East Indianapolis and Christian Park

Tougher and tougher

You can still buy a home today. There, with that out of the way, I can vent a little.

I am getting more and more frustrated with lenders tightening the purse strings, especially for the "good" buyers and homes that are priced well.

The lenders are constantly changing the rules, adding little hoops and hurdles for the buyer. The appraisers are being even more conservative with their appraisals.

I have no problem with being responsible, but everyone of us in this business, whether you are a Realtor, mortgage person, appraiser, underwriter or whatever your role, WE ARE WORKING FOR THE CUSTOMER AND OWE THEM HONES AND FAIR DEALING.

Mr. Appraiser, my buyer is paying you for a service...don't look at the purchase agreement and give us an appraisal that equals our purchase price; give them a fair market value for the property they are purchasing.

Goodyear should owe the Brickyard fans a refund

Did anyone attend the Brickyard? I didn't but after listening to the coverage by several local sportscasters, I think Goodyear should owe the fans a refund for the purchase of their tickets. If I paid to see the race, I would want to see a complete, 400 mile race, not a series of 25 mile sprints. I smell trouble brewing...

Bush Stadium

Yes, Bush Stadium. The once iconic and beautiful Bush Stadium on West 16th Street. If you have lived in Indianapolis for any number of years, you will remember when the Indianapolis Indians played there. The era before Victory Field.

There has been discussions lately about what to do with the old ball park. Some say tear it down, some say restore it. Me, I say tear it down, use the land for something that will help revive the near west side of Indy. Put a small museum on the site so future generations can glimpse into the past.

I remember when the Indians were the minor league team for the Cincinnati Reds...back in the day of Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and others. I remember when the Reds played the Indians in an exhibition game. This is all history; a good and happy history. But it is history. Let's move on.

Another Realtor® from the Detroit, Michigan area posted a wonderful blog about Tiger Stadium. It has seen a lot more history and holds tons more memories than Bush Stadium, but the feelings are the same. Read his blog here.  I say tear it down and let's move on.

The life of a real estate agent

I show quite a few houses to potential buyers. Some are show places where you know the seller has put their heart and soul into the home...it looks immaculate and you could eat off the floor. Then there are the ones that I think they (or something) HAS been eating off the floor.

The other day, I was previewing a home for a buyer. I do that for out of state buyers or for other reasons. Anyway, I was in the houst taking pictures and making notes. Another agent showed up with her buyers and asked if it was alright to show the home. I told her to have at it. The spent several minutes in the home and went outside. I finished my pictures and notes and went to the front door to ask if they were finished so I could lock the doors.

Rather than answering my questions, they all shouted in unison, "FLEAS ! !". They were all brushing and swatting at their clothes. I locked the doors and by the time I joined them, I had fleas up to my knees. (I'm a poet and don't know it). Good thing I had shorts on or I would have been removing my pants right there in the middle of the street. The little critters were just making the move to go under the hem of the shorts. I swatted and brushed along with my new friends. I have never seen them as bad as they were in this home.

I suggested to the listing agent to do what I did for a home I had listed with some unwanted guests...I borrowed the neighbors dog and let him roam around in the house for a while...fleas gone.

Bank owned properties

I have shown some more bank owned properties in the $15K to $20K price range. I am having fairly good luck getting banks to accept the offers that I am writing for my customers.

The pics are at http://www.indygm.net/downloads. The Catherwood property is sold, but the others were available as of this morning.

I am also going to have my listing at 11050 Springtree Place open this Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 PM if you are interested or know anyone that is looking in the low $100's near Washington Square Mall.

I need your help

I need everybody's help. My Son just lost his job due to downsizing by the company he was with. He has a mortgage, car loan and most importantly, a wonderful wife and my Granddaughter to support.

He has nine years of military service (Air Force), with experience in systems administration, computer hardware configuration, networking, data base design and implementation and much more.

He is very level headed, learns quickly and is very dependable. If you or anyone you know needs a computer tech person, systems administrator, manager or...please contact me and I can put you in touch with him.

Thanks for your help and, by the way, if you or anyone you know is thinking about buying or selling a home, I need the business.

Friends, fun and fireworks

I hope everyone had a safe and fun-filled Fourth of July weekend, the weather was almost ideal for a change.

My wife and I always go somewhere near downtown and watch the fireworks show...we have done this since our wedding night, July 4, 1976.

I somewhat enjoy the fireworks and I like to watch them being set off. I have never been one to stop by the friendly neighborhood fireworks stand and drop my hard earned cash on something that I am going to set fire to though. I have always wondered how much the average Joe or Jill spend on a fun filled evening of blowing things up, I don't even know how much a pack of firecrackers cost anymore. Anyone care to comment?

Mortgage interest rates are moving

The last couple of weeks have seen mortgage interest rates rise 1/2 to 3/4 of a point. There are several reasons for this and you can stay up to date with the latest news by checking this page of my web site. This page is updated daily to reflect market conditions and financial news that affect the bond markets, the stock markets and ultimately, mortgage rates.

If you are considering purchasing a new home for your family or are thinking about selling and moving up, it is still a good time to do either. It is hard to tell what interest rates are going to do in the future, but I don't see major changes from where we are right now.

If you are looking to invest in real estate or would like to buy a true "fixer", I have some pictures to download of homes that I have shown recently.

Don't hesitate to call, email me or post on my blog any questions about real estate and the current market. 

Indianapolis' eastside revitalization

I live on Indy's east side and have been interested in the redevelopment and revitalization of the area for a long time. The area is rich in history and has long been a destination for the blue collar worker in this area. Here is a link to a good article that appeared in the "Indy Star".

