I have conversations each day with people interested in a Real Estate career.  I speak with people truly looking to make a "career" change to individuals who think this could be a part time "job".  I spoke with a gentleman today who asked me how much we would pay him to work for us.  Interesting conversation that was.  Needless to say, he wasn't the right fit for our company. Another conversation I had today included a young lady who asked me if we would guarantee her a position with CENTURY 21 Scheetz if she went to school and got her license.  I gave her these five reasons a real estate career might be right for her and therefore be right for us to have her on our team. Is Real Estate going to be your full time career?  Too many people today think they will, "do real estate on the sid... 11/16/2012

The BEST, FASTEST, most ROBUST real estate website to search for homes is now available.  CENTURY 21 Scheetz website is by far the preferred website of choice to find homes for sale in Indianapolis and surrounding markets. If your searching for a home and like to search by using an extremely detailed map, you've come to the right place.  Narrow down your search with just a couple clicks of a button.    Are you looking to find out what different cities are all about before moving there?  Check out the City and Neighborhood section of the CENTURY 21 Scheetz website.  There is information about the city of Indianapolis, Carmel and homes for sale in Carmel, IN, there's information about Broadripple IN, Fishers, IN, and so much more.  Read all about it, and see what homes for sale are in eac... 10/31/2012

I'm happy to report I'm now a member of the Keller Williams Indy Metro Northeast office.  This move was important in that the office is conveniently located in Indianapolis, IN which is where the majority of my clients are located.  This move is also convenient for my clients should we need to meet at the office for any reason due to the fact that it is located at Keystone at the Crossing in a beautiful new office location.  With that being said, other than a change in office location, nothing else has changed about the consulting and service I provide to you.  Happy house hunting and selling to you all! 10/29/2012

Located just south of Geist Reservoir off of 86th street is the prestigious neighborhood, Admirals Bay!  Property values in this neighborhood can range from $250,000 to over $600,000.  Quick convenient access to Geist.  Many homes even have their own dock on the water.  Click HERE to see all of the homes in Admirals Bay that are currently on the market.If you are interested in learning more about real estate in the Geist area, give Robert a call at 317-218-7867 or visit our website at www.homesaleindy.com View Larger Map 10/26/2012

Every single sell I have had where the buyer was using Chase JP Morgan was a nightmare to close.  The last contract the buyers were buying a bank owned property and were told over and over the bank was ready to close but they wouldn't send the lender package to the title company.  We extended until the Bank that owned the property refused to extend again the purchase contract.  We then had 24 hours to close on the home or my buyers lost a long painful process to buy this home.  They were emotionally invested and had their time and money of course involved. They had Paid for inspections and the appraisal.  I had already went to the supervisor of the loan officer involved and that didn't work so then went to the regional supervisor in charge of all home mortgages for all of Central Indian... 09/12/2012

Are you worried about how you are going to make your next mortgage payment?  Have you been hit with a financial hardship such as divorce, loss of job, death in family, illness or other hardships? Give our Short Sale team a call today to talk about listing your house as a short sale.  Heather Fitzgerald-317-371-2622, or e-mail us at indplsrealestate@gmail.com What is a Short Sale?  It is when a lender agrees to let a home be sold by the homeowner for less than the amount that is owed on the property. If you want to stay in your home, the first step is to see if your lender has a government program that they work with that can assist you in trying to do that.  If you are not able to be approved or know you simply are not able to afford to keep your home anymore, that is when you give us ... 09/04/2012

Fun Fact: At 284.5 feet tall and sculpted from Indiana limestone, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indy is the largest monument in the country dedicated to the common soldier. You might also be impressed to learn that Indianapolis has the second most war memorials of any U.S. city. First is Washington, D.C. 07/12/2012

Large, wooded lots, affordable homes and easy access to downtown Indy make the Eagles Landing subdivision in Pike Township a great choice for buyers who want to be close - but not too close - to the city center. With fewer than 100 homes in the neighborhood, Eagles Landing residents enjoy a close-knit community feel while benefitting from a location that's just 10 miles northwest of the city. The short commute time (less than 20 minutes) to the IUPUI campus as well as area medical centers makes Eagles Landing especially popular with medical and dental students. Students in Eagles Landing attend Pike Township Schools. Eagles Landing residents have numerous nearby recreational opportunities to choose from, including Eagle Creek Park and Reservoir, with boat docks, picnic shelters, nature ... 06/28/2012

Broad Ripple condos in Winston Island Woods are ideal for buyers seeking the perfect blend of charm, convenience and easy access to shops, restaurants and nightlife.  This Indianapolis condo community is ideally located just steps away from the Monon Trail and within a scenic 10-minute walk of Broad Ripple shops, restaurants and parks. Community amenities include a nature preserve and playground on site. Wooded common areas provide beautiful views throughout the year. Winston Island Woods condos feature primarily 3 bedroom floor plans with 3 full baths, a fireplace and a 1-car attached garage.  The outstanding location and affordability of these units ensures that they don't linger on the market for long. The five units sold in Winston Island Woods in the past 6 months spent an average ... 06/26/2012

06/23/2012

This was my first year attending the Indian Market....Apparently this is the 20th year...Where I've been all this time, I don't know...I was privileged enough to hear Brule play and I must say, they are awesome!  I bought a CD, bought some jewelry, then said "OK, don't show me any more!" :) Here's a link to one of the videos I took...The sound in no way does them any justice! And once again, I wasn't speechless...sigh... 06/23/2012

