Grand Rapids is home to its own Animal and Wildlife Conservatory John Ball Zoo, located on the west side of its downtown area. John Ball Zoo is for people of all ages!! Frogs, monkeys, snow leopards, lions, bears, penguins, baboons, koalas, and much more greet you as you walk through the park. A petting corral for the kids allows contact with the animals that they wouldn’t get in a storybook or anywhere else. Catch a ride on the four story, 300-foot long Zipline or walk along the high ropes course over the zoo. Relax on the picturesque park pond outside the zoo while riding one of its six giant swan paddle boats. Ride the giant hump of a camel and many more opportunities await! John Ball Zoo also allows families and friends to host parties, attend its jazz concerts on Monday nights, have family gatherings, and enjoy time together in the park outside the zoo with picnic tables and a playground for the kids.

 

Summer hours are:

May 27 through September 5- open daily from 9am to 6pm. Visit John Ball Zoo’s website to get rates and pricing: http://johnballzoosociety.org/.

Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts is a community celebration in downtown Grand Rapids, featuring arts, entertainment, food and fun activities for the entire family. 2011 marks the 42nd annual festival, making it one of the longest-running festivals in the state. Festival always takes place the first full weekend in June in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. Because of generous donations from local organizations and supporters, all performances and exhibits are completely free. This festival pertains to people of all musical and entertainment tastes having six indoor or outdoor stages to choose from with music of all types, plus dance, theatre, poetry, films, storytelling, and lots of art activities! Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts offers a world of artistic possibilities and brings all of Grand Rapids and its surrounding areas together to enjoy all of the talents it has to offer.

 

 

 

 

Dear friends, Spring is in the air and homes are selling. We have felt a good increase in confidence and optimism, seen an increase in the number of home sales along with lower levels of the number of homes for sale (inventory). This lower level of inventory is also being noticed by the banks who have large levels of (shadow inventory) just waiting to come into the market place. I was in Troy this week for the Michigan Association of Realtors Broker Summit and learned this summer and fall we will be seeing more foreclosures hitting the market. If you’re a seller that would mean time is of the essence....get your home up for sale now before more competition of distressed properties come along. If you’re a buyer there should be more options to choose from, but pay close attention to interest rates and don’t wait too long as they are still predicted to rise...... All and all we are I believe making progress and heading in the right direction with our properties-investments-economy....... Any specific questions or concerns please call or email! Until next month, Howie Boeve & Company

Dear Friends,

Last month we met with someone who was referred to us from a previous client to help sell their home. These folks had felt, as many have, the pain of job changes and were wanting to downsize to allow more flexibility in their discretionary spending. Not necessarily an easy choice to make but for sure one that would make life a little more enjoyable and less stressful. I don’t know about you but I am sure in favor of more joy and less stress. Well as you can imagine we went to work and in just over 2 weeks we had an offer on their home. If you or someone you know is looking for more joy and less stress about finances then call today. Life is too short to not have the most amount of joy you deserve.

Until next month,

Howie Boeve & Company

In February we were asked to help sell a home.  The seller had tried to sell their home with 2 other Realtors previously with no luck. We met with them and shared our "Pro-Active" marketing strategy which includes but not limited to over 350 different websites, QR flyer box, medical-cooperate relocation relationships and the strength of a proven success with Coldwell Banker.  Coldwell Banker AJS Schmidt sold more 500K homes in West Michigan in 2010 than all the other brokerages combined.  

The home sales market is heating up for us.  We have sold over 33 homes since the beginning of the year.  This spring market has been the hottest we have seen in the last 3 years.  Call now to schedule a time to learn how your home can be the next one sold.
Call Today............

Reason #2 to move to Grand Rapids: Civic Theater

 Grand Rapid's own Civic Theater, one of the many reason Grand Rapids is the place to be, is one of the largest community theaters in the country and is located right downtown! Each season, with the help of many volunteers, Civic puts on extravagent shows with elaborate costumes, detailed sets, and brilliant actors all for an affordable. Civic Theater also has its School of Theater Arts that offers voice lesson, dance classes, education in musical theater, impromptu, and so much more for people of all ages. This year's upcoming season includes classics such as Hairspray, Bye Bye Birdy, and the Wizard of Oz. The perfect Friday night includes a nice dinner downtown Grand Rapids and walking over to the beautiful, historic Civic Theater to watch one of their entertaining and professional shows!

 

Visit http://grct.org/ for more information!