Pyxis Realty is expanding and growing, thanks to support from our past clients and the local community! Pxyis Realty would like to welcome one of their newest team members, Maggie Bolich, to the Pyxis Realty family!

In addition to being a state licensed Realtor and a member of the national, state, and Grand Rapids local Realtor associations, Maggie has degrees in English and Spanish. Maggie has a background in customer service, as well as professional and academic work in advertising, writing, and photography. If you're about to list your home and need an amazing property description, Maggie is your go-to Realtor!

Making sure her clients are happy and moving through the sale or purchase process without unnecessary stress is a point of personal pride for Maggie. She makes herself available, day or night, via phone, email, or text so that her clients never have to wait for help or an answer to a burning question. Whether you're getting ready to sell your home, looking to buy a new, bigger house, or are a first time homebuyer, you want a Realtor on your side who can answer your questions and get you through all the necessary paperwork like Maggie!

While single family homes comprise the vast majority of Maggie's experience, she is also happy to help real estate investors find homes in need of repair investments and multi-unit rental properties as well. Her love of the wild side of Michigan means that she delights in helping families or outdoorsy people locate that perfect backwoods getaway, whether they're in the market for an upscale cabin or a dozen acres of wooded land for hunting.

Some families have unique needs when purchasing a home. As both an animal lover and the mother of a special needs child, Maggie understands how important finding the right home with the right accommodations can be for a family. Whether you need a property far enough outside of the city to allow for your livestock or a city yard with a fence for your Grand Rapids-legal flock of laying hens, Maggie's here to help find the right space for you.

If your family has a special needs member, whether they have compromised mobility or need special security features on the home, having a Realtor who can compassionately understand and work with you to locate a home with the right amenities can make moving that much less stressful for you and your family! If you have a special needs child or special needs adult in your family and therefore have special considerations when purchasing a home, Maggie will go to the ends of the Earth (or at least the city of township in which you want to purchase) to find the right home with the right amenities to make life safer and simpler for your family!

Maggie Bolich is thrilled to join the Pyxis Realty Realtor team, and she looks forward to years of helping the reidents of West Michigan find the perfect home or sell their real property!  

Ever since the middle of 2015, the West Michigan real estate market and Grand Rapids real estate market have been so hot that buyers have found themselves frustrated. Viewing a home and making an offer on the same day it is listed has become an all too common practice, one which is leading to buyer frustration and stress. Sellers on the other hand, have been seeing a boom wherein they are no longer expected to pay for closing costs. Indeed, many are seeing their homes sell quickly, with minimal marketing and few, if any, open houses needed to spread the word about their property.

The early summer of 2016 has seen a slight redistribution of power in the local real estate market, as buyers, tired of the competitive market and increased asking prices, have decided to sit back and wait. Of course, quite a few properties are still selling with days of listing, often at or even over the asking price, but others, which may be in excellent condition, well-priced, and in desirable neighborhoods, are taking a bit longer to move. Sellers are eager to get their homes on the market, hoping to make the most of the upturn in home values across the region and the nation. Buyers are also feeling increasingly confident in the economy and the housing market, which is leading to more interest in home ownership and even real estate investing.

For potential buyers, this minor slow-down is a positive thing. Slightly increased local real estate inventory combined with uncertainty about Federal rate changes have led to lower listing prices on some properties. Of course, the improved home values being seen on the current market are still motivating those who haven't considered selling their homes in years to weight the possibilities of listing their home. As more of these high-value homes come into the market, buyers are seeing opportunities in areas where there have been few since the 2008 economic downturn.

Given the continued low prime rate and the minor uptick in available properties, right now is actually a great time to be a buyer in the real estate market, provided that you can be patient during the home search process. Not only will you have a chance to view and possibly make an offer on homes that haven't been on the market in nearly a decade due to value decreases that have since corrected, it's also a great time to get moved and established before the beginning of another school year.

If you are considering buying a home, whether it's your first property or a cabin or investment home, or if you are thinking about listing your home and purchasing a new one, right now is a great time to begin that process! The dedicated, educated team of West Michigan Realtors at Pyxis Realty is ready to take your call, text, or email and help get you into the real estate market with expert guidance to help alleviate the stresses involved with the selling or buying process.  

The Pyxis Realty team is expanding, and we are very excited to extend a warm welcome to the newest member of our team of professional Realtors, Yuset Romo! It is always an exciting moment when a fresh face joins a well-regarded team of professionals, and Yuset's decision to join the team at Pyxis Realty has been exciting for everyone involved!

