Repositioning Your Listing: Set the Home Up for Its Buyer Direct answer: For Grand Rapids sellers whose home is not selling, repositioning means staging, repainting, and rearranging the home so it is set up for the buyer who is going to buy it — not for the seller who is leaving it. What repositioning actually is Repositioning a property ultimately comes down to staging. People often overlook repainting some walls, moving furniture around, removing furniture, and bringing new

Financing a Downtown Grand Rapids Condo Direct answer: For downtown Grand Rapids condo buyers, financing is a completely different world from financing a house — every building is unique, and whether your loan works depends on that building and its association, so get your financing figured out before you write an offer. A different world Financing in downtown condos is a completely different world. You cannot just write an offer and not have your financing figured out in con

Downtown Grand Rapids Condo Parking: What to Check Before You Buy Direct answer: For downtown Grand Rapids condo buyers, parking is a big deal — every building handles it differently, some spots sell for $30,000, and you cannot assume a spot comes with the condo. This is not Chicago — but it can feel like it Parking is a big deal in downtown Grand Rapids, because a lot of people do not know how much it matters. There are even complexes selling parking for $30,000 for one park

Can You Rent Out Your Downtown Grand Rapids Condo? Direct answer: For downtown Grand Rapids condo buyers, whether you can rent out your condo after you buy it comes down to one thing: what is in the association documents — and even a policy that allows renting today can be voted to change. Each building is different Can you rent it after you buy it in downtown Grand Rapids? Each building is different, so look at the building specifics. Some buildings do not allow rentals at a

Why Are Downtown Condo Association Fees So High — or So Low? Direct answer: For downtown Grand Rapids condo buyers confused by association fees, the fee varies so widely because of what it covers — amenities and utilities — and because every association is a nonprofit looking out for its owners, not a profit source. First, what the association is One of the major questions Steve always talks about with clients: why is the association fee so high in this building, or why is it

How Much Space Do You Need in a Downtown Grand Rapids Condo? Direct answer: For buyers moving into a downtown Grand Rapids condominium, the square footage inside your unit is usually not all of your space — common elements and storage add space the listing number does not show. The listing number is not the whole story One of the major questions Steve gets is: how much space do we need? When you are moving into downtown Grand Rapids into a condominium, the square footage is u

What Is a Custom Builder? Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers building a new home, a custom builder is a one-on-one relationship: they take the blueprints you have done with your architect and bring them to completion, as your hands in the building process. One-on-one, from blueprints to completion You have heard about production and semi-custom builders. Now comes the custom builder. A custom builder is a one-on-one relationship. They are going to take the blueprints tha

Price Per Square Foot: The Wrong Question for a New Build Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers building a new home, price per square foot is the wrong question to lead with — it varies so much by builder and finishes that Steve would rather ask what value you get for the money you are putting out. What price per square foot leaves out One question Steve gets often: what is the price per square foot of a build? That means taking away the lot cost and asking how much it cost

How Long Does It Take to Build a House? Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers building a new home, expect a build to take longer than it once did — timelines that ran about six months from hole dug to move-in now commonly stretch to eight months or even a year, depending on the house, the builder, and your selections. It used to be more standardized How long does it take to build a house? It used to be pretty standardized — a little more standardized than it is right now. T

How to Interview a Builder Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers planning a new construction home, interviewing a builder comes down to three things: how long they have been building, what their past clients say, and whether they have a real process and checklist. An agent can help you sort the field A real estate agent can come into play here. Steve knows many different builders, and depending on your price range, style, and location, he can help direct you to a couple of

Finding Land for Your New Construction Home Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers planning a new construction home, finding land is not just about finding a lot you like — you need to know the house you want to build can actually go on that land, so work with a real estate professional and a builder at the same time. Work with both, at the same time When it comes to finding land, Steve would highly suggest two things: work with a real estate professional, but also with a bu

What Is a Production Builder? Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers building a new home, a production builder is a builder who builds a lot of houses and many units consistently over time, following a system — and there is nothing wrong with that. Good or bad? Neither — it is about the process One question Steve gets: what is a production builder, good or bad? There is nothing wrong with them. It is about the process they go through, and how they build a lot of houses and m

What Kind of Builder Are You Looking For? Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers thinking about new construction, the question "what kind of builder are you looking for" really comes down to two things: how much money do you want to spend, and what kind of service are you looking for? Start with money and service When it comes to new construction and building, Steve would say the builder question is really a money question and a service question. What kind of money do you wa

What Is a Semi-Custom Builder? Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers building a new home, a semi-custom builder is the middle tier between production and fully custom: they start with floor plans and designs already picked out, and they are willing to tweak them for you. The next tier up You have production builders, and then you have semi-custom builders. Semi-custom is sort of the next tier. A semi-custom builder already has floor plans and designs picked out. They have d

Can You Build Some of Your New Home Yourself? Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers building a new home, whether family can do part of the work — like a cousin doing the tile — is yes and no: it depends on your builder, and it depends on your cousin. The cousin question One question Steve gets a lot: can my cousin do the tile on the new house I am building? The answer is yes and no. Sorry, it is not that cut and dry. It depends on your builder, and it depends on your cousin

Financing a New Construction Home in West Michigan Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers building a new home, financing a new construction build is not like financing an existing home — the loan, the down payment, and even who funds the build depend on the builder and the bank. Show me the money The first question with any new construction home is simple: where are you going to pay for it? And lending for new construction is not as easy as you might think. The familiar loan

Direct answer: For Caledonia and Grand Rapids home sellers whose listing ended without a sale — even twice — this is what a real reset looks like: 6694 Dutton Trail Dr SE went through two listings that ended without a sale, then listed with Steve and Rachael Volkers, went pending in 17 days, and sold. Two listings, no sale 6694 Dutton Trail Dr SE in Caledonia first listed on August 1, 2025 at $460,000. The price was cut to $450,000 in August, and the listing was removed on Au

Closing Tables Have Changed: Remote Closing Options Direct answer: For Grand Rapids and West Michigan buyers and sellers who cannot make it to a title company, you do not have to be at the closing table in person — remote closing options, including RON online signing, let you sign from where you are. The traditional table is still common Closing tables have changed. There is still the traditional closing table at a title company, and Steve would say about half to around seven

Closing Documents: The Deed, the Closing Statement, and Your Money Direct answer: For Grand Rapids and West Michigan buyers and sellers, the two documents that matter most at closing are the deed and the closing statement — the deed transfers ownership, and the closing statement shows every dollar in and out. The deed is the most important document The closing statement is one of the most important documents for the buyer and the seller. But the deed is actually the most impo

Cash Is King — But Cash Still Has to Be Ready Direct answer: For Grand Rapids and West Michigan cash buyers, a cash closing is easier than a mortgage closing — but only if your funds are actually ready at the closing table, so sell your stocks or other assets and have the money in a standard bank account a good week before closing. Cash is king — and easier Cash is king. That is something Steve always talks about in this business. A mortgage has a lot more things in it, so a