Oct. 26, 2022

Flip on 319 S Webster Ave

Check out our flip on 319 S Webster Avenue from earlier this year!

 

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Posted in Home Improvements
Sept. 23, 2022

Flip on 3420 N Tiffany

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Posted in Home Improvements
Sept. 2, 2022

1226 Rowin House Flip

Here's some pictures of one of our recent flips on 1226 Rowin, Indianapolis, IN. 

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Posted in Home Improvements
July 18, 2022

Explaining The Marketing Normalization

We have 30-40% less buyers than 3-4 months ago due to rates. Our inventory has quadrupled, and we are seeing the march toward a normal market.

Before Covid, we had approximately 3500-4000 homes on the market in both Marion and surrounding Counties. When Covid hit, most people paused their moving plans, and buyer demand increased either because of exiting big cities, or after spending much time at home they made babies (need more room), decided they did not like their spouse and because everyone was indoors it was more evident (need less room or a second house), or wanted work space because they are now working from home so they needed a home with an office or two. Additionally many potential sellers did not want people in their home.

Now, enter high rates and inflation. Two huge drivers…Less buyers are qualified due to the average mortgage rate doubling and average payment going up $1000 a month. Add to that gas, grocery and already inflated prices, and its obvious that the affordability is a huge issue now. At 3% rates inflation was not noticed as much.

So to sellers, I cannot stress enough that this is not going away. The best time to sell was 3 months ago, the next best time is now. If more homes come on and rates go up, you will net less. Never before has good marketing been more important.

For buyers, now is the best time in 3 years to find a home you like, as there is way more for sale, sellers are now rarely getting over asking price for their homes, if they even get an offer, and it looks like there will still be some slight appreciation this year to take advantage off.

This is not 2008-2012. Not even close. There is no bust coming. Things are just settling down, and days on market will likely goto 120-150.

We will get through this together.

Posted in Selling Your Home
June 28, 2022

I've Inherited a Loved One's Property, Now What?

Dealing with an inherited home can be a complex subject, and there are many unresolved issues that can come along with it. It is not uncommon for a person selling an inherited home to have a sentimental attachment to it, with the sale being the result of a recent passing in the family. This can add an emotional component to this transaction. Getting a loved one's property ready for the market can be emotional and stressful. The financial cost of making necessary updates to attract buyers may include problems in the house structure systems (electric, plumbing and gutters), and there may be disagreements about the sales price, or whether to sell at all. 

Whether you are a single heir or one of multiple, selling it as quickly as possible will save money, time, stress, and the tiring effort involved in the settlement process. There are several benefits to selling the inherited property. For example, sometimes when inheriting a property the heirs end up inheriting unexpected commitments and difficulties with legal and financial implications. 

Traditional home sales methods are a great option if you find that there is no outstanding mortgages and the property is in good shape. If you can comfortably afford any necessary repairs and cleaning while handling the selling process, then you can safely choose to sell an inherited property as you would any other property. This is not saying that selling the property will stay complication-free, but even when issues arise, it may still be worth it to persist with the sale. When there are siblings or family who share the property with you as legal heirs there may be disagreement about how the settlement should proceed. Selling the property could save you aggravation of dividing a singular property between many hands. Once it is converted to money, the money can be more easily distributed among heirs. 

A short sale of the property can come to your aid if there are mortgage payments due which you are unwilling or unable to pay. In short, if you or another one of the heirs are in urgent need for cash, then a quick home sale may be a good option. Sometimes, you might receive some added tax benefits from selling the home. 

If this property is in a different city or state, taking on the responsibility of maintaining a vacant house can be a burden that you may not be ready to endure. If the house goes to probate and there are no residents, the property must still be maintained. There are property taxes, insurance premiums, utilities, homeowner's association fees and other ongoing costs that must be paid by someone. Unless you are prepared to take on these fees and responsibilities, selling the home may be the most ideal.

Click here to get a FREE home valuation now!

 

Posted in Selling Your Home
July 20, 2020

The Real Estate Times July 2020

The Real Estate Times
_____________________________________________________________________________________________Post Pandemic Real Estate News                                                                                                   July 2020 Issue
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Are People Still Buying and Selling Homes?

