What did you do for Earth Day?

Earth day was today. Earth day was founded in 1970.

Let me just start by saying I am not the perfect example of what Earth day is all about. We have never recycled (before today) and I am not sure I have ever tried to save on water, electricity or gas except to save on our bottom line dollar.

Today, this Earth day- 2008, I am going to try to turn over a new leaf.

I have tried in the last couple of years to use environmental friendly cleaning products but I am not sure my goal was for the earth but to make my family and home a more environmentally safe home. Today, I will still continue to use those products but I will start thinking not only about MY family but about the earth and more importantly about our children and our children's children who will inhabit the earth.

So what have you done today to contribute to making the Earth a more friendly place to live? I heard a quote that we as Americans contribute 5% to the world's (the Earth's) population but consume around 25% of the worlds resources. How much do you and your family consume?

If you can do just one thing to make a difference I think it is worth while. Do something, change something in your life that you are comfortable with. This is what we have done- some might work and some might not.

1) A couple month's ago I stopped buying plastic bags- the lunch sandwich type. When you think about it you don't think it would be hard to give up small plastic bags but it was. Have you tried to fit American cheese slices in a reusable container? But we did it, change is good.

2) Today I purchased totes to recycle with. I will be honest, I have not paid to recycle in the past because I was not sure that the items that the so called recycling company picked up- after I paid them- would actually not be put into that same garbage refill. Today we are going to start recycling- plastic, glass, metal, paper, cardboard and hazardous containment's like paint. My goal will be to take them to a recycling center myself that I don't have to pay for but will be assured that the items that I drop off will be recycled.

3) Our next goal as a family is to give up paper towels. Should I say it was our families idea or my idea. I have not talked to David about it yet- he really doesn't have a choice but I called Mike thinking that he would say no way. That way I could just act like I wanted to be Earth friendly but blame it on my family. But instead he said "how we would do that?". I think it is a good question so I said "well we would have 1) separate towels to clean up spills on the floor or other areas that we would usually use a paper towel 2) we would use cloth napkins when we had a snack or a meal 3) we would clean with cloths or towels that could be washed" and he said...."okay let's give it a try. "

That is all we can do "give it a try". We can try not to use paper towels and if it is manageable which I think everything can be after you get through the "changes" that occur with that try. We gave the no plastic bag thing a try and it is manageable. I do think sometimes why am I not reaching for a plastic bag but I don't think about the Earth first, maybe I should, but I think about David's children.

Give it a try- you can do tons of stuff. You could give not using plastic baggies a try, or not using paper towels or using cleaning products that are environmentally friendly but you could also give a ton of other things a try that might fit better with you and/or your family like composting, riding the bus (IE: Lora), taking a reusable bag to the market, carpooling, turning off the lights, using less water- really the list goes on and on and on. I ask you this today - Earth day- give it a try and see what works for you.

Blog/Animals Lost continued

I will tell you one of the hardest things about keeping up to date on my blog is that I feel like NO ONE is reading it. I am not really one of those people that needs a ton of attention, or am I?, but I started this Blog to give information to people (primarily about the Greater Indianapolis real estate market) but when I feel like no one is reading the information or finding it useful then that is when is hard for me to update.

Today I received an email from a current client who is subscribed to receive my blog entries and it made me so Happy! I also think it is good information so I am posting it here.

"You are probably already familiar with this site but I have it as a reminder every day to click to help fund animal rescue. The sponsors pay every time someone goes to the site and clicks…plus there is some cool stuff you can buy!"- Niki

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3&link=ctg_ars_home_from_ths_thankyou_sitenav

Now the really cool thing is I was not familiar with the site so I am glad that I now am and the second really cool thing is that I am posting it here so everyone that reads my Blog can be familiar with it too.

If you would like to receive my Blogs on a daily basis click here and sign up today.

It would be great to hear from you too about my Blog entries, both any positive or negative comments, it would just be good to hear from YOU!

Too many animals lost

Yesterday Mike and I went to MoonDog to have a beer after we dropped off David at my parents to spend the night. While we were relaxing I read the most recent Nuvo newsweekly and was shocked by what I read.

