March Steve & Jack's Home News

The signs of spring approaching are all around. Unused flex days for school mean 3-day weekends, Peyton Manning won the Super Bowl and we wait for another 6-months for football to return, Valentine's Day has come and gone, we are in the middle of Lent and St. Patrick's Day is the next holiday. This also means...the spring real estate selling season is upon us! More on that in a bit.

We hope you had a great Valentine's Day and are enjoying the fantastic and unseasonably warm weather this weekend. The big news is that Mary Anne (Steve's mom), had her gall bladder removed successfully and without incident a few weeks ago. It is amazing at how minimally invasive so many surgeries are nowadays. Mary Anne is recovering very well and we hope she is more comfortable as a result. Jack & Mary Anne look forward to traveling to Florida for a vacation in the coming weeks and will enjoy some much-needed warmth & sunshine. Steve, Brigid, Ana, & Tali are staying home until spring break at which time they will drive to Florida to visit Brigid's parents again.

The spring selling season is here in force! The biggest challenge is lack of inventory. MIBOR has reported that the 3.9 months of inventory in the 9-county area it tracks is the lowest on record. In fact, in some areas, such as Carmel, they are down to 1.3 months of inventory! This is causing a downward spiral with sellers not putting their houses on the market due to lack of inventory exciting them to want to move. Builders are filling this void as much as possible, but they, quite frankly just don't have the capacity to meet demand. What does this all mean? Simply put, houses are appreciating faster than any time in recent memory at 6.1% for the MIBOR area. Great news for sellers! However, this also means houses are getting more expensive to buy pricing some buyers out of the market or not letting them purchase the house they would like. Builders are also not having to give 'deals' like they used to and they are taking price increases monthly in many developments.

Look for a postcard in the mail from us in the next couple of weeks talking about the Top Ten Tips You Need to Know BEFORE You Build A New Home. We also have it posted to our blog (see link below). Building is becoming more complicated with so many more options available and new builders coming to our market in brand new neighborhoods. If you or someone you care about is thinking about building, read our Top Ten Builder Tips and then give us a call. We have helped almost 100 clients successfully build their new home-both production and custom-have built several of our own homes, and are one of only a select few agents in the city who have earned the Certified New Home Specialist (CNHS) designation, which provides us with unique expertise on navigating our clients who are building a new home through the lengthy process. Best of all-all of this expertise and experience costs you absolutely NOTHING! The builders pay our fee. Contrary to popular belief, you will not get a better deal by not having an agent represent you when building. In fact, we usually end up SAVING our clients money! Our fee comes out of the marketing budget of the builders. Depending on the builder, 75-92% of their buyers have an agent representing them. Shouldn't you?

Thank you to the great crowd we had at our Happy Hour last week! We had a GREAT time! Enjoy the warmer weather and come visit us at our next Happy Hour which is on Wednesday, March 16th from 5-6:30PM. In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day we are going to be next door to our usual Matt The Miller's and check out Langton's Irish Pub, which is immediately south and adjacent to Matt The Miller's located at 710 S. Rangeline Road in Carmel. They have set us up upstairs in our own area with our own bar! Come join us and be sure and RSVP to the Evite invitation when you receive it so we know how many people for whom to plan.

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Your Personal Real Estate Consultants...for Life!

Steve & Jack

Top Ten Things to Know BEFORE You Build

There has been a lot of press lately about the extremely low inventory of housing across the country, but especially in & around Indy. We are at an all-time low of 3.9 months of inventory and, in some markets are as low as 1.3 months! 6-months is deemed to be a balanced market. As a result, many people are seriously considering building a new home. If you or someone you care about is considering building, here are some things to keep in mind before you first step into a model.

1. Have a clear understanding of how long the builder will take to complete the neighborhood…and then add 1-2 years to be safe. New neighborhoods are nice, but do have lots of construction equipment, noise, & traffic as a result. There will be very few, if any mature trees unless they were saved during initial development & vegetation will take time to mature.

2. Take time to research available lots & choose the best one available. Many people will try and save money on the lot premium, but spend it on upgraded spindles, trim, deck, appliances, etc. Your lot is the one thing you cannot ever change. Pay the premium for the best lot (cul-de-sac, lake, tree-line, nature persevere, etc.) and upgrade other features later, if you need to.

3. Be willing to take time to choose your structural & design center options carefully & stay involved in the building process. Building a new home takes much more time than existing, however you can get exactly what you want. From contract signing to final home delivery, it can take 6-12 months, depending on whether you are building production or custom. Be patient. Be willing to stick with the builder and visit your house during construction at least once/week. Visit the design center several times before making a final decision to ensure you are happy with your choices. Maintain an open communication channel with your builder and ensure you are receiving updates at least 1x/week.

