Welcome to 2021! For many, if not most of us, we are happy to get 2020 in our rearview mirror, especially since a vaccine is here and being rolled out across the globe. Time will tell how effective it is, but it is a great start and a light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel. We mourn those we have lost, including loved ones, friends, neighbors, businesses, and non-profit organizations. No one seemed to be immune, however we have to believe that we will rise stronger than ever and fresh new opportunities will arise as a result of the struggles and pain we have endured. We truly hope and pray this is true and that 2021 will start to return to our 'new normal'.
We hope you are able to enjoy some downtime safely with family for the holidays and recharge for the coming year. Our family is staying home this year. Usually, we go see Brigid's family in St. Pete, FL or they come here, but with COVID they are staying put and so are we. Jack and Mary Anne are coming over for Christmas Eve dinner and then present opening from each other. Christmas morning will be a Zoom call with them as well as Brigid's parents watching the girls open their presents. While not ideal, we will make it work and enjoy time together, even if it is virtual. We hope you are able to include family virtually as well this year to continue your traditions, even if they look a little different.
Thea & Michael are traveling back home to Cleveland for Christmas and enjoying time with family.
Patti & Ron are staying home as well with Ron enjoying his newly-found retirement. Patti took last week off to finish getting things ready for Christmas and spend time with Ron.
Kylie and her family will spend Christmas together as well and enjoy some much-deserved downtime with her taking the last two weeks of the year off.
The housing market has continued to get tighter and tighter with prices climbing every month. In fact, they climbed 19.6% since last November, which is an all-time record. Indianapolis has been identified as one of the top ten major metros in the US to have weathered and continue to weather the COVID and post-COVID markets the best. We are expecting a super-busy 2021 with home sales. If you are thinking about making a move, give us a call! We would love to hear about your goals and plans and how we can help make them a reality.
Here are some stats comparing November 2020 to October 2020, per MIBOR for the 16 counties it serves:
Median sales price-UP 1.8% to $224,900
Closed sales-DOWN 15% to 3,191 units
New listings-DOWN 28.2% to 2,707 units
Pending sales-DOWN 11.6% to 3,057 units
Days on market-UP 24% to 31 days
Price per s.f.-DOWN 0.8% to $128
% of ask received-DOWN 0.2% to 98.6%
Active inventory-DOWN 12.4% to 2,870 units
Absorption rate-FLAT at 0.9 months
As you can see, activity has dropped, but that is expected at this time of the year. We expect activity to pick up again as we approach spring.
May you enjoy the holidays with your family and take some downtime. We are grateful you are part of our tribe and look forward to continue serving you into 2021.
If you are thinking of selling your house, come to our Home Seller Workshop on 1/12/21 at 7pm. We would love to have you. It is a small group and socially-distanced. We will be providing tips and tricks on how to best prepare your house to sell and maximize your value. RSVP to me at 317-339-7698 or Steve@Welcome2Indy.com. We would love to have you!!!
Also, if safe, we will having our first Happy Hour of 2021 on Thursday, January 21st from 5-6:30pm. Check your e-mail in the coming weeks for more info and updates.
Check out our January newsletter below along with links to other resources. Happy New Year!!
Watch Steve's January video intro here
Read our January newsletter here
Download the most powerful real estate app here
Grab coupons and discount at places you shop every day here
Read and watch what our clients have to say about our service here
Watch a 1-minute video about the real estate market here
Your friends in real estate,
Steve, Kylie, Patti, Thea
P.S. Please don't keep us a secret!
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Thursday, December 17, 2020
2021 Colors of The Year
Everything has its season, and for paint, winter is that time. Year after year, paint companies release their chosen Color(s) of the Year, which are meant to be reflections on trends that are coming to interior design near you. If you’ve been considering repainting a bedroom or your whole house, knowing what’s in can help you narrow down the impressively huge list of paint options available.
Bold Tones Are Where It’s At
2021 continues the trend that’s been taking us far from the subdued hues that have been so popular in the past. Instead of neutral palettes, homeowners are going big or going home. That doesn’t mean the paint scheme in every house has to be glam, but it does mean that it’s ok to put a little personality out there. Pops of color are glorious when done properly and no longer the sale killer they may have once been. But it’s not exactly a revisit to the 1950s. Color should be used more strategically to create a big impact, highlight features in your home, and influence the atmosphere in living, dining, and sleeping spaces.
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Drumroll Please….
Most of the major paint companies have announced their colors for this year, though a few are still waiting for 2021 to roll around. Of those that have made it official, you’ll notice a big trend in color themes. Blues, pinks, and grays rule the day, though they’re not your grandma’s retro flavors.
Pantone: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating
One of the top names in color has come up with one of the top color combos for 2021. It’s a whole mood, really, and sums up 2020 pretty well. Ultimate Gray is a light neutral gray color that would be at home in almost any space. Illuminating, however, is a bright, determined yellow that should be used in small doses. As Pantone’s executive director, Leatrice Eiseman, wrote in a press release about the decision, “The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude.” It’s also way eye-catching.
Rust-Oleum: Satin Paprika
Do you dream of the desert southwest? Or maybe you already live there and want to bring a bit more pop indoors? Satin Paprika may be the answer. This coral red, spicy earth tone is the anchor for three distinct color palettes that Rust-Oleum has developed for 2021. It’s gorgeous in a variety of spaces, works with many different colors, and, frankly, it brings to mind the red stone that’s so common in the desert. Your succulents will feel right at home.
Glidden: Aqua Fiesta
Glidden zigged this year when a lot of the other paint brands zagged, and named Aqua Fiesta its Accent Color of the Year. It’s a bold, but not overly bright, aqua color that goes great with both light neutral browns and grays, allowing it to dress up all kinds of spaces. You might feel like taking an island vacation or dream of mermaids after painting this one on, though.
Benjamin Moore: Aegean Teal
Benjamin Moore was also feeling a bit blue when choosing 2021’s color of the year, but more blue than green, which resulted in a gorgeous dark robin egg-esque color. The gray undertones make it a great accompaniment to the popular gray neutrals, and the more strict blue gives it a bit of a grown-up feel. It’s a super calming color in any room and will even pair well with yellows.
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams: Passionate
Blue isn’t everybody’s thing, and clearly HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams agrees. It chose Passionate for its 2021 Color of the Year. This is a deep carnation, but not quite red, sort of color that looks awesome with earth tones and tans. It’s the kind of color that you may have never expected to like, let alone paint in your home, until you see it in action. Accent it with other bold tones and your humdrum room will absolutely be transformed.
Sherwin-Williams: Urbane Bronze
Looking for deep, rich color that won’t leave anyone guessing about your intention for your space? Urbane Bronze is a color that will define a space without regrets. It’s a warm gray-brown that goes well with a range of flooring and lighting, but stands up on its own without the need for a lot of fanfare. You might not want to use this on every wall, as it may have a way of making your space feel a bit small, but your accent walls and accent pieces will absolutely thank you.
Valspar: Hues of the Year
Valspar couldn’t pick just one, so instead went with a whole range of colors for the year. It chose 12 muted colors; these are colors that could be considered “barely there,” just a hint of bold for a room that isn’t ready to go all in. These subtle choices range from misty blue to a warm apricot, with buttercream, green, beige, and gray also on the menu. Use this palette together to create a wholly harmonious space.
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Ready to Get Painting?
Choosing your colors is only the first step to getting that big paint job done. If you need some help finding a painter who will knock it out of the park, don’t hesitate to ask your HomeKeepr family for a recommendation. After all, it’s an awfully good feeling knowing that someone you believe in trusts the painter that’s going to make your dreams come true.
Monday, December 14, 2020
Should You DIY Your Holiday Lights?
A good holiday light display can be awe-inspiring, leaving neighbors talking and prompting people from all over town to drive by just to see it. Unfortunately, some of these displays can be difficult to install, and may even require some technical know-how if you want the display to sync to music or have multiple parts working together. There are services that can help with this, putting in the work to set up your lights, regardless of whether you want a modest display or something that would make Clark Griswold green with envy. Are they right for you, though? Here are a few things to consider.
Display Complexity
One thing that can influence your decision of whether to DIY your holiday lighting is the complexity of the display you want to create. There might not be much of a need for you to hire someone if you are doing basic decorations or have all the equipment you need to get your lights in place. If you want a large elaborate display, or don’t already have everything that you need to reach and mount lights everywhere you want them, you might be better off hiring someone to get the decorations done.
Available Free Time
Putting up lights around the holidays can take a lot of time, especially for larger displays. This is why a lot of people make decorating into a weekend project when there’s more time available to put into it. Between work, family time, and other responsibilities, though, you may not have large blocks of time available to put into your decorations. This can lead to holiday decorating being stretched out across days or even weeks of small bursts of activity, so if you’re in that situation you might consider paying to have it done instead.
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Necessary Equipment
Hanging lights might seem like a simple task, but it becomes a lot harder if you don’t have the necessary equipment on hand. While you can get light mounting hooks and other supplies pretty cheaply, you’re looking at bigger expenses if you find that you need to buy a ladder or other equipment just to get to the areas where you want the lights to go. If you don’t already have everything you need, hiring someone who does may be the cheaper and easier option.
Technical Configuration
Some lighting displays are really impressive, using computers and other specialized hardware to sync multiple display pieces, and in some cases even operate projectors or broadcast music that can be picked up on the FM band. If you’re not very technologically savvy, setting up a display like this might be more of a job than you can realistically handle alone. Bringing in someone with experience setting up these more technology-driven displays can save you some serious time. It may save you money as well, as they’ll make sure that you don’t buy anything that you don’t actually need to get your display working.
Other Services
When trying to decide whether you can do your decorating yourself or if you need to bring someone else in, consider whether there’s anything else that you need help doing. Some holiday decorating services offer assistance with multiple parts of decorating, including setting up trees or displays inside the house. Some may even offer custom decorations or consulting services to make sure that everything ties together and matches the existing themes of your home. These are all things that you can typically do yourself, of course. Still, if you have a certain look in mind, it’s worth remembering that you may be able to get some help bringing it to life this holiday season.
Finding the Right Installer
Finding a light installer you can trust isn’t always easy, but HomeKeepr is here to help. Sign up for a free account today and connect with workers who can get the job done right the first time.
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
December 2020 Steve & Jack's Home News
December is finally here and we are in full swing of the holidays. Regardless of what holiday you celebrate, we hope this time is full of hope, excitement and new beginnings! We could all use a little of that right now! I don’t know about you, but I have seen holiday lights up earlier than ever before this year. Could it be because people are ready for some holiday spirit to brighten this strange and in many cases difficult year? I would like to think so. Our lights were put up a couple of weeks ago when the weather was over 70-degrees. It was glorious!
Where do I start?? We have had so many client events this past month and are grateful to each of you who took part as we have loved seeing you and saying thank you!! Happy Hour last week was extremely well-attended and looked a little different than usual with social distancing guidelines in place for safety. Thank you, again to our sponsor Jeff Lazar with Lazar Insurance-317-867-1303. We appreciate the support. If you are thinking about making a change of insurance or just want a second opinion, we can’t recommend Jeff and his team highly enough!! They do a great job and really take care of their clients. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming Happy Hour next year, please give Patti a call at 463-999-3949. We are looking for May and later right now. No Happy Hour in December, but we will pick back up again in January on the 21st.
Our very first North Pole Experience at our office was a huge hit! Thank you to so many families who attended and received their ‘Nice List’ certificate, some pre-wrapped treats, a goodie bag, writing letters to Santa (a response should be coming in the next couple of weeks or so) and the amazing family photos (we will send those to you when we receive them from the professional photographer, hopefully next week). We hope you had as good of a time as we did seeing you!
Finally, another first-our Thanksgiving Pie pick-up exceeded even our most optimistic expectations!!! Over 115 of you ordered a pie from No Label at The Table and hopefully you have enjoyed it with family by now. No Label at The Table is a very small, family-owned bakery in Carmel that employs young adults on the autism spectrum and teaches them job and life skills. They also sell items via several micro businesses in the store and are a gluten- and dairy-free company. They were SO grateful of the support during this really difficult time. Please visit them for future needs and they are so easy to work with and also are grateful for your support. We also donated 45 pies to Student Impact of Westfield so 45 families could enjoy a Thanksgiving meal that they otherwise would’t have had. This was a success on so many levels and we certainly hope you felt the love. Thank you for participating and we hope to see you again next year!!!
Patti did such an amazing job organizing all three of these events that happened in six short days!! We are grateful for everything she did to pull these events off. Look for more fun events next year!!! Patti, enjoy some much-deserved down-time!
Thea and Michael will be headed to Cleveland to be with family this holiday and are loving their new home. We look forward to her hosting our team holiday party in December and enjoy her amazing cooking!
Kylie is staying near home to spend time with family as well and is in the middle of some house projects, too.
Steve and his family are staying home for the holidays. Thanksgiving dinner will be made by Brigid and driven to Jack and Mary Anne as well as his sister Michelle and then back home so they can eat dinner together via Zoom. Christmas will be at home as well this year and they will enjoy some relaxation.
Make no mistake, however that our team IS working through the holidays, so if you or someone you care about are thinking of making a move, give us a call and we are happy to help. Holidays can be a busy time for us and our clients for real estate, so don’t feel shy about calling.
As for the housing market, it is still hot. We need inventory BADLY! We are still at less than a month of supply and things aren’t going to get better any time soon. With record-low interest rates well below 3% and house prices higher than ever, this is a great time to buy/sell/build a new home. Here are some stats from MIBOR comparing October 2020 to September 2020:
Median sales price-DOWN 1.8% to $221,000
Closed sales-DOWN 0.7% to 3,689 units
New listings-DOWN 9.6% to 3,746 units
Pending sales-DOWN 1.5% to 3,638 units
Days on market-no change at 25 days
Price per s.f.-no change at $129
% of asking price received-DOWN 0.2% to 98.8%
Active inventory-UP 2.7% to 3,259 units
Absorption rate-no change at 0.9 months
As you can see the market is softening a LITTLE bit, but this is expected prior to a presidential election and going into winter. We expect the market to tighten up again as we get past the election and head toward spring. NAR is predicting 2021 to be even stronger than 2020, so buckle up and get ready for another wild ride!!!
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays from our family to yours. Thank you for being such an important part of our lives. We appreciate you!!!
Click here to watch an intro video from Steve
Click here to read the December newsletter
Click here to download the most powerful real estate app available
Click here to get coupons and discounts at places you shop every day
Click here to watch a 1-minute video about this month in real estate
Click here to see what our clients have to say about us
Your friends in real estate, Steve, Kylie, Thea, and Patti
P.S. Please don’t keep us a secret.
Where do I start?? We have had so many client events this past month and are grateful to each of you who took part as we have loved seeing you and saying thank you!! Happy Hour last week was extremely well-attended and looked a little different than usual with social distancing guidelines in place for safety. Thank you, again to our sponsor Jeff Lazar with Lazar Insurance-317-867-1303. We appreciate the support. If you are thinking about making a change of insurance or just want a second opinion, we can’t recommend Jeff and his team highly enough!! They do a great job and really take care of their clients. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming Happy Hour next year, please give Patti a call at 463-999-3949. We are looking for May and later right now. No Happy Hour in December, but we will pick back up again in January on the 21st.
Our very first North Pole Experience at our office was a huge hit! Thank you to so many families who attended and received their ‘Nice List’ certificate, some pre-wrapped treats, a goodie bag, writing letters to Santa (a response should be coming in the next couple of weeks or so) and the amazing family photos (we will send those to you when we receive them from the professional photographer, hopefully next week). We hope you had as good of a time as we did seeing you!
