We hope you had a great Valentine's Day with your loved ones last week. Although one could easily argue its origins as being purely commercial in nature, which may very well be true, it is still a nice opportunity to show those about whom you care a little extra tangible 'something', the most important of which is your time and 'being present'.
With technology as prolific as it is today, the gift of our time and presence is appreciated now more than ever when freely given to those we love most. I think back to dinners with Ana & Tali and how Brigid and I have to intentionally put down our phones and interact with them. It truly is sad, but in a world with constant distractions and smart phones increasingly more powerful and small, always clamoring for our immediate attention with their seemingly incessant ringing and dinging it is no wonder we live in an attention-deficit world. However, I would submit that those closest to us deserve our uninterrupted attention much more so than the unknown caller on the other side of that ringing and dinging phone-now more than ever. What would your life be like if you put your phone on Do Not Disturb when your family could predictably count on you to do so and you were just present with them sharing nothing more than your presence and undivided attention? Would that have a positive impact on you and your most precious relationships? I challenge you to give it a shot and commit to doing it for a week and see what happens. You just may be amazed at what happens next...
Jack & Mary Anne just returned from a 2-week trip to Costa Rica last weekend. They went with another couple and had an amazing time!! It was an organized tour through the Rhodes Scholar program (formerly called Elder Hostel). They spent time in the extremely humid rain forest and saw the most beautiful animals, including Macaws, sloths, tree frogs, and myriad other creatures we don't have here in Indiana. The poverty they encountered was moving and humbling. They really enjoyed their trip and are glad they went. Have you traveled to Costa Rica? If so, what was your favorite memory?
As for our real estate market, it is quickly heating up. We are officially in the 'spring market', believe it or not. Many houses are selling very quickly (clearly not all of them!). If you are thinking of entering the market, NOW is the time to get moving. Here is a recap of December 2014 courtesy of MIBOR Monthly Indicators Report (compares December 2013 to December 2014):
*New Listings-UP 13.1%
*Pending Sales-UP 16.6%
*Closed Sales-UP 13.0%
*Median Sales Price-UP 0.1% to $135,000
*Average Sales Price-DOWN 0.6% to $175,522
*Percent of Original List Price Received at Sale-UP 1.2% to 92.4%
*Total Active Listings Available at Month End-DOWN 3.1%
*Months Supply of Inventory-DOWN 0.7% to 4.5 months
Bottom line, 2014 was another year of recovery, albeit not as dramatic as 2013. Our market is approaching equilibrium after being drastically undersupplied. We are being told that this summer, we will see interest rates rise, although we have already seen them increase 0.25% over the past 2-weeks. Student loan debt, sluggish wage growth, and a lack of sufficient mortgage liquidity remain hurdles to a greater recovery.
We hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day. After a quiet dinner out, Brigid and I saw the new movie Kingsman. If you like James Bond, The Matrix, & X-Men, you will absolutely LOVE Kingsman. It is highly rated in reviews and I would echo those. Very enjoyable movie!!!
Click here to read our March 2015 newsletter.
Click here to access our exclusive coupons & discounts.
Click here to download our powerful new mobile app.
Your Personal Real Estate Consultants...for Life!
Steve & Jack Rupp
With technology as prolific as it is today, the gift of our time and presence is appreciated now more than ever when freely given to those we love most. I think back to dinners with Ana & Tali and how Brigid and I have to intentionally put down our phones and interact with them. It truly is sad, but in a world with constant distractions and smart phones increasingly more powerful and small, always clamoring for our immediate attention with their seemingly incessant ringing and dinging it is no wonder we live in an attention-deficit world. However, I would submit that those closest to us deserve our uninterrupted attention much more so than the unknown caller on the other side of that ringing and dinging phone-now more than ever. What would your life be like if you put your phone on Do Not Disturb when your family could predictably count on you to do so and you were just present with them sharing nothing more than your presence and undivided attention? Would that have a positive impact on you and your most precious relationships? I challenge you to give it a shot and commit to doing it for a week and see what happens. You just may be amazed at what happens next...
Jack & Mary Anne just returned from a 2-week trip to Costa Rica last weekend. They went with another couple and had an amazing time!! It was an organized tour through the Rhodes Scholar program (formerly called Elder Hostel). They spent time in the extremely humid rain forest and saw the most beautiful animals, including Macaws, sloths, tree frogs, and myriad other creatures we don't have here in Indiana. The poverty they encountered was moving and humbling. They really enjoyed their trip and are glad they went. Have you traveled to Costa Rica? If so, what was your favorite memory?
As for our real estate market, it is quickly heating up. We are officially in the 'spring market', believe it or not. Many houses are selling very quickly (clearly not all of them!). If you are thinking of entering the market, NOW is the time to get moving. Here is a recap of December 2014 courtesy of MIBOR Monthly Indicators Report (compares December 2013 to December 2014):
*New Listings-UP 13.1%
*Pending Sales-UP 16.6%
*Closed Sales-UP 13.0%
*Median Sales Price-UP 0.1% to $135,000
*Average Sales Price-DOWN 0.6% to $175,522
*Percent of Original List Price Received at Sale-UP 1.2% to 92.4%
*Total Active Listings Available at Month End-DOWN 3.1%
*Months Supply of Inventory-DOWN 0.7% to 4.5 months
Bottom line, 2014 was another year of recovery, albeit not as dramatic as 2013. Our market is approaching equilibrium after being drastically undersupplied. We are being told that this summer, we will see interest rates rise, although we have already seen them increase 0.25% over the past 2-weeks. Student loan debt, sluggish wage growth, and a lack of sufficient mortgage liquidity remain hurdles to a greater recovery.
We hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day. After a quiet dinner out, Brigid and I saw the new movie Kingsman. If you like James Bond, The Matrix, & X-Men, you will absolutely LOVE Kingsman. It is highly rated in reviews and I would echo those. Very enjoyable movie!!!
Click here to read our March 2015 newsletter.
Click here to access our exclusive coupons & discounts.
Click here to download our powerful new mobile app.
Your Personal Real Estate Consultants...for Life!
Steve & Jack Rupp
