Grand Rapids Michigan Real Estate Blog

Top Five Reasons to Move to Caledonia Michigan:

1. Rural, Suburban setting
2. Low Population density
3. Highly rated public school system 
4. Proximity to Grand Rapids, Lansing, Holland
5. Close-knit community

Caledonia Michigan has a small village, an expanding commercial and

life style sector building up on M-37 to the east of the village.  The new

Caledonia Township offices and a newly constructed library are now

residing here.  While lots of rural farm land and suburban housing

is sprinkled all over Caledonia Township, the public schools system

consists of 9 schools.  The high school campus is located just west

of the village off Kraft Avenue.

 

You can register on our website and have up-to-date emails sent

to you with the newest listings in Caledonia sent right to your mail-box

every 24 hours.

 

SEARCH CALEDONIA HOMES

 

Additional Caledonia Michigan Articles

syndicated from GrandRapids-RealEstate.com

 

Excellent advice from Margaret Woda at Team Woda on getting the wheels of inspiration

turning for your next blog post.

I like to keep a list of potential ideas perculating for the right time and blog topic, also.

Being in real estate gives you a wide range of topics and interests to blog about.

Just keeping up on local information can be a full time blog job! Read Margaret's post and get inspired.

 

 Blogging is not a flash in the pan approach to marketing. Just like having

a baby is a life altering decision.  You should plan on the same attention to your

blog.  You should blog 3-4 times a week, at least, when getting started, though more is better. 

The more posts you have out there, the more weight you have with Google and other search

engines.  If you don't keep feeding it, your blog will lose its attraction.  Just like a baby,

one  or two feedings  a week will not make it grow.

 

When you are planning on having a baby, you think yours will be different. Smarter,

cuter, he/she will behave when corrected, be an A student at school and never give

 you any cause for worry.

 Similarly, when you start blogging, you read the established bloggers with zeal, trying to

pick up all the tricks of the trade.  They tell you it is a marathon, not a sprint but in typical

 newbie fashion, you expect instant results.  You try the latest widgets, the latest technology,

thinking that should attract buyers.  After a month or two of blogging, you should have people

 lined up to do business with you, right?  Where are they?? Am I blogging into a vacuum??

Like having a baby, after a few months, you are into the " What have we done?" phase.  It

is a chore to keep this little thing happy.  Will I ever have any free time again?  Well,

if you have children, you know the answer to that one!!  If you don't, you will just have to

guess. 

As to blogging, you can never walk away, it is your blog, you must feed it and care for it. 

If properly nurtured and fed, this blog will work for you, over and over.  For over a year, we

 blogged, and blogged, and blogged some more.  We had a few calls and some leads, but

nothing to write home to Mom about.  Just as we were getting to the point of wondering if this

was really going to work, was the payback worth the amount of time we were putting in?

Well. something magical happened. 

                               We  reached the point of returns. 

We are now getting 4-5 calls, or emails a week.  Buyers, mostly but sellers, too.

They read our blog and want to do business with us.  We are the experts.  We have had one

of the best months we have EVER HAD in the real estate business, in over 35 years, despite

 the economy, despite reluctant buyers, despite falling home prices.  We credit our blogs for

almost all of it.  We are now believers and are glad we stuck with it.  So many real estate

agents try blogging and aren't successful at first.  Just like us.  We kept reading the success

 stories of other agents and we were delighted for them.  We just couldn't figure out why it wasn't

 working for us.  It was.  We just didn't know it. 

The experts tell us that most buyers start their online home search about 1-2 years before they

 are ready.  Buyers don't contact you until they are ready.  So if you haven't done your online

marketing homework, how will they find you?  Will they call the local real estate office and

ask to speak to an agent?  Highly unlikely today. 

After 18 months of blogging, we are finally reaping the rewards.  Not all our blogs

are great.  We don't mean to convey that.  But we do blog about our local area, our

 local real estate, and our local news and events. In fact, we are not one of the most

 popular bloggers on Active Rain because most agents don't want to read our local

real estate blogs.   But our local buyers do.

