If anyone is interested in signing up for the homeward bound walk in Indianapolis on the 27th of April.  It will take place at 2pm.  I am seeking fellow walkers and pledges.  For more information, or to sign up: http://www.homewardboundindiana.org/Homeward Bound, a project of the Indiana Coalition on Housing and Homeless Issues (ICHHI), is a series of annual walks that take place in communities throughout the state during the month of April.Since its inception in 2003, Homeward Bound has raised nearly $2,000,000 for over 90 affordable housing and homeless service providers around the state, making it Indiana's largest grassroots fundraiser with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness. In 2007 alone, Homeward Bound raised nearly $540,000.I am personally involved with Trusted Partners, a... 03/14/2008

2007 was the 3rd best year ever for real estate in Indianapolis.  Congratulations to ALL CENTURY 21 Scheetz agents & employees!  We outpaced the market in 2007 and it was our best year ever!  Century 21 has over 8400 offices worldwide and CENTURY 21 Scheetz had 2 of the top 10 offices!  Congrats to our 96th street office for ranking #8 in homes sold and to our Carmel office for ranking #2 in home sold - Outstanding!   We were also proud that our offices won the Quality Service award.  We are committed to growth through quality and results - and our entire team helped us succeed.  We are especailly excited to announce that our giving back campaign ranked us in the 21 CENTURY 21 contributors to Easter Seals.  In 2007 we raised over $43,000 for this wonderful charity and are already on tra... 03/09/2008

There are currently (3/5/08) eight homes (of 265) available in the Moorings.  Here are some highlights of each:9970 Southwind:Fabulous 4 bedroom+bonus room/5th bedroom, 3.5 bath lake front home features a finished walk-out basement. Basement includes full kitchen, full bath, rec room, movie room, exercise room+large brick paver patio and privat e garden area. Spend summer days paddle boating and fishing or sit on your back deck and just enjoy the lake view. Walk to the community pool or play a game of tennis. The dramatic 2 story entry with wood flooring and dual, turning staircases is only the beginning to the lovely floorplan of this home. $399,9009824 Leeward: Escape the ordinary! Come home to this pristine country French-Style home w/3500+S.F. Main flr mstr suite w/walk-in clst, grd... 03/05/2008

I wanted to post a little bit about this neighborhood for anyone needing to find a home in a neighborhood in NE Indianapolis.  The Moorings is near Geist at 96th and Cumberland.  It is approximately 260 homes ranging in price from $250,000 to $400,000.  The Moorings has a pool, tennis courts and a very active Women's Group.  It has wooded lots, curving roads, sidewalks and shows ownership pride.  Many people in the Moorings will update/improve their home, add on to their home or buy another home in the Moorings rather than move to a new neighborhood.  The homes were primarily built by a builder who actually lives in the neighborhood; that speaks volumes about his ability to build a great house!  The neighborhood is convenient to shopping and interstates and has several ways to get downt... 03/03/2008

In today's real estate market it's not unusual for smart, savvy home sellers to look at all of their options when it comes to selling their homes. I'd like to share with you a fabulous story of how a smart and wise home seller found their way to look for a home stager despite opposing advice. I received a call from a home owner, asking about our services and if we could help her stage her property. She went on the say that they had a second home already bought and time was of the essence. She explained to me, that she had told her agent that she was going to have her home staged and did not want it on the market until the staging was complete. She told me that she was surprised at her agent's response. The agent had told her that her home was in a terrific location and that the quaint t... 02/16/2008

Think only the big and big-money homes get all the attention? Not anymore! Check out the online Tour of Affordable Homes. Assembled by the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors and The Indy Star, the Tour features homes on the market throughout Indianapolis that are listed at $150,000 and below. The online tour will feature multiple photos of the properties as well as virtual open houses, panoramic shots of the home and voiceovers about the home and the neighborhood. The listings are available online at www.indystar.com/Homescape beginning Feb. 10 and running for 90 days. 02/13/2008

Well, this is the first the report for real estate in Indianapolis for 2008 and just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean the stats have turned around.  Take a look at the statistics for January:   2006 2007 % Change Active N/A 8825 Homes Sold 901 630 -30% Average Selling Price $107,676 $86,407 -20% Days on Market 90 94 4% Price Per Square Foot $68 $53 -22%   As you can see the number of Indianapolis homes is off substantially.  What is extremely strange is the average selling price being down almost 20% to $86,407.  IMHO, this is when a gut check needs to counter the data; unless I am totally off base I know the average selling did not drop to $86,000.  This must be an anomaly, faulty data or something gone wrong.  There are currently 8825 homes on the market in Indianapolis with an a... 02/08/2008

