Great Downtown Indianapolis Townhouse for Sale!!   615 East New York Street, Indianapolis    Listed for $296,000.00     Amazingly Renovated Townhouse inside and out. Urban living at its finest in the unique historic Lockerbie townhome.  Gorgeous Woodwork and tasteful features. 3rd level allows for an office, 4th bedroom type option, bonus room or gym/Pilates room.   Minutes from Mass Avenue, shopping and dining!   Close to parks, cultural trail and endless options that come with Downtown Living. 07/19/2014

Did you know that the average homebuyer assesses the potential of a property within the first six seconds of the walk through?             It’s a little like Real Estate speed dating when you stop and think about it. When someone buys a home, they are entering a long-term relationship and they don’t want to make a mistake. They may have entered the fray with an open mind and only a vague idea of what they were looking for, but it doesn’t take long for their list of “faves” and “turn-offs” to grow exponentially. A few bad showings is all it takes for a home buyer to start eliminating abodes that have been on the scene too long, who appear needy of come with more baggage than they want to deal with.   That’s why it is more important than ever for a home seller to highlight their home to t... 07/18/2014

So, you are wondering how to make your home worth more in Broad Ripple, Indianapolis, IN Isn’t this the age old question?? Everyone thinks they know what the answer is, from personal opinion, to all of the flipping and HGTV shows that are so unrealistic.  Sellers often make the mistake of putting a ton of money into part of the house that may look nice and it may be what they like, but at the end of the day, it didn’t add any value.    The biggest key to answering this question is knowing what the ‘norm’ is in your neighborhood and area.  Just because something added value in SoCal, doesn’t mean that it will do the same thing in Indianapolis.  And even then, the neighborhoods are so different, that you really have to know what the common/upgraded features of your area are.     For examp... 04/23/2014

3 Things Home Sellers Need to Know in Broad Ripple Indiana         Broad Ripple is one of the hottest and trendiest places in Indianapolis that is known for its quaint shops, hot night life, beautiful greenways, the Monon Trail, sidewalk cafes, art galleries, and of course, fabulous restaurants. It is one of the hottest real estate markets in Indiana right now.  Great houses are selling after being on the market for just a few days. However, just because it’s a hot spot, doesn’t mean that you can just list your house and expect multiple offers.  1.  Bringing the Home up to Code The majority of Broad Ripple homes were built in the early 1900’s, so needless to say almost every part of the house needs to be upgraded and brought up to today’s codes.  Sellers sometimes overlook this since th... 04/04/2014

    Why choose us to buy or sell your Indianapolis Home?     What sets an agent who has specialized in REO’s and Short Sales apart from the rest? REO=Bank Foreclosure   One of the things that set a real estate agent apart that has worked for quite a while on bank foreclosures is that we have constantly had to research values on the properties that we list.  How do we do that?  We pull the active, pending and sold comps in the area of the subject property and review those for the comps best suited to assisting in determining the subject property’s value.  We review this information more extensively than the average agent in the business as it is how the bank determines their list price. Many banks are not ordering appraisals (to determine the REO value) or if they do, they do not rely on... 03/05/2014

A few months ago I appeared on a local Radio show. I received the recording for it but understand that no one would want to sit and listen for 45 minutes so I opted to create several short video clips showcasing some of the best topics from the show. Today I'll showcase the topic of Real Estate Photography and Indianapolis Home Staging.  Real Estate Photography and Indianapolis Home Staging These factors are two of the biggest determinations on how many showings a home will get and very likely the quality of offers. Since nearly every buyer (last statistic I saw said 98.9% of buyers) shops online prior to buying a home, the way the home is viewed online will likely determine if a buyer is interested in viewing it.  As Margaret Gehr wrote about in the blog, A picture says a thousand word... 02/23/2014

Indianapolis Short Sales Available for Sale Currently       Indianapolis IN Short Sales available range in price from $8,200 to $650,000.   It is an incredible time for you to buy a house, whether as an investment property or as your home for you or you and your family.  Homes are incredibly affordable in comparison to 20-30 years ago and interest rates are still incredibly low! If you need help finding an Indianapolis Short Sale, let us help you by putting our experience to work for you.  Having closed numerous short sales, we know what questions to ask as your buyers agent, more so than an inexperienced agent or one who does not work very often with short sales.  We also have vast foreclosure/reo/bank owned experience that has also helped us negotiate Indianapolis Short Sales on the l... 02/18/2014