These blogs get us in front of buyers and sellers online.  Where 85+% of

buyers are looking for homes today.  So don't give up, keep blogging.  Buyers are

reading your blogs.   They just aren't ready to contact you yet.

Gotta go, my cell phone is ringing!

Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Real Estate

Copyright 2009 All rights reserved

photos by Bonnie Westbrook

This is the kind of real estate I prefer to all others, especially on the weekend.

No hassles, just blue sky, green grass, and an 18 hole challenge.  I played

at L E Kaufman Golf Course today. A Kent County public course in Grand Rapids

that is rated one of the best courses in Michigan. It will host the the Kent County

 Amateur again this year on July 11th and 12th.

I didn't play particularly well today, but the course was in good shape, and

I had 3 new friends to share the morning round.

I took a few pictures so you can see a sampling of what this course looks like.

It is hard to believe to you are about 10-15 minutes away from downtown

Grand Rapids.  I guess this why we love Michigan and the Grand Rapids area.

The First Tee water on the right and left.

 

The fifth hole from right of the fairway Yes I made par.

 

 

The 2nd Green

 

The 14th Tee better hit it straight or you will be in the woods.

 

The 18th Green

 Another player is out near the green, wonder if he found a stray ball.

 

Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Real Estate

Copyright 2009 all rights reserved

photos of LE Kaufman Golf Course by Terry Westbrook

 

Happy Independence Day to you all. Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence ?   Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.   Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.   Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.   They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.   What kind of men were they?   Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.   Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.   Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.   At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.   Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.   John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.                             Remember: freedom is never free!

Taken from "Patriotism Facts." Author unknown.

 

We recently received an email to show a home directly from Active Rain.  This isn't so

 unusual but it was unusual that it was a listing we lost to another agent 6 months ago.

It was a long story, we had it sold once but the buyer lost his job 3 days before closing. 

 Anyway, the seller decided to try someone else, it is common in our industry and sometimes

does the trick, especially if you lower the price!!!

 

 

The potential buyer told us she googled the listing address to see if she could find

out more information. The agent that had the property listed only had an aerial photo and

few interior photos.  Our old Active Rain blog about the listing came up in her search

first (thank you Active Rain!!) with great photos that led her to contact us.  

***Please note the emphasis on photos---we continually hear from buyers that they

are frustrated by few or no photos on listings.***

The buyer wanted see more photos than the other agent provided and someone that knew

about the property. She wasn't impressed with the listing agent's presentation.

 Thanks to Active Rain, even months after the listing expired for us, we are still the experts.

We have since sold this property to the buyers and they will move in shortly.

Don't you love a story with a happy ending?

 

Grand Rapids -Ada Real Estate Westbrook Realty

Copyright 2009 All rights reserved

Adatowne is a popular entry level home market in the Ada area of

the Greater Grand Rapids metropolitan area.

Part of the appeal is the proximity of Ada Elementary, Forest Hills

Central Middle and High Schools, Ada Christian Schools, St Roberts

School and being close to the village of Ada. Adatowne is an

established subdivision, started in the early 1970's by E.L. Ladd

Builders of Ada.

 I have held many open houses in these new plats

 and sold many of the homes as new construction - to be built.

If you doubt the power of your home as an investment, a basic

ranch (about 1000 sq ft) sold  for $ 19,900 in 1975.

 Adatowne Residential Neighborhood in Ada, Michigan

        May 2009 Real Estate Market Report

                    4  Sold, 1 Pending, 2 For Sale

 Adatowne Active Listings: 2

Adatowne Average Active price - $146,250

Adatowne Active average price/SqFt - $114.10

Adatowne Active average days on market - 130

Adatowne Pending: 1

Adatowne Sold Listings: 4

 Adatowne Average Sold Price - $ 138,000

 Adatowne Average sold price/SqFt - $ 103.84

Adatowne Average Sold days on market - 143

MARKET SYNOPSIS:  Absorption Rate for Adatowne is 2 months,

which means it would take 2 months for the active listings to sell,

if no other homes entered the market, according to current sales

statistics.  The market is hot in this neighborhood. This is the lowest

absorption rate of any local Grand Rapids neighborhood that on

which we do reports.  Price per square foot is going up for both sold

and active listings. although it hasn't recovered to levels seen in 2004-

2005.

