The Pillar Award winners were revealed today by Angela Buchman (emcee) at the Fishers Chamber monthly luncheon.  Your local reporter for the day is your Fishers Real Estate agent, Cindy in Indy! Pillar by definition means someone who is a supporting part of a community, "pillar of the community" and these awards are meant to celebrate and share the success and best practices of thriving businesses in Fishers, Indiana.  The Fishers Chamber has four categories where awards are given: Design Appeal was awarded to National Catastrophe Adjusters whose mission is "To handle all insurance services with fairness and integrity, exercising the highest standards of ethical and personal conduct while transacting business. NCA will provide timely and responsive service with full recognition of the o... 10/18/2008

  The St. Vincent Medical Center Northeast is the latest addition to a host of great facilities by St. Vincent Health.  This is in the backyard of Fishers Real Estate and convenient for those living on the Northeast side of Indianapolis.  It is a stand alone emergency room, outpatient surgery and physician offices facility and it opened last Monday, October 6th.  It is a 120,000 sq ft medical center and has 15 emergency beds that will treat anything from a sore throat to a trauma patient.  It has a helipad to transport those more serious patients.  The facility cost $42 million and it's the first stand alone for St. Vincent.  They are also looking at the Brownsburg area and have one in Boone County that it is building along with Witham Health Services.  St. Vincent, part of Ascension He... 10/16/2008

We've crossed the half way point and are up to Question 6 in our 10 Top Question series.  In the market today (10/10/08); I know it seems hard to believe any home will sell.  The DOW is down significantly and the interest rates are climbing; but the Marchant Team continues to show their listings and secure offers.  I'd like to tell you we have a plan; and we do...but each plan is customized to your real estate in Fishers.  We do not use a cookie cutter process to market your home.  That is probably the first difference you will see with us.  We work off of a 35 point plan that we go over when we list your home.  For that plan we make choices on which options will fit your Fishers home the best and sell your home the fastest and for the most money. It is our goal to make your Fishers hom... 10/12/2008

Here is a look at what happened on the Fishers Indiana real estate market in September 2008 for homes under $500,000:   2007 2008 % Change Active N/A 674 Homes Sold 122 126 3% Average Selling Price $204,004 $200,840 -2% Days on Market 68 73 7% Price Per Square Foot $97 $92 -5% For the second straight month, the Fishers real estate market has shown an increase in the number of homes sold. This is quite amazing in this real estate climate. Of course it cannot be all good news; the average selling price is down slightly over last year. It is also taking 7% or 5 days longer to sell a home this year versus last. However, 73 days on the market is still quite impressive these days. What is very encouraging to me is that we have only a 5.57 months supply of homes on the market in Fishers at th... 10/08/2008

This is a quick post about being a First Time Home Buyer in Fishers Indiana or the surrounding areas. It can be quite a daunting process, this Fishers Real Estate agent tries to answer some of those questions in a class. We offer a first time home buyers class on the last Saturday of each month from 11:00 until 12:30.  We have a home inspector that goes over the most common items found in a home inspection (i.e.reverse polarity) and how to also care for your home (i.e. how to change a furnace filter).  We have a lender that also speaks about how to determine how much home you can afford, what type of programs are out there and what the process is to get your home loan.  The home stager talks about the latest trends in home decorating and brings examples of colors and demonstrates how to... 10/07/2008

Fishers Real Estate activity for the month of September 2008 is as follows: Active Single Family Homes Listed                             185 Active Single Family Homes Currently Active              871 Active Single Family Homes Sold                               126 Average Sale Price                                                   235,800 Average Days on Market                                           72 Neighborhoods w/Most Sold                     Lakeside Green, Sandstones, and Sunblest Farms This report is for both Delaware and Fall Creek Townships, previous months market reports for Fishers Real Estate are available.  In looking at these neighborhoods, Lakeside Green is a first time buyer neighborhood with prices right around $160,000; Sandstone is an intermediate priced neig... 10/04/2008

We are continuing our series on the Top 10 Questions in Real Estate and are up to Question 5, "What is the process in buying a home in Fishers, IN?".  This is especially important for First Time Home Buyers to understand.  Let's go through the steps below.  Step 1: Meeting with your Realtor® Meeting with your Fisher Indiana Realtor® is an important first step in purchasing your home. They will  listen to your needs and wants, can inform you about school systems, neighborhoods in Fishers, new home builders, and resale values.  Realtors® are paid by the sellers, so they are a free resource to the buyers and can provide knowledge, access, and protection to the buyer.  The result of this meeting is typically a good list of the criteria that is important to you in finding the right home, as ... 09/30/2008

