REALTOR® · ABR® · West Michigan Lakeshore

Buying or selling acrossWest Michigan

Waterfront, lakeshore land, vacation property and new construction, from Grand Haven north to Silver Lake and inland to Fremont and White Cloud. I read the property myself before you drive up.

ABR®Accredited Buyer's RepresentativeNational Association of REALTORS®
Born hereLifelong West Michigan residentMuskegon · Newaygo · Oceana
5X growthin a single year$864K to $4.4M in sales
$45K+invested in continued educationSo my clients get more
$6.9M+in salesAnd counting

West Michigan REALTOR®

Tamara Hekkema

I was born here and have lived here my whole life, which is the difference between knowing the market data and knowing which lake, which shoreline, and what a seasonal road looks like in February.

Before anyone writes an offer on water or vacant land, I go and read the property myself, and tell you what I find, including when it means walking away.

How can Ihelp you?

Pick one and answer a few quick taps. I'll point you to exactly what to read, watch and do next. About a minute.

After dark

My signs don't go dark at five.

Buyers drive by after work. My yard signs light up at night, and one scan from the car opens the home on their phone, right there at the curb.

Where I work

Town by town, shore to shore

Grand Haven north to Silver Lake, inland to Fremont and White Cloud.

I am so thankful that my blind inquiry for an agent led me to Tamara!
I am so thankful that my blind inquiry for an agent led me to Tamara! My husband and I were looking for a beautiful piece of property to build a second home in Michigan. The task proved more daunting than I ever expected, and I was so glad to have Tamara calmly guiding us through the process from start to finish. I had a very specific idea of what we wanted in a property - an unspoiled piece of lakefront land on a wooded lot. And I quickly learned that finding such a property is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But Tamara encouraged us to never give up hope. Generous with her time, expertise and insights, Tamara diligently stayed on the search for our dream property and was always on the lookout for us. Being that it was difficult for us to drive up regularly to look at properties, Tamara was willing to run recon for us, sussing out only listings that were truly suitable for our wants and needs. When that perfect property finally came up, Tamara knew it was the one. She called us from her car urging us to come up and see it immediately. And with her assistance in putting together an offer, we were under contract within 24 hours. Tamara continued to patiently walk us through the process, as we worked through all of the steps that ultimately led to a successful closing on our beautiful Lake Michigan property. We simply can’t recommend Tamara enough for helping make our dream come true!
Harlene Ellin · Google review
We had a great experience working with Tamara!
We had a great experience working with Tamara! She was honest with us about the houses we looked at and always gave us her honest opinion which we really appreciated. She was quick to respond whenever we had questions or were wanting to see a house and just made the whole process feel a lot less stressful as a first home buyer. Highly recommend!
Ethan Collins · Google review
Hiring Tamara as a realtor was the best decision!
Hiring Tamara as a realtor was the best decision! She is so calm and patient, and is always willing to thoroughly answer any questions that you have. She is the one you want in your corner! I absolutely would recommend her to anyone.
Amy Knapp · Google review
Tamara is and was so amazing through my whole home buying experience.
Tamara is and was so amazing through my whole home buying experience. Taking me to wherever I wanted to see a house. Our process was not very long and she was on every single step as soon as the last one was done. I love that I get to call her my friend and realtor.
Allyssa Landis · Google review
Tamera is awesome , she goes above and beyond to help her clients.
Tamera is awesome , she goes above and beyond to help her clients. She is my number 1 !!!
Tawnya Semler · Google review
Tamara was amazing from first contact.
Tamara was amazing from first contact. She knew our area, answers to all of our questions and helped us every step of the way. She negotiated amazing terms for us in the sale and for our situation. Highly recommend!
Lindsey W. · Zillow review
Going with Tamara as our realtor was a fantastic decision!
Going with Tamara as our realtor was a fantastic decision! She is honest, calm, professional, and a fantastic listener. I would most definitely recommend her to anyone!
Shawn & Amy Knapp · Testimonial Tree
Tamara was absolutely the best and easiest Realtor to work with.
Tamara was absolutely the best and easiest Realtor to work with. First time buying a house and she made the process easy to understand and simple. Would highly recommend to anyone in the market!
Jesse Russell · Testimonial Tree
Tamara was so patient and kind with our house search.
Tamara was so patient and kind with our house search. From looking at disasters to beautiful homes, we had a lot of laughs. I would not want anyone else as my realtor. I'm happy to be able to invite her to our remodeled home so she can see the difference in our house to home.
Allyssa Landis · Testimonial Tree
Tamera was the best ever!
Tamera was the best ever! Give that woman a raise!
Blaine Rice · Testimonial Tree
We're so grateful to have had Tamara by our side as we searched for our first home.
We're so grateful to have had Tamara by our side as we searched for our first home. The process was long and at times challenging, but she never gave up on helping us find the right fit. She was always patient, responsive, and truly had our best interests at heart!
Courtney Rasmussen · Client review
We struggled a little bit trying to sell the house right away...
We struggled a little bit trying to sell the house right away... So we called Tamara. Tamara would, really from the beginning, just walk me through what was going to happen. It really was easy to not stress about the process of the sale. I would absolutely recommend Tamara, just in the fact that it was the honesty that came from it and just the wholesomeness.
North Muskegon seller · Video testimonial

Five stars on every Google and Zillow review

Don't take my wordtake theirs

She is so patient and calm, and takes the time to explain everything thoroughly. She is definitely the one you want in your corner.

Amy Knapp

I had a very specific idea of what we wanted. An unspoiled piece of lakefront land on a wooded lot. I quickly learned that finding such a property is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Tamara diligently stayed on the search for our dream property and was always on the lookout for us... When that perfect property finally came up, Tamara knew it was the one. She called us from her car urging us to come up and see it immediately.

Harlene Ellin

Always learning

In the room where agents level up

I travel to train with some of the best in the business, then bring it home to the lakeshore.

Fireside chat on stage at Power Connections in Detroit
Power Connections · Detroit
Tamara Hekkema with her mentor Alisha Collins in Las Vegas
With my mentor, Alisha Collins
Tamara Hekkema at Power Connections in Detroit
Detroit · June 2026
Tamara on stage at a real estate training event in Las Vegas
Las Vegas · September 2026
Check presentation on stage at Power Connections in Detroit
On stage, Detroit
Tamara in the training room in Las Vegas
In the room, Las Vegas

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Market updates, home tours and life on the lakeshore.

The situation you are actually in

Different circumstances, different plans

The fundamentals do not change. The sequence, the timing and how much coordination it takes change completely. Start where you actually are.

Selling · Selling Your Home

The marketing starts before your home reaches the MLS, so buyers are already waiting rather than still to be found.

How I handle selling your home →

Questions I get asked

What areas do you cover?+

The West Michigan lakeshore from Grand Haven north to Silver Lake, including North Muskegon, Whitehall, Montague, Rothbury and Shelby, inland to Twin Lake, Holton, Newaygo, Fremont and White Cloud, and the smaller lake and shoreline communities in between. That is Muskegon, Ottawa, Newaygo and Oceana counties.

I live three hours away. Can you actually help me buy here?+

That is most of what I do. I go and read the property in person before you drive up, and tell you what I found: the frontage, the bottomland, how you reach it, what the road is like outside of summer. You see the honest version before you spend a Saturday on it, and you are not choosing water from photographs.

What makes your marketing different?+

It starts before your home reaches the MLS, in front of a paid and targeted audience, so buyers are already waiting rather than being found afterwards. You get a written report every week on showings, feedback and campaign performance. And you can cancel at any time if you are not satisfied.

Know the water before you buy the view

Let's find your place on the lakeshore