[scottmi]

Grand Rapids is NOT doing that great. At least not great enough to be Michigan's saviour. And since only a rather small fraction of Michigan residents live in the GR area (what,a little over 100,000?), it's rather stupid to say "Michigan is doing fine" because "Spectrum Health is adding a couple thousand jobs" in a few years.

You can't just ignore the parts of Michigan to the south, east and north of GR when describing Michigan's true status of economic health.

[candacecan]

Scott you are on the money, People who keep saying that MI is doing fine, see a crain in down town GR. Have no idea what is going on.
If you buy a home in MI now you are going to loose money/value in the 10 year run, the long long run, maybe but you would be better to buy elswhere.
Ashville NC is booming right now. People are flocking in from florida,michigan ohio. and many other places. I have three relitive that are working in NC as I type and more moving there. People who bought in myrtle beach 4 years ago have seen a 100% increase in their home values. same with charlston, heck all of SC and NC. these two states are the new economic front.
Michigan is last of the states, and that takes some doing. Toyota just put a new plant in mississippi, Mi lost out to southern states.
I talk to people in NC every day that were from michigan and the thought is, someone just pull the handle on michigan and flush it.
Those who stay keep saying "good ridens to the loosers leaving."
Well if I had no life boat and was on the deck of the titanic, I guess I would try to find the positive in the band playing and the fact there was no line at the bar.

[motorhead]

I hear you candice, Michigan is on its way out. people who think that the healt care industry will make up for the hundereds of thousands of jobs lost in the auto industry need medical help themselvs. Michigan will come back but not for so many years that you will be on social security by the time it rebounds. Lots of luck to the people who stay. For those who are moving south, buy a home now, because it is poised to go up again. When I left florida in the eightys, homes were being sold for 52,000 for 3/2 with a 2 car gar. and and acre. Now that same home will set you back 200,000 even with the down turn. The same in the carolinas. In parts of arkansas I have seen land go from 500 an acre to 10,000 and acre. Talk about values.

[applegate]

Many here try to push the idea that michigan is doing OK.
It is most certainly not. Michigan is not coming back any time soon.
When the moving companys are the only ones doing well.
And when some dim bulbs say there are people in icecream lines so michigan is doing well, All I can say is amazing. You have to go to michigan to understand the black cloud that hangs over it.
Many of the people who are staying for now are talking about moving.
The money for developments is drying up, there are many projects that are not going forward and many that have finished that are not selling or sitting empty. Investing in michigan is a bad investment. One that will not pay you back any time soon.

[scottmi65]

Originally Posted by motorhead

IFor those who are moving south, buy a home now, because it is poised to go up again. When I left florida in the eightys, homes were being sold for 52,000 for 3/2 with a 2 car gar. and and acre. Now that same home will set you back 200,000 even with the down turn. The same in the carolinas. In parts of arkansas I have seen land go from 500 an acre to 10,000 and acre. Talk about values.

The same can be said for MI. You are qouting prices from 20 years ago. When I left MI in 1983 you could buy land all day for 500.00 an acre on the west side of the state. Now a lot cost 10K. I bought a house in Charleston SC
in 1990 for 41K probably worth over a 100K now I sold it for 52K in 1996. My parents bought an 80 acre farm in 1955 for 5200.00 in MI, it is worth more now. What I am saying is real estate always goes up in the long term. You may buy a house today in MI and it could dip in value over the next couple of years, but in the long term it will go up in value. MI has always had a steady real estate market overall so if you are buying a HOME and not flipping properties than what is the big deal if your house dips in price it will go up eventually.

[applegate]

Michigan property values are not steady now. they are falling every year for the past two years.
The real estate agents I have talked to are crying the blues. not selling. Any one saying they are doing well in the real estate market in Michigan is lying plain and simple. The market over the whole country is not good but Michigan is leading the pack of all the 50 states in unemployment and job loss and forclosures and all the bad things of a bad economy. Bye bye michigan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Driller1]

OK, where to you folks think Michigan is "going"??? Will it be annexed into Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin? I agree the economy is soft, I just do not see the dismal side some do.

[scottmi65]

Originally Posted by applegate

Michigan property values are not steady now. they are falling every year for the past two years.
The real estate agents I have talked to are crying the blues. not selling. Any one saying they are doing well in the real estate market in Michigan is lying plain and simple. The market over the whole country is not good but Michigan is leading the pack of all the 50 states in unemployment and job loss and forclosures and all the bad things of a bad economy. Bye bye michigan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dropping prices for two whole years! Wow that is a disaster. If things are so bad why can't I buy a nice house on 40 acres for under $300,000 in southeast Michigan? Like I said prices may drop but overall they always go up. A house bought in the 70's was worth more in the 80's etc. When I drive from Port Huron to Westland I see many new housing developments so what gives? IF the economy is in such shambles, granted I do not hang out in the bars right outside the auto plants so maybe I do not see the whole picture.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by scottmi

Grand Rapids is NOT doing that great. At least not great enough to be Michigan's saviour. And since only a rather small fraction of Michigan residents live in the GR area (what,a little over 100,000?), it's rather stupid to say "Michigan is doing fine" because "Spectrum Health is adding a couple thousand jobs" in a few years.

You can't just ignore the parts of Michigan to the south, east and north of GR when describing Michigan's true status of economic health.

No, no, no, the Grand Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area is about 770,000, and the Grand Rapids CSA, which includes much of Ottawa and Muskegon County, is about 1.3 Million people. But you're right, Grand Rapids alone can't save the State.

And you're wrong applegate. Michigan does not lead the country in foreclosures, and it doesn't lead the country in declining home values.

Highest foreclosure states as of 7/31/07:

1) California
2) Florida
3) Ohio
4) Texas
5) Michigan

Huge surge in mortgage foreclosures rocks U.S. | www.azstarnet.com ®

And since you claim you "know" Grand Rapids, I'd like to hear what kind of factual information you have that you can enlighten us with about Grand Rapids? BTW MIDOA: WZZM, which you quoted above as an "article", is the local Grand Rapids CBS affiliate. They're not a newspaper. And that story was talking about moving trucks in Michigan, not Grand Rapids. I have a hard time believing that you're really from GR if you think WZZM is a newspaper.

If anyone would like hard factual data on what is going on in the Grand Rapids area, just let me know (especially you candacecan and applegate). There are scores of articles and links online.

[deslok]

Grand Rapids is not the savior of the state! If anyone is going to save this state it will be Detroit someday, and that day is certainly not now.
What factual information do you have on GR? Clearly you seem to favor the city a great deal.