Yuset Romo was born and raised in South Florida, but now proudly calls West Michigan home! Yuset has lived in the Greater Grand Rapids area for the last fifteen years and has come to truly love the area. She is glad to raising her beloved son in such a family-oriented community with so much to offer in terms of culture, education, and activities. As a mother, she can offer excellent insight into properties for clients who have children or are planning to add them to their family soon.

Additionally, as the companion to two cats, a turtle, and two large breed dogs, she has a great eye for finding properties that appropriately accommodate even the non-human members of any family. Yuset is well aware that a home that might have the perfect yard for a Chihauhau may not be the right fit for larger dogs like her Bull Mastiff and Great Dane. Pet owners, especially those with large dogs, can breathe easy with Yuset working to locate a home that will be a perfect fit for family members of any species!

Prior to moving into the real estate industry, Yuset had developed a career based on customer service across various fields. She has an excellent, professional demeanor, and is willing to work hard to ensure her clients' satisfaction. Additionally, Yuset is bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish fluently. If you are looking for a Spanish-speaking Realtor with a strong work ethic and a technological aptitude, Yuset could be a great match for you! Make a point of calling or emailing her today to see if she's the right fit for you and your real estate needs.

Pyxis Realty prides itself on hiring professional, educated, and effective Realtors to help provide our clients with the best possible service and real estate advice and assistance. We are thrilled to add someone as passionate and professional as Yuset to our team, and we know that our clients will be thrilled as well once they've had a chance to interact with her!

As always, our team at Pyxis Realty remains dedicated to providing hands-on, white glove level service to all of our clients, regardless of the price point of the property they are hoping to buy or sell. Whether you're looking to purchase a starter home or upgrade to a bigger home in a new neighborhood, sell your cabin up north or find a buyer for an investment property you've just finished work on, our team will work tirelessly to help you make all of your planned real estate transactions happen smoothly! Call, email, or text us today to discover how we can help you make real estate simple!  

If you or your partner are handy or mechanically inclined and you're looking for a new home near the lakeshore in West Michigan, you should schedule a viewing of this beautiful, nearly new home as soon as possible! Click here for more pictures. 

Nestled into a quiet neighborhood right off of a well-maintained major thoroughfare, this charming 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom home has excellent curb appeal and is even more lovely on in the inside! Coming up the driveway, you'll see the carefully tended perrennial garden around the front porch, including a variety of hostas and beautiful flowers, including lilies. Once you step inside, there can be no doubt that this home was built with attention to even the smallest of details.

This property has been owned by the same owner for around three decades. The original home on the property was a total loss in a fire. The home was completely rebuilt by a custom builder back in 2012. The new foundation moved back, to give the home a bigger front yard, resulting in an expansive, lovely view from the front and back of the home. A new four inch well was installed, as was a new septic system, complete with three below-ground tanks.

Inside, the newness shines through as well! From the immaculate hardwood floors and lovely open floor plan to the state-of-the-art counter-mounted induction range, no expense was spared in the construction of this home! The upstairs living room features an open floor plan that adjoins the eating area and kitchen spaces, complete with glass double doors leading out to the deck overlooking the back yard.

The kitchen features black appliances, from the wall-mounted over and microwave to the fridge and beautiful glass-top range. Settled on the countertop of the kitchen island, this rapid-heating range is thin, nearly flush with the countertop, and will not burn people. It will only heat special induction pans, which are being included with the sale of the home. The countertops themselves are granite, gorgeously offset by the real tile backsplash and wood finished cabinetry.

The master suite is situated behind the kitchen, across from the main floor laundry room. Not only is the bedroom itself spacious, with plenty of natural light, but it features not only a walk-in closet and separate dressing space but also a massive bathroom with a garden tub and separate shower stall. This can truly be your own personal escape, far from the noise of the city and the stress of the outside world!

The main floor also features two additional bedrooms (each with a sizeable closet and sun-filled windows) and a second full bath, ensuring that the master bathroom can remain a place of privacy. Downstairs, you will find another bedroom and full bath, along with two mechanical room and additional living space, which ends in a home theater space. The wall-mounted surround sound system stays with the home, as does the larger-than-life 3D flatscreen television.

The pole barn is not only wired for electricity but heated. It is clear, with finished floors and a tool loft for additional storage. This space is the ultimate man-cave or workspace! It is heated by a propane furnace, but there are conversion nozzles that come with the home that allow you to arrange for natural gas heating in the pole barn, just like in the house! Add an in-ground sprinkler system, a two-stall garage, and a 20 kilowatt generator, and you've got a dream home, only five minutes from the lakeshore and twenty minutes to Grand Rapids! Call Maggie today at 616-828-6468 to schedule a showing! 

