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Sept. 16, 2015

What's Happening with Northwest Indiana Real Estate?

 

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 

Today, I want to offer a brief market comparison of 2015 and 2014.

Through today, Northwest Indiana has seen 6,392 home sales. Last year, there were 5,926 home sales in the same timeframe. Average sales price for 2015 thus far is $163,811, and in 2014 it was $154,893. So we're on the upswing there as well.

Another statistic that I find interesting is closed days on market. We track the number of days from listing to closing. In 2015, the average is 118 days. In 2014, the average was 130 days. So sales prices are up 5.7%, and days on market is down 9.2%.

 

 

Don't wait until next spring to sell your home. The advantage of selling your home in the fall is that there are fewer homes on the market, which means less competition. If now is the right time for you, don't hesitate!

If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Posted in Real Estate Market
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Sept. 16, 2015

How Can You Add Value to Your Northwest Indiana Home?

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 

Today I want to talk about the top five areas of your home that you can renovate in order to earn some money back when you sell your home in Northwest Indiana. It's important to remember that many repairs will not earn you more money back. Below are the top five repairs for putting some value back into your home before you sell.

 

 

1. The Kitchen: Renovating your kitchen is a great way to earn some money back. Buyers love to see updated kitchens. However, if you spend more than $20,000 to repair your kitchen, you're likely not going to get all of it back.

2. The Master Bathroom: Everyone likes to have a large and luxurious master bathroom, and buyers will pay extra for this.

3. Paint: Keep your paint neutral. Earth tones are popular right now, so aim for beige, grey, forest green, and off-white.

4. New Flooring: It's unlikely that you can clean your carpets well enough to make people think that they're new. Investing in new carpeting or tiling is a great way to add value. Buyers will notice that 'new floor smell' and they'll have peace of mind.

5. Curb Appeal: When people drive by, you want to leave a great impression on the buyer. Plant flowers, trim bushes, and pull weeds. The more organized and orderly your lawn can be, the more attractive your home will look to a buyer.

These are the top five home renovations in our neck of the woods. Pay attention to these and don't be distracted by other costly repairs because they will likely just cost you money.

If you would like to learn more about this, or if you'd like to speak about real estate in our local area, please don't hesitate to contact me!

 

 

Posted in Home Buying
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Sept. 14, 2015

What’s the Best Way to Juggle Buying and Selling?

 

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 

Today we are going to learn the best way to sell a home before you buy. When you are out looking to buy a new home while also juggling the sale of your current home, it can be difficult. It’s a common topic our clients ask us about, so today we wanted to let you know what our team does to achieve this. Timing is key, that way you don’t have to live anywhere temporarily.

We usually suggest that if you get an offer on your home but have not found one to buy yet, you make the offer contingent on the seller finding their home of choice in 14 days, or whatever you are comfortable with.

 

 

This usually works for us and it also gives you the peace of mind to find the home you are looking for without the big rush. If you get a quick offer and don’t have a home yet, make sure you also include a clause that would get you out of it in case you aren’t able to find one. If your buyer is indeed in love with your home, they will be open to extending the closing time too.

 

If you have any questions for us or would like some more advice if you are in a situation like this, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Posted in Home Buying
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Sept. 14, 2015

Northwest Indiana Real Estate Market Update

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 

Today, I want to offer a brief market comparison of 2015 and 2014.

Through today, Northwest Indiana has seen 6,392 home sales. Last year, there were 5,926 home sales in the same timeframe. Average sales price for 2015 thus far is $163,811, and in 2014 it was $154,893. So we're on the upswing there as well.

 

 

Another statistic that I find interesting is closed days on market. We track the number of days from listing to closing. In 2015, the average is 118 days. In 2014, the average was 130 days. So sales prices are up 5.7%, and days on market is down 9.2%.

Don't wait until next spring to sell your home. The advantage of selling your home in the fall is that there are fewer homes on the market, which means less competition. If now is the right time for you, don't hesitate!

If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

Posted in Real Estate Market
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Aug. 3, 2015

We Care About Our Clients

 

 

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 

My daughter and I are coming to you while standing in the ocean!

Here at Bart Vickrey & Co., we go to faraway lands and faraway places to take care of our clients.

 

 

We also enjoy our home in Northwest Indiana, so if you are thinking of buying a home in Northwest Indiana, give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to help you!

Posted in Real Estate Market
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July 31, 2015

We Are Constantly Improving for Your Sake

 

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 

This week we are coming to you from beautiful Minneapolis, Minnesota. We are here at a marketing conference, where we have spent the last 4 days learning new techniques, methods, and strategies to increase our marketing prowess

 

While we were in town, we were able to catch the Kentucky Derby at Brit's Pub. You'll be pleased to hear that we took this opportunity to have some fun, but we also caught up with other agents from around the country to learn about how they market their properties.

