Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Weekly Rate and Real Estate Update, 2.27.13


Opportunity is coming…

Dan’s activity this week:

So, no new listing this week but I just finished all the paperwork for the 2 homes that I will list next Tuesday!  Now to line up one for the week after that, please let me know if you know anyone who is considering selling their home.

Excited for this afternoon…we are closing on the sale of my client’s home which was only on the market for 45 days through the slowest time of the year, Dec-Jan so I’m pleased with that accomplishment.

Last Saturday I meet with two new clients who are ready to sell their homes and buy another home here locally.  Those homes should be ready to sell in mid-April timeframe so a good start to the 2nd Quarter of 2013, gotta continue hitting those goals!

So buyers are looking, sellers are selling, clients are getting active so Spring can’t be too far away, I’m ready for some warmth!


     Rates for the week
From the IBJ... The average rate for 30-year mortgages rose from 3.79 percent to 3.80 percent in the week ended Feb. 20, according to Bankrate.com. The rate for 15-year mortgages was steady at 3.02 percent.


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Weekly Rate and Real Estate Update, 2.20.13


I need to sell your house!

Dan’s activity this week:

Well, technically I guess I broke my Tuesday streak because the home I had scheduled for this Tuesday actually went live a day early!  Good thing too, we’ve had 11 showings in two days...off to a good start I’d say.  Also in the next few weeks I’ll miss this coming week and then have two new listing the week after…so in my mind I’m going to average that out!

For those of you keeping track, I’ll hit my 1st quarter goal I set late last year and I feel I can exceed that now, I’m very excited and honored…thank you.

My Pending Sale is all set for next week’s closing.   To my amazement the closing statement, the HUD, is done over a week early so no last minute stressing will be a blessing.  That client is still waiting for good homes to come on the market to buy so if you are considering selling, I need more homes to sell.

I picked up a few new buyers and all are out looking trying to find the right home for their families and I’m excited to be a part of their journey.

Finally, I received a call out of the blue from a new client who wants to sell their home and move up…always like that call.  When I asked how they found me, the path was paved with good consistency.  Don’t just do the same things over and over, do things well over and over.  I would have never guessed that from a few non-related events that this client would have called me…goes to show you never know when your hard work will pay off.



    Rates for the week
From the IBJ... The average rate for 30-year mortgages rose from 3.76 percent to 3.79 percent in the week ended Feb. 13, according to Bankrate.com. The rate for 15-year mortgages rose from 3.00 percent to 3.02 percent.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Weekly Rate and Real Estate Update, 2.13.13


Steady rates and new biz…

Dan’s activity this week:

Continuing the Tuesday streak, I had a new listing go Active yesterday around 11am and the same thing happened as last week, it had its first showing at 6:30pm…weird but great.  The home I’m listing next Tuesday has had two buyers contact me before it’s even listed and it had a showing tonight…wow!

My Pending listing had its inspection with no big issues and we are on to closing although they did have to replace the water heater last week…bummer…

The new listing from last week has had really good activity since going Active.  Four showings, one of which called me since they didn’t have an agent and they have a home to sell as well...wouldn’t that be nice if that scenario worked out!

Showed a bunch of homes to a new buyer last Friday and showing the same buyer 13 homes this Friday…better put on my running shoes!!!

Finally, Monday I received an email from a family who wanted to see a newly listed foreclosure that has great potential...showed it yesterday and this evening the Purchase Agreement is to them for their signatures…you could say that came out of nowhere…thank you consistency...

Happy Valentines Day… 
    Rates for the week
From the IBJ... The average rate for 30-year mortgages fell from 3.77 percent to 3.76 percent in the week ended Feb. 6, according to Bankrate.com. The rate for 15-year mortgages fell from 3.03 percent to 3.00 percent.


  

Monday, February 11, 2013

DM Irish "Pinspirations"!

This post is a weekly accumulation of design ideas captured on Pinterest.  As we find them, we'll add our design tips on how you might be able to pull this off in your own home.  Stay tuned weekly as we add to this growing list of great finds!


Follow our DM Irish Pinterest Board HERE!

2.11.13
Use the unexpected to fulfill a purpose in your home.  Wine racks to hold towels, porch swings turned into a bed, or drawers coming out of stairs.  Very unique and easy-to-use design finds on the links below!
Wine racks as a towel holder!

View that pin Here!
View that page of ideas Here!