In a seller's market, it can be easy for those who are listing or who are about to list their properties to make one of the simplest mistakes about selling their home: expecting a massively inflated selling price compared to the price they paid, the price homes in their neighborhood have been selling for, and the average price of homes in their area.

Working with an experienced Grand Rapids Realtor is one way to avoid alienating potential buyers by overpricing your home. However, even the most seasoned West Michigan Realtors sometimes agree to overpriced initial listings, depending on the market and their clients' needs. So, how can you tell if it's time to lower your asking price? Here are a few signs that your home may be listed at a higher price than the market supports.

1. Other people are telling you as much. If other Realtors or people coming to see your home flatly tell you the property is overpriced, you should listen to their reasons as to why and give them thought. Consider bringing the issue up with your Realtor and seeing if they think that you should adjust the price on the property. Sometimes, it may be that the person who was speaking doesn't understand the local market, but there is also a chance they have a more objective opinion of your property's value.

2. You aren't scheduling any showings. If the price is wildly out of step with expectations based on the location, size and age of the property, or other factors, chances are good that even in this fast-paced current West Michigan real estate market most buyers and their agents will pass on the property before even looking at it. If your home is priced substantially over the average in the area and there is no clear indication in marketing documentation as to why, buyer's agents may advise their clients to steer clear.

3. Your showings aren't converting to offers. If you are scheduling quite a few showings with minimal negative feedback but none of the potential buyers are presenting offers after seeing the home, there's a solid chance that your home is priced ever so slightly too high. A small price reduction may motivate those who have viewed your home to make an offer. It may also bring your property into the price range of even more potential buyers, which could result in fresh showings and an offer.

So, if you're starting to think that you may have priced your initial listing price too high, there's great news! Reducing your listing price is as simple as executing a single form with your Realtor, who can then proceed to update the price with online databases and notify any buyer's agents who have had clients express interest in the property.

If you have listed a home or are considering listing one in the near future, call, text, or email a team member from Pyxis Realty to get an accurate price estimate and superior customer service throughout the sale process!  

With the Grand Rapids real estate market and West Michigan real estate market experiencing an ongoing shortage of housing inventory, many would-be sellers are attempting to list and sell their homes on their own, only to discover that they are unable to attract quality buyers. Marketing your house for you is one of the biggest services provided by West Michigan Realtors (and Grand Rapids Realtors). Even if you've sold other items on your own behalf before, including vehicles or consumer goods, a home is a completely different matter. You really need a professional who knows how to market your home.

Your Realtor will handle all of the nitty-gritty hard work of marketing. When you list with a silenced agent, your home is almost always listed on the MLS, an electronic database of every home for sale in the region and state. That alone ensures that hundreds of other Realtors (many of whom will be working as buyer's agents) are aware that your home is on the market and available for purchase. Those Realtors, in turn, will be able to get the right buyers with the right financing in your home.

Many would-be sellers who sell for sale by owner end up dropping their price or offering owner financing to attract buyers, simply because they are not reaching the right potential buyers with their road sign or newspaper (or online) advertisements. Realtors communicate directly with each other, as well as with a number of popular websites for home purchase searches, which in turn leads to greater visibility to a much wider audience than a simple newpaper or online ad or yard sign.

Your Realtor will likely also help you with the process of staging your home, which is the term for preparing your home for tours, walk-throughs, and inspections. Realtors understand the mentality of home buyers and seller's agents, which allows them to help you maximize the visual impact your home will have on potential buyers and their agents.

Additionally, Realtors will generally hire a professional photographer to obtain beautiful, high-resolution images of your home from the best angles, in order to show prospective buyers what the home is like before they come for a showing. At Pyxis Realty, we make a point of also obtaining floor plan layouts for our clients, as well as an online digital tour when appropriate, a feature which can drive a lot of traffic to homes with higher price points.

From there, a Realtor will place ads in a variety of places, from local newspapers and bulletins to online websites. They will also provide you with yard signage which ensures people driving by are aware the home is for sale.

If you are getting ready to list your home, don't delay! Pick up your phone and call the Pyxis Realty team today, or drop us an email! We are readily on hand to provide you with quick service and hands-on in terms of helping you with your listing, from the initial process all the way through your closing.

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When you're selling your home, which is one of the biggest investments of your entire life, if not the very biggest, you want to make sure you're putting your trust in the right people. After all, you want to make sure you're maximizing profit on the transaction while also minimizing your personal stress from the paperwork and showings. Also, you're probably going to want to know that your home, where you have built so many beautiful memories, will be passing on to others who will love it as you have. There are dozens of Grand Rapids brokerages and hundreds of West Michigan real estate agents; so what makes Pyxis Realty so special?

