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[Sold] Centrally Located Historic Tudor $179,900

This wonderful Tudor-style Craftsman at 656 Lake Drive SE marks the entrance of Historic Fitch Place and Windsor Terrace, abutting Heritage Hill. This well-built grand three-story home features site-cut white oak flooring and trim throughout. The main living area has been opened up a bit to create a nice flow from kitchen to dining room to living room for entertaining guests. The luxurious double-sized second floor bedroom used to be two rooms. The third bedroom nestled into the third floor surrounded by a bonus workshop is also quite large and comfortable. Two off-street parking spots and a small garage are a rarity and a special advantage. The current owners will find the tight-knit neighborhood feel and the famed annual Halloween street party tough to leave behind.

 

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GR Forward Together

This new video features some familiar faces and places in Grand Rapids, produced by Artpeers, backed by the band Vox Vidorra.

“The new ‘GR Forward Together’ video is to remind us that it takes all of us to make Grand Rapids an equal and inclusive city…We live in a vibrant community; we need to make sure we focus on the positive aspects of our lifestyle. Is this the happy ending? Of course not. This is just the beginning of a larger, exciting and community-driven project that will benefit residents, businesses, and the youth on a long-term impact which will also need continuous improvement. The GR Forward Together video is to remind us that it takes all of us to make Grand Rapids an equal and inclusive city. Who wants to be part of it? You should!” – the Rapidian

Click here for full article here on The Rapidian.org

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New home for Kristi and Ernie

Congratulations Kristi and Ernie! Always a great decision to move close to downtown. Great working with you!

kristi ernie

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Downtown Grand Rapids: Art of the Collaborative City

video

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Will Downtown Grand Rapids get a Streetcar after all?

“The Rapid public-transit system is paying HDR Inc. $293,895 to refine the 2008 study, updating what an electric streetcar line would cost and how the money could come together. An advisory committee started meeting last month.

“‘We’re going to build on that (2008 study),’ said John Logie, a former Grand Rapids mayor who is chairman of the committee. ‘We think the timing is right. The economy is coming back.'”

streetcar

 

LINK TO FULL GR PRESS ARTICLE

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Grand Rapids Home Values Up 16 Percent After Healthy Spring Market

With the Spring Market well underway in Grand Rapids, its time to look back and see if the ecomonists favorable yet conservative predictions from 2012 have come true.  After the big and constant decline over the past few years, I’m happy to say that Real Estate is trending upward, probably faster than we were expecting.

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Comparing January-April 2012-2013, the numbers are looking great. Here are a few facts that point to a recovering market:

Heritage Hill & surrounding historic district, Grand Rapids:
In 2012, 42 homes in the surveyed downtown area were sold from the beginning of the year through April, as compared to 43 homes sold during that same period in 2013. The average sale price was $189,000 in 2012, and $215,000 in 2013. That is a healthy increase of around 14% from last year to this year.

Other neighborhoods of note:

Grand Rapids Downtown Historic District: up 14%
Grand Rapids Northeast: up 11%
Walker: up 15%
Northwest Neighborhoods: up 17-27%
Northeast Side: up 5-38%
East Grand Rapids: up 20%
Southeast Areas: up 2-23%
Wyoming: up 15-23%
Grandville: up 9%
Kentwood Neighborhoods: up 9-13
West Side: up 8%
Grand Rapids Township: up 26%
Cascade: up 25%

Overall, the Greater Grand Rapids area has had a similar number of listings and sales in Spring 2013 as compared to Spring 2012, but the average sale price this year is $132,688 as compared to least year’s Spring average of $114, 626. That’s an almost 16% increase across the Greater Grand Rapids area.

Right now, consumer confidence is up and foreclosure listings are down. Over the next 2-3 years, the banks will be selling the rest of their Shadow Inventory, which are the foreclosures that remain from the dark period we just experienced. Still, there are far fewer foreclosure listings now than there have been in recent years, and the confidence of home sellers continues to grow along with sale prices.

With inventory this low and lots of buyers out there, the market seems to favor the seller. Still, there are some foreclosure listings in the mix, which jostle the recent memory of a heavily-weighted buyers market. Right now, it is a great time to engage in this Real Estate market, whether you plan buy or to sell. Buyers are faced with historically low interest rates coupled with low prices. Sellers are experiencing the most success since prior to 2008. These are good times.

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All statistics courtesy of Grand Rapids Association of Realtors

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BOBville still in the Books!

Greg Gilmore’s proposed concert venue and festival marketplace known as BOBville has received a go-ahead financing kick from Grand Rapids DDA. Last Wednesday the Board approved over $2.5 million in support for some major downtown projects, including $432,000 for the new entertainment structure next to the BOB.

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Grand Rapids Downtown Urban Market Receives City Funding Approval

Last Wednesday the Grand Rapids DDA Board approved over $2.5 million in support for some major downtown projects. The  Downtown Urban Market project will receive $1,067,445 out of future tax revenue it generates.

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Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority Approves Funding for new AMTRAK Station

$850,000 will be used to design and construct a new AMTRAK station just south of The Rapid Central Station. The new station will be larger and will eliminate the traffic stoppages that currently occur twice a day on Wealthy and Market streets when the train is being boarded.

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Coit Street Bridge Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The Fix on I-196 project is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony this Friday on the Coit Avenue bridge. The project reconstructed and widened two miles of freeway and replaced five bridges. It was funded by the $787 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Activity is scheduled for 11/19/10 at 11am

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