What All First-Time Home Buyers Should Know

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Being 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!

How We Can Help You Buy and Sell Simultaneously

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 report

Buying a Grand Rapids home? Search all homes for sale

We 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.

A Cool Story About My Old Home

I wanted to share a really cool story about a house I used to own that fell on hard times. With just a little bit of help, this home that had failed to sell for nearly a year had a successful sale.

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I wanted to share a cool story with you today.

I used to own the house behind me in the video above a little more than 20 years ago, right here in the heart of Wyoming Park.

It was really cool because last summer I was looking over some expired listings and I noticed that this home was on the market for more than 300 days, and it kind of bothered me. I asked the owner for a walkthrough to determine why it didn't sell, and I was a little puzzled.

However, I gave them some hints for staging and some ways to make the house look a little better, including some awesome photography. When we got the house back on the market, it sold within five days!

The home expired at $120,000 but we sold it for $126,000!

The really great part is that it expired at $120,000 and we sold it for $126,000!

I really love working on projects for clients, so if you ever need any help any with real estate needs, give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to help you out!