Buying  or selling a house in the Grand Rapids real estate market is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life,  so don’t you think you should have the “right Grand Rapids  realtor’ to help you in that decision? If you were going to invest your life savings into the stock market, wouldn’t you spend some time and find what you thought would be the “right investment advisor ” to help you make those decisions? If you were in a court battle , don’t you think you would want the ‘right lawyer” that specializes in your type of legal matter.  Well, the same thing goes for buying or selling a home in Grand Rapids.  I will just go through a few of the reasons why you want the “right realtor’ for your home buying or selling needs.

You want a realtor that sells Grand Rapids real estate for a living, not part time. It is important to find a realtor that is the “main bread winner” in the family. The agent  needs to be  hungry and needs to be a provider  for his or her family.

There are many Grand Rapids area realtors out there that help buyers and sellers in the real estate business on a part time basis or do it between jobs to help subsidize their income. They are not in it for the long term, they are in it to make a quick buck. You want someone that has your long-term lifetime goals in mind. That realtor wants you to come back in the next 5-7 years to buy or sell their next home. Or, hopefully, they will be very happy with their experience with their Grand Rapids real estate agent and will refer that agent to their family and friends. Part time or short-term realtor does not have those long-term goals on their minds. All they are thinking about is $$$$, not the needs of their client.

You want a realtor that has knowledge of the Grand Rapids real estate market. Hopefully, you can find someone that has been a lifelong resident, or a longtime resident of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. That Grand Rapids agent should carry a great deal of knowledge about Grand Rapids area schools, pricing, market, drive times, and other important things that a newcomer to the Grand Rapids area may have trouble finding out. These are very important things to have in your pocket when looking to buy or sell your next home.

You want a realtor that has a strong personal website. Over 88% of all buyers and sellers today are on the internet everyday looking for their next home. If your realtor is not positioned on the internet with a website that feeds to all the national sites, then he is not the realtor for you. His or her website should have their listings on their site, a way to search for homes in the area, information about the area both Grand Rapids  real estate and other  surrounding areas. But, most of all, it should have some pertinent information about his or hers own person. Buyers and sellers should be able to go that site and get a feel for who the realtor is and what his or hers standards are when helping a buyer or seller in the Grand Rapids real estate market.

You want a realtor that works for a “national or international” broker. If you are working with a “local” broker, you again are missing out on the national relocation services that a national firm can offer you as a seller  or buyer. If you are planning on moving out of the area, with a national broker, like Keller Williams, they can refer you to another office of that same firm that has an office in your next destination and offer you the same services that you had here.

The last thing to look for when choosing the right realtor is to choose a realtor that will have time for you….personally. There are many agents that have many other seller’s agents and buyer’s agents working for them. The problem with that scenario is that when you think you have hired that agent that other people talk about, you never get a chance to work with him or her. You may work with someone else from that team or group, and that isn’t what you signed up for.  So, when interviewing Grand Rapids real estate agents, make sure you find out “who” is going to be your agent.

Hopefully, these are all helpful hints for choosing the “right realtor” in Grand Rapids for you when are buying or selling your next home.

Check out this article in the Grand Rapids Press as well as Mlive.com. It speaks about the outlook for Grand Rapids and all of Western Michigan in regard to the real estate outlook for 2011. This article addresses interest rates and the fact that they are still very attractive, open houses, why you should buy a home now, why sell your home now, and how the Grand Rapids real estate market is reacting to the economy.  The article was written by Cami Reister.  Click here to view the article:

Take a look at this great article and video put out by AOL real estate. This will help both buyers and sellers in the Grand Rapids real estate market. This will equip you with some of the knowledge you need to get a deal done. With the help of a licensed realtor, you should be ready to tackle today’s tough real estate world. Click here:

Another great site to find real estate agents in Grand Rapids is Angie’s List. Check it out!!

The Grand Rapids Magazine readers have voted Keller Williams the best real estate company in Grand Rapids for 2009! Keller Williams’ success in the Grand Rapids real estate market is a testament to the very best team of real estate agents in West Michigan. When buying a home, you can find the best realtor at Keller Williams.

Once again in 2009, Keller Williams Grand Rapids is ranked in the top 25 real estate offices in the nation for Keller Williams Realty National. This year, Keller Williams Grand Rapids was ranked #14 out of over 740 offices nationally and #1 in it’s region for units sold. We are also ranked 17th nationally and #1 regionally for our profitability. We may not have the most agents in our office in Grand Rapids, but what we do have is the most productive and most efficient group of real estate professionals. It is a great company to work for and I am proud to be a part of such a wonderful organization with very high standards in culture, training and client satisfaction.
If you have not already chosen a real estate company to represent you in a buying or selling need, please consider Keller Williams and The Sprich Group for your real estate needs.

Keller Williams Grand Rapids now has a Commercial real estate division. If you have any commercial real estate or investment property needs, just contact me at Keller Williams Realty and I can give you the direction necessary. Thank you for considering Keller Wiiliams and The Sprich Group.

Great Condominium just listed in Grand Rapids/Forest hills Schools in the very desirable Centennial neighborhood!! Just click anywhere, it will take you to the listing.

Here are a few items form a survey done in 2009 polling home buyers and home sellers in 2009 by the National Association of Realtors.

Here are five highlights:

90% of home buyers use the internet to search for a home.
84% report that photos are the most useful information.
77% purchase their home with an agent.
85% sell their home with an real estate agent.
The median age of all home buyers is 39, same as last year.