Download the Data PDF

Video transcript:

Hey, I'm Steve Volkers. This is the Steve Volkers group, which is my name kind of goofy. Right. But it's my company. So it's my name. We are talking market data and we're gonna talk, this is, uh, the July episode, but talking June to the past and we've been rolling with this Kev. I feel like we got a pattern going.

I talk too long, even though I'm gonna be sort of shorter every time in my mind, but there's always good things to talk about. This came out of just my 16 years of experience. A lot of people ask me about the market what's happening in residential real estate market in west, Michigan and economy and those kind of things.

And I just like keeping up with it. So, uh, Kev was like, we…

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Hey, I'm Steve Volkers broker owner of the Steve Volkers group here in the great city of Grand Rapids, Michigan and summer has started for us. Sun's coming out right now, and 61 degrees today feels like summer. But anyway, it's kind of fun to be able to enjoy what we call is bingeing summer in west Michigan, but you're not here to listen to me.

Talk about summer and all my fun activities, your here, because Kevin and I are throwing down. The monthly data, right for the last month kept throws this booklet together for free download…grab-it, snag-it. He's constantly adding new sheets. So he added the, the interest rate sheet right this month. So you can sort of see a trend since 2017 to now we're definitely higher, uh, where the, where the peak of…

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Video transcript:

Hey, I'm Steve Volkers broker owner of the Steve Volkers group in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And this is our monthly market update. This is like three in a row Kev. This is pretty legit that we're actually making. What is it like if you got to do 90 days for a habit? So maybe we're, maybe we're making a habit here, but we are talking market data.

Feel free to watch the last two episodes, which sort of built into this month's data. First episode was really about the inventory shortage, still feeling the crunch of that. We talked a lot about new construction and the fact that new construction hasn't come online. To having that issue, which is what the big spike was in pricing over the last six months.

Then, we started talking…

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Hey, I'm Steve Volkers and it is the next month. And we started talking about sort of financials and what's going on in the real estate market in West Michigan, but also sort of nationally what's playing out, which then becomes local. So every month Kevin and I are just recording this video.

And so this might be a long one. I don't know. Cause it's just really my rambling and the stuff I find in my head just it's about the finances this time about, uh, what's happening in the marketplace. So I've got a couple of stories, and data to back that up. Um, last month, if you missed it, we did talk about sort of the inventory and where I felt that was coming from. Mostly, it was based on new construction, right? So there's a new construction lack, um,…

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Battle bugs before they bite (or sting!) you — and check the attic for problems. Tackling five simple tasks now gives you a head start on spring. That leaves you plenty of worry-free time to enjoy the warmer weather.

#1 Tell Insects to Bug Off

Early spring warmth awakens insects, so start to protect your home now. Seal openings in eaves, decks, and other structures to keep out carpenter bees.

Nix mosquitoes by eliminating standing water or treating it with larvicide. Call a pro to destroy wasp and yellow jacket nests, unless you're experienced enough to engage in a bee battle.

#2 Prep Tools for Lawn Care

Ladies and gentlemen, start your mowers. April's the month to get this vital piece of equipment ready to roll. An unmaintained machine…

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Stop sending so much money to your utility company with these simple strategies.

Your Mexican beach vacation was great, but, man, those margaritas sure can put on the pounds. It’s been two months, and you’re still carrying around an extra tenner — despite a new running routine and a lot of #&*&@$ kale. So why isn’t your weight dropping?

It can be like that with energy bills, too. Almost half (47%) of the respondents surveyed by the Shelton Group, a marketing agency specializing in energy efficiency, claimed they made between one and three energy efficiency improvements to their home. But 89% of them said their energy bills didn’t go down.  

So, what's up? We're rationalizing, says Suzanne Shelton, CEO of the Shelton Group. “We think, 'I…

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Keep the vintage wallpaper, but upgrade that time- and money-draining retro thermostat to programmable. What may seem like a good idea, often isn't. Here are 17 common mistakes new homeowners often make.


#1 Get Rid of Your Only Tub

If resale value is important to you, don't get rid of your only bathtub no matter how dreamy that walk-in shower looks.

It will make it harder to sell when the time comes. You'll flat-out lose buyers who love a good soak or need a tub to bathe little ones (both human and four-legged).


#2 Leave Cabinet Doors on While Painting

Painting your kitchen cabinets pays off big at resale — it's a small investment for a big "wow." But the job's time-consuming, so it's tempting leave the doors on.

RESIST. At all…

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Hey, I'm Steve Volkers with Steve Volkers Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A small local brokerage. And we are going to start just talking monthly about market data. So I use a lot of market data when I'm talking at listing appointments, buyer appointments, and just within our brokerage with our agents.

Kevin, our marketing guru is starting to throw together this, uh, real estate market data package. You can get all the data online and Kevin will probably throw up a link. But what we're going to do is just drop this once. With the newest data. And then I'm just going to do my overview of what I think is happening within the market.

Right. So I want to, just to dive right in today on some of these graphs that I find interesting and give you…

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The super-simple (and fun) way to separate needs from nice-to-haves.

When you embark on the home-buying process, your heart is filled with all the dreams in the world. It’s really easy to get caught up in the “I have to have ___________,  so I’ll cut back somewhere else” game, even when you don’t actually know where that somewhere else is or if you can realistically cut back there.

This post will show you how to pare down the excess and make sure to get the things you really NEED.

 

Make a List of Wants

Start by making a list of everything you want in your house. If you love it, jot it down. Have your spouse or partner do the same thing in a separate document.

Once you and your partner have everything down, start sorting your wants…

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In today’s real estate climate, it can be difficult to know how much your home is worth and what to base those numbers on. This is where our Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) comes in. Simply put, a CMA is a tool real estate professionals use to determine the value of your home based on the other homes that have sold in your area. 

Although you may be aware of some factors that influence the price of your home, there’s really no substitute for having a professional prepare a CMA. You can be confident your Steve Volkers Group agent will give you the most accurate estimate of a home's value in the current market. 

A CMA can give you a competitive advantage when it comes to selling your home, making critical decisions, and closing quickly.

…

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