Most of you that are reading this know that I am passionate about animals and in particular retired racing Greyhounds. So I guess since I feel like I am pretty aware of what is going on in this city as far as rescued animals I was shocked at the numbers I read. Here they are-

Animals handled by Indianapolis Animal Care and Control in 2007:

Received: 17,964
Adopted: 1,760
Returned to owner: 1,402
Transferred: 2,801
Euthanized: 11,508

Animals handled by Humane Society of Indianapolis in 2007:

Received: 8,981
Adopted: 3,967
Returned to owner: 266
Transferred: 482
Euthanized: 3,251

Did you read that? That is close to 15,000 animals that were killed last year in Indianapolis alone....15,000!

You can read the entire article in Nuvo Newsweekly written by Shawndra Miller called "Saving the Strays" here.

If you want more information about adopting a greyhound please go to Greyhounds Pets of American- Indianapolis or Indy Prison Greyhounds or contact me at ccinamon@curryteamindy.com .

If you are looking for a new pet for your family (and don't want a Greyhound) please consider contacting your local shelter or your local rescue group of the breed of your choice, there is a rescue group for EVERY breed of dog and cat.

This is a good book to read if you are in the stage of considering a shelter dog adoption. Rescuing Sprite by Mark Levin

Remodeling...Is it worth it?

Something that I think is very important when a homeowner does any updates or remodels to their home is to make sure that those updates do not cost more than the home is worth. I took a client out Sunday to see several homes and many of the homes needed lots of updating or remodeling (this is something this client does not mind doing, I think they think it is fun). When we looked at the homes and the "remodels" that they wanted to do I wanted to make sure they did not "price themselves out of the area"....in other words-they would do too much cool stuff to the house that it would be worth way more than the area is worth.

When you make an upgrade to your current home feel free to call me and see what I think about it adjusting the value. Don't get me wrong, I will even do upgrades to my home that I know I probably won't see dollar for dollar that money back but if you WANT to get the most money for the upgrades that you do (if that is important to you) call me and I can give you good advice on what is good and what is not so good for the value of your home or your area.

This is an article that I came across in our MIBOR newsletter publication of the Metrolitan Board of Realtors that speaks on this very issue.


The Cost of a Remodel

According to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2007 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (featured in the March 10 edition of this publication), over half of sellers engaged in some kind of home improvement or remodeling project within three months of listing.

Obviously a popular decision, but is every project worth it? And when deciding which project to tackle, how do you know where the money will be best spent?

Remodeling Online has some answers. The 2007 “Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report” provides a percentage of recouped cost on 29 typical home remodel projects. Projects range from garage and bathroom additions to a minor kitchen remodel and window replacement.

Breaking the U.S. into nine regions, the report provides national and regional averages for further detail. What feature will provide sellers with the highest recouped cost on their investment?

Siding replacement (fiber-cement). Nationally, this project provides an 88.1 percent recouped cost and in the East North Central region (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio) 82.4 percent is recouped – the highest percentages for both locations. The lowest recouped cost projects in the East North Central region include adding on a sun room, installing a back-up power generator and a home office remodel.

Cost information for the report is pulled from Home Tech Information Systems, a remodeling estimating software company. Home Tech creates its database of cost information from a network of remodeling contractors and suppliers. Figures include labor, material, sub trades and contractor overhead and profit. Values used in the report were provided by the National Association of REALTORS®. A survey of over 2,500 appraisers, sales agents and brokers provided an estimated value of what remodeling projects would add to the home at resale.

To see the complete list of projects and findings of Remodeling Online’s “Cost vs. Value Report”, visit http://www.costvsvalue.com/index.html. While numerous factors affect the ultimate recouped cost of a project, this might be a good place to start investigating.

Market Watch for March

Sorry that these Market Watch's were so close together. Here it is for March.....

Spring home sales off to slow start

Available inventory down slightly

INDIANAPOLIS – As the spring home buying season begins, pended sales in the nine-county region slipped in March while available inventory showed a slight decline for the first time this year, according to pended sales statistics compiled by F.C. Tucker Company.

March pended home sales were down 14.7 percent with 2,419 homes pending compared to 2,836 in March 2007. So far this year, overall pended home sales are down 10.1 percent from March 2007. Available inventory in March was 18,405, which is 158 fewer homes available than in March 2007.

