Attention Realtors! How would you never like to speak to a bank again and make upwards of 12% commission for doing short sale? If this interests you, then click HERE or click the link to the right or below http://www.cash4yourhomeindiana.com/contact! Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking HERE! HAMP destined to fail As Amherst Securities Group LP’s Laurie Goodman told Congress, the U.S. loan modification program is “destined to fail” because it doesn’t confront the real problem of negative home equity that is driving foreclosures. The three-year housing slump has wiped at least 28 percent off home values nationwide, government and industry data show. Almost 23 percent of homeowners in the third quarter owed more than their propert... 12/10/2009

Here is the market report for Fishers IN homes for November 2009:   2008 2009 % Change Active N/A 593 Homes Sold 73 100 37% Average Selling Price $208,846 $194,448 -7% Days on Market 84 66 -21% Price Per Square Foot $91 $94 Sales Price / List Price 96% 97% 1% We see a huge jump in the number of homes sold no doubt related to the then expiration of the tax credit. The average sales price is down a bit which may just be the market or it may be the first time home buyers scooping up the less expensive homes. The best news is the absorption rate, or number of months supply of homes is at 4.92 which is extremely manageable and indicates a well balanced market. If you are looking to buy or sell a home, please visit our Fishers Indiana real estate website to learn more about what we offer and... 12/09/2009

What's up with all the trash? Lately, each time I drive up S R 37 between Fishers and Noblesville, I find myself hoping that none of the publications which continue to bestow honors on these towns are actually in town. Because if they stopped by right now to take a look or conduct a ranking, what they'd see is... trash. And a whole lot of it. The roadside and median are covered with bottles, cans, plastic bags, even what appears to be an entire bag of concrete mix. Is this the image we want to present to the rest of the country? Is this the image that's going to allow us to continue receiving the national recognition of which residents are so proud? Doubtful. I understand that some debris is unavoidable, especially during the winter months when the wind might blow around the contents of... 12/08/2009

Attention Realtors! How would you never like to speak to a bank again and make upwards of 12% commission for doing short sale? If this interests you, then click HERE or click the link to the right or below http://www.cash4yourhomeindiana.com/contact! Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking HERE! Mortgage insurers deny 20 - 25% of claims Mortgage insurance rescission rates jumped to 20-25% in recent quarters, relative to historical 7% averages. Moody’s said mortgage insurers rescinded about $6 billion of claims since January 2008 and could rescind another $2 to $4 billion of claims during the next few years. Moody’s also found monolines established more than $4bn of credits for put-backs to mortgage originators as of Q309, largely r... 12/07/2009

I have been selling Fishers Real Estate since 2001 part time and 2004 full time and sell between $7 and $10 million a year as an individual and the Marchant Team will sell $25,000,000 this year. I am asked at least a dozen times a year whether someone should "go into" selling real estate.  Sometimes I think I make it look easy.  There are some very quantitative exercises to go through to help you determine if you will be successful at it.  Here they are: Can you sit down right now and make a list of 100 people you know well enough to ask them if they know anyone looking to buy, sell or invest in real estate? Do you have at least 10 buckets where you can capture leads?  Some examples would include a BNI group, Chamber involvement, connections with HR personnel of companies that relocate ... 12/05/2009

Working at Keller Williams has many benefits from their focus on God to their entrepreneurial style of leadership.  But, one thing I love is that the tools they provide their agents are relevant.  Our latest tool is a search for Just Foreclosures in Fishers (or Carmel, Noblesville or Indianapolis).  Our splash page on our Fishers Real Estate website has all four buttons for easy navigation or there is a Fishers Foreclosure tab on the left side tool bar. There are currently 21 Fishers Foreclosures on our website ranging from $97,000 for a condo in Middleton Place to $999,000 in the Hawthornes.  Here are some things to keep in mind for foreclosure/bank owned homes: The owners stopped maintaining the home long before they started to miss their payments, so there will be things that will ne... 12/03/2009

Okay, I do NOT mean to rude with my title but come on I'd rather give you the truth than lie! You've got to agree with me on this that you'd rather be prospecting for more real estate transactions then negotiating bank debt with bankers all day??? Am I right? I hope you said "YES" with a smile! :-) Here's where disaster meets with realtors and short sales: A) They list the short sale & wait for an offer B) Receive an offer & submit HUGE package to bank C) You're on the phone A LOT with the bank D) Buyer gets impatient & flakes E) Realtor thinks...now what??? Reduce price??? Let it go into foreclosure??? Realtors - Do you agree with any of the above??? Be honest if I nailed it dead on. This isn't how it happens a lot of the time but I'd say 8 out of every 10 short sales you list are the ... 12/03/2009