I'm answering your Top 10 questions in real estate for Fishers Indiana and we are up to question #4.  Where are the best resale areas in Fishers Indiana? Let's start a little more general and then I'll give you some specific areas of Fishers to look for great resale.  The things that drive a neighborhood to retain their values include the school district, the amentities of the neighborhood, the lot size and maturity, and how varied the homes typically are.  For example a neighborhood like Brooks Chase while in a good school district typically have no backyards because their garages are backloaded and in addition many of the homes look alike.  Brooks Chase has over 40 homes for sale currently.  In addition, how well are the homes taken care of in the neighborhood will affect the resale p... 09/22/2008

Here is a look at what happened on the Fishers Indiana real estate market for August 2008 for homes under $500,000:   2007 2008 % Change Active N/A 734 Homes Sold 100 53 -47% Average Selling Price $117,856 $125,815 7% Days on Market 83 107 29% Price Per Square Foot $71 $65 -8% I have only had one cup of coffee, but I think this says the number of homes sold in Fishers is up 14%. What??? This is the first time this year, Fishers has seen a net gain in the number of homes sold compared to last year. Of course, in this market it can’t be all good news: the average sales price was down 4% over last year. Looking at the YTD numbers, the average sales is a roller coaster ride; up one month down the next. Overall, the average sales price is pretty much unchanged since last year. In addition t... 09/22/2008

If you want to live in a home in Fishers Indiana with great resale value, then this post is for you.  I will be writing about several neighborhoods to give you some ideas of where resale is best.  I am the local real estate expert in Fishers and can add value to your buying or selling experience. The neighborhoods from 106th to 116th on Hague have some of the most beautiful lots and convenient access to the interstates.  Most of Fishers Real Estate is new construction such as the areas out by Olio and 116th and at Brooks School and 126th; but there are treasures within Fishers that have held remarkable value in Berkley Grove, Hickory Woods and Timber Springs. Timber Springs is a neighborhood with prices ranging from $275,000 to $365,000 depending on the lot, sq footage and basement size... 09/19/2008

If you want to live in a home in Fishers Indiana with great resale value, then this post is for you.  I will be writing about several neighborhoods to give you some ideas of where resale is best. I am going to concentrate on the neighborhoods from 106th to 116th on Hague.  Most of Fishers Real Estate is new construction such as the areas out by Olio and 116th; but there are treasures within Fishers that have held remarkable value in Berkley Grove, Hickory Woods and Timber Springs. Hickory Woods is a neighborhood with prices ranging from $250,000 to $325,000 depending on the lot, sq footage and basement size.  Most of homes have basements in this neighborhood.  Of the 10 that have sold in the last two years, seven have had basements.  In looking at the history of this neighborhood over t... 09/17/2008

If you want to live in a home in Fishers Indiana with great resale value, then this post is for you.  I will be writing about several neighborhoods to give you some ideas of where resale is best. I am going to concentrate on the neighborhoods from 106th to 116th on Hague.  Most of Fishers Real Estate is new construction such as the areas out by Olio and 116th; but there are treasures within Fishers that have held remarkable value in Berkley Grove, Hickory Woods and Timber Springs. Berkley Grove is a neighborhood with prices ranging from $175,000 for a small (1600 sq ft) ranch up to just over $200,000 for a larger two story with a basement.  There are a limited number of homes with basements in this neighborhood.  Of the 24 that have sold in the last two years, only three have had baseme... 09/17/2008

Looking for something unique and fun to do in Fishers Indiana rather than looking at real estate!  On October 4th and 5th, the annual Renaissance Faire will be here. The Faire will be held at Conner Prairie at 13400 Allisonville Road in Fishers Indiana.  The cost is $6.00 in advance and $8.00 at the gate for anyone over 13; it is less for the children.  The Faire was created to publically honor our sister city of Billericay, England.  It immerses the public in the history and way of life in Elizabethan, England.  Armored knights will mount horses and joust for pleasure.  In addition for the kids there be a knighting ceremoney for the boys and a princess ceremony for the girls.  There will be magicians, pirate and puppet shows, maypole dancing and pony rides. There will be many artisans ... 09/16/2008

