Steve & Jack's July 2014 Newsletter

Welcome 'officially' to summer! We hope you survived the storm last night unscathed. That was pretty scary! I happened to be checking up on a vacant listing right in the path of the storm and took shelter in their basement. Scary! We hope that the start of summer has been a good one. Changing routines is always difficult, especially when children are involved. Our bedtime has continually become later as we all take advantage of the great weather and sunlight.

We are excited to take our summer vacation this year to Washington, DC and Colonial Williamsburg. We even scored tickets for a White House tour! We will be joining Jack & Mary Anne and spending the week in Williamsburg with them and celebrating Independence Day there as well. Ana has been studying Colonial America this summer so she appreciates what she is seeing. It should be a very fun trip and a very educational one as well. We will let you know how it went in next month's newsletter.

The real estate market has been a little nutty lately. After a slow start due to the severe winter, it took off with impressive numbers, until the end of May when it took a breather. Showings and closings are both down right now leaving sellers to question the market at a time, which is usually quite robust. Please know that this slow down is city-wide and is not expected to last. Activity is already slowly picking back up, but summer always brings vacations, so many buyers take a break, especially in June.

Here are some quick housing numbers you will find interesting:
These numbers are comparing May 2013 to May 2014 according to MIBOR's Monthly Indicators Report:
• New listings are down 1.0%
• Pending sales are down 6.8%
• Closed sales are down 9.0%
• Median sales price is UP 1.4% to $140,000
• Average sales price is UP 2.1% to $175,903
• Percent of original list price received at sale is UP 2.1% to 94.4%
• Total active listings available at month end is down 1.7%
• Months supply of inventory is down 5.4% to 5.3 months
We hope you enjoy your summer and are able to take a vacation or two and enjoy some fun time! As always, thank you for being such great clients!! We truly are blessed and continue to be grateful for your on-going trust and support. We would love to help someone you care about with their real estate needs, so please give us a call when the next person you know is talking about buying, selling, or building a new home. We would love to learn about their specific situation and consult with them about their options.

Enjoy the July newsletter!!

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Steve & Jack Rupp

June Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome warmer weather and the month of May, which is always a race theme in Indy. We have the Pacers in the playoffs and the IMS is busy as usual. Busy time in the city. It also continues to be a very busy time in the real estate market. Many houses (although certainly not all) are selling in under 30-days and with multiple offers. Interest rates continue to drop (one lender quoted me a 4.125% rate today!)

Here are some notable statistics you may find interesting (all are from the April 2014 Monthly Indicators Report, courtesy of MIBOR, comparing April 2013 to April 2014):
• New listings-UP 1.2%
• Pending sales-DOWN 6.8%
• Closed sales-DOWN 8.3%
• Median sales price-UP 4.6% to $136,000
• Average sales price-UP 5.5% to $172,291
• Percent of original list price received at sale-UP 2.3% to 93.7%
• Total active listings available at month end-DOWN 3.3% to 12,349
• Months supply of inventory-DOWN 10.4% to 5.0 months
We are excited for school to be out next week and both girls will enjoy another fun-filled summer with their favorite baby-sitter, Kayla, including a week-long overnight Girl Scout camp for Ana (daddy is a little scared here). Ana only has two more soccer games left in the spring season and has been really playing well. Talia is enjoying swimming still as well as gymnastics, at which she really seems to excel.
Our BIG news is that daddy finally caved and we got a puppy! His name is Duke (Ana's choice after English royalty) Marley (his shelter name) and we adopted him two weeks' ago Sunday from a shelter that rescues dogs from high-kill shelters in southern Indiana. He was with a foster family waiting for his 'forever' family. Apparently, he was waiting for us! He is 3/4 Yellow Lab & 1/4 Shepard and was 7-weeks' old when we adopted him. Daddy had both Ana & Tali sign a contract and talked extensively about the responsibilities of being a pet owner as well as the life-cycle they will most likely see full circle. They both were accepting of my terms and here we are.

Duke, it seems is very intelligent. He is fun and has lots of energy, but, like all puppies likes to nip and chew on everything. We have done our best to quell that as quickly as possible, but it will take time. He is mostly potty-trained, but not entirely. Brigid got him to ring a bell on the door when he has to go out and that has worked great! 5AM seems to be a pretty consistent wake-up call time for him, so we are missing some sleep, but other than that, he is making it through the night.

All-in-all, Duke is a great puppy and Tali, who was afraid of dogs before this, has gotten much better. She still runs when he runs to her, making him run even faster as he thinks she is playing a game with him-quite funny to watch! We are excited that the girls have a life-long friend, protector, & loyal companion who will teach them more than they know and in a different way than we can. We hope they will come to appreciate Duke and all the values and emotions he will instill in them as the newest member of our family.

I'm curious, do you currently have a pet or did you have one growing up? If so, what was the single greatest lesson your pet taught you?

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Steve & Jack Rupp

May 2014 Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome, Spring!!

Ahhh, soccer season has begun. It MUST be spring. If you have kids in school activities, you know the spring is extremely busy-sports, Scouts, music, swimming, and that is just the kids. We adults are staring down yard work, including the first cut of the season and spring cleaning. This also means allergy season-ugh!

The last time I wrote this newsletter, we were in Tampa visiting Brigid's parents. We had a great time! If you have never been to the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI), trust me, you will LOVE it, including the 4-story ropes course. We also made a trip to Naples where we had a blast...and saw more Bentley's, Rolls-Royce's, & Maserati's in my life! Wow!