Finally, another first-our Thanksgiving Pie pick-up exceeded even our most optimistic expectations!!! Over 115 of you ordered a pie from No Label at The Table and hopefully you have enjoyed it with family by now. No Label at The Table is a very small, family-owned bakery in Carmel that employs young adults on the autism spectrum and teaches them job and life skills. They also sell items via several micro businesses in the store and are a gluten- and dairy-free company. They were SO grateful of the support during this really difficult time. Please visit them for future needs and they are so easy to work with and also are grateful for your support. We also donated 45 pies to Student Impact of Westfield so 45 families could enjoy a Thanksgiving meal that they otherwise would’t have had. This was a success on so many levels and we certainly hope you felt the love. Thank you for participating and we hope to see you again next year!!!
Patti did such an amazing job organizing all three of these events that happened in six short days!! We are grateful for everything she did to pull these events off. Look for more fun events next year!!! Patti, enjoy some much-deserved down-time!
Thea and Michael will be headed to Cleveland to be with family this holiday and are loving their new home. We look forward to her hosting our team holiday party in December and enjoy her amazing cooking!
Kylie is staying near home to spend time with family as well and is in the middle of some house projects, too.
Steve and his family are staying home for the holidays. Thanksgiving dinner will be made by Brigid and driven to Jack and Mary Anne as well as his sister Michelle and then back home so they can eat dinner together via Zoom. Christmas will be at home as well this year and they will enjoy some relaxation.
Make no mistake, however that our team IS working through the holidays, so if you or someone you care about are thinking of making a move, give us a call and we are happy to help. Holidays can be a busy time for us and our clients for real estate, so don’t feel shy about calling.
As for the housing market, it is still hot. We need inventory BADLY! We are still at less than a month of supply and things aren’t going to get better any time soon. With record-low interest rates well below 3% and house prices higher than ever, this is a great time to buy/sell/build a new home. Here are some stats from MIBOR comparing October 2020 to September 2020:
Median sales price-DOWN 1.8% to $221,000
Closed sales-DOWN 0.7% to 3,689 units
New listings-DOWN 9.6% to 3,746 units
Pending sales-DOWN 1.5% to 3,638 units
Days on market-no change at 25 days
Price per s.f.-no change at $129
% of asking price received-DOWN 0.2% to 98.8%
Active inventory-UP 2.7% to 3,259 units
Absorption rate-no change at 0.9 months
As you can see the market is softening a LITTLE bit, but this is expected prior to a presidential election and going into winter. We expect the market to tighten up again as we get past the election and head toward spring. NAR is predicting 2021 to be even stronger than 2020, so buckle up and get ready for another wild ride!!!
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays from our family to yours. Thank you for being such an important part of our lives. We appreciate you!!!
Click here to watch an intro video from Steve
Click here to read the December newsletter
Click here to download the most powerful real estate app available
Click here to get coupons and discounts at places you shop every day
Click here to watch a 1-minute video about this month in real estate
Click here to see what our clients have to say about us
Your friends in real estate, Steve, Kylie, Thea, and Patti
P.S. Please don’t keep us a secret.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
November Steve & Jack's Home News
Welcome, fall! We have certainly seen the temperatures cool and the leaves change. While this is a beautiful time of the year, allergy sufferers and those not enjoying the cold weather that follows aren’t quite as happy. We certainly hope you are able to take some time to enjoy the fall colors as well as football. I write this month’s newsletter sitting in the Tampa airport at the end of Fall Break. We took a very short trip to St. Pete to visit Brigid’s parents whom we haven’t seen in almost a year. It was nice to get away and enjoy some sun, pool time, and just relax and get a change of scenery. It definitely is good medicine after this year!
Ana continues to do well at Guerin, but misses soccer. Her varsity team made it to the State Championship and they play on Halloween. Tali is preparing for her first competitive cheer competition in a couple of weeks. We are anxious to experience our first cheer competition as parents. Brigid has finally been able to get out of the house and start making her calls again. She is happy to be able to get out again!
Jack and Mary Anne are staying home for the next several months and are enjoying relaxing and having the girls over to visit. Kylie is actively working on remodeling her house and dealing with the disruption that entails. She also celebrated a birthday this past week and our team enjoyed spoiling her for the day. Patti celebrated her 1-year wedding anniversary last week and spent the weekend enjoying some fun activities with Ron. Thea and her husband Michael are getting settled into their new home and welcomed their parents to visit this past weekend.
Thank you to everyone for attending our October Happy Hour! We had another great turnout and enjoyed re-connecting with so many friends and clients. Thank you to Genan Kirby at Indiana Members Credit Union for sponsoring the October Happy Hour. If you are looking for a change in your financial services provider, give Genan a call. You will enjoy outstanding service!! Her number is 317-508-4264. We hope you can join us for our November Happy Hour on Thursday, November 19th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller’s again. We would love to see you!!! Our sponsor for November is Lazar Insurance. They have been one of our top VIP Insurance Partners for many years and we highly recommend them. Their coverage is top-notch and so is their service. Their premiums are very competitive. Give Jeff a call at 317-867-1303 and tell him I sent you.
Many of you participate in our Annual Cookies with Santa. Due to COVID, we aren’t able to do that this year, however we will be doing a ‘visit’ to the North Pole at our office on Sunday, November 22nd from 11AM-3PM. Watch your inbox and mailbox for more details on how to register. We hope you can make it!!
You should have received a Save The Date card in the mail by now for Tuesday, November 24th. Unfortunately, due to the current health situation, we are not able to continue our movie event, so we have created a new event that we hope you will enjoy. You will like what we have planned…and it will also benefit those less fortunate as well as a small, family-owned local business. We thought long and hard on what to do this year and believe we found a great event to say ‘Thank You!’ for inviting us to help you as well as giving back to the community. Watch your mailbox and e-mail for more details in the next week.
Real estate has slowed just a bit ahead of this contentious election, which was to be expected. It is still HOT and many houses are still flying off the market, but many are not selling quite as fast as they used to. While this year is anything but normal and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, let alone this winter, if the real estate market follows the typical post-presidential election pattern, we will see a busier-than-usual winter real estate market. Interest rates for a 30-year fixed conventional mortgage are still under 3%. If you are not moving anytime soon and haven’t looked into refinancing, give us a call. We have some awesome lenders who will be happy to help guide you in the right direction and advise you if it makes sense to re-finance or not. If you are considering moving, give us a call. We would be happy to consult with you about your options.
If you are interested in attending a short class on preparing your house for sale, send me an e-mail at steve@Welcome2Indy.com and we will get you registered. It is on Tuesday, November 10th from 7-8pm. You will learn tips, tricks, and hacks to maximize your resale value.
Our housing inventory is still exceedingly low, although it ticked up 1/10th of a point to 0.9 months. Here are some stats comparing September 2020 to August 2020.
Median Sales Price DOWN 1.3% to $225,000
Closed Sales DOWN 2.4% to 3,650 units
New Listings UP 7.2% to 4,117 units
Pending Sales DOWN 0.1% to 3,896 units
Days on Market DOWN 3.6% to 27 days
Price per s.f.-No change-$129
% of Ask Received-No change-99%
Active Inventory UP 7.4% to 3,165 units
Absorption Rate UP 12.5% to 0.9 months
As you can see, the market is starting to soften just a tad, but we are still in a super-strong sellers’ market. If you are thinking of selling, this is still an amazing time to sell with record-high sales prices and record-low interest rates.
Click here to watch an intro video from Steve about real estate and events happening this month
Click here to read our November newsletter
Click here to download the most powerful real estate app available
Click here to watch a 1-minute market update video
Click here to watch/read what our clients have to say about us
Click here to access coupons and discounts at stores you shop every day (who doesn't like to save money?)
We hope you have a great November and are able to spend Thanksgiving with some friends and family. Thank you for making us part of yours!
Your friends in real estate,
Steve, Kylie, Thea, and Patti
P.S. Please don’t keep us a secret!
Ana continues to do well at Guerin, but misses soccer. Her varsity team made it to the State Championship and they play on Halloween. Tali is preparing for her first competitive cheer competition in a couple of weeks. We are anxious to experience our first cheer competition as parents. Brigid has finally been able to get out of the house and start making her calls again. She is happy to be able to get out again!
Jack and Mary Anne are staying home for the next several months and are enjoying relaxing and having the girls over to visit. Kylie is actively working on remodeling her house and dealing with the disruption that entails. She also celebrated a birthday this past week and our team enjoyed spoiling her for the day. Patti celebrated her 1-year wedding anniversary last week and spent the weekend enjoying some fun activities with Ron. Thea and her husband Michael are getting settled into their new home and welcomed their parents to visit this past weekend.
Thank you to everyone for attending our October Happy Hour! We had another great turnout and enjoyed re-connecting with so many friends and clients. Thank you to Genan Kirby at Indiana Members Credit Union for sponsoring the October Happy Hour. If you are looking for a change in your financial services provider, give Genan a call. You will enjoy outstanding service!! Her number is 317-508-4264. We hope you can join us for our November Happy Hour on Thursday, November 19th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller’s again. We would love to see you!!! Our sponsor for November is Lazar Insurance. They have been one of our top VIP Insurance Partners for many years and we highly recommend them. Their coverage is top-notch and so is their service. Their premiums are very competitive. Give Jeff a call at 317-867-1303 and tell him I sent you.
Many of you participate in our Annual Cookies with Santa. Due to COVID, we aren’t able to do that this year, however we will be doing a ‘visit’ to the North Pole at our office on Sunday, November 22nd from 11AM-3PM. Watch your inbox and mailbox for more details on how to register. We hope you can make it!!
You should have received a Save The Date card in the mail by now for Tuesday, November 24th. Unfortunately, due to the current health situation, we are not able to continue our movie event, so we have created a new event that we hope you will enjoy. You will like what we have planned…and it will also benefit those less fortunate as well as a small, family-owned local business. We thought long and hard on what to do this year and believe we found a great event to say ‘Thank You!’ for inviting us to help you as well as giving back to the community. Watch your mailbox and e-mail for more details in the next week.
Real estate has slowed just a bit ahead of this contentious election, which was to be expected. It is still HOT and many houses are still flying off the market, but many are not selling quite as fast as they used to. While this year is anything but normal and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, let alone this winter, if the real estate market follows the typical post-presidential election pattern, we will see a busier-than-usual winter real estate market. Interest rates for a 30-year fixed conventional mortgage are still under 3%. If you are not moving anytime soon and haven’t looked into refinancing, give us a call. We have some awesome lenders who will be happy to help guide you in the right direction and advise you if it makes sense to re-finance or not. If you are considering moving, give us a call. We would be happy to consult with you about your options.
If you are interested in attending a short class on preparing your house for sale, send me an e-mail at steve@Welcome2Indy.com and we will get you registered. It is on Tuesday, November 10th from 7-8pm. You will learn tips, tricks, and hacks to maximize your resale value.
Our housing inventory is still exceedingly low, although it ticked up 1/10th of a point to 0.9 months. Here are some stats comparing September 2020 to August 2020.
Median Sales Price DOWN 1.3% to $225,000
Closed Sales DOWN 2.4% to 3,650 units
New Listings UP 7.2% to 4,117 units
Pending Sales DOWN 0.1% to 3,896 units
Days on Market DOWN 3.6% to 27 days
Price per s.f.-No change-$129
% of Ask Received-No change-99%
Active Inventory UP 7.4% to 3,165 units
Absorption Rate UP 12.5% to 0.9 months
As you can see, the market is starting to soften just a tad, but we are still in a super-strong sellers’ market. If you are thinking of selling, this is still an amazing time to sell with record-high sales prices and record-low interest rates.
Click here to watch an intro video from Steve about real estate and events happening this month
Click here to read our November newsletter
Click here to download the most powerful real estate app available
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We hope you have a great November and are able to spend Thanksgiving with some friends and family. Thank you for making us part of yours!
Your friends in real estate,
Steve, Kylie, Thea, and Patti
P.S. Please don’t keep us a secret!
Sunday, September 27, 2020
October 2020 Steve and Jack's Home News
Welcome to Fall! For some weird reason, this year has flown by in some respects, but creeped along in others. It truly has been a strange year that no one will ever forget. We hope this note finds you happy and healthy and enjoying the first few days of Fall. While things look a little different this year, we hope you can enjoy some of what makes Fall fun.
Thank you to everyone who attended Happy Hour a couple of weeks ago! We had another big turnout and enjoyed the weather outside on the patio at Matt the Miller’s. Thank you to Bill Maki of The Kaveri Group for sponsoring it this month. Bill does video work and has done all of ours. You can see samples on our website. He is very good at what he does and if you have a need for some good video work, Bill is your guy. You can reach Bill at WHMaki@gmail.com. We hope you will join us at our October Happy Hour on Thursday, October 15th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller’s. It is sponsored by Genan Kirby with Indiana Members Credit Union. Genan specializes in investment services, but is happy to talk about all of their financial services at our next Happy Hour. I have known Genan for many years and she is one of the most ethical, hard-working, and caring people I know. She is a great person to know!!!
Our last Shred Day went great and we had over 150 cars drop off items to be shredded or recycled. We hope that you have been one of over 1,000 cars that have been able to take advantage of the last 3 Shred Days. If not, we will have more!! We are not sure if we will offer another one yet this year, or wait until spring of next year, but we will have another one and we will communicate the next one to you when known.
I am proud to announce that I have earned another two designations to provide an even higher level of service to our clients, bringing the total designations/certifications to 13, the most of any real estate agent in the world. The Pricing Strategies Advisor (PSA) designation teaches agents advanced skills in properly pricing houses for sale, helping buyers evaluate what price to offer for a house and how best to work with appraisers in this crazy market. The second designation is the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation. It digs deep in how to best help clients who are looking to buy or sell luxury property whether it is their primary residence or a second home. If you or someone you know is thinking about buying/selling/building a luxury home, give us a call. We specialize in helping that market segment and have an entire Concierge Program designed to cater to their every need and make the process as simple and easy as possible.
Lately, I have been asked frequently about people thinking about a career in real estate. If you have been considering it, please give me a call. I would be very happy to sit down and talk with you or someone you care about and answer questions as well as provide a behind-the-scenes look at what you need to know/do/learn to be successful.
Speaking of agents, if you or someone you know is thinking about moving out-of-state, please call me. We have multiple networks of the top 3% of agents in the world to whom we can refer. We do this regularly and can assure you an outstanding experience. If we don’t personally know an agent in an area already, we use our network to find several and interview them and match you with the best agent to suit your needs. Call us today to help you!
Thank you to everyone who has written great reviews on our service! We are once again up to earn the coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award and 5-Star Real Estate Professional award. Both of these recognize the top 7% of agents in the market for superior client service. We are honored to receive these each year!!
Do you have a need for a painter, carpet cleaner, handyman, CPA, financial advisor, inspector, window cleaner, de-clutterer, mover, etc.? Give us a call!!! We have 17 VIP Vendor Partners who are committed to providing outstanding service and the best prices to our clients. We are happy to connect you with them to ensure you receive an outstanding experience!
Thank you to everyone who attended our first of three in a series of home prep workshops with the Westfield Washington Township Trustee’s office. If you or someone you know is thinking of selling soon or down the road, these are excellent workshops to learn the best tips and tricks to ensure you are ready for the market and sell the fastest for the most money and the least amount of hassle. The next one is on Tuesday, October 13th from 7-8:30pm. You can sign up via their website here: https://www.westfieldwashingtontwp.us/101/OWWN-Guide. Best of all, it is FREE!
