Saugatuck Real Estate | Pat and Pam Murphy, Realtors

Local writer Wade Rouse's book about moving to Saugatuck, MI was named by NBC"S Today Show as one of its "5 Summer Beach Read."  The book

entitled, "At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream"  has also received excellent reviews in USA Today, The Detroit Free Press, Out Magazine, The Grand Rapids Press, Chicago Magazine and can be found at our own local Book Store, Singapore Bank Book Store in downtown Saugatuck, Readers World in Holland, lMI and is also available at all National Chains and Amazon.com.  Click here for a more hilarious and heartwarming look at taking a risk, fulfilling a dream, and finding a home here in Saugatuck, Michigan.

I personally have bought quite a few copies to give as gifts to clients for a fantastic read!!!

8 Ways to Green Up your Life!  If you are ready to "green" your life, read on.

1.  DRIVE LESS - give public transportation a try.  Walk or bike when it makes sense or find a car buddy.

2.  MAKE HOME ENERGY EFFICIENT - many homeowners don't recognize problems w/their home's performance in the overuse of heating and cooling appliances.  Gas & electric companies can provide info or visit  Home Energy Tune Up on the web to find energy inspectors by zip code.  Build small and green when building a new home.  My husband, Pat, of Patrick Murphy Homes, LLC will help design and build your "green" home to reduce the home's carbon dioxide emissions.

Kitchen Too Small????  Depressed by your rooms???  No matter what your budget, there's a way to solve the problem.  A home that isn't a good fit is as bad as a tight pair of jeans after some holiday weight gain---------tight, ugly and frustrating.  A few years ago you might have sunk six figures into a colossal rehab or simply ditched the house altogether.  Now it's time to start viewing home makeovers as a long-term project rather than a one-shot deal. 

 In the kitchen Think Simple!!!  The place we eat reflects the way we want to live.  That's why it's so tempting to throw big money at kitchen rehabs.  But if you stick to the same basic layout and focus on key aesthetic changes, you'll get a far bigger impact fo your renovation dollar.

Trim the cost of custom cabinets.  Use wood for Floors.  Don't move windows and doors.  Stick to mid-range appliances.  Raise the ceiling if you can to the rafters and add skylights.

Reshape the Molding.  Create new lines with chair rail, cornices and crown molding.  Give doors a wraparound with cove molding to create interesting architectual  features.  Add some ornament decorative pieces to create a focal point (focalpointproducts.com) are far cheaper than hand-carved pieces (outwater.com)

Read more......

Common traits of people who are good at pulling a rabbit out of a hat & ending a losing streak!!!!   Stamina.  Keep yourself energetic.  People with energy are always looking for a place to use their energy.  They have an ability to think ahead and think positively to see an opportunity.  It's a mind-set.  Warrend Buffet says, "This is the worst stock market in history.  Look at all the bargains I'm buying."  ("The Snowball Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder)

 After you look at the facts squarely, ask yourself if there's some way you can personally position yourself, your family, your organization, and your community so that you do something productive.  This is what The Murphy's did & we are now proud owners of "Wicks Park Bar & Grille" a restaurant downtown Saugatuck that we renovated.  Our daughter, son-in-law & son as well as Pat & I are running this venture.  We are using local purveyors as much as possible, hiring local people as well as still building homes & remodeling through Patrick Murphy Builders, LLC & I'm still selling & listing homes.  This downturn won't last forever in the real estate market.  You always have to assume there's a next chapter.

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Wicks Park Bar & Grille  coming to Saugatuck soon.  Pat & I have, once again, diversified our lives.  Moving to Saugatuck/Douglas 3 years ago to build custom homes,

Patrick Murphy Builders, LLC & to buy & sell Real Estate , we now will be opening a restaurant downtown Saugatuck.  It is a family venture w/our son, daughter and son-in-law

running the restaurant & Pat & I doing what we do best, renovating & remodeling w/custom touches throughout the building.

It's was time to start building another form of business momentum.  Momentum shouldn't be difficult to develop, it just takes a lot of hard work.  The momentum we are generating is pushing the nation's economy into the early stages of recovery, & we are taking advantage of that lead.

So, if you are waiting to remodel your home or buy a new house or a 2nd home here in Saugatuck/Douglas Michigan, just contact me for a real good insight on how you must be ready to capitalize on this economic market.

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Museums are the newest buildings to go GREEN!   Have you been to downtown Grand Rapids lately?  If not, go & see the towering cranes constructing medical research centers, new restaurants opening up in revitilized area all around the city & a special gem, the Grand Rapids Art Museum. 

Despite conflicting priorites, it is possible to create a certified green museum, as demonstrated by Michigan's Grand Rapids Art Museum, which is rated LEED gold.  Advanced mechanical systems, including an "enery wheel" that blends old and new filtered air, help to reduce energy costs.  But the most striking advance is actually a throwback to much older museums:  oversized skylights that crown the galleries.  Banished decades ago, the skylights, here call sky lanterns, are back with triple layered glass that blocks the UV rays, while internal louvers deflect direct sunlight.  A fabric scrim layer further diffuses the light. 

READ MORE ON WHAT THE ARCHITECT HAS TO SAY!