The coronavirus threw the housing market a curveball. Realtors in many parts of the country report strong demand for homes — so intense that some sellers field dozens of offers as soon as their listing hits the market, and once-ordinary properties are fetching tens of thousands of dollars over their asking prices.

Instead of pushing the housing market into a slump, as many had feared, the COVID-19 recession has redrawn the supply-and-demand curve. There are fewer buyers, an obvious result of double-digit unemployment. But there are also fewer homes on the market — and that means fierce competition f

Posted in Real Estate Trends
March 15, 2020

Trends To Look Out For As We Head Into Spring

The Spring Equinox is fast approaching! In just a few short days, on March 19th, you can expect to start seeing longer, sunnier days from here on out. Below are some housing market and home decor trends to pay attention to in the coming months. 

 

General Spring Real Estate Tips:

  • Take advantage of the weather! As it begins to get a little nicer out, start to think about making that real-estate move you’ve been holding off on during this long Indiana winter. Buyers and Sellers are beginning to thaw out and will waste little time getting back on the market when spring arrives. Competition will begin to heat up quick - so make sure you’re on board! If you’re planning on purchasing a home, you want to be especially prepared to get out there this month. With increasing competition comes increasing prices from sellers, and you may find yourself bidding against other buyers if you wait too long. 

 

Spring Real Estate Market Trends

  • As of the beginning of this year, The median home price per square foot in Indianapolis was $104, which is lower than the $111 average for the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson Metro average. However, these prices are predicted to rise by an overall 7.2% over the course of 2020, according to Zillow.com.

 

Home Decoration Trends

There are tons of blogs out there outlining their take on spring decorating trends. Although no one knows for certain what trends are likely to take off, here are some of our best guesses:

  • Neutrals: Good news! Neutrals will continue to make a strong appearance in home-decor trends in the future. Although there’s a lot out there right now regarding neons and colored living spaces, neutrals will not be going anywhere anytime soon! Both warm and cool-toned neutrals are here to stay, and continue to be a safe home-decor bet to make. Whether you opt for cool-grays, or warm-colored tans and beiges, neutral colors are easy on the eyes, and paired with natural light sources, can dramatically open up your living spaces, making them look more spacious and inviting. Check out these neutral home palette and natural light examples from homebnc.com. 

 

  • Patterns & Textures: Whether we like it or not, it seems like geometric patterns will continue to make an appearance in home decor this year. From bold light fixtures to furniture coverings, geometric patterns are probably here to stay. Our recommendation? If you’re ready to hop on board this trend, pick patterns with thin lines and try not to overdo it. Minimalist geometric shapes and patterns can be really successful and chic, while also achieving that bold look you may be going for. As for textures, If done right, mixing and matching fabrics, patterns and textures can be a very successful decorating technique. These simple photos from HouseBeautiful.com are great examples of how mix-and-match textures can create a really inviting living space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some other great resources to look at for decorating advice:

  • Mercana Furniture published some spring furniture trends to look out for. On the list? Green toned paint swatches, multi-functional furniture, new storage options and bold patterns. Will you be jumping on board any of these new trends this spring? View the full article here.
  • Apartment Therapy has some great tips to keep your living space looking both cool and comfy, as well as tips to keep a minimal look with a personal touch. Click here to learn more about the concept of “intimate minimalism”

 

Posted in Real Estate Trends
Feb. 15, 2020

Low-Cost Home Improvements That Won’t Break the Bank

IMG's: Homeedit.com,  GF Design Center, House Beautiful

Simple house upgrades can help improve the value of your home and are an excellent way to make it look more attractive to buyers without costing you a fortune. Before we dive in, in general, a good rule of thumb is to try and keep things bright, clean, open and neutral. An open space, with neutral bright colors, helps make your home look cleaner and also helps buyers imagine their own families in the space.

