Most of my clients want an inspection but every so often I get this question.  It usually comes from someone who is fairly handy and does a good job of looking at the home prior to buying it.  However, I still think an inspection is one of the cheapest ways to ensure you are getting a good home and not a money pit. I recently was watching an episode of Income Property on HGTV and during the episode, the contractor found so much mold and about a dozen dead birds in one of the basement closets.  I had to ask myself, did the buyers not have the home inspected when they bought it?  I know that when you buy a home, between down payment, closing costs, and home owners insurance that one more item to pay for can really stretch your money.  But, for about $250 to $350 you can get peace of mind.... 01/17/2010

Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi Olick -- Holiday Moratoria Didn't Reduce Foreclosures Diana Olick of CNBC pointed to a surge of 14% in foreclosures in December -- a month in which foreclosures traditionally drop off because lenders impose moratoria over the holidays. Olick asked RealtyTrac's Rick Sharga why, and here's his answer: "In fact, our numbers surged in early December and dropped off significantly throughout the month. We've attributed the growth to this being the end of both the quarter and the year, and lenders trying to clean up their books. Secondarily we're probably starting to see some of the foreclosures hitting the books now after being delayed over the past ... 01/16/2010

Just a little fun to share with you & something a little educating we could ALL benefit from with using the proper systems in our business! >>>>CLICK HERE<<<< >>>>CLICK HERE<<<< 01/16/2010

Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi Since the announcement around 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 15, my phone has not stopped ringing. The consensus is that this FHA property flipping waiver is a huge boon. Lots of people are citing links to it but very few people have actually taken the time to read it, break it down, digest it and offer comments about where they think the business is going as a result of this recent property flipping waiver. Allow me to share with you a few bullet points: 1. This waiver is very good news. 2. This waiver does NOT necessarily mean that you will be able to do back to back same day closes to an FHA end buyer. Allow me to explain why. Upon closely... 01/16/2010

I was very anxious to view 2009 to 2008 to determine if we had declining values in Fishers, specific trends and any good news!  I am an accountant by background and love the analytics of evaluating real estate; I also am a very good negotiator as a result of my previous training.  That is a trait you WANT in your Fishers Real Estate Agent! For 2009, there were 1,615 homes that sold in Fishers compared with 1,676 in 2008 so a decline of about 3.5% during what has been termed the most turbulent year in the housing market ever.  Apparently no one told the residents in Fishers that!  If we look at the days on market (DOM) and price per sq ft, we see 2009 at 75 DOM and 2008 at 81 DOM which is an improvement!  Homes were selling faster.  The Marchant Team had seven homes in 2009 that sold in ... 01/15/2010

Time to take a look at the Fishers real estate market for December 2009:   2008 2009 % Change Active N/A 544 Homes Sold 92 75 -18% Average Selling Price $212,469 $204,072 -4% Days on Market 85 59 -31% Price Per Square Foot $91 $90 -1% Sales Price / List Price 94% 97% 3% While we didn’t really end the year strong for Fishes Indiana real estate, I am actually not too concerned at all. The number of homes sold was down 18% but this is to be expected after the impending tax credit expiration back in November. This should have pushed a bunch of buyers from December to November and a decrease would be normal. Overall, not a bad month considering the letdown I expected after the tax credit thing. I expect to see an increase in the next few months as the second round of tax credits close in on... 01/11/2010

Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi Bailout for speculation Thanks to a handout from this spend crazy congress, dozens of serial money-losers will stake claims in a cash scramble that could cost us more than $50 billion. Thanks to months of lobbying by the homebuilders, the measure also gave companies the right to apply losses incurred in 2008 and 2009 to income earned in any five years through 2007. Previously, losses could be counted against profits over just two previous years. The change was good news for companies like Lennar, a Miami-based homebuilder that has been gushing red ink since its misguided bets on house prices went bad three years ago. All told, Lennar has lost $... 01/11/2010

Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi Apartment prices fall 3%, vacancies up 8% The national apartment vacancy rate rose to 8% in the last three months of 2009, according to Reis Inc., a commercial real estate information provider. That is the highest level Reis has ever reported. The vacancy rate barely inched up from the third quarter -- just 7.9% to 8% -- but it rose significantly from a year ago, when it stood at 6.7%. Even more dramatic, vacancies spiked 45% from the third quarter of 2006, when they had bottomed out at 5.5%. According to Reis economist Ryan Severino the main culprit is the recession. Not only do people lose their jobs during downturns, many others are afraid o... 01/11/2010

There is quite a bit of controversy on the Cap and Trade being discussed; this is more than just the regulation of pollution emitted into the atmosphere.  Their is language being discussed around cap and trade for things that we use daily like gas, electric, etc.  I'm not here to debate the issue but to give you some ideas on how it might be used in a conversation about Fishers Real Estate. We recently had some folks in from Langdon Mortgage Company to talk with the Marchant Team.  Here are some tidbits I picked up: You can borrow 5% over the appraised value for energy efficient items such as insulation, windows or furnace for example.  You can borrow an additional $2,500 over the above for weatherization items. If you spent $5,000 for a new furnance/air conditioner; it would cost you a... 01/08/2010