In recent years, the area has witnessed a major decline in population and many of the properties are not generating any tax monies; they sit boarded and abandoned. Washington Street, a major thoroughfare for this area has experienced businesses closing their doors and moving to the strip malls.

With the announcement of the 2012 Super Bowl coming to Indianapolis and the planned practice facility at Tech High School comes renewed hope that the neighborhoods east of downtown will once again be a place that offers safe and affordable housing.

It is going to take more than improving the area's infrastructure to bring this area back; it is going to take a massive effort from our IMPD to rid the area of the mostly drug related crime that has ravaged the area. It is going to take investors and private citizens to have a vision for what the area once was and can become again. It is going to take businesses to want to move back to the area to give the area residents a reason to stay and spend their money. It is going to take a visionary to develop Sherman Park (the old RCA plant) to attract commercial / industrial business back to the area to give the residents a place to work. 

Count me as being on-board for the neighborhoods.

What TV commercials do you love to hate?

As a Realtor®, I have a strict Code of Ethics that I must follow. Among the many Articles are these two.

Article 12
REALTORS® shall be honest and truthful in their real estate
communications and shall present a true picture in their advertising,
marketing, and other representations.

and

Article 15
REALTORS® shall not knowingly or recklessly make false or misleading
statements about competitors, their businesses, or their business
practices.

I see and hear so many TV and radio commercials that make my skin crawl that I just had to make a few statements.

"If you buy a home with me today, I can save you THOUSANDS Mohr than you can anywhere else". Or how about "We used Gary's services as a Realtor® and we saved $7,000". Maybe you would like a "Unique way to save 30% on your utility bills...just buy a house with me today only". I could always state that "Oops, we listed twice too many houses and we must get them sold by this weekend before the boss finds out".

There are all kinds of ads that get your attention, but most people will admit to hating them. Bob Rohrrrrrrrman, Halo Kahlo, Cheeeaaapter 13, they all get your attention and you remember them; that is good marketing. What gets my gall is not a single one of them are "...honest and (completely) truthful...in their communications..."

It's hot out there, you need a new home today.

What I did for Father's Day

I spent part of Father's Day sitting under a shade tree in my back yard just thinking. What was I thinking about, you ask? Well, part of my thoughts were about my Son, his Cajun-to-the-bone wife (I love her for her spunk), and my beautiful Granddaughter.

Part of the thought time was consumed however with the darned tree that was providing me shade. You see, every time the wind blows, it sheds a ton of leaves on me and more importantly, in my gutters. The tree is dying from the ground up and I will be glad when it sheds its last leaves, but in the meantime, I regularly bring the ladder up from the basement and do the gutter cleaning thing. I am just glad I own a one story home.

Some of my afternoon was spent contemplating slime mold. I spread mulch around some of my shrubs and was proud of the way the yard was looking...until a few days ago and this gross patch of "stuff" appeared in the mulch. I kicked it around and buried it (I thought) in the mulch. It wasn't any more than an hour later the patch was back. Now, a few days later, I have a healthy crop of slime mold that refuses to go away.

Hope all the Fathers out there had as much of a thought provoking day as I did.

Flood and tornado disaster relief

I am thankful that I have not been personally affected by the recent Midwest tornados and flooding but my thoughts and prayers go out to all that have been affected by these devastating events. They can forever impact lives and families.

If you feel led, please help these disaster victims by donating to the American Red Cross or another organization that will funnel the money to where it is needed.

Grammar and geography

Doing the job I do, I have a chance to speak to many people on a daily basis. The majority of these individuals I speak whith are very professional and personable but I have a complaint.

There is a service that I use on a regular basis and I contact them by telephone. Most of the CSR's are very polite and efficient, however I occasionally run across someone who needs help with grammar. Yesterday I spoke to a young lady that could use a lesson in geography. I found out yesterday that I now work and live in "Indy Apple Lis".

Ghost hunting and the paranormal

Back in October of last year, I worte a post about purported haunted houses and whether that "fact" has to be disclosed to a potential home buyer. In that post, I mentioned that I was intrigued by the paranormal and that I was a fan of the Sci Fi channel's series, Ghost Hunters.

I recently discovered that we have a similar organization right here in central Indiana; Nocturnal Investigative Ghost Hunting Team (N.I.G.H.T.).

I find both of these organizations' work to be very interesting, especially since they both do not accept payment for their services. (I am sure T.A.P.S. receives payment from the Sci Fi channel though). They both use scientific means to try to disprove any activity that a client suggests. Their goal is to find a logical reason for what the client is experiencing, not enhance or exaggerate the claims.

If you know of, or have experienced any activity along these lines, I would be very interested to hear about it. After learning about this interesting field, I would never label someone as crazy for experiencing anything out of the ordinary. There may be normal explanations for the experiences or they may be "para" normal experiences that defy a logical explanation.

Take a look at the web sites and see if you don't agree with me.

Be careful of accepting a land contract if you are selling your home

Whether you are selling your home with a Realtor® or trying to sell your home yourself, PLEASE be careful if a buyer wants to purchase your home using a land contract.

I recently had a home listed for sale and we received an offer that seemed to good to be true. The more questions I asked for my seller, the more vague the buyers became.

http://www.theindychannel.com/call6/15980115/detail.html

These two mentioned in the news article are not typical buyers...they are bordering on scamming home sellers and potentially face criminal charges. If you receive an offer to purchase from a buyer using a land contract, you have every right to ask for a credit report, income verification, job history...anything that will tell you your buyer is legit or not.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about land contracts or any real estate related questions.