If you've been around for a little while, you know we've been on our soapbox the last couple of weeks about the importance of winterizing vacant properties.  We had always been told that pipes can freeze any time the thermostat is set below 55 degrees. Well...all of that changed this week.  No one is exactly sure what happened, but a seller of ours just called us and said while they were out of town, they had left their thermostat on 66 degrees and came home to frozen pipes! Fortunately for them, the pipes didn't burst and they were able to have a plumber come out and thaw the pipes before any damage was done.  But who knows what could have happened if they hadn't caught it in time.  I guess to be safe...considering all of these lovely below freezing days we've been having...perhaps the... 01/18/2009

Well, I just had to experience something the hard way and thought I might be able to save someone else from having to experience the same thing. If you're purchasing a new home, you know that part of the process is calling all of the utility companies to make sure that service is transferred into your name the day that you and the seller have previously agreed upon. Well...here's a little tip for you...if the property you're moving to has both electric and gas service, you're going to want to make sure that you call and establish the electric service first.  Here's why...the electric has to be on first, before the gas can be turned on. (By the way, in Johnson County, your electric company will more than likely be either Johnson County REMC or Duke Energy.  The gas company is probably to... 01/17/2009

Do You Really Need a Down Payment? With all of the recent hoopla in the press and crack down on lending institutions, yes, zero percent down financing is a thing of the past.  But how much down payment is really required?  I've heard buyers say, "I know I need 20% down", well I'm here to tell you that just isn't so! Many buyers are electing to use FHA financing because it requires the smallest down payment and offers a very competitve interest rate.  As of January 1, 2009, FHA will require 3.5% of the purchase price as a down payment.  That's not so bad, especially when the rates are near 5%!  Do you know that your down payment can also be a gift from a family member?  That's right, if mom and dad would like to contribute, all they have to do is write the lender a letter stating that th... 01/17/2009

Ring in the new year in celeb style!   Join Z 99.5 FM personalities Smiley, KJ, Weedman, B-Moore, Dave Decker, Scott Sands and Carlos Diaz from Extra will usher in 2009 with a New Year's Extravaganza starting at 8 PM on New Year's Eve (December 31, 2008) at Valle Vista Country Club.  Tickets are $19.99 (advance sale) or $39.99 (at the door).  According to their website (http:www.carlosdiaznewyear.com) there will be three main rooms featuring three different types of music - country, 80s and 90s retro and hip-hop/dance.  There will also be a Karaoke area and a Movie Grotto.  This is sure to be the "happenest" party on the southside of Indy, if not in the entire metro Indy area!  They are also offering free food and champagne toast at midnight. I'm thinking of stopping by (still need to p... 12/29/2008

Here's some great advice that our good friend, Jim Schwarz sent to us from Center Grove Real Estate Inspections.  On cold, wintery nights like this one, these sure are some timely tips! Ensure all windows are tightly closed and latched. Seal all gaps at doorways. Caulk any exterior gaps in siding and trim. Ensure all doors completely close easily and effectively. Reduce home temperature.  Most of us can handle 65F nighttime and 68F daytime temperatures.  The lower energy usage will surprise you. Ensure the fireplace damper is completely closed if not in use. Seal all switch and receptacles in walls to prevent air intrusion. Ensure the damper in all bathroom exhaust fans effectively closes. Clean the coils and radiator fins under your refrigerator and freezer for more effective cooling. ... 12/23/2008

OK, have you ever gone through the Chik-fil-A drive thru and when you get up to the window to pay, you're pleasantly surprised to find out that the person in line in front of you has already paid your bill?  Isn't it fun? Well today, I got an even better treat!  I got to be the person in front that got to pay for the person behind me!  As I drove away, I got stuck at a red light and as I looked in my rear view mirror, here came that same car that had been behind me in the drive thru line...whipping around the corner and racing up to sit next to me at the stop light. Well of course, I had to glance over and look at the driver next to me and to my pleasant surprise I saw a very enthusiastic young girl waving like crazy and blowing me kisses!  I quickly rolled down my window, blew her a gr... 12/20/2008

