When the Thielens originally set out to build their dream home, they never imagined they would find it instead! Justin and his wife, Amy, and their three young children, were looking forward to a new home with lots of space and plenty of land to spend time outdoors on. Having previously financed a thirty-acre recreational property with GreenStone, the Thielens were already familiar with working with the GreenStone team.

A Change of Plans

“We initially planned to build a custom home, and since we had worked with GreenStone on financing land before, it just made sense to finance the construction of our home with them too,” explained Justin. The Thielens began preparing to sell their current home and spent close to a year preparing for the construction of their new home. “We had already developed the layout and design of the home. We even went through contractor bidding prices and were very close to breaking ground when our plans changed.”

While they were searching for the right parcel of land to build their home on, the Thielens stumbled upon a home listing located in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. “We saw the property online and went out to look at it right away. As soon as we saw it, we realized this home would meet our needs better than building a home could,” said Amy.

They made the call and quickly pivoted to purchasing the home with financing through GreenStone. “We were able to transition our construction loan to a home loan. We weren’t expecting to find a home instead, but once we realized how strong of a fit the property was, we knew we had to act fast,” said Justin.

The Property of a Lifetime

The home sits on forty acres of secluded property, offering around 28 acres of tillable land, 10 acres of private woods, and a spacious yard. The long, winding driveway up to the property ensures plenty of privacy. Situated around thirty minutes from family and work for both Justin and Amy, the location is ideal.

The home is 3,200 square feet, with a main living area upstairs, and large, open kitchen and dining area, perfect for hosting family gatherings. “I have a large family, so one of the things I’m looking forward to most is hosting in our new home and having plenty of room for everyone,” said Amy.

“The opportunity to purchase a property on a large, contiguous piece of land was just too rare to pass up,” remarked Justin. “That was one of our biggest goals when looking for a property. We wanted to find a property that would allow us to enjoy peace, quiet, and privacy.”

When that reality came to fruition, the Thielens quickly reached out to their financial services officer, Jordan Hendrian, who got right to work on transitioning their construction loan to a home loan. 

“The whole experience working with Jordan was hands-off,” said Justin. “We were surprised how minimal the back and forth was after we transitioned over to a home loan. There really wasn’t a lot of extra documentation required.”

“It was really cool to see Justin and Amy go from a long-time dream of building their own home to finding such a beautiful property that fit their family so well listed on the market,” said Jordan. “This is going to be a great property to raise their kids on and will have plenty of room for dirt biking, hunting, and all of the other family activities that they were looking forward to.”

Turning Dreams to Reality

Due to the amount of acreage, the Thielen’s property also required a unique appraisal process, which GreenStone worked through with them. “Despite it being a more unique situation, they took the time to work with us and maintained clear, proactive communication throughout the appraisal process,” said Justin. 

The entire process of purchasing the home from the time the Thielens first looked at the property to the time they closed was about 60 days. “The fact that Jordan and the GreenStone team were able to pivot so quickly after we had been planning for construction instead of a home loan was amazing. There was even an extra thirty days in the closing process just to allow time for the sellers to find their next home. I felt like Jordan’s goal really was to help us secure our dream home no matter what,” the Thielens agreed.

Another key decision that led Justin and Amy to continue working with GreenStone is the benefit of Patronage – a return of a portion of GreenStone’s profits back to its members. “We had been receiving Patronage checks already because of our land loan, so that gave us all the more reason to continue working with GreenStone. It’s a significant financial benefit that we wanted to keep taking advantage of.”

Enjoying Endless Possibilities

As the Thielens make their new home “home,” they are most excited for the possibilities and potential that comes with the property. “There are endless opportunities here for our family, whether it’s our kids raising 4H animals, Justin hunting on the property, or just us enjoying it as a family,” said Amy. 

“When we first started this journey, we had no idea our dream home already existed. We were sure we would have to build it,” said the Thielens. “We weren’t even really looking for this property, it just kind of found us!” they laughed.

“Without the support of GreenStone, I’m not sure we would have been able to pivot so quickly to purchase this property,” said Justin. With endless possibilities ahead of them, the Thielens look forward to all the opportunities their forever home will bring their family.

 

To view the rest of the 2026 spring Partners articles please click here.