Hamilton County Deduction Filing Locations Closing!

2014/15 Indiana University Basketball Schedule

Why is it a good idea to sell now rather than wait until Spring?

Here are some really good reasons why people should list their home now rather than to wait for the spring:

1. There isn't any competition because everyone waits until spring to list it.  Sellers are usually happy to win by default.

2. There is more competition and lots of great looking homes available in the spring which means all sellers better bring their A game or lower the price.

3.  How much is it costing the owner each month not to sell in their current situation. Sometimes they need help reducing it to the ridiculous and seeing the advantage whether it's financial or emotional.

4.  It usually will free up their home search sooner because their house is sold so they can get get a better value on the buy side.

We call them Untrulia not Trulia

Have you ever been searching for homes and stumbled upon Trulia or Zillow? The answer for about 90% of you is probably yes. 

Why is that? They are just so easy to find or it was the first thing that popped up in my search or app. It scares real estate professionals that buyers and sellers seem to be more interested in speed than accuracy now days.  We see them lose money on transactions and over pay for homes just because they used websites like Trulia.

Keep in mind that the most accurate way to search for homes or get sold data is with your local MLS or in Indianapolis the BLC. They accumulate the data straight from the agents that work every day out of that active and sold database.  The agents have regulations placed on the data input to make sure it is accurate and consistent from property to property.

 

It is ultimately the most accurate database, where as the Trulias and Zillows of the world pull the information from government entities and some unregulated entities. We all know how accurate those can be right:)

I urge my clients to use the tools that the BLC/MLS or I provide to ensure you get accurate data. A home is the biggest investment in most peoples lives and you as the customer deserve better information. #Untrulia

Indianapolis Housing Market Update - October 22nd, 2014

Check out a summary of the Housing Market Sent to me by the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors (10/22/2014):

Local Market Review: September Data Show Sales Breakthrough
Housing data released by MIBOR today shows gains in all monthly metrics with closed sales increasing by 13.1 percent in September – the first monthly gain of 2014. The one month increase did not erase the negative slide in closed sales but helped to close the gap. Closed sales for the three months ending in September was down just 0.5 percent. Sales prices remain strong. The Median Sales Price increased 2.9 percent to $144,000 in the quarter ending in September compared to the same quarter last year and grew 5.1 percent in September only data to $141,900 compared to September 2014.




National Market Review: Existing Home Sales Rise in September
Today the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) announced total existing home sales rose 2.4 percent in September from August. This follows a modest decline last month. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun credits the increase to low interest rates and less investor activity.

My Most Recent Review on Zillow

My client from my most recent closing just reviewed me on #Zillow http://u.zillow.com/w4FuX/

My clients sold and closed on another home in Fishers

Check out this "Home Sweet Home" Advertisement from Coldwell Banker

House Hunters HGTV Show visits Indianapolis with John Long, REALTOR - Show airs in Indy on September2nd at 10PM on HGTV

Be sure to tune in to HGTV on Tuesday, September 2nd at 10PM to see John Long, real estate agent and his clients, Cory and Gavyn tour Indianapolis and choose between three different homes. Which one will they choose? See if you recognize any of the neighborhoods.

The House Hunters Indianapolis Episode on HGTV airs on September 2nd at 10PM

See my clients and I on HGTVs House Hunters Indianapolis Episode on September 2nd at 10PM.

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY, AUG 24th from 2-4PM in Meadow Brook Village (11955 Sellerton Drive, Fishers, IN)

THIS HOME WAS JUST REDUCED TO $274,900 for the OPEN HOUSE TOMORROW!!! WE NEED TO SELL IT QUICKLY AND THIS IS A STEAL FOR A HOME THIS NICE IN FISHERS. FULL FINISHED BASEMENT WITH BUILT IN BAR, UPGRADED EVERYWHERE ON THE MAIN LEVEL AND LARGE PATIO. WOW!!!

Geist Home Preview in Masthead for just $388k and HSE Schools

New Home For Sale in Geist area (MASTHEAD neighborhood) Great Value & Complete Remodel!

Take a tour of this amazing Geist home for sale in Masthead. It features Fihers / HSE School System, fully fenced backyard, updated kitchen, all bathrooms, new appliances, slate and hardwood floors, stamped concrete patio, 11 ft long stacked concrete bar, fire pit, screened porch and more. Contact John Long to schedule a showing at (317) 750-9698 or john.long@coldwellbanker.com.

What's wrong with Trulia? - Real Estate is Best at a Local Level

There has been a lot of talk lately amongst agents and clients about Trulia. They were just purchased by Zillow and they will some day take over the real estate industry because the consumer demands information and an efficient system, bla, bla bla bla bla. Maybe not after today's Trulia mishap.

Random Quick Statement: The only way information will be accurate is at the local level.

Back to my Point on Trulia:

Trulia launched a new "agent profile" where clients can rate agents. Agents like myself click on the link to see all of our recommendations. I even took a look at my own today. I had ten recommendations and only two had attempted to give a "star rating" for some reason. Then I reviewed them.

