April 30th is fast approaching. To date we’ve seen a strong up tick in activity but there are still some potential buyers out there banking on an extension, lower rates, lower home prices, etc. By April 30th a prospective buyer looking to take advantage of the current tax credit (either the “first time home buyer” or the buyer looking to sell and rebuy) must have an accepted purchase agreement signed by all parties. The offer does not need to close until June 30th but you must have your offer accepted by the end of April.
So how can you best get there from here?
1. Get preapproved – it doesn’t cost you anything to get preapproved and then you’ll know anticipated payments, and closing costs and what loan is best for your needs and a potential price range that’s comfortable.
2. Meet with us to discuss your needs and wants in a home.
3. Tour homes – on average our clients will find the home they want after touring 25-30 homes. Why so few? Because we help them sort through all the ones they don’t want prior to going out. Maximizing your time yet still allowing you tour an appropriate amount to feel good about your home purchase and understand what’s out there.
4. Select the home our a short list of 3 or so you’ve narrowed it down to.
5. At this point we compile a market analysis for you so you can be educated and shown the numbers of the neighborhood – we go way beyond Zillow and tax records and also discuss the positive points for resale.
6. Make an offer – you’re close at this point! We typically recommend its contingent upon professional inspections, ability to continue to have financing, and other items for the protection of the buyer.
7. Should everybody agree on price and terms, you’ve made it to the point you need to be at by April 30th.Whew!

The remaining steps can be done in between April 30th and close.
You can take advantage of this market, there are many loan options available and lots of homes to choose from. The time to act is now!

We would love to hear from you!

Let’s connect and get you on the path to success!

A few words from our clients:
Purchased and sold with John, he is: Professional, an extremely good communicator, precise, and acted on our behalf 24/7. He kept us up to date on listings for purchase and preparation advice for selling our home. He was knowledgeable about neighborhoods. Photography for sale of our house was impressive. We were appreciative of the guidance regarding making offers, inspections, when to list our home, writing contracts, detailed review and presentation of offers on our home and being realistic about our purchase of new home. Great experience, Great Realtor.
J&G Junod
John helped us sell our house when we moved out of Grand Rapids 3 years ago and recently helped us purchase a new house when we moved back. He is very professional and knowledgeable of the area and market. I would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell.
S&K Weber
We have worked with John to sell 1 home and buy 2 homes and he is an incredible realtor! He is professional, prompt with communication, honest and patient. We had quite the list for what we were looking for and John was always available to answer questions and get us in to look at a home. His knowledge and connections in the industry made both the buying and selling process go smoothly. We simply cannot recommend John enough!
Chase and Nicole O
We have worked with John multiple times now, both buying and selling homes. We 100% recommend him and he’ll always be our go-to realtor for any future real estate needs. John is experienced in the industry and well-known and respected. He is extremely professional and knowledgeable, on top of being an all-around nice guy. He is responsive and answered all of our questions along the way. We asked John for several referrals for other services (lender, cleaner, etc.) and we were very happy with all his suggestions. John is honest and will listen to your concerns/opinions. He is never pushy, but gives great advice based on his years of experience. We are so thankful for the guidance we received from John to make our recent home buying and selling experience successful and quick! If you need a realtor, call John.
G&E Webb
We moved to the Grand Rapids area 11 years ago and John was very patient as we found our first home and made the experience absolutely seamless! When we were ready to sell and buy again we knew to reach out to John. As we remembered and appreciated, John is an absolute professional and was and advocate for our best interests at all times during this wild market. We found great value in our new home and he helped us get top dollar for our sale. Grateful to have him on our side though the whole process. You won’t be disappointed!
Lance W
It was a wonderful experience working with John. His professionalism, honesty, experience, and knowledge of the Grand Rapids market, helped us in multiple ways. John sold our home in one day, was honest about what we could expect from offers, and was spot on. As we progressed toward finding our new home, again, he was extremely knowledgeable about the neighborhoods, home values, and history of the homes. We are more than happy to say, that he helped us find our dream home within our budget! Anything I needed, he was there through emails, texts, or phone calls. He definitely put in a lot of work for us. Without a doubt, I will ask for his assistance again when the time comes. Thank you John!
T&A Lascari
John Rice is hands down one of the best realtors in the Grand Rapids and surrounding areas. We have utilized him as our realtor on two separate occasions, once over 10 years ago, and again over the last several months to buy/sell. He is incredibly knowledgeable and uses his expertise to help guide you in your choices throughout the realty process. He is professional, kind, has impeccable attention to detail, responsive, and clearly loves what he does. Choose John for your realty needs…he is the best of the best!
Amanda W
We can’t say enough good things about John. He is an awesome realtor! We bought our home with his help and just recently sold it with his help. He is highly knowledgeable about the Grand Rapids area market and his expertise and professionalism has shown through both times we worked with him...John is a wonderful communicator and a genuine person. His sincerity has been evident in his commitment to making the purchase and sale experience as seamless and informed as possible. We consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to have worked with John and strongly recommend him without reservation!
E&T VanBuskirk