Why buy a home in East Grand Rapids?

Well, being a resident of East Grand Rapids for over 40 years and growing up here, I would call myself an expert in the East Grand Rapids real estate market.

East Grand Rapids boasts one of the top public school systems not only in the State of Michigan, but Nationally. Our students go on to further their education at an astounding percentage rate.

East Grand Rapids can also brag about it’s outstanding athletic programs as well being able to say that they have the most state championships of any public high school in the nation, at 112. That includes all sports, from football to basketball to golf and swimming , tennis and so on.

East Grand Rapids also has a wonderful arts program with a fully equipped “opera house” and one of the best music and singing departments in the state.

But the school system is not the only reason to buy a home in East Grand Rapids. There are other facets to this wonderful city that are worth writing about. The city has a small knit closeness that is hard to find these days. Your children will be able to walk to school, (no busing), walk home for lunch and most of all, never more than a few blocks from their friends. Families in East Grand Rapids tend to stick around as they grow up and create families of their own. So, many generations of families continue to live in and around the area and enjoy the many things this city offers as the years pass along.

East Grand Rapids is home to Reeds and Fisk Lakes and wonderful Collins Park at Reeds lake. There is Gaslight Village, full of great shops and restaurants, and a bike and running trail around Reeds Lake. There is Friday night football games; a true tradition in East Grand Rapids, the 4th of July fireworks shot over Reeds lake, the Reeds Lake Run, the many parades and art festivals and just the ever present families always walking and riding bikes around the streets and sidewalks of East Grand Rapids.

East Grand Rapids is home to some of the most beautiful architecture seen in Western Michigan. These homes were built from 1880 to 2009 and range in price from $135,000 to $3,000,000. Character is everywhere. If you want classic, modern, waterfront, brick, art-deco…whatever, you will find it here, and I am the real estate agent in East Grand Rapids to help you. I grew up here, I was educated here and have put both of my children through the East Grand Rapids School system.

East Grand Rapids has great history, great families and great houses. If you want to learn more about East Grand Rapids, just give me a call, and I will be more than happy to let you in on this Western Michigan’s best kept secret.

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.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get a home buyer tax credit offered by the federal government. First time home buyers can get up to an $8,000 home buyer tax credit and existing home buyers qualify for up to a $6,500 home buyer tax credit. Hurry, as time is running out. You must have a signed and accepted real estate transaction by April 30th, 2010.

Take a look at this article in the Grand Rapids Press :

Home prices rose for the third straight month in August, data Tuesday showed, a key sign for a broad and sustained housing recovery.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index of 20 major cities climbed 1 percent from July to a seasonally adjusted reading of 144.5. While prices are down 11.4 percent from August a year ago, the annual declines have slowed since February.

Prices are at levels not seen since August 2003 and have fallen almost 30 percent from the peak in May 2006.

The latest index shows a widespread turnaround with prices rising month-over-month in 15 metro areas since June.

“If the increases are consistent across the markets, this is key,” said Wharton School real estate professor Susan Wachter before the index was released. “Then we’re seeing the formation of a bottom.”

However, Wachter along with other industry experts still worry that rising unemployment and more foreclosures could stifle the rebound. Another unknown is whether a temporary federal tax credit for first-time buyers will be extended to help boost sales.

First-time homebuyers can receive a credit of 10 percent of the sales price, up to $8,000. The real estate industry is lobbying Congress to extend the credit past the Nov. 30 deadline. Top Democrats in the Senate are pressing a plan that would prolong the credit but gradually phase it out over the next year.

Not all metros posted gains in August, though. Prices in Las Vegas, Seattle and Charlotte, N.C., all fell to their lowest levels in August. Prices in Las Vegas have plunged by 56 percent since peaking in April 2006, the largest peak-to-trough decline of all 20 cities.

Take a look at this fabulous new Lake Michigan Shoreline listing!!! A vacant buildable lot in Grand Haven on Lake Michigan in the Gated Wilderness Trail community. Just click anywhere on this and check out the listing:

Check out this article on the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market by Cami Reister of the Grand Rapids Press. It shows again that the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market is continuing it’s come back.