As for our team, my family is doing well and I am staying busy with real estate. Brigid has been stuck at home since mid-March, but is finally able to get out again next week for her job and she is so excited! Tali is doing great with her competitive cheer through ICE and is looking forward to her first competition next month. Ana has finished her soccer season at Guerin as of tomorrow. Unfortunately, in her game on Monday she suffered a bad shoulder sprain in a collision with another player and missed the final 3 games of the season. She will heal, but will miss being with her team. She has loved playing soccer again! She starts singing with The Indianapolis Children’s Choir again next month as well.
My parents Jack and Mary Anne are in the Smokies enjoying the Fall colors and beautiful scenery. This will be their last trip until February and they are looking forward to staying home for awhile.
Patti enjoyed a well-deserved vacation to South Carolina with her husband Ron and some friends last week. While the weather didn’t cooperate, they still enjoyed the down time and being together.
Kylie is managing virtual learning with her family and works from home some days and at the office others. She is doing a great job juggling a busy family with lots of scheduling commitments.
Thea is so excited to close on her new home with her husband Michael this month!!! She has been working almost every day with tons of buyers trying to find homes to buy in this super-tight market. It isn’t easy…but she is doing a great job winning multiple offer bidding wars for our clients. Thinking of buying soon? Give us a call. We can help!
Speaking of markets, we find ourselves in the tightest sellers’ market in history right now. With only 3 weeks of inventory (6-months is a balanced market), there are very few homes on the market right now and what is on the market typically sells immediately. Interest rates are at all-time lows of around 2.5% for a 30-year mortgage!!!! We have never seen rates this low before. If you are thinking about moving, take advantage of these rates. If you aren’t thinking about moving, look into re-financing (give us a call as we can introduce you to an excellent lender who can help). It might save you thousands of dollars/year in interest.
Here are some market stats from MIBOR comparing August 2020 to July 2020 as well as a quote from nationally-recognized economist Dr. Elliott Eisenberg: “The Indianapolis real estate market re-wrote the record book again in August. The median sales price rose 14.6% to $228,000, the highest price on record. For all of 2020, year-over-year price appreciation has averaged 11.2%, and the only time in the past decade that we saw anything that exceeded this year-over-year grain was the 14.8% we saw in April 2010.” He continues, “Your home prices have basically doubled over the last ten years, while corresponding inflation rose only 20 percent!”
Median Sales Price-$228,000-UP 1.3%
Closed Sales-3,676 units-DOWN 9.3%
New Listings-3,816 units-DOWN 8.8%
Pending Sales-4,082 units-UP 3.7%
Days on Market-29 days-DOWN 6.5%
Price per Square Foot-$129-UP 0.8%
% of Ask Received-99.1%-UP 0.3%
Active Inventory-2,937 units-DOWN 9.8%
Absorption Rate-0.8 months-No change
As you can see, our market is white hot!!! Give us a call today if you are thinking about making a change. We would be happy to consult with you about your options so you can make an informed decision.
Enjoy this Fall weather and we hope to see you at our Happy Hour on the 15th!!
Your Friends in Real Estate, Steve, Kylie, Thea, and Patti
P.S. Please don’t keep us a secret!
Click here to read our October newsletter
Thank you to everyone who attended Happy Hour a couple of weeks ago! We had another big turnout and enjoyed the weather outside on the patio at Matt the Miller’s. Thank you to Bill Maki of The Kaveri Group for sponsoring it this month. Bill does video work and has done all of ours. You can see samples on our website. He is very good at what he does and if you have a need for some good video work, Bill is your guy. You can reach Bill at WHMaki@gmail.com. We hope you will join us at our October Happy Hour on Thursday, October 15th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller’s. It is sponsored by Genan Kirby with Indiana Members Credit Union. Genan specializes in investment services, but is happy to talk about all of their financial services at our next Happy Hour. I have known Genan for many years and she is one of the most ethical, hard-working, and caring people I know. She is a great person to know!!!
Our last Shred Day went great and we had over 150 cars drop off items to be shredded or recycled. We hope that you have been one of over 1,000 cars that have been able to take advantage of the last 3 Shred Days. If not, we will have more!! We are not sure if we will offer another one yet this year, or wait until spring of next year, but we will have another one and we will communicate the next one to you when known.
I am proud to announce that I have earned another two designations to provide an even higher level of service to our clients, bringing the total designations/certifications to 13, the most of any real estate agent in the world. The Pricing Strategies Advisor (PSA) designation teaches agents advanced skills in properly pricing houses for sale, helping buyers evaluate what price to offer for a house and how best to work with appraisers in this crazy market. The second designation is the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation. It digs deep in how to best help clients who are looking to buy or sell luxury property whether it is their primary residence or a second home. If you or someone you know is thinking about buying/selling/building a luxury home, give us a call. We specialize in helping that market segment and have an entire Concierge Program designed to cater to their every need and make the process as simple and easy as possible.
Lately, I have been asked frequently about people thinking about a career in real estate. If you have been considering it, please give me a call. I would be very happy to sit down and talk with you or someone you care about and answer questions as well as provide a behind-the-scenes look at what you need to know/do/learn to be successful.
Speaking of agents, if you or someone you know is thinking about moving out-of-state, please call me. We have multiple networks of the top 3% of agents in the world to whom we can refer. We do this regularly and can assure you an outstanding experience. If we don’t personally know an agent in an area already, we use our network to find several and interview them and match you with the best agent to suit your needs. Call us today to help you!
Thank you to everyone who has written great reviews on our service! We are once again up to earn the coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award and 5-Star Real Estate Professional award. Both of these recognize the top 7% of agents in the market for superior client service. We are honored to receive these each year!!
Do you have a need for a painter, carpet cleaner, handyman, CPA, financial advisor, inspector, window cleaner, de-clutterer, mover, etc.? Give us a call!!! We have 17 VIP Vendor Partners who are committed to providing outstanding service and the best prices to our clients. We are happy to connect you with them to ensure you receive an outstanding experience!
Thank you to everyone who attended our first of three in a series of home prep workshops with the Westfield Washington Township Trustee’s office. If you or someone you know is thinking of selling soon or down the road, these are excellent workshops to learn the best tips and tricks to ensure you are ready for the market and sell the fastest for the most money and the least amount of hassle. The next one is on Tuesday, October 13th from 7-8:30pm. You can sign up via their website here: https://www.westfieldwashingtontwp.us/101/OWWN-Guide. Best of all, it is FREE!
As for our team, my family is doing well and I am staying busy with real estate. Brigid has been stuck at home since mid-March, but is finally able to get out again next week for her job and she is so excited! Tali is doing great with her competitive cheer through ICE and is looking forward to her first competition next month. Ana has finished her soccer season at Guerin as of tomorrow. Unfortunately, in her game on Monday she suffered a bad shoulder sprain in a collision with another player and missed the final 3 games of the season. She will heal, but will miss being with her team. She has loved playing soccer again! She starts singing with The Indianapolis Children’s Choir again next month as well.
My parents Jack and Mary Anne are in the Smokies enjoying the Fall colors and beautiful scenery. This will be their last trip until February and they are looking forward to staying home for awhile.
Patti enjoyed a well-deserved vacation to South Carolina with her husband Ron and some friends last week. While the weather didn’t cooperate, they still enjoyed the down time and being together.
Kylie is managing virtual learning with her family and works from home some days and at the office others. She is doing a great job juggling a busy family with lots of scheduling commitments.
Thea is so excited to close on her new home with her husband Michael this month!!! She has been working almost every day with tons of buyers trying to find homes to buy in this super-tight market. It isn’t easy…but she is doing a great job winning multiple offer bidding wars for our clients. Thinking of buying soon? Give us a call. We can help!
Speaking of markets, we find ourselves in the tightest sellers’ market in history right now. With only 3 weeks of inventory (6-months is a balanced market), there are very few homes on the market right now and what is on the market typically sells immediately. Interest rates are at all-time lows of around 2.5% for a 30-year mortgage!!!! We have never seen rates this low before. If you are thinking about moving, take advantage of these rates. If you aren’t thinking about moving, look into re-financing (give us a call as we can introduce you to an excellent lender who can help). It might save you thousands of dollars/year in interest.
Here are some market stats from MIBOR comparing August 2020 to July 2020 as well as a quote from nationally-recognized economist Dr. Elliott Eisenberg: “The Indianapolis real estate market re-wrote the record book again in August. The median sales price rose 14.6% to $228,000, the highest price on record. For all of 2020, year-over-year price appreciation has averaged 11.2%, and the only time in the past decade that we saw anything that exceeded this year-over-year grain was the 14.8% we saw in April 2010.” He continues, “Your home prices have basically doubled over the last ten years, while corresponding inflation rose only 20 percent!”
Median Sales Price-$228,000-UP 1.3%
Closed Sales-3,676 units-DOWN 9.3%
New Listings-3,816 units-DOWN 8.8%
Pending Sales-4,082 units-UP 3.7%
Days on Market-29 days-DOWN 6.5%
Price per Square Foot-$129-UP 0.8%
% of Ask Received-99.1%-UP 0.3%
Active Inventory-2,937 units-DOWN 9.8%
Absorption Rate-0.8 months-No change
As you can see, our market is white hot!!! Give us a call today if you are thinking about making a change. We would be happy to consult with you about your options so you can make an informed decision.
Enjoy this Fall weather and we hope to see you at our Happy Hour on the 15th!!
Your Friends in Real Estate, Steve, Kylie, Thea, and Patti
P.S. Please don’t keep us a secret!
Click here to read our October newsletter
Sunday, August 23, 2020
September Steve & Jack's Home News
It is August, right?? As I write this month’s article, I am watching the Indy 500 live! What? While I am glad to be able to watch it live on TV, it certainly is weird, especially since this is the first time in history to be run in August…and with no fans in the stands. Very strange indeed.
We did it!!! Welcome to the end of summer and our kiddos are still alive!!! This has seemed like both the longest and shortest summers ever. Both of our girls are back at school. Ana who is a sophomore at Guerin High School is back live full-time. Tali who is in 5th grade at Westfield Intermediate is back utilizing a hybrid model, where she is live two days a week and virtual 3 days a week. So far, both girls are enjoying being back with their friends and back into a routine, although it means earlier mornings. Ana is playing on the soccer team and they won their first game of the season. This is the hardest she has ever worked, and we are proud of her for sticking it out. Tali is still having a great time with competitive cheer. Last weekend, she practiced for 21 out of 48-hours! She was tired, but loved every minute of it. We are anxious to see how the competition season goes this fall/winter. If you have kiddos in sports, how have they adjusted to being back?
Brigid is still stuck at home with her work. Merck will not let her do live sales calls still and it is driving her nuts! Stuck in conference and Zoom call purgatory is not fun and she is itching to get outside. Last Sunday, we celebrated our 17-year wedding anniversary and went to Ruth’s Chris at The Ironworks building. Although quite pricey, it was a lovely dinner with a great atmosphere and excellent service. Highly recommend…but be prepared to pay for it!
Steve completed a couple of more designations and certifications this month. One is the Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA), which provided specialized training in home valuations and working with appraisers. This is crucial in this crazy market right now to get the price right the first time. The second is the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation. This is the most exclusive designation for marketing luxury property. It teaches agents how luxury property is different from other properties and how to work with luxury sellers and market their homes differently to an affluent buyer. Both were excellent courses and a lot of new information was learned and we are ready to implement it. These mark the 12th and 13th designations/certifications Steve has earned continuing to make him the most formally educated residential real estate agent in the world. This unparalleled training and expertise is used to empower and educate their clients while buying and selling.
Thea has been super-busy lately working with a lot of buyers and successfully negotiating accepted offers during a highly competitive market. She consistently receives top marks and praise from her buyers she helps through the toughest market in history for them. If you or someone you know are thinking about buying or selling right now, give us a call and we will put our unparalleled experience and tactics to work for you to ensure the absolute best experience possible.
Patti officially received her real estate license after passing her exam last month! We are excited to have all members of our team fully licensed to provide an even higher level of service to our clients and referral partners.
Kylie has continued to work hard to be so efficient in tracking everything so we know where we stand during this very strange year. She also processes all paperwork so quickly, she draws high praise not only from our office staff, but also other agents with whom we work. She is the absolute best at what she does and we are lucky to have her on our team.
Jack and Mary Anne were in Branson a few weeks ago and really enjoyed getting away. Social distancing practices were in full force while they took in a few shows. Currently, they are in their timeshare in Fairfield Glade in Tennessee for the week.
A huge thank you to all of our clients and referral partners who attended our first live Happy Hour since March!!! We had a great group (bigger than expected) and we all enjoyed the beautiful weather on the patio at Matt The Miller’s. It was so good to see everyone again. If you feel comfortable, please join us for our next Happy Hour on Thursday, September 17th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller’s. We will return to the patio assuming weather is cooperating since it was so well-received. September will be sponsored by our referral partner Bill Maki with Kaveri Group. Bill specializes in video marketing and testimonials. You can see some of his work on our website (www.Welcome2Indy.com). The videos and testimonials are his work. Bill will have a few minutes to share what he does and how he can help someone you care about looking for some exposure on-line.
SHRED Day is back!!! Our 3rd Shred Day is going to be on September 11th from 10AM-12PM in our office parking lot. The past two have seen over 400 cars participate!!! We have contracted TWO trucks this month to make it more efficient and faster. We will also still have our electronics recycling truck there. So, come on by and safely have your documents destroyed and electronics recycled. This is absolutely FREE to you as our valued clients/referral partners.
Our real estate market is as hot as the temperature!!! Inventory went down again to 0.8 months, which is equivalent to about 3 weeks. Never before in history have we seen inventory this low. Prices have appreciated 11.9% from last year. Bottom line, if you or someone you care about are thinking about selling, NOW is the time. If you are concerned about not being able to find a home because you know your current home will sell too fast, we have a strategy to help. Call us today and we can share with you strategies that work-317-573-1880. Check out the latest stats from MIBOR comparing July 2020 to June 2020:
Median Sales Price-UP 2.3% to $225,000
Closed Sales-UP 9.9% to 3,969 units
New Listings-UP 7.4% to 4,161 units
Pending Sales-UP 2.7% to 4,155 units
Days on Market-DOWN 8.6% to 32 days
Price/s.f.-UP 2.4% to $128
% of Ask Received-UP 0.4% to 98.8%
Active Inventory-UP 1.3% to 3,246 units
Absorption Rate-DOWN 11.1% to 0.8 months
Check out Steve’s September intro video here
Read our September newsletter here
Want to read what other clients have to say about us? Watch some videos here
Want to download the most powerful real estate app available? Download it here
Click here for instant access to coupons and discounts at places you shop every day
Watch a 1-minute market update video here
Thank you for all of your support and trust over the years! We couldn’t do what we love without you!!!
Your friends in real estate,
Steve, Kylie, Thea, & Patti
P.S. Please don’t keep us a secret!
We did it!!! Welcome to the end of summer and our kiddos are still alive!!! This has seemed like both the longest and shortest summers ever. Both of our girls are back at school. Ana who is a sophomore at Guerin High School is back live full-time. Tali who is in 5th grade at Westfield Intermediate is back utilizing a hybrid model, where she is live two days a week and virtual 3 days a week. So far, both girls are enjoying being back with their friends and back into a routine, although it means earlier mornings. Ana is playing on the soccer team and they won their first game of the season. This is the hardest she has ever worked, and we are proud of her for sticking it out. Tali is still having a great time with competitive cheer. Last weekend, she practiced for 21 out of 48-hours! She was tired, but loved every minute of it. We are anxious to see how the competition season goes this fall/winter. If you have kiddos in sports, how have they adjusted to being back?
