Reserve at Bridgewater

The beautiful home in Reserve at Bridgewater is situated on a magnificent lot with mature trees and open green space in one of Avon Indiana's favorite neighborhoods. From the moment you view the estately home you'll find plenty of reasons to want to kick off your shoes and make it home. Situated on a corner lot with a wrap-around porch, you'll spend many summer evenings relaxing here. 

The neighborhood was built by Drees homes between 1998 - 2003 and consist mostly of two story homes with over 3000 square foot of living space on large lots of gently rolling hills. Most homes in Reserve...

Super Bowl XLVI will kickoff in just a matter of days.  The anticipation and excitement is palpable everywhere you go, especially downtown Indianapolis!  Take some time this week to do the Super Bowl Shuffle out of your normal routine and into the events surrounding this piece of sports history!    

Super Bowl Village will continue all week in downtown Indianapolis!  Free concerts, zip-lines, the famous Roman numeral statue, the NFL Experience and more abound.  

More information about Super Bowl Village here.

Check out the Map of Super...

SUPER BOWL XLVI in Indianapolis

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you should know that Indianapolis will be the host city of Super Bowl XLVI (46). On Sunday, February 5, 2012 Lucas Oil Stadium will be filled to the brim with eager fans cheering on the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. This is the first time Indianapolis has ever hosted a Super Bowl and we couldn’t be more excited! A plethora of fanfare surrounding this epic event awaits all Central Indiana football fans. Even if you don’t love football, you will love all of the happenings around town leading up to the big game.

GET YOUR SUPER BOWL XLVI OFFICIAL VISITORS GUIDE HERE

SUPER BOWL HAPPENINGS THIS WEEK ~ MONDAY 1/23 – SUNDAY...

Stimulus  - something that rouses or incites to activity: as a : incentive b : stimulant

The first time homebuyer credit (stimulus package) offered in 2008-2010 was yet another obstacle to the long term stabilization of the real estate market. As confirmed by the definition of the word stimulus, it was a plan to incentivize and stimulate a down market  - to rouse or incite activity and that it did. The goal was accomplished, even if for the short term. I often wonder, does the government have a long term goal for stabilization or just a bunch of short term incentives? That's a topic for another day.

Granted, I know it's not an easy fix, but have long beleived the never ending changes and...

The condos at Grant Park in the Parks at Prestwick community in Avon Indiana are now for sale!

*Grant Park is a maintenace free community of attached patio homes. Neighborhood amenities include a pool, park, playground, basketball, walking trails and a nature area. 

Five beautifully upgraded model homes are ready for move-in and eight additional homes can be purchased and finished the way you want.

The Model Homes:

4340 Cairo Way : This is a one and a half story home with two bedrooms and two baths on the main level. The upstairs...

       Picks of the week ~ 1/16 – 1/22/2012

After two whole weeks of keeping your New Year resolutions, reward yourself with a pleasurable outing!  Here are our top picks for Central Indiana happenings this week.  

1/16 MONDAY ~ FREE ADMISSION DAY, INDIANA HISTORY CENTER
In celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the Indiana History Center will be offering free admission, films about Dr. King’s life and the Civil Rights era and a special themed craft.   

1/16 MONDAY ~ FREE ADMISSION DAY, CONNER PRARIE
In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the park will be open to the public from 10am until 5pm, free of charge.  Bring a canned good to support Third Phase, Hamilton County.  Conner Prairie

1/16 MONDAY ~ FREE ADMISSION DAY,...

A New Year, a new broker! The Home to Indy Team is excited to announce our affiliation with Sycamore Group Associates in Carmel - Indianapolis. This move was a natural extension of our dedication to client care combined with our commitment to the use of technology in providing the highest level of real estate services our clients expect. Sycamore Group is a local brokerage with an exceptional reputation within the community. 

Changing your business address is much like changing your home address. A bit of planning made for an easy transition for both us and our clients. Just like buying a new home, we will be making some...

Buying a home is a major investment and one that should not be taken lightly. I know it’s not common to have a Realtor give you reasons why you should not own a home, but, there are times when buying a home is not the best financial decision.

Lack of Job Security or Possible Relocation.

There are costs involved in buying and selling a home that would be difficult to recoup in a short period of time. If it takes two incomes to qualify and both wage earners don’t have job security, you may want to wait to buy or look at buying a lower priced home.

If you may be relocating within a few years and don’t have the luxury of a corporate paid relocation, you should consider renting.

Major Life Changes

I see people leap before they...

                          Happy New Year!

                                              Picks of the week ~ 12/26 – 1/1/2012

Happy New Year, Central Indiana!  Has the hustle and bustle left you with nothing but torn paper, half-eaten goodies and pine needles stuck in the carpet?  Never fear, we have a cure for your after-holiday blues!  Here are our top picks to help you wrap up the old and ring in the new!  

12/26 MONDAY – 12/31 SATURDAY ~ YMCA FREE ADMISSION WEEK 

Give your new year’s resolution a jump start with free admission all week to all Greater Indianapolis, Marion County...

Earlier this month, the Occupy Movement called for a nationwide day of action called 'Occupy Our Homes.' The movement has been protesting across the entire country on foreclosure, unemployment, massive pay gaps between the highest-paid and lowest-paid in America, and more. In 25 cities, including Los Angeles, Oakland, Minneapolis, Denver, New York, Miami, Atlanta and others, hundreds of foreclosed homes were occupied by the former owners and Occupy protesters.

