These little guys were on display at the Meijer Gardens in the cactus exhibit that I toured a few months ago.  I can across this photo tonight, and thought they looked like Meerkats, but was not sure what they are.  They certainly were an attention getter all standing there together.  I am always facinated with sculpture, no matter the size.  I particularly liked these.  They kind of said to me: "Everybody be on the lookout... Hey, Did you see that?!!!" I hope you had a great weekend!  Looks like what they are looking at is the weekend being over... 06/26/2011

Never, ever underestimate the power of a blog post OR anytime you click with that mouse.  Never undermine the impact of what you're doing when you get online.  Through the last 5 years, I've developed renewed respect for the potential power of this world behind my computer screen.  Today, I met a dear friend.  Rocky Turner and Jeff Turner came to Grand Rapids, MI for the Social Media for Social Good Summit. The first one our Association has held on this topic.  And it all started right here, on Active Rain in 2007!  I met Rocky for the first time through her blog. A friendship developed. We have shared many things over the years, but had never met in real life...until today. Today, members of the Grand Rapids Association of REALTORS saw a first hand demonstration of how powerful Influen... 06/22/2011

Forest Hills Michigan Top Best Buy Homes May 2011 Forest Hills Michigan Top Best Buy Forest Hills Homes (Ada-Cascade) to buy, based on price per square foot. Price per square foot is a great leveler, if two homes are priced similarly they should be very comparable in amenities. These homes might need major repair work done, such as new kitchens and baths, roofs, new plumbing, electrical & other major mechanicals.  They may have dated decor,  an odd floor plan, or additions/add-ons that are not what most people are looking for. This list could include properties in Ada Township, Cascade Township, Grand Rapids Township, Lowell Township, and the city of Kentwood. Please note: This list can change daily as some homes sell, prices are adjusted and other homes come on the market. The Top For... 06/22/2011

With the housing market slow, more and more homeowners are deciding to stay put and remodel their existing homes. Others have realized that to sell their homes they must have an edge in this very competitive market place. To gain this edge they have to re   Grand Rapids Dumpster Man   Grand Rapids Dumpster Man   (EMAILWIRE.COM, June 19, 2011 ) Grand Rapids, Mi--This is where Grand Rapids Dumpster Man jumps ahead of the competition by offering the do it yourselfer a full line of residential containers. These are not industrial, but a complete line of waste removal containers designed specifically for residential use. The residential line consists of containers in 10,20,30,40 cubic foot units. The staffs of Grand Rapids Dumpster Man are specifically trained to answer all customer question... 06/18/2011

Forest Hills Michigan Neighborhood Real Estate Report – Watermark May 2011 Quick Snapshot of Watermark Residences Real Estate Activity Jan 1 through May 24, 2011 9 Active Listings $ 189,900       5363 Prairie Home Dr $ 324,900       5340 Prairie Home Dr $ 344,460       1959 Talamore Ct $ 399,900       2025 Talamore Ct $ 409,900       2029 Talamore Ct $ 525.000       1648 Watermark Dr $ 599,900       2134 Watermark Dr $ 649,000       5650 Watermark Ct $ 2,495,000    1878 Watermark Dr   3 Sold Properties 1975 Watermark Dr  $351,000 5511 Alhambra Dr    $385,000 1664 Watermark Dr  $395,000   With 9 listings for sale and only 3 sold  in Watermark, the absorption rate is 17 months.  Prices have been declining in this higher priced Forest Hills neighborhood for the last few years.   SEARCH FO... 06/06/2011

   Websites Every REALTOR® Needs to Know. "Studies indicate that over 80% of today's home buyers visit the Internet long before seeking the professional assistance of a REALTOR®. This means that, thanks to popular realty-themed websites that compete for your business, your clients are already armed with more information than ever before. That's why today's savviest real estate agents must change their perspective and fight back. And the best way to do this is to visit and become familiar with these kinds of sites and the features they offer. This data will not only prepare you to answer any questions your clients might have, it will allow you to provide a more complete service that your clients will want to recommend to all of their friends and family members. Property Listings & More ... 06/01/2011

  Info from a Grand Rapids Short Sale Agent-What documents do I need to gather for my West Michigan Short Sale?   Grand Rapids Short Sales-What documents do I need to gather for my West Michigan Short Sale is a question many people ask.   You have decided you don't want your Grand Rapids Home to Foreclose and have decided a short sale is the way to go.  You have chosen an agent who is experienced in doing short sales in the West Michigan and Grand Rapids area.  Before you call, many like to gather the documents they will need to do their short sale. You need to understand that the banks want to know EVERYTHING.  They may even ask for your first born—ok I am kidding there but they will want your entire financial history.  Selling your Grand Rapids Home at short sale requires the bank to ... 05/31/2011

Forest Hills Michigan Neighborhood Real Estate Report – Clements Mill May 2011 Quick Snapshot of Clements Mill Real Estate Activity Jan 1 through May 19, 2011   5 Active Listings $ 219,900  725 Abbey Mill Ct $ 279,900  600 Hartfield Dr $ 295,000  555 N Whitman $ 344,900  5443 Longwood Ct $ 360,000  5587  Clemwood Ct   5 Pending Properties 5495 Highbury Dr 569 Hartfield Dr 5474 Highbury Dr 665 Highbury Ct 385 Haskins Ct   3 Sold Properties 5743 Highbury Dr   $ 200,000 582 N Whitman      $ 270,000 5530 Clemwood      $ 305,000   SEARCH FOR FOREST HILLS HOMES Ada Michigan Photo Set Ada Michigan Real Estate Articles ________________________________ 05/30/2011