The real estate market has continued to explode. Here are some numbers from March courtesy of MIBOR, as compared to March 2014 from March 2013:
New listings UP 3.8%
Pending sales DOWN 7.3%
Closed sales DOWN 8.5%
Median Sales Price UP 6.5%
% of Original List Price Received at Sale UP 2.5% to 92.4%
Total Listings DOWN 6.0%
Months Supply of Inventory DOWN 14.9% to 4.7 months

As you can see by the pending and closed sales were definitely impacted by the harsh winter we had, however activity has picked up significantly again.

We hope you are enjoying the beautiful spring weather and are as happy as we are that winter has finally released its grasp. As always, if there is anything we can do for you or anyone you care about, please contact us. We are always happy to help. Here's to Spring!!!

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April Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome Spring!!! While Mother Nature may not cooperate entirely, it is nice to see temps consistently above freezing. Let's see how long that lasts!

While Mother Nature is making up her mind as to whether it is time to heat up or not, the real estate market sure isn't. In many cases (certainly not all), houses are selling in days or even hours! It is most certainly a sellers' market. See the stats below (courtesy of MIBOR):

New listings-DOWN 19.9%
Pending sales-DOWN 12.5%
Closed sales-DOWN 12.9%
Median sales price-UP 7.8% to $124,900
Average sales price-UP 4.1% to $153,772
Percent of original list price received at sale-UP 3.5% to 91.6%
Total active listings available at month end-DOWN 11.1%
Months of available inventory-DOWN 21.3% to 4.3 months

From January 2013 to January 2014, Indianapolis housing appreciated 3.8% according to MIBOR.

This is a great time to sell a house, so if you have been on the fence, this might be the time to seriously give it another thought.

As I write this, our family is in Tampa visiting Brigid's parents for our spring break. Enjoying the warm sun certainly is nice and very therapeutic after one of the most awful winters I can remember. Hopefully, you have been able to escape from the strong grasp winter has had on Indy.

After the holidays, Brigid and I made a commitment to each other that we would start and finish the Extreme Home Workout program P90X. For those of you who have tried/completed it, you know how hard that is. For those of you who don't know much about it, it is quite a commitment of 60-90 minutes of intense workouts 6-days/week for 13-weeks. It is VERY hard. Friday evening marked our successful conclusion of this program and we are now P90X graduates! We couldn't be happier-and more fit. We both agreed that having each other to go through the program and push us to keep going was the key to finishing each day without missing one, even though there were many days we were sick as a dog, too busy, too late, too early, or just plain 'dogging it' that day. There was always an excuse NOT to exercise each day, but the commitment we made to ourselves and each other was stronger and we promised each other we wouldn't let us down. It was therapeutic for us far and above the physical improvements we noticed.

In an age when family members and spouses are many times passing in the night, when was the last time you and your spouse actually set a lofty goal together and worked together as a TEAM to accomplish it? If it has been awhile, may I suggest doing just that? You might find it has a multitude of benefits over and above the obvious.

Talia started gymnastics this month and absolutely LOVES it! Ana has already started spring soccer. She is now playing at Grand Park in Westfield. If you have never seen Grand Park, take an afternoon/evening and check it out. It is already booked for the entire year and has had over 31,000 visitors in the past 30-days and it isn't even officially open or fully functional! It is being touted as the best sports facility in the US and every team who has visited agrees. We are honored to call it our home field. By the year 2020, it is expected to have brought 1 BILLION dollars to the central IN economy!

We hope you enjoy your spring and are looking forward to the warmer weather it inevitably will bring.

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Your Personal Real Estate Consultants...for Life!

Steve & Jack Rupp

March 2014 Steve & Jack's Home News Newsletter

Happy March!!! While we were certainly hoping that the weather would be more conducive to spring, we are holding out hope that Mother Nature will release her winter grasp and allow warmer temperatures to find their way back to Indy. As you probably know, we have unfortunately surpassed an all-time record for most snow this season. That is not a record we were looking forward to breaking. Like you, we have hit our limit on winter and are experiencing spring fever like never before.

Speaking of spring fever, the real estate market has already started to heat up, however the weather has certainly put a damper on activity. Check out the following stats:

• New listings-DOWN 23.9%
• Pending sales-DOWN 22.6%
• Closed sales-DOWN 13.8%
• Median sales price-UP 4.8%
• % of original list price to sales price-UP 3.1%
• Total active listings available at month end-DOWN 6.7%
• Months supply of inventory-DOWN 19.3% to 4.4 months

As you can see, houses are appreciating nicely, inventory is WAY down and the terrible winter has most definitely impacted activity. What this means is that in many cases, houses are selling in DAYS, with multiple offers for at or above listing price! Quite frankly, we are desperately in need of inventory, as you can see from the statistics above. Buyers have very few options from which to choose, and we speak from experience when we say, we don't have enough houses to show our many buyer clients. When buyers find a house they like, many times it has already accepted an offer or will very soon. Buyers don't have the luxury to think about whether to make an offer. If they like a house they see, they need to make an offer immediately or risk losing the house. It is an exciting market for sellers, but extremely nerve-wracking for buyers and their agents.

If you are considering selling your house this year, please do yourself a favor and give us a call so we can share with you specific information so you can make an informed decision about whether putting your house on the market now is right for you. In many cases, it is. Interest rates are predicted to keep rising, so the sooner you lock in a low rate, the better.

On another note, have you checked out our BRAND NEW website? Check us out and let us know what you think. Please visit www.Welcome2Indy.com. It is updated, sleeker, has more information, and better searches.

