Sears Catalog Homes Update
By · CommentsSears Catalog Home in the South Broad Ripple Area: 5150 Guilford Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46205
We were recently contacted by homeowner, Danielle Rich, who read our blog on Sears Catalog Homes. She has just purchased it and is now in the process of remodeling the home. She believes it is a Sears “Hazelton” floor plan from 1915.
http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-bungalowplan-s-172-hazelton.htm
Click the link below to see our previous blog post about Sears Catalog Homes. http://dreamhomecompany.com/blog/2010/08/29/searching-for-a-sears-catalog-home/
Central Indiana Housing Summit 2012
By · CommentsCelebrating Mibor’s 100th anniversary, Realtors gathered at the Convention Center on Tuesday, March 14th to discuss current issues impacting the region. Topics covered included the Superbowl, public schools, public transportation, as well as the future of Central Indiana and it’s roll in the Midwest. We enjoyed a brief skit featuring past presidents of Mibor, Pat Williams and Larry Mitchell. The summit concluded with a presentation of three finalists of the HoosierLove.com competition. Contestants submitted brief videos explaining why they loved Central Indiana. Congratulations Jonathan Frey.
| 90-day stats for Single Family properties in INDIANAPOLIS, IN as of May 11, 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Median List Price: | $112,718 | Average List Price: | $151,715 |
| Total Inventory: | 4,685 | Price per Square Foot: | $61 |
| Average Home Size: | 1,854 | Median Lot Size: | 8,712 |
| Average # Beds: | 3.16 | Average # Baths: | 2.03 |
| Homes Absorbed: | 306 | Newly Listed: | 331 |
| Days on Market: | 193 | Average Age: | 46 |
| 90-day stats for Condo properties in INDIANAPOLIS, IN as of May 11, 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Median List Price: | $109,409 | Average List Price: | $171,493 |
| Total Inventory: | 823 | Price per Square Foot: | $74 |
| Average Home Size: | 1,491 | Median Lot Size: | n/a |
| Average # Beds: | 2.22 | Average # Baths: | 2.04 |
| Homes Absorbed: | 35 | Newly Listed: | 36 |
| Days on Market: | 277 | Average Age: | 26 |
Going Paperless: A Love Story
By · CommentsWeb-based software for real estate transaction management has changed the way our office does business. After getting over the initial transition hump we’ve seen incredible benefits in our day-to-day processes. Going paperless has made it cheaper and easier to run our office digitally.
There are many reasons why our Dream Home Company agents love our online real estate transaction management. Here are just a few…
Less Trips To The Office
On a late evening appointment and forgot a document at the office? No problem. Our agents used to have to swing into the office and dig through filing cabinets. Now they can simply grab their laptop and access any document they need.
Emailing Documents Made Simple
Getting documents to clients and all the third-parties involved in a real estate transaction has never been easier. No more scanning documents or fighting the fax machine. Our system is all digital, making emailing anyone who needs documents a breeze.
Improved Customer Service
Having quick access to documents and transaction information allows our agents to help buyers and sellers wherever they are. This gives both our agents and clients better flexibility while being able to get even more accomplished.
Closing is a Snap
We’ve all done it – even the best of us have forgotten to bring important documents to a closing at one time or another. Those days are over. With everything being digital, documents are no longer forgotten. This allows our agents to make closings as simple and easy as possible.
Win-Win
If you’re in the market for a real estate agent, you’ll be impressed by how smooth our paperless system makes transactions. This allows our agents to focus on what’s important – helping you buy or sell a home. If you’re an agent thinking about a change, contact us here at The Dream Home Company and we’d be happy to show you more about our paperless system.