  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-)   ... 05/27/2011

Robert Brown | Bellabay Realty | (616) 366-7030 1031 Merrifield ST SE, Grand Rapids, MI 3 possible 5 bedrooms. 3 full baths. Very nice kitchen. Fenced rear yard with deck. 3BR/3BA Single Family House offered at $78,900 Year Built 1951 Sq Footage 1,928 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 3 full, 0 partial Floors Unspecified Parking Unspecified Lot Size 5,227 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Located in the Alger Heights neighborhood this home is larger than it appears. 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths. Living room with French doors to bedroom. Kitchen with center island and appliances included. Master bedroom with cathedral ceilings and skylights. Lower level has 2 non conforming bedrooms and a separate kitchen. Fenced back yard with large deck see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Central ... 05/23/2011

Sometimes playing around with a high quality camera, even an amateur photographer like myself can get a great photo or two.  Here are two photos I snapped with my Canon Rebel at the Butterfly exhibit at the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids about a month ago.  Earlier I was trying to hard to shoot the butterflies by hoping they would stay still long enough for the shutter.  After capturing a lot of great photos of bushes and other backgrounds, with no butterfly, I decided to try a few shots anticipating where they were headed and snap in front of them.  The process is similar to trap and skeet shooting if you have ever done it.  The two photos below were taken one after the other as fast as I could hit the high speed shutter.  You can see that there are two of the larger butterfli... 05/22/2011

Every Spring in March and April, there is an exhibit in Grand Rapids, at the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park featuring butterflies from around the world.  You can walk into the exhibit, and see a wide variety of butterflies of all different colors.  I wrote a prior blog post on this exhibit, and included some of the photos I took when there.  However, I have since compiled a video of a lot of the film I shot as I wandered through the exhibit, so I thought I would share that video in a new separate blog entry.  Nothing to me says 'Spring' like butterflies, and this exhibit is amazing.  It is also a great educational trip for kids as well, and you might see in the video that there are several familes with children walking around.  You can walk into the exhibit, and take as many photos a... 05/17/2011

Last month I visited the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan and I certainly was able to take a lot of photos for future blog posts on this place.  To date I have written the following posts about this wonderful park, in case you are interested in reading those: Butterfly Exhibit at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park Cactus Exhibit at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park Spring & Tropical Flowers at the Meijer Gardens Amazing Collection of Sculptures at the Meijer Gardens When you walk into the main building, there is so much to see.  There is even more joys for the photographer, as the exhibits inside the building are quite amazing.  In the one of the main lobbies, there is an amazing blown glass chandelier that just fills the room with lig... 05/17/2011

There is quite a collection of amazing sculpture at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I visited there with my wife last month, and took several photos.  Some of them are tremendously large. From personal taste, I always seem to most admire the ones that can be viewed from different angles, and offer an entirely unique view.  I have included a selection of the ones I liked the best in this blog.  The park is a great attraction for the area, and people visit from all over the country at various times of year.  During the warmer months there are outdoor concerts, and other events that make the park a regional attraction.  This year there is a new ampitheatre that will host a soft opening with a special concert on June 7th, from 5-8pm.  There people ... 05/15/2011

Grand Rapids, MI Buyers Market Economics 101 I was reading an article today on ten ways to survive the housing market and I got to thinking, what is the best thing a home owner could do to survive this slow moving market. Suddenly it hit me as I was reading number three on the article, BUY!  The United States housing market is like a gigantic Wal-Mart right now with 20-30% savings on everything from Mansions to Apartments. One of the most common sayings when at the grocery store is "No it's not on sale." Homes are on sale! With prices predicted to rise over the next few months, what sense does it make to wait to buy that dream vacation home you've been waiting all your life to buy? Go now and get the deals while they last.   One of the first concepts an economics student tackles is Supp... 05/11/2011

You Want to Rent a Foreclosed Home? I actually got a call from a potential home buyer the other day and they were considering renting a foreclosed home.  The buyer was having credit issues, so they knew they would have to rent for awhile before they could purchase a home. I explained that foreclosed homes are not for rent and probably never would be.  The bank or investor just wants to sell the property and recover some of their investment.  They are not interested in keeping the home for any reason.   I have seen an increased interest in people renting single family homes.  For many reasons, former home-owners are now renters. If you have a damaged credit score, renting for 2 years and getting your score repaired is crucial before you can buy a home of your own.  Speaking with a mortg... 05/05/2011

Here is a collection of some of the photos I took recently at the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  These were all indoors or in their greenhouse when we visited, as the temperature outside was still very cold.  This park is a beautiful place to visit during the spring, summer and fall.  They have outdoor concerts, exhibits, and great walking paths around the grounds.  So if you are looking for a unique adventure, consider making a visit there.  05/04/2011

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...... 05/02/2011

 Easter Meets Miss Earth Day In our work, we get to drive all around the Greater Grand Rapids area all the time.  And we have learned that you just never know what will “pop” up.  We were in East Grand Rapids the other day  and this vision caught our eyes on the way home.    We had to share with you…. FYI….Apparently the well-dressed tree is wearing PINK this year. 04/28/2011

The Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan has an annual exhibit featuring butterflies from Asia, Africa and South America.  I recently went there on an excursion with my wife for an afternoon to see the butterfly atrium at the gardens.  Along with taking photos, which I included in my other blog post on this subject yesterday, I also shot a lot of video.  Last night I had some time and edited the content we shot into a short video, and I posted it on YouTube. I do not know if you have ever tried to photograph or video butterflies, but I can tell you it is not at all as easy as I thought it would be.  They are fast, elusive, and they keep moving and do not care whether you get a photo or not!  There were many times where I would aim, focus and click the shu... 04/21/2011