Attention Realtors! How would you never like to speak to a bank again and make upwards of 12% commission for doing short sale? If this interests you, then click HERE or click the link to the right or below http://www.cash4yourhomeindiana.com/contact! Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking HERE! More foreclosures about to hit Mark Zandi, chief economist at at Moody's Economy.com in West Chester, Pennsylvania, said in an interview with Reuters home prices will resume their decline by early next year as another flood of foreclosures hits. Home prices, as measured by the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, will trough in the third quarter of 2010 after declining 38 percent, Zandi said. The index peaked in th... 12/03/2009

Attention Realtors! How would you never like to speak to a bank again and make upwards of 12% commission for doing short sale? If this interests you, then click HERE or click the link to the right or below http://www.cash4yourhomeindiana.com/contact! Also you can follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE & add us as a friend on Facebook by clicking HERE! Commercial real estate defaults double Real Estate Econometrics LLC says commercial mortgage default rate on loans held by U.S. banks more than doubled to 3.4% in the third quarter as vacancies rose and rents declined. Defaults climbed from 1.37% a year earlier and from 2.88% in the second quarter, the New York-based property research firm said today in a report. Default rates in the first three quarters of 2009 have been the highest since ... 12/01/2009

by Aimee Rush Holden, Haddad Team, Keller Williams Realty The town of Fishers Indiana garnered yet another accolade last week when Business Weekly named it the best place in Indiana to raise a family. What is it that makes Fishers stand out? Here's a list I compiled, in no particular order: Handel's Ice Cream--This Fishers tradition has been recognized by People, USA Today, Country Living and travelchannel.com as some of the best ice cream in the country. If you've ever stood in line on a warm summer night for a delectable (and heaping ) scoop of dolce de leche, you know why! Schools, schools, schools--Elementary, middle, junior high and high school--they're all good. And because two of the three middle schools and junior highs feed into both senior highs, students form friendships that... 11/30/2009

I consider it very important to take the required courses to remain a Fishers Realtor of choice.  Recently I took a class on Multi-Generational Marketing that I thought was very interesting.   I need to pay attention to the age of my buyer because what they value may differ depending on how they grew up.  There are basically five generations as follows: G.I. Generation (1901-1924) and they represent about 5% of the market Silent Generation (1925-1945) representing 20% of the market Baby Boomers (1946-1964) representing 45% of the market Generation X (1965-1981) at 20% of the market Generation Y (1982-2000) 10% or so of the market A great way to look at this is to think about how Kennedy died.  The first three would say gunshot in Dallas, the Generation X may say a plane crash near Marth... 11/18/2009

It's my monthly analysis of the Fishers Real Estate market.  There are currently 759 homes for sale in Fishers, with 135 of them below $150,000.  Here is a quick list of those homes less than $150,000 in Fishers; it is dynamic so changes daily. Those are great homes for first time buyers to take advantage of the extended $8,000 tax credit.  If you haven't already heard, there is a credit for repeat buyers as well now.  The rules are:  Must have lived in the home five of the last eight years  Must have a married income of less than $225,000 or a single income of $125,000  Must purchase a new home  Both the sale and buy must take place between now and 4/30/2010; closing before 6/30/2010. Moving into the October market for Fishers, we saw 118 homes close compared with 114 last year.  This ... 11/13/2009

Here is what happened for real estate in Fishers Indiana for October 2009:   2008 2009 % Change Active N/A 628 Homes Sold 102 98 -4% Average Selling Price $226,175 $217,582 -4% Days on Market 90 77 -14% Price Per Square Foot $98 $95 Sales Price / List Price 96% 97% 1% Well, considering the tax credit coming to an end; I expected to see a big increase in these numbers. I might be able to justify a decrease in the average sales price because the first time home buyer should be purchasing the less expensive homes on the market. However, I am shocked to see a decrease in the number of homes. Until this tax credit crunch is behind us, we really won’t be able to get a good grasp on the market. If you are look to buy or sell a home, please visit our Fishers homes for sale website for more inf... 11/05/2009

