CREGR.com has been steadily, if gradually, growing in readership since its inception.  If you have been here a few times, thank you for coming back, and I hope that we are able to deliver some valuable content to you.  It is our intention to continue to provide timely, worthwhile information that may help you reach your goals, whether you are trying to build a portfolio, find a perfect location for your business, or work on the sale of an asset.

Whether you have found us through Google, a direct link, or just heard of our site and came here directly, we hope that you found something of value.  If this is your first visit, I hope you return; we try to post at least once or twice a week, as long as we have something worth sharing.

Over the past few weeks, I have noticed a decline in the quality of service of our current website host, so I am in the process of changing over to a more stable platform.  Making a change like that takes time, so I hope you will be willing to put up with our dust over the next week or so, while everything gets worked out and set up.  If everything goes according to plan, I will post an update about the service I receive at our new host; I have used them several times in the past for different projects and they have been great to work with.  The only reason I overlooked them this time was because they did not have an obvious WordPress installation, and I didn’t want to perform a complete install without tech support.

Thank you for your readership, and if there is ever anything that we can help you with, or any topic you would like to see covered here, please feel free to drop us a line, I can always be reached at clafleur@ccmichigan.com.

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Price has been slashed by $50,000 on this perfect owner occupied opportunity!  This free standing building features a newly renovated upstairs apartment (770 Sq Ft), lower level retail/office space (1,500 Sq Ft), equipment has been sold but existing build-out can easily facilitate a new restaurant or other specified use.  The apartment is a 2 bedroom with beautiful hard wood floors, all new appliances (dishwasher, washer/dryer, stove, refrigerator) & central air.  The building is situated with excellent visibility on busy Alpine Ave NW, located directly across from the new Avastar Park redevelopment. This is a must see – priced at $147,000!!!  Owner will also consider land contract.  Give Greg Mahalick or Chip LaFleur a call today to schedule a showing (616-459-8000) but hurry – we do not expect this opportunity to last long.

Original post found here: Mason-Jewett Airport Hangar

On Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at approximately 9:45 this morning we closed on the sale of this property.  This was an extremely unique transaction for all parties involved.  The building itself sits on a land lease, the leased land is owned by the Capital Region Airport Authority (CRAA).  The Buyers purchased the building and personal property for $449,000; of course the transaction was contingent on securing a new land lease with the CRAA, as well as normal due diligence.  Chicago Title helped us work through the some of the unique requirements for this property.  There were a variety of additional documents required to insure title because there was only a transfer of personal property as opposed to the real property.

All in all, the deal went smoothly; a few hiccups but we got through them, and everyone had the opportunity to work on a project that included elements that were very unique.  Our congratulations to the Buyers and Sellers of this unique building!

If you have interest in other details of this transaction, or would like some assistance with a complex transaction you might be faced with, please contact Chip LaFleur or Pamela Collins with Callander Commercial’s Grand Rapids office at (616) 459-8000.

This very unique property is in the center of Lowell, Michigan; a growing community with quick, direct access into downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Lowell has a variety of festivals, and a very active Chamber of Commerce and preservation society.  Most importantly, they have an growing downtown area with a wide variety of thriving businesses and great walking traffic.

104 W. Main St., in Lowell is located right on the peninsula / island that is in the center of the dam in the middle of town.  There are only five spaces on the peninsula, although this space at 104 W. Main would be very easily converted into two separate suites.  Of the five spaces, however, only 104 W. Main has a completely unobstructed view of the Flat River to the north and to the south, creating an amazing work environment.  Additionally, there are several on-street parking spaces directly in front of the couple of storefronts that sit on the dam, making these locations particularly desirable.

More information is available on CPIX.net, including more pictures, maps, and links to all videos.

Watch the video below for the street view panorama:

And the view from the back deck of the retail space:

The space includes an upstairs apartment that has been used for storage, but could easily be converted into a one or two bedroom apartment for additional revenue or for an owner’s occupancy.

If you would like to learn more about this space, please feel free to contact us at clafleur@ccmichigan.com or gmahalick@ccmichigan.com, or give either of us a call in the office at (616) 459-8000, and ask for Greg or Chip.

2165 Alpine Ave NW, located in Walker, MI, was once a successful Palermo’s Pizza location.  Existing ownership has decided to pursue other career opportunities & has allowed Callander Commercial to bring this great opportunity to market.  This free standing building features a newly renovated upstairs apartment (770 Sq Ft), lower level retail/office space (1,500 Sq Ft), equipment has been sold but existing build-out can easily facilitate a new restaurant or other specified use.  The apartment is a 2 bedroom with beautiful hard wood floors, all new appliances (dishwasher, washer/dryer, stove, refrigerator) & central air.  The building is situated with excellent visibility on busy Alpine Ave NW, located directly across from the new Avastar Park re-development.

