I agree with Scottfree – always best to start with used because you don’t yet know exactly what you are going to want from a kayak, only seat time will tell that, and you can almost always get back close to what you paid for a used boat if you decide you want something different.
Good outfitters (I used to live in GR but that was 13 years ago so I don’t know who is still open around there) will usually have demo days on the water in the spring. If there are any around you, get on their mailing lists or ask when they offer them. Sitting in a range of boats of different sizes and styles will give you a better feel for what they can do.
The truth is, with where you live, if you really get into paddling you are going to be tempted to want to hit the coast and inlets of Lake Michigan and a rec boat is not suitable for those waters. You should consider looking for a touring kayak, at least 1 14 footer (and preferably 15 or 16) with fore and aft sealed bulkheads. These are not just for hauling gear but to keep the boat from flooding and sinking in a capsize, which is what open hull rec boats will do and why they are not safe in deep, turbulent and/or colder water. When I lived in GR I had a 15’ touring kayak and used it everywhere, from after work paddles around Reed Lake in EGR, on sections of the Grand and along the Lake Michigan Coast, from Saugatuck to Pentwater and Sleeping Bear. Sure it was a little more than I needed in Reed Lake but I could take it anywhere, and being longer and narrower it was faster, tracked better and was easier to paddle than a short wide rec boat.
If you think in motor vehicle terms, You can kind of equate 10’ rec boats with golf carts and day touring kayaks as sport sedans – what sort of “driving” do you want to do on the water?. Full on sea kayaks (16 to 18 feet) for hauling gear for overnight trips are sort of like the SUV’s of the kayak world. Then there are surf skis, super narrow and super long kayaks that are like the Lamborghinis of boatdom. People use those for surfing, racing and fitness.
There have been some great deals pop up on Craigslist and on the Facebook kayak selling groups lately (I keep an eye out because I have cousins around GR and Muskegon that have expressed interest in getting a boat, and I regularly travel up there to visit them and paddle some of my old haunts.) Be patient and watch for what comes up and forget about getting another tiny rec boat. OVer the past 10 years I have purchased at least 8 used touring kayaks for under $500, for myself and friends and relatives, and almost all came WITH a good paddle and PFD and often a sprayskirt in the deal. Be ready when you spot a good deal with cash and a means to haul the boat home (a $40 foam block and buckle strap kit for your car roof will do to begin with.) Just make sure when you look at a boat that it fits you and there are no major flat spots or big dents (oil-canning) in the hull from improper storage.