As a quick follow up to an article we posted last week, here are some more specifics regarding the FHA 203k Loan Program. Again, this is a great loan for financing HUD Homes, Bank Owned Properties and "As Is" or "Handyman Specials". From our friends at Indy Mortgage, "Here are some allowable improvements: Roofs Gutters Downspouts Windows Siding Doors Kitchens Bathrooms Room Additions Appliances A/C Hot Water Tank Well Septic Floors Basement Waterproofing Basement Finishing Porches Patios and more!" If you are anywhere near the Greenwood or Indianapolis area, you know our real estate market is full of HUD Homes and Bank Foreclosures to choose from. Want to try your hand at bringing some love back in to these once loved homes?  Give us a call at 317.893.1636 or send me an email at Shawna@... 12/19/2008

OK, your turn...what do you think?  Which pricing strategy do you prefer? Like most people, I used to think that $499,900 was naturally the best choice.  After all, it's what all the retailers do, right?  And besides, $9.99 always sounds better than $10. Well, a couple of years ago I attended a training by a top notch realtor, Bruce Hardie in Spokane, WA.  It was at this training that I was first introduced to the idea of pricing right on the money...on flat numbers as opposed to coming in right below the obvious. Here's the reason...if a buyer is searching for homes between $200,000 - $250,000 and my home is listed at $249,900 the buyer will find me. But...if I'm priced at $250,000 then all of the buyers searching between $200,000 - $250,000 will find me but even better....all of the b... 12/19/2008

Yes, you read that correctly.  And in Keller Williams country, it's a little phrase we've been having fun with over the last several months.  Ever since the latest book in the Millionaire Real Estate book series came out. It's a red and white paperback book entitled "SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times".  After all . . . "IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MARKET . . . It's about what you do!" What an awesome book . . . especially for the market we find ourselves in. Well, I had a lot of fun playing Santa's helper today, traveling from one real estate office to another, dropping "SHIFT" everywhere (OK, maybe I'm having a little too much fun with that word!) But what our team decided to do was to gift wrap the SHIFT books and hand deliver them with a hand written note to all of the real... 12/19/2008

Since yesterday's post, we've had several people contact us by email, requesting more info about our 120 Day Guarantee Sale Program. So, to make it easier for people to get what they're looking for, you can simply click on the following links for our 21 Step Marketing Plan and our 120 Day Guarantee Sale Program...in Plain English. Want more specific marketing materials?  Please feel free to let us know - Thanks! 12/19/2008

Wow...life sure has become so much easier when I figured out that it's so much easier to get price reductions on the front end, as opposed to trying it a few months into a listing contract. In the beginning, you're definitely the expert and the sellers cling to every word you say.  If a couple of months go by and you don't have many showings, they forget all about the discussion of "price" that you had with them at the beginning of the contract.  They simply translate "no showings" = "agent doesn't know squat". To help avoid this is to simply get the price reductions up front.  We simply start with our list price and (depending on what the trends are in your specific area) we say that if we don't have an offer within ___ weeks, we will drop to __________.  If we go another ____ weeks an... 12/19/2008

Do you have a lot of those "Guaranteed Home Sale" Realtors in your area?  You know the ones...that offer to buyer the listing if they can't sell it within a certain time frame? Well sure, that sounds like a great idea if you have a big fat line of credit, or just a huge pile of money laying around.  But what about the little guy (or girl) like me?  How in the world am I ever supposed to compete with that? Well, I figured out a way to Guarantee my home sales...without costing me anything out of pocket!  (I'm a notorious cheapskate to those who know me well).  And believe me, this little marketing plan has definitely helped us to get our foot in the door for many listing appointments that we wouldn't have otherwise been invited to. Best of all, we've been offering this program for almost ... 12/18/2008

The answer, believe it or not, is actually "Yes!"  But in order to do it, you're going to need to use the FHA 203k Loan Program.  Now this is not giving you an open checkbook to go out and fix up a property in need of help but, it is a way to help you make some necessary repairs without paying for them out of pocket.  Here's how it works: Prior to closing, you will need to have contractors come in and give you bids for how much it will cost to make the needed repairs to your new home.  Now your new loan amount will be based upon the sale price of the home plus the amount of money it will take to make the repairs. After closing, you will have a limited amount of time to get all of the repairs made.  Then the property will be re-inspected by the lender and if everything meets their approv... 12/13/2008