8354 Twin Pointe in Geist is for Sale Situated on a private wooded lot, this home at 8354 Twin Pointe in Geist has some of the best features you’ll find in a home.  Mr. Seller has a concrete background and was able to finish the stairs to the basement and the basement floors in a stained concrete that is stunning.  He also created a walkway to the home that is inviting and long lasting.  Mrs. Seller is a professional decorative and mural painter.  While there aren’t any rooms in the home with murals, she is offering to paint one of those rooms for the buyer AND the buyer’s agent as an incentive.  She typically paints children’s rooms but has also done doctor’s offices too.  She sent me quite a few pictures and I picked this one; let me know if you’d like to see more! This home is 3,000 ... 06/05/2012

If you're wondering whether to rent or buy in the Indianapolis area, here's some news that might help you make up your mind: Rent is on the rise. According to an article posted on 27/7 Wall Street, Indianapolis is No. 5 on a list of six major cities in which rent has increased by 10% or more in the past 12 months. Blame it on (relatively) stable housing prices during the recession and above average job growth in the past year. Information from the real estate web site Trulia shows that out of 100 metro regions, home prices in Indy had the second-smallest decline during the recession. Job growth, at 1.5% for the past year, was higher than average for most of the cities studied. So does this mean it makes more sense to buy an Indianapolis home than to rent? Maybe. If you are confident you... 05/24/2012

I keep running across different things when I'm searching information regarding "Pinterest"...It looks like it's a website the links to things you want to keep track of.  Is that the gist of this thing?  Just wondering if any of you have ever used it and what you use it for?  Is it more or less a way to book mark favorite sites and pages or does it do more than that? 05/20/2012

Blog+Irv=Blirv Share on Facebook Adventures in Real Estate: How's this for a new HGTV show? We sold a FANTASTIC Irvington house last week. Can't share all the details yet but let's just say that this place is one of the most eye-popping vintage homes in our Irvington 'hood. Cute as a button, perfect for the adorable new owners, incredible design inside and out, and a fantastic price. In fact, we love it so much, we would buy it ourselves if we could. Which is exactly what Jamie told the buyers: If you don't buy this house, I will. OK, so it wasn't a serious threat, but it was certainly an earnest expression of how much we loved the house. Do we need another house? No. But it got me thinking that this could be the basis for a new show on HGTV.  As you may know, Jamie and I are HGTV addic... 05/11/2012

What does a median square footage of 1940 square feet and a median list price of  $133,000 get you? A top spot on the list of 10 Most Affordable Cities to Buy a Home! Indianapolis came in at No. 4 on the list, which was released by 24/7 Wall St. using statistics from Realtor.com.  According to the article, "These low costs, along with better-than-average unemployment, have led to some increased interest in the city’s real estate. Median list prices climbed 6.4% in the past recorded year, and inventory fell by more than 18% over the same period."  San Francisco, not surprisingly, topped the list of Least Affordable Cities to Buy a Home. The median square footage of a home in San Fransisco is a cramped 1423, and the median list price is a whopping $611,700. That's $420.99 per square foot!... 04/19/2012

Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) or Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) - How it works For those of you purchasing a home with either an Insured Conventional or FHA loan, you're going to be paying a premium for mortgage insurance. Why?  Because the lenders want protection in case you default on your shiny new loan.  I just learned today that PMI on an Insured Conventional loan doesn't exactly work as advertised.  As a result, I wanted to pass on this information to you. How can you avoid having to pay PMI or an MIP?  Put 20% down on the property, then you won't have to worry about paying the extra fee for mortgage insurance each month. The two most popular loans that require mortgage insurance are an FHA loan (MIP) and an Insured Conventional Loan (PMI) MIP on an FHA loan works in the foll... 04/04/2012

April2,2012Thisweek's HOUSEWE'RECRAZYABOUT Best. Rehab. Ever. Under 90K, two bedrooms, built in the 50s and sleekly renovated from top to bottom. The street is remarkably quiet, surrounded by pretty homes and the backyard is HUGE and mostly fenced in. perfect for starters, downsizers, anyone who appreciates a compact house with true utility and style. From the outside, it's a plain Jane. (In fact, we're not even showing a picture of it here because we're convinced you'll take a look and think: meh --in fact, it is classic mid-century modern.) But inside? Va-va-va-voom! Text or call us to see it in person. (812) 361-8302 Check it out. * *This home is marketed with permission from the listing agent. 04/02/2012

I'm in Indianapolis IN for a Housemaster regional meeting and, of course, talking about the FHA 203k loan program, what else? Alan Peterson, a HouseMaster franchisee has recently become the "go to guy" in this area. He is  a very knowledgeable home and we are happy to let you know that he has done a few 203 projects and has been providing in-house training to Realtor associations and real estate office.  If you need to learn more about the 203k lending process, need us to suggest a good lender, or contractor please feel free to contact Alan.  It pleases me so to see another home inspector see the potential for the program and take off in an area that clearly is needed here in the Mid-West. As you already know we also provide this in-house training all over CA, SC, NC, FL, TX, CO, OR, So... 03/12/2012

Negative Equity in the U.S. I admit to being ONE who has Negative Equity.  As a Realtor, my whole life has centered around real estate.  I sell real estate, I invest in real estate, and I BELIEVE in Real Estate as an investment.  Although, I have lost $1,000,000 in equity, I still believe in Real Estate investments.  The problem is those of us who were just going along buying and selling in the past, got caught with our "britches" down.  Some of us were lucky enough or smart enough to not "leverage".  Some of us with 50% equity have still lost any leveraging power, because the value is just not there.  I could still be a buyer in today's market, but with creative financing.  Now is a good time for some of us to begin buying again.  But you have to have the cash to do it.  Only this tim... 03/08/2012