An amazing 2009...

2009 was amazing for me in many ways... I hope for you as well!

If you're like me you're busy anticipating the hope and promise of a brand new year!

What will this new year bring? If there is one thing that is for certain, it will usher in "change." I've learned the only thing I can count on is change, change and more change. As far as Real Estate , change has meant many things. Some great, some not so great. The extension and expansion of th tax credit has been great for business thus far. The historically low interest are also a huge advantage for buyers.

Getting a loan? Not as easy as it used to be (another change) but ultimately that is a good thing.

What was the greatest thing for me about 2009?

Watching my baby girl grow & experiencing her phenomonal change along the way. Not long ago when I started this blog she was just an infant, that didn't like to sleep. Now as we head in to 2010 she's a little girl that still doesn't sleep. She reminds me everyday while change is sometimes uncomfortable, it ultimately leads to something good.

For now, I'll do whatever it takes. I am proud to be a member of the Eastbrook Homes team and look forward to serving customers in 2010.

Wishing you a prosperous New Year!

Stimulus extension- Do you qualify?

Now is the time! Do you qualify?

We received GREAT news!! The stimulus has been extended. Not only extended, but expanded.

This means there has never been a BETTER time to buy a home than right now!

Another important point...Interest rates

Something I believe has been overlooked is how low are interest rates are now. You know, I think it is just old news and we are now used to great rates. Interest rates will only rise. I don't know when and I don't know how much, but they will rise. Then you'll hear about how great the rates were and today's rates will only be reflected upon as historic.

Interest rates along with stimulus dollars combined with supply make this an unprecendented time to buy. If you've been thinking about moving, do it now!!

For more info visit: http://www.realtor.org/home_buyers_and_sellers/2009_first_time_home_buyer_tax_credit

You may qualify so check it out!

What else is cooking?

Our "Holiday Inspirations- Design Tips for holiday decorating your home" event is right around the corner! Thursday, December 3rd 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Eastbrook Homes is teaming up wtih Pottery Barn to provide free decorating ideas for the holidays. Our event will be held in the Eastbrook community of Stoneshire at 5949 Glen Ellyn Drive SE. It's early and we've had a tremendous response so far!

To RSVP please contact: halso@eastbrookhomes.com While this is a Complimentary event, reservations are requested.

So good things are happening in West Michigan~ I'm excited about the communities I represent and anxious to show new homes. The best thing I can do right now is to help people take advantage of this unprecendented time in Real Estate.

Remember, I'm here to do "Whatever it Takes!"

Good News... and we'll take it!

September is here and much good news has been reported!

Here's my question... What comes first the perception of a better economy, or truly better economic conditions? It seems like we are experiencing both right now.

Good news is finally making its way to the headlines which is wonderful and necessary...http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2009/09/grand_rapids_home_prices_final.html

I say let's keep the good news coming!

September will be a great month at West Hamptons too! We will kick off our Grand Opening with a parade home celebration on September 24.

The HBA fall parade of homes starts September 25th - October 10, 2009.

The parade home is beautiful and offers many great amenities. Feel free to check out this home during parade, or feel free to schedule a personal tour... costello@eastbrookhomes.com

I say it's Great the media is spreading good news, we'll take it and Let's keep it coming!

Remember, I'm here to serve and do whatever it takes!!

North, South, East, West... which location is the best?

We hear the saying almost everyday… “The number one rule of Real Estate is location, location, location,” A leading driver of location decision making is generally based on school system. Whether you have children or not, the local school system’s strength should be considered. Search out tools such as “Schools Plus or Great Schools.net”and other internet resources. There are great on-line sources available to measure a schools performance.
What about you and your family’s daily needs in terms of location?
While location is critical, the location for your new home has to be right for you. Is the location of the community close to work, expressways and recreation? Maybe your life depends on easy access to an airport? Or maybe you love easy access to the symphony and shopping. The truth is there really isn’t a “one size fits all” answer to the location question. Lifestyle, affordability and desire are tremendous factors when you choose a homesite for a new home.
Feeling overwhelmed? Here’s the good news. A good builder does an enormous amount of work before a community even gets drawn, let alone built. A number of studies are done, focus groups are organized and data is analyzed. Chances are if you like the location, find it accessible, and fits your needs, others will too. That’s the tremendous value in planned neighborhood living. Remember just like you want to choose the right location for you, so does a good builder.
While “location, location, location” may be the age old rule of Real Estate the best location in the world isn’t great, if it isn’t right for you.