“While the drop in pended home sales in March is higher than we anticipated based on February’s encouraging numbers, available inventory appears to be starting to balance out,” said Donna Kreps, executive vice president for F.C. Tucker Company’s Residential Real Estate Services. “Going into the spring/summer home buying season, we anticipate a sales spike as homeowners get back into the market, which continues to offer an excellent array of homes at affordable prices.”

The average sales price for a home in March was $140,098, 2.8 percent less than March 2007. Average days on market increased from 91 days in March 2007 to 106 days in March 2008.

By county, pended home sales in Hancock County was 31.6 percent less than in March 2007. Pended home sales in Morgan and Shelby counties were down 5.3 percent while sales in Hamilton and Marion Counties were down 21.2 percent and 9.6 percent respectively.

Story People

Something I really like to do is send notes and or cards. My dad once gave me a gift, now I am not sure I can even remember what it was, but he gave it to me at a nondescript time. I asked him "why I was getting this gift" and he said "I saw this (the item I can not remember) and it made me made think of you so I got it for you". It made me feel really good. It made me feel good because it was a gift -just because, not a Christmas gift or a birthday gift but just a gift- my favorite kind. So now, something I really like to do is find good cards and give them to people just because.

I really like the Story People cards. I give their cards and I have also signed up for their daily e-story of the day. I went to the web site to find out how they described themselves and this is what it said.

"We're a diverse group of people, artists, activists, healers, tinkerers. We talk, we laugh, we eat great food & drink great wine, sometimes we disagree (passionately) & sometimes we agree (equally passionately) & it's all part of the same gift of being alive together. Our wish is that other people experience this amazing world we live in as a world of imagination & possibility & healing. We believe our stories do that. (& that's not just Story People stories, but all our stories...) We believe (fiercely) in the power of stories, not because they're our stories, but because it is valuable & right to protect the precious connections between people.
That's who we are. We forget at times (isn't it amazing how life sneaks up & steals your memory of who you want to be?), but mainly, we remember. It's a future we're creating together, every day, with each other & with each one of you. (Hopefully, you're in a warmer place than we are...)"

I like how they describe themselves. Go to Story People and see if you see anything you like. They sell cards, prints, sculptures, books and furniture but for me they give me a daily way to look at life. Here is one of my favorite "Story People" of the day. I hope it becomes one of your favorites too.

What are the rules? I said & she said, Do exactly what I want whenever I want, make no demands of me whatsoever & love me forever, no questions asked & I said, how do you win? & she said, you don't understand. I'm the only one who wins & then she laughed & clapped her hands. Isn't it a great game? she said.

Market Watch for February

Home sales on the rise
Five of nine counties show increased sales over 2007

INDIANAPOLIS – Home sales in Central Indiana are starting to improve as the spring home-buying season begins. February pended sales were up 0.9 percent compared to February 2007, according to pended sales statistics compiled by F.C. Tucker Company.

Overall, 2,132 homes were sold in February 2008 compared to 2,113 in February 2007. It is the first time since April 2007 that pended sales have shown positive growth, which could indicate that the local housing market is starting to rebound.

Along with an increase in total February sales, five of the nine counties in the Indianapolis area posted an increase over February 2007. Hancock County reported 25 more homes pending than in February 2007, a 46.3 percent increase. Pended sales in Shelby County jumped 21.9 percent compared to February 2007. Morgan County pended home sales increased 19.6 percent.

To date, 4,079 homes have been closed or are pending, 6.1 percent less than the same time in 2007. The average sales price is down 4.1 percent from February 2007, decreasing from $143,174 to $137,363. Homes stayed on the market an average of 108 days, an increase from 92 days in February 2007.

“We hope February’s encouraging numbers are an indication that the local housing market is starting to turn around,” said H. James Litten, president of F.C. Tucker Company’s Residential Real Estate Services Division. “We’ll continue to review sales activity over the next few months to determine if this is a positive trend and if we are starting to gain momentum toward stronger sales in 2008.

“Presently, we are encouraged to see more prospective home buyers come off the sidelines and take a look at the inventory available. It shows that consumer confidence is improving.”

Inventory is up 4.7 percent compared to February 2007. Litten said, “This may be an indication that more home sellers are entering the market in hopes of a strong spring-buying season.”

Good news for homeowners

This was published in last Sunday's Indianapolis Star and was written by Jim Litten the president of F.C. Tucker. I think it is good information about where property taxes are going not only for Washington Twp-Marion County but for the whole state. Now the only question will be how is a property assessed. From my understanding that will be something we can vote on in the November election.