Finally, we are so proud, once again to have been awarded by you, our clients for the 3rd year in a row as a Five-Star Real Estate Professional!! Check us out in the May edition of Indianapolis Monthly magazine. This coveted award is only bestowed to the top 7% of all real estate agents in Indy based on surveys of clients for quality service. On top of that, we have been fortunate to maintain our 'A' rating on Angie's List and have been nominated for Pages of Happiness and the Super Service Award. We couldn't be happier and more grateful to you, our loyal clients. THANK YOU!!

We hope you have a great St. Patrick's Day & Mardi Gras. Come on spring!!!

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Steve & Jack Rupp

February 2014 Steve & Jack Home News

Welcome 2014 and the Arctic Vortex that has rushed in with it! Like us, you are probably fed up with the frigidly cold winter we have had along with the snow, accidents, and seemingly never-ending school delays & cancellations. At this rate, our kids won't get much of a summer as they will be making up snow days into July!

We hope you had a fantastic, relaxing, enjoyable, and fun holiday break. As is customary, we drove down to Tampa, FL to spend the week between Christmas and New Year's with Brigid's family. Although it was cold by Florida standards (low of 40s in the evening), it certainly was better than here!

Jack and Mary Anne were able to see all of their grandchildren on Christmas day and all of the presents they opened. It sure is nice to have family in town to spend holidays together.

As mentioned in last month's newsletter, our new Director of Marketing & Client Service Bob Clidinst continues to shine. We are so fortunate to have him as part of our team. He is fine-tuning systems, adding new ones and is a natural at preparing all of the marketing (we have become known for our extensive marketing for listings throughout the Indy-area) we do for all of our listings. We hope you have a chance to meet Bob soon! His e-mail is Bob@Welcome2Indy.com if you want to drop him a note.

As for the real estate market, it has certainly been somewhat hurt by the weather, to be sure. Some areas are seeing more activity than others. Here are some quick numbers for reference (source: December MIBOR Monthly Indicators Report):

Closed sales are UP 4.3%
Median sales prices are UP 4.8% ($134,900)
Average sales prices are UP 10.5% ($176,622)
% of Original List Price received at sale is UP 2.3% (91.3%)
Months supply of inventory DOWN 19% (4.5 months)

As you can see, our market is still posting some impressive numbers. The forecast for this year is that 2014 will continue to post some strong numbers, but they will be tempered a bit compared to 2013. Interest rates are projected to increase to 5.5% by the end of the year and refinances will all but dry up forcing lenders to relax a bit on lending guidelines, however new laws/rules just went into effect on 1/10/14 limiting how much relaxed lenders can get-not a bad thing!

As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns at all, please let us know. We are always here to help. Speaking of help, if you have bought, sold, or built a new home with us in the past 3 years and are a member of Angie's List, would you do us a HUGE favor and leave us a positive review? Angie's List is so powerful and we could really use some more good reviews. Thank you for helping!!!

Here's to a warmer and drier February and a great Valentine's Day. Enjoy the SuperBowl, too!!

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Your Personal Real Estate Consultants...for Life!

Steve & Jack

January 2014 Steve & Jack's Home News

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

We hope you are preparing to enjoy the Christmas holidays and New Year.

First off, THANK YOU to everyone who attended our VIP Client Appreciation Event last Saturday!!! We had an amazing turnout, despite frigid temperatures and almost 250 of you enjoyed refreshments & an amazing movie Frozen. If you haven't seen it yet, it is worth your time & money. We thoroughly enjoyed it. We enjoy pampering our fantastic clients and referral partners and look forward to doing it again next year.

This has been an amazing year for us and we owe it all to YOU, our fantastic clients. We plan to take a much-deserved break between Christmas & New Years and visit Brigid's parents who live in Tampa, FL. Not a bad place to visit family! Our family is looking forward to spending time together and slowing down a bit to enjoy the holidays...and we hope you are as well. We all work hard during the year and it is nice to be able to slow down, relax, and reflect on the past year and make plans for the next.

The real estate market is still quite HOT. Here are some notable numbers (from MIBOR's most recent Monthly Indicators Report-October 2013):
• Closed sales are up 11.6%
• Pending sales are up 6.4%
• New listings are up 13.1%
• Median sales price is up 4.9% to $135,000
• Percent of Original List Price Received at Sale up 2.9% to 92.3%
• Total active listings available down 7.6%
• Months supply of inventory down 24.6% to 5.5 months

As you can see, every single category we track is posting impressive numbers. Hamilton County is posting even more impressive numbers with inventory in some areas and price ranges at just 2.3 months! If you are considering buying, selling, or building a new home, please contact us so we can share specific numbers with you and advise you on your options.

From Steve, Jack and our entire family, we heartily wish you a warm, fun, relaxing and enjoyable Christmas and New Year. THANK YOU again for being a client and we can't wait to see what is in store for next year!!

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Your Personal Real Estate Consultants...for Life!

Steve & Jack

December 2013 Steve & Jack's Home News

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

At this time of the year, we always reflect back on our year both personally & professionally. Like many of us, it is easy to always look for and see the negative things in our lives. After all, the media certainly focuses on those things, don't they? If it bleeds, it leads. We are grateful for a strong and healthy family and many, many friends who support us in good times and bad. We also are extremely grateful to our loyal clients. Without you, we wouldn't be able to do what we do every day. It is our passion and what we love to do. Thank you for enabling us to continue to help you and those you care about with your real estate needs. We are humbled and grateful.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? We are spending time at Jack & Mary Anne's enjoying a delicious dinner with all of the traditional fixings. Brigid's parents are leaving tonight to spend a couple of weeks in Italy. They have never been and are really looking forward to experiencing the Italian culture. We can't wait to see photos and hear about their trip!

