Awards Week

In the spirit of Awards Week, in which we have last night’s Grammys as well as the Jammies hosted by WYCE in Grand Rapids this Friday, Trulia decided to recognize me with a badge that places me, Pete Bruinsma, among the top 1% of Realtors.

In the Realty business, we take what we can get–certificates, designations, badges, plaques, trophies, star ratings, reviews, Christmas cards–So in the spirit of Awards Week, I humbly submit my award to you all, and send my congratulations to all other award winners.

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2014 Residential Avg Sale Price finishes at 2006 level in Grand Rapids Michigan

According to GRAR stats, the 7% rise in average home sale price in 2014 brought us right back up to the average sale price we were experiencing before 2007. Congrats Grand Rapids, Michigan we made it through to the other side!

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Foreclosure Search

Currently 90 bank-owned properties for sale in Greater Grand Rapids. Simply click “Foreclosure Search” to the left for a full list.

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Grand Rapids MI Only Midwest Metro in Top 25 Best-Performing Cities

Grand Rapids Michigan moved up on the list of Best-Performing Cities this year from #48 to #25, becoming the only Midwest metro on the list. Other Cities in the top 25 include San Francisco (#1), Austin (#2), Denver & Boulder (#13 & 14), Portland (#16), San Diego (#22) and Charlotte (#23).

The Milken Institute is “a nonprofit, nonparitsan economic think tank” that “works to improve lives around the world by advancing innovative economic and policy solutions that create jobs, widen access to capital, and enhance health.”

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT

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“GRAND RAPIDS–WYOMING, MICHIGAN, vaulted 23 places to 25th place, becoming the only Midwest metro in our Top 25. Strong job growth, which was 7 percent above the national average in 2012-13, coupled with recent wage growth contributed to the metro’s improved showing.

“Building on the existing manufacturing base, jobs are beginning to return to the Grand Rapids-Wyoming metro after a sharp drop in employment during the recession. The metro lost more than 10,000 manufacturing positions between 2008 and 2009, and was still slightly below 2008 levels of sector employment in 2013. However, the machinery manufacturing sector added 1,291 jobs between 2008 and 2013, with half of those jobs added in 2013. The fabricated-metal manufacturing sector also added jobs–637 in 2013–and this recent momentum is creating a sense of optimism.

“Firstronics, which provides electronics manufacturing services and focuses on contract medical-device manufacturing, announced in late 2013 that it would add 110 jobs and committed to a $2.45-million expansion in Grand Rapids.”

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Downtown Grand Rapids is booming

Report indicates robust growth across almost all sectors.

full article

According to a new report, “repurposed buildings and revitalization of downtown drive growth with 84.4 percent occupancy.”

“Looking ahead, we anticipate development projects surfacing in high-visibility corridors such as ‘The Gateway’ on Belknap Hill and New Holland Brewing on the west side.”

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Household Net Worth of Homeowners vs Renters

I sat in on a two hour talk with Lawrence Yun the other week, and it was great. One of the things he brought up that really stuck is how directly home ownership can affect a family or individual’s net worth. Here’s an illustration of the results of the government survey he quoted:

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In the short term, it may or may not be considerably easier to lease. But, investment in a home can absolutely help out in the long term, as a homeowner pays down the balance and achieves more and more equity. This is one major reason why the federal government offers so many incentives for first time buyers:

Let FHA Loans Help You
MSHDA Downpayment Fairy
Fannie Mae FIRST LOOK listings
(only available to owner occupants)

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Search by Neighborhood with One Click!

New Custom Feature Added
Search by Neighborhood with one click! You’ve got to try this! 12 Active Hoods, more coming soon. Simply click the “Neighborhood Search” tab on the left.

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Fast Company Site Deems Art Prize “The IRL Reddit of Art”

A well-written and interesting take on Grand Rapids’ Art Prize competition, its origins and intentions, and how they have been fulfilled.

Original Article from Fast Company.

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Excerpt:
…in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a disruptive art competition called ArtPrize is turning the system upside down by making the art world more like the Internet. Downtown Grand Rapids doesn’t look anything like other capitals of the art world. Apart from the Grand Rapids Art Museum and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, it is notably devoid of galleries. But for 19 days each September and October, the city becomes an open-air art extravaganza. I spent three days in Grand Rapids during this year’sArtPrize, and it was pretty much impossible to walk a city block without seeing a painting, sculpture, or installation. All of this happens without with the curators, collectors, PR people, and galleries that turn the wheels and pull the levers (and strings) of the traditional art world. Instead, it relies on the anarchic equilibrium that defines the open communities of the Internet. Welcome to the Reddit of the art world.

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Forbes Ranks Grand Rapids as #3 Fastest Growing Job Market

Link to Full Article

excerpt: To compile our list, we sought to measure the robustness of American metro areas’ growth both recently and over time. We looked at all of the metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports monthly employment data. They are derived from three-month rolling averages of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics “state and area” unadjusted employment data reported from November 2002 to January 2014…

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Cool site documents mid-century homes in East Grand Rapids and surrounding area

Mid-Century Michigan is a project documenting mid-century modern homes in East Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas.

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