First of all, the staff at Pyxis Realty is comprised of local community members. The West Michigan Realtors who work for Pyxis Realty are all members of West Michigan communities, which they love and support. Because we're locally owned and operated, we have a real appreciation for all that West Michigan has to offer, from our nationally renowned restaurant scene to all of the amazing arts and cultural events throughout the year in our various communities. Working with someone who knows and loves the area can make a big difference in terms of how your home is marketed. You definitely want to work with a team that understands what your neighborhood has to offer potential buyers.

Secondly, we're small, and we like it that way. Because we have a small, hand-selected staff with local roots, our Realtors are able to fully focus on their clients in a way those juggling the demands of a huge, national corporate office can not. No one wants to be just another in a long list of clients, indistinguishable from the next in the mind of the person helping them with such an important transaction. While we always strive for professionalism in all that we do, we also handle each listed property with the attention to detail and focus we would have for our own homes. After all, don't you want to work with a seller's agent whose number one priority is maximizing your return on your home sale?

Finally, because we're local and small, customer satisfaction is our most important goal. We rely on your referrals and positive experience to help us grow our client base and reach new prospective clients. There is no greater compliment, no stronger positive review, than a previous client who refers a friend or family member to Pyxis Realty because of the top-notch customer service they've received. Our Realtors understand how stressful selling your home can be, and we are available at every step along the way to minimize our clients' stress by handling all the details, from listing the property and having pictures taken for the listing, to scheduling home tours and reviewing bids. You can rest assured that our team of education professionals is working around the clock to help you close as smoothly as possible.

If you're ready to try selling your home because of how hot the market is, Pyxis Realty should be your first choice for a listing agent! Call or email us today, and see what a difference great service can make!

Working with a Grand Rapids Realtor is one of the best ways to ensure you're not getting in over your head when it comes to buying a home in West Michigan. After all, a local professional will really know and understand the Grand Rapids real estate market and West Michigan real estate market, helping you to secure the most house for your money! Whether you're looking for your perfect, centrally-located condo in the downtown area, a family home in a bustling new development, or a quiet, century-old farmhouse in the beautiful West Michigan countryside, the staff at Pyxis Realty is ready to help you locate, inspect, and bid on your dream home! Make sure that you're buying into a dream, and not a money pit of a nightmare. Here are three important things to check when looking at a home.

3. The top and the bottom. No doubt about it, some of the most expensive repairs a home can require are roof replacements and foundation fixes. This is due to the fact that the good condition of both the roof and the foundation are imperative to the safety and livability of a house. A bad roof, in a single incident of inclement weather, could lead to leaks, water-damaged ceilings, walls, and floors, mold, and even the dreaded dry rot of the timber supporting the roof itself. A bad foundation can make a home structurally unsafe, making its repair and upkeep an urgent safety issue. When looking at a home with a damaged roof or foundation, be sure to carefully inspect the areas of damage to see how severe and widespread the problem is. You may want to hire a professional to provide an estimate of the costs of repairs or replacement. Some companies will provide a free estimate. Adjust your offer on the property accordingly, unless the seller has already reduced the price to offset the damage.

2. The ins and outs. After roof work and foundation repair, the next biggest issue will be the points of entry to the home, the doors, as well as the windows. Unless the home is new construction or has had the windows and doors replaced in the last decade, chances are good that you'll need to replace the windows and doors while you're living in the home, especially as your time to sell it draws near. While you shouldn't let a need for better windows or upgraded doors prevent you from making an offer on an otherwise perfect house, you should definitely consider the number and placement of windows and the expense of replacing them when making the offer. Additionally, you should check for damage to the walls and floors around doors and windows to see if there's been water leakage or animal incursions.

1. The water and the power. Checking water quality and water pressure while viewing a home is very important, as a home with old pipes and bad pressure may require a lot of investment to remedy the problem. Similarly, look at outlets and the fuse box, if it is accessible, to check on the age of the wiring, whether the outlets are grounded, and if the fuse box has been properly wired. Repairs and upgrades to the electrical system of a house are likely to require an insured electrician and substantial financial investment.

When you're looking to make one of the biggest purchases of your life, having a trustworthy professional Realtor with you can make all the difference in the world. Call the team at Pyxis Realty today, and see what excellent service and a dedication to customer satisfaction can do for your homebuying experience!