Multifamily acquisition strategies with cash-out refinancing is the best strategy for today's market.  Lately I've taken calls from several investors who have very small loan balances, $250K or less and they are looking for rate and term refinances to lower their rate .. the problem?  The loan balance is to small! Many of these investors are sitting on large amounts of equity, some as much as $1 million!  Instead of having all that equity tied up in one property, they should be refinancing with cash-out and leveraging it into the acquisition of multifamily assets (apartment buildings, apartment comlpexes or multifamily developments that help that can increase the NOI of a porfolio of multifamily assets. Multifamily acquisition strategies should inlclude cash-out refinance to obtain the ... 02/12/2014

Home staging has a lot to do with love when it comes to buyers, sellers, and real estate; after all, the primary goal of what we do is to make a potential buyer fall in love with a home. Residential real estate, someone’s home, is usually the biggest purchase or investment that anyone will ever make. Like finding love in any other relationship, it usually happens based on feelings, not logic. When a potential buyer looks at a home, they are probably already viewing one that has all their needs (location, number of bedrooms, baths, and within their price point). What they are looking for is one that “feels right”. They want a house that feels like home. They want to fall in love.    How home stagers create love for home buyers   Love is easy for home stagers to create for home buyers. Wh... 02/09/2014

  Bill & Jill at the Annual Carpenter Sales Rally Awards Program. Listing Leaders of their office and more than $3 Million in sales for 2013!       Buyers can use their smart phone to search for homes for sale nearest where they are now. Let's say you're in a neighborhood that you love, and you want to find more homes for sale nearby. At callcarpenter.com, you can search for homes for sale and they will be sorted by the nearest home within a mile of your location. Drive to a different neighborhood, and your search results will change. You can be in front of a home and download all of the info about that house right to your phone. "We're thrilled to be the first real estate firm in metro Indianapolis to offer a GPS search option on our mobile website," said David Caveness, Senior VP of ... 02/05/2014

While commonly referred to in the same way as if it were a town or city, "Geist" is actually short for the reservoir that bears its name and around which waterfront estates and hundreds of upscale neighborhoods have been developed.   The Geist Reservoir was named for Clarence Geist, a former owner of the Indianapolis Water Company. Geist imagined this reservoir to address the expected future water needs of the growing Indiana capitol, Indianapolis. Planning began around the time of the first World War and over the next twenty years the Water Company's Shorewood Corporation purchased about 5,000 acres in the Fall Creek Valley and what was known as Germantown, IN. Today, Germantown is, well, underwater. And we don't mean in financial trouble.   The Geist dam was completed in 1943, but the... 01/19/2014

Open up any architecture magazine these days and it becomes quickly apparent that the Midcentury Modern movement has returned with a vengeance. A Case Study in Midcentury Modern Architecture: 215 Williams Drive With its flat planes, large glass windows and open spaces, Midcentury Modern reflects the ideals of a handful of mid-20th century architects who believed that a forward-looking style could help bring about social advancement. Names like Richard Neutra, William Krisel, both of whom were trained by the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright, come to mind. 215 Williams Drive One excellent example of Midcentury Modern can be found at 215 Williams Drive, on the north side of Indianapolis. Situated on a cul-de-sac lot in prestigious Williams Creek, this beautiful home exudes oneness with nature,... 12/16/2013

Thanksgiving is only a few days away. We've started seeing more and more commericials and print advertisements selling all of the elements that make up a great Thanksgiving. If you look, you'll not only find delicious meals, but beautiful tablescapes, and small elements that make up the foundation of this long lived tradition. Most of us spend days cleaning, decorating, and cooking, preparing for a meal that takes about 30 minutes to devour.  Why do we spend so much time working for one tiny meal? We do it becuase this is a moment in time where we want to create a strong memory imprint. The sights and smells will remind us of this day in the future when we try to recall it.  Selling a home without staging is like pulling out a TV dinner on Thanksgiving All of the things that I mentioned... 11/20/2013