| 90-day stats for Single Family properties in INDIANAPOLIS, IN as of May 11, 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Median List Price: | $112,718 | Average List Price: | $151,715 |
| Total Inventory: | 4,685 | Price per Square Foot: | $61 |
| Average Home Size: | 1,854 | Median Lot Size: | 8,712 |
| Average # Beds: | 3.16 | Average # Baths: | 2.03 |
| Homes Absorbed: | 306 | Newly Listed: | 331 |
| Days on Market: | 193 | Average Age: | 46 |
| 90-day stats for Condo properties in INDIANAPOLIS, IN as of May 11, 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Median List Price: | $109,409 | Average List Price: | $171,493 |
| Total Inventory: | 823 | Price per Square Foot: | $74 |
| Average Home Size: | 1,491 | Median Lot Size: | n/a |
| Average # Beds: | 2.22 | Average # Baths: | 2.04 |
| Homes Absorbed: | 35 | Newly Listed: | 36 |
| Days on Market: | 277 | Average Age: | 26 |
Make Your Own Organic Fruit Wash
By · Comments
How clean are the fruits and vegetables you eat? Unless you pick your food straight from the farm, your food is likely more dirty than you think.
In addition to pesticide treatment made while food is still “on the vine”, fruits and vegetables you buy at a grocery are often coated in wax to preserve their “shelf life”; and you can never know how much dirt your food has rolled in.
Even organic foods are handled multiple times on the way to the grocery store. They may be pesticide-free, but they’re not dirt-free or free from human handling.
This is why we wash fruits and vegetables before consumption — to wash off dirt. But, there are extra precautions you can take to make sure your food is truly “clean”.
One such method is to use a make-it-yourself, organic fruit wash. The recipe is basic and simple. All you need is a large, lidded pitcher for mixing, some everyday foods, and a spray bottle.
- In the large pitcher, pour 1 cup of water, 1 cup of white vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
- Add 25 drops of grapefruit seed extract. If you can’t find this at your local grocery, check with a natural food store or specialty store.
- Mix ingredients in the pitcher, and pour into a spray bottle
That’s it.
Then, when you’re ready to clean fruits and vegetables, use your homemade spray wash and coat the food liberally. Let the food stand for 5 minutes, then rinse the spray wash from the food in the sink.
Expect dirt to roll off fruit and vegetables surfaces and for the spray’s vinegar component to neutralize pesticides. You’ll be left with cleaner, healthier natural foods.
To make the fruit wash should take less than 5 minutes. Each batch should last one month, depending on the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume.
Housing Starts Stay Strong; Building Permits Rise.
By · Comments
The housing market has carried forward its year-end momentum.
According to the Census Bureau, on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, January’s Single-Family Housing Starts crossed the half-million unit marker for the second straight month.
This hasn’t happened in close to 2 years and is the latest in a series of strong data that suggests the beleaguered housing market has turned a corner — both nationally and locally in central Indiana.
Although single-family starts slipped 1 percent from December, January’s annualized 508,000 figure represents a 16% spike from January 2011 and is the second-highest reading since April 2010 — the last month of 2010′s federal home buyer tax credit program.
A “housing start” is a new home on which construction has started.
The strength of January’s Housing Starts data surprised Wall Street analysts and is partially responsible for Thursday’s unexpected mortgage rate spike.
In hindsight, though, we should have seen this coming.
Earlier in the week, the National Association of Homebuilders announced that homebuilder confidence had climbed to its highest point since 2007 amid builder reports of rising sales volume and the most foot traffic from buyers in more than 4 years.
In addition, builders expect to sell more homes in 2012 than in 2011.
Builders are building and buyers are buying.
Meanwhile, as another sign of housing market strength, the Census Bureau reports that, in January, Building Permits moved to a multi-year high as well. Permits issued for single-family homes in January rose 1 percent from December, a statistic that suggests housing will continue its run through the spring season, at least.
86 percent of homes break ground within one month of permit issuance.
It’s a good time to be a home buyer. Mortgage rates and home prices are low. Housing market momentum, however, is building. If you’re on the fence about whether to buy a home in Irvington , ask your real estate agent for additional market information.
The cost of home-ownership may never be as low as it is today.
Homebuilder Confidence Returns To Pre-Recession Levels
By · Comments
New construction buyers in central Indiana, look out. The nation’s home builders are predicting a strong 2012 for new home sales. It may mean higher home prices as the spring buying season approaches.
For the sixth straight month, the National Association of Homebuilders reports that homebuilder confidence is on the rise. The Housing Market Index climbed four points to 29 in February, the index’s highest reading since May 2007.
