Happy Holidays from Larry Martin

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

This year has been an incredible one in the Michigan real estate business. Home values have really started to rise, and the market has been hot. So far in 2014, we have helped 170 families find their new homes. Our listings are also selling very quickly, which we are equally as thankful for.

I just wanted to take a moment to say how much I appreciate you trusting me enough to refer your friends and family to me. I always strive to provide the same level of service for all our clients, and we are so thrilled to help past clients and their referrals.

So, from the bottom of my heart, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and an equally Happy New Year. In the meantime, if you have any questions for me about real estate, I am always here to answer them. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

How You Can Avoid a Long Selling Process

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

I wanted to take today's blog to share a recent success story I had in Wyoming. As some of you know, I grew up in Wyoming and know the area like the back of my hand. One of my past clients had hired a Realtor from another company, who looked at it, gave advice, and priced it. However, she priced the home way too high and the home ended up sitting on the market for 9 months. 

That's where I came in. I took a look at the home, told them the exact price the home would sell for,shared  a few things that needed to be done to the house - like painting and rearranging furniture - and they listened. Once doing what I told them to do, the house was sold in three weeks and closed in two with a cash offer! 

If you need your home sold right away, I would love to help. I've assisted many families that needed to sell quickly and would love to help you! Give me a call and we'll start making a plan today. Thanks, and make it a great day!

How to Narrow Your Home Search

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

A home is one of the biggest financial investments you will make in your entire life. Today we want to talk a little about the process that any home buyer goes through when trying to find the perfect home, so you can better understand where to begin if you are thinking of buying a home. 

The first thing you will want to figure out is what type of home you are looking for. Is it a 2-bedroom? A 3-bedroom? A house with a 2-car garage? 

The next thing to do is narrow your search down to a specific area. This could be an area as big as a town or a city, or as small as a specific street or neighborhood. Real estate is all about location, and you want to be happy with where you are living. 

From there, the next important step is finding out which mortgage program you qualify for. There are a ton of different programs out there for all types of situations, we just simply have to find the best fit for you. Once we find the price range and program for you, you want to pick out a list of around 8-10 houses to tour.

Once you have finally selected your perfect home, we will check it out to determine what kind of offer you should make. We have been doing this for years and know all the aspects to look at, both inside and out. 

We love helping buyers find their perfect home and would love to help you. If you are interested in buying a home in Grand Rapids, please give us a call. We are really looking forward to helping you!

Our Market Is Looking Great Heading into Fall

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

The last 60 days have been red hot here in Grand Rapids. We're having a record year at Realty Executives and there appears to be no end in sight.

For example, just last week we listed a friend of ours' house. He said he wanted $130,000, but we were able to get $140,000! That extra money went a long way in helping to pay off some of his student debt and car loans. Then, we got him in his next house with zero percent down on a $300,000 home! Because he was able to get a low payment and favorable conditions, he could pay off his debt. 

This example goes to show how hot our market is. You can sell your home quickly and for top dollar, and then lock in a low interest rate on your next house! If you're interested in taking advantage of these fantastic conditions, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We'd love to help you make something happen!

Things are Heating Up in Grand Rapids - What Might it Mean for the Value of Your Home?

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

Today we've got some good news on home prices in the Grand Rapids area. In some areas, homes values are up as much as 10%! People who have sold their home in this market have had great success getting top value, making now the perfect time to consider putting your home on the market. 

How can you ensure you get the most out of this thriving market? We take professional pictures of the house in order to get the buzz machine going. We expose your home to countless numbers of people through craigslist, Zillow, Trulia, and many, many more online home search resources. We'll give you a 24-hour notice before coming to look at your home and offer staging advice to make it look as unique as possible. 

Taking advantage of these conditions is easy when working with us - we will walk you through the entire process. If you are looking to buy another home, we will ensure you have plenty of time to sell your home, buy your next one, and make the transition in one move. It can be tricky, but we've done it successfully hundreds of times so there is no need to fret.

Now is the time to act and we're the team to help you do it. For all your buying and selling needs, simply give us a call or shoot us an email. We want to help you take advantage of this fantastic market!

How we helped Tim sell his home in less than 10 days by going above and beyond

"We had very good results with Larry Martin. We had no luck previously when we tried to sell with other agents but Larry got it done in less than 10 days! In order to counter, there was some paperwork that needed our signatures and Larry drove 30 minutes on a weekend to some school function we were at and found us in the parking lot to ensure we were able to counter offer right away. He really goes the extra mile!"

How we helped Becca through the home buying process by always being reassuring

"He was incredibly reassuring when we were turned down by our first broker. When I finally found my broker, the one that he works with, Larry ended up getting the appraisals and the well tested for us. He just did all the appraisals we needed in order to get it done within 30 days, which we really appreciated!" 

Work with the Most Dedicated Team in Grand Rapids

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

Home buying can be a tedious process. On average, buyers look at 8-10 homes before deciding on the right one for them We want to make this process as easy as possible. Here's how we do it:

• We record exactly what you're looking for in a home: number of bedrooms, square footage, price, etc.
• We then create a profile for you, and find all the houses that match your profile. We email the matching homes we find directly to you, let you take a look at them, and call you for a follow up.
• If there are homes you want to take a look at, we can usually show the homes you're interested in that day.

Few agents can promise you this kind of service. Send us a text and we'll get back to you immediately so we can set up a time to meet that's convenient for you. If you would like to learn more about our process, or are interested in buying or selling a home, shoot us a text or give us a call. We're motivated to make your home buying experience a walk in the park.

Your Guide to Buying Foreclosed Homes

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

After a home is foreclosed on, it becomes a bank owned home and is now for sale by a broker. There are many things to consider when buying a foreclose home that you may not know about.  By following these simple tips, you will be able to get a great home at a fraction of the cost.

