Grand Rapids Michigan Real Estate Podcast

What’s been going on in our real estate market? Now that 2018 is half over, it’s time to take a look at how conditions have changed.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleNow that we’ve reached the year’s midway point, inventory is increasing. These days I’ve been going on six to 12 listing appointments each week. So what does this mean for you? Well, this boost in supply is good news for buyers. If you or someone you know has been thinking of making a home purchase, now is a great time to start your search. And, as always, my team and I would love to help you achieve your real estate goals, whether you’re buying or selling. To hear my full message on our market, watch this short video.

This latest client success story we’d like to share with you is one that’s 35 years in the making.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleToday’s client success story comes from Michael Lapciuk, a friend of mine who I’ve known for a long time. This story starts all the way back in 1994. I asked him a few questions so that you all could hear the story in his own words. How did we meet?“I’ve known you for years—since high school, and when you went into the real estate business, I wanted to buy my first house and contacted you. I didn’t know about the process or what it entailed, and I actually bought my first house right down the street from your parent’s home, so you knew the area, knew the market, and your dad was in the business at the time. You guys helped me through the process and helped me get the money to put down. It was easy, and I knew that when I was going to purchase my new home coming up this time, I was going to go back to you. It was easy the first time, so I knew where to go.”This year, you were looking at selling a condo. What happened then?“It was a very dynamic 2017 for us. We were sitting at the house and I remember contacting you. We were thinking about property in Arizona and you flipped the script on me and said, ‘Hey, what about selling your current condo that you live in?’ I said, ‘Well, it’s not for sale,’ and you said, ‘Well, we have some people who are interested in your property.’ We then sold the condo we were in, and you helped us find a new one—a For Sale By Owner—and helped us close that deal. But we also had the rental property you knew about that we owned in Kentwood. That rental property, because of the market and the advice you gave us, we put up on the market. At the same time, we closed on the condo that we sold for cash, we purchased a new condo to move into, and then the seamless sale of the one we owned in Kentwood as a rental property, it all happened in about two months. A lot of things that happened for us financially this year benefited us, so we really appreciate it and my wife and I are indebted to you wholeheartedly.”“We always had the answers we needed. ”What is the best thing that came out of it for you?“We reduced our monthly payment by half. To take a home that we made a lot of equity in and roll that over into a new payment on an upgraded condo. We just used the funding to reduce the payment and saved a ton of money, through the advice of you. Then also with the home we had in Kentwood, you gave us some advice as to what we needed to upgrade and what we needed to do to get it ready for the market. A client came up, you helped the process, and took care of it. Like I said, we owe you a lot of credit.”How did it go working with our staff? “Easy! When you weren’t available, there was someone that had answers for us. When someone here wasn’t available, I was able to contact you, and you returned my text, emails, and phone calls. I know you’re busy, but we always had the answers we needed.”I want to thank Michael for taking the time to sit down with me. We can provide the same great service to you that we did for him, so if you have any real estate questions or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home in our market, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to speak with you.

Listen to this incredible story about how our buyer’s agent went the extra mile for his client and got him a great deal on a home.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleToday, I want to introduce Andrew, a buyer’s agent on our team. He’s an awesome guy and has a really great story that I’d like to share with you.Andrew had a client that he’d been been working with for about a month or so. In working with him and showing him multiple homes throughout the Rockford area, Andrew was able able to find him a very nice home that fit his young, growing family well.Then Andrew and his client found themselves in a multiple offer situation. That might sound intimidating, but he was able to work with the listing agent and the seller as well, and they were able to win that offer. Despite the competition, Andrew was able to get him under contract and begin moving forward.I personally heard Andrew calling the mortgage banker for the buyer. He asked the lender to call up the listing agent and put in a good word for the buyer. Andrew went the extra mile for his client and ended up getting him a really good deal.“In a multiple offer situation, the goal is to find out what’s important to the seller and match up your offer accordingly. ”Andrew ended up helping get the house for well below asking price, including seller’s concessions. It was great for them to have money set aside that they normally would have had to pay for closing costs, where they can now use that for repairs and renovations instead.Thankfully, Andrew was able to work it out very well and create a win-win for everybody. In a multiple offer situation, the goal is to find out what’s important to the seller and match up your offer accordingly.For any questions about buying or selling a home, or real estate in general, please feel free to reach out to us. We’d be glad to use our knowledge and skills to get you the best deals possible.

