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Indianapolis Property Tax Crisis ~ A Solution
2007-07-22 05:15:00
The property assessment and tax system in Indianapolis is in dire need of an overhaul. This is a sign in front of many homes I have seen all over the city this weekend, while out showing homes. I noticed something I find very disturbing. I’m not sure if it was just the areas of town I was ...
More About: Property , Crisis , Poli , Solution

The Calm After the Storm~
2007-07-18 05:51:00
Here in the Midwest, we have a familiar saying, ”the calm before the storm” when tornado season is in high gear. The sky turns a strange gray blue color, the wind stops howling and the eeriness of the calm is anything but calming. These are the times the sirens wail and the entire family heads for the basement or interior closet, ...
More About: Storm , Calm

Forestall Future Foreclosure in Indiana
2007-07-04 00:29:00
Forclosure rates in the State of Indiana have been the subject of many opinions and news stories. National ranking has the state placing in the top ten most months. While it is better than the first place rank we held, the moniker is one which we would like to place elsewhere. We have all heard the ...
More About: Future , Foreclosure , Fore

Indianapolis Property Tax Rebates ~ Clear As Mud
2007-06-30 17:41:00
Dear Prospective Client: I must tell you up front there is a new form attached to  the Indiana Residential Real Estate Contract I do not understand. Oh, I will try??..but even with these boots, I?m not sure I can trudge through the uncertainty of the current ?new? form (2007 Property Tax Reba te Disclosure Form) I must have you sign. One ...
More About: Indianapolis , Rebates , Clear

The Skies Are Looking Sunny in West Indy
2007-06-30 05:03:00
Never mind the days of rain we have had recently or cloudy skies! The business news this week is bright for the western portion of Indianapolis.   Purdue Research Foundation announced plans for a technology park at Ameriplex Indianapolis business park. Appropriately named, Purdue Accelerator Park at Ameriplex-Indianapolis, the park will help create new high-tech businesses and promote the expansion of ...
More About: West , Sunny , Indy

Maximize Your Investment~Indianapolis Real Estate
2007-06-03 06:46:00
You?ve decided to sell your home and know you have to do some things to get it ready for the market. Where?s the best place to start and what repairs will return the maximum amount? I?m glad you asked! For starters, clean out anything you don?t need! Box it, donate it, or throw it away. It ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Investment , Indianapolis , Real

Do I Know You? Opening Doors For Strangers!
2007-05-28 17:48:00
In the last few weeks, I have had several e-mails and a few phone calls asking me to show a home. These requests are from people who have come across a home on my website and call me. While this is very cool and the goal of my website, it is not something I am open to. Why, you ask? Isn’t ...
More About: Opening , Range , Tran , Doors , Strangers

Do Increased Commissions Sell Homes?
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Does offering more commission to the buyer's agent help sell a home? Several times this week, I have received flyers and info advertising homes for sale with an increased commission for the real estate agent who brings the buyer. One offered 6% to the buyer’s agent on a home priced at $681,000. Almost $42,000. if I bring a buyer for this home. A similar one offered the same and boldly stated, “$42,300 Commission� Another offered 5% plus $5000. on homes priced beween $299,000 and $350,000. One of these offers was from another city and two were here in Indianapolis. There are two schools of thought about increasing the buyer agents  commission to help sell a home. One school says it’s the seller’s equity and they can do what they want with their equity. I agree! The other side says the commission is built into the price of the home and the buyer ends up paying the commission. On this, I also agree. Allow me to explain………. If a home is priced well and comparable t...
More About: Commissions , Homes , Sell

Indianapolis Real Estate Blog Finds New Outlet
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You can now find the Indianapolis Real Estate blog, IndyRealEstateTalk.com at RSSHugger, a spam free blog directory which understands the power of SEO. How ingenious to have every participant write a review of their site for submission or pay twenty dollars if you don’t want to write a review. They receive a backlink and my blog is listed in their directory with an RSS feed. If you have a blog, go get hugged today at RSSHugger.
More About: Real Estate , Blog

Indianapolis Real Estate Market Questions
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I received a call today from a gentleman which made me think about questions I am routinely asked about the real estate market here in the Indianapolis area. Referring to a previous post, he specifically wanted to know about buying a home in Indianapolis.  Here’s a few of the questions I am asked and my response: Q: Is it reasonable to expect to pay 10–20% less than the listed price? A: It depends on the property and the area of town! Not every home on the market is overpriced and those which are priced correctly initially are still selling well. I have seen homes which have sold for less than 10–20% of the original listing price, but the formula does not apply to every home on the market. Q: Will there be more homes on the market in a few months? A: Yes and there will also be more buyers. Spring is the start of the busiest buying time of the year. Although you may have more selection – you will have more competition. Q: Have we ...
More About: Estate , Questions , Real Estate , Real Estate Market , Market

The Most Important Consideration When Selling Your Indianapolis Home ~ Part
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The Importance of Pricing Your Home Correctly From The Beginning It never fails, when I am talking with a home seller, they want to try to get a higher price than the comparable homes in the neighborhood are currently selling for. I can't blame them, I want the highest price for them. I understand the reasoning of pricing a bit high in case the buyer offers a lower price. It can be done and successfully, depending on your competition. When there are too many homes available just like yours, you have to be priced accordingly. Of course, there is some room for upgrades and specific amenities, but you don't want to attach too high a price to them. Generally, the hardest hurdle to overcome is the emotional attachment people have to their home. Memories created in a home are what makes it a home. The problem is, the buyer has no sentiment about your home. They are looking at making it their home. They don't care if this was your first home, or whether you personally installed ev...
More About: Selling , Indianapolis , Part