1.21.13
Wall art can add fun layers to your design!  Not everyone likes to go to the extent and investment {and mess} of wallpaper, but if you can find a way to pull it off to look like wallpaper, why not!  Paint is one of your most simple investments and in time if you are ready for a change, it's not too hard to change it up!
Using any color scheme, this Pin tells you step by step how to do it and turns out a great result!  




12.31.12
If you're like me, you're planning to decorate your home for the winter and create a new look after the holidays.  So what to do? 

In my searches, I'm finding all types of layers!  It's about green, texture, pine cones, white, colorful fruits, lights.....you name it!  It's that outdoor feeling you get when you step outside and take a deep breath of cool fresh air.  If you could turn that into a visual in your home, it would look very earthy and organic for the winter time.

These Winter Decor Board selections have a lot of great ideas.  Hopefully as you start to decorate for the New Year and give your spaces a new do, something will catch your eye and inspire you for a nice, timely redesign for the winter season!  

~Mindy

Winter Board Here!

Winter Board Here!

Winter Board Here!





















12.17.12
The blackboard wall!  We used our first one in our son's room in 2005.  We bought a can of chalkboard paint from Lowes, taped off a rectangle on the wall, let it dry, and by day's end, he was ready to chalk away!

The downside is the dust gets basically everywhere and the chalk can be hard to clean up, but if used in the right spot, it's a great idea!  There are TONS more examples on this link that we found on Pinterest!
This can work on walls in basically any room, doors, cabinets, in picture frames, appliances, you name it!  Chalk away!



12.10.12
What could an old pallet be used for?  This site we found has 35 great uses around the home with recycled pallets!



This is in one of our own kid's bedrooms.  We used 5 pallets per bed.  Spray painted each of them flat black and then used 4 on the base and one on the headboard.  We only put the mattress down and did away with the box springs, but you can choose either way.  The kids love it.  The only down side is that sometimes you accidentally kick the pallet when walking by and that does not feel so good!  Great, near-next-to-nothing cost for sure!  






12.3.12
Add some layers to your home's design by painting and stenciling the backdrop of a bookshelf!


-Measure and cut card board or foam board to the opening sizes
-Paint with your color of choice
-Add a stencil to the top to layer in an additional color and a design
-You could also put wall paper on card board in lieu of paint and have an even more intricate design
-Dry, then insert and decorate
-We like that this is removable and you can change it with the seasons
Read the artist's full blog post HERE with additional how-to's and pictures!




11.26.12
Organization and Storage!  You can never have too much of it!  Use anything from old fruit boxes to ladders to lockers, ball jars and more to get your space organized.  Even taking an open shelf and topping it with baskets to hide and organize your goods is a simple fix.  The picture below demonstrates many great options, but click on this link HERE to get to a Pinterest board with 50+ great ideas!





11.19.12
Easy-to-make Chore Board!
-chalk paint, tape
-shelves, hooks
-picture frames
-monogrammed bags for kids' belongings
-low level for easy access and reading for little ones
-very flexible for future use as a calendar, message center, or brag board for achievements

Friday, February 8, 2013

Foreclosure Friday, 2.8.13


Times are hard and many people have lost their homes due to the challenges in the economy. "Foreclosure Friday" is our way of bringing awareness to the availability and potential of distressed properties in the Central Indiana area. Buying a distressed home, whether if it's in Short Sale or already Bank Owned, is a great way to help stimulate the economy.


Here Are A Few Of Our Reasons Why:


-Sellers/Banks are able to depart from their current home

-Jobs are created for REALTORS®, Contractors, and Suppliers

-Neighborhood home values can be regained

-Buyers may get a positive equity position

-Lonely homes get happy homeowners!


Our short list of distressed properties below are currently active on the market in the Indianapolis area. DM Irish does not own, nor have these properties listed, but rather is being a resource for what's available to purchase.


Stay tuned as we pass along homes in the area that might be a good match for you!  Need more info on one that catches your eye or want helping searching for any home in the area?




Home A


    Lawrence, Lawrence Township Schools, Foreclosure, 3748 sf, with a 3748 sf finished walkout basement, 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 half bath, 3 car garage, 0.90 acres, it has been on the market for 15 days, this home has the master bedroom on the main level along with two other bedrooms and was built in 1991, there is granite counters in the kitchen, the basement has 2nd kitchen and 2nd master bedroom great for an in-laws quarter!