Recently I heard an agent say that they take the photos for their listing while their customers fill out the property disclosure form. Excuse me? Is this really the best time to take the BEST photos of the home to entire potential buyers to want to view and make an offer? No. Definitely not!  Imagine the sellers, who may have done some preparations for having company, probably cleaned up a little, at least in the rooms that they thought you might look at. Since many Realtors don't actually even tour the entire home before taking a listing, the sellers may not be show ready.  Some agents know a little better and pay to have professional photos taken. Unfortunately, they'll often still use photos from their iPhone to "hold them over" until the pro ones come. Others will do slightly better... 11/06/2013

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. These words are immortal. They are also very true. It's one of the reasons that staging from day one is so important. Both potential buyers and their agents may write off a property and even if you stage it later it may not be able to earn a second opportunity.  Buyers evaluate and rate homes before they ever step foot into them.  The photos used when presenting a home are generally what a buyer will use to determine if it even makes the first cut. No matter the search site they use, Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, or one of several thousands of others being fed IDX information, they'll narrow down their needs (number of bedrooms, baths, square footage, general area, and price) then they'll go through photos. Chances are they won't ... 10/22/2013

“Why did it take 6 weeks and a price reduction for my agent to recommend a home stager?” This is the question that a seller asked me as I walked through their home with them and talked about the changes that were necessary for their home to actively compete in the Indianapolis market.   The listing agent admits that they knew that the periwinkle plantation shutters probably needed to be painted but said nothing to the seller. He believed that the house was priced in a low enough range and with little inventory to compete against that making changes would be unnecessary. The house would sell without any home staging needed.   It’s not 2005 (and even then home staging was a good idea) Homes are selling more quickly. Multiple offers are even becoming more commonplace – on homes that are pr... 10/04/2013

Downtown Indianapolis Luxury Condos are the choice of discerning buyers.  Quite a variety of sophisticated urban residences can be found in Indy, ranging from new construction, high-rise buildings and quality, historic renovations.   Discover lavish amenities such as state of the art designer kitchens, 5 star hotel concierge service, and elegant custom finishes in many Downtown Indianapolis Luxury Condos.  Whether you prefer a penthouse with a panoramic view (such as the one in the picture below), a location that allows you to walk everywhere, or a serene setting along the canal you can find your condo in Downtown Indianapolis.     Several of the high-end condos in Indianapolis can be found within the bustling arts district of Mass Ave. In the blocks surrounding this section of desirabl... 09/24/2013

In Indianapolis, traditional is the general decor theme, but in downtown Indy,  430 N Park Ave, Indianapolis provided a great break from the usual. This modern condo, listed by Susan Miller an FC Tucker Realtor, had unique features that set the tone for this professional stage. Showcasing the space in a modern downtown condo Modern lighting, open beams, exposed brick and pipes convey an absolute modern feel in this downtown Indianapolis condominium. While we find the majority of our homes require more traditional furnishings, art, and accessories, this project was unique and would require youthful colors and sleek lines. The size of the space meant creating multiple functions so that every square foot was maximized. Warm, rich colors helped to convey a modern feel, while still keeping t... 07/11/2013

The Northern Estates subdivision in Indianapolis is a lovely, established neighborhood on the city's near northwest side in Washington Township. Northern Estates comprises 550 homes built in the mid 1960s. Nestled on beautiful, wooded lots these modest homes offer residents the sensation of suburban living while being just minutes from downtown Indianapolis and other nearby amenities and attractions. see the latest Indianapolis homes for sale in Northern Estates Northern Estates Homes for Sale Homes in Northern Estates offer a good value for first time home buyers and young families. Modest from the outside, these homes are surprisingly spacious inside and feature details and character you don't find in newer neighborhoods. The home pictured here is typical of most homes in the Northern... 06/29/2013

Homebuyers can expect to see a very different housing market in 2013. According to Fox Business, a number of trends in the housing market indicate that homebuyers will face increased competition, rising home prices, and fewer homes to choose from in the year to come. The market is still certainly a buyer's market with prices much lower than they were before the housing bubble burst in 2007, but buyers will want to be smart and quick to act when making their purchasing decisions this year. According to the article, home prices are expected to go up 6% this year -- in 2012, prices went up 7.5%. The Mortgage Bankers Association expects home loan applications to increase by 55% this year, an indication that many people who have been biding their time are now reentering the housing market. A... 06/01/2013