Fishers Home Buyer Center

Are You A Colts Fan?

Do you ever wonder what the Colts players do with their spare time?  If you read the Oct. 26-28 edition of USA Weekend you learned a little about what Gary Brackett does with his.  He is a linebacker on the team and also a branch manager of Mid Atlantic Capital, a mortgage brokerage firm.  Last winter Gary and his business partner gave a presentation to my office and explained their business model.  It's interesting to learn just who all is involved in the housing industry.  Oh and by the way, there is still an autographed football that is going to be given away to someone.  Stay tuned to see how you could be the lucky recipient!

Townhouse Tuesday For Fishers Townhouses and Condos

For up to the minute information on townhouses, condos, and low maintenance homes in Fishers, IN visit http://kathleenwheeler.typepad.com/townhouse_tuesday_includi/.  There are community profiles, up to date listings on condos available, and more.

Indianapolis Named One of The Top Ten U.S. Markets To Buy In

Business 2.0 named Indianapolis as one of the top 10 U.S. markets that are prime for buying.  They pointed out the fact that just like buying stocks, with housing it is good to buy low and sell high.  We are on the low side of the market right now.  Indianapolis also did not experience the huge appreciation that some markets did.  Historically the Indianapolis market has had a very steady, low appreciation level making it a fairly stable market.  To read more and find out what the other prime cities are visit http://www.thexbroker.com/?p=302.

Lovely Noblesville Home For Sale

Builders Agree It's a Great Time to Buy

Based on "Optimal Time to Buy" from The Indianapolis Star, Sunday, October 21, 2007

In this article of the Indianapolis Star the CEO of the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis (BAGI) was quoted as saying, "Homebuilders are appropriately cutting back on new supply to meet current market conditions and acting aggressively to offer great incentives to boost sales.  This is a boon to homebuyers."

This is evidenced by the myriad of emails that I receive daily from local builders with new incentives for buyers that I represent.  There are price slashes, incentives for free basements, free upgrades, and more.  It is a great time to buy either pre-existing or new construction.

5 Simple Things You Need To Know To Make The Home Buying Process Easier

In reality, there are only 5 things you need to know and do to make your home buying experience as simple as possible.

1. Get pre-approved for your loan. If possible, get "pre-approved" for a loan in the amount you're willing to borrow.  With this pre-approval, you are in a stronger position to buy a home when you're ready - rather than finding your dream home, only to lose it to another buyer, because you were waiting on the approval.  Your real estate consultant should be able to refer you to some lenders.
2. Find a great real estate consultant.  Once you've decided to buy a home, find a great real estate consultant.  What you're looking for is a Buyer's Agent.  This means that the consultant represents YOU as the buyer, rather than the person selling the home.  They will have YOUR best interests at heart and will help you find the best match for your needs and wants.
3. Look before you leap.  Drive around the neighborhood at different times of day.  Get out and walk around and chat with neighbors.  Some people like friendly neighbors, other think of them as nosy.  Drive to the local grocery store, coffee shop, anywhere that you frequent.  Visit nearby schools and see for yourself how the kids behave and the grounds look.  The point is to see if this is really the type of neighborhood you want to live in BEFORE you make an offer.
4. Be prepared.  Make sure your contract has reasonable contingencies included to protect you as a buyer.  Reasonable can be things like approval by a home inspector and title clearance.  These are all things that your real estate consultant can help you with.
5. Be reasonable.  No home will be without flaws - even new construction.  Many times it's these flaws that lend character to older homes, but nonetheless, it will take SOME work to personalize any home.

Preparing yourself with these 5 simple things: loan approval, a great broker, getting to know the neighborhood, protecting yourself, and being reasonable - will help make the home buying process easier for you and your family.

Is Now A Good Time To Buy a House In Fishers?

The answer to this often asked question is, it depends.  There are certain circumstances where it is an excellent time to buy a house in Fishers.  Let's talk about those. 

• You are a first time buyer.  Prices are low and there are a lot of homes available for sale.  This means that buyers can find houses that are priced great and have their pick of them.
• You are a move up buyer.  A few years ago that big house might have been out of reach.  Now it may be priced just a little bit lower.  It's worth looking into the possibility.
• You are a buyer relocating to the area.  Fishers is a delightful community.  There are a lot of houses for sale and a lot of good buys right now.  There are many incentives being offered by builders for their spec homes (see me for the list!).  There are a lot of opportunities out there.

A Few Homes For Sale

Look and enjoy....

Pricing Your House Right

Pricing is one of the most difficult issues for a lot of homeowners.  Many even make this a deciding factor in the agent that they select to sell their house.  Pricing is also one of the key things to sell a house!  Pricing it close to the true market value will almost always result in a higher sales price than pricing it even five percent above market value.  People are willing to pay closer to asking price when it is priced right.  I have seen it time and time again happen this way. 

Pricing is an emotional issue for sellers.  Sometimes it is hard to overlook all of the emotions and hardwork that have been put into a home.  This is what makes a house a home.  Buyers are looking at 10-15 houses those and they bite on the ones that are priced right.

Home Staging

Have you heard of home staging?  If not, it is something important for you to know about if you are planning on selling your home.  Staging is preparing your house to sell in the shortest time for the most money all within your budget.  There is so much you can do with furniture placement, decluttering, and setting the scene appropriately.  Stay tuned for a future link to a home staging video.  You will be wowed!