Over the past six months or so this character Preston Ely has been promoting this product called Freedomsoft. He's finally releasing it to the general public 1/21/2010 at 12:07 PM. I've been interviewing other real estate investors on Freedomsoft by Preston Ely and they've all said the same thing. Keep in mind these individuals were selected by Preston Ely to use the beta series of Freedomsoft. It's the same Freedomsoft that will be delivered to you on launch day. All of the real estate investors said that the Freedomsoft software is just a revolutionary product and one of them even said it was soooo SEXY that he didn't even want to use it but did anyway! This Freedomsoft from what others and myself have seen seems to be the real deal holyfield. I've spoken with Preston Ely, and he's on... 01/08/2010

Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi MBA - Mortgage applications down The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released two Weekly Mortgage Applications Surveys - for the weeks ending December 25, 2009 and January 1, 2010. For the week ending December 25, 2009, the Market Composite Index decreased 22.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the prior week, and for the week ending January 1, 2010, it increased 0.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis. Both weeks’ results include an adjustment to account for the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 46.9 percent the week before Christmas and increased 0.4 percent the week after. For ... 01/08/2010

Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi Home energy efficiency program coming? The government is expected to unveil a new program in the next couple of months that if approved may reimburse homeowners for up to half the cost of making their homes more efficient. Homeowners will get the most return for the money in simple upgrades like caulking the windows, putting insulation in the attic, and changing the light bulbs - not new windows, refrigerators or dishwashers. A complete energy retrofit - which could include caulking and insulation as well as new windows, appliances and boiler, could slice a home's energy consumption in half, according to Lane Burt, manager of building energy po... 01/08/2010

It's January and very cold tonight!  We could be out looking at the 650 homes for sale in Fishers or we could just take a quick read at the highlights of the last decade!  I will tell you the number of homes for sale right now is about 50 less than normal; that is because if you have an awesome Fishers Realtor, she would expire your listing on 12/31/09 and relist on 1/4/10 to get you a new MLS number.  Did you know that the first two digits of the MLS number denote the year listed?  I don't want any of my sellers going into 2010 with a 2009 number to indicate the listing "might be" old.  That's one reason if you have your Fishers home for sale, you should list it with me! Now on to the Stories of the Decade! Top 10 News Stories of this Decade For 2000, there were several to choose from ... 01/06/2010

**************************************************************************************************************************** Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi ***************************************************************************************************************** Housing sales fall, factory output increases The National Association of Realtors said its seasonally adjusted index of sales agreements fell 16 percent from October to a November reading of 96. It was the first decline following nine straight months of gains and the lowest reading since June. The drop was far larger than the 2 percent expected from economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters, and analysts were sur... 01/05/2010

****************************************************************************************************** Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi ******************************************************************************************* Making Home Affordable a disaster Critics of the Obama administration’s $75 billion program to protect homeowners from foreclosure increasingly argue that the program, Making Home Affordable, has raised false hopes among people who simply cannot afford their homes, and some economists and real estate experts now contend it has done more harm than good. They say many desperate homeowners have sent payments to banks in efforts to keep their homes, wasting... 01/04/2010

******************************************************************************************* Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi ******************************************************************************************* Making Home Affordable a disaster Critics of the Obama administration’s $75 billion program to protect homeowners from foreclosure increasingly argue that the program, Making Home Affordable, has raised false hopes among people who simply cannot afford their homes, and some economists and real estate experts now contend it has done more harm than good. They say many desperate homeowners have sent payments to banks in efforts to keep their homes, wasting dollars th... 01/04/2010

Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi Applying for a mortgage modification and being in a months-long trial period can devastate a home owner’s credit score. Under the government plan, troubled borrowers can have their mortgage payments reduced to 31 percent of their pre-tax income. They are first put in a trial modification for several months to test whether they can meet the requirements of the new mortgage. Borrowers who were previously current on their mortgages will see their FICO scores fall about 100 points while they are in the trial period, according to the Treasury Department. Borrowers who were previously late or missed payments will see their scores fall more, the gover... 01/03/2010

Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi I'm pulling back the curtains for you, and revealing something that the real estate "guru's" DO NOT want you to see! I've got access to it and now you do as my gift to you... There's nothing for sale just 2 FREE awesome videos YOU need to watch! Just click the link "Gift For You" below & retrieve your super duper gift! "Gift For You" I wish you a very, very, very Happy New Year! Be safe! Thanks, Jason P.S. Don't forget to watch your free S-E-X-Y FREE gift that I've given you... If you don't you'll regret it when I take it down and don't give you access to it EVER AGAIN! (just kidding I'm not that mean I'll keep this up for a little bit!) Click ... 12/31/2009

Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking Twitter.com/We_Buy_Houses & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking Facebook.com/Jason.Lucchesi! Home prices to fall in 2010 - foreclosures coming Fiserv Lending Solutions, a financial analytics firm, forecasts that prices will fall in all but 39 of the 381 markets it covers, with an average drop of 11.3%."We've seen recent price stabilization because of low mortgage interest rates and the impact of the first-time homebuyers tax credit," said Pat Newport of IHS Global Research. "But there are really good reasons to think prices will now start going down." There are three main reasons for the reversal: a coming flood of foreclosures, rising interest rates and the eventual end of the tax credits. According to Gus Faucher, the director of ma... 12/31/2009

 "JUST THE FACTS!!!"                                    For Homebuyers & Homesellers                             You might be surprised that you qualify!! LAWRENCE LIBRARY 7898 Hague Road Indianapolis, IN Thursday, January 14, 7:00 pm OR Saturday, January 23, 11:00 am LIMITED SPACE, RSVP TODAY (317) 374-2462 or www.billfoxworthy.com Use the "RSVP for Tax Seminar$"  button                                                                  12/30/2009