Where can you find the most accurate information about homes for sale on the market? Look no further.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleOver the past six months, I’ve been developing a brand-new website. I got tired of people searching for and finding great properties only to later find out that they were already sold.Our website is going to clear all that up and we’re excited for you to see it. You can check it out here. You can search for homes, check your home’s value, and more. All the information on here is accurate and up-to-date.Everything is accurate and up-to-date. In the meantime, if you have any questions or are looking to buy or sell a home, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Today we brought on a past client for a buyer perspective on working with our team. Here’s what she had to say.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleOver the course of the month, several buyers come to me looking for information on the process of buying a house.Today, I’ve brought on a past client, Quinn, to talk about her experience. Quinn heard about me from a good friend and former roommate, so she knew she would be able to trust my team and I. “There were multiple times where within 20 minutes of a listing being up, you were able to get me directly into the house, right away. That was incredibly helpful with the market being what is,” said Quinn. When we were working with her, we told Quinn not to settle. We truly wanted her to get exactly what she wanted, and that’s exactly what happened. “You were able to help me figure out the best way to put out an offer that was going to be accepted over others,” she said. And even though she was at first unsure of how the process should go, she ultimately found that my team was able to make things easy. From the home search, to the inspection, to closing, we worked hard to make things go smoothly for Quinn, as we do with all our clients. In Quinn’s own words, “It was a very seamless process.” “A lot of that has to do with you and your team, and the care you take for your clients,” she added. Overall, we did our best to help Quinn have a successful home search despite the sometimes difficult terrain of a seller’s market. To those who are unsure about entering the market, our past client Quinn says, “Do it.” That being said, Quinn had some final advice for those who are thinking of entering the market but aren’t sure. She says, “Do it. It’s intimidating, but with the right people, it’s doable. It helps to have a team of people who you trust surrounding you to help you along the way. I had that, every step of the way.” If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Today, I just want to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleToday, I just wanted to take a minute to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! I hope you are able to spend some quality time with your family and friends. 2017 was an amazing year, and 2018 will be really great. If you have any thoughts on buying or selling in 2018, contact me so we can plan out this year for you. To hear my full holiday message, watch this short video.

We have a few different tips to help you save on your energy bills this winter. They’re surprisingly easy and inexpensive. Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleWhether you love it or hate it, winter is here. You need to prepare your home properly in order to avoid big heating bills and freezing nights when the cold weather hits. Now, there are lots of large energy-saving projects out there, and they can all be worthwhile investments. However, I want to share just three super simple tips with you today. Even though these tips are simple, they are still enormously effective in making you more comfortable at home while saving you money at the same time:1. Get a draft snake (or two). The Department of Energy estimates that reducing drafts can lead up to 30% in energy savings. One simple way to reduce many of the drafts in your home is to install a "draft snake," which is a little cloth element that slips under your door. You can get a collection of draft snakes for just a few dollars each on Amazon, or you can fashion your own using nothing more than an old towel. Reverse your ceiling fans to start. 2. Reverse ceiling fans. Hot air rises, while cool air hangs around your feet. This can be frustrating in the wintertime, because you don't want to run the heating without getting the benefits of it. An easy way to fix this is to run your ceiling fans in reverse. Instead of pushing air towards you, the fan will move that hot air that's clinging to the ceiling, dispersing the heat and making you feel warmer while spending nothing more on heating.3. Flush your water heater. There are many things you can do to improve the efficiency of your water heater. However, simply draining your water heater can get rid of sediment and particles that are clogging up your heating machine and making it less efficient. Depending on the mineral content of your water, this could lead to a significant improvement in efficiency. And there you have it, three simple and little-known tips to be a little more ready for the winter. If you have any questions for us about these tips or about anything else related to real estate, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Refinancing your mortgage is a great idea, but it could affect your credit score. Here’s how.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleMortgage rates are still at historic lows. For many homeowners, it's a great time to refinance. Refinancing allows you to pay off your current mortgage with a new mortgage at a lower rate. Refinancing means lower monthly payments and more money left in your pocket.But here's something important that many people don't know: Refinancing can affect your credit score negatively. You see, when you refinance, the new creditor will do a "hard inquiry" about your credit history. This inquiry can actually lower your credit score. Looking for new credit lines (like a new mortgage) equates with greater credit risk.A hard inquiry could decrease your score by five points automatically. How much will a hard inquiry actually lower your credit score? This depends on several factors. In some cases, a hard inquiry might not lower your credit score at all. However, if you've recently opened up multiple new credit lines (auto loans, credit cards, etc.), then a hard inquiry could decrease your credit score by up to five points. This is true if you only have a short credit history. And if you shop around for the best rate for more than 45 days, you will get multiple hard inquiries. Each of them will contribute to the total effect on your credit score.So what does this all mean for you? Unfortunately, there's no simple answer. It's going to be a part of the calculation you have to make for yourself, which will also include the refinancing fees, your own credit history, and how much you could be saving with a refinanced mortgage.If you're looking for help in making this decision, give me a call. I can put you in touch with several top Grand Rapids mortgage brokers.

