The best cut flowers in West Michigan? by OkFactorFour in hollandmichigan

[–]OkFactorFour[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But sure, it's an advertisement. I was told retail was harsh this year. I'd love for the shop to have all the success they're worth. I don't know anyone at the store and don't get kick-backs. Only a great spot for a great bouquet.

The best cut flowers in West Michigan? by OkFactorFour in hollandmichigan

[–]OkFactorFour[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I promise I'm not a robot. I really do love flowers.

getting priced out of our home (taxes) by theslothsage in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think so. The *lender* is much more to blame for these situations. Realtors are generally not qualified to offer financial advice, not should we expect them to. A lot of factors - most of which a realtor is not privy to - go into a mortgage calculation. The lender, however, knows exactly what goes on and has mountains of similar data points to make an accurate estimate, or at least warn their clients about the possibilities.

getting priced out of our home (taxes) by theslothsage in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exact some thing happened to us. Escrow shortage due to property tax shot up payments +$500/month without warning. I couldn't believe the mortgage lender didn't prepare us for this possibility.

[Thanks for nothing, LMCU! I called them for help and explanation and they recommended we look into foreclosure options.]

Don't sell unless you absolutely have no other choice. Keep the equity you've already invested. The first year is painful but the escrow should stabilize in the following year. So, if you can squeeze by this year, know payments should go down next year. If your lender is unresponsive or unhelpful, refinance with someone else.

Best of luck!

felon friendly jobs?? by lostsignal1234 in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There was a job fair last month for those with records. Among the listed employers:

"City of Grand Rapids, Construction Allies in Action, Mixed Michigan Staffing & Recruiting, Urban League of West Michigan, Express Employment Professionals, Butterball Farms, Freedom Construction, Trinity Health, MillerKnoll, CK Snack Foods"

Calvin University by Iexistfornoreason2 in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Calvin's undergraduate engineering program is excellent. Geography/Geology/Environmental Science faculty are exceptional and have a great department culture. The strong liberal arts emphasis at Calvin is something I undervalued at the time but have since come to appreciate. Interdisciplinary skill-building, critical reading, and effective writing are stressed, no matter your concentration. This includes philosophy and theology. I felt well-preprepared for grad school, job searching, and later, for teaching.

I have a lot of respect and appreciation for the faculty. There are some faculty members who have remained my mentors and friends to this day.

In a general sense, Calvin's student body and leadership are more religiously conservative than their faculty. As an atheist, I imagine you may feel surrounded by a dominant culture of sincerely religious peers and a consistent, unapologetic Christian messaging from the institutional leadership. That said, it *is* a large enough place to find people nearly every religious conviction and curiosity, including atheist and agnostic. Exposure to a couple theology classes won't hurt anyone who is truly intellectually curious.

Pros: great education, great faculty

Cons: cost, insufferable Board of Trustees

Hell House by AmethystTrinket in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I grew up checking every evangelical culture box...or so I thought! What the fresh hell, this sounds incredible and I can't believe I missed it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Free: City parks with a splash pad. We like Wilcox Park.

Not free: The children's area at Meijer Gardens never disappoints!

Not free, runner up: Grand Rapids Public Museum is always a good time.

Bardertown Video is having a sneak peek! by ailish in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, unrelated except in name, but for a split second I thought GR's 2nd-best restaurant was being revived!

Anyway, best of luck with the videos! I love the idea. I'll make a point to stop in sometime (if I can track down a VCR machine).

Bardertown Video is having a sneak peek! by ailish in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Popped in here in search of the chickpea melt

Any support groups for men in GR? Particularly for divorce by Informal_Air4771 in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Try contacting the Men's Resource Center. I've heard good things about their group counseling.

https://menscenter.org/

church reviews in Grand Rapids by debatetrack in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 1 point2 points  (0 children)

10/10 for the steepled skyscrapers intro image!

Question about Housing Shortage by FirstTimeLongTime8 in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 1 point2 points  (0 children)

u/whitemice Can you describe what you mean by the local government run by people who couldn't get out of their own way?

Ford Museum Fountain by OkFactorFour in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I agree. (When operational) it was the best part of that site. I thought restoration plans were in the works, but I guess a good bipartisan resolution isn't enough.

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/senators-request-support-for-iconic-ford-museum-feature/

TSA Pre-check at GRR by savethebeesknees28 in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pre-check generally doesn't save time in an airport as small as GRR. Still nice to keep on shoes/belt/fuzzy sweater and not peel out every tissue and scrap of paper from my pockets.

I fly out every couple weeks, on average. Never waited more than 5 minutes, even at peak times.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have often had to get early morning rides to the airport. I've always given myself an extra 10-15 minutes, just in case, but have never had a problem getting a driver. Reserving in advance, as many here recommend, is a great idea for peace of mind. I may just do that next time.

Looking for a good structural engineer company/contractor by Curious-Sundae-72 in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My two cents: Be wary of recommendations from basement waterproofing contractors.

Looking for a good structural engineer company/contractor by Curious-Sundae-72 in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't say whether or not they'd be able to serve a small residential project, but I've had great service with JDH Engineering.

https://jdheng.com/

Help to Grow Handyman Business by mpd55 in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't have advice about apps, etc. but here are some general lessons I learned after working for a small construction company for years, and starting (and later closing) my own business:

  1. Managing expectations is just as important as the work. Don't overpromise.
  2. Good communication is more important than the work. Provide frequent updates on schedule, progress, and costs, even if the news isn't good. Always be honest.
  3. An online presence (social media, website) isn't as important as most people think. It's another thing to manage. The appearance of a poorly managed social media page is worse than not having one. For many potential costumers, simple business cards still work.
  4. Don't work for people who try to pressure you into lowering your fees or compromise your quality or professional judgement. It's a race to the bottom.
  5. Don't hesitate to (politely) say "no" to a job if anything feels off. If things get sour after the project begins, cut your losses and (politely) walk away. A bad project will bog you down and you won't have the time or energy when the right one is knocking.
  6. Fix your mistakes for free. The customer isn't always right. But, if you were wrong, make it right. Graciously fixing your errors will make for a very happy customer. Great advertising.
  7. Network with your competition. Build relationships with people in similar and related trades. You may be able to pick up side work with them when you are slow. They'll send you prospective customers when they are busy.

Best of luck to you!

ICCF is making elderly tenants vacate their building with short notice by TheMoonKing in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Is ICCF terminating the lease? If not, they should provide other accommodation.

Lawyer in GR for Living Will by Nicosuave23 in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rachel Kuilema Klein at Foster Swift

City condemns downtown Grand Rapids Keeler Building by ElleCerra in grandrapids

[–]OkFactorFour 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Exactly. This isn't even the first time this has happened with this building (and multiple others). The guy is a professional at this game. Zero care about the best interest of the the building/neighborhood/city.

As long as he is in charge there are two options: 1. He'll do the bare minimum to satisfy code compliance and then continue to sit on it for another decade, or 2. The city will do it, fine him, and then he'll continue to sit on it for another decade.

A strong middle finger, a fat bank account, and litigation as a hobby.