Norm Cones Realtor

01/30/2025

Spring is almost here so don't miss your chance to move your family into this completely remolded Southside home that's practically brand new inside. New central air, furnace, water heater, roof, all flooring, fixtures, kitchen, bathrooms, and newly built 2-stall garage. Be the first to occupy this beautiful home located at 534 Dickinson St SE.

Nestled in SE Grand Rapids, this inviting family home boasts three spacious bedrooms upstairs along with full baths. Half bath on main floor. The cozy wood-burning fireplace graces the living room. The lower level is fully finished, providing additional living space to enjoy. The recently remodeled....

03/01/2024

How to Deal With Home Selling Stress
March 01 2024
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Selling your home can come with quite a bit of stress, including keeping the place presentable for buyers and potentially making repairs and updates. It can be a lot to take on, especially when you’re juggling other responsibilities.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to alleviate your stress and make selling your home a more enjoyable experience.

Are you considering listing your home for sale? Here’s what you can do to make it less stressful.

Lean on your team. Your real estate agent, loan officer and other real estate professionals are there for you. We can provide support, guidance and expertise along the way.
Reduce clutter. Keeping a house clean all the time is hard, but it’s necessary if you want to show your home. To ease the pressure, take time to declutter your home before listing it, so there’s less to clean and organize before a visit.
Update your home in small ways. You don’t have to splurge on a whole kitchen remodel to get your home noticed. Instead, focus on small things that will have a big impact, like repainting the front door, deep-cleaning the carpet or planting seasonal flowers for curb appeal.
Try to focus on the future. Keep the end in sight as you go about your home sale. While it’s easy to be stressed in the moment, knowing that you’re doing this for a reason can help you feel better when things get hard.
Reach out if you’re ready to list your house — or if you want to begin the search for your next home.

10/18/2023

House is sold as is Cash or Conventional No inspection, Buyer removes all content from home & garage. All square footage needs to be verified by buyer. Sentrikey Back door.

10/18/2023

This recently fully remodeled 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom home located in the heart of Byron Center is on the market! Located close to shops, restaurants, parks, schools, the local library branch and more, you cannot beat this location! The spacious open floor plan from the kitchen, through the dining roo...

10/18/2023

Freshly remodeled 3 bedroom 1 bath home with a 1.5 car detached garage. 3 yr old electrical, plumbing, Furnace, roof, kitchen with granite, flooring, windows and more! Newer Central Air, Beautiful 3 Season porch. Alley access to Home and garage. Seller paid 1 Yr. AHS Shield Plus Home Warranty.

10/13/2023

Pros and Cons of Buying With High Rates
October 13 2023
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“Marry the house, date the rate” is a common phrase in the housing industry, especially since mortgage rates have risen throughout 2023. But it’s not just a phrase; it’s a strategy too.

It’s simple: Focus on finding your dream home — the one you want to live in for the long haul — and treat today’s higher rates as a temporary path to get there. Then, you can commit to refinancing once interest rates drop.

While this is a logical approach for some homebuyers, it’s not the right move for everyone. Consider these pros and cons before using the strategy.

Pros
Typically, the biggest advantage of the “marry the house, date the rate” approach is that you get to buy the home you want now instead of waiting months or even years for rates to drop. If you’re ready to settle down, this might be the only goal that matters.

You may also see less competition from other buyers (due to higher interest rates), and becoming a homeowner sooner will help you start building equity in the home.

Cons
One of the main downsides is that you don’t know when rates will drop, so you could be stuck with your higher rate (and payment) for a while.

And refinancing isn’t free. The average cost to refinance is about $2,375 plus taxes — usually 2% to 5% of the loan principal, like closing costs. If there’s any chance you may not stay in the home long term, it might not feel worth it.

If you’re ready to find your dream home — or if you need help deciding if now’s the right time to buy — reach out so we can discuss your situation.

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09/29/2023

How to Find the Right Mortgage Lender
September 29 2023
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Choosing the right lender is an important step on your homebuying journey. Not only will it impact your costs as a borrower but also your overall experience when buying a home.

Mortgage lenders can vary quite a bit. Every company offers different interest rates and loan programs, and fees and customer service can be widely different as well.

How do you find the right lender for your home purchase? Here are the steps you should take.

Understand what loan type you need. There are many kinds of home loans, including FHA, conventional, jumbo and more. Each one has different requirements for borrowers. Study up on loan programs to determine which ones might work for you. Doing this can help you pinpoint a lender who offers what you’re searching for.

Ask for referrals. Ask your friends, family and colleagues for lenders they may have used when buying a home. We can also discuss local lending experts as you get started on your home search. Then, you can continue your research about available loan programs, rates and other details.

Check out online reviews. Look up customer reviews of the lenders you’re considering on multiple platforms. You can also look at the NMLS database to see if there are any legal or licensing issues with the lender.

