The Vickery at Beard Farms

If you're headed to The Vickery at Beard Farms, know upfront that you're buying into a clean, straightforward condo community spread across 11 acres where each unit sits on roughly a third of an acre—enough breathing room without the burden of sprawling lawn maintenance. Homes here run around $290K, and you're roughly 16 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids and 15 minutes from Gerald R. Ford airport, which means you're close enough to the city's restaurants and culture without feeling tethered to it. Within a mile you'll find 18 restaurants, a grocery store, and a coffee shop, so daily errands don't require much planning, and there are two parks within that same radius if you want green space without a drive. Forest Hills Public Schools serves the area, and if you're a boating person, Ada's Grand River Launch sits about 2.7 miles away—not a backyard amenity, but accessible enough for a weekend habit.