed considerably since 2000.

The majority (82%) live in a single family home, and the median

value is $220,00. Household incomes in Cascade Township are the

highest among surrounding Grand Rapids areas at $ 87,290. Most

people in Cascade Township prefer to live here because of the quality

housing, safe areas, and quality schools.

Tamarron Estates Market Report June 2008

Tamarron Estates Market Report July 2008

Tamarron Estates Market Report August 2008

Forest Hills Market Report Sept 2008

Tamarron Estates Market Report Oct 2008

Tamarron Estates Market Report Nov 2008

If you have questions about the value of your Cascade or Forest Hills

Home, please contact me directly.

Photo of Tamarron North Entrance by Bonnie Westbrook

Stone Falls of Ada ~ New Apartment Complex Update ~ Ada, Michigan

Posted on November 22, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

UPDATE: The Stone Falls of Ada Apartment complex has went up fast.

Our last post was in June. The units are up and some are occupied. Not

all units are completed yet. In the short video here, you can see the

approach to Stone Falls of Ada on Spaulding Ave and just how big this

complex is. There was a little excitement a few weeks ago when an empty

unit caught fire, the damage can be seen on our video tour.

I am leaving my original post, so you can the how fast the project has

went up.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5Ec-AribkY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]

Stone Falls of Ada Apartments

Original Post about Stone Falls of Ada:

A new 210 unit luxury apartment complex is taking shape in Ada, Michigan.

The new complex, named Stone Falls of Ada, is scheduled to be completed

in spring 2009. The Dayton Ohio based group that is constructing the

development, the Miller-Valentine Group,and their partners, Boston based

Cross Harbor Capital Partners LLC reports that the complex will have one,

two, and three bedroom apartments ranging in size from 856 square

feet to 1460 square feet. The location of the project is on the east side

of Spaulding Avenue just south of Fulton Street.

stone falls of ada mi

As you can see, construction is well under way. The buildings in the far

background are the Townhouses and condominiums of Clements Mill. This

part of the Clements Mill project was sold to be completed as apartment

dwellings. This is a fairly new feature in Ada Township.

Prior to this development 98 per cent of the homes in Ada Township were

single family residences. There are a lot of apartments in the Grand Rapids

area but very few in Ada. It will be interesting to see if Ada is attractive to

renters.

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Westbrook Realty

photo by Bonnie Westbrook

Real Estate Market Report – Ada, MI ~ Clements Mill ~ Nov 2008

Posted on November 22, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

Clements Mill is a newer home development built by Eastbrook

Construction in the Ada MI area, started in 1999 and completed in

2003. Apart from newer homes, part of the appeal is the proximity

of Forest Hills Central Middle and High Schools, Forest Hills

Woodlands 5/6 School, St Roberts & Ada Christian Schools, which

are within walking distance.

Clements Mill is midway between the Village of Ada and Forest Hills

shopping area at Cascade Road and Forest Hills.

Ada’s Clements Mill has seen steady to declining values in the short

time it has been built out. This is largely due to the current over

abundance of houses for sale in a soft resale market.

Clements Mill Real Estate

Market Report November 2008

21 Sold, 1 Pending, 5 For Sale, 8 Expired

Clements Mill Active Listings November 2008: 5

Average Active Price: $250,700

Average Active Price/SqFt: $118.14

Average Active Days on Market: 120

Clements Mill Sold Listings November 2008: 21

Average Sold Price: $276,223

Average Sold Price/SqFt: $123.39

Average Days on Market: 108

Clements Mill Expired Listings: 8

Average Expired Price: $269,275

Average Expired Price/SqFt: $ 130.94

Average Expired Days on Market: 152

Absorption Rate for Clements Mill homes is averaging 2 sold homes

per month for 2008 to date. With 5 current listings, there is a 2.5

month supply of homes on the market in Clements Mill, Ada MI.

Clements Mill Market Report Sept 2008

Clements Mill Market Report July 2008

Clements Mill Market Report June 2008

The Ada area growth trends remain strong. Ada Township planner,

Jim Ferro states that the Ada population has grown by 20% since

2000. There is a new proposed 80 condo units – Villas of Ada

and Stone Falls of Ada – a 210 unit apartment complex, currently

open & under construction here. The Stone Falls of Ada apartment project

is adjacent to Clements Mill. Both are scheduled for completion by

spring 2009.

If you have detailed questions about Ada Homes, Forest Hills Homes or

just need further information, please contact me directly at:

1-888-240-1968 ext 0

Grand Rapids Ada MI Real Estate Five Star Real Estate LLC

Ada Drive Walking Trail Photo by Bonnie Westbrook

Forest Hills Michigan ~ Real Estate Market Report ~ Nov 2008

Posted on November 17, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

Ada Cascade MI Real Estate is always active. These Grand Rapids suburban

communities have wonderful neighborhoods, some new and some older with

prestigious Forest Hills Public Schools, and private schools that attract many

homeowners.

This report will cover the July to Nov. 2008 real estate market activity.

Forest Hills Eastern High school Ada Township MI

Ada Cascade Listings over $300,000

There are 203 Active Ada Cascade Listings in the over $300,000 category with

an average price of $663,276. The Active Listings have been on the market

for an Average of 150 Days. The Average price per square foot of Active

Listings is $207.16 with a low price of $300,000 & a high price of $2,700,000.

