Trip around the USA

I’ve had the pleasure to be on a road trip the past few weeks both to visit our children (and new grand daughter Willa and her big sister Violet in Denver) and to experience this great Country and all it’s wonderful landscapes. 

We left Grand Rapids two weeks ago and drove cross-country to Lincoln, Nebraska – where we spent our first night.  Lincoln is the capital on Neberaska – so we drove downtown and took a look at the beautiful Capital building and the Governor’s mansion across the street.  The capital itself was lovely – but the downtown area seemed a little seedy with a lot of empty buildings (reminded us of Lansing, MI).  We had dinner at the local landmark – Valentino’s – where my friend Karen spent many an evening while going to the U of Nebraska (their local hangout – all you can eat for $8.95).

We arrived in Denver (Wheat Ridge to be exact) and had a great opportunity to hold Willa and Violet and enjoy their company along with their Mom and Dad – Jesi and Jon Josten.  We visited with long time friends – Mary Wolf, Kay and Skip Watson, Katie and Ron Myles, Donna and Pete Van Elderen and Uncle Jack Thomasma.  It seems that their real estate market is still going strong.  While talking with the local Realtors – they think they have hit the bottom and are well on their way to a strong real estate market this year.  

Jesi and Jon had just bought a retro-50s ranch in Wheat Ridge and are loving the solid construction and 50s touches while lamenting the lack of maintenance the past 20 years.  It was exciting to see some vintage rose bushes push their way up our of the brambles and produce lovely flowers!

Our drive to Bozeman, MT was a LONG one – especially since we stopped at Little Big Horn to get a brief history lesson on the conflict between the Indians and the Calvary.  There were beautiful vistas and a lovely thunderstorm to cap off the stop.

Bozeman is Gorgeous – there is not much else you can say.  The snow capped mountains all around the valley – the green fieldss – the flowing (really fast) rivers.  We hung out with son Brett and girlfriend Kelly -   fished the Big Hole and the Madison Rivers – even caught a few trout!!  We had a chance to go look at houses in Livingston, MT – where Brett and Kelly are thinking of relocating.  Amazing the prices here!  Compared to Grand Rapids the prices are probably double – and I’m told they have come down a lot.   More to come on my real estate thoughts around the country…

The landscapes and the beauty of the drive was overwhelming – from the plains – to the foothills – to the mountains – we loved looking at whatever was just around the corner.  While driving, I was remined many times to “keep my eyes on the road” since the scenery was wonderful. 

The weather was a shocker on this trip!   Huge thunderstorms through Nebraska on the way out -  Hail storms and tornados in Denver – 30’s one  night in Montana – Fly fishing on the Big Hole River in Montana in thunderstorms and snow – 95 plus degrees on the drive from Montana to Minneapolis with thunderheads and lightening following us along – blue skys and the 70s on and off all along the way!   Isn’t this a great county?

#1 Reason to use a REALTOR when buying

Series:  5 Top Reasons to use a Realtor when buying real estate: 

 

Reason Number 1 – Information Buster (cut to the chase through the thousands of Internet Sites).

 

In years past when there was no internet (hard to believe – this is only 5 – 10 years ago) Realtors were the keepers of the information.  Now there is so much information about real estate (listings for sale, sites disguised as listings for sale but trying to sell you something else, mis-information about values, good information about mortgages – and I could go on and on…) that it is almost impossible to decifer what is right or wrong or what is good information and what is bad information.

  In today’s age of the internet the Realtors are the people to go to that can help you through this jungle of “real estate sites.”  Realtors are professionals who can cut through the whirlwind of self-proclaimed information and be your source for the “real” and accurate information in real estate.

   I find a lot of confused buyers – trying to make sense of a bunch of sites that have homes for sale – some up to date – others totally uncontrolled – many inaccurate.  Everyone wants good honest information – and they can find this by working with a Realtor who can point them in the direction for those good sites.  We can also help weed through all the city information and help with honing in on location, schools, shopping and transportation!

#1 in Series – 5 Reasons to Use a Realtor to Buy in todays market!

Using a Realtor to help you Buy a Home – Pat Vredevoogd – Grand Rapids, Michigan – Summary of the series of 5 reasons to use a Realtor when in the buying process.

Spring Market Fever

Here is Grand Rapids, Michigan our marketplace is kicking into high gear with major Spring Fever.  Our snow piles have melted away, our dafodils are peaking their heads out of the ground, and buyers are perking up.

What is causing our Spring Fever is more that the weather warming up – it is built around a new $8,000 tax credit for anyone who has not owned a home in the past 3 years (stop in at my website at http://www.patsplace.com for all the particulars on this tax credit).

In addition to this credit – interest rates are at a historic low – new mortgage products are available for these first time homebuyers – and the selection is fantastic.  Wow – if you are in this position – don’t wait – talk to your Realtor and get going.  If you know someone who could take advantage of this perfect storm for buyers – pass this information on!

This Spring Fever could have a really positive affect on the rest of the market, too.  As the entry level homes are purchased – it frees those folks up to buy their next home, which will have a trickle-up affect in home sales.  The Spring signs are there – green grass, tulips and SOLD signs on homes – YIPPEE!

Grand Rapids, Michigan Real Estate Market is March Madness

Well March Madness is going on in the Grand Rapids Real Estate market just like it is happening on the Basketball Courts right now.
It is a mixed story – there are winners and there are losers in this market just as there are on the basketball courts.
The big winners today are the buyers who can take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit (first time buyers or someone who has not owned a home in the past 3 years), low prices, huge selection and low interest rates.