There are endless possibilities here; if you are thinking about opening a business/ moving an existing business & also need a place to stay or want to operate a business and lease out the apartment, give Greg Mahalick or Chip LaFleur a call today at 616-459-8000.  We can help you make the right move today.  Also, please note that this building is available for sale, lease, or land contract.  Please call for additional information.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 8, 2009

Contact: Thomas Droog

616.942-6273

tom@asrworldwide.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – American Systems Registrar (ASR) recently moved into a new headquarters at 5281 Clyde Park Ave SW, Wyoming, MI.

Richelle Kinzie, President of ASR, says “The addition of new Sales & Marketing staff combined with the overall growth of the company necessitated a larger, more modern facility to better serve our worldwide customer base”.

This new location will allow ASR to become more effective and efficient in the review and processing of current customer documentation as well as more conducive to growing the company for the future.  Pamela Collins from Callander Commercial brokered the deal.  “We are very excited about our new location, Pamela helped make our move seamless,” Kinzie said.

American Systems Registrar (ASR) is an international company offering auditing services to ISO 9001,  ISO 14001, ISO/TS 16949, AS 9100,  OHSAS 18001and ISO 13485 .  They are headquartered in Wyoming,  MI with foreign offices in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, and Egypt.  For more information, call 888-891-9002 or visit us at  www.asrworldwide.com

The answer is yes. Under the United States and Michigan Constitutions, federal, state and local governments, including cities, villages, townships, counties, and certain other public and private bodies, have the power of “eminent domain,” also known as the “power of condemnation.”

This broad power is subject to a few important limitations. First, the government must pay “just compensation” for any property it takes. Just compensation often means the fair market value of the property, which may be based on the highest and most profitable use for which the property is adapted. This is true even if the property is not currently used for that purpose.

In addition, the government may only “take” private property for a public purpose. Until recently, the government had the power to take private property for a private purpose. A landmark 1981 Michigan Supreme Court decision called Poletown permitted the government to take private property, and then turn it over to another private property for purposes of economic development. Recently, the Michigan Supreme Court reversed the Poletown case. The recent ruling is an important victory for property owners who object to the governmental taking of their land, only to see the government transfer the property to another private party to build a private project the government deems economically worthy. The U.S. Supreme Court will be addressing a number of condemnation cases in its new term.

Prior to beginning the condemnation process, the government must provide the property owner with a “good faith” offer in writing. This offer cannot be for less money than the government’s appraised value of the property. If the property owner agrees with the good faith offer, or if an acceptable price can be negotiated, the process would proceed as a normal real estate sales transaction. However, if the parties cannot agree to a sales price, the government has the power to file a lawsuit to take the property, with just compensation being determined through a trial.

Other issues that arise during a condemnation process include costs of relocating, the rights of a tenant who is leasing property that is condemned, issues that are specific to commercial and industrial properties and environmental issues.

Going through a condemnation proceeding can be an emotional experience. The attorneys at Visser & Bolhouse have handled numerous condemnation matters on behalf of individuals whose property has been taken. Some of the better-known matters we have been involved in include the South Beltline project and Millennium Park. We would be pleased to meet with you to discuss any questions or concerns you might have regarding a potential condemnation of your property.

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

It seemed fitting to include the welcome that WordPress offered as we begin this service for the Grand Rapids Commercial Real Estate Community.  Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, blogs, RSS Feeds, dynamic content delivery, new technologies that have been developed have truly changed the way people connect and do business.  On top of the new technologies, the “experts” pop up, individuals claiming to deeply understand and harness the new tools available to reach others and help you expand your business.  But content is what it is, and it cannot be invented or simply made to fit our industry by individuals that do not have the experience in local real estate.  West Michigan, and Grand Rapids specifically, is a very unique market, and we can see that simply by looking at the way our association cooperates and competes.  It’s an open structure, with commission fees clearly outlined for our competition / cooperating brokers, and an open venue with sold and leased transaction data for the use of the entire real estate community.

So this is a work in progress, hopefully it will bring some benefit to clients, customers, and even the competitors as a venue to learn and discuss what is happening right now in the industry.  I look forward to hearing from everyone.  I hope our service brings some value to the readers.