Terry Bonnie Westbrook Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Forest Hills MI Real Estate

Forest Hills Foods is THE Local Gathering place for snacks, coffee, lunch,

and your weekly groceries. Located at 4668 Cascade Road, at the

intersection of Forest Hills Drive and Cascade Road, Forest Hills Foods is

more than a grocery store. It has become a fixture in the community. We

have been frequenting this store for over 30 years and have seen its growth

from a small local grocery to its transformation into a community centerplace.

It is a friendly place with just about everything you could need. The grocery

store is small enough that you can get your groceries in about 20-30

minutes, if you don't run into any friends, which is just about impossible.

On a recent visit for a quick pick up of some fruit, we saw our daughter's

former teacher, a fellow golfer, one of my clients (and a fellow golfer), and a

former neighbor. So much for the quick trip to the store!

The groceries are always excellent. They have organic & local produce, a

fresh meat & fish department, a great wine & beer selection, fresh, locally

roasted coffee available, fresh flowers and many specialty items.

Besides the groceries, they have a bakery, a pharmacy, a local bank ATM

Machine, a Deli, a Soup & Salad Bar and Cafe with wifi, of course. The soup

& salad bar and deli are always busy at lunch. They also have a US Post Office

branch at the customer service desk which is very handy. It seems we are there

about every other day buying stamps or mailing a package. The Foods will

also cart your groceries out of the store and put them in your car for you.

This alone brings many customers back. In fact, about the only time the

parking lot is empty is when they are closed.

Let me tell you a little story about "THE FOODS" that gives you a glimpse into

its popularity. When we first moved to this community back in the late 70's,

my wife went to get groceries. We had 2 small children and had just moved -

you can imagine the chaos in our life. Well, she had a whole cartload of food to

restock our larder and when she got to the checkout, she realized she had run

out of checks. For you young uns', this was before credit cards and cell phones,

she was near tears as she told the check out lady she had no checks and would

they hold her groceries till she went home and got one? The kind lady at the

check out said, "OH, that's OK. You can bring it in when you have time." and

continued to check her out. Handed her the receipt as if she had paid and

wished her a good day.

She was flabbergasted!

Well, let me tell you, they won a loyal customer that day.

(And yes, we took a check to them right away.)

If you move to our area, I can promise ~ we'll see you at The Foods!

Big Enough to Get the Little Picture?

Forest Hills Foods Photos by Bonnie Westbrook

I have not received value or consideration for advertising Forest Hills Foods

on my blog or stating my testimonial.

GARDEN CLUB PARK

Rockford Michigan 49341

The ideal spot for relaxing in the heart

of downtown Rockford.

This open space park provides wonderful opportunities for picnicking and strolling along the banks of the

beautiful Rogue River. An ideal spot for relaxing in the heart of downtown Rockford, it also provides direct

access to the Frederick Meijer White Pine Trail State Park for 92 miles of bicycling, walking, etc. The park is

located just northeast of the dam on the picturesque Rogue River.

Enhancements in 2005 included new leveling, picnic tables, lighting, and a concert deck.

Grand Rapids Real Estate is My Real Job

Terry Westbrook's Grand Rapids Real Estate Blog

Westbrook Realty

Copyright by Terry Westbrook 2007

Contact me at : 1-888-240-1968 x 0

Website url: Terry Westbrook.com

Email: terry@TerryWestbrook.com

Rockford Dam photo by Bonnie Westbrook

The Grand Valley Coop Blood Center is an unlikely coffee break stop.

But that is precisely when I like to stop in and get my juice and cookies.

It is located at 1036 Fuller Ave. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

Of course, they like to take a little of my Type O blood before they give

out the cookies. I am one of those fortunate enough to live in a community

that has a generous and giving population. The Grand Valley Blood Center has

branches and donation centers all over Kent County and supplies 100% of the

regular blood to our hospitals from many West Michigan counties.

DID YOU KNOW???