The review said "John Long did a awesome job in selling our home. Thanks John for all your hard work and efforts, it was appreciated." Beside that same rating it only had one star. How could that be? Well, I called Trulia and they admitted that it was an error, but couldn't fix it without my client logging back into her profile and changing it. How annoying would that be for your agent to have to call you to fix something that was correct before prior to some third party nerds messing it up with a new system.

Why would just one rating set me off....Because there were only two to create an average off of. As an agent we don't want a low average rating, especially when the customer meant to rate an agent highly.

The experience of the phone call: It took several phone calls, I was put on hold, transferred a couple times, and the representatives that I chatted with were snippy, and they really just don't get the agent prospective. Keep in mind this is a company that I currently pay hundreds of dollars per month to advertise certain zip codes. They should treat me a little better than that.

My question is this, if Trulia can make errors that are damaging to agents reputations & businesses and can't correct it to be accurate, then why would I as an agent pay them each month to provide me with a service that is disruptive and inconvenient to my business?

My suggestion to agents who share these concerns is this......These companies look great on paper, but here is why I choose not to invest in them. Realtors are the ones that keep them in business. If they damage our real estate business and reputation, then we will penalize them for it. With system changes like this that damage our business we will eventually pull our advertising from these websites. When that happens they will sink.

I'm proposing the following to sink the ships like Trulia and Zillow. This is a very simple solution that hasn't been discussed much in the news lately....It should be quick and simple too......are you ready.....

1. Have your board of Realtors cut off the IDX agreements with them. That is where most of the info comes from and guess who works hard for all the pics, descriptions, room sizes, etc???? You are right...It's the agents.

People in our industry say, "Realtors will never stick together and Zillow and Trulia are just too big with too much money." I say, they might have a lot of money, but we are the gatekeepers of the information and real estate will and has always been best at a local level.

Even if you do not want to rock the boat, the boat needs to be rocked because these websites are damaging to our customers and to our personal business. As an agent, our reputation is our biggest asset. We work hard day and night to protect that reputation. I will not let some nerd that can't figure out the problem with his website to interfere with my hard earned business.

If anyone actually read my horribly written blog, just remember that when it comes to these big websites, we the agents and board of realtors need to step up and enforce accuracy or cut it off and separate it from our profession. Customers should be given accurate and dependable info and it simply cannot happen on a macro level.

I vote to cut them off and legitimize accurate real estate once again. Real Estate has and always will be best at a LOCAL LEVEL.

House Hunters Indianapolis Update

As many of you may already know that the HGTV Show "House Hunters" was filmed in Indianapolis in February/March of 2014. My clients and I were featured in that episode and travel both downtown Indianapolis and the Indy suburbs to find them a new home.

We do not yet have an air date but please feel free to check the programming guide on the HGVT.com website. Let me know if you see it scheduled anywhere as I will also check. We are also looking for some ideas as to where we might host a viewing party on the north side of Indy. 

Please share any ideas for a viewing party location. We are guesstimating a fall air date but nothing solid yet. Thanks again, JL

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY with MEGA DEAL in Carmel, IN for just $439,900! Original list price was $520,000.

Advice for those Building New Construction with a Local Custom Builder

Here is some simple advice on the "not so simple" issue of building a new home with a local custom builder. 


Many future homeowners dream of building a new custom home for their family. They are seeking a higher quality craftsmanship and one of a kind design.  They might even want their floor plan and exterior to look different than their neighbors.  They also want a neighborhood that looks unique.  You get to make changes, custom floor plans, major structural changes, color selections, select the major brands of fixtures, lighting, appliances, cabinetry, and more.  Really, building custom seems fantastic with all the choices and flexibility doesn't it?  


Remember, there is a price for everything.  In this example, I'm not talking about the actual price of the home, although it will likely be much higher.  I'm talking about the price that we pay for being able to build with a local homebuilder.  Yes, the price of the home will typically be higher, the process will take longer, there will be more tough decisions, and you will most likely have to get a CONSTRUCTIO LOAN or FINANCE THE CONSTRUCTION of the home yourself.


So, what's really so bad about financing my own construction right?  Well, my advice is this.....GET REPRESENTATION before you decide on a custom builder.  It's always best to GET REPRESENTATION before you start the looking, buying or selling process.  In other words....YOU NEED A REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL to help you negotiate your way through the process. 


WHY WOULD I NEED AN AGENT?  You don't just need an agent...You need a VERY GOOD AGENT, who knows the builders and developers in your market.  They will steer you clear of builders with bad reputations or poor finances. 


SIDE NOTE:
Want to hear something really ironic?  I sold new construction for several years and now I help people as a managing real estate broker protect their liability when they build with them.  When I sold new construction I was always amazed at how many buyers didn't have any representation.  It made our job much easier when there was an issue, but I always felt bad for the client.


Basically, the builder calls the shots and if the client doesn't agree then too bad.  With an agent in the mix, the builder often doesn't want to get a bad reputation with the agents who builders often consider "gate keepers" to more buyers.  As agents say, make one of us mad and it will spread through the entire office.  At the builder we would always take this into consideration before making any decisions on major issues.