Indianapolis is revamping it's downtown appeal. It is now easier to find luxury living in the city with a posh, urban setting than once before thanks to new townhome construction downtown. The De Soto offers sophisticated urban living in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. You can enjoy unique rooftop gardens, Italianate architecture and lush landscaping. These townhomes project a unique curb appeal and intersting architecture that pulls many types of buyers in. The De Soto is located in the historic Lockerbie neighborhood, which is worth driving through to see the special charm and beauty the city has to offer.  Although there seems to be numerous new construction options to choose from, in my opinion, Kosene and Kosene's De Soto and Packard offers upscale amenities above other condos.... 01/31/2008

The Lawrence Township real estate market in Indianapolis is seeing losses in both the number of homes sold and the average selling price just like almost everywhere else in Indy. Here is a snapshot of what happened in December:     2006 2007 % Change Active N/A 734 Homes Sold 148 104 -30% Average Selling Price $140,717 $131,961 -6% Days on Market 80 98 23% Price Per Square Foot $77 $65 -16%     Same old story for Lawrence, number of units sold is down 30% and the average selling price is down 6% over last year. The active homes that are currently on the market are listed for an average of $149,064 or $79 per square foot. In the past twelve months, 1758 Indianapolis homes have sold in Lawrence Township. This means there is currently a 7.81 month supply of currently on the market which i... 01/30/2008

Washington Township real estate in Indianapolis had a big drop in the number of homes sold in December 2007 and a slight decrease in the average selling price. Here is a quick glance at what happened in Washington Township:     2006 2007 % Change Active N/A 1031 Homes Sold 145 95 -34% Average Selling Price $143,776 $133,912 -7% Days on Market 75 80 7% Price Per Square Foot $91 $81 -11%   December marked the 4th straight month of double digit decreases in the number of homes in Washington Township. While the average selling price decreased 5 out the last 6 months, Indianapolis homes in Washington Township have seen a less drastic decrease. The good news for the Indianapolis real estate market in Washington Township is that the inventory doesn’t seem to be out of control. There is curren... 01/28/2008

The Pike Township real estate market in Indianapolis took a big hit in the number of homes sold in December 2007. While the number of homes sold was down by almost 50%, the average sales price only declined by 2% over last year. Here is a quick glance at what happened in Pike Township in December:     2006 2007 % Change Active N/A 734 Homes Sold 94 50 -47% Average Selling Price $125,945 $122,945 -2% Days on Market 106 87 -18% Price Per Square Foot $74 $66 -11%   What is kind of shocking is that the average days on the market is actually down despite all the inventory and decrease in sales. Indianapolis real estate as whole is seeing some big decreases in the number of homes sold as well. While the December statistics may be depressing, the year end numbers reflect a smaller decrease wi... 01/24/2008

Active:  There are currently 9,178 Indianapolis homes for sale on the real estate market with an average asking price of $151,123.  The average home has been on the market for 129 days and is listed for $82 per square foot.     2006 2007 % Change Active N/A 9178   Homes Sold 1015 714 -30% High Selling Price $1,047,900 $3,340,000 219% Low Selling Price       Average Selling Price $121,445 $114,943 -5% Days on Market 87 108 24% Price Per Square Foot $72 $62 -14%   Sold: December 2007 saw 714 homes sell on the Indianapolis real estate market with an average selling price of $114,943.  These homes sold for $64 per square foot and were on the market for 108 days before receiving a contract.  December 2006 had 1015 homes sell with an average selling price of $121,445.  These homes sold for $... 01/14/2008

Active:  There are currently 9220 Indianapolis homes for sale with an average asking price of $124,630.  The average home is listed for $77 per square foot and has been on the market for 125 days.  Sold:  November 2007 saw 784 homes sell on the Indianapolis real estate market with an average selling price of $102,435.  The average home in November 2007 sold for $63 per square foot and took 94 days to sell.  In November 2006 1070 homes sold with an average selling price of $111,601.  The average home sold for $69 per square foot and was on the market for 69 days.  November 2007 saw a decrease in both the number of units sold and a decrease in the average selling price.  The number of units sold was down by 27% while the average selling price was down 8%.  Over the past 12 months 13,224 ... 12/17/2007