 

Kitchen upgrades

  • Kitchens hold a lot of potential for easy upgrades and are a huge focal point for buyers when considering if a home is a right fit for them. Consider making a few of the following adjustments to help get your kitchen ready to sell.
  • Re-do cabinets! This could mean simply repainting the doors, or refacing them entirely. This simple fix can give your home a completely new feel in a short period of time.
  • Another way to upgrade cabinets in your kitchen is to simply change out the knobs. New knobs are an easy way to change up your kitchen. Whether you want a look that’s a simple and modern, or one that makes your place look chic and stylish, knobs are the perfect accessory to spice things up.
  • If you want to opt-out of cabinets entirely, another option is to incorporate an open shelving concept in place of some cabinets. Grab some floating shelves from your local Ikea and use them as an opportunity to incorporate simple decorations, or to put your favorite dishware on display.

 

Minimalism!

  • This is a new market trend and a great thing to take advantage of when trying to upgrade your home. Minimalistic home décor makes your home seem clean and inviting for potential buyers.
  • To achieve this, consider adding lighter colors and whites, and tidying up your home a bit to remove unnecessary décor and clutter. Plants are also a great way to brighten up your space without making it seem too packed.
  • Be intentional about the décor you incorporate! For example, using tall plants and standing lamps can give off the illusion of a tall ceiling. This immediately makes the room look bigger, and opens the eyes to more negative space, making it look cleaner as well.

 

Fresh paint

  • A coat of fresh paint can make all the difference; which is why so many house-flippers swear by it. Whether this be on your kitchen cabinets, giving the walls in your home a fresh neutral color, repainting all your baseboards to a neutral white, or simply touching up old blemishes on the walls and baseboards, this is a perfect way to give your home a quick and inexpensive face-lift.  

 

Depersonalize

  • Depersonalizing your home is another way to help buyers imagine what the house may look like if they were to live in it. You can do this by removing photographs and other memorabilia specific to your family. This helps people imagine the home as their own, where they can focus on how they would incorporate their own touch, rather than focusing on the one it has already been given. Removing any extra photos, artwork and knick-knacks laying around can help make your home look less cluttered.

 

In addition to these main tips, It’s also important to focus on the selling points of a home. As mentioned, kitchens are often a crucial consideration for buyers, making it well worth the extra effort to upgrade them a bit if necessary. Bathrooms are also an easy area to upgrade that will grab the buyer’s attention. If you have room in your budget, making some appliance upgrades, home security upgrades, or energy efficiency upgrades are also selling points for potential buyers.

 

No matter how you choose to go about upgrading your home before showing it off, be sure not to underestimate the power of decluttering, brightening up your space, and allowing room for the buyers to imagine themselves in the home. Keeping things clean and simple, and trying not to adhere to a decorating style specific to your personal taste, is always a good rule to live by when considering home improvements

Posted in Home Improvements
Jan. 15, 2020

Simple Tips to Make Selling Your Home A Little Easier

There's an endless list of things to worry about when selling your home, but we believe that these 3 easy fixes shouldn't be on that list! Taking the time to prepare both yourself and your home prior to selling, as well as getting everything organized before beginning the process, is an essential step in the home-sale process. These easy tips don't require much time to complete, but can drastically reduce some of the basic stresses of moving.  

  1. The biggest tip we can provide to sellers is that you must give yourself time, moving is a process – and one that shouldn’t be rushed. Rushing things will only make an already stressful process even worse. Breathe! Focus on the positive! And give yourself a reasonable timeline to work with,  allowing yourself enough time to prepare and get everything in order before selling.
  2. Another huge tip that will help you feel less stressed about a big move is to Declutter! It’s always a good idea to go through things before getting ready to move to decide what you really need to keep, or what you may need to get rid of for the move. Some basic tips and resources for decluttering…
    • Does it spark joy? Take the advice of Marie Kondo, organizing consultant and author of “The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up” – and try to only keep the items that “spark joy.” This can be taken as literally as you want, but it can also help you get rid of a couple of things that you’ve been on the fence about. View some ‘tidy tips’ from Marie’s blog here. 
    • Understand your storage options. Make sure that your new home will have enough storage for your items that you plan to bring with you.
    • Sell unwanted furniture! Utilize resources like Facebook Marketplace, NextDoor, Craigslist and other websites to re-sell furniture. Or, check with the new buyers of your home to see if they have any interest in keeping some furniture you no longer want. This is a great way to get some items off your hands, without the hassle of finding a buyer or going through the hassle of moving unwanted furniture items.
    • Digitize documents and pictures – old papers, memories, documents and photo albums can take up a lot of space in a move, and may be the most difficult items to find appropriate storage for. However, we understand that it may be difficult to just get rid of these items. Consider taking the time to digitize them! Move the photos to a computer, and scan in any documents that you want to keep, but don’t necessarily need to have on paper. This may seem daunting, but trust us, it will be worth the work in the end!
    • Finally, Grab some free moving boxes! There’s no need to buy boxes and tubs to store things in when most local stores and restaurants have old boxes sitting around that they’d be happy to give you for free! You can grab free moving boxes from Craigslist, or ask local bookstores, grocery stores, liquor stores, or large retailers like Costco, Target and PetSmart.
  3. Once you have your home ready to sell, and you’ve given yourself enough time to prepare for a big move, the next step is to actually list your home. We highly recommend that you Use a Real-Estate Professional for listing your home. This is often a big debate between sellers, regarding whether they want to use a realtor, or put their home For Sale By Owner (FSBO). It may be obvious that we, as realtors, suggest using a realtor… but we have good reasoning! From listing your home at the right price from the start and taking away some of the simple stresses of moving, to having someone negotiate for you and make sense of the process, a real-estate professional plays an important and integral role in the home-sale process. Check out our other seller's blog posts for a more in-depth explanation of why using a realtor might be the right move for YOUR move.

