House 5

Next we headed to the city of Rockford, Michigan. We had not wished to live in a city, but Rockford (population less than 5000) charmed us with its classy downtown, river access, and plentiful parks. This house was only a block or two away from downtown restaurants, shopping, riverwalk, and kayak rental. Rockford is also much closer to Grand Rapids than any other location we had been.

This home is separated form the Rogue River only by the public hiking/biking trail. So, we could walk out our back yard and be on the trail, or on the river, within a few feet. We liked the bright color of the house exterior, and the old-home character found inside. This home had a normal (not "Michigan") basement with walkout access to the back. It had a nice back deck (overlooking the river) and a small front porch. Additionally, the previous owners had started to add a classy wine-cellar in the basement. The back yard was also nice, with a homemade stone grill and a fire pit, both overlooking the river.

Unfortunately both the home and the lot were very small. The house was only around 1000 square feet, with a tiny kitchen, and the lot was barely wider than the house, with no garage. (We figured I could keep my motorcycle in the walk-out basement, but a garage is a priority for Michigan winters!)

At the end of the day, though, this was my favorite house.