Is this a question you've wondered about from time to time?  Whether it was happening on your roof or someone else's?  Well, ask no more.  Here's what our friendly neighborhood home inspector, Jim Schwarz of Center Grove Real Estate Inspections had to say: Dark streaks on your roof are algae growth.  This typically shows on the North or East exposures of the roof surface that stay cooler and more damp than the sun exposed surfaces. These streaks are also an indication that the roof is beginning to approach its latter stages of useful life.  As the algae grows, it begins to harden the shingle, making it brittle and more susceptible to damage. This damage will show up as granule loss, which will then expose the mat of the shingle to more heat and weather.  Over time, the degradation of th... 12/11/2008

Remember what it was like when you were a kid and you'd jump into the deep end and challenge your friends to see who could touch the bottom of the pool?  When you were little, you'd have to kick and push a little to get there.  Your ears would pop and you'd get a little scared...wondering if you'd be able to hold your breath long enough to get all the way to the bottom and then back up again. It's kind of the same with our current real estate market.  People keep challenging themselves to see who can hold out long enough to time the market just right...holding off on buying something until the prices drop all the way to the bottom.  Well stop trying to guess when the market is going to "hit bottom".  No one can predict the exact time it's going to happen...so stop trying!  But by golly... 12/11/2008

I realize the economy is bad for just about everyone right now, but you still may be looking for a way to reach out and do something for someone else that may be just a little worse off than we are. If you're looking for such a cause, or maybe just for a place to put the kids out grown clothes to good use, please take a closer look at the message below.  This is from our good friend, Allie and I know that anything you can contribute would be greatly appreciated. Click to enlarge Need to know where to bring your clothes for Alyssa?  Please leave us a comment and we'll make sure your clothes get to Alyssa as soon as possible.  Thanks in advance for your help! This information was originally posted at www.iShopGreenwood.com 12/11/2008

Click on any of the above to enlarge Does stuff like this speak to you more than a wordy explanation?  If so, our new Market Snapshot was created just for you. You choose how often you get the data and where the data is pulled from. Then when it comes, you can also sneak a peak at Community and School Info, too.  You can even compare local schools one against another. And best of all, if you get sick of it, you can unsubscribe at any time. So sign up any time...try it Mikey...we think you'll like it! This information originally appeared at www.iShopGreenwood.com 12/09/2008

OK, so maybe that wasn't the name of the training I attended today, but it might as well have been because I think that's pretty much the main point that all of us got when it was over.  Our training was taught by Linda McKissack, whose team usually sells around 300 homes a year, so I think she certainly knows what she's talking about.  One of the first things she said today that really got my attention was "Our price is good, but we're just not getting any showings."  Ha!  This caught my attention because I know I've said this myself.  Her point was that in this market, if we're not getting showings, our price is wrong.  Period. In a seller's market, it means the supply cannot keep up with the demand.  Put whatever price you want on your home because after all, in a seller's market, it... 12/08/2008

Well, if you had asked me a couple of years ago if we would some day be celebrating little Baby's 5th Birthday, I would have been a little doubtful. Baby is our canine version of "Tiny Tim" and was a sick little puppy, just about from the time I drove to Terre Haute through an ice storm and brought her home. She never gained a lot of weight and two years ago this month she was so skinny that her ribs were showing and her spine was arched like a scaredy cat! I took her to the animal emergency hospital out by the airport and after many tests were performed it was determined that she has a liver shunt.  From what I remember, this can be very common in yorkies and it means that her blood does not pass through her liver to get cleaned the way it should (or something like that). We had two op... 12/07/2008

Well, it was brought to my attention by my good friend Jake Stiles, well.... I mean, my acquaintance, Jake Stiles...um, better yet, it was brought to my attention by some guy who managed to get his real estate license (hee! hee!) that surely there were some higher end home prices that were scewing our numbers previously posted.  And in fact, he is correct. Posted below is a closer look at homes specifically priced at or above $500,000 in Center Grove and Greenwood School Systems. What we see is that there are currently 52 homes Active on the market in Center Grove, priced at or above $500,000 with the highest Active list price at $2,850,000 (the average Active list price is $835,815).  There are also 2 homes Pending in Center Grove Schools listed at or above $500,000 with an average lis... 12/05/2008