Right now I’ve got some exciting news for buyers: the banks are really loosening up.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleToday I’ve got some exciting news: The banks are really loosening up.The banks are really loosening up.Buyers can now purchase a home with 0% down.I’m really happy to hear this news, since I know what it will mean to many buyers in the market right now.If you know of anyone who has good credit and a good job but simply doesn’t have the means to come up with a huge down payment, I would love to help them out.If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

As someone who has been in the real estate business for 25 years, there are a few things I’ve observed during that time. Today, I want to share three key points about the buying process.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleI’ve been in the real estate business for 25 years, and I can’t believe how quickly time has gone.Over that time, I’ve learned a lot of things. That’s why today, I want to share three things I often see come up in the home buying process: When people make an offer, it is totally contingent on a great home inspection. Here on our team, we’re connected to a great home inspector who will take care of looking into even the smallest details. If you find anything you don’t like, you can totally back out, as per his contract. Every offer is contingent upon a great appraisal. Everything must check out on the lending side before you can get into the house.As a buyer you don’t pay any commissions. From your side of the transaction, this isn’t something you’ll need to worry about.If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I love what I do, so never hesitate to give me a call. I would be thrilled to help you in your transaction.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale Today I’m downtown checking out some properties for sellers. I totally love my job and have a great time doing it. Since that’s the case, I never mind helping you out. It’s never a bother for you to call and ask me to come out to check out your house.I love helping people figure out what their home is worth, and also giving people tips on how to make their house even better.Some people even want to go out and look at a few different houses for ideas before selling their own. This will help me figure out what you’re looking for and get the process started.I love hearing from and helping all of you. I love my job, so I love hearing from and helping all of you.If you have any other questions, would like more information, or want to know how I can help you, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Now is a great time to buy a home. Here are two reasons why.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale I’ve got two quick, helpful tips for you today if you’ve been thinking about buying a home. Here is what I’ve noticed recently about home buying in this market:1. It’s getting a heck of a lot easier to buy a house. There are more and more houses on the market with fewer and fewer people looking to buy them. We’re not running into as many multiple offer situations. It’s a good time for buyers to jump in.2. Getting a mortgage is a lot easier. Companies have loosened up their guidelines and credit restraints since the recession. If you’re looking to buy a home, now is a great time. If you have any questions or need any assistance, give me a call or send us an email. I would love to help.