We are extremely proud of Michelle's husband Steve who is the head athletic trainer for Carmel high school. You may have heard about the horrific series of health events that happened during the semi-state football game (Carmel won and is going to State). The head referee collapsed due to a heart attack. The team doctor & Steve resuscitated him and kept him alive until he could be rushed to the hospital. He survived and owes being alive to Steve & the team doctor. Also, during the game, a parent who was cheering for his son who just scored a TD, died of a heart attack and another fan suffered a stroke! Talk about a terrible game!

On a happy note, we would like to officially welcome our new Director of Marketing & Client Service Bob Clidinst. He has been helping us part-time for most of this year and just joined us full-time on November 15th. Bob has a background in real estate marketing and has his real estate license. He will be specializing in marketing the heck out of our listings as well as answer any client questions/needs. His e-mail is Bob@Welcome2Indy.com. Feel free to drop him an e-mail to welcome him to our real estate family. We are fortunate to have him helping us and serving our clients.

Finally, we are overwhelmed at the amazing response for our Client Appreciation Event on December 7th. We have just a few more seats left, so if you haven't reserved your tickets, please RSVP TODAY to Kari Kuper at KKuper@AccessNational.com. She needs your name and number of tickets requested and whether they are adult or child. We have rented out the entire Hamilton Towne Center movie theater and are showing a private screening of the brand new Disney movie Frozen. A coffee, juice, & donut bar starts at 9AM and the movie begins at 10AM sharp. It is our small way of having fun and saying thank you to all of our friends and clients who have supported us over the past 50-years. Please RSVP TODAY and share in the fun with us!!

We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving spent with friends and family and a time to relax and reflect on the many blessings we all have in our lives. Thank YOU for being a blessing in OUR lives!

Click here to read our December newsletter.

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Steve & Jack Rupp

November 2013 Steve & Jack's Home News

Happy Halloween!!!

Even though Trick-or-Treating has been moved by most municipalities around Indy to tomorrow night, we hope you enjoy this extended holiday. Ana & Tali are excited to go around with neighbors tomorrow in their costumes. Ana is Princess Leia, and Tali is Rapunzel. They both look so cute in their costumes! We hope you enjoy either tagging along your kids or grandkids or enjoying seeing all of the kids in their costumes come to your door.

We enjoyed Fall Break with Jack & Mary Anne in their timeshare in Gatlinburg, TN. Although the leaves hadn't changed as much as we had hoped, we had a great and relaxing time and enjoyed hiking in the park, walking downtown Gatlinburg, attending a craft fair, and going through a really cool science museum. We also enjoyed earlier this month the Hauntless Halloween at Holiday Park and Pumpkin Fest in Zionsville-great Fall traditions our family has embraced for years!

As for the market, we have had a strange fall. With the government shut-down, things really slowed down. As soon as it was over, things picked back up again. Activity is still very strong and houses are selling. Interest rates are also lower again hovering around 4%. Closed sales are UP 21% over this time last year, median sales price is UP 6.5% and inventory is DOWN again 9.9%, making for an inventory of just 5.5 months, which is a seller's market. Hamilton County is down to just 3.9 months of inventory, which is bordering on an unhealthy supply of inventory and creating a very strong seller's market. So, if you have a house to sell in Hamilton County, give us a call!

Our annual Client Appreciation Event is just around the corner (see attached invite). Invitations were mailed out yesterday, so look for yours in the mail, and please RSVP to Kari Kuper prior to the event with the number of adult and child tickets you would like. We are showing a private screening of the brand new Disney movie Frozen, which is being release Thanksgiving weekend. This is open to parents, grandparents, and children. We will have a donut, juice, and coffee bar starting at 9AM and then the movie will begin promptly at 10AM. We will be holding our event this year on Saturday, December 7th at Hamilton Towne Center Theater. We hope you can join us and please don't forget to RSVP, so we have enough refreshments and tickets available.

See you there!!!

Finally, I have included an article from a friend and client of ours who is a Professional Home Stager. Her name is Monya Visor with Pretty M-Pressive. Her phone number is 309-310-3521 and e-mail is PrettyMpressive@aol.com. She does a fantastic job and is very talented. Please feel comfortable calling her with any questions on Staging, decluttering, etc. I think you will be impressed with the results!


WHY DO I NEED A STAGER?
The purpose of an Accredited Staging Professional, ASP®, is to help homeowners and Realtors® sell their homes/listings quickly and for the most money possible. A stager does 3 things: Depersonalize, Declutter, and Organize. When personal items and clutter are removed, buyers get a chance to see the home for the jewel it really is.
Stagers are also a great resource if you’re selling a vacant home. It’s difficult to visualize furniture placement in a vacant home. Stagers own or have access to furniture and accessories that can turn a cold, plain room into a warm, spacious home.
It is imperative that sellers are educated on how to sell their homes. They have to look at the house in terms of a product because the way you live in a home and the way you sell it are two different things!
Speaking of purchase, do not be afraid of the cost. If your home is listed at the right price, the fee for staging will be less than your first price reduction. Why not stage and keep the price as is? Staged homes sell faster and for the most money. Average homes in America are on the market 130 days before being sold. On average, 95% of Staged homes sell within 11 days or fewer and for 17% more!
Now that you understand why you need a stager, call an ASP. The first meeting is usually FREE!

