You are currently browsing the monthly archive for November 2008.
Robinette’s Farm Market is a favorite Grand Rapids destination for families,
shoppers, sippers, pie aficionados, hay ride enthusiasts, and just plain folks.
We like to sample the wonderful home baked fruit pies, donuts,
bear claws, and other bakery goods. And of course, the fresh apple cider.
In fact, on weekends in season, you can see the old fashioned apple press
at work.
Located at the East Beltline at Four Mile Road in northeast Grand Rapids
Township, Robinette’s is a farm market that has diversified to anticipate
their customers needs.
Their newest venture in the big red barn is Robinette Cellars,a wine tasting
cellar, which they have added to their repertoire. They feature Michigan wines
and Cider, the typical red and white table wines, a hard cider, and cherry wine.
For the more adventurous, they also offer a sweet Pear Wine, Mirtillo Wine
made from Michigan blueberries, Cyser, a blend of apple & honey wine,
flavored with dates and raisins. MMMmmmm, that sounds good, not sure
I got to taste that one.
Robinette’s offers old fashioned hayrides on their wagons in the fall, they
have lots of pumpkins for holiday decorations, and of course, the apples,
cider, and all things made from them.
We stopped a few weeks ago and took a short video so you could see the
activity on a beautiful fall day. If you haven’t been to Robinette’s Farm
Market for awhile, you might consider a trip for lunch or a weekend drive.
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved Video by Bonnie Westbrook
No remuneration or compensation was given for this recommendation of
Robinettes’ Farm Market.
Michigan Color Tour
Michigan autumn is an very colorful time of our year.
The lush greens of summer make way for the crisp, clear
firestorm of autumn color here in Grand Rapids Michigan.
The yellows gleam in the sunlight and trees with their autumn
foliage beckon to us…..see me, see how gorgeous I am.
I have to agree, they call out to have their photo taken before
they undress for winter. Here are trees from our own
neighborhood in all their fall finery.
A gorgeous sugar maple tree in full flame
I love the movement of these fall grasses
This is a common sight this week, a lawn coated with leaves
This majestic oak tree will be the last tree to lose its leaves
A beautiful crabapple tree with a lot of fall color
A fabulous Japanese Maple Tree with its crimson leaves scattered in a drive
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Westbrook Realty
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
photos by Bonnie Westbrook
Caledonia Michigan Home Values
Caledonia Michigan is a very desirable suburban community to live in
if you work in the Grand Rapids area. The school system is top rated,
the village and surrounding area was rated one of the Top 100 places
to live by Money Magazine in 2005. Caledonia MI is a bit rural
within a short distance of all the city attractions of Grand Rapids.
Example: Caledonia MI is about 6 miles from Gerald R. Ford
International Airport.
Caledonia Real Estate Market Report March ~ November ’08
There are 154 active homes for sale in Caledonia November ’08
Average active price is $ 321,036
Average active price/SqFt is $ 148.01
Average days on market for an active listing is 135 days.
The lowest priced home is $49,900, the highest priced
home is $1,700,000.
There are 14 homes in Caledonia in pending sales November ’08
The lowest pending price is $64,900, the highest price is
$ 434,900, averaging 159 days on the market.
There are 40 SOLD homes in Caledonia November ’08
Average sold price for Caledonia homes is $ 196,291.
Average sold price/sqft for main floor is $ 105.38.
Average sold days on market are 104.
Lowest sold price for Caledonia homes was $52,500
Highest sold price was $ 552,500
MARKET SYNOPSIS: Caledonia MI is experiencing the same
problem as other areas of our real estate market. A glut of homes
on the market and buyers with a bargain mentality. At the current
rate of sales, we have a 30+ month supply of homes, if no other
homes come on the market. If you don’t need to sell your Caledonia
home now, this is not a good time to test the waters with a high price
on your home. Save yourself the trouble and don’t list your home unless
you absolutely have to sell. And price it accordingly.
If you have questions about Caledonia homes or
Grand Rapids homes, please contact me directly.
1-888-240-1968 ext 0
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
photo of Thornapple River by Bonnie Westbrook
Rockford Michigan Home Values
Rockford Michigan is a quaint little village on the Rogue River.
It is 10 miles from downtown Grand Rapids, with several major
roads that will take you there. There is a state of the art school
public system, many suburban housing developments, and a busy,
vital village with wonderful boutique shopping and every variety of
restaurants. It is also home to Wolverine World Wide, which is the
manufacturer of Hush Puppies, Merrell, Caterpillar, and Harley
Davidson shoes and apparel. You can get a hot dog at The Corner
Bar or have an evening of fine dining at Reds.
It is a great place to live in the Greater Grand Rapids area.
The housing inventory here is high, like all of the Grand Rapids area.