Good news for homeowners and real-estate market

By H. James Litten

Thousands of Indiana homeowners should be breathing a sigh of relief, thanks to the bipartisan efforts of the Indiana General Assembly to ease the tax burden of great concern to Hoosiers since last summer. After months of discussions, legislators agreed to approve a sweeping tax reform package, signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels on March 19, that caps property tax bills for homeowners at 1 percent of assessed value. Rental properties will be capped at 2 percent.

This tax package not only brings great news to homeowners, but I believe it will bring a much-needed lift to Indiana's real estate market, particularly in Central Indiana.

Indiana is fortunate to have one of the highest home ownership rates in the nation, but last summer's tax bills had the potential to dramatically reduce the number of Hoosiers who could afford their own homes. Property tax bills were scheduled to go up an average of 24 percent statewide, but some areas of the state were seeing tax increases of two times or more. When coupled with Indiana's rising foreclosures and continued lending to those with questionable credit, the property tax increases slowed an already-weakened housing market. Many home buyers and home sellers simply put a stop to any decisions about moving.

To be fair, Central Indiana's real estate market still experienced almost 28,000 residential real estate transactions in 2007, the fifth-best record in our area's history. But the fear of larger property tax bills caused many Hoosiers to temper their home buying and selling while waiting for the tax issue to be resolved.

The action taken by Indiana's legislators resolves the property tax issue, hopefully once and for all. Now homeowners and prospective homeowners can accurately predict their semi-annual property tax. This certainty, combined with the pent-up demand we are seeing in the local housing sector, is a recipe for increased sales in 2008 in Indiana. In Central Indiana we are already experiencing some market stabilization with local home sales up 0.9 percent in February compared to the same month last year. It's the first time residential real estate sales have been up, compared to last year, since April 2007.

The tax package also stabilizes Indiana's housing market by helping senior homeowners on fixed incomes. Property taxes cannot be raised more than 2 percent per year for those older than 65 with incomes less than $30,000 (joint incomes less than $40,000). That means more Hoosier seniors will be able live out their lives in their own homes.

Characteristics of Home Buyers

Boy! It has been a long time since I have posted an entry. We went on an amazing vacation and I guess I was just trying to play catch up since. This week I am committing to blogging at least once a day...so check back often for good information concerning Greater Indianapolis Real Estate.

This information was presented to us in one of our weekly sales meeting and I felt like it was good information. I hope you do too.

Characteristics of Home Buyers

The typical home buyer is 39 yrs. old, while the repeat buyer is 46 years old.

The 2006 median household income of buyers was $74,000. Among repeat buyers, the median income was $85,700.

9% of home buyers reported they were born outside the USA.

Characteristics of Homes Purchased

The typical home purchased was 1,810 SF.

67% of 1st time buyers purchased a detached single-family home, compared with 79% of repeat buyers.

The median distance recent buyers moved was 13 miles.

Buyers typically plan to stay in their home for 10 years.

The Home Search Process

79% of buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker.

43% of buyers found their agent through a referral from a friend or family member.

The most important factor buyers considered when choosing an agent is their honesty and integrity.

68% of buyers would definitely use their real estate agent again or recommend the same agent to others.

Home Selling & Their Selling Experience

85% of sellers were assisted by a real estate agent when selling their home.

The most important factor when choosing a real estate professional, cited by 38% of recent sellers, is the reputation of the agent.

88% of sellers reported that their home was listed or advertised on the Internet.

Among recent sellers, 81 percent reported that they used a real estate agent that provided a range of services and managed most aspects of the home sale.

Over half of recent home sellers reported that they undertook home improvement or remodeling projects within three months prior to putting their home on the market.

More than half of home sellers traded up to a larger home when purchasing their next home.

For ¼ of sellers, their most important expectation is that the real estate agent will help sell their home within a specific time frame.

For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO) Sellers

12% of sellers sold their home without a real estate agent.

The chief reason they did not choose to use an agent was that they did not want to pay a commission.

More than 25% of FSBO sellers took no action to market their home.

For 18% of FSBO sellers the most difficult task in selling their home was understanding and performing the necessary paperwork to complete the transaction.