Click here to read our November newsletter.

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Steve & Jack Rupp

October Steve & Jack's Home News

Happy October and Halloween! We hope you are enjoying some cooler weather. If you love the heat, maybe a vacation somewhere warm is being planned. Our girls are excited about dressing up again this year and getting together with all of the neighbors for our annual tradition of dinner and then Trick-or-Treating. Ana is going around as Princess Leah and Tali will be Tangled. Ana wanted her to be Yoda, but we put the kibosh on that one!

Our family has an annual tradition of attending the Headless Horseman at Conner Prairie every year and we continued that tradition on Sunday. If you haven't been, I encourage you to go. It is very well-done and there are a lot of activities to keep kids and grandkids occupied for a few hours. The Sleepy Hollow puppet show is extremely popular and if you haven't seen it, would recommend it highly.

Next Thursday & Friday is our Fall Break and we are going with Jack and Mary Anne to the Smokies. We are really looking forward to spending time together and are hoping that the park opens by then!

This year continues to be extremely good for real estate, however since the Federal Government partial shut-down, buyer traffic has slowed significantly all over the country as buyers are hearing that lenders are not able to close loans. While the shut-down isn't helping things, that sentiment is not accurate. Loans are still closing and lenders are making changes to the prior requirement to receive tax transcripts and are asking for an additional year of a tax return instead, in many cases. People are still closing loans, but clearly a budget deal would greatly help!

As for some market updates, things are still going very well:
*Closed sales are up 22.2%
*Median sales prices are up 5.6%
*Inventory is down 12.7% to just 5.6 months, which constitutes a SELLERS' market

Thank you to everyone who has registered for the FREE Colts-Bronco's tickets for Sunday night's game. We will be drawing one lucky winner at 4PM TODAY, so if you haven't called us yet to register, please do so-317-573-1880. Good luck!!!

Also, Ana and I will be attending the sold-out All-Pro Dad's Club breakfast this Friday morning at 7:30AM at Carey Ridge Elementary school, where several former Colts' players, including Hunter Smith will be talking, including a message from Tony Dungy. The NFL will be there filming and we should be on TV on Sunday night, so please watch for us! After the breakfast, we get to tour the Sunday Night Football RV. Ana is SO excited!!!! Let's hope for a better showing of our Colts than last night. Ugh!!

Enjoy the newsletter and, as always THANK YOU for your continued support and referrals. Please continue to think of us for your real estate needs and those of people you care about. We love to help!

Click here to read out October Newsletter

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Your Personal Real Estate Consultants...for Life!

Steve & Jack Rupp

September Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome Fall (almost)! It certainly feels like it! We hope you are enjoying the cooler weather even though it means winter is just around the corner. School is now back in session for everyone and our crazy schedule certainly proves it with soccer (4x/week), swimming lessons, piano lessons, choir (2x/week), & Girls Scouts, not to mention homework and birthday parties, etc. Whew! I am tired just thinking of all of that! We hope you are enjoying the nutty fall season as well.

Real estate has slowed a little, but is still going VERY strong. Inventory is down another 14.1% to just 5.6 months, the median sales price is up 5.3%, and closed sales are up 27.5%. Hamilton County is seeing even stronger numbers and is down to just 4.1 months of inventory with closed sales up 39.6%! We are having our best year EVER and are so incredibly grateful to you our loyal clients for making that happen. THANK YOU!

Did you receive your 2013 football calendar from us a few weeks ago? We hope you enjoy it as a little gift to say thank you for your support over the years. We have a couple of more ways we would like to say thank you as well:

1) You should have received a Save The Date invitation in the mail about a week ago for a private screening of the upcoming movie Frozen, which we are showing on Saturday, December 7th. A donut and juice bar opens at 9AM and the private screening begins at 10AM at the Hamilton Town Centre movie theater in Noblesville. We rented out the entire theatre for you, your children and your grandchildren, so bring the whole family and let us treat you to a fun and entertaining Disney movie for the entire family. The trailer is hilarious.

2) We are GIVING away TWO tickets to the most popular football game of the season, which is the Colts vs. Broncos game broadcast on national TV at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday Night Football on October 20th at 8:30PM. This game has been SOLD OUT for months and these tickets are incredibly difficult to get. If you would like to be entered into our drawing, you must CALL ME at 317-573-1880. A drawing will be held on Friday, October 18th and the winner will be notified via phone, so please make sure you leave a phone number and your name when you call. In order to qualify to have your name entered into the drawing, you must have bought, sold, or built a home with us OR have referred a client to us anytime in the past whether it was this year or 40+ years ago. If you haven't done any of those, don't worry, there is still time. Good luck!

Finally, check out the September edition of our newsletter. There are some cool articles about not giving up your dreams, regardless of what anyone says and another article about how to get a raise from your boss, as well as many others.

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To read our September newsletter, click here.

August Newsletter

School is back in session for many kids and will be back in session soon for others-including ours. This has been a very fast summer for us and we are left wondering where all of the time went. It seems the older we get, the faster time goes. Doesn't it?

In our July newsletter, I mentioned the wonderful 10-year wedding anniversary trip Brigid and I took to Jamaica. Unfortunately, we had a rather negative surprise happen on our way home. Here is what happened after we landed in Orlando to make our connection to Indy.

We had about 2-1/2 hours after we landed in Orlando to make our connection, so we had plenty of time. The flight was scheduled to leave at 7:30PM. We board the plane a few minutes past when we would normally board. There was a mechanic on the plane repairing one of the seats in coach-no problem. Then, the captain announces over the PA that we are not only waiting for the mechanic to fix the seat, but also one doing something under the plane. Again, no biggie...yet.

