Missing Mortgage Payments in West Michigan? Act Now.

Are You Headed Towards Foreclosure? Act Now.
Consider the Short Sale Option
By: Takara Taylor, Realtor

Many lenders have been agreeing to accept a “short sale” offer as a way to help homeowners stop their home from going into foreclosure and damaging their credit. One may be thinking “What’s a short sale?” A short sale is basically the following:

A short sale is a situation involving your mortgage lender’s approval of accepting a lessor amount than what you owe on the home. For example,let’s say there is a third party who offers to purchase your home for $140,000.00 and you owe $180,000.00.The offer coming from the third party can be submitted to the lender and taken into consideration.

This process can be very tedious and it can take up to 90 days to get an approval from your lender. Your lender will evaluate the offer received and determine whether the offer was an acceptable one. There may be some negotiating back and forth before a final decision is made.

Please note that each case may be handled differently. Short Sales are best handled by a Realtor for various reasons including the possible need to list your home, process paperwork, and negotiation with lenders. Please contact Takara Taylor of AUDU Real Estate at Takara@grar.com for more information.

AUDU Real Estate, 3629 Alpine NW, Constock Park, MI 49321

“Going Green” in Grand Rapids, MI

The applied concept of going green in Grand Rapids seems to be gaining a lot of publicity these days. Much awareness has been developed around “Going Green” as a way to enhance the way we live. What does it mean to go green? Well, from what I gathered after reading several articles and watching the news, it is basically a way to address the issues surrounding around our global climate which has been a growing concern.  

                                                      

The City of Grand Rapids has been working really hard to promote an eco-friendly environment. According to a recent article written in the Grand Rapids Press; the author Deborah Cook mentioned that the city has been” tied with fourth in the nation of citied with total LEED Buildings.

What is LEED? LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It was initiated by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).  Many “Green “building projects involve a certification process provided by LEED. According to the USGBC, LEED “promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.”

Many houses, condos, schools, municipal, and commercial buildings have been made eco-friendly. Places such as The Rapid (transportation company, first LEED certification in Michigan), the Grand Rapids Water/Environmental Services, and the New Grand Rapids Art Museum to name a few have “gone green”!

Grand Rapids currently has 8 schools that have been green built and 5 of them are seeking LEED certification, and Sibley Elementary has already been certified.

This trend is expected to grow in years to come, which makes Grand Rapids an even more attractive place to live! “Let’s Go Green Grand Rapids” More home builders are incorporating building green houses into their business. In my opinion, it will not be very long before real estate agents will be able to market more and more of this type of home as it appears to be a good asset for buyers to have.

Also, side note, If you don’t recycle, please consider it as a part of your life as a way to show that your truly care about your environment.  Here in Kentwood, MI, we have recycle days twice a month which is great. My husband went out and got 2 containers for recyclables and we now make a conscious effort to use the service!  If your trash removal service doesn’t have a recycle program, start one!