With the new trend of consumers downsizing and the popularity of

Forest Hills Schools, the real estate market should remain strong

and viable for Adatowne homes, as long as they are in "great

condition" and priced about $100 sq ft.

 

Forest Hills Michigan Top Best Buy Homes May 2009

Forest Hills Michigan ~ Public School News Update May 2009

Forest Hills Michigan Absorption Report ~ May 2009

Forest Hills Michigan Absorption Report ~ April 2009

 

If you would like more information about Ada or Grand Rapids

 Homes, please feel free to contact me directly.

 

Grand Rapids Ada MI Real Estate - Westbrook Realty

Copyright 2009 All rights reserved

Photo of Ada MI  by Bonnie Westbrook

Can You  Blog At 80 MPH, that is?  You betcha!

On a recent trip back from visiting my parents in North Carolina I was taking

a break from driving while Bonnie took the wheel. I got in the back seat with

my tablet computer and Air Card.

Fortunately, I was connected for the next 2 1/2 hours commenting and reading

 blogs.  Technology gives us so much freedom and allows us to perfom functions

that a few years ago would have been unheard of.

 

 

I remember my first Cell phone and how intriqued I was making a call while

driving down the highway.

This last week I found the Internet Super Highway at 70 plus miles per hour.

 

Westbrook Realty ~ Grand Rapids Real Estate

Copyright 2009 All rights reserved

I recently read a book titled "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell.

"Blink" refers to our decision making process.  Have you ever sized

up a prospective customer only to find out you were right-on or way

 off base?  Many times when we are wrong, we don't get a second chance

to find how wrong we were.  We make decisions based on experience and

prejudice every single moment of every single day.

 

This was a very eye-opening read. Stories about: the old farmer that is

 worth millions but dresses like he can't afford good clothes, Firemen

making a decision in the middle of fighting a fire because

something doesn't feel right and his decision to act on that feeling

saves lives, How people have involuntary facial expressions that

 tell if they are being truthful.  And of course, our preprogrammed

prejudices that we carry through life. Will a tall man be more successful

 in business than a short man?  Does race enter into your decisions?

 Take the Implicit Association Tests at www.implicit.harvard.edu and

see how you fare.

 

This book does make me think of instances I have made that "Blink"

decision and how I can improve the odds of being correct.

How many times have you made snap judgements about people:

• you meet at an open house?
• first contact on the phone?
• meeting a potential client for the first time?

We all do it, this book points out the reasons why you might be making

false conclusions and alienating clients.  We certainly don't want to

drive away potential clients.

            Educate yourself about your "Blink" potential.

 

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Westbrook Realty

Copyright 2009 All rights reserved

 

We have a vacant listing. It is a nice listing, clean, neat, 4 bedroom two story

home that I showed last Saturday.  It was a changed house when I showed it

again on Monday.  We had record setting low temperatures here over last

weekend and the batteries failed in the thermostat. 

                         NO HEAT! 

 

                        Frozen pipes.

 

 

Needless to say, I sprinted to the store, bought batteries, and got the furnace

going again.  I also turned off the water to try and eliminate as much damage

as possible.  When the house warmed up, sure enough, a water pipe broke

between the kitchen ceiling and the upstairs bathroom, according to the

plumber. 

 So, the morale of the story is: If you have a vacant home listed,

change the batteries in that thermostat---don't take chances!  Even a

weekend trip could put your home in danger!

This story has a fairly decent ending, we have 2 offers on the home 

and the sellers insurance company will cover the majority of the repairs.

 

Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Westbrook Realty

Copyright 2009 All rights reserved

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons Flickr stream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/osde-info/2514938367/