Local First

Buying and eating local is of special interest to me for several reasons. First, I grew up in a small town in Southern Indiana. Most of my family was, and still is, engaged in farming. While I didn't appreciate it at the time, most all of our food - including all of our meat - was grown in our family garden or on our families' farms. Today, I appreciate the flavor and quality of locally produced food. Second, before I became a real estate agent, I owned and operated a retail store that focused on sustainability before the concept was widely known. I designed and furnished the store before there was a LEED certification system. I'm sure that it would have earned a gold rating, if not platinum.

Today, the concept of sustainability is more widely known and there is a much better understanding of the benefits of buying locally produced products and services. With that in mind, I recommend that you check out Local First, an organization that provides a directory and other resources for those who wish to shop for local products and services. You can find them at www.localfirst.com or click on the link that I have provided at the left of this screen.

Thanks for thinking of Local First and good eating - and shopping.

Green Daily

Today I discovered a new blog focused on the environment. You can find it at www.greendaily.com. There's also a corresponding and relatively new group on Facebook called Green Daily. The posts and other information that is provided cover a variety of topics. The overall tone is informative, not hysterical, and the site seems well organized. Check it out and let me know what you think. I've added a link to the web site on the left side of this blog and have tagged the site on delicious.com. I look forward to your comments.

Universal Design

Two websites with information on universal design have recently come to my attention. The first is www.aias.org/aarp. This site presents information on a recent design competition that challenged architecture and planning students to learn more about universal design and designing for an aging population. The results of the 2008 competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Architecture Students and AARP, can be found on the website by clicking on "2008 Results" on the left side of the home page.

The second website is www.nahb.org/capsinfo. This site contains information about the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation that has been developed by the Remodelors Council of the National Association of Home Builders in collaboration with the NAHB Research Center, NAHB Seniors Housing Council, and AARP. CAPS professionals are "trained in the unique needs of the older adult population, aging-in-place home modifications, common remodeling projects, and solutions to common barriers."

While both the AIAS design competition and the CAPS designation are primarily focused on designing for the aging population, an underlying goal is to design homes that can be adapted as people and families move through the various life stages.

Green Grand Rapids

The Sunday, August 17, edition of The Grand Rapids Press included a special advertising section titled "Greener Living." Along with articles about the green movement in the Grand Rapids area and ads from businesses that focus on green design and green products, there is information on Great Lakes Green, the inaugural conference that is being held on Friday and Saturday, August 22-23, at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids. For more information about the conference, including registration, go to www.greatlakesgreen2008.com or www.grpress.com and click on the link "Great Lakes Green" in the list of special secitons located at the bottom left of the home screen. I have added a link to The Grand Rapids Press on the left side of this blog for your convenience. I hope to see you at the conference on Saturday, August 23.

Living and Working in the Grand Rapids Area

The following is an introduction to The Right Place, Inc. and it is taken from the "About the Right Place" page of their website.

"The Right Place, Inc. is a regional non-profit economic development organization founded in 1985 and supported through investments from the private and public sector. Its mission is to promote economic growth in the areas of quality employment, productivity and technology in Greater Grand Rapids by developing jobs through leading business retention, expansion, and attraction efforts."

The site provides a variety of information about living and working in the Grand Rapids area. The Right Place, Inc. can be found on the internet at www.rightplace.org. I've also included a link on the left side of this blog. Be sure to download and view "57 Things to Know about Grand Rapids" and view the video "Live Vibrantly." Both can be found by clicking on the Live and Work Here tab on the left side of their home page.

Grand Rapids Area School and Metro Rankings

In several recent posts I have mentioned the importance of being an informed real estate consumer and in gathering all of the pertinent data for the area(s) in which you are interested. Some of the data that you may wish to consider in your decision may not be or can not be shared by your real estate agent in the interest of fair housing and in an effort to prevent steering.

However, the information you want and need is generally available from a variety of sources such as the local school districts and the municipalities or townships that you are considering. Another source is local publications and Grand Rapids Magazine has just published it's 2008-09 school and metro rankings for 97 communities in West Michigan. The communities are combinations of school districts and cities or townships.

If you would like a copy of the rankings, call Grand Rapids Magazine at 616.459.4545 and request of copy of the July 2008 issue. For the current issue and archive copies of select articles from past issues, go to www.grmag.com or click on the link in the left hand margin of this blog.

