June Housing Tip: {Re}Creating Curb Appeal!

Buyers will know in the first few seconds of viewing your home from the inside {and outside} if it's a good fit for them.  Creating curb appeal is one of the easiest ways to draw your buyers in and encourage them to want to see what's on the inside.  Often times the way a home is cared for on the outside is a good indicator of how well it was maintained and cared for on the inside.  So let's make sure to give an amazing first impression!  

-DM Irish's Top Five Ways to Enhance Your Curb Appeal-

1.  Create a great focal point!  The eye wants to land on something interesting and it might as well be the front door.  You can choose to have the door match the shutters or be an accent to other features on the home (trim, siding, shutters, brick).  Some homes even can pull off a bright color to make a big statement.  Whatever your choice, keep it current, well maintained and cleaned up at all times.  It's the gateway to your house!

This was our most recent renovation in our personal home in Cambridge in the Geist/Fishers area.  Same house, new door....totally changed the look from the curb!

2.  Paint!  Just touching up old trim and siding can really improve your home's look.  Consider changing up the color to compliment the brick and siding.  Using colors in the brick is a great way to pull your color palette together.  In this redo with a consultation client, she changed the color and it made it look like a whole new home!  Make sure to factor in the homes around you as you choose your color so there aren't too many of the same color nearby.  Dare to be different!

3. Yard and Landscaping!  Clear out the old and overgrown and freshen it up.  Shop clearance sections in the Fall and get great deals on smaller bushes or out-of-season perennials.  Give it a season and in due time your landscaping will be in full bloom.  Even new mulch and plants in your pots will freshen the home up from the curb.  And of course, get rid of the weeds!  Spend the extra money to care for the lawn with proper weed and fertilization treatments and you'll be happy you did.  This diamond-in-the-rough in our inventory was just waiting on an exterior update.  This gorgeous home sits at the entry in Rolling Knoll at 116th and Hoosier Road.....green does a house good!  

4.  Embellish!  Add shutters, window boxes, front porch furniture, planter pots, landscape lighting, for example, to add layers of design to your overall look!  We like architecturaldepot.com as one of our favorites for shutters and window boxes.  You'd be surprised how a change of shutter style or adding furniture to an empty porch can add to the interest of a home and make people want to see what's inside. Give it character, make it different!  

In our own home here, we added shutters and window boxes (along with new paint, lighting, front door, landscaping and window repairs) to really jazz up this exterior from the curb. I like to change the boxes out with the seasons and keep them decorated all year long! 

5.  Clean and Maintain!  Many times when I help stage one of our homes for the market, the outside needs a simple clean up.  Last season's debris, cob webs around the door, a loose or broken door knob, new bulbs in the exterior lights, replaced screens and a freshened up door mat are some items to check in on.  Buyers and their agent will stand on your front step for a few minutes while opening the lock box to get in.  Stand outside of your home for two minutes and take note of what you see.  Buyers will see it too and you want them to make a mental happy note and not be creating a honey-do list from the get go.  Too many negatives to attend to will keep them from wanting to seriously consider writing an offer on  your home!  

Staging your home for the market is your smartest option for a buyer's best first impression.  In the Indianapolis and surrounding areas?  Contact Realtor Dan Irish with ERA Real Estate Links for a complimentary market analysis of your home and to set up your prelisting staging appointment with his team!  

Realtor Dan Irish: dirish@realestatelinks.com

Mobile: 317-910-4293

Websites: www.dmirish.com and www.dmirishrealestate.com

Weekly Rate and Real Estate Update, 6.19.13

Inspections, offers, listings and building…what else?

Dan’s activity this week:

Sometimes a week makes a big difference!

One deal has its inspection response wrapped up but brings another that I just sent off to the listing agent…my biggest request for repairs yet…can you say 10s of thousands?

My client who sold their town home did get their offer accepted and the inspection is scheduled for next week…hopefully that one does not turn up much.

Two of my other listings have lowered their price after only being on the market one and three weeks…these seller’s want to sell and the homes are getting the buyer’s through the door.  Each property is averaging about a showing per day!

Another client signed a contract, contingent upon selling their home, with Pulte…the pressure is really on to sell!  The home they selected is perfect for them and really is a great home.  If you are considering building a new home, use my free services and experience in the new home construction field to your benefit!

I received a text from one of my good clients that they are wanting to buy a new place so we were out looking today and they are already interested in a property.  They are still deciding on whether they are going to sell their current home immediately or wait for a while.

Meanwhile I’m moving along with 3 other new listings that I believe will get on the market around July 1!

You can do the same thing by downloading my App and then sharing it with people you refer to me.  Click here to download app.era.com/DMIRISH

 Rates for the week

The average rate for 30-year mortgages rose from 4.10 percent to 4.14 percent for the week ended June 12, according to Bankrate.com. The rate for 15-year mortgages rose from 3.28 percent to 3.32 percent.

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

Foreclosure Friday, 6.14.13

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?

Email REALTOR® Dan Irish Here!

Home A

Carmel, Carmel Clay Schools, Foreclosure, built in 2003, 3570 sf two story, with a 2132 sf finished basement, 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 1 half bath, oversized 3 car garage, 0.52 acres, it has been on the market for 58 days, this home has granite counters in the kitchen, a fireplace in the two story family room, the master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling. Home looks to be pretty clean!

