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!
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