There have been 68 Sold Ada Cascade Listings in the over $300,000 category

with an Average price of $550,287. The Average Sold price per square foot is

$ 184.86 with Average Days on the Market at 124. The lowest sold price is

$306,200 & the highest sold price is $1,500,000. There are 9 Pending

Ada Cascade Listings in this category.

forest hills mi market report 11-08

Ada Cascade Listings $100,000 to $300,000

There are 188 Ada Cascade Active Listings with an Average Price of

$205,252. The Average Active Price per Sq Ft is $121.37 and the

Average Active Days on the Market are 104. The High Active Price is

$300,000 and the Low Active Price is $104,900.

There have been 57 Sold Ada Cascade Listings in the last 4 months. The

Average Sold Price is $196,586 with the Average Sold Price per square foot

at $111.22. Average Sold Days on the Market is 96 Days. The high Sold

price is $290,000 & the low sold price is $104,500. There are 21 Pending

Sales in this category.

forest hills mi market report 11-08

Ada Cascade Market Report October 2008

Ada Cascade Market Report Sept 2008

If you would like specific information about an Ada Cascade MI Home,

please contact me directly.

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate Five Star Real Estate LLC

Photo of Forest Hills Eastern High School by Bonnie Westbrook

Forest Hills Michigan ~ Real Estate Market Report ~ Watermark Residences ~ October 2008

Posted on October 25, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

The Residences at Watermark are located on Watermark Golf Course just

south of Cascade Road. If you don’t like golf, get defensive when a stray

golf ball rolls into your “yard” you probably would be better off not buying

a home or condo at Watermark. Of course you would be missing out on the

best golf course in Grand Rapids (no prejudice here, just the facts, folks)

Yes, I play Watermark golf course every chance I get. Watermark is a premier

course with a friendly group of players. We have an excellent grounds staff

and a great pro shop staff.

Watermark single family homes and condos are a very attractive

place to live. Quality built homes with access off Cascade Road and

Spaulding Drive, you are close to the airport, 28th Street shopping,

I96 expressway and close to Cascade, Ada, and Forest Hills schools and

shopping areas.

Watermark Residences Entrance

Watermark Residences

October 2008 Real Estate Market Report

For Sale:

There are 8 active Watermark Homes currently on the market.

The average Watermark Homes current active price is $ 774,313.

The average Watermark Homes current price per sq ft is $ 226.06.

The average days on the market for active Watermark Homes is 73.

Sold:

There have been 5 Watermark Sold Homes this year.

The average Watermark Sold Homes price is $ 515,000.

The average Watermark Sold Homes price per sq ft is $200.16.

The average days on the market for Watermark Sold Homes is 68.

If you would like further information about Watermark Residences,

Cascade or Forest Hills Homes, please contact me directly.

Grand Rapids – Ada Real Estate – Five Star Real Estate

photo of Watermark Residences Entrance by Bonnie Westbrook

Custom Built Home in Forest Hills Michigan ~ Too Late Sold!!!

Posted on October 25, 2008 by Terry & Bonnie

Custom Built Home with Privacy in Forest Hills

Location: Stoneshire Estates

New in 2005, this 5 bedroom 4.5 bath home minutes from Forest Hills Central Middle and High Schools is just what you have been looking for in a home. A custom built quality constructed home with many extras, such as a 3+ stall garage, wonderful setting in Stoneshire Estates, professional landscaping, underground sprinkling, generously sized rooms throughout and tastefullly decorated. Large master suite with private wooded views, a den/ office, formal dining room, living room with soaring ceiling, and a Gathering room with large kitchen, eating area, and family room with fireplace are all on the main floor. Owners have added a fabulous maintenance free deck off the Gathering room for added entertaining space. The upper level has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a study area at the top of the stairs. The lower level has a bedroom and full bath finished. This walkout level has high ceilings, finished to drywall in some areas and open to finish as you desire. A total of 3629 finished square feet of executive style living with mature trees and private views on a dead end street.

Information

Contact Information

Terry Westbrook

1-888-240-1968×0

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Pricing

Price: $512,000.00

Property Location

5970 Stratford Glen Court SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
View Map

Links

Visual Tour

Features

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 4.5

Year Built: 2005

Subdivision: Stoneshire Estates

Lot Size: 119x292x110x268

Garage Size: 3+

School District: Forest Hills Public

Square Footage: 3629

Agent Name: Terry Westbrook

Broker: Five Star Real Estate

MLS #: 734699

Attributes

Appliances

Range/Oven

Full Refrigerator

Dishwasher

Sink Disposal

Microwave

Interior Amenities

Fireplace

Hardwood Floors

Kitchen Island

Vaulted Ceilings

Basement

Walkout Basement

Exterior Amenities

Grass Lawn

Fruit Trees

Maintenance free Deck

Professionally landscaped

Underground sprinkling

Front Porch

Photo Gallery

View as Slideshow View Photo Gallery (24 Photos)

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

VFLYER ID: 1970691

Grand Rapids Real Estate

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Tag Archives: Forest Hills MI