• Once a home is foreclosed upon and for sale by the bank, we pick it up on our MLS system right away. We then immediately send the information to you so that you will have the first crack at these homes. So if you see a home you like, it is important to let us know right away so we can help you with your offer.
• After we get you the information, we will get you in on the same day to see the property so that if you like it, you can make an offer. Timeliness is key when making offers on foreclosed homes, as often times the first offer in is the first one accepted by the bank
• Another type of foreclosure we have much experience with are HUD homes. These are foreclosed homes that were on an FHA loan. It is a bit of a different process than a typical foreclosed home, as you are bidding on the home against other buyers. If you see a home listed as an HUD home, let us know. We have a lot of experience with these and guide you through the process with knowledge and clarity.
• For all foreclosed homes, we have a proven system that we use in order for you to make the best offer, or if it is a home you need to place a bid for, we can help you make the best right bid. We will gather all the information on the house including what it has sold for prior, what other homes in the area have sold for, and what the house's value is. We will then give you great advice on what  offer to make, how you should package that offer, and various tips and tricks of the trade for making the best offer. This will give you a competitive advantage in the market.
• We have great relationships with most of the agents here in Grand Rapids and these relationships will play a key role in getting you the best deal for a foreclosed home.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to give us a call. We would be happy to help you.

Find Foreclosure and Pre-foreclosure Properties Quickly & Easily

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

Refer to Me for Accurate Pre-Foreclosure Listings

A 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 pro's 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. Often times 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 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.

Larry is just a genuine guy and he was very honest with me

We actually met Larry Martin by chance. We had a different Realtor to begin with and my Mom was looking around at different houses and found one she liked. Larry happened to be the listed agent for it so she called him up and set up a showing. We went back to that house because we liked it a lot and Larry helped us by giving us more information. He also said was pretty confident that we would be able to get the house.  There was another couple trying to get the house and Larry actually helped us get the house over them. When we were trying to close, he stepped up and talked to the people selling the house. He told them that we would be a better fit as opposed to someone else. He really just stepped up and helped us out.  Larry is just a genuine guy and he was very honest with me. He’s precise and he just did a really good job. We’d absolutely refer him!

He really makes sure that he meets any qualifications you need for a house

My sister had actually worked with Larry Martin’s father when she needed a Realtor and I was told that Larry was just as good as his father is so we decided to work with him. Larry did a really good job in working with me. We were looking to buy and Larry definitely helped us get a better deal than we were expecting. Larry is always willing to work around anyone’s schedule and that’s something I think that really sets him apart from the rest. He’s very friendly and really makes sure that he meets any qualifications you need for a house. We had a great experience in working with him and we’d absolutely refer him!

Real Estate Market Update for Grand Rapids in Spring 2014

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, Search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a Free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

Real Estate Market Update for Grand Rapids in Spring 2014

Today I wanted to give you a market update for what's happening in real estate in the Grand Rapids area. My goal is to educate and inform you so that you can make more informed decisions when it comes to real estate.

• Home prices have gone up by 10% in some parts of Grand Rapids.
• We are in a seller's market: We have many more buyers than we have homes for sale. If you're a seller this means that you will be able to sell your home for much more money.
• As an example, my friend called and needed to sell her home out by Woodland Mall. She had told me that she wanted at least $120,000 dollars for it. I went in and inspected the property and then told her that she could actually sell it for $140,000 with the current market conditions.
• We then listed her property at $140K and within 2 weeks we had a qualified buyer that was very near her asking price.

When I sold this home I had to make sure that it was priced accurately, staged correctly, and marketed well. I went in and told this client to make sure that it was decluttered and ready for a showing.

After it was market ready we brought in our professional photographer and listed it. The rest is history because it pretty much sold itself.

So, if you're in the Grand Rapids area and are considering selling, you should speak with me. You can get much more out of your home than you think if it is staged well and priced accurately. My pricing strategy will ensure you a good sale for top dollar.

Please contact me via phone or email if you have any further inquiries. I would be happy to help you sell your Grand Rapids property.

What do I need to do to sell my Grand Rapids house?

If you're a prospective buyer in the Grand Rapids area and are in search of your essential home, Search all homes on the MLS, or if you're wanting to place your home on the market, don't hesitate to obtain a Free home price estimation tool. If you have any questions, or desire any preliminary information about the Grand Rapids real estate market, feel free to contact me at (616) 532-7200.

Welcome to My New Real Estate Video Blog!

If you are wondering where to start in regards to listing your home, follow these steps:

1. Know the approximate value of your house. If you look to the right, you can enter your home address into the field and it will produce an approximate market value.
2. Personal home evaluation. My next step would be to personally visit your home and give you the exact market value of your home. I will also give you one-on-one tips for a faster sale, staging the home and any tasks you may be able to complete to speed up the process.

Put Your Trust in Me!

It is also worth noting that I am the area’s number one agent on Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com. This allows me to give your home more exposure in comparison to any other agent in the area! I also utilize professional photography by sending a photographer out to your home. Buyers love when your listing has detailed pictures, outlines and dimensions of your home’s rooms! If you would like to see examples of how my homes are photographed, check out this list:

• Eagle Rock
• Golfton
• Abby Ct.
• Woodhaven
• Mills Ridge
• Secluded Acres
• Blanchard
• Country Springs
• Penny Lane
• Tyler Oaks
• Port Sheldon
• Thoroughbred
• Quest
• Coopers Pass
• Bennington
• Morgan Mills
• Kalamazoo
• Waterford Ct.
• Woodbushe
• Ridgemont
• 32nd
• Ridgetop
• Bridle Creek

I would love to come out to your home and find out how we can get started on a great real estate transaction!