 

 

Most of the time when buyers or sellers have their dreams dashed, it’s because they use an average real estate agent. Why do that when you can have an exceptional choice right in front of you with Bart Vickrey real estate?

 

 

If you have any questions for us at all, or want to see what we can do to help you achieve your real estate goals and dreams, give us a call or send us an email. We can’t wait to hear from you!

 

 

Posted in Real Estate Market
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July 31, 2015

We Risk Life and Limb For You

 

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 

My family recently took a trip to the Everglades, and while we were there, we took a very dangerous ride through the swamps.

 

We were surrounded by millions of gators and saltwater raccoon, and they could all smell our fear. We had to be very brave, but we all came back in one piece.

 

 

During the boat ride when my life flashed before my eyes, I realized that buying and selling homes can be dangerous, too. This is especially true when you don't have a Realtor to guide you through the process.

 

Okay, I might be exaggerating a little bit, but seriously, you need a Realtor when you're buying or selling a home in Northwest Indiana.

 

My team can help keep you out of dangerous waters, so please don't hesitate to contact us!

Posted in Real Estate Market
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July 16, 2015

What's the Secret to Longevity?

 

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 

Today, I'm going to go a bit off the topic of real estate and discuss how you can live until you're 100 years old! 

 

 

Four years ago I turned 40 years old and scheduled an appointment with a doctor since I hadn't been for awhile. We spent most of the time talking about business, government, and books we've read recently. We were going through the motions when he said, "Do you want to learn how to live be 100?" Of course, I said. 

 

My doctor wrote down the numbers 0, 5, 10, 15, and 25 on a piece of paper. I was very confused, but he explained these numbers are the key to living a longer life one day at a time:

 

  • 0 = Tobacco

  • 5 = Servings of fruits and vegetables daily

  • 10 = Minutes of peaceful thought alone

  • 15 = Minutes of rigorous exercise

  • 25 = A BMI Index of less than 25

 

I found this simple logic to be extremely interesting. It seems like a simple formula to live to old age, but it takes some discipline. Give it a try yourself and thank me when you're 100! 

 

Now, it's trivia time: What successful music duo from the `80s won a Grammy for a song they didn't write and had the reward revoked after they were found out in the `90s? 

Send your answer to me at Bart@BartSellsHouses.com for a chance to win a $25 gift card to Target, Wal Mart, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, or Family Express! 

 

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

 

Posted in Blog
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June 15, 2015

How Has Our Market Performed in the Last Year?

 

 

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

  

Hey everyone, today I am here with a quick market update for you. Today we are going to take a look at the latest real estate numbers in Northwest Indiana. We're going to take a look at the numbers through May of 2015, and compare them to what we saw at the same time last year.

Through May of 2014, we sold 3,147 homes in all of Northwest Indiana. Through May of 2015, that number is now 3,255 homes, an increase of 3.4%.

 
The average sales price for a home in Indiana was $144,877 in May of 2014. In May of 2015, the average price was up to $155,484. That's an astonishing increase of over 7% in just one year!


We'd also like to congratulate Anthony Dubbs for winning a gift card in our testimonial and trivia contest.

For our next trivia contest, we are going to provide you with 3 different movie quotes. The first person to tell me which movies the quotes are from in an email will win a gift card as well! Here are the three quotes:

1. "Zed... is dead."

2. "You want answers?"
"I think I'm entitled to them"
"Do you want answers?!"
"I want the truth!"
"You can't handle the truth!"

3. "Look man, I ain't falling for no banana in my tailpipe."

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Posted in Real Estate Market
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May 29, 2015

Why Is Now the Time to Buy in Northwest Indiana?

 

  Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Today's blog comes to you from the top of a mountain, as my family and I are hiking Tom's Thumb outside of Scottsdale, Arizona! Because I'm busy having fun with my lovely wife and kids, I just want to make this quick. Here are three reasons now is the time to buy a house:

  1. Real estate is a great way to build wealth: Historically, real estate has always been a wedge against inflation.

  2. Mortgage interest is tax deductible: Save money on your taxes each year by writing off the interest on your mortgage!

  3. It's the American Dream: Doesn't everyone want a place of their own?

Really, there's no reason to wait to buy a home in Northwest Indiana. If you have questions about the process, or if you need assistance of any kind, give me a call or shoot me a quick email. I would love to hear from you!

Posted in Real Estate Market
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