Grand Rapids Michigan Real Estate Blog

Grand Rapids ArtPrize 2011 in Full Swing

What do encyclopedia pages, twine, horsehair, firecrackers,

paper-cuts and aged bronze all have in common?  ArtPrize 2011, of course.

We previewed a few of the ArtPrize 2011 installations at the Grand

Rapids Art Museum last Sunday and have included a few photos of the

diverse entries displayed.

This piece is made from steel and encyclopedia pages.  I knew I shouldn’t

have got rid of that old set of World Books.

This unusual piece is made from twine. Ditto above statement.

Even bronze woman and I have a pose in common.

Many unusual materials were used to recreate this replica

of a war rug.  Did you guess firecrackers?

 

Horsehair, grapevine, and a hand hewn wheel comprise

the elements of this entry. 

The depth and intricacy of these paper sheets has to be seen to

be appreciated.  I had difficulty with paper snowflakes!

 

Don’t miss ArtPrize 2011 this year!  It started on Wed Sept 21

and runs through October 9th.  These and about 1500 other pieces

that will stretch your imagination are waiting for you to view and vote.

 

 Wyoming Michigan 2011 Classic Car Show

 

If you are of a certain age, these classic cars shown at the Classic Car Show

in Wyoming Michigan on July 24, 2011 at the Resurrection Life Church will

bring back lots of memories.

 

I really appreciated the details on this classic car from the 1950’s.  I recall

those white interiors and the fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror.

 

The drive in restaurant tray with the food really brought back our younger

days.  We used to get strawberry pie from Big Boy’s on Pearl St

delivered by car hop!  Can you remember those days??

 

If you would like to see more photos from the Classic Car Show in Wyoming,

check out our Flickr Set.

 Forest Hills Michigan Schools Rank Top in Nation 2011

The new school rankings are out and several local schools made

the best of the best list.  Forest Hills had 3 schools in the top 99th % of

schools, Ada Elementary, 5/6 Central Woodlands and Goodwillie

Environmental.

 

Grand Rapids also had 3 schools  place in the ranking, City Middle High,

John Ball Park Zoo School and  Blandford Nature Center School. 

East Grand Rapids had K-5 Wealthy place in the ranking.

 

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Grand Rapids Michigan Jazz at the Zoo – Monday Nights 2011

Begins Monday June 13, 2011 runs through August 15

From 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the The John Ball Park Band Shell,

The West Michigan Jazz Society will be featuring local bands

and talent Monday nights.  Free admission, although the hat

is passed for donations because the park is requiring liability

insurance for the group to perform and parking attendants.

So, grab a blanket, food, or purchase food at the event, and

enjoy local jazz at its best.

The 11th Jazz at the Zoo Summer 2011:

June 14, 2011 –River Rogues

June 21 2010 – Doug Horn Quartet

June 28, 2010 – Paul Vornhagen Quartet

July 4, 2010 –    Kathy Lamar with Bob VanStee Trio

July 11, 2010 –  Mary Rademacher

July 18, 2010 –  Steve Hilger Quartet

July 25, 2010 –  Edye Evans Hyde with Quartet

August 1, 2010 – Rick Reuther with the Tom Hagen Septet

August 8, 2010 – Fred Knapp Quartet

August 15, 2010 – Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra

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Foto Friday – Trees + House = Tree House

 

I admit I love trees and I love houses ( not a big surprise that I'm in real estate).

What could be more enticing than a darling tree house that looks like something Hansel

and Gretel would have stumbled upon in the big, dark forest? 

 

I have been fascinated with this tree house in the our area for some time. 

It can only be seen when the leaves are off the trees.  I wanted a photo of it and

managed to remember that fact when we were out driving in the area the other day.

I love how it is built around the trees and incorporates them into the house itself.

 

If you are looking for a house in the woods, give us a call.

There are many homes available near Grand Rapids that are in a

heavily wooded area, with a little more square footage.  8-)

 

Syndicated from Grand Rapids Real Estate Blog

 

Grand Rapids Michigan Goes Green

Since April is the month when we talk about all things green,

we thought we would mention the Princeton Review’s latest list of

the Top 311 Green Colleges in the U.S.  A couple of Grand Rapids

colleges are on the list, Aquinas and Grand Valley State University.

 

 

Continue reading on our Grand Rapids Real Estate Blog......

Foto Friday: MSU College of Human Medicine Secchia Center Grand Rapids Michigan

We attended a recent open house for Grand Rapids Chamber of

Commerce members at the MSU College of Human Medicine in

Grand Rapids new Secchia Center.  The building and its facilities

have state of the art technology, commanding views of downtown

Grand Rapids, and a beautiful new LEED certified building.  MSU’s

College of Human Medicine is ranked in the Top 25 Medical Schools by

U.S. News and World Report, so you can see why we care excited to

have them here in the heart of Grand Rapids.

 

The Secchia Center, a seven-story, 180,000-square-foot building atop

a five-story parking deck along Grand Rapids’ Michigan Street, serves as the

medical education building and administrative headquarters for the MSU

College of Human Medicine.

 

With a LEED silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, the

Secchia Center uses sustainable finish materials and "smart" lighting, as well

as photovoltaic glass in various areas to convert solar energy into electricity.

