You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2009.
The Residences at Watermark are located on Watermark
Golf Course just south of Cascade Road. If you don’t like golf,
get defensive when a stray golf ball rolls into your “yard” you probably
would be better off not buying a home or condoat Watermark.
Of course you would be missing out on thebest golf course in
Grand Rapids (no prejudice here, just the facts, folks)
Yes, I play Watermark golf course every chance I get.
Watermark is a premier course with a friendly group of players.
We have anexcellent grounds staff and a great pro shop staff.
Watermark single family homes and condos make this
a very attractiveplace to live. Quality built homes with access
off Cascade Road andSpaulding Drive, you are close to the
airport, 28th Street shopping,I96 expressway and close to
Cascade, Ada, and Forest Hillsschools and shopping areas.
Watermark Residences
January 2009 Real Estate Market Report
For Sale: 7
7 active Watermark Homes currently on the market.
Watermark Homes current active price: $ 809,743
Watermark Homes current price/sq ft is $ 240.39
Watermark Homes average days on market : 109
Sold: 7
There have been 7 Watermark Sold Homes since Jan ’08.
Watermark Sold Homes average price: $ 500,333.
Watermark Sold Homes average price/sq ft: $191.68.
Watermark Sold Homes average days on market: 71
Pending: 1
Expired: 17
Average expired price: $538,047
Average expired price/sqft: $210.49
At the current rate of sales, we have a 12 month supply of homes on
the market at the Watermark Residences. Until active prices start to
align with sold prices, we don’t expect to see much activity in this area.
If you would like further information about Watermark,Cascade
or Forest Hills Homes, please contact me directly.
Watermark Residences December 2008 Market Report
Watermark Residences November 2008 Market Report
Watermark Residences October 2008 Market Report
Watermark Residences September 2008 Market Report
Watermark Country Club ~ Pool Time
Grand Rapids Real Estate – Westbrook Realty
Copyright 2009 All rights reserved
photo of Watermark Residences Entrance by Bonnie Westbrook
Grand Rapids Community College Offers Film Training
Michigan is one of the few states courting the film industry with
rebates and tax incentives. This should bring more film makers
to Michigan in 2009. In anticipation of the films and film crews
that will be needed to bring these projects to completion,
Grand Rapids Community College is offering 4 different courses
in training for film production.
- Basic Film Set Training
- Film Camera Loader Workshop
- Introduction to Technical Labor: Electrical
- Introduction to Technical Labor: The Film Grip
These classes run from $125 to $1750 for tuition fees and some
require some technical knowledge and expertise.
TicTock Studios in Holland MI is co-sponsoring the Basic Film Set
Training to supply needed expertise to film makers here. These
programs are state approved and might qualify for No Worker Left
Behind funding to participate in the film training program.
Henry Ford Community College is also offering classes.
The classes at GRCC start in March, so check out the links and
you could be working on a movie set this year!
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Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate Five Star Real Estate LLC
Copyright 2009 All rights reserved
Forest Hills is actually a school district in Ada Cascade MI. This market
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, such as Ada Christian
that attract many home owners.
This report will cover the Sept 1 to Jan 26, 2009 real estate market activity.
Forest Hills MI Listings over $300,000
The absorption rate for Forest Hills MI is 16.23 months, which means
if no new listings come on the market, it will take 16.23 months to sell
the existing homes at the current rate of sale. This rate is up from last
month, sold prices are about the same. Fewer listings and sales this
month, the average list price is lower for this upper end category.
There is still a disconnect between average listed price/sqft and average
sold price/sqft of about $40/sqft.
There are 211 Active Forest Hills Listings in the over $300,000 category
with an average price of $649,207. The Average price per square foot of
Active Listings is $200.70 with a low price of $300,000 & a high price of
$2,700,000.
There have been 54 Sold Forest Hills Listings in the over $300,000
category with an Average price of $478,126. The Average Sold price
per square foot is $ 161.09. The lowest sold price is $309,900 & the
highest sold price is $850,000.
There are 11 Pending Forest Hills Listings in this category.