Brigid is still stuck at home with her work. Merck will not let her do live sales calls still and it is driving her nuts! Stuck in conference and Zoom call purgatory is not fun and she is itching to get outside. Last Sunday, we celebrated our 17-year wedding anniversary and went to Ruth’s Chris at The Ironworks building. Although quite pricey, it was a lovely dinner with a great atmosphere and excellent service. Highly recommend…but be prepared to pay for it!
Steve completed a couple of more designations and certifications this month. One is the Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA), which provided specialized training in home valuations and working with appraisers. This is crucial in this crazy market right now to get the price right the first time. The second is the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation. This is the most exclusive designation for marketing luxury property. It teaches agents how luxury property is different from other properties and how to work with luxury sellers and market their homes differently to an affluent buyer. Both were excellent courses and a lot of new information was learned and we are ready to implement it. These mark the 12th and 13th designations/certifications Steve has earned continuing to make him the most formally educated residential real estate agent in the world. This unparalleled training and expertise is used to empower and educate their clients while buying and selling.
Thea has been super-busy lately working with a lot of buyers and successfully negotiating accepted offers during a highly competitive market. She consistently receives top marks and praise from her buyers she helps through the toughest market in history for them. If you or someone you know are thinking about buying or selling right now, give us a call and we will put our unparalleled experience and tactics to work for you to ensure the absolute best experience possible.
Patti officially received her real estate license after passing her exam last month! We are excited to have all members of our team fully licensed to provide an even higher level of service to our clients and referral partners.
Kylie has continued to work hard to be so efficient in tracking everything so we know where we stand during this very strange year. She also processes all paperwork so quickly, she draws high praise not only from our office staff, but also other agents with whom we work. She is the absolute best at what she does and we are lucky to have her on our team.
Jack and Mary Anne were in Branson a few weeks ago and really enjoyed getting away. Social distancing practices were in full force while they took in a few shows. Currently, they are in their timeshare in Fairfield Glade in Tennessee for the week.
A huge thank you to all of our clients and referral partners who attended our first live Happy Hour since March!!! We had a great group (bigger than expected) and we all enjoyed the beautiful weather on the patio at Matt The Miller’s. It was so good to see everyone again. If you feel comfortable, please join us for our next Happy Hour on Thursday, September 17th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller’s. We will return to the patio assuming weather is cooperating since it was so well-received. September will be sponsored by our referral partner Bill Maki with Kaveri Group. Bill specializes in video marketing and testimonials. You can see some of his work on our website (www.Welcome2Indy.com). The videos and testimonials are his work. Bill will have a few minutes to share what he does and how he can help someone you care about looking for some exposure on-line.
SHRED Day is back!!! Our 3rd Shred Day is going to be on September 11th from 10AM-12PM in our office parking lot. The past two have seen over 400 cars participate!!! We have contracted TWO trucks this month to make it more efficient and faster. We will also still have our electronics recycling truck there. So, come on by and safely have your documents destroyed and electronics recycled. This is absolutely FREE to you as our valued clients/referral partners.
Our real estate market is as hot as the temperature!!! Inventory went down again to 0.8 months, which is equivalent to about 3 weeks. Never before in history have we seen inventory this low. Prices have appreciated 11.9% from last year. Bottom line, if you or someone you care about are thinking about selling, NOW is the time. If you are concerned about not being able to find a home because you know your current home will sell too fast, we have a strategy to help. Call us today and we can share with you strategies that work-317-573-1880. Check out the latest stats from MIBOR comparing July 2020 to June 2020:
Median Sales Price-UP 2.3% to $225,000
Closed Sales-UP 9.9% to 3,969 units
New Listings-UP 7.4% to 4,161 units
Pending Sales-UP 2.7% to 4,155 units
Days on Market-DOWN 8.6% to 32 days
Price/s.f.-UP 2.4% to $128
% of Ask Received-UP 0.4% to 98.8%
Active Inventory-UP 1.3% to 3,246 units
Absorption Rate-DOWN 11.1% to 0.8 months
Check out Steve’s September intro video here
Read our September newsletter here
Want to read what other clients have to say about us? Watch some videos here
Want to download the most powerful real estate app available? Download it here
Click here for instant access to coupons and discounts at places you shop every day
Watch a 1-minute market update video here
Thank you for all of your support and trust over the years! We couldn’t do what we love without you!!!
Your friends in real estate,
Steve, Kylie, Thea, & Patti
P.S. Please don’t keep us a secret!
Thursday, August 06, 2020
August 2020 Steve & Jack's Home News
Happy end of summer!! For many of us, it means back-to-school for our kiddos, but that looks a little different this year than past years. Also, for many parents with school-aged children, we have been with our kiddos since mid-March. Yikes! If you are fortunate enough to be able to send your kiddos back to school, congratulations! If not, we commiserate with you.
This year has been tough on all of us, but especially parents with school-aged children who are forced to play full-time, all-day, all-week caregiver, teacher, nurse, entertainer, and food service worker. If you also work, good luck! We hope you navigate the back-to-school storm (whatever that looks like for you) as smoothly as possible and stay happy and healthy.
Steve and his family just returned from their first vacation since last October. They went to the Poconos and stayed in a condo and had an adjoining unit for Brigid’s brother and his family, his wife’s sister and husband and her mom. They also each brought their dogs. It turned out to be a great week, very relaxing with amazing weather, swimming, a white water rafting trip, 26-mile bike ride, kayaking, hiking, tennis, soccer games, and for the adults late-night Euchre games (Steve and his partner waxed everyone else!) :-) It was so nice (and needed) to get away and get a change of scenery. We hope that you have been able to take a trip this summer to just get a break as well. Those are so needed right now.
Jack and Mary Anne continue to do well and stay healthy. They are doing a reasonably good job at social distancing, but they did just return from Branson and saw some shows. Some were good at social distancing and some not so much, but they had a good time and enjoyed getting away.
Steve’s sister Michelle had a delayed graduation party for her oldest Caleb and it was nice to see some people we haven’t seen in many years. We wish Caleb good luck next Fall at IUPUI.
On our team, Patti had a HUGE accomplishment in passing her real estate exam and is applying for her license. This is especially big since she had to drive to Cincinnati to take the exam and finished her class in March. That gap made it really difficult, but she made it and we are so happy for her. Every member of our team will be licensed by next week.
Kylie was able to take some time off and spend with her family going to the zoo, pool, Wolf Park and relaxing at home. She needed a bit of a break since we have been working so much lately.
Speaking of working a lot, Thea has been rocking it lately helping 6 clients just in the past few weeks secure a home. This market has been brutal for buyers and buyer agents and she is has been doing such a great job working so hard for our clients winning multiple offer situations repeatedly.
Thank you to the over 400 of you who came for our FREE Shred Day a few weeks ago. We filled an entire truck as well as electronic recycling truck. We are planning another one for September, so stay tuned for the date.
Happy Hours are attempting to be re-started this month. We have August 20th on the books. Please come if you feel comfortable. Matt The Miller’s from 5-7pm. We would LOVE to see you again!!!!!
The market is the hottest on record. We are down below 1-month of inventory right now, which is insane and down over 30% from last month alone! Mortgage rates have hit all-time lows as well with rates for many of our clients in the low to mid-2%! Home prices are going up faster than ever and inventory keeps shrinking. If you or someone you care about is remotely thinking of buying, selling, or building, please call us. We would be happy to share all of the facts and data that are relevant to your specific situation so you can make an informed decision. If you are not as worried about selling your house as you are with finding a new one, we have a program designed specifically for you to address that very concern. Our 3-day, Free Look Marketing Program has netted sellers more money in a faster time with fewer hassles than any other marketing program out there. Give Steve a call at 317-573-1880 to learn about both of these programs and how we are addressing our clients’ concerns during this challenging market.
Here are some MIBOR stats showing the changes from May 2020 to June 2020. They are remarkable:
Median Sales Price-$219,000-UP 1.9%
Closed Sales-3,518 units-UP 28.2%
New Listings-3,848 units-UP 2.2%
Pending Sales-4,269 units-UP 10.5%
Days on Market-35-DOWN 7.9%
Price per s.f.-$125-UP 3.3%
% of Ask Received-98.4%-UP 0.5%
Active Inventory-3,210 units-DOWN 10.2%
Absorption Rate-0.9 months-DOWN 30.8%
Look at the how the pending sales is more than new listings. This is an indicator of what to expect next month-even lower inventory levels. Sellers are getting over 98% of asking price! That is crazy! Active inventory is down over 10% and the absorption rate (how long it will take all of the current listings to sell with the current buyer demand) is down over 30% to less than one month. Are you kidding me?? These numbers are nuts and we have never seen anything like it before. The election MAY cause a real estate contraction. We don’t know for sure, but every economist I have heard lately has been warning of that, so if you are thinking of selling, NOW is the time!
Thank you for reading and for your continued trust and loyalty. We couldn’t do what we do without you.
Enjoy this month’s newsletter!
Read the August newsletter here
Download the most powerful real estate app here
Watch a quick video discussing the real estate market in 1-minute here
Read what our clients have to say about us here
Watch an intro video of our team here
Your friends in real estate, Steve, Kylie, Thea, Patti
This year has been tough on all of us, but especially parents with school-aged children who are forced to play full-time, all-day, all-week caregiver, teacher, nurse, entertainer, and food service worker. If you also work, good luck! We hope you navigate the back-to-school storm (whatever that looks like for you) as smoothly as possible and stay happy and healthy.
Steve and his family just returned from their first vacation since last October. They went to the Poconos and stayed in a condo and had an adjoining unit for Brigid’s brother and his family, his wife’s sister and husband and her mom. They also each brought their dogs. It turned out to be a great week, very relaxing with amazing weather, swimming, a white water rafting trip, 26-mile bike ride, kayaking, hiking, tennis, soccer games, and for the adults late-night Euchre games (Steve and his partner waxed everyone else!) :-) It was so nice (and needed) to get away and get a change of scenery. We hope that you have been able to take a trip this summer to just get a break as well. Those are so needed right now.
Jack and Mary Anne continue to do well and stay healthy. They are doing a reasonably good job at social distancing, but they did just return from Branson and saw some shows. Some were good at social distancing and some not so much, but they had a good time and enjoyed getting away.
Steve’s sister Michelle had a delayed graduation party for her oldest Caleb and it was nice to see some people we haven’t seen in many years. We wish Caleb good luck next Fall at IUPUI.
On our team, Patti had a HUGE accomplishment in passing her real estate exam and is applying for her license. This is especially big since she had to drive to Cincinnati to take the exam and finished her class in March. That gap made it really difficult, but she made it and we are so happy for her. Every member of our team will be licensed by next week.
Kylie was able to take some time off and spend with her family going to the zoo, pool, Wolf Park and relaxing at home. She needed a bit of a break since we have been working so much lately.
Speaking of working a lot, Thea has been rocking it lately helping 6 clients just in the past few weeks secure a home. This market has been brutal for buyers and buyer agents and she is has been doing such a great job working so hard for our clients winning multiple offer situations repeatedly.
Thank you to the over 400 of you who came for our FREE Shred Day a few weeks ago. We filled an entire truck as well as electronic recycling truck. We are planning another one for September, so stay tuned for the date.
Happy Hours are attempting to be re-started this month. We have August 20th on the books. Please come if you feel comfortable. Matt The Miller’s from 5-7pm. We would LOVE to see you again!!!!!
The market is the hottest on record. We are down below 1-month of inventory right now, which is insane and down over 30% from last month alone! Mortgage rates have hit all-time lows as well with rates for many of our clients in the low to mid-2%! Home prices are going up faster than ever and inventory keeps shrinking. If you or someone you care about is remotely thinking of buying, selling, or building, please call us. We would be happy to share all of the facts and data that are relevant to your specific situation so you can make an informed decision. If you are not as worried about selling your house as you are with finding a new one, we have a program designed specifically for you to address that very concern. Our 3-day, Free Look Marketing Program has netted sellers more money in a faster time with fewer hassles than any other marketing program out there. Give Steve a call at 317-573-1880 to learn about both of these programs and how we are addressing our clients’ concerns during this challenging market.
Here are some MIBOR stats showing the changes from May 2020 to June 2020. They are remarkable:
Median Sales Price-$219,000-UP 1.9%
Closed Sales-3,518 units-UP 28.2%
New Listings-3,848 units-UP 2.2%
Pending Sales-4,269 units-UP 10.5%
Days on Market-35-DOWN 7.9%
Price per s.f.-$125-UP 3.3%
% of Ask Received-98.4%-UP 0.5%
Active Inventory-3,210 units-DOWN 10.2%
Absorption Rate-0.9 months-DOWN 30.8%
Look at the how the pending sales is more than new listings. This is an indicator of what to expect next month-even lower inventory levels. Sellers are getting over 98% of asking price! That is crazy! Active inventory is down over 10% and the absorption rate (how long it will take all of the current listings to sell with the current buyer demand) is down over 30% to less than one month. Are you kidding me?? These numbers are nuts and we have never seen anything like it before. The election MAY cause a real estate contraction. We don’t know for sure, but every economist I have heard lately has been warning of that, so if you are thinking of selling, NOW is the time!
Thank you for reading and for your continued trust and loyalty. We couldn’t do what we do without you.
Enjoy this month’s newsletter!
Read the August newsletter here
Download the most powerful real estate app here
Watch a quick video discussing the real estate market in 1-minute here
Read what our clients have to say about us here
Watch an intro video of our team here
Your friends in real estate, Steve, Kylie, Thea, Patti
Friday, July 03, 2020
July Steve & Jack's Home News
Happy Independence Day weekend!
Welcome to the July edition of Steve & Jack’s Home News!
We truly hope this video message finds you staying safe and healthy and enjoying the summer weather. We hope you stay safe this weekend and enjoy the holiday.
The biggest news is our Team Buyer Specialist Thea Charnas got married on July 20th in Cleveland followed by a honeymoon to Charleston, SC. Her married name is Thea Snelly. She and her husband Michael are excited to start the next chapter of their lives as husband and wife. Please join me in congratulating Thea!
Our Team Marketing Director Patti Bruns is in final preparations to take her real estate exam in a few weeks in Cincinnati after having to reschedule her test in March due to the pandemic. This test is not easy and comes after 120-hours in the classroom. Patti would appreciate your positive thoughts as she prepares for this test. We know she will do great!
Kylie, after being bitten badly by her puppy is all recovered and we are happy she has healed and is back to 100%.
Our entire team is finally back together in the office after 2.5 months working from our homes.
Steve’s family is excited to drive to The Poconos at the end of this month to spend the week with Brigid’s brother and his family. This will be the first trip we take our dog Duke with us, so we are anxious to see how he does with a 10-hour car ride! This trip is the ‘consolation trip’ for our missed trips for spring break to Universal Studios and our summer trip to Italy. We hope to get back to both next year.
Steve’s 10-year old daughter Natalia has made the decision to quit competitive gymnastics after 4 years and transfer her skills to competitive cheer with her ICE cheer team. She will be traveling around the country competing and is so excited! She also completed a 2-week horse camp in Zionsville a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it!
