REALTORS® RELEASE INDIANA REAL ESTATE MARKETS REPORT FOR APRIL 2012
 Statewide housing market improves on all indicators as inventory drops 

(INDIANAPOLIS, IN) – REALTORS® today released their monthly Indiana Real Estate Markets Report, which showed that statewide, when comparing April 2012 to April 2011:

• The number of closed home sales increased 13 percent to 5,568;
• The median sale price of those homes increased 2.7 percent to $116,000;
• The average sale price increased 3.5 percent to $137,533;
• The number of pending home sales increased 11.8 percent to 6,101;
• The number of new listings increased 2.3 percent to 11,340; and
• The percent of original list price received increased 0.1 percent to 90.7 percent.

“April was one of the best months the statewide housing market has seen in years,” said Karl Berron, Chief Executive Officer of the Indiana Association of REALTORS®. “And members are confident the next few months of the traditional selling season will follow this positive trend so long as Hoosiers are working.
“Going forward, we will be closely watching the activity related to the percent of original list price received at sale and inventory of homes for sale,” continued Berron. “Favorable supply-demand trends may finally be ticking toward sellers, though with still historically low interest rates, qualified buyers have a great market in which to make an investment.”

Anyone looking to buy or invest should start with the sortable county tables of this report and then talk to a local REALTOR® who can give the most insight into what’s happening in a neighborhood, city or school district.
More about the Indiana Real Estate Markets Report
Established in May 2009, the Indiana Real Estate Markets Report was the first-ever county-by-county comparison of existing single-family home sales in Indiana. In March 2010, IAR added statistics on other types of existing detached single-family (DSF) home sales – condominiums, duplexes, townhomes, mobile homes, etc. – to the report.
The report became even more robust in August 2010.  It now tells how the statewide housing market is performing according to eight different indicators, each with one-month and year-to-date comparisons, as well as a historical look. It also provides specific county information for 91 of Indiana’s 92 counties in a sortable table format, allowing for consistent comparison between local markets. IAR obtains the data directly from and releases this report in partnership with 26 of the state’s 27 Multiple Listing Services (MLSs), including the Broker Listing Cooperative® (BLC®) in both central and southwestern Indiana.
IAR represents approximately 15,000 REALTORS® who are involved in virtually all aspects related to the sale, purchase, exchange or lease of real property in Indiana. The term REALTOR® is a registered mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of America’s largest trade association, the National Association of REALTORS®, and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Sometimes I wish that instead of the little paint color booklets that they have at the paint counter, they would just go ahead and tell me what paint colors are in the TV shows I watch!!

I want that pink and green combo in Ellie and Pete’s house on Cougar Town. It’s a light peachy pink with a…. oh nevermind.

How about the beautiful blue in the foyer of the Dunphy house on Modern Family?

The green on the cabinets in Joey and Chandler’s apartment? (Which is very close to the green on MY cabinets)

So, what TV show paint color makes you swoon and want to break out the drop cloths? What TV show house has the best paint colors? I want to hear what color you would like to see at your nearest Home Improvement store! Leave your comments here on my blog!

Radon

Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. Elevated levels have been found in homes in every state. Any home can have a problem (new or old homes, well-sealed or drafty homes, and homes with or without basements). The National Academy of Sciences estimates that radon, the second leading cause of lung cancer, causes between 15,400 and 21,800 lung cancer deaths per year in the U.S.

Home Buyers & Sellers Home Buyer’s & Seller’s Guide Buying a new home How to reduce radon levels	Citizens Citizen’s guide to radon Radon guide for tenants Reducing radon risks Radon myths Radon in schools Radon Info for Kids	U.S. Maps Radon zone map Geologic radon potential Uranium concentrations	Radon Geeks Physician’s guide to radon Geology of radon BEIR V1 Radon Report

Article courtesy of U.S. Inspect.

We go around the table and tell each other what we would have in our “Dream House”. Money doesn’t matter, reality doesn’t matter.
Jakob says his house would have: A room full of china and a baseball bat.
Evan says his house would have: A room full of Puppies
Andy says: My house would have a chef!
I say: My house would have a beach.
And we go around the table a few times until we run out of ideas.
So, let’s play! What would YOUR house have? GO!

More Resources

I have always felt that lights should be turned off, when I am finished showing a house. I worry about the seller who set the house up and then won’t be back for hours. I worry about electricity bills and making sure that the seller knows someone was there. I *REALLY* worry about candles that are lit and always make sure to blow them out.

So, IF you were selling your house, which would you prefer?

Yours truly was asked to help serve on the committee and I enjoyed meeting with the Town manager, local builders, the Head of the Avon Parks Department, and other community leaders to discuss the idea. It is always great to be able to be a part of the community.

What is an Impact fee? An Impact fee is often charged to builders as a way to help pay for the “impact” that a new neighborhood will have on a community. For every new neighborhood that gets built in Avon, there is an influx of new residents as well. New people who will be using our roads, our utilities and our parks. Impact fees are common and can be used for any number of things to help the community. Most of the towns surrounding Avon have already adopted these fees.

In Avon, the impact fee will be used towards recreation. We do have wonderful parks, and when you add in the facilities provided by Washington Township, there is a lot to offer in our community. We are proud of our parks, and want to be sure that we are able to keep up with future demand. The Town will focus on using the fees collected to purchase more land, install more walking trails and a  destination playground. In the future we will be able to take another look and decide what else we would like to use the fees for.

I think this is a great step towards helping our community keep up with the growth we are experiencing. I know that it will cause an additional burden on builders, and that they might decide to pass the additional cost to the buyers. On the other hand, I feel that keeping our community moving in the right direction will help Avon be even more desirable to new buyers.

I would love to hear your thoughts on impact fees. What would you like to see the fees used for? What improvements do you think Avon needs most?

Here is a video made by the Town of Avon in 2010

Jakob said his school was doing a “Hunger Games Book Club” so he decided to read it, but I wanted to know what the Buzz was all about. As soon as I finished the first boo, I had to rush to Half Priced Books to get “Catching Fire” asap!

I’ve finished all 3 now, and Jakob is just beginning the second book. What I really love about it is that the series gets kids reading again, just like Harry Potter did a few years ago. Even kids who whine and complain about reading (ahem, J) are begging to stay up a couple minutes later to get this chapter finished.

On Sunday I took Jakob to the movie to see The Hunger Games, and we loved it too! Just an amazing story. It was a great way for us to bond and relax. Evan went with Daddy to see The Lorax while we watched our movie. Definitely better to read the book BEFORE you go see the movie, you will get so much more from it!

Is it scary? Yes. Is it kind of awkward for kids at some points? Yes. Would I totally recommend letting your tween read it anyway? YES!

This weekend in Avon the newest Beazer Home community will open, and you and your readers are invited to join in the festivities.  

It’s from noon- 3pm this Saturday.

Ribbon cutting ceremony is at 12:45pm

Avon High School Jazz Band is playing at 1pm

We will have food, drinks, and giveaways

Tour two new model homes- The Jefferson and The Bradley

 

1922 Winchester Blvd. Avon, IN 46123. Just east of Dan Jones Rd. on County Road 200 N/21^st Street.