Looking for more tips, advice and resources on selling your home? Contact us to receive a FREE Sellers guide to Indianapolis.

 

 

 

Posted in Selling Your Home
Dec. 15, 2019

3 Major Must Haves' Before Buying Your First Home

There’s a lot that goes into buying a home, let alone your very first home! From credit scores to down payments and mortgages, there are endless things to consider before making one of the biggest purchases of your life.

 

Use these tips to help you start moving forward on the path towards buying your new home, and to help you be prepared for the steps that it may take to get there!

 

1.  A GOOD CREDIT SCORE

It should come as no surprise that one of the biggest aspects of buying a home is making sure you have the finances to back your big investment! Before purchasing, you have to take a look at your finances to understand exactly what you can afford. You also have to have a good credit score in order to qualify for your home mortgage! Without this, you can’t buy your new home.

 

Some tips for increasing your credit score: start monitoring your credit activity, and try to cut back on unnecessary credit purchases or loans prior to applying for your mortgage. For a good point of reference, it takes, on average, about 6 months to significantly increase your credit score. If you’re looking to purchase a home in the near future, get started on improving your credit NOW! This applied to anyone that may be co-financing the home with you.

 

2.  MONEY FOR YOUR DOWN PAYMENT

Once you have your credit score intact, you also need to start saving for the down payment on your new home. Typically, down payments are between 3-20% of the overall home purchase price. Start saving now, in order to have your money ready for you when it’s time to make a down payment on your dream home!

 

Be careful! Many buyers make the crucial mistake of underestimating just how much money they need to have saved for closing. Don’t make this mistake! Be sure you have well over the amount you anticipate needing for your closing day. It’s better to be prepared!

 

3.  MORTGAGE APPROVAL

Finally, Mortgage! If you have your credit in check, and your saving for your down payment, then the next step is to consider your home mortgage!

 

Obtaining your mortgage requires a good credit score, as mentioned, but it also requires a lot of documentation! If you’re thinking about buying a home soon, another good way to make sure you’re prepared is by getting all your documents in order. The list of documents needed for your home-buying process is exhaustive, but paystubs, W2’s, bank statements and copies of your tax returns could be some of the many documents required to verify your finances before qualifying for your mortgage!

Added bonus: It’s always best to be prepared and have all your documentation in line – but another pro of having your documents ready to go is to show sellers that you’re serious! Having your mortgage pre-approved is a great sign for buyers, and will ensure you don’t lose your dream home to another bidder who was more prepared than you!

 

Ready to make the move? These are just a few basic things to consider if you’re embarking on your first home-buying experience. Reach out to our specialists at Neu Real Estate Group to get all your home buying questions answered, and to receive specialized care for your specific home-buying journey. We’d love to make this process as effortless as possible for you, so you can get to starting your life, building your family, and decorating your new home!

 

Image credit: daveramsey.com IMG Credit: daveramsey.com
Posted in Home Buying