 Home B


  Lawrence, Lawrence Township Schools, Foreclosure, built in 1996 this home has 3067  sf above ground and a 1175 sf in the partially finished basement, 4 bedrooms, 3 full bath and 1 ½ bath, .36 acres, 1 fireplace, 3 car side load garage, home has only been on the market for 23 days, some hardwood floors and the carpet appear newer with fresh paint.


 Home C


   Carmel, Carmel Clay Schools, Foreclosure, 2939 sf, with a 1332 sf finished basement, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 3 car side load garage, 0.36 acres, 1 fireplace in the Great room, now on the market for 119 days, all the bedrooms are on the main level with a large bonus room above the garage (could be the 4th bedroom), the yard has in ground irrigation and the home backs up to the neighborhood pond, the neighborhood does has a pool!  Home needs general updating, carpet, paint, some kitchen. 



 Home D 


  Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern Schools, Foreclosure, 2034 sf on a 1024 sf unfinished basement, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths and 1 ½ bath, 2 car front load garage, .17 acres, neighborhood is in a great central location, this home has been on the market for 29 days, the backyard has nice larger trees.
  


Home E


   Lawrence, Lawrence Township Schools, Foreclosure, 2724 sf on a crawl space, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths and 1 half bath, .37 acres, 2 car garage, home has a fireplace and sports new appliances, sink, and counters in the kitchen, and a storage shed in the backyard, the neighborhood has a pool, playground, and tennis courts, the home as been on the market for 29 days.



 Home F























Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern Schools, Foreclosure, built in 2006 this home has 2490 sf above ground on a slab, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths and 1 half bath, lot is .19 acres, 2 car front load garage,  has been on the market for 30 days!, Great opportunity for to be in HSE schools for the mid 150s!



Home G

  Carmel, Carmel Clay Schools, Foreclosure, 1464 sf, on 3 levels in this condominium, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths and 1 ½ bath, 2 car garage, 0.03 acres, 1 gas fireplace in the Family room, now on the market for 87 days, large master suite with tub and separate shower and walk in closets.  Monthly condo association fee of $100, Great option to get into Carmel schools in the mid 150s! 



317.910.4293

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Weekly Rate and Real Estate Update, 2.6.13


Rate bump up a bit…

Dan’s activity this week:

The buyers that had the deal fall apart have now decided that they want to sell their current home before buying their next home.  Always a great move so you know exactly how much you can and want to afford moving forward.  So, tonight we sign the listing agreement and Mindy will do her walk-n-talk that is included with my service.

For my seller whose home is now Pending, the inspection is this week.  It should go well...but I’m sure there will be some items to address, there always are.

My new listing that went live yesterday at 11am had a showing last night at 6:30pm!  They have another showing going on as I type.  So that is great news and very encouraging.  Their home fits a niche in the neighborhood that is void right now.  So they are getting noticed!  Hopefully that will sell soon and we’ll be on to buy them their next home.  We’ve been out twice in the last week and I, and they, are getting to know what they really want and what they really don’t want.

Another two listing signed and ready to go live on the next two Tuesday’s and I think I may have another lined up behind those to keep the streak alive (4 for those keeping score)!  Good news is that seller wants to buy his next home, move out and then list it…so here we go again.

Finally, last night, while my listing was having their first showing, I got a call from my mortgage broker with a new buyer lead!  Awesome…talked to them this morning, meeting with them tomorrow and see some homes…they want to buy in the next few weeks!



   Rates for the week
From the IBJ... The average rate for 30-year mortgages rose from 3.66 percent to 3.77 percent in the week ended Jan. 30, according to Bankrate.com. The rate for 15-year mortgages rose from 2.94 percent to 3.03 percent.

  
Call or email me here to start your home sale or purchase process, 317.910.4293

Monday, February 4, 2013

February 2013 "Color of the Month"


Each month we highlight HGTV's "Color of the Month".  Many of us are looking for ways to make changes around the home and what better way than to use suggestions, pictures, and color input from industry leading pros at HGTV who know homes inside and out!  
Watch monthly as we put our spin on their info and pass it on to you!



Robin's Egg Blue!

What a great color to spice up the cold winter months.  I think this color would be great on furniture, walls, a bathroom, an exercise room, or even a baby nursery.  So calming and tranquil!  It is really very appealing on decor, lighting, and accent pieces.  How will you use it?