Steve’s 14-year old daughter Anastasia graduated from The Indianapolis Children’s Choir last month after 6-years and will be moving up to their Master Chorale for 10-12 graders. She also will be playing soccer for Guerin High School and has already started practicing with the team. She has quickly learned that high school sports are much harder than grade school! Ana continues to amaze us with her cooking skills with an entirely scratch-made dinner every Sunday. Sometimes her sister helps as her Sous Chef. We have been so very impressed with her skill and dedication. Our favorite so far has been Bavarian pretzels and a marinated steak with grilled peaches smothered in melted butter and brown sugar finished with home made peppermint patties. Yum!
We have been asked about the real estate market a LOT lately. Bottom line: we are in the strongest sellers’ market in history. There is only 1.3 months of inventory right now, which is almost like saying our unemployment rate is 1/2%. A balanced market is 6-months of inventory. We need more listings…badly. There are TONS of buyers begging for houses to buy. Interest rates are at historic lows of 2.875% for a 30-year fixed conventional mortgage. Homes are selling faster than ever before for more than ever before. There has NEVER been a better time to sell your house than right now. Period. If you are staying put for awhile and you have a mortgage and you haven’t recently looked into refinancing, please call or e-mail me for some names of some great local lenders who will tell you if refinancing makes sense for you or not. We have seen client save hundreds of dollars/month by doing so.
Here are some stats from MIBOR comparing May 2020 to April 2020:
Median Sales Price-$215,000-UP 2.4%
Closed Sales-2,703 units-UP 5.1%
New Listings-3,744 units-UP 32.7%
Pending Sales-4,054 units-UP 46.2%
Days on Market-38 days-UP 2.7%
Price/s.f.-$121-UP 0.8%
% of Ask Received-97.9%-DOWN 0.4%
Active Inventory-3,563 units-DOWN 10.8%
Absorption Rate-1.3 months-DOWN 18.8%
Look at the new listings and pending numbers. Those are HUGE!! You can see we are recovering from the pandemic VERY fast and we expect this to continue into the fall months. Please call us at 317-573-1880 or e-mail at Steve@Welcome2Indy.com to see what your house is worth today. We will be happy to provide you with a market valuation specific to your house and help you navigate this crazy market to craft a personalized plan to get you from where you are to where you want to go.
We are so excited to go back to live Happy Hours in July!!! Please join us on Thursday, July 16th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller’s in Carmel. As always, drinks and appetizers are on us. You bring the conversation and fun!!! Bring a friend or significant other!
Also on Thursday, July 16th, we are bringing back our FREE Shred Day. Our last one was more successful than we ever dreamed with over 400 cars coming through!!! Come by our office from 10AM-noon. Bring any documents you want safely and securely shredded or electronics you want recycled. Trucks will be there to safely handle those items on-site. You don’t even have to get out of your car. We come to you and take what you have from your car and you drive off. This is a small way for us to say thank you to our valued clients and referral partners.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading!! Know we are grateful to you for your trust and loyalty. Please continue to introduce us to the next person you know who is thinking about buying, selling, or building a new home. We would love to help them!
Happy Independence Day weekend!!!
Click here to watch a video message from Steve
Click here to read our July newsletter
Click here to download our brand new real estate app...the most powerful on the market
Click here to access coupons and discount at places you shop and eat every day
Click here to watch a 1-minute video market update
Click here to see what our clients are saying about us
Your Friends in Real Estate,
Steve, Kylie, Thea, & Patti
P.S. Please don't keep us a secret...
Welcome to the July edition of Steve & Jack’s Home News!
We truly hope this video message finds you staying safe and healthy and enjoying the summer weather. We hope you stay safe this weekend and enjoy the holiday.
The biggest news is our Team Buyer Specialist Thea Charnas got married on July 20th in Cleveland followed by a honeymoon to Charleston, SC. Her married name is Thea Snelly. She and her husband Michael are excited to start the next chapter of their lives as husband and wife. Please join me in congratulating Thea!
Our Team Marketing Director Patti Bruns is in final preparations to take her real estate exam in a few weeks in Cincinnati after having to reschedule her test in March due to the pandemic. This test is not easy and comes after 120-hours in the classroom. Patti would appreciate your positive thoughts as she prepares for this test. We know she will do great!
Kylie, after being bitten badly by her puppy is all recovered and we are happy she has healed and is back to 100%.
Our entire team is finally back together in the office after 2.5 months working from our homes.
Steve’s family is excited to drive to The Poconos at the end of this month to spend the week with Brigid’s brother and his family. This will be the first trip we take our dog Duke with us, so we are anxious to see how he does with a 10-hour car ride! This trip is the ‘consolation trip’ for our missed trips for spring break to Universal Studios and our summer trip to Italy. We hope to get back to both next year.
Steve’s 10-year old daughter Natalia has made the decision to quit competitive gymnastics after 4 years and transfer her skills to competitive cheer with her ICE cheer team. She will be traveling around the country competing and is so excited! She also completed a 2-week horse camp in Zionsville a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it!
Steve’s 14-year old daughter Anastasia graduated from The Indianapolis Children’s Choir last month after 6-years and will be moving up to their Master Chorale for 10-12 graders. She also will be playing soccer for Guerin High School and has already started practicing with the team. She has quickly learned that high school sports are much harder than grade school! Ana continues to amaze us with her cooking skills with an entirely scratch-made dinner every Sunday. Sometimes her sister helps as her Sous Chef. We have been so very impressed with her skill and dedication. Our favorite so far has been Bavarian pretzels and a marinated steak with grilled peaches smothered in melted butter and brown sugar finished with home made peppermint patties. Yum!
We have been asked about the real estate market a LOT lately. Bottom line: we are in the strongest sellers’ market in history. There is only 1.3 months of inventory right now, which is almost like saying our unemployment rate is 1/2%. A balanced market is 6-months of inventory. We need more listings…badly. There are TONS of buyers begging for houses to buy. Interest rates are at historic lows of 2.875% for a 30-year fixed conventional mortgage. Homes are selling faster than ever before for more than ever before. There has NEVER been a better time to sell your house than right now. Period. If you are staying put for awhile and you have a mortgage and you haven’t recently looked into refinancing, please call or e-mail me for some names of some great local lenders who will tell you if refinancing makes sense for you or not. We have seen client save hundreds of dollars/month by doing so.
Here are some stats from MIBOR comparing May 2020 to April 2020:
Median Sales Price-$215,000-UP 2.4%
Closed Sales-2,703 units-UP 5.1%
New Listings-3,744 units-UP 32.7%
Pending Sales-4,054 units-UP 46.2%
Days on Market-38 days-UP 2.7%
Price/s.f.-$121-UP 0.8%
% of Ask Received-97.9%-DOWN 0.4%
Active Inventory-3,563 units-DOWN 10.8%
Absorption Rate-1.3 months-DOWN 18.8%
Look at the new listings and pending numbers. Those are HUGE!! You can see we are recovering from the pandemic VERY fast and we expect this to continue into the fall months. Please call us at 317-573-1880 or e-mail at Steve@Welcome2Indy.com to see what your house is worth today. We will be happy to provide you with a market valuation specific to your house and help you navigate this crazy market to craft a personalized plan to get you from where you are to where you want to go.
We are so excited to go back to live Happy Hours in July!!! Please join us on Thursday, July 16th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller’s in Carmel. As always, drinks and appetizers are on us. You bring the conversation and fun!!! Bring a friend or significant other!
Also on Thursday, July 16th, we are bringing back our FREE Shred Day. Our last one was more successful than we ever dreamed with over 400 cars coming through!!! Come by our office from 10AM-noon. Bring any documents you want safely and securely shredded or electronics you want recycled. Trucks will be there to safely handle those items on-site. You don’t even have to get out of your car. We come to you and take what you have from your car and you drive off. This is a small way for us to say thank you to our valued clients and referral partners.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading!! Know we are grateful to you for your trust and loyalty. Please continue to introduce us to the next person you know who is thinking about buying, selling, or building a new home. We would love to help them!
Happy Independence Day weekend!!!
Click here to watch a video message from Steve
Click here to read our July newsletter
Click here to download our brand new real estate app...the most powerful on the market
Click here to access coupons and discount at places you shop and eat every day
Click here to watch a 1-minute video market update
Click here to see what our clients are saying about us
Your Friends in Real Estate,
Steve, Kylie, Thea, & Patti
P.S. Please don't keep us a secret...
Thursday, June 11, 2020
Tools homeowners need for basic repairs
When you own your own home, there are a lot of small repairs and similar tasks that you’ll have to do at some point. You may also want to tackle some DIY projects or make some changes around the house from time to time. Regardless of what’s going on, you’re going to need some tools to get things done.
Which tools should you get, though? A lot of homeowners opt for basic premade tool kits but find that they don’t always contain everything that they’ll need for various home repair and improvement tasks. Whether you’re thinking of getting a kit or wanting to build your own tool collection from scratch, here are some of the basics that you should make sure that you have.
Measuring Tools
One big thing that you should always have around the house is a few tools for measuring things. The most obvious tool for this is a tape measure, but there are a few others to consider as well. Pick up a level (or two, in different sizes) and a carpenter’s square so that you can always tell when something is level and when corners are actually squared off. A stud finder and a plumb bob should also be in your collection.
Hammers
When it comes to hammers, most of the time you can get by with just a standard claw hammer. Picking up a rubber mallet to supplement your tool collection isn’t a bad idea, though, especially if you plan on working outside or want to go camping. There are a few other specialty hammers that you might have specific need for, but you should only pick one of those up if you actually need it.
Screwdrivers (Plural)
Despite what most people think, screwdrivers aren’t a one-size-fits-all tool. You should have both flathead and Phillips head screwdrivers (and star and square head screwdrivers wouldn’t hurt), and ideally you should have at least two or three different head sizes to accommodate different screws. While the wrong size driver head will often work, you can damage both the head and the screw by not matching the tool to the job. Picking up a screwdriver with interchangeable head bits is a great way to make sure your needs are met.
Wrenches and Sockets
You’ll almost certainly run into bolts at one point or another, and having a wrench and socket set will ensure that you have what you need to handle them. Get a decent wrench set and a decent socket set, making sure that you have both metric and imperial options. In most cases you can find a tool set that includes both, along with Allen wrenches (which are sometimes called hex keys); get that set, since it’ll cover you on all three fronts.
Pliers and Channel-Locks
There are a few different types of pliers and adjustable wrenches out there, and it’s hard to say exactly what you’ll need from the beginning. Having a set of channel-lock pliers, a good adjustable wrench or two and both basic and needle-nose pliers will meet your needs most of the time. You may run into a few instances where you need more specific tools such as a pipe wrench as well, but that’s not a must-have when you’re still building a tool collection.
Clamps
Locking clamps or adjustable clamps are great to have; even if you don’t use them very often, they’ll be more than worth it in those instances where you actually need one. Other fasteners such as zip ties are also good to have on hand. If you’re planning on getting into woodworking or similar DIY projects, then you might want to pick up some extras.
Other Tools
There are a many other tools that you might consider, though whether you need them will depend on you and the sort of work you plan to do. A drill with a basic assortment of bits is good to have, and an electric sander can be useful on some jobs. Utility knives, wire cutters and other cutting tools can be handy as well. You may even find a need for a table saw or other larger power tools. Just make sure that you have a good reason for bigger purchases to keep from buying things you won’t actually use.
Is the Job Too Big?
Having the right tool for the job is important, but so is realizing when the job you’re facing is a bit too much for you to handle alone. If you hit that point, HomeKeepr can help. Sign up for a free account today to find the professional you need to get the job done quickly.
Which tools should you get, though? A lot of homeowners opt for basic premade tool kits but find that they don’t always contain everything that they’ll need for various home repair and improvement tasks. Whether you’re thinking of getting a kit or wanting to build your own tool collection from scratch, here are some of the basics that you should make sure that you have.
Measuring Tools
One big thing that you should always have around the house is a few tools for measuring things. The most obvious tool for this is a tape measure, but there are a few others to consider as well. Pick up a level (or two, in different sizes) and a carpenter’s square so that you can always tell when something is level and when corners are actually squared off. A stud finder and a plumb bob should also be in your collection.
Hammers
When it comes to hammers, most of the time you can get by with just a standard claw hammer. Picking up a rubber mallet to supplement your tool collection isn’t a bad idea, though, especially if you plan on working outside or want to go camping. There are a few other specialty hammers that you might have specific need for, but you should only pick one of those up if you actually need it.
Screwdrivers (Plural)
Despite what most people think, screwdrivers aren’t a one-size-fits-all tool. You should have both flathead and Phillips head screwdrivers (and star and square head screwdrivers wouldn’t hurt), and ideally you should have at least two or three different head sizes to accommodate different screws. While the wrong size driver head will often work, you can damage both the head and the screw by not matching the tool to the job. Picking up a screwdriver with interchangeable head bits is a great way to make sure your needs are met.
Wrenches and Sockets
You’ll almost certainly run into bolts at one point or another, and having a wrench and socket set will ensure that you have what you need to handle them. Get a decent wrench set and a decent socket set, making sure that you have both metric and imperial options. In most cases you can find a tool set that includes both, along with Allen wrenches (which are sometimes called hex keys); get that set, since it’ll cover you on all three fronts.
Pliers and Channel-Locks
There are a few different types of pliers and adjustable wrenches out there, and it’s hard to say exactly what you’ll need from the beginning. Having a set of channel-lock pliers, a good adjustable wrench or two and both basic and needle-nose pliers will meet your needs most of the time. You may run into a few instances where you need more specific tools such as a pipe wrench as well, but that’s not a must-have when you’re still building a tool collection.
Clamps
Locking clamps or adjustable clamps are great to have; even if you don’t use them very often, they’ll be more than worth it in those instances where you actually need one. Other fasteners such as zip ties are also good to have on hand. If you’re planning on getting into woodworking or similar DIY projects, then you might want to pick up some extras.
Other Tools
There are a many other tools that you might consider, though whether you need them will depend on you and the sort of work you plan to do. A drill with a basic assortment of bits is good to have, and an electric sander can be useful on some jobs. Utility knives, wire cutters and other cutting tools can be handy as well. You may even find a need for a table saw or other larger power tools. Just make sure that you have a good reason for bigger purchases to keep from buying things you won’t actually use.
Is the Job Too Big?
Having the right tool for the job is important, but so is realizing when the job you’re facing is a bit too much for you to handle alone. If you hit that point, HomeKeepr can help. Sign up for a free account today to find the professional you need to get the job done quickly.
Monday, June 08, 2020
Are you ready for storm season?
As spring turns to summer, more and more focus is shifting to outdoor activities and enjoying the wonderful summer weather. Unfortunately, not all of the weather is going to be so wonderful. Depending on where you live, you may face several severe storms during the summer as well as the usual summer storms and rain. Now is the time to prepare for storm season to make sure that you aren’t taken by surprise when bad weather hits.
Clean Your Gutters
One big thing that you can do to get ready for storm season is to make sure that your gutters are clean and free of debris. This is the time of year when everything is in bloom, and that can produce seeds that have blown off trees and plants, ending up in a nice wet gutter environment. Add in dust, decaying leaves and other items that may have collected over the winter then washed into your gutters, and you’ve got a lot of potential blockages to deal with. Clear them out to help your gutters work properly, diverting water away from your roof and home to prevent leaks and flooding during storms.
Trim the Trees
Falling limbs and trees are one of the big causes of property damage associated with storms. A lot of this can be prevented with some forethought, however. Trim back or remove heavy or dying limbs that hang over your house, vehicles or power lines. Diseased, damaged or dead trees should also be removed to prevent them from falling as a result of heavy winds.
