The Sprich Group has just listed a home in Grand Rapids real estate at 2318 College Ave. in the very desirable Alger Heights neighborhood. This  Great 4 Bedroom, 2 bath home on the SE side of Grand Rapids is Ready For A Family To Move In. There Is An Expansive Living Room With Fireplace, Kitchen With Eating Area, 2 Bedrooms And A Bath. There Is A Very Nice 3 Season Porch Off The Back As Well As A Cobblestone Patio And Nice Fenced Back Yard With Storage Shed And Garden Area. There Are 2 Bedrooms Up With Another Full Bath, And Down Is A Rec Room, Storage And Utilities. There Are Arches, Nooks, Built -ins, Hardwood Floors And A 2 Stall Garage. Mostly Brick Exterior And Character Everywhere. Come See This One!!!! Priced at a very attractive $89,900.

Here is a recent testimonial from a happy Grand Rapids real estate buyer working with The Sprich Group!!!

Tom,

Thank you so much for all of your help with purchasing our first home.  Coming into my office at 10:00 pm, so we could get the offer finished,  showed how much you cared about getting us and getting the house for us.  The process went much quicker than we expected,  but you were there to make everything hassle free and easy.  Thanks again for all of the help and we will be sure to pass your name along to others who are looking for a great Grand Rapids real estate agent.

Lance and Jenna

The Sprich Group has just lowered the price of this nice family home in Rockford real estate,  at 6146 Belrick Court to $159,900. This Home Sits On A Quiet Cul-de-sac In The Award Winning Rockford School System. 2,275 Square Feet Of Wonderful Family Living With 4 Bedrooms And 2 Full Baths And Just Under A Half An Acre Of Land. A Great Floor Plan Offering A Spacious Living Room With Fireplace, Kitchen With Eating Area And Sliders To Deck, Main Floor Utilities, 3 Bedrooms And A Bath In The Main. The Lower Level Has An Expansive Rec Room With Bar, Additional Bedroom And Bath. There Is A Slider To A Patio And Huge Back Yard. This Home Has New Furnace (’05), New Roof (’05), New Flooring Throughout (’08), All Appliances Included And A Home Warranty.

The Sprich Group is holding an open house at 110 Sunnybrook on Sunday September 11th, 2011 from 1-4.  This home sits in a secluded lot in Grand Rapids Township, next to Aquinas College,  with 1.33 acres of beautiful trees and rolling hills. Built in 1995(feels like new), by BDR builders, designed with the highest quality materials, perfectly expert choice of colors, carpeting, hard-wood flooring and lighting. The easy flowing floor plan opens to a spacious foyer, warmly appointed library with fireplace and bookcases. There is a second fireplace in the wonderful combination living/dining room. A fantastic sun/family room with windows everywhere, overlooks the gorgeous private gardens and pond. A kitchen to love and entertain in with custom cabinetry, hardware, and fixtures, as well as Sub-Zero and Decor appliances. 2 master bedroom suites on the main level as well as an adjoining office. The lower level offers 3 more large bedrooms, 2 full baths and a large club room with wet bar and sliders to the backyard. Also: 6 car garage, 5,562 finished square feet, 2 furnaces, ample storage. East Grand Rapids Schools

The Sprich Group has just listed a great family home on the Northeast side of Grand Rapids. This new Grand Rapids real estate listing is located at 1701 Ball Ave. This wonderful 2 story colonial is ready for your family. This one owner home has all the charm of the era of which it was built, 1950′s. Hardwood floors throughout, living/dining room with gas fireplace, 2 half baths, den/family room with built-ins, kitchen with dining area and sliders to a screened porch. There is a lower level that has a finished rec room and there is room for more growth and storage. The upper level has 3 bedrooms and a full bath. Priced to sell!

The Sprich Group has just listed this very cute 3 bedroom, 2 bath cape cod in East Grand Rapids on Breton Road at 1030 Breton, between Hall and Lake Dr.  This cute, first time home buyers special has  3 bedrooms and 2 baths and has all the charm of a East Grand Rapids real estate cape cod that you would dream of. White picket fence surrounds this White home with black shutters. The main floor consists of, living room with fireplace, Dining room, kitchen, bedroom and bath. Upstairs, there are 2 additional bedrooms and a full bath. There is a one stall detached garage and a private deck as well. There is a basement, but it is unfinished.  $124,900  This one won’t last!

The Sprich Group has lowered the price of this wonderful home in Grand Rapids township, East Grand Rapids schools home. This grand rapids real estate home at 110 Sunnybrook has been lowered to a very attractive price of $799,900.