There are 120 Rockford homes for sale under $ 200,000, which
gives us a 92 month supply (if no other homes come on the market)
at the present rate of sales.
For Rockford homes over $ 200,000, there is a 31 month supply of
homes at the present rate of sales.
This is a desirable community that continues to draw residents to live
in this area. For this market report, we used Rockford Public School
District as the boundary criteria.
Rockford Michigan Real Estate Market Report
April – October 2008
Under $ 200,000 Rockford MI Active Listings: 120
Average active Rockford MI listing price – $ 155,237
Average active Rockford MI price/SqFt – $ 109.77
Average Rockford MI days on market – 45
Under $ 200,000 Rockford MI SOLD Homes: 9
Average Rockford MI homes sold price is $125,122
Average Rockford MI Sold homes days on the market is 28 days
Average Rockford MI Sold Homes price /SqFt $ 82.24
Over $ 200,000 Rockford MI Active Listings: 200
Average active Rockford MI listing price – $ 325,809
Average active Rockford MI price/SqFt – $ 162.69
Average Rockford MI days on market – 102
Over $200,000 Rockford Mi Homes SOLD: 41
Average Sold price for Rockford MI Homes – $285,963.
Average price/SqFt for Sold Rockford MI homes – $ 137.98
Average Rockford MI homes days on the market – 73
Rockford MI Market Report October 2008
Rockford MI Market Report Sept 2008
If you have questions about a Rockford MI or Grand Rapids MI
homes, please contact me directly at:
1-888-240-1968 ext 0
Grand Rapids -Ada Real Estate – Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
Photo of Rockford Rogue River Backwaters by Bonnie Westbrook
We attended the latest Grand Valley State University Alumni Breakfast
Series this week in Grand Rapids Michigan. The featured speaker was
Blake Krueger, the CEO of Wolverine Worldwide, Inc. speaking on Global
Leadership through Innovation.
If you aren’t familiar with Wolverine Worldwide, they are a local company
based here in Rockford, Michigan. They had annual sales of $1.2 billion
last year as an international marketer of footwear, apparel, and
accessories. They make Hush Puppies, Merrell, Patagonia, Sebago,
Harley Davidson and Cat footwear. The talk was very informative and
relevant to today’s global market place. Wolverine Worldwide decided
to go global back in 1958, so they were way ahead of the curve when
most companies decided to market their products beyond the shores
of the USA.
Which could be why they are a very successful company today.
Here is a short video of the last part of Mr. Krueger’s talk, about
innovation in the global marketplace.
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
Video by Bonnie Westbrook
The last few years NAR has been investigating the possibility of having a
National Data base of all properties in the United States. Filled with
tax information, Insurance documents ( like the Clue report), survey, title
information, anything to do with the subject property. The purpose is to have
a place to go to get all information about a property with one click.
While the project is still in it’s infancy, the final product would be available
to members of NAR and not to the public. The MLS Issues and policy
forum heard from Dale Ross who is chair of the RPR (Realtors Property
Resource). He indicated they have contracted with Move.com to consult with
NAR to bring the RPR to reality.
Inman News also reported on the presentation.
Opinions I have heard vary from:” finally a system that will be helpful” to
“there they go again spending our dues dollars to build something that the
local market may already have.”
I think we have a bigger issues that should be solved first. We need to
have systems in place that offer the consumer programs similar to the
Zillows and Trulias of the Internet and let the brokers and title offices
continue to offer property detail.
I don’t think we need a national MLS but we need to get away from the small
local MLS’s that can not offer all the bells and whistles that are available.
But that is another blog post.
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
Ada Cascade MI Real Estate is always active. These Grand Rapids suburban
communities have wonderful neighborhoods, some new and some older with
prestigious Forest Hills Public Schools, and private schools that attract many
homeowners, such as Ada Christian Schools.
This report will cover the July to November 2008 real estate market activity.
Ada Cascade Listings over $300,000
There are 203 Active Ada Cascade Listings in the over $300,000 category with
an average price of $663,276. The Active Listings have been on the market
for an Average of 150 Days. The Average price per square foot of Active
Listings is $207.16 with a low price of $300,000 & a high price of $2,700,000.
There have been 68 Sold Ada Cascade Listings in the over $300,000 category
with an Average price of $550,287. The Average Sold price per square foot is
$ 184.86 with Average Days on the Market at 124. The lowest sold price is
$306,200 & the highest sold price is $1,500,000. There are 9 Pending
Ada Cascade Listings in this category.
Ada Cascade Listings $100,000 to $300,000
There are 188 Ada Cascade Active Listings
Average Price of $205,252
Average Active Price per Sq Ft is $121.37
Average Active Days on the Market are 104
High Active Price is $300,000
Low Active Price is $104,900
There have been 57 Sold Ada Cascade Listings in the last 4 months.