Forest Hills Listings $100,000 to $300,000
The Absorption rate for Forest Hills homes in this price range is 8.2
months, which means that if no new homes enter the market, at the
current rate of sales, it will take 8.2 months to sell all current inventory.
There are 192 Forest Hills Active Listings in Ada -Cascade with an
Average Price of $212,186. The Average Active Price/SqFt is $120.63
and the Average Active Days on the Market are 119. The High Active
Price is $300,000 and the Low Active Price is $101,800.
There have been 90 Sold Forest Hills Listings in the last 5 months. The
Average Sold Price is $197,706 with the Average Sold Price per square foot
at $105.87. Average Sold Days on the Market is 121 Days. The high Sold
price is $299,900 & the low sold price is $104,500. There are 27 Pending
Sales in this category.
Market Synopsis: Although the absorption rate is one of the lowest in
the area, for the under 300K homes, this market area seems to be
similar to last month. Fewer active listings, and average list prices are
inching slightly downward. Average sold price has stayed almost the
same although more homes sold this month than last.
Ada Cascade Market Report December 2008
Ada Cascade Market Report October 2008
Ada Cascade Market Report Sept 2008
If you would like specific information about an Ada Cascade or
Forest Hills MI Home, please contact me directly.
Click here ^ to subsribe to my Grand Rapids Blog
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate Five Star Real Estate LLC
Copyright 2009 All rights reserved
Photo of Forest Hills Eastern High School by Bonnie Westbrook
The U.S. News and World Report has published their annual survey of the
best public high schools across the country.
These top open enrollment schools were placed into gold, silver,
bronze, and honorable mention categories.
Six public schools in Kent County were mentioned. Two Grand Rapids
inner city schools and 4 Grand Rapids suburban schools were named
in Best High Schools Kent County 2009.
City Middle/ High School, East Grand Rapids High School, Forest Hills
Central High School, Lee High School, Lowell High School, and Ottawa
Montessori School all received Silver or Bronze awards.
Schools are an important consideration when buying and
selling a home. Public schools in the Grand Rapids area
are some of the best in the country.
Grand Rapids Ada MI Real Estate ~ Five Star Realty
copyright 2009 All rights reserved
Photo of Forest Hills Central High School by Bonnie Westbrook
Current Real Estate Market Report For East Grand Rapids Michigan
Absorption rate for East Grand Rapids MI housing market is currently
at 9.9 months, which means if no new listings come on the
East Grand Rapids market, it will take 9.9 months for the existing
home inventory to sell.
There are 140 active listings on the East Grand Rapids market now,
ranging from $50,900 to $4,000,000.
12 Pending Home Sales w/ prices ranging from $ 48,000 to $ 369,000.
87 Sold Homes with sold prices ranging from $ 52,000 to $ 680,000
since July 1, 2008 in the East Grand Rapids housing inventory.
The lower end of this market (under $300K) has been 2/3 of the sales
in the last seven months.
East Grand Rapids December 2008 Absorption Report
If you have any questions about the value of your East GR home,
please contact me directly.
Grand Rapids Ada MI Real Estate ~ Five Star Realty
copyright 2008 All rights reserved
Photo of East Grand Rapids Public Library by Bonnie Westbrook
Current Caledonia MI Real Estate Market Report
Absorption rate for Caledonia MI Market is currently 9.6 months,
which means if no other homes come on the market, it will take
9.6 months for the current inventory to sell at the current
sales rate.
There are 133 current active listings, from $60,900 to $1,100,000 in
Caledonia MI.
20 Pending Home Sales, and 77 Sold Homes since July 1, 2008.
The current average Caledonia home listed price is much higher
(about $130K) than the average selling price. This shows me
that the upper end of the Caledonia market is slow and the
lower end (under $200K) is selling. Sold price per square foot
continues to slide downward. There are some excellent buys
in Caledonia, don’t wait until they are gone.
Caledonia December 2008 Absorption Report
If you have any questions about Caledonia or Grand Rapids MI
homes, please contact me directly through my website.
