Residential Sale Prices Continue Upward Trend

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Prospective buyers in Michigan’s housing market placed higher bids in 2021. A lack of inventory caused a 13.8% increase in residential sale prices in 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. There was a 3% increase in total sales. Branch County, Detroit, Bay County, Sanilac County and Mason, Oceana and Manistee counties reported higher than 20% increases in housing prices. Gratiot, Isabella, St. Joseph, Greater Shiawassee and Hillsdale counties reported less than 7% housing price increases. Antrim, Charlevoix and Kalkaska were the only to counties to report a decrease in home prices (-0.7%).

 

Grand Rapids Management Company Plans More Affordable Housing

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Grand Rapids-based property management company Eenhoorn LLC purchased a mixed-use building with 235 market-rate apartments in downtown Grand Rapids. The $50.7 million building includes shared amenities such as a courtyard, fitness center, parking garage and retail space. Eenhoorn is working closely with the city to reserve up to 20% of the units for tenants earning between 80-90% of the area median income. The company hopes to address the housing gap for wage earners who are priced out of high quality units in low income housing projects and full market rate apartments. 

 

 

Sale Pending For Popular Nightlife Hotspots

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Grand Rapids’ The B.O.B. and the 20 Monroe Live concert venue may soon be changing hands. Sales are pending for both nightlife hot spots. There are two separate unidentified buyers, and both deals should close early next year. The B.O.B. was listed for $15.5 million and 20 Monroe Live for $16.5 million. The B.O.B. houses 3 restaurants, a brewery, a nightclub and a comedy club. 20 Monroe Live is a concert venue that can seat up to 2,600 patrons.

 

 

Partnership Looks to Grow Greenspace

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A partnership between the city of Grand Rapids and Kent County Drain Commissioner Ken Yonker is focused on developing some much needed greenspace on the city’s Southeast Side. Located at 1516 S Division Ave., the property and an adjacent parcel are two of 11 properties the Grand Rapids City Commission will move forward on. The other nine properties are along Carrier Creek on the city’s Northeast Side. The city plans to turn them into park spaces, while maintaining the storm water management functions that are in place. The parks will focus on recreation opportunities like walking trails, overlooks and benches.

 

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Amway Grand Plaza’s Renovation Completed

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The $40 million renovation of the Amway Grand Plaza’s 29-story tower is complete. Renovations began in January 2019 and outfitted the tower with new glass that provides guest rooms and the restaurant, MDRD, with floor-to-ceiling views of the city. Prior to the renovations, the 285 tower rooms had windows that started at knee level. According to the chairman and CEO of Van Andel Institute, the tower’s original glass was at the end of its useful life. The new glass is expected to save 10% in energy costs. The tower’s crown was outfitted with new LED lighting. The hotel was received new metal cladding, a backlit crown logo, and updated balcony rooms.

 

Novel Financing Helps With Inadequate Housing Issues

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An inadequate supply of housing is creating problems for businesses and crippling economic development in many communities. As a result, some communities are turning to tax increment financing. Tax increment financing (TIF) enables a developer to regain some of the upfront costs for a project by securing an increase in property taxes for a period of years and diverting them until the spending is repaid. Once the agreed-upon costs are paid off, the higher tax increment goes to local government. TIF has been around for a while but using it to allow new housing to be built that would be affordable to residents is a novel idea. It’s being used where labor and supply costs wouldn’t otherwise allow affordability.

 

 

 

Amazon to Add Four New Michigan Sites

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Amazon will add four new sites in 2022 and 2023. The announcement is expected on Wednesday. It will open its first mid-Michigan fulfillment center and three more facilities in the Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids areas. The new sites include a 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center just west of Lansing, a sort center and delivery station in the Grand Rapids area, and a delivery station in Canton Township. Amazon has created more than 21,000 jobs in Michigan so far. With the new site in the Lansing area, the company expects to create more than 500 full-time jobs. The other centers will create hundreds of jobs, as well.

The Lake Lifestyle Carries a Price Tag

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A recent report from LakeHomes.com is based on real estate property for sale and listing data collected in August of 2021. It includes list price and the volume of listings. Any lake with fewer of 10 home listings for sale was eliminated from the report. Michigan has $2.7 billion in lake homes and lots for sale, with the number of listings totaling 5,508. Lake Michigan makes up for half of the top 10 most expensive lakefront areas. It is also number 5 on the top most expensive lake home markets, nationally. Smaller inland lakes also landed on the state list and include Torch Lake, Lake Leelanau and Lake Charlevoix.

COVID Emergency Rental Assistance Staves Off An Eviction Tsunami

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With the ending of the federal eviction moratorium on August 26, local legal aid funds are still being sorted out. Since the initial eviction moratorium, the U.S. Treasury has paid $25 billion to states and local governments for COVID Emergency Rental Assistance. From May to August, a total of $181,821,906 has been paid out to Michigan residents. The pace of the disbursements will continue to accelerate into September, according to the MSHDA communications director. The Director of Litigation at the Legal Aid of Western Michigan estimates that applicants are waiting 1 to 2 months before receiving a check. The processing rate varies by county and ranges from 26-72%.

 

 

Affordable Housing Options Scarce in Michigan

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According to a report released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a two-bedroom apartment in Michigan is unaffordable for minimum wage renters…unless they work 77 hours a week. Affordable housing was an issue prior to the pandemic, and the economic upheaval has only made it worse. Lawmakers are doling out billions of dollars in emergency rent aid, but experts agree that this is only a short-term fix. Communities need more affordable housing options. With the eviction moratorium expiring, evictions are expected to increase, making it tougher still for displaced tenants to find a place to live. Governor Whitmer plans to use $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars to create 2,000 new affordable rental homes, with funds going toward grants and loans for development, preservation of existing housing and security deposit assistance.