Average Sold Price is $196,586
Average Sold Price / sq foot at $111.22
Average Sold Days on the Market is 96 Days
High Sold price is $290,000
Low sold price is $104,500
There are 21 Pending Sales in this category.
Ada Cascade Market Report October 2008
Ada Cascade Market Report Sept 2008
If you would like specific information about an Ada Cascade MI or
Forest Hills Home, please contact me directly at:
1-888-240-1968 ext 0
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate Five Star Real Estate LLC
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
Photo of the Grand River in Ada by Bonnie Westbrook
We have a new US citizen in our family. We are so proud of him. Our
daughter is married to a young man originally from Poland. He arrived on our
shores at the age of ten speaking Polish, German, a little Russian, and
not any English. He had to catch up fast. Luckily for him, he was in a class
of all foreign students, so he was in the same predicament as everyone else.
Flash forward to age 15, high school, lots of teen angst and his parents
must return to Poland. They made a huge sacrifice to leave him here in
the US with friends, so he can graduate and stay safely in the United States.
To make a long story short, he attends college here, gets a job here, and
eventually meets our daughter here in the US. More than two thirds of his life,
he has been living in the United States.
Today is his first day as a US Citizen.
Congratulations Sebastian!
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
photos by Bonnie Westbrook
Crystal Springs Development in Caledonia, Michigan is a large,
residential suburban housing development that was started in
the late 1980’s and most construction was finished in the 1990’s
although some newer homes have been built since 2000.
There are also a few vacant lots left to develop.
This development covers a large area around the Stonewater
Golf Course at Crystal Springs south of 68th Street to 72nd
Street and encompassing Kalamazoo Avenue on the east and
west. This development has single family homes and condos,
many located right on the Stonewater Golf Course.
The public school system is Kentwood, even though the
address is Caledonia.
Crystal Springs Homes are close to the shopping plaza at
68th and Kalamazoo, Kentwood High School, and a short
hop to M-6, which is the south beltline for the Greater Grand
Rapids area connecting US 131 on the west and I96 on the
east side of the city.
November 2008 Real Estate
Residential Market Report
Crystal Springs Neighborhood
Active Listings: 26 Active Crystal Springs Listings
Average Price: $262,628
Price per Sq Ft: $110.26 (Main Floor only)
Average days on the Market: 129
PENDING: 1 home
SOLD: 22 Crystal Springs Sold Homes
Average Price: $ 206,677
Average Price Per Sq Ft: $ 96.01 (Main floor only)
Average Days on the Market: 74
Expired: 22 Expired Crystal Springs listings
Average Expired Price: $261,785
Average Price Per Sq Ft: $107.56 (Main floor only)
Average Days on the Market: 139
Crystal Springs Homes that are priced competitively are selling.
As you can see by the statistics, the homes that have their price
per square foot around $100 are selling in under 3 months.
Watermark CC purchases Crystal Springs GC
Crystal Springs GC has a new look & a new name
Caledonia MI Sept 2008 Real Estate Market Report
Kentwood MI Real Estate Market Report Oct 2008
Caledonia MI Crystal Springs Market Report Oct 2008
If you would like additional information about Caledonia
or Kentwood Homes, please contact me directly at
1-888-240-1968 ext 0
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
photo of golf tournament by Terry Westbrook
UPDATE: The Stone Falls of Ada Apartment complex has went up fast.
Our last post was in June. The units are up and some are occupied. Not
all units are completed yet. In the short video here, you can see the
approach to Stone Falls of Ada on Spaulding Ave and just how big this
complex is. There was a little excitement a few weeks ago when an empty
unit caught fire, the damage can be seen on our video tour.
I am leaving my original post, so you can the how fast the project has
went up.
Stone Falls of Ada Apartments
Original Post about Stone Falls of Ada:
A new 210 unit luxury apartment complex is taking shape in Ada, Michigan.
The new complex, named Stone Falls of Ada, is scheduled to be completed
in spring 2009. The Dayton Ohio based group that is constructing the
development, the Miller-Valentine Group,and their partners, Boston based
Cross Harbor Capital Partners LLC reports that the complex will have one,
two, and three bedroom apartments ranging in size from 856 square
feet to 1460 square feet. The location of the project is on the east side
of Spaulding Avenue just south of Fulton Street.
As you can see, construction is well under way. The buildings in the far
background are the Townhouses and condominiums of Clements Mill. This
part of the Clements Mill project was sold to be completed as apartment
dwellings. This is a fairly new feature in Ada Township.
Prior to this development 98 per cent of the homes in Ada Township were
single family residences. There are a lot of apartments in the Grand Rapids
area but very few in Ada. It will be interesting to see if Ada is attractive to
renters.
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Westbrook Realty
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved.
photo by Bonnie Westbrook