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2009 All rights Reserved
Photo of Thornapple River at Ruehs Park by Bonnie Westbrook
We have a vacant home listed. It is a nice house, clean, neat, 4 bedroom
two story home that I showed last Saturday. It was a changed house
when I showed it again on Monday. We had record setting low
temperatures here over last weekend and the batteries failed in the
thermostat.
NO HEAT!
Frozen pipes.
Needless to say, I rushed to the store, bought batteries, and got the
furnace going again. I also turned off the water to try and eliminate
as much damage as possible. When the house warmed up, sure enough,
a water pipe broke between the kitchen ceiling and the upstairs bathroom,
according to the plumber.
So, the morale of the story is: If you have a vacant home,
change the batteries in that thermostat—don’t take chances!
This home had a 2 year old furnace and thermostat, so I
didn’t have a thought that the batteries in the thermostat
could fail. Remember this tip is you are planning on an extended
vacation or going south for a month or longer. Replace
those batteries before you go. It doesn’t take long in below zero
weather for your home to incur substantial damage.
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate ~ Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2009 All rights reserved
Hidden Hills is an established neighborhood of homes off Cascade Road
and 30th Street in Cascade Township, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids.
Home construction started here in the 1960’s housing boom in the Forest
Hills School District and has continued through to today. There are new
homes still being built in this neighborhood.
Mid-size homes with quality construction are the rule, this suburban sub-
division area has been a desirable place to live in the Grand Rapids home
market for many years.
Hidden Hills, Cascade Township
Residential Real Estate Market Report
~ January 2009 ~
9 For Sale, 6 SOLD, 2 Expired
Hidden Hills Active Listings
Hidden Hills Average Active Price: $ 278,244
Hidden Hills Average Active Price Per Sq Ft: $ 114.64
Hidden Hills Active Average Days on Market: 121
Hidden Hills Sold Homes
Hidden Hills Average SOLD Price: $ 223,667
Hidden Hills Average SOLD Price Per Sq Ft: $ 104.00
Hidden Hills Average SOLD Days on the Market: 65
Hidden Hills Expired Homes
Hidden Hills Average Expired Price: $ 291,900
Hidden Hills Average Expired Price Per Sq Ft: $104.50
Hidden Hills Average Expired Days on the Market: 183
The current absorption rate is 13.5, which means we have a 13.5
month supply of homes in the Hidden Hills market, IF no new homes
enter the market and homes sell at the rate for the past 9 months.
MARKET SYNOPSIS: Hidden Hills average SOLD home price has
dropped about $46K and about $12 /SqFt in the last 9 months.
Time on the market has increased and will probably continue to do so
for the winter months. No new homes have come on the market and
many of the over priced homes in Hidden Hills have decided to not sell
in this market. Price and condition are the two items buyers will
compare. You can’t get top price if your condition is vintage 1980’s.
Today’s buyers have too many choices to settle.
Forest Hills School District Average Sold Home Prices last 5 years:
2008 – $ 279,709
2007 – $ 269,445
2006 – $ 300,691
2005 – $ 282,173
2004 – $ 268,072
Hidden Hills Market Report July 2008
Hidden Hills Market Report June 2008
Hidden Hills Market Report Oct 2008
Hidden Hills Market Report Nov 2008
If you would like further information about Cascade Homes or
Forest Hills homes, please contact me directly.
Grand Rapids – Ada Real Estate – Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2009 All rights reserved
photo of Fall Crab Apple Tree by Bonnie Westbrook
Cascade Neighborhood Absorption Report
Caravelle Village is an established subdivision built in the late 1960’s
and 1970’s just south of Burton Street, east of Kraft Avenue and west
of Cascade Road in Cascade Township. These Grand Rapids Homes
have the traditional mix of two stories, tri-levels and ranches. A desirable
place to live with median priced homes, Forest Hills Schools, and close to
28th shopping and restaurants. Originally built by a variety of builders, the
homes here are quality construction in a safe neighborhood and close to
the historic village of Cascade and 28th Street shopping.