We finally pull away from the gate about 30-minutes past our scheduled departure time and the pilot who LOVES the movie, Star Wars, tells us that Luke Skywalker (him), Han Solo (the First Officer) and Chewy (the mechanic who worked on the underbelly of the plane) would try to engage the hyper-drive and use light speed to get us back to Indy in just a few minutes. If the hyper-drive wouldn't work, it would take about 2 hours, 20-minutes. Cute.

About ten minutes into the flight as we are still climbing quickly, Brigid turns to me and asks if I smell smoke. I calmly tell her no and suggest she is just imagining things or smelling burnt coffee or something. A few minutes after her question, we notice the flight attendant in the forward galley open up the first overhead storage compartment and retrieve a fire extinguisher. What? Now, THAT caught our eye! She didn't use it, but calmly and deliberately focused her attention in the galley with the other flight attendant. We don't break eye contact with the galley at this point.

Shortly thereafter, the flight attendant picks up the intercom and says something frantically and quickly puts it back down. About 20-seconds later, the flight attendant working the back of the plane comes running up the aisle past us with a second fire extinguisher. It has not been discharged and neither has the first one. They all talk softly and then turn off all of the switches in the galley and then get on the intercom with the captain.

The captain comes on the intercom and states that we need to turn around and land back at Orlando as a precaution only and that everything is okay, but they just want to be safe. Brigid starts to really worry now and I told her that as long as there are no emergency vehicles on the runway, we are fine.

As we approach our runway, of course we notice emergency vehicles with all of their lights on and the runway has been shut down, we are told for just us. After we land, we stop in the middle of the runway while the emergency vehicles light the plane up with their spotlights looking for smoke. We are finally cleared to park at the gate and are told to de-plane-no smoke noticed, apparently.

After about an hour of waiting at our gate, the captain tells us they have been looking for another plane as ours has been placed out of service due to smoking wires in the galley electrical panel. Our three flight attendants decided to not work anymore due to 'extreme emotional stress' and went home leaving us stranded at the airport (a very subjective perk that a good lawyer wrote into their collective contracts, no doubt). The captain was NOT happy about their decision and commandeered another flight crew who just arrived to fly back with us to Indy on the plane on which they just flew in. Now, THAT flight crew was NOT happy either.

We finally re-board the new plane with our captain and first-officer from our original flight and the new flight attendants who were visibly unhappy about working (I can't blame them). The time is now 10:50PM. We arrive uneventfully back in Indy at 1:20AM, however due to our frightening experience and delay, AirTran gives each passenger on our flight a FREE round-trip ticket anywhere they fly to be used in the next 12-months. Wow!!! Chalk one up for great customer service!

We finally arrive home around 2:30AM and four hours later have the privilege of getting up and going to work. Ugh! Not the end of the world, but a LONG day at work, to say the least. The positive is that we are still alive and didn't make national or even local news and we have 2 round-trip tickets.

We hope your air travels have NOT been as eventful as our most recent one was, but some of you travel quite a bit and we would LOVE to hear of any eventful flights you may have encountered (to make us feel better!).

Enjoy the rest of your summer and we hope you are able to make it out to the State Fair this year. Thanks again for your continued support and trust as we strive to make our clients' experiences as UNeventful as possible!

Click here to read our August newsletter.

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July 2013 Steve & Jack's Home News

We hope your summer has been going well. You have probably heard and/or read by now that the real estate market is RED HOT! We have certainly seen that to be true on the north side of Indy as well, which is why we have been slow in getting our July newsletter out. Due to increased demand and very low supply, some houses are selling in HOURS. There are many factors influencing which houses sell that quickly while others do not, but if you or someone you care about are curious about the housing market, please give us a call so we can consult about your options.

In July, Brigid and I took a vacation we had been planning for 3 years to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary. Jack & Mary Anne watched Ana & Talia so we could truly relax. Thank you, mom & dad!!! We chose to spend 5 days and 4 nights in Montego Bay, Jamaica at a Hilton all-inclusive resort-using HHonors points we had been saving. While I had visited Jamaica long ago as a kid, we went to a totally different area of the island and Brigid had never been before. Neither of us had been to an all-inclusive resort before, either.

Needless to say, it was a fantastic time and we had amazing weather! We enjoyed the pools, live bands at night, laying out on the beach, and I read my first 'enjoyable' book for the first time in years. We ate dinner at 8:30-9:00PM each night and dined al fresco. The stars were amazing and the water crashing onto the beach was therapeutic-so was the couples massage in which we indulged ourselves one day. The staff at the hotel were absolutely amazing and all were very intent on making sure we were having a great time.

I surprised Brigid with a 10-year anniversary ring, which she absolutely loves. My plans to re-propose to her on the beach were washed away with the high tide, so the beach chair had to suffice. We would highly recommend going if you get the chance.

I'm curious, what all-inclusive resorts have you visited and would you go again? Please let me know as we would love to go again down the road.

In next month's newsletter, I will share our very scary return home-something we have never before experienced and hope to never experience again...

Enjoy the rest of the summer, cool though it may be, and THANK YOU for your continued business and loyalty. We are truly grateful!

Click here to read our July newsletter.