The building also features water reduction technologies and was designed

with a heat recovery system, radiant floor heat in the atrium and a

ventilation system that detects carbon dioxide levels in the air and auto-

matically adjusts for improved overall indoor air quality.

 

 Story continued on: Grand Rapids Real Estate Blog

All of our photos of the tour are here on Flickr.

Grand Rapids Michigan Real Estate Market Report by School District 2007-2010

Real Estate is always local. Grand Rapids is such a large metropolitan

area, the real estate market report for the whole area is not necessarily

true for your specific neighborhood.  Some areas are growing and some

areas are shrinking in population.  Hopefully this report will give you a

glimpse of the big Grand Rapids picture by looking at the suburban pieces.

sub

We have split the Grand Rapids area up by public school district,

to give a logical approach to this report. This is a macro neighborhood

report, not a micro report.  Bear in mind, these are average home prices for

large areas, not specific neighborhoods. 

 

Belding

2010 – $ 59, 747

2009 – $  55,110

2008 – $  71,758

2007 – $ 100,416

 

Byron Center

2010 – $ 157,555

2009 – $ 160,220

2008 – $ 185,707

2007 – $ 200,766

 

Caledonia

2010 – $ 151,199

2009 – $ 153,360

2008 – $ 163,983

2007 – $ 191,724

 

Cedar Springs

2010 – $89,116

2009   $ 85,493

2008 – $ 99,170

2007 – $128,705

 

Comstock Park

2010 – $109,471

2009 – $ 112,010

2008 – $114,348

2007 – $138,251

 

East Grand Rapids

2010 – $236,347

2009-  $ 230,518

2008 – $ 224,625

2007 – $279,909

 

Forest Hills

2010 – $229,430

2009 – $ 224,558

2008 – $ 272,793

2007 – $ 267,817

 

Godfrey-Lee

2010 – $32,959

2009 – $ 33,834

2008 – $ 41,515

2007 – $ 71,748

 

Godwin Heights

2010 -  $41,771

2009 – $ 42,149

2008 – $ 53,574

2007 – $ 91,708

 

Grand Rapids

2010 – $58,696

2009 – $ 58,936

2008 – $ 65,803

2007 – $ 99,233

 

Grandville

2010 – $130,843

2009 – $ 135,538

2008 – $ 144,222

2007 – $ 162,095

 

Hudsonville

2010 – $144,483

2009 -

2008 –

2007 -

 

Jenison

2010 – $121,783

2009 – $ 123,639

2008 – $ 131,184

2007 – $ 139,372

 

Kelloggsville

2010 – $57,605

2009 – $ 57,135

2008 – $ 70,897

2007 – $ 93,322

 

Kenowa Hills

2010 – $ 116,720

2009 – $ 116,917

2008 – $ 124,367

2007 – $ 151,869

 

Kentwood

2010 – $97,418

2009 – $ 100,561

2008 – $ 114,940

2007 – $ 141,804

 

Lowell

2010 – $131,349

2009 – $ 127,542

2008 – $ 135,123

2007 – $ 164,888

 

Northview

2010 – $120,368

2009 – $ 116,275

2008 – $ 148,128

2007 – $ 160,557

 

Rockford

2010 – $158,455

2009 – $ 157,624

2008 – $ 176,048

2007 – $ 198,416

 

Wyoming

2010 – $63,976

2009 – $ 67,784

2008 – $ 82,756

2007 – $109,009

After doing this report, we can certainly see why Grand Rapids

is one of the TOP 5 best places in the country to buy a home

at a reasonable price.

photo of Grand Rapids Children’s Museum by Bonnie Westbrook

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syndicated from Grand Rapids Michigan  Real Estate Blog 

Foto Friday - Byron Center Michigan Photos

Byron Center Michigan is located in Byron Township, which is

about 14 miles southwest of Grand Rapids and still within its

metropolitan suburban reach.  The population has grown

significantly in the last 5 years with the addition of a large

medical community, headed by Metropolitan and St Mary’s

Hospitals at the M-6 and Byron Center Rd. intersection.

 

The Van Singel Fine Arts Center is the hub of artistic & theatrical

activity in Byron Center and draws crowds from Grand Rapids, also.

More Byron Center photos can be seen on our GR Real Estate Blog:

Syndicated from Grand Rapids-Real Estate Blog

Grand Rapids Michigan East Suburban Top Best Buy Homes - November 2010

 

The Top Best Buy Home Blogs that we publish every month give us a great

overview on what is happening to the lower end of the market in each of these

east Grand Rapids suburbs with pricing and sales.  We can see the uptick in sales

or the downturn in pricing, at a glance.  We always give a brief market synopsis of 

each particular area and what we see as the trend that month.

 

If you are looking for a modestly priced home in these specific Grand Rapids suburbs,

then you will be interested in reading these blogs:

 

Caledonia Michigan Top Best Buy Homes - November 2010

East Grand Rapids Top Best Buy Homes - November 2010

Forest Hills Michigan Top Best Buy Homes - November 2010

Kentwood Michigan Top Best Buy Homes - November 2010

Lowell Michigan Top Best Buy Homes - November 2010

Rockford Michigan Top Best Buy Homes - November 2010

 

Additional Articles:

You Want to Buy a House, Now What?

Which Mortgage is Best for Me?

Grand Rapids Michigan Online Relocation Guide