Bye For now... I'll do "Whatever it takes."

Time flies just like Great Opportunties!

It's almost August and I can't believe my daughter will be a year old soon. I wonder where the time has gone and the moments I'll most remember. Every stage seems never ending at the time, but somehow you get thru it and you are off to the next. Right now, we are embracing "teething." I didn't know a little girl could cry so loud and so often especially in the middle of the night. But time flies, just like great opportunties and it's an awesome opportunity to watch her grow, even though a full night's sleep is a distant memory.

At Eastbrook we have our own great opportuntities ...

In July, Eastbrook Homes hosted a "sneak peek" happy hour at our newest community West Hamptons located in the heart of the Forest Hills Northern School district. We had several people attend our outdoor event, and we were blessed with beautiful weather too! To date we've sold 4 homes at West Hamptons and are looking forward to participating in the Fall Parade of Homes.

Say "bye-bye" soon to Market opportunties... The Government stimulus will end November 30. This is a fabulous program for first time home buyers. Plus Eastbrook has a stimulus of their own! Interest rates will not stay low forever and the market is looking up in general. These are great signals because it means the bottom is most likely behind us... but if you haven't bought a new home and you want to hurry because...

"Time flies just like great opportunities!"

For now... I'm here to help and do "Whatever it takes!"

Only a buyer's market, if you buy~

It's a great June day! Our baby daughter, Josie, is doing greatand in August she will be the tender age of one! I can't believe how time has passed. The one thing that hasn't passed is Josie's inability to sleep thru the night. I'm wondering if that will ever pass, but life is great so I'm not complaining!
Another thing that certainly will pass is the Government stimulus for first time home buyers. This is an exciting time if you A) have never owned a home before or B) if you have not owned a home in the last 3 years. The stimulus opportunity will pass just like all other life's opportunities. As they say in this business, it's only a buyer's market, if you buy. The caveat to this is this stimulus will not last forever. You will only qualify if you close on a home before November 30, 2009. You hear the word stimulus now in marketing for any product anywhere, but this great deal really is set to go away this November.
The great thing about Eastbrook Homes is we will match the $8,000 gov't stimulus when you are a first time home buyer. Even if you don't qualify for the gov't stimulus, you will qualify for the Eastbrook $8000 stimulus.
In Ada at Ada Moorings we have only 7 sites available ,and at Arbor Hills in GR Twp we have only 6. They are great communities that I'm really proud to represent.
Also exciting for me is our new community "West Hamptons." West Hamptons is a great community, conveniently located near shopping, schools and recreation. We will feature homes from the $220's... that is unheard of for a new home in Forest Hills schools.
Exciting... there are truly a lot of great things happening here!
For now... I will continue to serve and do "Whatever it takes!"

The good news & The bad news...

While March may be winding down, April may be the true month of madness!
Let's hope so!! March was a great month for me! We've had a lot of success in the Forest Hills area particularly. In Rockford, I was involved in a really well attended expo. We were able to gain great exposure for our Rockford communities. If this is March Madness, bring it on!
Despite what you're hearing, good things are happening. While the market is confused, I think people do understand that if they want to make a move, now is a great time! The good news is: Interest rates are Phenomenal! At Eastbrook we have a program, if a buyer qualifies, we can actually get them a 4.25% interest rate. http://www.eastbrookhomes.com/ We haven't had interest rates lower than that in 50 years! I'm old, but I'm not that old, to remember rates like that! Amazing...If you are first time home buyer, the tax credit is a great opportunity to get $8,000 back... again Amazing... More Good News!
These are opportunites, you can take advantage of but there is one caveat.... Here comes the bad news... These programs won't last forever. In fact, we don't know how long they will last. One thing you can count on...they will end because we will have to recapture the lost dollars. So if you've been thinking about buying a new home, jump in! Now's a Great time!
On a different note... as I mentioned in a previous post. I love American Idol! Season 8 has been full of great talent. How about that Adam Lambert? I do think he is going to give Danny a run for his money. We can't forget to give a "shout out" to Matt from Michigan who has really turned up the heat! As long as Megan Joy keeps twistin' those hips she'll be a player.
Another "Shout out" to my wife Nicolle... this weekend is her birthday and I'm so looking forward taking her out! It's been a great ride Nicolle and I thank you for that!
For now, Have a GREAT day!