Indianapolis Real Estate ~ Is it Better to Rent or Buy?
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Should You Rent or Buy Your Next Home? The answer really depends on your personal objective and time frame. The longer you plan to live in a home, the more sense it makes to own. While I can't simply answer the question for you, I have found this cool tool which can assist you in evaluating the costs involved for both options. By inserting a few details you can determine how long it would take to break even, depending on down payment, interest rate and costs to buy. You can also utilize the advanced settings to include more specific costs and deductions. This is simply a "numbers" tool and does not consider other intangibles associated with owning your own home. Things like: painting the room the color you wantgrowing a garden or landscapinginstalling a fence or basketball goalupdating your home  the security of knowing the landlord can't move you at the end of the lease. In matters of finance, it is always bes...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Indianapolis , Real

The Most Important Consideration When Selling Your Indianapolis Home
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A Correctly Priced Home Will Sell As far back as I can remember, a portion of my listing presentation has included the following graph about the importance of pricing a home to sell. I don't know who created it, but, the information provided in the graph is timeless. I have seen it happen time and again.          ;    The  graph explains the percentage of buyers who will buy your house based on the asking price vs. market value. For example, I currently have clients who are searching for a home with specific criteria in a determined price range. Their criteria is four bedrooms, two baths and room for an office, with a price range between $150,000. and $175,000., in a particular area of town. They are from out of town, so I search every home online and send to them. More importantly, they are searching the entire Indianapolis Listings inventory on their own and send me homes they ...
More About: Selling

Indianapolis Real Estate ~ Community Open House at Chapel Glen in Wayne Tow
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Beautiful Established Neighborhood in Wayne Township Are you looking for a home in an established neighborhood in Indianapolis? Welcome to the community of Chapel Glen in Wayne Township! Chapel Glen is a long time favorite of buyers searching for homes on Indianapolis' west side.  You'll enjoy the beauty of nature everyday living in this community. Situated on tree lined streets, the homes in Chapel Glen are meticulously maintained, as is the community grounds. The community amenities include walking trails, a park, playground, basketball court, tennis court, swimming pool and public school.         ;       Community Open House ~ Sunday, April 6th ~ 1:00-4:00 Seize the opportunity to view the available homes for sale in Chapel Glen on April 6th. Local Realtors have teamed together to present a Public Open House. Come out and see for yourself the reason this neighborhood has...
More About: Estate , Real Estate

Protect The Value of Your Home
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It seems there is an insurance policy for everything! Now, there’s a new insurance policy being offered to protect your home’s value.  Although it doesn’t protect against a change in the real estate market, there are some instances when such a policy could help a homeowner whose value has been affected by issues outside their control. I have had two listings in particular where it appears the homeowner may have benefited from such a policy. Both involved the extension of roads or freeways which abutted their property. Although I am not necessarily advocating such a  policy, I found the article and website interesting enough to research. When would such a policy be beneficial? In the instances above, where I represented the seller’s, the homes may not have qualified for the insurance. One couple had lived in their home 7 years, but the proposed plan for the extension of the Parkway was already in place when they bought the home. The...
More About: Home

The $1.00 Home
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It is not surprising many people ask about the  $1.00 homes listed in our local BLC (Broker Listing Cooperative). The Indianapolis BLC is the same as the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). If it looks too good to be true, it probably is! These home are not available for one dollar. Although  listed as such, they’re actually homes which are being auctioned. They require a minimum bid, as well as a substantial deposit the day of the auction. Some require a non-refundable earnest deposit when your bid is accepted. You will have to do your inspections beforehand or lose your earnest money if you decide not to buy. There are currently 20 homes in the Indianapolis area which are listed for a dollar or less. A few honestly look like they may only be worth the listed price, while several are very nice homes. About half of these homes have been on the market for quite a while. My guess is the minimum bid is too high or the interior condition is not acceptable. Whether you are selli...
More About: Home

Investors Set Sight on Indianapolis Real Estate
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Recent phone calls and requests from my home search site indicate the Indianapolis Real Estate market has piqued the interest of investors around the country. Some have expressed an interest in foreclosed and bank owned homes, while others are looking at anything which is a deal. There are many cities around the country with a higher inventory of foreclosure and bank owned properties than Indianapolis. So, why are investors looking at Indianapolis for their investments? It's all about price! Indianapolis has the lowest priced homes in the nation for a city our size. Let's look at a few statistics: There are currently 21258 properties for sale in the Indianapolis area. 7146 of these properties are listed for less than $100,000. The number equals 33.6% of all active properties available. 4339 of these properties are in Marion County. 634 properties in Marion County are priced less than $25,000. Granted, not all of these properties are a good investment; some are. Is investor activi...
More About: Real Estate , Investors

Selling Your Indianapolis Home ~ Pictures Tell A Story
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While searching available homes for sale in Indianapolis , I stumbled upon something I don't quite understand. Although I try to stay on top of the latest marketing ideas to ensure my clients homes are marketed to the largest amount of buyers looking for homes, I'll be the first to admit, there are some new marketing or technology ideas I haven't yet tested. This one, though, confounds me! Itty, bitty pictures on the MLS.      These are the actual size of the pictures displayed in their largest format of these two homes. You should see the smaller version without enlarging them. Never mind, you can't, they are really small. Okay, here it is! Here's the deal.....they actually intended for them to be this small. In their original view, they have a light pink border to fill the rest of the space. The second one has no additional pictures. The first one has more pictures, all the same size. These are from two different agents who work for t...
More About: Pictures , Selling , Story , Home