As Labor Day Weekend has come to an end, we are reminded once again why West Michigan is such a great place to live. One of the great things about West Michigan and the Grand Rapids area is that we are only a small car ride away from Lake Michigan!! Recently, Good Morning America came out with a list of the 'Most Beautiful Places in America and the #1 most beautiful location was Sleeping Bear Dunes. Sleeping Bear Dunes is about a 2 hour car ride north of Grand Rapids and not only offers a beautiful scenery but the National Lakeshore will keep even the most adventurous outdoors enthusiast busy with hiking, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing and more. See ABC's article here http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/best_places_USA/sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan-voted-good-morning-americas/story?id=14319616. 

We'll let these descriptions and pictures speak for themselves but it's just another reason why West Michigan is one of the top place to live!

Dear Friends,

This week Grand Rapids held its second annual music event known as Rock the Rapids. For this music festival lasting Monday to Saturday, groups from every genre come from all over the country to entertain West Michigan. These bands included Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stone Temple Pilots, Wayland, Willie Nelson, Alice Cooper, Blake Shelton, Bombshel, Ludacris, Due Dilligence, T Pain, and many more! Rock the Rapids is designed to serve our community by providing affordable concert tickets for well-known artists while raising funds for local organizations such as John Ball Zoo. During Rock the Rapids, many other free activities were going on at Festival Village and also The Melting Pot set up at Rosa Parks Circle. One thing Grand Rapids knows how to do and can do it well is bring people together and this event once again proved it!

With the ups and downs in the market Americans are increasingly looking towards home ownership.

Though most people purchase a home for non-financial reasons, everyone realizes there is a money component to homeownership. Here is what they said on this issue:

• 65% of the general population (and 67% of homeowners) believe that homeownership is a 'safe' investment.

• 56% believe that homeownership has more potential as an investment than any other traditional asset class.

• 69% think that now is a good time to buy a home (this number has increased in each of the last two quarters)

To read the entire blog post click here: http://kcmblog.com/2011/08/16/homeownershipstill-the-american-dream/

Grand Rapids ROCKS! Check out some of the latest updates on what others are saying about Grand Rapids:

"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!”

1. Cape Coral/Fort Meyers – 17.9% increase to $110,900 median average sales price

1. Elmira, NY – 16.1% increase to $115,200 median average sales price

1. Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlingon – 12.5% increase to $151,500 median average sales price

1. 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!"

Read the full post here: http://blog.coldwellbanker.com/the-great-american-comeback-of-grand-rapids-michigan/

M-Live's Relocate America Top 100 Places to Live in 2011 is in its 14th year of identifying the best places to live in America.  The research and editorial team spends months researching which communities are well positioned for economic recovery, already experiencing strong economic recovery or have proven over all economic stability.  Factors such as employment, education, community, leadership and overall quality of life are all used when determining who will make the Top 100.  I am so excited that Grand Rapids was rated number 2 for 2011.  What an honor to us who already live in the Grand Rapids area as this is more proof of our strength in economics which includes Housing.

Read M-Lives article here for the full story: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/08/grand_rapids_ranks_no_2_on_rel.html

Grand Haven, MI is our own West Michigan lakeshore with clean beaches, a boardwalk with shops and ice cream, and a quaint lighthouse. From July 27 to August 7 Grand Haven is taken over by carnival rides, men and women in uniform, a beach covered by beach towels umbrellas and coolers, and boats covering the channel for its annual Coast Guard Festival. Every day of Coast Guard Festival is packed with activities, events, and attractions for all ages. Many activities are free, and you will find plenty of fun and choices from Kid's Day to the Street Dance and Cruise-In Car Show, to Carnival Rides, picnics, parades, and ship tours.  Honoring the men and women that served in the Coast Guard, the festival hosts many events honoring Coast Guard retirees, Memorials, and allows many to share their stories while in service. In the evening, many enjoy waterfront entertainment on their walk down the pier to not only music groups such as Motor City Glee but also competitive ski teams like Grand City Skiers as they form three-tier pyramids through the busy channel. Whether it’s the softball tournaments, carnival rides, music performances, laying on the beach, or parades there is something to do for people of all ages. Visit http://www.coastguardfest.org/ for more information!