As I am writing this post, I have my HP Mini 2140 charging up and downloading any updates that it may need in preparation for Real Estate BarCamp Indianapolis tomorrow. I also have my iPhone plugged into iTunes to see if there are any apps that I might need updated and/or downloaded in preparation to endure this day long event. I have had many individuals ask why I would subject myself to waking up at 4 AM, CST to make the 2-1/2 hour drive from my home in Chesterton Indiana all the way to Fishers Indiana where the event is to take place. That's a good question. First of all, what is Real Estate BarCamp (aka. REBarCamp)? According to Andy Kaufman, the founder, RE BarCamp is... "an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense... 11/01/2009

If you have a Fishers home for sale, you undoubtedly have talked about the commissions that will be paid.  Whether they are justified or not is certainly a topic of controversy.  I could take either side of that depending on who we are talking about as the Realtor.® I think I'll talk about the expenses first and then give you some ideas on how to negotiate the commission.  My time is worth something, to put a dollar amount on it would be difficult.  But, there is time involved in scheduling stagers, photographers and sign installation.  There is time involved in getting the listing on to MIBOR with profile sheets and numerous forms that need to be copied and entered as well as pictures and tours being loaded. There is time involved in following up with showings, securing various documen... 10/27/2009

As we approach the end of a terrific first time buying season in Fishers Indiana, I wanted to share some information from the IRS on the first time buyers credit.  As you know, unless it is renewed, it will cease to exist on transactions closing after 11/30/09 which means you would have to be under contract by 10/30/09 at the latest.  There are a few short weeks, so hopefully this information will be useful if you or someone you know is almost ready to pull the trigger. I work with many clients looking for a home for sale in Fishers that will fit their needs.  These are some of the questions I have heard and the answers. Q. Can a taxpayer claim the first-time homebuyer credit if the purchase is pursuant to a seller financing arrangement (for example, a contract for deed, installment lan... 10/22/2009

When relocating and buying a home for sale in Fishers, the average person can be overwhelmed with the number of great neighborhoods.  How can a Fishers Reator® guide her clients without "Steering"?  Steering in general means guiding buyers to a particular area based on the desire to keep the makeup of that neighborhood the same or intentionally change it.  This isn't restricted to just ethnicity, but also demographically in terms of age or family make up.  It is an illegal practice. There are several tools we give to our buyers to help them discern if a neighborhood is right for them.  The first thing I have to do though is listen.  A buyer will give me a lot of informaton initially and I need to be able to figure out which pieces of informaton are most important in their search for a h... 10/18/2009

The amount of homes for sale in Fishers remains fairly constant at around 750; currently there are 773 homes for sale.  This blog post is to talk about the sales in September and also look at the full month by month report for 2009 for Fishers Real Estate. For September, there were 129 homes that sold compared with 172 in September of 2008. This is a 25% decline.  The most popular neighborhoods were Sunblest, South Avalon, and Sandstone.  Of the 129 homes that sold 49 of them or 38% were in the $150,000 to $250,000 price point with only 15 homes over $350,000.  The average price per square foot was $93 and the average days on market were 71.  (The Marchant Team days on market for 2009 is averaging only 59!) The most expensive home that sold in Fishers was $2,625,000 in Breakwater with o... 10/14/2009

It's October and time to give you my Top Halloween Spot pics!  From the hundreds of clicks on my Easter Egg Hunt post, I know many of you follow the blog to find out what's happening in and around the Fishers area as well as staying up to date on the Fishers Real Estate market.  Just as an update, today there are 782 homes for sale in Fishers! I think the Children's Museum is one of the best places to take your kids anytime of year!  But at Halloween, they have the Tomb of Doom.  From October 16th through the 31st, kids can wear their costumes and explore the Egyptian labyrinth of fun including the Desert of Despair, Vile Nile and Pyramid of Peril as they search for the Lost Mummy!  There is a lights on version during the day for this event also. The Indianapolis Zoo has their Halloween... 10/13/2009

With nearly 800 homes for sale in Fishers, it is important to have a Realtor® who understands the Fishers Real Estate market, knows how to set your home apart from others and communicates with you.  Every so often I receive a call from someone who has their home listed with another real estate agent and they find me from this blog and ask me to list their Fishers home.  The number one reason they switch from their current real estate agent is communication. There are a variety of reasons to list you home with this Fishers Realtor that include: A track record in 2009 for selling at 96% of list price and in 59 days. The upfront work I do in staging your home and professionally photographing your home. The tips and tricks I have learned in 10 years of selling real estate; for example how t... 10/12/2009