The annual Western Division of MIBOR Holiday Party was held this evening at the Eagle Creek Golf Club. Justine was sworn in as the 2008 Co-Chair of the Western Division. The other officers for 2008 are Chairman Jeff Risley, Jodi O'Neill Secretary, and Lori Kaiser Treasurer. Cheryl Davis was awarded Affiliate of the Year by last year's winner Jodi O'Neill. Debbie Palmer was presented with the REALTOR of the Year award. The Community Service Award was presented by 2007 Division Chair Rey Riojas to Wall & Associates REALTORS. Vince Wall accepted the award on behalf of Wall & Associates. 12/12/2007

On Nov. 27, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), released its third quarter 2007 findings naming Indianapolis the most affordable major market for the ninth consecutive time. Meanwhile, nationwide housing affordability rose on a year-over-year basis but was down slightly for the quarter due to higher mortgage rates. According to the index, 87.5 percent of homes sold in Indianapolis in the third quarter were affordable to families earning the area's median household income of $63,800. One smaller metro market (fewer than 500,000 people) outranked all others in terms of housing affordability during the third quarter. This was Kokomo, Indiana, where 90.5 percent of all homes sold in the period were affordable to families earning that area's... 12/10/2007

As consumers, we buy our products and services based on our understanding of the benefits and value in relation to what we are willing to pay. Home staging is a service that is often undervalued by consumers because of their lack of understanding of the process, skills and talent required to take the project from the "before" photos to the "after" photos. Often, when viewing our before-and-after images of completed projects, potential clients recognize that those homes look or simply "feel" better after having being staged. Still, when presented with a quote (or "bid") to stage their home, many owners get that deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces. The reality is that the quotes we provide to un-informed or under-informed consumer will always be met with disbelief because they do n... 12/09/2007

  EXCLUSIVE: $480M downtown project in worksFri. November 09 - 2007Cory Schouten -  cschouten@ibj.comIBJ staffA development team is finalizing plans for a $480 million mixed-use project that calls for condos, as many as three hotels, a theater and 175,000 square feet of retail space just south of downtown.The project, Legends District-SODO, could be one of the largest private developments in the city's history. It would sprawl over 11 acres that are now home to several parking lots, Subway and Arby's restaurants and the former Chateau Thomas Winery.For the last two years, The Legends Entertainment LLC has quietly put several properties under contract. It now controls all the land and recently closed on the first parcel, a 1.2-acre parking lot at the southeast corner of South Street and ... 11/13/2007

Active:  October 2007 added 267 homes to the market in Lawrence Township with an average asking price $157,912.  There are currently 1265 Indianapolis homes on the market in Lawrence with an average listing price of $149,533.  The average home on the market is listed for $80 per square foot and has been on the market for 103 days. Sold:  In October 2007, 114 homes sold in Lawrence Township with an average selling price of $139,360.  The average home sold for $70 per square foot, received 92% of the asking price, and was on the market for 86 days.  Compare this to October 2006 when 132 homes sold with an average selling price of $126,142.  In 2006, it took 77 days to sell, sold for $73 per square foot, and average 95% of the asking price. The Indianapolis real estate market in Lawrence ... 11/13/2007

 Being that this is a special day, I wanted to give out praise for all of our troops that are both active and retired.  We owe a debt of gratitude for protecting our freedom.  Just taking a couple minutes out of the day lets us center ourselves on what is really important.Here are a few ideas on how to celebrate the holiday:1. Teach about the history of the holiday and the events leading up to it2. Interview a veteran and write an editorial in a local paper 3. Look into the nation's reaction to the return of troops from various wars and see how we might learn lessons from that4. Make thank you cards for veterans and send them out to those you know or to a local VA hospital6. Invite veterans to speak at local schools, community centers, or churches   11/12/2007

Most Affordable Places To Live WellMatt Woolsey, 11.06.07, 6:00 AM ET Triple-digit monthly parking fees, $12 movie tickets, clogged intersections and weekly grocery bills that rival some mortgage payments. Welcome to life in the Big Apple. And Los Angeles. And Chicago.Of course, residents in these cities also get access to world-renowned museums, seats at the games of the winningest sports teams, well-kept parks and cutting-edge restaurants. But, it's possible to enjoy such amenities without the hassles. Step one? Look for more affordable spots that offer a similar or better quality of life, and where the dollar goes far.In Pictures: Most Affordable Places To Live Well First among them: Minneapolis. It nabbed the top spot on our list of Most Affordable Places To Live Well. There, homes ... 11/07/2007