This home sits in a secluded lot with 1.33 acres of beautiful trees and rolling hills. Built in 1995,(feels like new), by BDR builders, designed with the highest quality materials, perfectly expert choice of colors, carpeting, hard-wood flooring and lighting. The easy flowing floor plan opens to a spacious foyer, warmly appointed library with fireplace and bookcases. There is a second fireplace in the wonderful combination living/dining room. A fantastic sun/family room with windows everywhere, overlooks the gorgeous private gardens and pond. A kitchen to love and entertain in with custom cabinetry, hardware, and fixtures, as well as Sub-Zero and Decor appliances. 2 master bedroom suites on the main level as well as an ajoining office. The lower level offers 3 more large bedrooms, 2 full baths and a large club room with wet bar and sliders to the backyard. Also: 6 car garage, 5,562 finished square feet, 2 furnaces, ample storage.

The Sprich Group has just put back on the market the great home at 2470 Orchard View. We had the property sold, but the financing fell through for the buyer.  This is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in Grand Rapids just southeast of the Leonard/Maryland intersection. This home is aggressively priced at $149,900. Bring your Grand Rapids real estate buyers!!!

Here is a testimonial from a very pleased East Grand Rapids real estate buyer!!

One of the most important investments in our life was the day we closed on 2461 Richards. We could not be happier with our new home all thanks to Tom Sprich, our realtor.  We expressed our preferences and limits for a home in East Grand Rapids, and in return you listened and went above and beyond our expectations, by finding the best option for us. There is no one more dedicated to his job and natural will to push hard in making our dreams a reality.  Thank you, Tom.

P.S

Thank you for the beautiful house warming/closing gift, a drawing of our new home.  We are thrilled!

Respectfully,

Beh and Claire

Here is what any Grand Rapids real estate first time home buyer needs to do to be ready to buy their first home in Grand Rapids!

1. GET YOUR CREDIT IN ORDER

The first step toward buying your first home takes place months before walking into your lender’s office. It’s crucial to check your credit score at least three to six months ahead of your mortgage application.  You can request a free copy of the report from each of the three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) at many different web sites.

2. SET UP A MEETING WITH AT LEAST ONE LENDER

The next step is to set up at least one or two meetings with a local lender and get yourself pre-approved for a certain dollar amount. There are also other costs involved with buying a home, so also get a good-faith estimate from each lender you speak to, because there is more to a lender than his or her interest rate.

3.  BE PREPARED FOR THE DOWN PAYMENT

Now starts the money talk. You have to be ready for the costs of the down payment and closing costs.  It used to be the norm to put 20 percent down, but with the market in its current state of flux, many first-time homebuyers are finding ways to pay just 3 to 5 percent of the total cost upfront. Federal Housing Act (FHA) loans increasingly have become a popular option for first-time buyers. These competitively low-interest loans are ideal for buyers with less than perfect credit, and because the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) minimizes the risk of default for lenders on these loans, borrowers are only required to put down 3.5 percent of the cost–a far cry from the traditional 20 percent down payment.  Still, there are advantages to paying more at the start. A larger down payment ultimately means smaller monthly bills down the line. Also, if you purchase a conventional loan, paying 20 percent or more upfront will eliminate the need to pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) charges. PMI is insurance for your lender that can be paid upfront or in monthly installments, and is designed to offset your lender’s risk in the case that you’ve paid less than 20 percent on your home. It can cost around $55 a month per $100,000 financed. While it’s important to note that FHA loans also carry mortgage insurance with a down payment of under 20 percent, their low barriers to own still make them a good choice for first-time buyers.

4. FINDING A KNOWLEDGABLE REAL ESTATE AGENT

Finding the perfect home can have a lot to do with finding a compatible real estate agent, especially in today’s evolving mortgage landscape. “The person you choose will quarterback the whole process for you,” he explains. It’s crucial to be in contact with an agent before starting the home search, “because you might be looking at x when all you can afford is y.” First-time home buyers should make it clear what features they’re looking for and how much they’re willing to spend.

There are, however, certain questions that Fair Housing laws prohibit agents from answering, such as where to find religious centers in the area, the quality of the school systems, and crime rates. Be proactive in speaking with members of the community and inquire about the issues that matter most to you. For parents, search public sex offender registries, which can be found online, to see if there are high-risk areas in the neighborhood. In most states, agents must disclose whether violent crimes occurred on a property within a set number of years, but not so with suicides — find your comfort level and do your research.

When making an offer, make sure your agent pulls comps that have sold in the last year for that particular area. That will help you decide what the home should sell for and where to write your offer.

At signing, the buyer should demand that the contract be contingent on an objective appraisal of the house. Look into the history of the home and make sure there aren’t any liens against the property. You should be able to negotiate with the seller to make any necessary repairs to the house before closing on the deal.

Contingencies vary by state, but you should certainly inspect the home for possible lead paint, radon, and structural issues. Depending on which contingencies your state recognizes, these flaws can provide grounds to cancel the contract without penalty, and get back the earnest money deposit you put down at the start of negotiations.

5. CLOSING THE DEAL

The whole process, from start to finish should take you about 2-4 months. Once a contract has been written, the closing process should take about 30-45 days.

Now it’s time to move and enjoy your first home.