The wet, unpredictable spring has given way to the beauty of early summer. With everything fresh and green, right now is certainly a very beautiful time of year to begin shopping for a home, whether you're just thinking about buying your own place or you're thinking about upgrading to a larger (or smaller) home. With all the beauty comes a more hectic real estate market, as well as some common summertime follies for homebuyers. Don't make an expensive oversight when deciding on the home of your dreams; work with the expert team at Pyxis Realty to avoid common summertime silliness.

Don't get distracted by little things. Perhaps you've always dreamed of owning a home with a rose bush by the front door. Or maybe your dream house is flanked by daffodils, lilies, and other perennial blooming plants. Unless you're looking for a specific kind of tree in your yard, any of these horticultural preferences can be acted upon once you buy the property. In other words, don't let minor improvements that require little financial and temporal investment drive your decision making process. Sure, a patio in the back with a massive grill is a great part of a home, but that grill shouldn't be something that's a sticking point for buying a home. Focus on aspects of homes that are harder to purchase or replicate. Planting a rose bush is a simple project; replacing thirty-year-old windows is not.

Look for and ask about winter season performance. Now that the weather's warming up, a lot of potential buyers are going to be more interested in what kind of cooling system a home has than what kind of heating system a home has. Living in Michigan means while there may be summers that don't require air conditioning, there will very likely never be a winter where some kind of central heating won't be necessary for both human health and comfort and the safety and livability of the house. Even if it isn't running, you (or your Realtor, or both) should be looking at the kind of heating available in the home, its condition, and its age. Additionally, consider snow removal when viewing the yard, walkway, sidewalks, and driveway.

Don't let cosmetic issues hold you back. Whether it's a yard whose weeds have gone to seed or a house full of stained, ancient-looking carpet, there are plenty of topical ways that a home can seem unappealing on first approach, especially when everything is growing so quickly. Try to keep an open mind about certain aspects of upkeep, particularly if you're looking for investment properties or reduced-price homes in need of a real makeover. When everything outside is at peak beauty, it can be easy to quickly dismiss a potential home that feels like an eyesore. Look closer, however, to check if the issues are easily or inexpensively corrected. You might just find a diamond in the rough.

No matter why you're looking to buy a home or what West Michigan neighborhood you're considering, Pyxis Realty has the experienced, dedicated realty staff to make your homeownership dreams a reality. Call or email us today to make sure you're working with the best possible team when making that incredibly important purchase!

As if you needed another reason to consider moving to West Michigan, beyond our rich, diverse culture and beautiful natural resources, there's also the fact that our commute times are below the national average. According to an article in the Grand Rapids Business Journal citing another piece by Redfin, the average commute to a job in Grand Rapids is 21.6 minutes, over four minutes shorter than the national average commute time of 25.7 minutes. Add to that the fact that the average home sale price on West Michigan real estate market or Grand Rapids real estate market is $153,000, over $100,000 less than the national average of $263,000. That means that for the average home in West Michigan costs roughly 58% of what homes across the nation average.

For the average worker, who makes that commute ten times a week (once before work and once after), that four minutes adds up to over two and a half extra hours of time each month, or nearly 32 hours a year. That means that West Michigan employees gain an entire extra day of time to engage with their family, their community, or their hobbies and passions when compared with the average American commuter. In an urban center that places a lot of importance on family-friendly events, that extra day can be filled with any number of joyful unique experiences.

Of course, commute isn't generally the biggest consideration when a person or family is deciding where to live, but here in West Michigan, it's barely even a consideration. Thanks to our numerous highways and expressways, there are quick, direct routes from most of the major suburbs to the city center and other areas with large numbers of employees commuting to and from work. Whether you live in Rockford, Byron Center, Jenison, or Ada, there are direct routes to many other areas all over West Michigan within minutes of your home, which makes the Greater Grand Rapids area very accessible for those with their own vehicles!

People who live in Chicago, for example, have an average daily commute time that is 16 minutes longer than people who live in the Grand Rapids area, meaning that they spend over an extra hour every week driving to and from work, in addition to paying much higher prices for comparable housing. When you consider the quality and diversity of entertainment and cultural events available in the West Michigan area, it's clear that Grand Rapids has a lot to offer individuals and families!

Whether you're looking to move into the West Michigan area because of a new job or have decided to retire here, the team at Pyxis Realty is always ready to help you find a home that fits all of your needs! From first time homeowners to those looking for a retirement condo, you'll find that our client-oriented team has the education and passion to make the purchasing process as painless as possible. We're here to help you find the right home in the right neighborhood, so give us a call or send us an email today!