QUESTION 1 on NEGOTIATIONS:
An important ingredient to any negotiation is "How much does the other side stand to lose."  So does builder A stand more to lose with client x without an agent or client y with an agent (backed by an entire office of agents with more potential builder clients)?




BACK TO THE READING:
Just remember this.....There is risk anytime you finance the construction of your home.  What happens if the builder does not pay the subcontractors as we saw in the late 2000's in our local market?  Often the subcontractors place liens on the properties and when the builder files for bankruptcy the person building is faced with huge liens on their property before they have even moved in.  Yes, there is definitely some risk with building a custom home with a local homebuilder.  Make sure your real estate professional knows the company before you get under contract and read your contracts thoroughly. 


I recently had a client who ran across a local homebuilder.  The contract specified his remedies if the buyer defaults but did not list the buyers remedies if the builder, subcontractors or builders service provider defaults on their contract.  Why do you think that is?  It's because the builder is protecting themselves and not the buyer. 


This is a perfect example of why a very solid real estate professional needs to be representing their clients throughout the entire process.  Plus it's free in most markets for buyers to get representation so why would they not.  My last bit of advice is this....If the builder tells you it's better or cheaper not to have a real estate agent represent you, walk away. 


It's like going to court without an attorney.  Who does the builder represent?.....The seller.  Who represents a buyer?......A real estate professional.  Again, it's been my experience since the early 2000's that everyone should have a real estate agent present during the building process.


This is where an agent can help you through the building process:  contract negotiations, verbiage negotiations, financing, structural options, re-sale advice, design center options, contract disputes, inspections, inspection responses, closings, pre-drywall walkthrough, final walkthrough prior to closing, previewing closing statements, closing, after closing, and with warranty issues.


Thanks for reading!






 

Home closed in Westfield, Indiana on 3 acres of land!

Congrats to my awesome clients for closing on this great property in Westfield on 3 acres. 

Received Five Star Professional Real Estate Agent Award!

I would like to thank my clients and friends for nominating me and scoring my customer service through real estate transactions in the top 7% of all real estate professionals in the Indianapolis Metro Area.  Also, I owe a  thank you to Jeff from Five Star for just calling to let me know.  For those of you who have an interest, they post the award winners in the May Issue of the Indianapolis Monthly Magazine.  Thanks again to all!

Former Model Home in Carmel, Indiana for sale for only $489,900 reduced from $520,000! Schedule a showing today!

10609 Morningtide Circle, Fishers, Indiana - Home For Sale for $459,900 - OPEN HOUSE - SUNDAY, APRIL 13th 12-5PM!

Former Model Home in Carmel (Lincolnshire Neighborhood) For Sale!

Homes with a Realtor sold for 25% more!

8170 Crumwell Drive, Avon, IN - Leased this weekend!

10609 Morningtide Circle, Fishers, IN 46038 - Anderson Hall Neighborhood

New Listing in Fishers with Master Suite on Main Level for $459,900!

What is your home worth? Go to Zillow? (Zestimates can hurt the market & cost you money)

Would you like to know what your home is worth without having to contact your real estate professional? Just go to Zillow.com and see what your home is worth right???? Not exactly! As a real estate professional, we spend years learning the art of evaluating a property and giving advice to customers to show them what it will take to sell their home. Because of the "I want it now" mentality of consumers (myself included), many are turning to websites like Zillow to get their home values. It would be fantastic if websites like Zillow could predict prices that easily and tell you what your home is worth; however, they are just simply wrong. Real estate is not just a data driven business. It is a "FEEL" business. You can't put a value on the "Feel" that people will have when they walk through a home and decide whether they want to raise their family there. Ever heard of professional stagers and interior decorators. People that use these services often get more value for their homes. You can't put it into data. It just is what it is. Today I had a customer ask me why their home was not on Zillow. It was there a couple of weeks ago. Now it's not, and it's not sold yet either. So I went to Zillow where they randomly decide for no apparent reason when to remove or add listings. They also try to sell me advertising to get my listings back on their website where people will find it first. Go figure.... Anyways, I manually uploaded everything into their system. When I did this the "Zestimate" came up and estimated that the property was worth $60k less than the actual price. I decided to look my own personal home up and it had had it estimated for much less than I paid for it and much less than it's true value. What if I was trying to sell my home? This inaccurate information could destroy my property value. Nice...So the next time we have buyers, they will think our homes are worth less than what we actually paid for them. This hurts clients at re-sale time. As an agent we also see this hurt clients who think their home is worth more than what it is. Now people inflate their listing prices and wonder why they can't sell their homes. I bet it's just a bad Realtor right? My only advice is to stay away from websites and apps like ZILLOW. They are an unfair estimate of value. A better way to calculate an estimate would be to put prices on a dart board and start throwing. When two darts land on the same number, that is the true value. Well maybe not. On a serious note....just call a solid real estate professional. It will save you time and money!

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