Hiring the right agent is an essential part of getting your home sold. Yet, finding the right agent can be a difficult process, particularly if you have never worked with a real estate agent in the past. Whether dealing with Austin real estate or a home in Fishers, asking the right questions is essential to ensure you get the right agent to meet your needs. To that end, here is a look at some of the most important questions you should ask when interviewing potential real estate agents.

How Many Years Have You Worked as a Real Estate Agent?

While a new real estate agent could potentially serve you very well, you will generally enjoy better results if you hire someone who has several years of experience. Even better, the agent should have experience buying...

After taking out a mortgage loan to purchase a home, you will be provided with a dollar figure that you must pay each month in order to repay your loan. Whether interested in Bethesda condos or a home in Indianapolis, it is helpful to have a clear understanding of what is included in your monthly mortgage payment before you start searching for a home.

This way, there will be no surprises when you sit down with the lender and negotiate a mortgage loan.

Principle

A portion of your monthly mortgage payment will go toward paying on the principle amount of your loan. The principle is the amount of money that you originally borrowed. If you make late payments or incur any other additional fees, these amounts will also be added to your principal balance. If...

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 at Bridgewater...

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 Bowl Village...

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 1/29

Super...

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 programs have slowed...

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 is finished with a...

       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, THE CHILDREN’S...

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 changes at the homestead. Even in...

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 take time to examine all their options....

                          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 YMCA locations.  (hours...

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 on in June of this year. He found out about...

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.

When I first read about Missy's son, Jamie,...

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 on a report and send it to your loan offer to add to your...

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 tradition in Indy!  We pile our crew in the car with snacks...

                     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

12/12 Monday is the last day for your little darlings...

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 foreclosure homes in Indianapolis. We’ve seen...

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 you. But for this particular holiday, my favorite scents have to be orange,...

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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 pictures online, unless you are selling for a steal. I’m not talking...