It's a great day!

It's a great day here in Michigan! Next week we will celebrate Spring. Although spring may not be here in terms of warm weather, according to the calendar it will be here! The calendar change alone will change our perception and we will once again re-new that "spring in our step!"After all isn't that what so much of our economic forecast is about? Perception which leads to confidence or lack there of.Despite what you hear things are looking up in the Real Estate market.I had an outstanding February... We sold homes in both Ada Moorings and Arbor Hills and Stoneshire. Sure I have to work hard for every deal to close, but it's worth it! At the end of the day, we are all about serving our customers and building each home as if it were our own!I'm not going to say our market is just what we have always dreamed of, but if we can improve the confidence, hence the perception, we will all benefit.One very cool thing Eastbrook hosted was the Dreams & Design seminar. Our goal was to have 25 people attend and we had over 40. The topic was "Get the Wow now!" We featured the hot paint colors and decorating trends for 2009! Not that I know hot trends... I know 2 colors blue and khacki. But the experts were on hand to provide a lot of valuable tips. I think everyone had a great night! We'll be doing more events like this in the future! Our goal is to provide valuable, upbeat information to everyone. Whether you're looking for a home now or in the future I'm here to serve. Whatever it takes... that's what I always say.
For now! Have a great day~

What a month~

What a month it has been!
An amazing miracle took place on the Hudson river,America has a new President, and American Idol season 8 has started! If you love "Idol" like I do, then you know a lot of hopefuls are on their way to Hollywood!
With a new year now well on its way, we have new hope despite what the news tells us.
Here's what I have coming up in February...
I have been working on an exciting partnership with Huntington Bank. We are working on some great programs together! Interest rates are amazing right now! Now really is a great time to buy! Check out the homes I have for sale at www.eastbrookhomes.com
In January I met w/ several Realtors. In February I will continue to do the same. There are some fantastic Realtors in West Michigan that are doing an outstanding job.
On February 26th Eastbrook Homes will host a "Dreams & Design" Get the Wow now event for anyone thinking of building a home, or if you're just thinking of remodeling. Our goal is to have our expert design team feature all of the trends coming up like vibrant paint colors, painted cabinetry, and industrial metals. We will also going to feature Pottery Barn trends, along with the latest in cabinets and faucets. This event will be held in our design center and it will be a fun evening for all those attending. More details to come...Stay Tuned!
I will continue to do "Whatever it takes!" to serve my customers and look forward to a great month!

What's in a name?

Wow! I can't believe I'm blogging! Welcome to my Blog!
This is a GREAT day!
In August 2008 my wife Nicholle and I had a baby girl we named Josie. Everyday, I'm learning "change" is a constant, but sleep is not.
I'm not sure which is more amazing, the baby or the fact that I'm blogging!
Here's a little bit about me... I've been selling real estate since 1995 and my focus has been on new homes. I've worked in a sales capacity for Eastbrook Homes for 6 years and have a State of Michigan broker's license. I have also sold existing residential real estate and have many designations such as my GRI and CRS. I am married to my wife Nicholle, went to Catholic Central High School and U of M. I love selling new homes because there is nothing like "new!" I love representing Eastbrook because there is no other builder that delivers the quality, value and amenities in their communities. In this blog, I hope to talk more about the communities I represent and what makes them great! I will also bring you up to speed on what is new, exciting and stuff you won't want to miss.
Naming this blog was much easier than naming our baby! I named this Blog "Whatever it Takes" because that is really who I am and what I strive to do each and every day. Everyday I wake up, and am committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure I deliver my promise to Eastbrook prospects, customers and homeowners. On some days I do whatever it takes just to shake up the office, but that's a whole new blog entry~
This blog is a 2-way street... please ask questions and comment. I want to hear your feedback.
I look forward to blogging my thoughts on the Eastbrook communities I represent, the real estate market and depending on the amount of sleep I've had just about anything else.
For now... Thanks for reading!