Occupying these foreclosed home is just the latest step taken by the Occupy Movement. It has now migrated from city parks to actual neighborhoods and their foreclosed, abandoned homes. According to RealtyTrac, one of the largest companies that track foreclosures, housing auctions and bank owned homes, approximately 1.38 million U.S. Homes are in the foreclosure process.

Art de los Santos, of Riverside, was foreclosed...

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month....Harlan Miller

Christmas is a special time of year. There's a spirit of love, kindness and giving in the hearts of men. What would it be like to capture that special spirit throughout the year? While it may seem an impossibility, I believe it is truly the sentiment behind the reason we give gifts. There are many gifts throughout my home which represent a special memory from Christmas' gone by, given from the heart of one who loves me. I treasure these gifts, but more importantly, the memories.

This year, I want to help pass on a forever gift to someone dear to me, in memory of those she loves. I am honored to participate in the Caulk Memorial Project - a gift for the Caulk Family.

You have picked the perfect home, completed the general inspection and the appraisal; you are ready to move in. Then you find out, in order for the home to qualify for an FHA loan, there are appraisal required repairs. 

Appraisal called repairs are repairs bnecessary to complete the financing of your home. This list is not comprehensive, but a few of the known defects appraisers may call.

Need A Termite Inspection? Although you will probably want a wood destroying pest inspection, you may be required to have a termite inspection. In some states, where termites are prevalent, this may be required for VA and FHA loans. A pest inspector will go the property and inspect it for any visible signs of termites. If there are no issues he will sign off...

We are on the hunt for the best decorated Holiday homes in Indianapolis  - so let us know in the comments the 'must see' Holiday homes. Next week we'll put up a map and a poll where you can vote for the best decorated home.  

The following is from a friend of mine who shares about their family tradition of finding 'the' house. The home she is talking about, shown in the video, is no longer decorated for the Holidays, so we're looking for your opinion of the best decorated home in the Indianapolis area. Send us pictures if you want; we'll post them here!

OUR FAVORITE FAMILY CHRISTMAS OUTING ~ THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE

Our favorite family...

                     Picks of the week ~ 12/12 – 12/18/11

Bundle up the kiddos and pile in the car!  There’s an unlimited number of holiday events for kids and families in Central Indiana this week.  These are just our favorite picks.  So, drop the tinsel and lights, don’t forget your mittens and stop kicking your little brother – it’s time for a family outing!  (Don’t make me stop this blog!)

12/12 MONDAY – 12/15 THURSDAY ~ SANTA’S MAILBOX

...

Most people believe buying a foreclosed bank owned home is the ticket to automatic savings on their home purchase. Although there can be substantial savings on a foreclosures, it will vary by the home, neighborhood, city and even subdivision. The greater determining factor will be the condition of the property.

Savings does not always equal value!

While there are many bank owned homes in good condition, some have been stripped of major components, like the furnace, copper, air conditioning units, hot water heaters and some have been purposely damaged by the previous owners.

I’ve definitely seen homes at opposite ends of the spectrum when showing buyers...

The holidays are quickly approaching, and if you’re hosting the party, you’re probably dizzy thinking of ideas to make it an event to remember. The holidays are so much better when children are present, so make sure you include activities to meet their ideas of fun.

My home is always bustling with activity this time of year, and I find the more bodies there are in the house, the better the holidays are.

So if it’s your first time celebrating the Christmas season at your home, here are a few tips to liven up the party:

Scents: You can’t celebrate the holidays without scents. Everyone loves the smell of candles, or even plug-in air fresheners, and the amount of different smells may amaze...

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With the surplus inventory of homes available in the average price range for most any city or town in Metro Indianapolis, how do you make your property stand out?

Today's home buyer is online, checking out your home. Times have changed and very few home buyers drive around to look at homes or attend open houses. They can find much of the information they need online. Once they have the information, they will  drive by neighborhoods or contact a real estate agent.

The #1 request I receive from online visitors, besides scheduling showings is for more pictures. We live in a society where time is valued and people just won’t drive by your house if there are not...

There is probably more controversy and misunderstanding around the subject of buying a home in the short sale process than any other type of home sale in Indianapolis. All the tales of short sales taking 6-8 months to close make buyers a bit apprehensive about tackling the process. And...rightfully so!

Although you may go weeks or possibly a month before you hear anything about the offer you submitted, I have rarely had a short sale take more than three months from contract offer to close. This is about 2-3 times as long as a traditional sale, since most sales take 30-45 days to close.

Regardless of which side of the sale you are on, time often seems to stand...

The online world of business is often tied to a companies web presence and real estate is no different. As Realtors, we are in the business of selling physical space, but often our largest business asset is the internet space we own, not an actual brick and mortar business.

Technology has changed the way people search for businesses. It is estimated 90% of people searching for a home or Realtor begin their search online. At HomeToIndy, we are expanding our search capability and our internet presence to offer home buyers and sellers more information about real estate in Indianapolis.

HomeToIndy.com has acquired the internet space and website of My317Home.com. If you came here looking for My317Home, you'll find the same great information, even though our home search is a bit different.

Real Estate Information for Indianapolis

The combination of the two sites will provide visitors and clients to HomeToIndy.com access to in-depth information about the real estate...