4. New homes are closer to ‘perfect’ than existing, but there is no such thing as a ‘perfect home’. Most likely, your budget will not allow you to get everything you want. Know that is okay and very common. Choose wisely on your options. Know that your builder wants to exceed your expectations, but they are human and mistakes will occur. Good communication will go a long way-so will the occasional snacks & drinks brought to the job site! :-)

5. Pay for a 3-phase new construction independent inspection. Many people make the mistake of not hiring their own inspector who is familiar with the building process to ensure high quality. Builders have a quality control process & the municipalities have mandatory code inspections, but neither are a replacement for having your own independent inspection. Budget $800-$1,000 & make sure your builder knows of your intention to have one so he/she can make accommodations for your inspector.

6. Understand the structural & home warranties. Most builders purchase a 3rd party, 10-year structural home warranty for their clients. This is for structural issues only & the deductible can be $500 or more depending on the type of claim. Builders are required by law to provide a 1-year ‘bumper to bumper’ warranty on their homes, but some provide 2-year warranties. This includes anything mechanical as well as drywall cracks & nail pops. Ensure you schedule a 1-year walk-thru prior to expiration of your warranty to have your builder address any concerns & keep a list of those as they occur throughout the year so you don’t forget any. Many components of your house have their own warranties that last longer, such as furnace, roof, windows, water heater, appliances, etc.

7. Know the HERS (Home Energy Rating System) score. Every year, new technology & building practices improve & homes are more & more energy efficient. You can literally save hundreds of dollars each month in energy costs with a new home versus an older one. When deciding on new or existing, factor this into your budget as it can have a significant impact on your monthly expenses.

8. Take time to research floor plans you like & don’t like & visit builder models. Builder models are a treasure-trove of information. Take time to walk through several and note what you like and don’t like. New homes are designed & built to the needs of today’s consumer (think open floor plans, hearth rooms, outdoor living, etc.) and flow much better than many older homes. If you buy an older home, will you have to make any significant improvements out-of-pocket that you could get included by building new?

9. HGTV is not real! HGTV is great to watch and you can get a lot of good ideas, but it is sensationalized and fictionalized. You only see what the producer wants you to see. There is far more to the story that what you see. Please don’t set your expectations according to what you see on TV.

10. Professional representation does not cost you more. Having an experienced agent who is well-versed in building is a huge asset. They can help guide you through all of the above & assist in making wise decisions as well as take a lot of pressure & stress off your shoulders. Contrary to popular belief, builders do NOT charge less if a real estate agent is not involved. In fact, in many cases, agents can help you get a better deal than not having one involved. Real estate agents are involved in new home builds between 75-92% of the time, depending on the builder. Our fees come out of their marketing budget & have nothing to do with the price you pay for your new home. The best time to involve a real estate agent is at the very beginning of the process before you set foot in your first model home. Builders are very happy to work with experienced agents, but they need to know you are working with an agent at the very beginning of the process & it is best if they accompany you to the model for the first time. All builders have registration forms they will ask you to complete. Make sure you write the name of your agent on this form and your relationship with your agent will be protected. We have built our own homes as well as almost 100 production & custom homes for our clients over the years and have earned the Certified New Home Specialist designation (along with 10 other certifications & designations) held by the top 3% of agents specializing in new construction. We have saved our clients tens of thousands of dollars & countless headaches.

If you or someone you care about are even considering building, give us a call today so we can sit down and consult with you about your options and help you make a truly informed decision, including which area/neighborhood is best for you, which builder is the best fit, lot choices, upgrades/options, & an overview of the entire building process from beginning to end. We specialize in selling homes that are contingent on selling before your new home is built. This is one of the biggest concerns people have when deciding to build. Let us walk you through some solutions and see which one best fits your needs.

We are honored to have earned the Angie’s List Super Service Award for 2015 & are a 5-time recipient of the 5-Star Real Estate Agent award, both recognizing exceptional commitment to client service. Finally, come join us at an upcoming Happy Hour! They take place the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 5-6:30PM at Matt The Miller’s in Carmel. Food & drinks are on us!!

Call us today to schedule your private, no-obligation new construction consultation!

Your Personal Real Estate Consultants…for Life!
Steve & Jack Rupp
Keller Williams Realty
www.Welcome2Indy.com
317-573-1880
Steve@Welcome2Indy.com