 Home B

Carmel, Carmel Clay Schools, Foreclosure, built in 1989 this home has 3833 sf above ground and a 2204 sf in the finished basement, 5 bedrooms, 5 full baths! and 1 half baths, .49 acres, 2 fireplaces, 3 car side load garage,  and a pool in the backyard, this home has been on the market for 31 days.  It will need a lot of work to get it up to standard.  When I walked the home it was apparent that there may be additional foundation issues, in fact the brick façade is almost falling off the back of the garage!

 Home C

  

Carmel, Carmel Clay Schools, Foreclosure 2847 sf, with a 651 sf finished basement, built in 1996, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths and 2 half baths, 3 car front load garage, 0.50 acres, 1 gas fireplace in the Family room, now on the market for 102 days, all the bedrooms are on the upper level, the yard has an irrigation system and fully fenced, the neighborhood has a pool and tennis courts,

 Home D 

 Carmel, Carmel Clay Schools, Foreclosure, 2838 sf with a 1116 unfinished basement was built in 1997, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths and 1 half bath, 3 car side load garage, .58 acres, the home has front and back stairs and 2 fireplaces, the home has been on the market for 72 days, there is visible mold in the basement, this home will be a project but is priced well

Home E

Carmel, Carmel Clay Schools, Foreclosure, home was built in 1971, 3142 sf on a 1247 unfinished basement, 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths and no half bath, .60 acres, 2 car garage, home has a fireplace in the Family, there is an in-ground pool in the backyard this home will need some work, this will be another project and needs updating, the home has been on the market for 417 days consecutively!

 Home F

Noblesville, Hamilton Southeastern Schools, Foreclosure, built in 2002 this home has 2417 sf above ground and 1171 in the unfinished basement, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths and half bath, lot is .25 acres, 2 car front side load garage, 1 fireplace in the Family room, the home sits on a corner lot and the backyard is fully fenced, the home has been on the market for only 4 days!

 Home G

Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern Schools, Foreclosure, built in 2001 this home has 2286 sf above ground on a slab foundation, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths and 1 half bath, the lot is .15 acres and the backyard is fenced, 2 car front load garage, 1 fireplace in the Family room, the bank has put in new carpet and the home appears pretty clean, the home has been on the market for 13 days.

To search for homes via your mobile device, install my app!

  Thanks for reading...if you have any questions, please contact Realtor® Dan Irish here for info on any home above or homes/land in the Indy area!

317.910.4293

Weekly Rate and Real Estate Update, 6.12.13

Rates up again, the time to buy/sell is now!

Dan’s activity this week:

All deals under contract are progressing.  Just sent off an Inspection Response to a buyer, heading to an actual inspection here later this morning, awaiting the buyer of another listing to schedule their inspection!

So we just put in an offer on a home for the clients who sold their townhome last week…I anticipate the deal will go through either today or tomorrow to close July 10th.

The new listing that came on last week has seen good activity.  It should sell soon despite having some road noise from the interstate, it’s just too good of a home and many people buy and sell on that street all the time.

The lead from my football team is watching the market, with low inventory and their need & ability to save more has put them into this status.

I also received notice of a client that has been waiting to move forward is almost ready…and the really good news is they will be buying a home as well!

Finally, last Friday I received a call from an out of town buyer who is transferring to the North side of Indy.  They got my info from talking to a past client of mine at, of all places, their gymnastics practice!  My client had my info on her phone and gave it to her right then and there…that’s the kind of referral I love…keep them coming.

You can do the same thing by downloading my App and then sharing it with people you refer to me.  Click here to download app.era.com/DMIRISH

Rates for the week

From the IBJ... The average rate for 30-year mortgages rose from 3.99 percent to 4.1 percent for the week ended June 5, according to Bankrate.com. The rate for 15-year mortgages rose from 3.21 percent to 3.28 percent.

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

email: dirish@realestatelinks.com

Weekly Rate and Real Estate Update, 6.5.13

New listings, new sold, rates tick…?

Dan’s activity this week:

So as of now, I've got 2 more closings at the end of June and 4 for the first weeks in July!

The newer listing of the town home in West Carmel has sold!  Now, going out tonight with the buyers to find that next home.

Another client offered on a home and it was accepted so we are moving forward, financing, home inspections all building to that July closing.

Since my last update I’ve secured a new buyer and a new listing that will came on the market Tuesday!  One of the new listings that came on a week ago Tuesday should be getting an offer yet this week, and the other new listings are having great activity. 

Still working on that lead from the football game…we’ve been out looking at what the market has to offer but they haven’t pulled the trigger to list their home.  We will be talking later today though!

As it stands now I’m carrying 10 listings and have just as many buyers looking!  It’s been a great start to the year, now to close it out even better.

 

      Rates for the week

From the IBJ... The average rate for 30-year mortgages rose from 3.74 percent to 3.99 percent for the week ended May 29, according to Bankrate.com. The rate for 15-year mortgages rose from 2.97 percent to 3.21 percent.

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

email: dirish@realestatelinks.com

June "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!


June's Color of the Month is:
(link to the HGTV blog post above!)

Paradise Blue!

Link to the Paradise Blue Pinterest Page HERE!


This blue to me is timeless and won't be out of style for quite some time.  You can put it on walls, accents or even bedding.  I have one piece of it on my mantel and on a table at the entry, just to add some layered splashes of color.  How will you use it?