Kent City, MI

I live in EGR, so this should not surprise me, most homes here are sold by word of mouth. However after my listing hit the MLS I was amazed to find out just how many "renters" are in the area that are just waiting for the right home to come a long. Some have been waiting for over a year. Most of these people do not have a buyers agent as well.

Now, after sending out an e-mail to fellow agents (I must admit I do very well at the net working) seeing if there are any homes that could be sold, that are not on the MLS in EGR...............

Again I was surprised!

We really need to pull this all together. When asking home owners who have decided not to list, "why?" They commented they do not want to be the home that sits on the market and does not sell. However I wonder how many people they are missing the boat with by not listing.

When asking renters why they do not have an agent working for them, they said they can wait for the right home to come on the market and feel they can get a better deal if dealing straight with the listing agent.

However this is not always true.........not all homes are listed with a duel commission. So this may not always matter.

And if buyers are not working with an agent how are the going to learn about all those homes that could be sold but not on the market...........they need an inside person!

I would consider myself an inside person, living in EGR and networking like I do. So it you are thinking of buying or selling contact me......maybe we can put a few of you together!

Were we spring cleaning? Nope, more like doing the stuff that should have been done last fall.

AND cleaning winter crud out of flower beds where crocus and daylily are hopefully sending out their first leaves.

Rhododendron buds are growing. Forsythia buds, too. I should cut some branches to bring in so they'll bloom.

Hellebores that get sun are sending up blooms!

And so it begins.

Soon I'll be happily perusing greenhouses for new/unusual plants.

I LOVE spring!

image from:

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/904/741606.JPG

mine aren't blooming yet!

According to a news article in The Grand Rapids Press, 21 couples got married for free in the wedding chapel in

Hell (pictured here). Six other couples renewed their vows.

"We've both been married before, and we both have said it would be a cold day in Hell before we did it again," said one happy couple.

Hell's mayor was on hand dressed in a tux and snow boots. He gave each couple a cupcake (devil's food), free chocolates and champagne and a title to grant ownership of one square inch of Hell.

And that is the real estate connection that makes this post belong in AR!

image from:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hell2u.com/images/hell_wedding_chapel

It's the end of February here in Grand Rapids. We're tired of looking at snow. We'd like to treat our eyes to some flowers in bloom while we're waiting for the bulbs in the yard.

Check out Ludema's at 3408 Eastern SE.

What a wonderful place to escape winter!

You'll find potted primroses, cyclamen and spring bulbs

And the fragrances are heavenly.

You might even find a cute, feathery chick to take home.

Ludema's also does fresh and silk flower arrangements,

and there's a cooler of fresh cut flowers so you can grab

some color for your home.

Call them at 616-452-2961

Or visit their web site

Photos by Eric Webster