Ryan Ogle

The chart below gives a month-by-month analysis of Grand Rapids real estate sales and listings from 2009 and thus far in 2010. And despite all the dismal forecasting in the news, the Grand Rapids real estate market isn't as far behind from last year's sales as one might think. At the end of September 2010, Grand Rapids home sales were up from 2009's sales at the end of the third quarter.

If the trend can continue into the forth quarter, which will largely be impacted due to the foreclosure moratorium still in effect with some lenders such as Wells Fargo, Realtors will be in a good position for a strong start in 2011.

And the sales trend is not only in West Michigan, it's throughout the country. From CNNMoney.com with Anally Cents reporting:

"Sales of previously owned homes rose 10% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.53 million units last month, the National Association of Realtors reported Monday. That was up from a 4.12 million rate in August.

The report came in much stronger than expectations. Economists had forecast sales to edge up to an annual rate of 4.25 million units, according to consensus estimates from Briefing. com.

The gains of the past two months were welcome news, after home sales sank 27% to their lowest level in 15 years in July. While some economists say a housing recovery is underway, a foreclosure moratorium in October may have a negative impact on next month's report."

All numbers are as reported to the Grand Rapids Association of Realtors.

Grand Rapids Association of REALTORS®

Comparative Summary Report as of 10/20/10

Prepared for Grand Rapids Assoc of REALTORS

It's that time of year to get outside to enjoy the plentiful Autumn offerings. It's also that time of year to get ready to get scared with Halloween. The best way to get into the mood for October 31st is by visiting a haunted house, and there are multiple locations for haunted houses in Grand Rapids.

Thanks to GRNow.com for the perfect Halloween Guide to West Michigan. Below you'll find information on all the Haunted Houses in Grand Rapids. For additional activities like corn mazes, cider mills and pumpkin patches, be sure to check out http://www.grnow.com/halloween/

The Haunt - One of West Michigan's best-known haunted attractions celebrates its 10th year with five terrifying attractions: The Haunt, The Dark Maze, Claustrophobia, Clown Asylum 3-D and The 2010 Haunt Dancers. Indoors, shiver and scream through 25,000 sq. ft. of professionally designed rooms, hallways and corridors that contain dozens of creepy, lurking characters. Outside, The Dark Maze adds 15,000 more sq. ft. of horror. Opens October 1. Tickets are $14 for The Haunt or $20 with The Dark Maze; Speedpasses are available.

Nights of Fear - The haunted house returns to the corner of Plainfield Ave & 4 Mile Rd for a second year, this time with three all-new attractions for 2010. Blood Manor is a nasty labyrinth of twisting corridors and hidden passages, while hideous and inhuman bodily alterations have turned an abandoned factory into Rusty's Nightmare. Enter Blackout and enter an ancient society's realm of pure darkness. Just because you can't the inhabitants doesn't mean they can't see you! NOF opens October 1 and tickets to all three attractions are $15.

Forest of Fear - Opening October 1, the Kentwood Jaycees' outdoor haunt near Patterson and 84th St SE in Caledonia also celebrates its tenth year in 2010. Walk through five chilling acres of woods and swamps inhabited by ghosts, ghouls and other terrifying creatures. All tickets for adults and children are available at the anniversary rate of $10.

Festival of Fear - Billed as 'Michigan's Largest Outdoor Haunted Spectacular', the new attraction at the old Sparta Rodeo Grounds (13 Mile & Alpine NW) has two haunted forests, a haunted village and the Haunt Fest. Thrill-seekers can journey through the Zombie Trails and Screaming Woods while kids and the fainter-of-heart a hay maze, a pumpkin patch, zip line rides, and a children's fun area. Opens Friday, October 1. Ticket prices start at $13.50.

Witch's Walk - Walk this haunted corn maze near 6 Mile Rd & Fruit Ridge NW, if you dare! The backstory: when clearing a field to plant corn, a farmer came across an old cemetery and accidentally disturbed some unmarked graves. Since then, strange sounds have been coming from the field and former graveyard. The Witch's Walk is a half mile of twists and turns over this disturbed burial ground. Ticket prices are $10 for evenings, $5 during the day.

