Laughfest attempts to set a new world record! We need you!

The nation’s first ever community-wide festival of laughter, Gilda’s LaughFest, has announced plans to kick off this year’s festival by inviting the community to help set another Guinness World Record on Thursday, March 6, for the most people wearing sunglasses in the dark. The Community Kickoff will take place at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids and will include giveaways, a photo booth, and all world record participants will receive official LaughFest sunglasses, which are being supplied by Baudville.  The world record attempt will be followed with opening night events at downtown restaurants and a free comedy preview show.

The current Guinness World Record was achieved in July 2012 by 1,642 participants at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill.

March 6 – LaughFest Kickoff

5:30/6 p.m. – pre-kickoff activities, line-up

7:00 p.m. – world record practice and preliminary instructions

7:15 p.m. – official attempt to break the existing record

Gilda’s Club provides support for children living with cancer or grief, and for in-school emotional health programs. Bring a SMILE to the face of a child and give us a “High Five” today. It’s sure to bring a smile to your face as well!  All proceeds go directly to the Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids and Lowell. Give us a “High Five” ($5 donation) any time between now and the end of Laughfest, and your “High Five” gift will be matched (up to $50,000) by five corporate partners – turning your $5 donation into $10! Our goal? To generate $100,000 – Click for more information or to purchase your HIGH FIVE buttons!

Amazing River House Condominium $1,600.000

River House Condominiums

A big thank you to Jim Hargar of M-live for taking the time to write a fantastic article about this amazing condo in River House in downtown Grand Rapids!

Click Here to see the complete article.

River House Condominiums continues to be the most sought after condominium project in downtown Grand Rapids!  The downtown market is moving at a very brisk pace with most units selling shortly after they hit the market.  Not to worry, we always have units available for sale or lease.  Give us a call.

River House Facts:

-Your River House Sales Team has sold the original 206 units and resold 72 units  and counting (Owners  are selling for various reasons:  job transfers, retiring, having children, etc.)

-This means your River House Sales Team (on average) has sold more than 1 condo every week since January, 2009

-This year alone the average unit has increased in value approximately 17%

-Each listing averages a selling price of 97% of the list price.

-Each listing stays on the market an average 14 days or less

If you are looking to buy or sell  a condominium in downtown Grand Rapids, who better than the Urban Lifestyle Specialists to make it a reality!

Chuck Gallagher, Realtor

616-299-5837

cgallagher@greenridge.com

 

Kate Bylsma, Realtor

616-8227843

Kate@patriot-realty.net

River House Wins Prestigious Design Award!

Wow!  A great time was had by all as we celebrated all things River House.  The homeowner party was such a success that we are pleased to announce that we will continue to host these events throughout the year in an effort to meet new neighbors and build an even greater community.

We are so proud of our 100% sold status and continue to be busy showing resales to prospective homeowners.   River House continues to be one of the most desired residences in luxury living!

But the news doesn’t stop there!  River House was recently awarded a prestigious design award.  The American Institute of Building Design recently held its Residential Design Awards Competition.  This 50 year old competition highlights creativity, innovation in design, custom luxury, renovation and more.  We are pleased to announce that River House along with Visbeen Architects was awarded first place in the multi-design category. It is honor to have received the top design award in the country! This is just another reason that River House is the best in downtown living.

If you are interested in living downtown or in selling a current home,  contact us at 616.726.2900.

River House Hits a Monumental Milestone!

River House recently met a monumental milestone!  The sale of the last white box marked the property at 100% occupancy!  But the River House story doesn’t end there.  Our homeowners have seen such an increase in their property values (10-12% in the last 90 days alone) that they are finding it to be an extremely good time to sell.  In fact most of our listings have sold in days, if not hours!   What does that mean?  It means there is still availability for you to live in River House – arguably the premier downtown living destination.  If you are interested in selling a current home or purchasing downtown, contact us at 616-726-2900.

To find out more about River House, click here.

If it’s info about downtown living you’re looking for, click here.