Other winners are move-up buyers who – even if they have to take a hit on their homes that they sell – will make it up on the home they buy and will still be in the dirvers seat.
Winners are also those sellers who have owned their homes for a while or have not run up their mortgages to close to purchase price and are selling in today’s market – there are still buyers out there looking for their dream house.

Unlike March Madness in Basketball – there is not one winner that will be crowned National Champion – in the real estate game there are loads of winners that can capitalize on this March Madness Marketplace.

Egypt and Bahrain – a US Realtor’s Perspective

We just arrived from Egypt (where we did the usual tourist stuff – camels, museums, pyramids) take a look at our blog http://patandguystravels.blogspot.com for the details.

We really went there as a stop-over on our way to Bahrain to visit our new granddaughter – Elisabeth Riley Combs (Oh – also Guy’s son Chris and daughter-in-law Becky).

Anyway – our Realtor perspective kicked in as we saw the vast amount of land that was totally desert – sand – sand – everywhere. Speaking with our guide – Marco (not really his name, some Italian tourists dubbed him Marco – he liked it and it stuck) we came to get a better feeling for the local Egyptians. One thing we noticed was that there was not quite as much street begging as there was in India. We also found that the Eyptians were very friendly, but everyone had their hand out for a tip. Even the street sweeper was paid a small amount by the government but got tips from folks walking by.

We really came to appreciate the USA and all it has to offer it’s citizens. Egypt was a special treat – looking at the cradle of civilization, the church where the Holy Family stayed while in exile in Egypt, all that wonderful history – was very special – yet there is still “No Place Like Home.”

Real Estate Activity Ramping Up in Grand Rapids, Michigan

The past few weeks have been very interesting in the real estate markets here in the Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area.

A lot of negative publicity has been the talk of the town, yet many are watching patiently for Washington to take the lead and put together a stimulus package which should have some positive news for actual buyers and sellers.

At our Open Houses this weekend we were VERY busy. One of our Open Houses was in the Caledonia area and we had 8 groups of prospects through – one calling back and having serious interest. It has been a LONG time since we have had this much activity and interest! WHOOPEE!

In setting up showings this past weekend there were actually 20% of the homes I wanted to show that were sold. We are excited and are very positive with what we are seeing out in the “real world.”

Now we just need to turn all this interest into some concrete sales. The homeownership ladder is ready to climb. Our first time homebuyers create the first rung on this ladder – they are out looking and are buying now – which kickstarts the rest of the real estate market as move up buyers can buy their next home.

Stay positive and encourage your congressmen and senators to work together to put a great stimulus package together with real estate at its center.

Home Buying in the Snow – Grand Rapids, MI style

I often hear from my fellow REALTORS across the warm part of the country – they wonder how on earth we can actually show homes, hold open houses – and help buyers and sellers – when it is snowing in Michigan!
Here are the secrets: Everyone dresses warm (not too many home visits in shorts and flip flops) with boots, hats and gloves. We all drive front wheel or 4 wheel drive vehicles – many homes are vacant and have not been plowed out – so we have to have cars that can make it up steep driveways and over plowed in sidewalks.

We really appreciate sellers who have photos in their homes or on their websites of the home in summer, fall and spring – so we can actually tell if there is a lawn under the snow. We plan for a little extra time between showings to account for slippery roads and snow related dressing.

The good news is that everything looks beautiful after a fresh snowfall.  We can put up with the boots, hats, shovels and plows to live in a lovely City and State (Grand Rapids, MI) that has so much to offer.  While we have our boots and hats on we could go snowshoeing, skiing, snowmobiling and any other variety of sports that us “Northerners” have cooked up – before we head inside for some hot chocolate or mulled wine and a pot of chili.

Photo Dilemma – Grand Rapids Real Estate Market

We are having quite a controversy in our selling team about photos on the internet – and we would like to hear from anyone who might have an opinion. The “old school” of thought in posting photos of homes of a listing (both in print or on the internet) was that it should be a seasonal photo – in other words – if it is mid-January the home listing should have a snow photo attached to it (provided you are in Michigan) and likewise if it is mid-summer the photo should reflect the beautiful trees and grass.

The dilemma comes when you are marketing a home and you want to put the best photo forward to the marketplace and if that photo happens to be a fall photo and it is in January – do you go ahead and use the fall photo?  Old school says that the photo should reflect the season it currently is – so that the listing does not look like it has been on the market so long. New school says just show the best no matter what season.

Question for everyone reading this Blog - which do you think represents the property better? If you saw a home with an off-season photo would you think negatively about it? Do you not pay any attention to what season the photo shows? Thanks for this non-scientific poll.    Pat

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Pat Vredevoogd Combs

Pat Vredevoogd, Coldwell Banker AJS Schmidt, Grand Rapids, Mi.

616 559-7241

www.patsplace.com

A New Year and a New Attitude

Along with some new snowfall peeks the sun! Along with all the negative news that is overwhelming us lately comes some rays of positive news and hope! Grand Rapids is a Great place to live in and invest in. It is the beacon of positiveness in a state where negative news has become the norm. It is January – the birth of a new year – the opportunities stretch out before us and it lends excitement to anyone who can open their eyes to see it. A new Administration is getting ready to launch in this great country of ours. Change is in the air and it feels like a fresh breeze is going to blow through – perhaps ridding us of some negativity and as well giving us a boost to see the new ideas taking shape for the future. Interest Rates are at a historic low, inventory is at a historic high, lenders are lending – what a great time to buy the house of your dreams!