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June 2013 Steve & Jack's Home News Newsletter

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there! We hope your special day affords you a day spent enjoying what you most like to do. My Father's Day will involve traveling home from our annual summer family vacation. This year, we are going back to Disney where we will see Brigid's parents for a couple of days and then off to the park where we will see her brother and her family. We can't wait to see the new Fantasyland. Brigid has already set up all of our dining reservations and we are excited to go on the river cruise for the first time for dinner and see the fireworks.

We will also see an old Xavier roommate who lives in Orlando now along with his family. We have been told that this first week of June shouldn't be as crowded, but time will tell.

A very special trip to which Brigid and I are looking forward is our 10-year wedding anniversary trip for 5-days to Jamaica in July. The kids are staying at home with their grandparents and Brigid and I get to enjoy an all-inclusive resort and just relax. We have never been to an all-inclusive resort before, but have heard they are really nice. I will report back on how it went in our August newsletter.

School is out for us on June 7th and the girls are looking forward to playing with their friends and not having to go to school for several weeks. Is it just me, or does summer seem much shorter now than it did when we grew up?

Great news for the market!!! Check out our blog to read about the increase in building permits and a decrease in foreclosures. For the Indy-area, closed sales are up 21.8%. Median sales price is up 0.8%. Inventory is down 16.4% making our month's supply of houses to be 5.5. In Hamilton County, we are down to 4.2 months of inventory!!

Enjoy the warmer weather and the start to the summer season. THANK YOU again for all of your continued support and business. We are having our best year yet and we couldn't have done it without YOU! Truly, we are grateful!

Check out this month's edition of our June newsletter, which contains some very interesting stories, including:
• History of Father's Day
• History of shaving
• How reflective paint works
• Why dogs live short lives
• How to spend less at restaurants

Click here for our May newsletter

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Building Permits Rise-Foreclosures Drop

Steve & Jack's Home News for May 2013

Welcome spring and all of the weather (good & bad) that comes with it! We hope you survived the storms last night. We spent part of the night in the basement with our girls. Both are so used to it now that waking them up in the middle of the night doesn't even phase them! Our hearts & prayers go out to the victims of the Oklahoma tornado. What terrible devestation!

On a lighter note, if you are a subscriber to the Indianapolis Monthly magazine, please look for us as one of the top real estate agents in the city for providing outstanding client service. We are honored and humbled at the reviews YOU submitted on our behalf. We are a multi-year award winner and are in the top 7% of agents in the city our of over 6,000 agents. THANK YOU! We wouldn't be able to do what we do without such amazing clients like you. Truly, we are grateful. Please feel comfortable introducing us to those you care about needing outstanding service and advice on buying, selling, or building a new home. That is how we stay in business.

As for the housing market, it has posted some more great numbers. Inventory is down again to 5.5 months in Indy (4.2 months in Hamilton County), sales prices are up 2%, closed sales are up 18.7%, pending sales are up 22.8%, and new listings are up 9.2%. This is all excellent news!!!

We are grateful to Butler University for inviting us, once again to present to their faculty and staff earlier this month on the Top Ten Mistakes Buyers and Sellers Make as well as a market update. If you have a group or your company does Brown Bag lunches, please feel comfortable contacting us about doing a presentation for your group as well. We are proficient on myriad topics relating to real estate, marketing, client service, Staging, and financing. Give us a call!

Enjoy the warmer weather and thanks again for inviting us to a part of your family!

Click here to read our May Newsletter.

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Enjoy!!!

Good News for Buyers AND Sellers!

Best Bang for Your Buck Home Improvements

Increased Housing Starts...

April Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome spring and the April showers that come with it--in some cases a LOT of water. We hope this e-mail finds you well...and dry.

Our big news is that Natalia had a tonsillectomy on Friday. She was the last in our family with tonsils, so we are grateful to be finished with that and Natalia is healing extremely well. We truly hope you never have a need for a good ENT, but if you do, we can highly recommend Dr. Hackett. He is simply outstanding!! Jack and Mary Anne have been very helpful with watching Talia this week for us while she recovers.

Anastasia is preparing for her First Communion in two weeks. This has been a 2-year preparation process and she is so excited! We are hosting quite a bit of family that weekend and are looking forward to seeing everyone again.

The housing market is on FIRE! Overally, we are down to 5.2 months of inventory, however in many parts of Hamilton County, we have only a few weeks of supply creating an extreme sellers' market. Some agents are knocking on people's doors asking if they would consider selling. We have five buyers right now who are having a very difficult time finding a home that meets their needs. If you are even remotely considering selling this year, please call us as we would love to consult with you about your options.

Enjoy your spring and warmer weather and thank you for your continued trust and confidence!

Click here to read our April newsletter.

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Your Personal Real Estate Consultants...for Life!

Steve & Jack Rupp

Housing Myth vs. Fact

Indianapolis Housing Market Update

Existing-home sales market surging 15 percent across Indiana
Associated Press
April 9, 2013
Nissa Ricafort and her husband figured their ranch-style home in northeast Indianapolis would take two to three months to sell, but the weekend it hit the market the couple had 17 showings and accepted an offer for the full $185,000 asking price.

"It was the most insane thing I ever experienced," said Ricafort, a family law attorney. "But a good insane. I closed on the sale of one home, then closed on the other four days later and moved in between. It's really worked out great."

The housing market has spiked so much in some places in the Indianapolis area that real estate agents are turning to Facebook and going door-to-door looking for prospective sellers because of a shortage of houses for sale. Sales are up overall statewide, with Indiana reporting 68,015 homes sold from March 2012 through February 2013, a 15.2-percent increase over the same period a year earlier. For the first two months of 2013, sales were up 20.5 percent. Home sales have improved on a year-over-year basis for 20 consecutive months.