• a new born baby has about 8 oz. or 1 cup of blood
• Every three seconds someone in our country needs blood
• Blood banks often run short of Type O and B blood
• Just one pint of blood can help up to 3 people
• 43,000 pints of donated blood are used each day in the US and Canada
• shortages of all types of blood occur most often during summer & winter holidays
• donating blood will not decrease your strength

They also do aspheresis, marrow, stem cells, and cord blood donations.

I have donated to the aspheresis patients numerous times when The Blood

Center calls with a desperate need for a donor. How can you resist when

they tell you a little 12 year old girl has leukemia and needs your platelets

to survive?

This is one of those situations where you don't appreciate this gift until you

or your loved ones need it. Please consider giving the gift of life to someone

in need. It takes a few moments out of your day and you get a free coffee

/juice break!!

I am working on my 9th gallon and I hate to admit how many cookies that is!!

DO YOUR GOOD DEED TODAY.

GIVE BLOOD.

Westbrook Realty ~ Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate

Copyright by Terry Westbrook 2007

Stack of Cookies photo courtesy of Flickr photostream by The Soka

Baby Evan photo by Terry Westbrook

As we start a new year it is good to review and look back to see if we can learn from the past. So much of the news lately is on the Housing Market and the difficulties that sellers are having through the erosion of prices. Buyers are waiting for the lowest point in the market to buy. Sellers are looking at prices that were higher a year ago to set prices for today.

In some markets we have seen the average price go down while in others the prices has been stable and even risen. How do you make the right decision in this market? I don't think there is a economist or an "expert" in the business that can say with certainty what the market will do in the short run. I have sold Real estate since 1973 and I have seen almost all the cycles in this business.

One thing remains constant - given enough time, prices will rise and most families want the security of a house that they can call home.

In the chart above, you can see a number of trends. First, there were 68 less sales in 2007. Second, the average sales price is $31,000 lower. Each item in the statistics are still in the buyers favor except one: that is number of homes on the market. 2006 inventory grew each month and that trend continued through most of 2007 but we have had a recent reduction of properties on the market. As soon as that happens, the advantage the buyers had will diminish and we will see prices start to rise and less flexibility from sellers.

My thoughts are: the market has corrected itself and we will see fewer homes on the market and prices staying flat to slightly increasing.

Grand Rapids Real Estate is My Real Job

Terry Westbrook's Grand Rapids Real Estate Blog

Copyright by Terry Westbrook 2007

Contact me at : 1-888-240-1968 x 0

Website url: Terry Westbrook.com

Email: terry@TerryWestbrook.com

photo of Foret Hills Central High School Entrance by Bonnie Westbrook

As we start a new year it is good to review and look back to see if we can learn from the past. So much of the news lately is on the Housing Market and the difficulties that sellers are having through the erosion of prices. Buyers are waiting for the lowest point in the market to buy. Sellers are looking at prices that were higher a year ago to set prices for today.

In some markets we have seen the average price go down while in others the prices has been stable and even risen. How do you make the right decision in this market? I don't think there is a economist or an "expert" in the business that can say with certainty what the market will do in the short run. I have sold Real estate since 1973 and I have seen almost all the cycles in this business. One thing remains constant - given enough time, prices will rise and most families want the security of a house that they can call home.

In the chart above, you can see a number of trends. First, there were 11 more sales in 2007. Second, the average sales price is $37,000 higher. Each item in the statistics are still in the buyers favor except one: that is number of homes on the market. 2006 inventory grew each month and that trend continued through most of 2007 but we have had a recent reduction of properties on the market. As soon as that happens, the advantage the buyers had will diminish and we will see prices start to rise and less flexibility from sellers.

My thoughts are: the market has corrected itself and we will see fewer homes on the market and prices staying flat to slightly increasing.

Grand Rapids Real Estate is My Real Job

Terry Westbrook's Grand Rapids Real Estate Blog

Copyright by Terry Westbrook 2008

Westbrook Realty

Contact me at : 1-888-240-1968 x 0

Website url: Terry Westbrook.com

Email: terry@TerryWestbrook.com

photo of East Grand Rapids downtown by Bonnie Westbrook