I’d love for you to join me for lunch sometime. Give me a call and we’ll set something up.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleI’m joining you today outside of one of my favorite restaurants, Core Life Eatery. It’s a great place for lunch.If you’d like to eat with me here, or anywhere else sometime I’d love to get together. Whether you have plans to buy or sell now, or you're just curious about the real estate market in Grand Rapids, I would be happy to help. I can give you solid advice and good estimates, but there’s no pressure to buy or sell if you’re not ready. Just give me a call or send me an email and we’ll set something up. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I love helping people meet their real estate goals. Today, Bob sits down to share his experience of working with me to buy a new home and sell his current one.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale Today, I have a great success story from one of my clients, Bob. Here’s what he had to say: “My wife and I chose to work with Larry Martin from Keller Williams, and it was an easy choice. I prefer to do business with somebody I can trust, and Larry was someone I could trust.“I believe that when you trust somebody, you trust three things: their confidence, their character, and their compassion. “Larry obviously knows his stuff. His expertise was there, and his success speaks for itself. As for character, I knew he would work very hard, tell me the truth, play by the rules, and be ethical—I wouldn’t have to worry about any of that. Larry really cares about his customers. “And Larry really cares about his customers. You’re more than just a number; you’re a person. We talked about the sell side of things and I appreciated that. We actually started with Larry several years ago. We said, ‘At this point, we would like to sell. What should we fix, what should we repair, and what should we let go. We don’t want to sell a perfect house, but we want to sell a sellable house.’ “He talked us out of some projects, which I loved, but it was excellent. Throughout the process, communication was clear. His partner, Dana, was very helpful, and Brent, who did the inspection, was very, very thorough and personable.  “I think we got the best. I bought through Larry and we’ll sell through Larry, and I recommend that you do, too.” Thanks to Bob for sitting down and sharing his experience with us. If you or anyone you know is thinking of buying or selling a home, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Today I am joined by Gene Szpeinski, the Realtor of the Year and my manager. Gene shares a few kind words about my career, as well as his take on our current real estate market.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleGene Szpeinski is the Realtor of the Year. He also happens to be one of my good friends, as well as my manager. Gene has known me for a very long time. “I knew his father, too,” says Gene. “Larry is a third-generation Realtor, and they’re now working on getting the fourth generation into the business. That means they have really served West Michigan families for a long time, which is really awesome.” “Larry spends an enormous amount of time making sure that things are right for you in your transaction. He’ll go the extra mile to make sure that it’s right because he wants to do business with you again, as well as with your friends and family. Referrals are the lifeblood of a Realtor’s business, and you can’t be a third-generation Realtor, last this long in the industry, or do as well as he has without really good referrals from people,” Gene adds. “He is always focused on what he can do right for you.”Besides these kind words, Gene also took a moment to share what he thinks of our current market. These last three years have been very interesting for our market. “This is my 45th year in the business, and the last three years have been very interesting,” says Gene. “Parts of the market have no inventory whatsoever, so when something gets listed, it’s immediately descended upon and receives multiple offers. So it’s a very active time for a lot of folks.” “Not every segment of the market is quite that speedy,” he adds, “but for the most part, we just have a shortage of properties [on the market].”While this lack of inventory can make things difficult for homebuyers, I look at eight to 10 properties a week that have yet to be listed on the market. Once I meet with you, I can find out exactly what you’re looking for and find you the perfect house before it even hits the market. Thanks to Gene for stopping by. As always, if you have any real estate questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I would be happy to help you!

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleBeing a first-time homebuyer is very exciting, but there are a few things you should know and questions you should answer before starting the process. Before starting the process of buying your first home, you need to:Financing is an important part of the puzzle. Know what financing is best for you. If you can qualify for certain programs through the state of Michigan, you may be able to get a $7,500 grant. There are also financing programs from the USDA and VA that don’t require any down payment.Know what you are looking for. What area do you want to live in? How many bedrooms/bathrooms do you want? What amenities do you need? Answering these questions will allow us to set up a profile for you on our home search website, which will only send you the listings that match your criteria.Once you’ve found your dream home, we can go through it, take a look at everything, and advise you on where you should make an offer in the current market. It’s that simple!If you have any questions for us or are looking to buy a home in Grand Rapids, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Going online to find foreclosures isn't the best method. I can help you find them much quicker.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleA lot of my clients here in Grand Rapids ask me about Zillow. I will be providing you with a brief overview of the website including its pros and cons.If you go to Zillow you will notice a pre-foreclosure tab, and this indicates homes that have not paid their mortgage for 30, 60 or 90 days. Oftentimes these homes are not actually for sale because websites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com get their information from credit reporting agencies. Often times this information is inaccurate and can mislead buyers which can cost them time and money.The other tab in Zillow is a foreclosure tab. Zillow finds these listings from court reports that indicate which properties have been repossessed by banks. These listings can also be inaccurate and outdated.I have access to the latest foreclosures. I have access to the most updated foreclosure and pre-foreclosure listings and will not lead you astray in your home search. Instead of wasting your time with real estate websites, I urge you to come to me so that we can expedite your home search.If you are interested in finding these kinds of properties in the Grand Rapids area, then please do not hesitate to contact me via phone or email. I look forward to working with you.