Clark Place – New Condominiums Downtown Grand Rapids

Here is another great new addition to the Downtown Grand Rapids Condominium scene. Clark Place!

The transformation of a former brick and concrete warehouse into American Seating Park’s Clark Place (801 Broadway NW) happened half a dozen or so years ago, bringing a mix of office spaces and luxury apartments to Grand Rapids’ West Side.
There is  a high demand for more condominiums in the downtown area and a lack of supply means the time is ripe to convert Clark Place’s 22 apartments to condominiums.
The 22 units, all on the top (4th) floor of the building, are occupied. Purchase options have been offered to the current residents, Two condos are sold, another two under consideration, and anything not spoken for by May 1 will go on the market.
Each unit has 13-ft. ceilings, all-concrete construction, exposed brick walls, stainless steel appliances, and hook-ups for full-sized washers and dryers. Units range from one bedroom, one bath for $129,900 to four bedrooms, four baths for $380,000. most of the units have two bedrooms, two baths with an average price of $187,000.The demand for condominiums downtown Grand Rapids is exploding.  The current inventory is very low and the demand is very high.  Eleven of the Clark Place units overlook downtown to the south, the other 11 overlook the outdoor amphitheater area to the north.
There is one unit that has a library wall with a rolling ladder, two have wet bars, one has two-story ceilings with a small loft, and a couple are corner units with views in two directions. All have parking garages.

A condo model is open for viewing. For more information or to arrange a viewing, click here.

For a complete listing of All available Grand Rapids Downtown Condominiums.  click here.

Chuck Gallagher, Realtor

Urban Lifestyle Specialist

Housing Market in 2013: Things are looking good!

Some believe that our coverage of the housing market at times is too optimistic. Today, we want to report on Freddie Mac’s projections for the real estate market in 2013 as per their latest U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook.

Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist, explains:

“Across the nation, most local housing markets have room for sustainable growth, particularly in home construction and sales. As the broader economy heals, expect to see more good news with house prices continuing their recent upward trend, and home sales and housing starts continuing to post strong growth rates.”

The report also offered projections on sales and prices.

Housing Starts and Sales

• Projecting housing starts in 2013 will increase to 950,000 units or about 22 percent higher than 2012 levels.
• Existing home sales are expected to pick-up as the house price recovery allows homeowners who have been forced on the sidelines by negative equity to get back into the market.

House Prices

• While most metro areas saw substantial run-ups in prices during the boom, well above income growth, the subsequent market correction was in many cases more severe.
• The level of affordability in most markets suggests a continued improvement in home prices, and strong growth in sales and construction.

It seems Freddie Mac is also optimistic about the future of real estate in the U.S.

Click Below to see what is available in the Downtown Grand Rapids Area!

River House Condominiums  CLICK HERE

All Grand Rapids Downtown Condominiums  CLICK HERE

5 Reasons You Should Buy a Home NOW!

Many potential buyers are waiting until they can be 100% sure the real estate market has fully recovered before making the move to purchase a home. Here are five reasons why waiting might not make sense any longer:

1.) Prices Are on the Rise

The latest Case Shiller Home Price Index revealed that home prices have appreciated 5.5% over the last year. This is occurring across the nation as increases were reported in 19 of 20 metros. The Home Price Expectation Survey, which polls a distinguished panel of over 100 economists, investment strategists, and housing market analysts, calls for continued appreciation over the next five years.

2.) Mortgage Interest Rates Are Expected to Increase

The Mortgage Bankers Association has predicted that, after reaching record lows in 2012, mortgage rates will creep up slowly in 2013 to 4.4%. Rates have already increased by 2/10 of a point (3.32 to 3.53) in the last two months.

3.) Rents Are Continuing to Skyrocket

Recently, Zillow reported that rents in the U.S. increased by 4.2% over the last year. Increases were 5% or more in many major metropolitan areas including Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Detroit, Baltimore, Denver, San Jose and Charlotte.