Real Estate is Market Specific

An article posted yesterday on msn.com by Forbes magazine provided lists of the best ten and worst ten real estate markets in the United States. While Grand Rapids, or any city in Michigan, wasn't on either list, the market-specific nature of real estate was evident. For example, two of the best and two of the worst markets are in California. The best are San Francisco and San Jose and the worst are Los Angeles and San Diego.

An even finer distinction was made in Colorado where Denver was on both the best and the worst lists. The difference was in what part of the greater Denver area one was considering; e.g. downtown Denver, the suburbs, or the area between Denver and Colorado Springs.

The implication is clear: focus on the area that you are considering and get all of the relevant data on that area. The best way to do that is to employ the services of a real estate professional who can provide you with all of the latest information.

Steam Ovens: Energy Savings & Health Benefits

The Home and Garden section of the Sunday, April 13, 2008, The Grand Rapids Press included an article on the energy savings and health benefits of steam ovens. Energy savings result from shorter cooking times, lower wattage of the cooking elements, and the ability to prepare an entire meal without the use of the stove top, an inefficient cooking method due to the loss of heat around the sides of the pots. Health benefits result because foods cook faster without losing as many of the natural flavors and nutrients. Therefore, less salt and other seasonings are required.

The article suggested the websites of several manufacturers and I checked them all. mieleusa.com was my favorite with more information about the products, features and benefits, and the steam cooking process. However, my cooking and traveling interests were aroused by the culinary tours described on the vikingrange.com site. The other sites mentioned were kitchenaid.com and gagganau.com. The sharpusa.com site does not currently feature steam ovens and suggests that viewers check back later in the year.

The picture above shows one of the Miele ovens featured in the article.

Informed Consumers for Real Estate Tansactions

A recent article posted on msn.com titled "What Realty Agents Won't Tell You" would have been more appropriately titled "What Realty Agents Can't Tell You." The article is informative but leaves the impression, at least initially, that agents don't want to tell clients certain things. However, the article later explains that fair-housing laws and the agents' desire to not engage in steering precludes those agents from providing that information. By the way, "steering" is directing a client toward or away from a particular property or neighborhood in a discriminatory manner.

The author of the article provides several resources for finding information about the neighborhood under consideration. These sources include familywatchdog.us, schoolmatters.com, and scorecard.com, a website that offers an environmental scorecard at the county level. Of course, it's always a good idea to go straight to the source and contact the local school system and the local government office.

For information on neighborhoods in Grand Rapids, go to grmag.com, click on "Article Archives" at the lower left of the screen, scroll down to "August 2007 A City of Neighborhoods," and then click on "Read Full Story." For your convenience, I've added a link to Grand Rapids magazine to the left side of my blog.

Be an informed consumer of real estate - and websites, for that matter.

Sustainable Business Program at Aquinas College

I've mentioned before that the Rapid Growth GR website is one of my favorites and this week's issue is no exception. Click on the link on the left side of this page or go to www.rapidgrowthmedia.com to read about the program and the success of one of it's graduates. There are also links to other websites that provide information on a variety of topics related to sustainable design.

For those of you who enjoy the work of Brian Kelly, whose photographs grace the pages of Rapid Growth GR, I've added a link to his website. It's located on the left side of this blog. Or, go to www.briankellyphoto.net.

The Green Chauffeur

Check out the recent edition of Rapid Growth GR for an article on the Green Chauffeur. What a great idea for a business. Just click on the link in the left column of my blog.

What's In and Out in Home Design

The April 2008 issue of REALTOR magazine included a list of what's in and what's out in home design. For those interested in sustainable and universal design, the article included the following "ins:" a reduced carbon footprint for energy savings and home elevators for boomers wanting to age in place. The "outs" included voluminous ceiling heights and mcmansions.

What's on your list?

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. As a real estate agent, I have a particular interest in this community. One of the ways in which I keep up to date is through the Rapid Growth Grand Rapids website. It's a great source of information on what's happening in the city, it's neighborhoods, and along the lake shore. I hope that you will find it interesting and helpful.

In future posts, I'll share information on several areas that are of greatest interest to me including sustainable design, universal design - or aging in place, and empty nesters.