Inspect the Roof
A roof is easy to ignore until it starts leaking, but at that point a significant amount of damage may have already been done. To help you get ready for storm season, take some time to walk around your home and see if you notice any visible damage such as missing shingles or notable divots in the roof material. You might also consider bringing in a roofing crew that offers roof inspections as part of your storm preparations. The more potential damage you find now, the easier it will be to avoid leaks and other damage when storms hit.
Secure Everything
Wind can do a lot of damage during storms. Double check any shutters, downspouts or other wall fixtures to make sure that they’re well secured, tightening screws or replacing securing straps as needed. If you have items in your yard that could be moved by the wind, such as a trampoline, consider getting straps and pegs to secure it to the ground as well. The more secure everything is, the less chance that there is for property damage to occur in strong winds.
Mind Your Electricity
Between high winds and lightning, storms can spell bad news for your electrical power. Installing a lightning rod or a full-home surge protector can help protect you in the event of lightning strikes or power surges, and hooking critical electronics up to an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) can keep them running for a little while even if your power drops out. If it’s in your budget, you might also consider getting a home generator that you can switch on if the power goes out.
Check Your Insurance
If you have homeowner’s insurance, it’s worth double checking to see what is and isn’t covered by your policy. While insurance might cover several common forms of storm damage, a lot of policies don’t cover flood damage unless you take out additional coverage. By understanding what is covered, you can get a better feel for what additional coverage you might need to be secure even in the worst of storms.
Get Storm Ready
If you need to do some work around the house to really get it ready for storm season, HomeKeepr is here to help. Sign up for a free account today to find roofers, electricians and other home pros who can hook you up with everything you need to protect yourself from the storms.
Clean Your Gutters
One big thing that you can do to get ready for storm season is to make sure that your gutters are clean and free of debris. This is the time of year when everything is in bloom, and that can produce seeds that have blown off trees and plants, ending up in a nice wet gutter environment. Add in dust, decaying leaves and other items that may have collected over the winter then washed into your gutters, and you’ve got a lot of potential blockages to deal with. Clear them out to help your gutters work properly, diverting water away from your roof and home to prevent leaks and flooding during storms.
Trim the Trees
Falling limbs and trees are one of the big causes of property damage associated with storms. A lot of this can be prevented with some forethought, however. Trim back or remove heavy or dying limbs that hang over your house, vehicles or power lines. Diseased, damaged or dead trees should also be removed to prevent them from falling as a result of heavy winds.
Inspect the Roof
A roof is easy to ignore until it starts leaking, but at that point a significant amount of damage may have already been done. To help you get ready for storm season, take some time to walk around your home and see if you notice any visible damage such as missing shingles or notable divots in the roof material. You might also consider bringing in a roofing crew that offers roof inspections as part of your storm preparations. The more potential damage you find now, the easier it will be to avoid leaks and other damage when storms hit.
Secure Everything
Wind can do a lot of damage during storms. Double check any shutters, downspouts or other wall fixtures to make sure that they’re well secured, tightening screws or replacing securing straps as needed. If you have items in your yard that could be moved by the wind, such as a trampoline, consider getting straps and pegs to secure it to the ground as well. The more secure everything is, the less chance that there is for property damage to occur in strong winds.
Mind Your Electricity
Between high winds and lightning, storms can spell bad news for your electrical power. Installing a lightning rod or a full-home surge protector can help protect you in the event of lightning strikes or power surges, and hooking critical electronics up to an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) can keep them running for a little while even if your power drops out. If it’s in your budget, you might also consider getting a home generator that you can switch on if the power goes out.
Check Your Insurance
If you have homeowner’s insurance, it’s worth double checking to see what is and isn’t covered by your policy. While insurance might cover several common forms of storm damage, a lot of policies don’t cover flood damage unless you take out additional coverage. By understanding what is covered, you can get a better feel for what additional coverage you might need to be secure even in the worst of storms.
Get Storm Ready
If you need to do some work around the house to really get it ready for storm season, HomeKeepr is here to help. Sign up for a free account today to find roofers, electricians and other home pros who can hook you up with everything you need to protect yourself from the storms.
Sunday, June 07, 2020
June Steve & Jack's Home News
Welcome to June and the official start to summer. This has been more than a strange spring. From a global pandemic, to protests and riots, to killer hornets, locusts in Africa, and the 7-year cycle for some species of Cicadas, it can seem rather biblical. We certainly hope this e-mail finds you and your loved ones safe, healthy and happy. Those can seem rather elusive right now. If there is something you need that we can help support you or your business, please let us know. We are absolutely happy to help however we can to support you.
On the health front, as of right now COVID-19 has significantly subsided with most hospitals reporting very few, if any COVID-19 patients. We certainly hope that the numbers continue to drop and that we are at the predicted zero cases by July 1st and by July 4th we are able to safely get back to our 'new' normal, which may even include a parade and fireworks, if we are lucky.
As for our family, Tali has been out of school for 3-weeks now and Ana just finished a week ago. Tali will be a 5th grader and Ana a sophomore at Guerin. It is hard to believe! Ana has to take PE and health this summer since she started Guerin in the 2nd trimester and missed the first trimester of it. While she isn't looking forward to it, it will be good to get her moving in the mornings as she is like a typical teenager and can sleep until noon, if you let her. She is going to play soccer for Guerin this fall and will be practicing all summer as well and will also sing in one of Guerin's choirs and will be going back to Indianapolis Children's Choir Master Chorale since she graduated from the youth program this year. She has also been doing such a great job as Chef Ana cooking Sunday dinners all from scratch. They are so absolutely delicious and we love enjoying her cooking.
Tali is going to horse camp in Zionsville for a few weeks and absolutely loves it! On top of that, she decided to quit competitive gymnastics after four years and is instead doing competitive cheer at ICE and has already started practices, which are kicking her butt!
Brigid is still at home as Merck will not allow any reps to go out for a few more weeks. The good news is that she still has a job, full pay and benefits, so we are extremely grateful there.
Steve's parents Jack and Mary Anne are getting back out again, but did cancel their trip to Branson last week, per the urging of Steve and Michelle. They are enjoying seeing some of their friends and family again and we enjoyed having them over last week for a belated Mother's Day celebration.
Kylie's big news is that Carmel finally took them off of well water and hooked them up to city water. She has been waiting for this for over a year as their well was going out. Her dog ripped a big gash in her hands and she is recovering from that now.
Patti is enjoying getting jobs done around the house and now that Ron is retired, he is able to do work during the week.
Thea is in final preparations for her wedding to Michael on June 20th in Cleveland. Her plans for a wedding here in Indy have been cancelled due to COVID-19 and will instead have a small wedding with family and then have a delayed reception next summer here in Indy. We can't wait!
As for the real estate market, we are getting asked daily how it is doing right now. Fortunately, it is recovering very nicely. We have been ranked as a Top 10 city to recover fastest from the pandemic and we are seeing that. Activity has picked up a lot and is getting close to where it usually is for the spring. We are hoping the spring market will shift into the summer and fall. We are in dire need of inventory right now. We are near an all-time low of 1.6 months right now. A balanced market is around 6 months. We have lots of buyers, but no homes to show them. If you know of someone thinking of selling, please give us a call. We would love to consult with them about their options, which include selling at the highest prices in history in the shortest amount of time.
Here are some numbers from MIBOR for April 2020 vs. April 2019. May numbers will come out in a week.
Median Sales Price-$210,000-UP 0.7%
Closed Sales-2,522 units-DOWN 14.9%
New Listings-2,782 units-DOWN 23.9%
Pending Sales-2,866 units-DOWN 9.1%
Days on Market-38 days-No change
Price per s.f.-$120-UP 1.7%
% of Ask Received-98.3%-UP 0.4%
Active Inventory-3,967 units-DOWN 1.7%
Absorption Rate-1.6 months-UP 14.3%
It will be interesting to see where May's numbers come in, but these could have been MUCH worse, as you can imagine.
We truly hope that you stay safe and healthy, especially now. We also hope that you will take time to celebrate all of the wonderful dads out there for Father's Day this month. We wouldn't be who we are without you!
A few updates and reminders:
Thank you to everyone who attended our May virtual Happy Hour! We had a great time and gave out some fun prizes for best dressed (Rhoda Israelov) and winner of our May trivia challenge on our call (Gene Ziobron). Please join us next week for our June virtual Happy Hour on Thursday, June 18th from 5-6:30pm. Bring your favorite drink and come ready for some fun trivia questions and your chance to win some prizes. Here is the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9756645504. We hope this is the last virtual Happy Hour and we can go back to seeing you all in-person in July. Stay tuned for updates.
Wow!!!! We had over 400 cars for our Shred Day a couple of weeks ago!!! This was an all-time record...by a LOT! We filled up one entire truck and had to call a second one! The recycling truck was also full. This was so popular that we are going to do another one in July. Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 16th from 10AM-12pm at our office again. Anything you want shredded or electronics to be recycled can be disposed of. This is absolutely FREE for our clients and referral partners.
A lot of people have asked us for our preferred contractors as so many people are getting house projects completed. Please call or e-mail us any time and we are happy to get you some names of great contractors you can trust to handle all of your projects...big or small.
If you have a mortgage and you haven't checked to see if you should re-finance, you may want to take some time to look into it. Rates are at or near all-time lows and if you have a 30-year fixed conventional mortgage, for example the rate is around 3.25%. Call or e-mail us today for our preferred loan partner who will be happy to help you figure out if it makes sense to refinance or not.
So, what did you think of our video intro last month? Did you like it? We would love your feedback on how we can improve. Let us know.
Click here for our June video
Click here for our June newsletter
Click here to visit our website full of real estate resources
Click here to access coupons and discount at places you shop every day
Click here to watch a 1-minute video about this month in real estate
Click here to read reviews of what other people are saying about us and our service
Click here to download the BRAND NEW and most powerful real estate app available
Enjoy summer!!!
Your Friends in Real Estate,
Steve, Kylie, Thea, & Patti
P.S. Please don't keep us a secret.
On the health front, as of right now COVID-19 has significantly subsided with most hospitals reporting very few, if any COVID-19 patients. We certainly hope that the numbers continue to drop and that we are at the predicted zero cases by July 1st and by July 4th we are able to safely get back to our 'new' normal, which may even include a parade and fireworks, if we are lucky.
As for our family, Tali has been out of school for 3-weeks now and Ana just finished a week ago. Tali will be a 5th grader and Ana a sophomore at Guerin. It is hard to believe! Ana has to take PE and health this summer since she started Guerin in the 2nd trimester and missed the first trimester of it. While she isn't looking forward to it, it will be good to get her moving in the mornings as she is like a typical teenager and can sleep until noon, if you let her. She is going to play soccer for Guerin this fall and will be practicing all summer as well and will also sing in one of Guerin's choirs and will be going back to Indianapolis Children's Choir Master Chorale since she graduated from the youth program this year. She has also been doing such a great job as Chef Ana cooking Sunday dinners all from scratch. They are so absolutely delicious and we love enjoying her cooking.
Tali is going to horse camp in Zionsville for a few weeks and absolutely loves it! On top of that, she decided to quit competitive gymnastics after four years and is instead doing competitive cheer at ICE and has already started practices, which are kicking her butt!
Brigid is still at home as Merck will not allow any reps to go out for a few more weeks. The good news is that she still has a job, full pay and benefits, so we are extremely grateful there.
Steve's parents Jack and Mary Anne are getting back out again, but did cancel their trip to Branson last week, per the urging of Steve and Michelle. They are enjoying seeing some of their friends and family again and we enjoyed having them over last week for a belated Mother's Day celebration.
Kylie's big news is that Carmel finally took them off of well water and hooked them up to city water. She has been waiting for this for over a year as their well was going out. Her dog ripped a big gash in her hands and she is recovering from that now.
Patti is enjoying getting jobs done around the house and now that Ron is retired, he is able to do work during the week.
Thea is in final preparations for her wedding to Michael on June 20th in Cleveland. Her plans for a wedding here in Indy have been cancelled due to COVID-19 and will instead have a small wedding with family and then have a delayed reception next summer here in Indy. We can't wait!
As for the real estate market, we are getting asked daily how it is doing right now. Fortunately, it is recovering very nicely. We have been ranked as a Top 10 city to recover fastest from the pandemic and we are seeing that. Activity has picked up a lot and is getting close to where it usually is for the spring. We are hoping the spring market will shift into the summer and fall. We are in dire need of inventory right now. We are near an all-time low of 1.6 months right now. A balanced market is around 6 months. We have lots of buyers, but no homes to show them. If you know of someone thinking of selling, please give us a call. We would love to consult with them about their options, which include selling at the highest prices in history in the shortest amount of time.
Here are some numbers from MIBOR for April 2020 vs. April 2019. May numbers will come out in a week.
Median Sales Price-$210,000-UP 0.7%
Closed Sales-2,522 units-DOWN 14.9%
New Listings-2,782 units-DOWN 23.9%
Pending Sales-2,866 units-DOWN 9.1%
Days on Market-38 days-No change
Price per s.f.-$120-UP 1.7%
% of Ask Received-98.3%-UP 0.4%
Active Inventory-3,967 units-DOWN 1.7%
Absorption Rate-1.6 months-UP 14.3%
It will be interesting to see where May's numbers come in, but these could have been MUCH worse, as you can imagine.
We truly hope that you stay safe and healthy, especially now. We also hope that you will take time to celebrate all of the wonderful dads out there for Father's Day this month. We wouldn't be who we are without you!
A few updates and reminders:
Thank you to everyone who attended our May virtual Happy Hour! We had a great time and gave out some fun prizes for best dressed (Rhoda Israelov) and winner of our May trivia challenge on our call (Gene Ziobron). Please join us next week for our June virtual Happy Hour on Thursday, June 18th from 5-6:30pm. Bring your favorite drink and come ready for some fun trivia questions and your chance to win some prizes. Here is the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9756645504. We hope this is the last virtual Happy Hour and we can go back to seeing you all in-person in July. Stay tuned for updates.
Wow!!!! We had over 400 cars for our Shred Day a couple of weeks ago!!! This was an all-time record...by a LOT! We filled up one entire truck and had to call a second one! The recycling truck was also full. This was so popular that we are going to do another one in July. Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 16th from 10AM-12pm at our office again. Anything you want shredded or electronics to be recycled can be disposed of. This is absolutely FREE for our clients and referral partners.
A lot of people have asked us for our preferred contractors as so many people are getting house projects completed. Please call or e-mail us any time and we are happy to get you some names of great contractors you can trust to handle all of your projects...big or small.
If you have a mortgage and you haven't checked to see if you should re-finance, you may want to take some time to look into it. Rates are at or near all-time lows and if you have a 30-year fixed conventional mortgage, for example the rate is around 3.25%. Call or e-mail us today for our preferred loan partner who will be happy to help you figure out if it makes sense to refinance or not.
So, what did you think of our video intro last month? Did you like it? We would love your feedback on how we can improve. Let us know.
Click here for our June video
Click here for our June newsletter
Click here to visit our website full of real estate resources
Click here to access coupons and discount at places you shop every day
Click here to watch a 1-minute video about this month in real estate
Click here to read reviews of what other people are saying about us and our service
Click here to download the BRAND NEW and most powerful real estate app available
Enjoy summer!!!
Your Friends in Real Estate,
Steve, Kylie, Thea, & Patti
P.S. Please don't keep us a secret.