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleThe spring selling season is just around the corner, and our market is already starting to heat up. Whether you plan on buying or selling a home this spring, there are a couple things you should know.I've met with five homeowners in the last month who have each given me Zillow's estimates on what their home is worth. I have sold all five of those homes, and for quite a bit more than what their Zestimate originally said they would. If you are looking to sell your home, make sure you give me a call so I can come out to take a look at your home and give you its true value. I have sold all five of those homes, and for quite a bit more than what that Zestimate originally said they would. One question I've been getting a lot lately is, "What is the best way to buy a foreclosure?" Well, there are a few different kinds, and I have experience with all of them, including HUD homes, VA foreclosures, short sales, and more. If your dream is to buy one of these types of homes, give me a call. I would love to help you with that as I have recently started marketing these types of homes. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Why is now such a great time to sell real estate? Today I'll give you a quick explanation.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleThere are a couple of really exciting things going on in our real estate world right now. The first is that the market has really jumped—we just surpassed 2006, making now a really great time to sell real estate. If you're looking to take advantage of this market by selling your house, I can give you selling tips and show you how to prepare your house in order to sell for top dollar. Above all, I can tell you the maximum value you can get for your home. Just give me a call or send me an email soon. I look forward to hearing from you!

If you’re thinking about selling next year, the time to make a plan is now.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleFirst off, let me say merry Christmas and happy New Year to you. This year has been amazing for us. We’ve been able to help more than 200 families find a new home this year, which is fantastic.A lot of people have contacted us recently who are thinking of selling in 2017. As a response, we have started setting up planning sessions for all of our clients that want to sell in the next year.These planning sessions have worked well in the past. We will sit down, go over when you want to move, where you want to move, and how we can get you there. This has worked well for us in the past, as it allows both the seller and their agent to feel at ease. It also helps the process go much smoother.If you have any questions for us or would like to sign up for a planning session, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.Happy Holidays!

Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleBeing a first-time home buyer is very exciting, but there are a few things you should know and questions you should answer before starting the process. We’ve got the information for you today, and are happy to share it with you. Before starting the process of buying your first home, you need to:Financing is an important part of the puzzle.Know what financing is best for you. If you qualify for certain programs through the state of Michigan, you may be able to get a $7,500 grant. There are also financing programs from the USDA and VA that don’t require any down payment.Know what you are looking for. What area do you want to live in? How many bedrooms/bathrooms do you want? What amenities do you need? Answering these questions will allow us to set up a profile for you on our home search website, which will only send you the listings that match your criteria. Once you’ve found your dream home, we can go through it, take a look at everything, and advise you on where you should make an offer in the current market. It’s that simple!If you have any questions for us or are looking to buy a home in Grand Rapids, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Bob tried to overprice his home to take advantage of the market. It didn’t work, but we were still able to sell his home quickly after an adjustment.Selling your Grand Rapids home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for saleWe are here today with one of our great clients, Bob, to talk about his recent experience of buying a home and selling a home at the same time. I’ve been getting a lot of questions from people about how this can be accomplished, and I hope Bob’s story sheds some light on some ways how it can be done.When Bob originally decided to sell, we met and discussed a lot of different things like the condition of his home, where he should be pricing, etc. At first, he decided against my advice and wanted to capitalize on the market by overpricing the house. After about a week with no bites, we met again and I advised him to come down to that original price we talked about at our first meeting.After taking our advice, Bob’s home sold one week later. This wasn’t the only way we were able to help him through the transaction, however. After they got an offer, they faced additional challenges in the form of mountains of paperwork. It got so bad, they considered backing out of the deal. Everything worked out in the end for Bob. With our assurance and our staff’s assistance, we toughed it out and everything worked out in the end for Bob. Bob is grateful that we were able to resolve these issues, because he says if we hadn’t, they wouldn't have been able to. Trying to buy and sell a home on your own can be done, but it is not something we would advise.If you have any questions for us or you need anything, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.