Homes for Sale

What’s the difference between owning a House or Condominium?

Deciding whether to buy a single family home or condo can be a challenging decision to anyone in the market looking for a new place to live.   There are different structures that appeal to different lifestyles.  There are positives and negatives to both owning a house or a condo.

Condos are known for having easier upkeep.  While paying the homeowners fee every year can be an added expense; having no yard work, maintenance, or snow shoveling can save a lot of time.   Since condos are often built in large cities, their location can be extremely beneficial for homeowners working in downtown areas.  Single family homes do not exist in downtown areas.   Having a location close to work saves time and money that would otherwise be spent commuting.
Fees are often the major complaint of living in a condo complex.  Association fees month after month can be a significant cost to living in a condo.  Fees increases can be the outcome of the shared decision by a community.  Living within a homeowners association gives each owner a vote in each association meetings.   Often, meeting’s decisions can require an increase in fees to help cover the added expense of maintenance or new projects that the association deem necessary.
Houses are the most common choice in the United States as a place to live.  There are no association fees to be paid for maintenance. It is the homeowner’s choice to spend as much or as little money and time on exterior and interior maintenance.    Single family homes are friendly for families with children and pets.  Single family houses have potential for growth for expanding families by renovating an old living space, finishing the basement, or putting an addition on the house.   Houses offer a lot more freedom than condos or apartments do.
While houses usually allow for plenty of space and the right to free choices, there are many responsibilities homeowners have that would otherwise be taken care of living in a condo or apartment.  A homeowner can often choose to hire companies to maintain a house, but the majority of people find it cheaper to do the work themselves.  The work entails yard work, snow shoveling, cleaning windows, cleaning gutters, and many other maintenance issues within the house.   These maintenance costs get higher and higher as the square footage of the house rises.  The time spent on house upkeep can be significant.   Since most houses have bigger square footage than condos, there is more hot water, more electricity, and more heat needed to keep the house comfortable, which ultimately creates higher utilities cost.
There are many similarities and differences that need to be reviewed before deciding on whether to buy a house or a condo.  A person in the market for a new place to live needs to take the time to establish his or her necessities  in a new living space in order to determine the most suitable place to live.

Source:

http://www.lendingtree.com/smartborrower/buying-a-home/finding-a-home/buying-condo-versus-house/

Homes for Sale

7387 Brewer Dr. Hudsonville, Mi 49426

First time offered! Located near a cul-de-sac, this 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath meticulously maintained home is ready for its new owner. Tastefully decorated with warm colors throughout makes you feel at home upon entry. Open floor plan with ample storage. Kitchen has cherry cabinets and layout is perfect for more then one chef at a time. Dining area is adjacent to kitchen with sliders to deck. All appliances to remain. Located at the full part of Brewer pond (great for fishing,swimming,canoeing or ice skating) has had landscape added to help create a peaceful surrounding. Brick Paver supports retaining walls near home, Wrap around deck with exit to walk down to sandy private pond frontage. This home shows like new and is walking distance to schools, shopping. NOT a short sale/foreclosure so you will be able to close in time for tax credit. See today!

Homes for Sale

Keller Williams Excels in Customer Service

JD Power & Associates Study shows Keller Williams is at the top of their field:

Clients Often Need Something Extra From Realtors
Extra services provided by real estate companies — such as inspections, appraisals and legal and moving company recommendations — have become increasingly important to home buyers and sellers, according to the recently-released J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Home Buyer/Seller Study.

The study, now in its second year, measured customer satisfaction of home buyers and sellers with the largest national real estate companies. Overall satisfaction was determined by examining three factors for the home-buying experience: agent (47 percent); office (28 percent); and package of additional services (25 percent). Four factors were examined for the home-selling experience: agent (34 percent); marketing (34 percent); office (17 percent); and package of additional services (15 percent).

For both buyers and sellers, the agent is still the most important driver of overall sa tisfaction. However, the importance of agents has declined substantially from 2008, while the importance of additional services has increased considerably — by 12 percentage points among buyers and 8 percentage points among sellers. In addition, actual usage of many of these services has decreased from 2008, likely due to cutbacks made by real estate companies in response to a depressed market.

“In a tight market, every aspect of service offered will be scrutinized very closely,” said Jim Howland, senior director of the real estate and construction practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “For this reason, it is critical for real estate companies to promote the value that they bring to buyers and sellers, not only in any additional services they offer, but also in their agents and operations.”

In the home-buyer segment, Keller Williams ranked highest for a second consecutive year, with a score of 806 on a 1,000-point scale. Keller Williams also performed particularly well in the agent factor. Following in the rankings were Coldwell Banker (801) and RE/MAX (798). Coldwell Banker performed particularly well in the office factor.

Among home sellers, Coldwell Banker ranked highest with a score of 815 and performed particularly well in all four factors. Keller Williams followed Coldwell Banker in the segment ranking with a score of 801.

The study found that the proportion of first-time home buyers has increased considerably — to 56 percent in 2009 from 44 percent in 2008. Many of these first-time buyers may be attracted by improved home affordability and the perception of a strong buyer’s market. This presents both challenges and opportunities for real estate companies.

“The presence of more first-time buyers is encouraging, as it indicates that the real estate market is returning to more normal activity, with fewer speculators,” said Howland. “However, real estate companies and agents must carefully manage first-time buyer expectations. Although these buyers may believe otherwise, they must still overcome the traditional barriers to purchasing a home, such as being able to fund down payments, closing costs and monthly payments. Solid advice and service from agents may assuage these first-time buyers’ concerns and build customer loyalty.”

Additional noteworthy study findings included the following:

* Home sellers report that, on average, 3.2 open houses were conducted for their property in 2009, compared with 4.5 in 2008.

* Approximately 64 percent of home sellers used a Web site listing to market their home in 2009, up from 61 percent in 2008.

The 2009 Home Buyer/Seller Study included more than 3,100 evaluations from 2,801 respondents who bought or sold a home between April 2007 and June 2008. The study was fielded between April and June 2009.

(Source: J.D. Power and Associates, 07/30/09)

Homes for Sale

64 Manchester Rd SW Grand Rapids, MI 49548

Beautifully updated from top to bottom by a licensed builder. New Carpet, Paint, and windows throughout. Great layout with 3 large bedrooms, a formal dining room and a fireplace in the spacious living room. Full basement can be finished for even more living space. Spacious backyard and a 2 stall garage make this a home you must see!

Homes for Sale

1162 Oaklawn Grand Rapids, MI 49505

This Home Has Been Rented!

Homes for Sale

1013 Aberdeen St.

Quiet NE neighborhood, kitty corner from Aberdeen Elementary School. This home has been well cared for and features new carpet, new water heater, a spacious kitchen and a partially finished basement. Great home that you can own for less than the cost of rent!

Homes for Sale

615 Coleman St. Grand Rapids MI 49508

This greatly priced Bryon Center home sits on a fenced yard that backs up to a wooded stream. You’ll enjoy the summer months with both a patio and deck! The home features a spacious floor plan with a finished walkout basement, master bedroom with walk-in-closet, and a walk through bathroom. The home has plenty of storage with the added room of a storage shed in the backyard! Don’t miss your chance to tour this phenomenal home!