The Housing Market Index is now up 8 points in 8 weeks. The last time that happened was June 2003, a month during which the U.S. economy was regaining its footing, much like this month. It’s noteworthy that June 2003 marked the start of a 4-year bull run in the stock market that took equities up 54%.
The NAHB’s Housing Market Index itself is actually a composite reading. It’s the end-result of three separate surveys sent to home builders monthly.
The association’s questions are basic :
- How are market conditions for the sale of new homes today?
- How are market conditions for the sale of new homes in 6 months?
- How is prospective buyer foot traffic?
In February, builders reported marked improvement across all three areas. Builders report that current home sales climbed 5 points; that sales expectations for the next 6 months climbed 5 points; and that buyer foot traffic climbed 1 point.
Most notable of all of the statistics, though, is that the nation’s home builders report that there are now twice as many buyers setting foot inside model units as compared to just 6 months ago.
This data is supported by the monthly New Home Sales report which shows rising sales and a shrinking new home inventory.
Because of this, today’s new home buyers throughout Indiana should expect fewer concessions from builders at the time of contract including fewer price breaks on a home and fewer free upgrades. Builders are optimistic for the future and, therefore, may be less willing to “make a deal”.
This spring may mark the best time of year to buy a new home. 60 days forward, it may be too late.
The U.S. economy continues to show signs of a rebound.
According to the Census Bureau, Retail Sales climbed to $329 billion last month on a seasonally-adjusted basis, excluding automobiles. January’s data marks the 18th time in 19 months that Retail Sales rose, a run that’s increased total sales receipts by 11 percent.
This is big news because Retail Sales accounts for close to 70% of the U.S. economy.
In addition, consumer confidence is rising.
In a separate, joint report from the University of Michigan and Thompson Reuters, it was shown that consumer attitudes toward the economy and the future are improving, primarily the result of recent job gains.
The Survey of Consumers posted its highest value in 12 months.
It is not a coincidence that Retail Sales and consumer confidence both made multi-month highs — the readings are more than loosely linked. As consumers feel more confident about the economy and their personal prospects for the future, they’re more likely to spend money on goods and services, which leads to an increase in consumer spending.
For the housing market, the ramifications are two-fold.
First, from the financing side, an expanding economy is linked to rising mortgage rates. This is because Wall Street tends to chase risk in a growth economy and the bond market offers little in the way of risk. As demand for bonds drops, then, mortgage rates rise throughout Indiana.
Second, rising consumer confidence can lead Indianapolis home values higher, too.
Confident consumers are more likely than fearful ones to become home buyers. They’re more likely to stop renting and start buying; more likely to list their home and “move-up” to something bigger; more likely to “take the next step”.
So, as more buyers enter the market at a time when the national home supply is shrinking, the supply-demand balance in housing is shifting toward the sellers. This creates price pressures and should lead to higher home valuations in neighborhoods like Broad Ripple.
If you have plans to buy a home in 2012, the best time to buy may be now. Today’s mortgage rates are low and so are the home prices — a combination that’s unlikely to last.
Indianapolis Area Real Estate Market Update
By · Comments| 90-day stats for Single Family properties in INDIANAPOLIS, IN as of May 11, 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Median List Price: | $112,718 | Average List Price: | $151,715 |
| Total Inventory: | 4,685 | Price per Square Foot: | $61 |
| Average Home Size: | 1,854 | Median Lot Size: | 8,712 |
| Average # Beds: | 3.16 | Average # Baths: | 2.03 |
| Homes Absorbed: | 306 | Newly Listed: | 331 |
| Days on Market: | 193 | Average Age: | 46 |
| 90-day stats for Condo properties in INDIANAPOLIS, IN as of May 11, 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Median List Price: | $109,409 | Average List Price: | $171,493 |
| Total Inventory: | 823 | Price per Square Foot: | $74 |
| Average Home Size: | 1,491 | Median Lot Size: | n/a |
| Average # Beds: | 2.22 | Average # Baths: | 2.04 |
| Homes Absorbed: | 35 | Newly Listed: | 36 |
| Days on Market: | 277 | Average Age: | 26 |