4.) New Mortgage Regulations Will Be Announced Later This Year

Six regulators, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Securities and Exchange Commission, are currently drafting the new Qualified Residential Mortgage (QRM) rule. They will decide on two major requirements for buyers looking to qualify for a mortgage: minimum down payment and minimum FICO score. Many experts believe the new rules will be more stringent than current requirements.

5.) Timelines Will Be Shorter

The dramatic increase in transactions caused many challenges to the process of buying or selling a home in 2012. We waited for inspections, dealt with last minute appraisals and prayed that the bank didn’t ask for ‘just one more piece of paper’ before issuing a commitment on the mortgage. There are fewer transactions this time of year. That means that timetables on each component of the home buying process will be friendlier for those involved in transactions over the next 90 days.

These are five good reasons why you should consider buying a home today instead of waiting.

Best Cities For Raising A Family

No. 1 Grand Rapids, Michigan

Rankings (of 100 largest metros): Median Income: 65 Cost of Living Index: 6 Housing Affordability: 7 Commuting: 22 Pct. Owning Homes: 5 (75%) Crime: 27 Education: 35   President Gerald Ford’s hometown is home to several furniture makers. The public school system is supplemented by several charter schools.  Also, the downtown scene is booming with an array of restaurants, entertainment venues, festivals including one of the largest Art Festivals, Artprize bringing hundreds of thousands of people into downtown Grand Rapids every fall.

Are you looking to relocate to Grand Rapids?  Look no further than Grand Rapids’ Own Urban Lifestyle Specialist!  Please click on the links below for housing/condo information and whats going on downtown!

Housing/Condo Information:  Click Here

Grand Rapids Things to do:  Click Here

Celebration on the Grand – Downtown Grand Rapids

Celebration on the Grand is almost here! Make plans now to head downtown on September 7^th and 8^th for free concerts, a rubber duck race on the Grand River (the Ducky Dash), and some of the best fireworks around!

The festivities kick off Friday, September 7, with the Taste of Downtown, where you can sample delicious food from downtown restaurants like Peppino’s and Stoner’s Tacos. The vendors will be near the Rosa Parks Circle stage and are open from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and again in the evening from 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. This year, beer will be served in a confined area for adults.

Cinco De Mayo Fiesta GR 2012 !!

Arena District To Host Cinco De Mayo Fiesta GR 2012 On Ionia Ave.  Saturday, May 5th from 4pm -10pm
Grand Rapids, MI – Dance in the streets to the Latin rhythms of Arena District’s “Cinco De Mayo Fiesta GR 2012”. A cultural celebration, this event will serve as a kickoff party for a lively and festive-filled summer in Downtown Grand Rapids.
The May 5th event will be an outdoor festival on Ionia Street, between Fulton and Weston. Various bands will be playing on an outdoor stage featuring headliner and Dallas-natives Juan Johnson & Super Star Guess . Other musical entertainment includes DJ Luis Da Magnificent, Los Tribaleroz y Guero Loco, Bersachi, and Cumbia bands Grupo Yatekos and Super Nova. Participants will also have opportunities to participate in salsa lessons by local dance professional Laura Armenta.
The streets will be lined with select local restaurant food vendors and a beer tent to enrich the Latin experience. Along with serving their ever-popular boneless wings, Buffalo Wild Wings will be hosting a Wing Eating Challenge. Stoner Tacos will be serving up pan-fried tacos while Bar Divani and J. Gardella’s will also be dishing out Latin-inspired cuisine.
Admission is for ages 21 and up only. Tickets purchased before the day of the event are $10 and can be purchased at various Arena District restaurants, on the Arena District’s “Cinco de Mayo Fiesta GR 2012” Facebook page, or at StarTickets.com. Tickets purchased at the gate on the day of the event will be $15. The first 200 to arrive to the Fiesta will receive a complimentary 16oz. beer mug.
This event is being brought to downtown with support from the Downtown Development Authority, Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority, and Buffalo Wild Wings. For more information, visit the Arena District’s Facebook page or email info@arenadistrictgr.com