I had posted a post several months ago about the top 10 questions realtors hear frequently,  and thought I would answer question #2 tonight. How much home can I afford?              I guess there are a couple of ways to look at that question.  Are you asking how much will a bank approve you for or maybe how much house can I buy if I only want to pay "X" a month.  When I work with buyers the latter is something we always cover.  Most buyers know that they want to spend $1,500 a month or $2,000 a month.  Realtors can back into this amount relatively easy once we know a few other variable such as property taxes, down payment, homeowner insurance costs, etc.  In the Fishers Real Estate market, property taxes are moving towards 1% of purchase price.  Rates are currently (9/10/08) around 6% o... 09/10/2008

Want to sell your home faster and for the best price?  Real Estate in Fishers Indiana is selling and using a realtor is making it happen.  Here are some reasons to use a realtor: 1) Putting your home into MIBOR can be done with a low cost alternative, but using a realtor will bring you more exposure because they use more pictures, better verbiage, a virtual tour and can link it to all the various websites.  The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has said that 84% of people will find their homes on the internet.  You NEED to be where they ARE.  MIBOR is no longer enough. 2) Information about your house at your house!  Realtors are getting more tecnhologically savvy in this business.  Sure they still use a flyer box.  I personally put 20 flyers in the box and give my clients another 1... 09/07/2008

Buying a home in Fishers, Indiana?  Why should you use a realtor to help you in that process? 1) Realtors can search the database for homes that have those unique features you want (i.e. fenced yard, pantry in the kitchen, bedroom that will accomodate your furniture, etc)   2) Realtors will look at homes differently than a buyer.  We look at baseboards for wear and tear, ceilings for water issues, inside the oven for an indication of how neat/tidy the current sellers are, grading of the home for water issues.   3) Realtors will be able to tell you if a home is fairly priced for the neighborhod and surrounding areas.  Fishers Real Estate is typically an area that has great resale, but over this past year several neighborhoods have been designated as "declining value".  Realtors know thi... 09/05/2008

Fishers Indiana Real Estate numbers for August are in:   Active Single Family Homes Listed                         204 Active Single Family Homes Currently Active         914 Active Single Family Homes Sold                            125 Average Sale Price                                                      243,000 Average Days on Market                                         68 Neighborhoods w/Most Sold include Intercoastal at Geist, Sandstones, Sunblest, and Woodberry This report is for both Delaware and Fall Creek Townships.  In looking at these neighborhoods, Intercoastal is a much higher priced area near the water, Sandstone is an intermediate priced neighborhood and newer (2000) while Sunblest is a much older neighborhood (1980) and Woodberry is typically a 1st time buyer's neig... 09/03/2008

Does Hyperbaric treatments help Austic children?  I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer this, but I have a friend who has a beautiful daughter Maddy who is austic.  Her and her husband opened Oxy-Spa in Fishers, Indiana a few years ago.  Louann (shown below right) is an Esthetician; someone who specializes in skin care and treatment.  Their spa also has hair dressers and manicurists and others to round out a wonderful experience.   Oxy-Spa also has is a hyperbaric chamber that supplies oxygen to the body at a cellular level.   This can allow benefits to the body that include a decrease in swelling and inflammation and can have a positive effect on blood flow.  They have seen improvements in their daughters behaviors and learning and attribute the success to time in the hyperbaric chamber... 08/29/2008

Conner Prairie and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in Fishers, Indiana Most people visit Conner Prairie for it's educational value as it teaches children (and adults) what it was like to live in the 19th century, but did you know that the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra plays for the public on the weekends during the summer! People bring their families and friends, their wine, picnic baskets and blankets and/or chairs and enjoy the beautiful summer weather here in Fishers, IN every weekend.  The schedule includes music like "Simply Sinatra", "Bond, James Bond", "Pure Beethoven", "River City Brass Band" and so many other great tributes to both classic and pop music.  Advance tickets are $19.00 and $24.00 at the gate. Jim Brickman was here last year; it was one of the most delightful ... 08/27/2008

There was a State of the Schools address recently for Fishers, Indiana.  It is August and still very hot here.  But, what I am noticing over the last few days is SCHOOL BUSES.  So it is back to school time here; I want to take a moment to tell you about the schools in Fishers, Indiana.  The Fishers, Indiana schools are based on several key priniciples: Having high expectations Having prinicpals in the Fisher Schools that are focused on staff development and curriculum development. Having "Learning" as its focus Being results driven (looking at scores, surveys, etc and making changes) Having a climate for success (loving, safe, clean, innovative, helpful, etc) The schools in Fishers, Indiana have grown from an enrollment of 8,777 in 2000 to just over 17,000 in 2008.  They are projected t... 08/20/2008