East Grand Rapids Input (Burton, Forest Hills: real estate market, how much, home builders)

[mwj119]

Hi All - We are planning a move to East Grand Rapids from out of State. We visited Ada/Forest Hills, Rockford, and EGR last weekend, and have decided on EGR.

For those that are more intimately familiar, are there any particular areas of town (NSEW) that are more popular for young families?

Anything you'd consider when choosing a a K-5 district? I'm assuming they all have full day Kindergarten?

I understand nearly all housing markets have ballooned due to high demand and historically low rates.. Do you feel like it's totally out of whack in EGR, or would you assume the market is fairly steady moving forward? I know nobody has a crystal ball, but your opinion can't hurt.

Anything else we should be aware of?

[GrandRapidsNative]

You will see some flattening of the Real Estate Market for the next few months. Of course EGR is a highly sought after School District and city to live in so the competition will still be there a bit with buyers just not as much as the past year or so.

[mjlo]

I guess it will ultimately depend on how close to the walkability you want to be. If you’re only concerned with school district pretty much anywhere in the city will work. EGR is only about 3sq mi so there’s not a whole lot of areas. I’d say if you want to be closer to the action center your search between Hall St. to the south, and Robinson Rd on the north. If you need more flexibility your possibilities will open up extending your search south to Burton. The further south you go from Hall, the further you get away from the quaint street car vibe it offers. The bigger challenge will be inventory. I don’t think EGR is out of whack given the demand. From what I’m aware a lot of inventory is snatched up before it even gets to the market in EGR, so it can be about who you know.

The biggest issue in the Grand Rapids market is a pretty big shortage of new inventory compared to the amount of folks moving in. GR never saw a return of the volume home builders after they left in the 00s. The local builders just don’t have the capacity to support the volume needed. That is the biggest driver of prices/competition. Where other markets are more speculator driven.

Surprised you’re headed to GR, is it a work related move? From what I’ve seen you post you are from much bigger, much sexier cities. I’d think GR would be an adjustment for you. I know you've had experience being in town before. My impression was that you were underwhelmed by your experience lol. If you have specific questions feel free to DM me. I’m not super well versed on the real estate side, but I’m an expert on the area otherwise.

Good luck my friend!

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by mjlo

I guess it will ultimately depend on how close to the walkability you want to be. If you’re only concerned with school district pretty much anywhere in the city will work. EGR is only about 3sq mi so there’s not a whole lot of areas. I’d say if you want to be closer to the action center your search between Hall St. to the south, and Robinson Rd on the north. If you need more flexibility your possibilities will open up extending your search south to Burton. The further south you go from Hall, the further you get away from the quaint street car vibe it offers. The bigger challenge will be inventory. I don’t think EGR is out of whack given the demand. From what I’m aware a lot of inventory is snatched up before it even gets to the market in EGR, so it can be about who you know.

The biggest issue in the Grand Rapids market is a pretty big shortage of new inventory compared to the amount of folks moving in. GR never saw a return of the volume home builders after they left in the 00s. The local builders just don’t have the capacity to support the volume needed. That is the biggest driver of prices/competition. Where other markets are more speculator driven.

Surprised you’re headed to GR, is it a work related move? From what I’ve seen you post you are from much bigger, much sexier cities. I’d think GR would be an adjustment for you. I know you've had experience being in town before. My impression was that you were underwhelmed by your experience lol. If you have specific questions feel free to DM me. I’m not super well versed on the real estate side, but I’m an expert on the area otherwise.

Good luck my friend!

Thanks mjlo, much appreciated.

Yes, this is a work opportunity. It will be our second move in only three years... All good, we like to move anyways, and the kids are still young enough and nimble enough to do it. Do you know if all of EGR offers full day kindergarten?

I have spent extended time in GR in the past. Certainly noticed some changes in downtown this go around south (?) towards Wealthy.

You're not wrong, I/we have exclusively lived in major markets like Chicago, Seattle, the Bay Area, Boston, and I do love my big cities. I won't pretend like I'm a huge fan of the city of GR itself, but I also view my time there as positive. I am, however, a big fan of EGR for what it is... A walkable, safe, convenient area with great schools and strong communal ties. It reminds me of a smaller, more convenient inner Chicago suburb, and I can certainly get onboard with that! And Western Michigan offers more than IL by way of nature.

Thanks again!

[mjlo]

https://www.egrps.org/documents/Enro...%20Meeting.pdf

Reached out to a friend and they sent me the above link. Looks like kinders start at 8:15 and end around 3:20 in EGR. So my assumption is that’s all day.

You can also reach the school district at 616-235-3535 if you have more specific questions I believe.

GR is small, and will undoubtedly bring culture shock. The thing I loved about it during my time there was how much the city changed and is still changing. There was something fascinating to me about watching this little out of the way, and otherwise obsolete industrial city, grow up and start transforming. That is certainly continuing. There’s a subtle but robust community of folks in Grand Rapids that think big and have had an impact on the otherwise sleepy, provincial folks that are native. GR will never meet the expectations and standards of the places you’ve called home, but If you have a propensity to focus on the positive and seek out the good, you may enjoy your time there.