Remember back in June when Newsweek declared that Grand Rapids was a dying city? Remember when they fought back with an incredible video that showcased the vibrancy of the city and its people?
Well this Rocky-esque story is continuing! Grand Rapids is an underdog that continues to show resiliency!
Last week the National Association of Realtors came out with its second quarter Metro Area report that showed that 27% of the surveyed 151 metros studied saw price increases over last year at this time. And four markets showed a double-digit increase in prices. And fourth on the list? Yup, Grand Rapids! The “little engine that could!”
- Cape Coral/Fort Meyers – 17.9% increase to $110,900 median average sales price
- Elmira, NY – 16.1% increase to $115,200 median average sales price
- Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlingon – 12.5% increase to $151,500 median average sales price
- Grand Rapids, MI – 10.9% increase to $103,100 median average sales price
The home of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library continues to amaze! Relocate America just ranked Grand Rapids as the nation’s second best place to relocate!
Ever since I watched the video, which has to rate as one of the greatest music videos ever with more than 4 million views, I’ve been intrigued by Grand Rapids. So I put another call in to Dave Mapes, the General Manager of Coldwell Banker AJS-Schmidt in Grand Rapids, who filled me in on what’s going on in Grand Rapids.
Dave, who has lived there for 25 years, has a ton of pride in the city, cited Medical Mile as an economic driver. It consists of more than $1 billion in construction for world class medical facilities including a children’s hospital, heart center and cancer center.
He also made a point to bring up the “sugar sand” beaches on Lake Michigan 30 miles away and a bunch of world class golf courses. And if you want entertainment, Van Andel Arena is consistently one of the top mid-sized venues in the nation attracting in the coming days the likes of Britney Spears and Katy Perry.
And what’s happening in housing? The market’s July closed sales are up nearly 27% and average median price for the month was up 17% since last July.
“We have a lot of people moving to the area who are stunned by the cleanliness of the city, the friendliness of the city and our great ammenities,” Dave said. “And of course, they always talk about the affordability. We have cleared out some of the distressed property backlog and are now actually in need of more inventory. If a home is priced correctly, we are seeing multiple bids.”
So beat the drums Grand Rapids! We are all rooting for you!
Pic provided by Flick user Blue Diamond Photography