Thursday, June 04, 2020
Virtual Staging questions answered
Virtual home tours and showings are increasingly popular in real estate. They allow prospective home buyers to view the property on their own time, reducing unnecessary contact and helping them to avoid homes that they aren’t really interested in. A greater focus on virtual viewings can be a double-edged sword, however; still photos and walkthrough videos don’t always capture the heart of a property the way that being there in person can.
Proper staging can go a long way toward fixing this problem. The rules of staging are a bit different when planning for virtual visitors than they would be if you were prepping for an open house or other in-person tour, though. Here are a few things to keep in mind when staging your home for a virtual tour to help ensure that online home shoppers are suitably wowed by your property.
Start at the Door
When a potential buyer comes to your property for a tour or an open house, the first thing they’ll see is the door and front of the home. Start your virtual tour the same way. Touch up the paint on your door, make sure that any flowers or other decorations are well cared for, and clean up any messes that might be in the front yard. Starting at the front provides a bit of familiarity and gives viewers the same first impression that they and their visitors will see if they do decide to buy the house.
Accent With Art
For the most part, you want to remove as many personal effects as possible when staging a home so that potential home buyers can see the potential of the space as something they can make over. With virtual tours and online showings, though, this just comes across as bare walls. You should still remove family photos and personal effects so that viewers don’t feel like they’re peeking in on someone else’s life. Replace them with pieces of art or other items that break up the monotony of bare walls or empty floors. A wall-mounted TV, modular fireplace or other accents can also work well for this purpose.
Cut the Clutter
Decluttering is important when showing a house. When viewing in person, potential buyers tend to overlook if your home is still being lived in. But because things come across differently in still photos and video tours, clutter usually makes a home look less appealing online. Even if you have to rearrange things between photos and move certain items off camera, do everything you can to provide a clean, clutter-free view of your home.
Use Positioning to Your Advantage
Angles are important when taking photos or making videos for online showings. Showcase the space available in your home by placing tables or other large pieces of furniture in one corner of the shot, letting the photo show off how open the dining room is or how much area there really is in the living room. You can also show off your favorite views from within the house by taking pictures from the same angle you’d be sitting at, letting viewers see the home in the same ways that you enjoy.
Let Viewers in on the Secret
Do you have any hidden, obscure or otherwise “secret” areas in your home? If so, be sure to include them in your virtual staging plans. You might provide just a peek at a hidden closet or a special play-space in your flower garden, or you could choose to elaborate on the secret and give viewers a great view of everything it has to offer. Regardless of how you do it, showing off the secrets in your home will help to give it more personality and get potential buyers that much more interested.
Ask for Help
Staging a home can be a big job. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. HomeKeepr can connect you with seasoned pros who can help you in staging your home perfectly for both online and in-person showings. Sign up for a free account today to get a jump start on your staging.
Proper staging can go a long way toward fixing this problem. The rules of staging are a bit different when planning for virtual visitors than they would be if you were prepping for an open house or other in-person tour, though. Here are a few things to keep in mind when staging your home for a virtual tour to help ensure that online home shoppers are suitably wowed by your property.
Start at the Door
When a potential buyer comes to your property for a tour or an open house, the first thing they’ll see is the door and front of the home. Start your virtual tour the same way. Touch up the paint on your door, make sure that any flowers or other decorations are well cared for, and clean up any messes that might be in the front yard. Starting at the front provides a bit of familiarity and gives viewers the same first impression that they and their visitors will see if they do decide to buy the house.
Accent With Art
For the most part, you want to remove as many personal effects as possible when staging a home so that potential home buyers can see the potential of the space as something they can make over. With virtual tours and online showings, though, this just comes across as bare walls. You should still remove family photos and personal effects so that viewers don’t feel like they’re peeking in on someone else’s life. Replace them with pieces of art or other items that break up the monotony of bare walls or empty floors. A wall-mounted TV, modular fireplace or other accents can also work well for this purpose.
Cut the Clutter
Decluttering is important when showing a house. When viewing in person, potential buyers tend to overlook if your home is still being lived in. But because things come across differently in still photos and video tours, clutter usually makes a home look less appealing online. Even if you have to rearrange things between photos and move certain items off camera, do everything you can to provide a clean, clutter-free view of your home.
Use Positioning to Your Advantage
Angles are important when taking photos or making videos for online showings. Showcase the space available in your home by placing tables or other large pieces of furniture in one corner of the shot, letting the photo show off how open the dining room is or how much area there really is in the living room. You can also show off your favorite views from within the house by taking pictures from the same angle you’d be sitting at, letting viewers see the home in the same ways that you enjoy.
Let Viewers in on the Secret
Do you have any hidden, obscure or otherwise “secret” areas in your home? If so, be sure to include them in your virtual staging plans. You might provide just a peek at a hidden closet or a special play-space in your flower garden, or you could choose to elaborate on the secret and give viewers a great view of everything it has to offer. Regardless of how you do it, showing off the secrets in your home will help to give it more personality and get potential buyers that much more interested.
Ask for Help
Staging a home can be a big job. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. HomeKeepr can connect you with seasoned pros who can help you in staging your home perfectly for both online and in-person showings. Sign up for a free account today to get a jump start on your staging.
Monday, June 01, 2020
How will a recession affect my purchase?
It’s well known that the housing market is heavily influenced by the economy — especially local economies. When the economy is strong, people have more money for large purchases and investments in real estate. When things are tighter, though, a lot of prospective homeowners may start to ask whether they’re really ready to take on such a potentially large debt.
If you’ve been thinking of buying a home, you might be wondering about this yourself. How will economic problems, or even a recession, affect your home purchase? Will the local housing market all but grind to a halt? While it’s good to keep questions in mind so that you aren’t taken by surprise, the chance of a recession or other economic downturn having a profound effect on your home purchase is relatively low.
What Is a Recession?
First things first: just what is a recession? It’s a term that’s been tossed around a lot in the last decade or so, but there usually isn’t a whole lot of explanation provided with it. Essentially, a recession is a downturn in the economy that lasts for at least six months. Typically during a recession you’ll see both trade and industry take a hit, and the gross domestic product (the value of the goods and services produced over a period of time, usually called the GDP) fall for at least two quarters in a row.
A recession can last for quite a while and can result in a significant slump in the economy that takes months or even years to recover from. An example of this would be the Great Recession which lasted from 2007 to 2009; its fallout lasted for years in some places and caused a number of significant problems for several sectors of the economy.
The Economy and the Housing Market
The economy and the housing market are pretty strongly connected. When the economy is in a slump, this can drive the housing market down. While this generally applies at the national level, this is especially true at the local level. When business is booming and the economy is doing well, the housing market usually gets a boost as well. This can run the other way, too; problems in the housing market can drag the economy down with it, while a strong housing market can help to lift up an otherwise shaky economy. Issues with the housing market contributed to the Great Recession and led to economic problems in other countries around the world.
Will the Housing Market Collapse?
Just because there is a link between the housing market and the economy at large doesn’t mean that a recession will bring the housing market down, however. A downturn in the economy might slow housing sales in some areas, especially early on as both buyers and sellers wait to see whether the economic turmoil is going to last long-term. In most cases, though, this slowdown will only be temporary and will not affect all parts of the country equally. In some cases, it can even result in unmatched opportunities for buyers who are willing to act.
Inform Your Decisions
Any time there’s economic uncertainty, it’s always a good idea to consult professionals who will help you find options to protect your investment and avoid paying more than you have to for a home. Fortunately, HomeKeepr is here to help. Sign up for a free account today to connect with the pros that can help you achieve your dreams of home ownership even in uncertain economic times.
If you’ve been thinking of buying a home, you might be wondering about this yourself. How will economic problems, or even a recession, affect your home purchase? Will the local housing market all but grind to a halt? While it’s good to keep questions in mind so that you aren’t taken by surprise, the chance of a recession or other economic downturn having a profound effect on your home purchase is relatively low.
What Is a Recession?
First things first: just what is a recession? It’s a term that’s been tossed around a lot in the last decade or so, but there usually isn’t a whole lot of explanation provided with it. Essentially, a recession is a downturn in the economy that lasts for at least six months. Typically during a recession you’ll see both trade and industry take a hit, and the gross domestic product (the value of the goods and services produced over a period of time, usually called the GDP) fall for at least two quarters in a row.
A recession can last for quite a while and can result in a significant slump in the economy that takes months or even years to recover from. An example of this would be the Great Recession which lasted from 2007 to 2009; its fallout lasted for years in some places and caused a number of significant problems for several sectors of the economy.
The Economy and the Housing Market
The economy and the housing market are pretty strongly connected. When the economy is in a slump, this can drive the housing market down. While this generally applies at the national level, this is especially true at the local level. When business is booming and the economy is doing well, the housing market usually gets a boost as well. This can run the other way, too; problems in the housing market can drag the economy down with it, while a strong housing market can help to lift up an otherwise shaky economy. Issues with the housing market contributed to the Great Recession and led to economic problems in other countries around the world.
Will the Housing Market Collapse?
Just because there is a link between the housing market and the economy at large doesn’t mean that a recession will bring the housing market down, however. A downturn in the economy might slow housing sales in some areas, especially early on as both buyers and sellers wait to see whether the economic turmoil is going to last long-term. In most cases, though, this slowdown will only be temporary and will not affect all parts of the country equally. In some cases, it can even result in unmatched opportunities for buyers who are willing to act.
Inform Your Decisions
Any time there’s economic uncertainty, it’s always a good idea to consult professionals who will help you find options to protect your investment and avoid paying more than you have to for a home. Fortunately, HomeKeepr is here to help. Sign up for a free account today to connect with the pros that can help you achieve your dreams of home ownership even in uncertain economic times.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Lawn mowing best practices
Whether you love mowing the lawn or hate it, it’s a job that needs to be done. As with most things, though, there’s a difference between doing it and doing it well. If you find yourself wondering why your neighbors have an amazing lawn while yours looks all the worse for wear, it could be more than just a matter of perspective; it’s possible that the grass really is greener on the other side.
This doesn’t have to be the case, though. Part of the problem might be how you’re caring for your lawn. If you haven’t put much thought into the specifics of yard care, here are a few things to think about. Changing how you think about mowing the lawn can have a big impact on the lawn itself, and your grass will thank you for it.
Prep Your Mower
Too many people approach the beginning of the mowing season the same way that they do the entire rest of the season: they put some gas in the mower and go. This is a good way to damage your lawn and wear out your mower at the same time. Start each season with an oil change and fresh gas, and check your mower blades for cracks, dullness or other signs that they need to be sharpened or replaced. Keep an eye on your grass as you mow; if it’s becoming ragged, this is a sign that your blades are getting dull again. Even a little bit of mower maintenance will make the cut easier on your lawn and keep your mower running in tip-top condition.
Learn Your Lawn
A lot of people think that grass is grass, but there are actually a lot of differences between grass species. Take a little time to find out what sort of grass you have growing in your lawn. If necessary, you can take a sample to your local agricultural extension office to get the job done. Once you know what kind of grass you have, you can learn the seasons when it actively grows, what sort of water and fertilizer needs it has, and even details about how it should be cut. If you need to reseed part of your lawn, knowing the existing grass type will also ensure that you get the right type of seed so that everything matches.
Cut to the Right Height
If your lawn is going to flourish, the grass needs to have enough blade area to absorb sunlight to meet its growing needs. Cutting it too short can damage it, causing the grass to wilt or brown, in some cases even killing off patches. As a general rule you’ll often hear that you should leave around 3 inches of grass when you cut, but this can vary depending on the type of grass you have. If in doubt, you can set the blade height between the 3-inch to 3 ½-inch mark to be safe, but you’ll have much more control over your lawn if you learn the grass type and find the optimal cutting height based on that.
Mind Those Clippings
It’s usually best to leave your clippings on the ground, as they provide much-needed nutrients to the lawn as they decompose. If you don’t like the look of them, consider a mulching blade and guard for your mower to ensure that they get cut into smaller pieces, or make multiple passes over the same area. The main exceptions to this are the first and last cuts of the year; in those instances, your lawn will do better if you bag the clippings instead.
Adapt Throughout the Year
One important thing to keep in mind is that grass is a living thing and grows differently depending on the time of the year and the local weather conditions. During the heat of the summer, make your lawn more drought resistant by adjust your cut height up a little; this gives the grass more blade area to collect dew on. In early spring and into the fall, cut less often to avoid shocking the grass. Even the direction of your cuts is important, especially if it’s been raining a lot; to prevent damaging the grass or compacting the soil too much, change direction every two or three cuts, switching to a cutting pattern around 90 degrees off from what you’ve been doing.
Keep It Under Control
A well-manicured lawn can be a big job. Fortunately, there are professionals out there who can take that burden off your shoulders. If you need to find a lawn service that comes highly recommended, sign up for a free HomeKeepr account today. You’ll be able to find a service based on real recommendations for mowers and landscapers that best match your specific needs.
This doesn’t have to be the case, though. Part of the problem might be how you’re caring for your lawn. If you haven’t put much thought into the specifics of yard care, here are a few things to think about. Changing how you think about mowing the lawn can have a big impact on the lawn itself, and your grass will thank you for it.
Prep Your Mower
Too many people approach the beginning of the mowing season the same way that they do the entire rest of the season: they put some gas in the mower and go. This is a good way to damage your lawn and wear out your mower at the same time. Start each season with an oil change and fresh gas, and check your mower blades for cracks, dullness or other signs that they need to be sharpened or replaced. Keep an eye on your grass as you mow; if it’s becoming ragged, this is a sign that your blades are getting dull again. Even a little bit of mower maintenance will make the cut easier on your lawn and keep your mower running in tip-top condition.
Learn Your Lawn
A lot of people think that grass is grass, but there are actually a lot of differences between grass species. Take a little time to find out what sort of grass you have growing in your lawn. If necessary, you can take a sample to your local agricultural extension office to get the job done. Once you know what kind of grass you have, you can learn the seasons when it actively grows, what sort of water and fertilizer needs it has, and even details about how it should be cut. If you need to reseed part of your lawn, knowing the existing grass type will also ensure that you get the right type of seed so that everything matches.
Cut to the Right Height
If your lawn is going to flourish, the grass needs to have enough blade area to absorb sunlight to meet its growing needs. Cutting it too short can damage it, causing the grass to wilt or brown, in some cases even killing off patches. As a general rule you’ll often hear that you should leave around 3 inches of grass when you cut, but this can vary depending on the type of grass you have. If in doubt, you can set the blade height between the 3-inch to 3 ½-inch mark to be safe, but you’ll have much more control over your lawn if you learn the grass type and find the optimal cutting height based on that.
Mind Those Clippings
It’s usually best to leave your clippings on the ground, as they provide much-needed nutrients to the lawn as they decompose. If you don’t like the look of them, consider a mulching blade and guard for your mower to ensure that they get cut into smaller pieces, or make multiple passes over the same area. The main exceptions to this are the first and last cuts of the year; in those instances, your lawn will do better if you bag the clippings instead.
Adapt Throughout the Year
One important thing to keep in mind is that grass is a living thing and grows differently depending on the time of the year and the local weather conditions. During the heat of the summer, make your lawn more drought resistant by adjust your cut height up a little; this gives the grass more blade area to collect dew on. In early spring and into the fall, cut less often to avoid shocking the grass. Even the direction of your cuts is important, especially if it’s been raining a lot; to prevent damaging the grass or compacting the soil too much, change direction every two or three cuts, switching to a cutting pattern around 90 degrees off from what you’ve been doing.
