See my response to a buyer who thought it was best to work with listing agents to get the best deal.

You really need to find an expert buyer agent to help you with your search.  Remember that a buyer agent is free of costs for the buyer and represents the buyers interests and not the sellers. 

A couple quick questions I tell my friends to ask themselves is " who does the listing agent really represent?" The answer is the seller. "whose interests do they share."  The seller.

Remember, their goal to the seller is to get them the best terms and highest price. Contractually they cannot give a buyer advise on a home they represent (List).

I would advise any friend in any state that its important to have a really good buyer agent that understands what they are looking for in a home and that can represent and negotiate for better terms and interests.  Plus it reduces the buyers risk substantially and many buyer agents are better at negotiating terms because that is what they do for a living. 

Most buyers don't realize that reaching a price is only the first point in the process. Someone needs to understand how to negotiate an inspection response, help out with appraisal and financing issues, schedule walkthroughs, responses, review closing statements, and access to professionals such as inspectors, lenders, contractors, etc.  These situations can get difficult when the list agent is also the buyer agent.

It scares me to know that many buyers are out there and don't know how the process works and how complicated it can be. After all a home is a very major purchase.

Home For Sale & Available for Quick Move-In in Carmel, Indiana!

How to prepare your home for the cold weather that is about to hit the Indianapolis area?

We are expecting the coldest weather we have faced in over 20 years Sunday night through Tuesday night with wind chill temperatures of up to -40 degrees. Please read the information below to assist you in preparing your heating and plumbing for this extreme weather.

1. Set your thermostat a few degrees higher to build up some warmth BEFORE the extreme temperature arrives. You can expect your furnace to run constantly until the outside temperature returns to a seasonal average.
2. Your furnace is designed to keep your home comfortably warm for average weather conditions. The extreme weather that we are expecting will cause your furnace to work its hardest. It may not keep your inside temperature to the set-point because of the huge temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. You may need to put on a few more layers until the extreme weather is over. (Layering covers on your bed will keep you warmer at night also.)
3. For Heat Pumps: Please do NOT switch your thermostat to the Emergency Heat setting. It will turn off the outdoor unit and provide less heat.
4. Shut the registers in unused rooms only if they do not have plumbing. Close the doors to those rooms also.
5. Close the dampers on your fireplace only if it is NOT in use.
6. Use towels at the base of your outside doors to lessen the entry of cold air.
7. Keep your garage door closed.
8. If you have plumbing in the garage, provide heat to that area if possible.
9. Close your crawlspace vents and access holes.
10. Open cabinet doors for all plumbing fixtures located on the outside wall.
11. Leave the water running in a small stream when plumbing fixtures are located on an outside wall. NOTE: If you are leaving for an extended period of time, turn the water off to your home and shut off the power supply to the water heater.
12. If your washer is located on an outside wall, add a small amount of anti-freeze to the trap and monitor it while in use during this extreme cold.
13. Locate your water shut-off valve now in case you experience a burst pipe.

*Reminders are Courtesy of Williams Comfort Air in Carmel, IN