Caravelle Village Residential Real Estate
January 2009 Market Report
4 For Sale, 7 SOLD, 4 Expired
Caravelle Village Active Listings: 4
Caravelle Village Average Active Price – $ 188,675
Caravelle Village Average Active Price/Sq Ft – $ 131.17
Caravelle Village Average Days on the Market – 141
Caravelle Village SOLD Listings: 7
Caravelle Village Average Sold Price – $ 183,071
Caravelle Village Average Sold price/SqFt – $ 128.21
Caravelle Village Average Sold Days on the Market – 62
Caravelle Village Expired Listings: 4
Caravelle Village Average Expired Price – $191,125
Caravelle Village Average Expired Price/SqFt – $124.08
Caravelle Village Average Expired Days on the market – 124
At the current rate of sales, we have a 6.4 month supply of homes in
Caravelle Village, if no new homes come on the market.
MARKET SYNOPSIS: Not much new activity for Caravelle Village since
November of last year. The average listed price has remained constant,
but buyers are reluctant.
This is a popular area for home buyers, but your home must be in top
notch condition and priced to sell in today’s market.
Caravelle Village Market Report August 2008
Forest Hills Schools Market Report Sept 2008
Caravelle Village Market Report Oct 2008
Ada Cascade Market Report Nov 2008
Grand Rapids -Ada Real Estate – Five Star Real Estate
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
photo of Cascade Town Hall Gardens by Bonnie Westbrook
Cascade Neighborhood Absorption Report
Tamarron Estates is an upscale suburban development with large
wooded lots, walking access to Thornapple Elementary School and
the Thornapple River Backwaters. It is located just off of
Thornapple River Drive and Cascade Road in Cascade Township.
The house styles vary from large, comfortable ranches, traditional
two stories, to contemporary homes. Many of the homes were built
in the late 1970’s to the mid 1980’s, though there is a new street
that has much newer homes on acreage settings. Some houses close
to and surrounding this development are in the upper price brackets
in the Grand Rapids real estate market.
Tamarron Residential Real Estate
January 2009 Market Report
5 Sold, 3 For Sale, 11 Expired
Tamarron Active Listings: 3
Tamarron Average Active Price – $ 361,300
Tamarron Average Active Price/SqFt – $ 107.93
Tamarron Average Active Days on Market – 153
Tamarron SOLD Listings: 5
Tamarron Average Sold Price – $ 339,480
Tamarron Average Active Price/SqFt – $ 98.11
Tamarron Average Sold Days on Market – 63
Tamarron Expired Listings: 11
Tamarron Average Expired Price – $ 388,891
Tamarron Average Expired Price/SqFt – $ 129.65
Tamarron Average Expired Days on Market – 137
At the current selling rate, we have a 4.2 month supply of homes on the
market in Tamarron in Cascade Township.
MARKET SYNOPSIS: Tamarron homes are selling but not at the prices that
some sellers would like to see. Today’s market is accepting homes under
$100.00 a sq ft. This is a price reduction for this area. As you can see,
the remaining sellers think their homes will sell at $ 107 a sq ft. This isn’t
happening.
The expired listings are even further out of sync at $ 129 a sq ft. If you have to
sell your Tamarron Estates home now, the market place is telling you that
you need to be at $ 100 a sq ft or less to see your home sell.
Cascade Township has seen tremendous growth in the last fifty
years, though the growth rate has slowed considerably since 2000.
The majority (82%)live in a single family home, and the median
value is $220,00. Household incomes in Cascade Township are the
highest among surrounding Grand Rapids areas at $ 87,290. Most
people in Cascade Township prefer to live here because of the quality
housing, safe areas, and quality schools.
Tamarron Estates Market Report August 2008
Forest Hills Market Report Sept 2008
Tamarron Estates Market Report Oct 2008
Ada Cascade Market Report Nov 2008
If you have questions about the value of your Cascade or Forest Hills
Home, please contact me directly.
Grand Rapids -Ada Real Estate Copyright 2008 All rights reserved
Photo of Leslie Tassell Park by Bonnie Westbrook