Get preapproved and compare offers. Once you’ve narrowed your pool of potential lenders, apply for preapproval. Then, you’ll get a loan estimate detailing the terms and costs of the mortgage each company is offering you, which you can use to compare your options.

If you have questions about homebuying or need help finding a great mortgage lender to work with, get in touch today.

07/28/2023

Tips for a Thorough Home Inspection
July 28 2023
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Home inspections, while not mandatory, are an important part of the homebuying process. They can help you spot potentially dangerous and expensive issues in a property before you buy it, which may be a valuable negotiating tool.

But home inspectors aren’t infallible, and they may miss things sometimes. So, how can you ensure the inspection goes smoothly and potential problems are identified? Here’s how:

Use care when choosing your inspector. To make sure you get an experienced and qualified home inspector, ask for trusted referrals. Then, research the reviews and credentials for those inspectors. You can then call and interview a few before selecting someone to work with.

Attend the inspection. We can attend the inspection together to ensure nothing is missed. We’ll walk the property with the inspector, asking questions as we go — but not getting in the way of their job. Once the inspection is done, you can ask for a quick run-through of any problematic areas they saw.

Ensure they see the whole house. To truly assess a home’s condition, the inspector needs to go everywhere on the property. The seller should make sure the yard and doorways are clear so the inspector can physically evaluate everything in the home from top to bottom.

Follow up with your inspector. Once you get the full inspection report, go through it carefully. If there’s anything noted that concerns or confuses you, call up the inspector and talk through it. You can also ask for a re-inspection if it feels appropriate.
It can be hard to prove that an inspector missed a problem — or that a seller knew about it — once you live in the home, so ensuring your inspection is done properly from the start is key.
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05/12/2023

4 Factors Affecting Housing Supply
May 12 2023
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If you’ve been preparing to buy a home in the last couple of years, then you’re probably aware of the serious housing inventory shortage you may have to contend with.

Low housing supply has led to rising home prices, buyer competition and, in many markets, bidding wars.

But what caused the shortage in the first place? And why hasn’t it changed much in recent years? Here’s what you need to know.

Slow Housing Construction: Builders have reduced their work since the housing crash in 2008. There have also been issues with supply chains, the rising cost of lumber and other materials, and contractor shortages. All these elements have made it harder to build new homes to increase supply.

Homeowners Staying Put: Right now, mortgage rates are higher than they were at the height of the pandemic. Finding a new home doesn't always make sense for homeowners with the 2% or 3% rates seen a few years ago. Few are choosing to sell because of interest rates, but many older homeowners are choosing to age in place, too — which keeps the number of existing homes on the market low.

High Demand: Homebuying demand jumped during the pandemic. And while it’s slowed a bit due to higher mortgage rates, demand is still outpacing supply. Much of this demand comes from millennials, who are now at their prime homebuying age.

Institutional Investors: Big investors are snapping up properties, too, and they often hope to rent them out, which takes them off the market for sale. At one point last year, they accounted for almost 7% of all home sales.
Despite these headwinds, finding a home that works for you is still possible if you have the right help. Are you ready to buy? Reach out today.

09/30/2022

Please be our guest on Sunday 2, 2022, We will be open from 1:00 - 4:00 pm.
OPEN HOUSE 427 James Street SE. Here's your chance to live close to downtown
Grand Rapids in this Historical Home close to some of the hottest restaurants, Donkeys, Winchesters, Forty Acers and Wealthy street Bakery.

09/16/2022

What Does (and Doesn't) Come With a Home
September 16 2022
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When you tour a house for sale, it’s often staged, complete with appliances, window dressings, furniture and decor.

These items can certainly make a place look appealing, but the reality is that most of them won’t come with the house if you decide to buy.

So, what exactly do you get when you purchase a house from its previous owners? Do you know which items stay and which ones go? Here’s what you should know:

Only “attached” fixtures tend to come with the house. This means ceiling fans, security systems, built-in appliances, window screens, storm doors, blinds and similar items should remain part of the home. Removable items — like curtains or furniture, for example — aren’t attached and probably wouldn’t be included.

Outdoor items that are fixed to the property are included. The mailbox, a built-in fire pit, plants, shrubbery and an in-ground pool would all be examples of items that stay. Portable things, though — like a hot tub or unattached grill — typically would not come with the house.

Almost everything is up for negotiation. If there’s a certain item you saw and loved in the home, we can discuss it to negotiate with the seller and their agent. Depending on how in-demand the property is (and how special the item is), the seller may ask for more money — but, in some cases, they may be willing to throw it in for free.

Sometimes, sellers will specifically call out items they don’t want included in the sale — even some attached items. We'll talk about negotiating and comparing these elements of an offer as we go.

Do you need help finding your next home? Get in touch today to get started.