Witches of New Salem - Enter the Witch's Woods in Dorr (south of Grand Rapids) for two Halloween attractions. Grab a flashlight and navigate the twists turns of the corn maze, while avoiding the gruesome Corn Stalkers. Visitors can also explore the houses and shops of the turn-of-the-century town of New Salem, which has been taken over by evil witches looking for their next victims. Admission is $13 for each haunt or $20 for both. Opens October 1.

Moonlight Manor Haunt - The Halloween Yard Haunt in Walker is one of the area's best kept secrets featuring a self-guided tour through twists, turns and the haunted sanitarium. Admission is $3; open October 30 and 31 from dusk until 10 p.m.

Carlson's Crypt Haunted Trail - Located in Belding (about 20 miles from downtown Grand Rapids), Carlson's Crypt offers both a haunted trail and The Night Maze on Friday and Saturday nights in October. Cost is $13 for the trail, $6 for the corn maze or $15 for both. A daytime corn maze is open on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Haunted Barn - The haunted attraction in Greenville features a scary scale that as it gets darker, the barn becomes more scary. It's kid-friendly until dusk. Admission is $8 per person; open Fridays and Saturdays in October.

With everyone pushing Social Media- Facebook, Twitter, Blogging... it makes me wonder where YouTube comes into play, or any video/virtual tour for that matter.

Because it seems the younger generation is so mobile and so visual, I think videos are really where it's at for the future of getting conversion, starting with an online view->to an email->to an appointment->to a showing->to a contract...and maybe even a purchase agreement.

Here's a link to a video that's been created for one of my current listings. I'd love for some feedback from other agents for input on whether you think 1)this is an effective video, and 2)is there enough information?

http://www.youtube.com/thinkbluhouse#p/a/u/0/grPpUcAiPww

And so it begins... the economic impact from the BP oil spill will have a long lasting effect on Real Estate.According to a report published by CNNMoney, real estate practitioners have already started reporting claims against BP for income lost from rental properties and to settle for losses due to stalled real estate sales.

While Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi all have claim centers to claim lost income, Florida is the only state to report so far that there are over 400 claims for income lost from rental properties and BP has already paid over $75,000 to start the settlements. Directly relating to Realtors and other real estate professionals, $5000 has been paid from BP to start settling loss due to stalled sales.

In a recent TV commercial, “We will honor all legitimate claims, and our clean-up efforts will not come at any cost to taxpayers.” said Tony Hayward, CEO of BP.

For more information, check out the article on CNN: http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/03/smallbusiness/bp_wage_claims/index.htm

Great news for us Realtors in West Michigan- Grand Rapids is one of America’s most affordable cities to buy a house, according to a new report from CNN published May 24, 2010. Grand Rapids came in fifth after Indianapolis, Youngstown, OH, Syracuse, NY, and Dayton, OH. With collective data from National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo, the median home price in Grand Rapids is $102,000, with a median income of $62,500 and an affordability score of 93.7%.

This medium-sized, western Michigan city flourished during the 19th century by turning nearby hardwood forests into furniture. Golden oak cabinets, dining tables and chairs once crafted in the area can now be spotted in many an antique store around the nation.

Today, it still is a leading manufacturer of office furniture. The metro area, like much of the industrial Midwest, has seen better days. Besides furniture, it also had a robust auto manufacturing base, which has declined along with the rest of the industry. Grand Rapids economy is now more diversified with health services an important employer. Still, many people are out of work; the metro area’s 12.8% unemployment rate is more than three percentage points higher than the national average.

The people who are employed make decent wages, over $62,000 for the median household, more than enough to afford a nice house. There are many hundreds of homes for sale in the metro area for less than $90,000.

To see the complete article: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/real_estate/1005/gallery.The_most_affordable_housing_markets/5.html