Keep It Under Control
A well-manicured lawn can be a big job. Fortunately, there are professionals out there who can take that burden off your shoulders. If you need to find a lawn service that comes highly recommended, sign up for a free HomeKeepr account today. You’ll be able to find a service based on real recommendations for mowers and landscapers that best match your specific needs.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Construction design trends
Throughout the years, the construction industry, and the trends that it follows, have changed significantly. While some key elements in construction tend to stay more or less the same, in other areas the industry needs to be adaptable to keep up with the changing wants and needs of consumers and other clients. So if you’re considering a change, but aren’t really sure what you want in your home, here are a few of the recent and upcoming construction trends to keep in mind.
Children’s Playrooms
A lot of homeowners with children have come to feel that their kids need a place to play when at home. While children can and will play anywhere, giving them free reign of the house can be nerve-wracking, especially when you have to clean it all up every day. Establishing a dedicated playroom helps to contain the chaos, confining the clutter to a single area within the house. It’s possible to use an existing room as-is for a playroom, but a lot of parents would prefer to do at least a little bit of remodeling to ensure that the room both meets their kids’ needs, and is optimized for safety and storage.
Ditching the Dining Room
Big formal dining rooms have been popular for a long time, though that popularity has waxed and waned over the years. These days, many households aren’t using their dining rooms nearly as much as they did in past decades. As a result, more homeowners are looking for other things to do with that space other than using it to hold a table and chairs. This has led to surge in remodeling to make better use of that dining room area, with homeowners opting instead to create nooks or other smaller dining spaces that can be used much more efficiently at mealtime.
Smart Home Construction
Once a thing of science fiction, smart home technology and home automation are increasingly popular options for homeowners. A lot of smart home automation tech is designed to be plug-and-play, with smart lights, smart thermostats and various sensors being available as aftermarket purchases. For new construction, though, more people are opting for integrated technology. Built-in smart sensors to track things like water leaks, open windows and various aspects of security are all popular. Other construction options such as built-in Ethernet and design that avoids Wi-Fi dead spots are also being requested more and more frequently.
Home Office Spaces
As people work from home more often, they need a dedicated area to do their work in. In some cases, this is as simple as moving a computer into a spare bedroom, but many home workers require more customization for their home office space. This can come in the form of additional storage or custom work areas, improved soundproofing or electrical work such as improved lighting and added outlets. Other home workers may want a custom outbuilding to serve as a “shedquarters” so that they have a work area that’s at home but separate from the house itself.
Smaller Room Designs
While open room designs have been popular for years, there has been a shift recently to smaller and more distinct rooms within the home. This doesn’t apply to every room, of course; for living rooms and some other spaces within the house, bigger and more open continues to be popular. And having other rooms with a more compact design can make these seem bigger by comparison, even when you don’t have a huge amount of floor space to spend on big open areas.
Keeping Up with the Trends
Trends change over time… if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be trends. HomeKeepr can help you keep up with the Joneses and stay on top of the latest trends. Sign up for a free account today and see just how well it can connect you with the pros you need to stay on top.
Children’s Playrooms
A lot of homeowners with children have come to feel that their kids need a place to play when at home. While children can and will play anywhere, giving them free reign of the house can be nerve-wracking, especially when you have to clean it all up every day. Establishing a dedicated playroom helps to contain the chaos, confining the clutter to a single area within the house. It’s possible to use an existing room as-is for a playroom, but a lot of parents would prefer to do at least a little bit of remodeling to ensure that the room both meets their kids’ needs, and is optimized for safety and storage.
Ditching the Dining Room
Big formal dining rooms have been popular for a long time, though that popularity has waxed and waned over the years. These days, many households aren’t using their dining rooms nearly as much as they did in past decades. As a result, more homeowners are looking for other things to do with that space other than using it to hold a table and chairs. This has led to surge in remodeling to make better use of that dining room area, with homeowners opting instead to create nooks or other smaller dining spaces that can be used much more efficiently at mealtime.
Smart Home Construction
Once a thing of science fiction, smart home technology and home automation are increasingly popular options for homeowners. A lot of smart home automation tech is designed to be plug-and-play, with smart lights, smart thermostats and various sensors being available as aftermarket purchases. For new construction, though, more people are opting for integrated technology. Built-in smart sensors to track things like water leaks, open windows and various aspects of security are all popular. Other construction options such as built-in Ethernet and design that avoids Wi-Fi dead spots are also being requested more and more frequently.
Home Office Spaces
As people work from home more often, they need a dedicated area to do their work in. In some cases, this is as simple as moving a computer into a spare bedroom, but many home workers require more customization for their home office space. This can come in the form of additional storage or custom work areas, improved soundproofing or electrical work such as improved lighting and added outlets. Other home workers may want a custom outbuilding to serve as a “shedquarters” so that they have a work area that’s at home but separate from the house itself.
Smaller Room Designs
While open room designs have been popular for years, there has been a shift recently to smaller and more distinct rooms within the home. This doesn’t apply to every room, of course; for living rooms and some other spaces within the house, bigger and more open continues to be popular. And having other rooms with a more compact design can make these seem bigger by comparison, even when you don’t have a huge amount of floor space to spend on big open areas.
Keeping Up with the Trends
Trends change over time… if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be trends. HomeKeepr can help you keep up with the Joneses and stay on top of the latest trends. Sign up for a free account today and see just how well it can connect you with the pros you need to stay on top.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Things to consider before you add on to your house
Even if you absolutely love your house and the area you live in, sometimes you’ll find that you just don’t have enough room for your family and all your stuff. This can be a major inconvenience, especially if you need some extra room for things like a new addition to the family or an office so you can work from home. Regardless of why you need the extra room, adding a new story to your home is one way to get it.
Is adding a new story a good idea, though? In some cases, it can be exactly what you need. Other times, though, the process of adding a new story is more trouble than it’s worth. Is a new story right for you and your home? Here are a few things to consider to help you make up your mind.
Calculating the Cost
It goes without saying that adding a new story to your house isn’t going to be cheap, but there are costs that you might not have considered. You’ll need to consult a structural engineer, add at least one staircase, get additional inspections to ensure that the property complies with code, and more. That’s not even getting into the actual costs of materials and labor, or any upgrades you might need such as ensuring your HVAC system can service the new story. Make sure that you cover all your bases when calculating a budget, then add a little bit of extra padding for unexpected costs.
Will There Be Enough Space?
When adding a new story, your options are limited by what the house beneath the new story can support. Depending on the home you live in, this may mean that your new addition can only cover a portion of the structure’s total square footage. Make sure that the amount of available space is enough to meet your needs, or you might find yourself adding a new story and still not having enough room.
The Realities of Construction
Adding a new story isn’t like adding on a new room to your ground floor. Some or all of the roof will have to be torn off, and utilities like electricity and gas will need to be shut off to tie in the new story to the existing system. The entire process can take several months just to get started. Once construction is a go, you’ll very likely need to move out until the new story is complete, and you might even have to move a lot of your belongings out of the house to protect them from accidental weather damage. The end result might be worth it, but you definitely need to consider everything you’ll have to go through to get there.
Is Moving an Option?
There are a lot of good reasons for wanting to stay where you are. Maybe you like the school district, or perhaps your home has a lot of sentimental value to your family. It might be conveniently located near an area that you frequent. It could even be that you simply like the house. You don’t need to justify wanting to stay in your home, but it’s at least worth considering whether moving would better meet your needs. This is especially worth considering if your primary reason for adding on is simply the need for more space; moving could easily fill this need without some of the other costs and inconveniences associated with building upward.
Adding a New Story
If you’ve thought it over and still think a new story is what you need, you’ll need a contractor who can get the job done quickly and at a reasonable cost. HomeKeepr is just what you need to find the right contractor for the job. Sign up for free today and see just how easy HomeKeepr can make your expansion project!
Is adding a new story a good idea, though? In some cases, it can be exactly what you need. Other times, though, the process of adding a new story is more trouble than it’s worth. Is a new story right for you and your home? Here are a few things to consider to help you make up your mind.
Calculating the Cost
It goes without saying that adding a new story to your house isn’t going to be cheap, but there are costs that you might not have considered. You’ll need to consult a structural engineer, add at least one staircase, get additional inspections to ensure that the property complies with code, and more. That’s not even getting into the actual costs of materials and labor, or any upgrades you might need such as ensuring your HVAC system can service the new story. Make sure that you cover all your bases when calculating a budget, then add a little bit of extra padding for unexpected costs.
Will There Be Enough Space?
When adding a new story, your options are limited by what the house beneath the new story can support. Depending on the home you live in, this may mean that your new addition can only cover a portion of the structure’s total square footage. Make sure that the amount of available space is enough to meet your needs, or you might find yourself adding a new story and still not having enough room.
The Realities of Construction
Adding a new story isn’t like adding on a new room to your ground floor. Some or all of the roof will have to be torn off, and utilities like electricity and gas will need to be shut off to tie in the new story to the existing system. The entire process can take several months just to get started. Once construction is a go, you’ll very likely need to move out until the new story is complete, and you might even have to move a lot of your belongings out of the house to protect them from accidental weather damage. The end result might be worth it, but you definitely need to consider everything you’ll have to go through to get there.
Is Moving an Option?
There are a lot of good reasons for wanting to stay where you are. Maybe you like the school district, or perhaps your home has a lot of sentimental value to your family. It might be conveniently located near an area that you frequent. It could even be that you simply like the house. You don’t need to justify wanting to stay in your home, but it’s at least worth considering whether moving would better meet your needs. This is especially worth considering if your primary reason for adding on is simply the need for more space; moving could easily fill this need without some of the other costs and inconveniences associated with building upward.
Adding a New Story
If you’ve thought it over and still think a new story is what you need, you’ll need a contractor who can get the job done quickly and at a reasonable cost. HomeKeepr is just what you need to find the right contractor for the job. Sign up for free today and see just how easy HomeKeepr can make your expansion project!
Monday, May 18, 2020
Tips for bringing a contractor into your home
While everyone is home trying to stay healthy, there are a lot of people who have taken to trying to do things around the house on their own. This has helped homeowners keep busy when they have little else to do. Unfortunately, there are some jobs that are just too big for a DIY; for these jobs, you’ll need to bring someone in to tackle the issue.
This can be anxiety-inducing if you’re still trying to practice proper social distancing and avoiding contact with others. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce your risks when bringing someone into your home. Not only will these steps keep you safe, but they will also protect the worker who has to come in to do the job.
Schedule and Screen
When scheduling a service call, don’t be afraid to ask whether anyone at the company has been sick recently. While it won’t guarantee that the service person isn’t ill, knowing whether there have been sick employees in recent weeks can give you at least an idea of how well the company is managing social distancing and keeping its employees safe. There’s a good chance that you’ll have to answer similar questions, so the company shouldn’t have any problems with the questions that you ask.
Open Everything
Before the service call arrives, open any doors, cabinets or other barriers between the worker and what they’ll be working on. If there’s a wall panel or other basic covering that needs to be removed, go ahead and take that off too, provided that you can do so safely. The goal is to eliminate as many possible points of contact that the service person would otherwise have to touch or open. Once they arrive, explain what you’ve done and ask them to let you close everything back up. This will let them come in, do the job and leave without touching every door, panel or similar objects in your house.
Keep Your Distance
Social distancing is very important when someone new is coming into the home. Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and the worker, and try to avoid being in the same room once they’ve started their work. Greet them and see if they have any questions once they arrive, then find ways to busy yourself elsewhere. You can check in periodically to make sure that they don’t need anything, but be sure to do so from a distance. It may be helpful to wear a mask while they’re in the home as well, which they should be doing already.
No-Contact Payment
If possible, opt for a no-contact payment option or request that an invoice be mailed to you. If you’re able to pay online, this is likely your best option; you can make a payment from your computer or smart device without having to hand anyone your credit or debit card. If online payments aren’t an option, you may be able to pay over the phone or through some other no-contact method.
If you aren’t able to use a card for your payment, there are still no-contact options available. If you’re paying with cash, put the money in an envelope and place it somewhere that the person making the service call can easily pick it up. The ideal way to do this is to have part of the envelope hanging over the edge of a table or other piece of furniture so that they can pick it up without actually touching your furniture. This is also a situation where writing a check can come in handy, as you can simply fill it out and then leave it to be collected without having to bother with an envelope.
Clean Before and After
Before the service worker arrives, take the time to wipe down the area they’ll be working in with sanitizing wipes. This will present a clean, safe environment for them to work in that they will surely appreciate. Once the work is finished and they’re gone, go over everything again and clean up to remove any germs that might have traveled in with them.
Stay Calm
While this is a stressful time, it’s important to reassure yourself that it’s possible to have a service call while also staying safe. Keeping your distance and reducing possible points of contact will go a long way toward keeping yourself and your family healthy. You wouldn’t be calling in someone if it weren’t necessary right now, so treat the situation with the respect that it deserves, and you should be fine.
This can be anxiety-inducing if you’re still trying to practice proper social distancing and avoiding contact with others. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce your risks when bringing someone into your home. Not only will these steps keep you safe, but they will also protect the worker who has to come in to do the job.
Schedule and Screen
When scheduling a service call, don’t be afraid to ask whether anyone at the company has been sick recently. While it won’t guarantee that the service person isn’t ill, knowing whether there have been sick employees in recent weeks can give you at least an idea of how well the company is managing social distancing and keeping its employees safe. There’s a good chance that you’ll have to answer similar questions, so the company shouldn’t have any problems with the questions that you ask.
Open Everything
Before the service call arrives, open any doors, cabinets or other barriers between the worker and what they’ll be working on. If there’s a wall panel or other basic covering that needs to be removed, go ahead and take that off too, provided that you can do so safely. The goal is to eliminate as many possible points of contact that the service person would otherwise have to touch or open. Once they arrive, explain what you’ve done and ask them to let you close everything back up. This will let them come in, do the job and leave without touching every door, panel or similar objects in your house.
Keep Your Distance
Social distancing is very important when someone new is coming into the home. Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and the worker, and try to avoid being in the same room once they’ve started their work. Greet them and see if they have any questions once they arrive, then find ways to busy yourself elsewhere. You can check in periodically to make sure that they don’t need anything, but be sure to do so from a distance. It may be helpful to wear a mask while they’re in the home as well, which they should be doing already.
No-Contact Payment
If possible, opt for a no-contact payment option or request that an invoice be mailed to you. If you’re able to pay online, this is likely your best option; you can make a payment from your computer or smart device without having to hand anyone your credit or debit card. If online payments aren’t an option, you may be able to pay over the phone or through some other no-contact method.
If you aren’t able to use a card for your payment, there are still no-contact options available. If you’re paying with cash, put the money in an envelope and place it somewhere that the person making the service call can easily pick it up. The ideal way to do this is to have part of the envelope hanging over the edge of a table or other piece of furniture so that they can pick it up without actually touching your furniture. This is also a situation where writing a check can come in handy, as you can simply fill it out and then leave it to be collected without having to bother with an envelope.
Clean Before and After
Before the service worker arrives, take the time to wipe down the area they’ll be working in with sanitizing wipes. This will present a clean, safe environment for them to work in that they will surely appreciate. Once the work is finished and they’re gone, go over everything again and clean up to remove any germs that might have traveled in with them.
Stay Calm
While this is a stressful time, it’s important to reassure yourself that it’s possible to have a service call while also staying safe. Keeping your distance and reducing possible points of contact will go a long way toward keeping yourself and your family healthy. You wouldn’t be calling in someone if it weren’t necessary right now, so treat the situation with the respect that it deserves, and you should be fine.
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