"In the major markets, everything seems to be very, very busy," said Kevin Kirkpatrick, president of the Indiana Association of Realtors. "We don't have enough inventory for the number of buyers that are out there right now. That's what's causing prices to go up. They're not skyrocketing, but things are moving in the right direction."

The median cost of a home in Indiana is up 4.7 percent, from $112,750 to $118,000.

Toby Muhlhofer, an Indiana University assistant professor of finance who specializes in real estate, said it's not surprising the housing market in Indianapolis is leading the comeback.

"It makes sense because Indianapolis is where Indiana's economic output is centered," he said.

Other areas also are seeing improvement.

"It's still very clearly a buyer's market, but that pendulum is beginning to swing and I think consumers are noticing that," said Peter Novak Jr., chief executive of Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors.

Some buyers are having trouble even finding homes to look at. Tonya Sanderson of Fishers said she's been looking nearly a year for a four-bedroom house with a three-car garage and a yard big enough for a pool in the school district she lives in, but there have been few houses to look at.

"We really thought by now there would be a lot of houses being listed and we'd have a lot of options, but we're not seeing that," Sanderson said.

She said she's considering putting letters in mailboxes of homes she likes to see if people are interested in selling.

Cindy Marchant, a real estate agent since 2001 in Fishers, said home sales in the suburb are up 48 percent from a year ago. She said it's the best market she's seen. She attributes the improvement to pent-up demand, low interest rates, improving consumer confidence and homeowners becoming frustrated last year at the lack of sales lowering their prices.

"It was the perfect storm, but no one was jumping because everyone was afraid because so many people were unemployed," she said. "It was hard to go out on a limb and buy a house. But I think now, people are ready to make a move."

Kirkpatrick worries, though, that the resurgence is fragile.

"If something happens with North Korea or something happens with oil prices, it could knock it off real quickly," he said.

Profits Up in The Commercial World

Housing News Roundup

Buying A Hom? Read This First!

Homeowners can save $$$ with tax deductions

March 2013 Newsletter

Welcome Spring? As we write this snow is frantically flurrying outside and schools were just cancelled. Fortunately, spring break is just a few short days away and Steve & Brigid are headed to Tampa, FL to see Brigid's parents and see two of Steve's college roommates. They are looking forward to enjoying some warm weather until Spring finally decides to arrive for good here.

Speaking of spring changes, the transition to Keller Williams has been very smooth and an extremely good one. We continue to be amazed at the support, technology, and marketing that Keller Williams has on top of their impeccable ethical reputation. Steve attended Family Reunion (national convention) in Dallas last month and not only continued to be impressed hearing Gary Keller speak and then announce that Keller Williams is the #1 real estate company by agent count in the US. We are honored & privileged to be associated with such a fine company.

As for the market, it is a LOT hotter than the outside temperature. It is a strong seller's market, believe it or not and the inventory is at 4.2 months and getting lower. We are seeing houses selling in hours, not days or months and they are getting multiple offers. We expect things to continue to get stronger as inventory shrinks and buyer activity increases. Builders can't keep up with demand. If you are even remotely thinking of selling your house, give us a call as we'd love to share some specific information about your situation so we can give you the most thorough information with which to make a decision.

Enjoy this month's newsletter talking about a subject, which is near and dear to our hearts-Servant Leadership. We truly believe in servant leadership.


Click here to read the newsletter.

Get Your Workout While Spring Cleaning

They Are Moving In!

Good News for Housing

More Signs of Housing Market Improvement

Go Green And Save Money

Now Is The Time to Find A Home Bargain

Indy Housing Growth

Low Housing Stock

Buying Vs. Renting

Housing Marketing Update for Indianapolis, IN

Home Improvement Surge

Case Schiller Home Prices Indexes

January Steve & Jack's Home News

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

We hope you are getting in the holiday spirit and ready to enjoy some time with family and friends. Thank you to everyone who attended Santa Night again this year. We had another GREAT turnout and, if you weren't able to make it this year, we hope you can join us next year.

Tomorrow is the day Ana and Steve have their tonsillectomies. While it certainly isn't the way either of them planned to spend their Christmas holidays, it will be over and they can move forward-a lot healthier. This has been a humbling experience for Steve in realizing the lengths a dad will go for his little girl. He has been putting off this surgery for 10 years now, but when Ana was told she had to have her tonsils out, he bucked up and told her he would do it, too! Strangely enough, he drew strength from is 7-year old daughter knowing he had to be calm for her. The things a daddy will do for his daughter!

We will update you on their recovery progress in our next newsletter, but it will take a good week for Ana's recovery and a good 2-weeks for Steve's.

We wish you a more peaceful and relaxing Christmas holiday than Steve and Ana will experience. Thank you so much for all of your support over the years. We are truly grateful for each of our clients and that is why we are in business. Here's to a successful and peaceful 2013 for everyone.

Here is a preview of what you can look forward to reading in the January newsletter:
• A Little Learning
• The Invention of January
• January Quiz Question
• Jammin' January Observances
• Weird Words
• Cheapest Tablet on The Market
• Lead with A Positive Attitude
• Sometimes A Hug Trumps A Fight
• Good Medicine
• 'Chivalry' in Insects?
• Effects of Peaceful Video Games
• Caffeine Withdrawal

Click here to read our newsletter.

Ever Wonder Why You Need A Title Company for A Real Estate Transaction?

Don't forget to file your property tax deductions!

Common Title Problems

Homestead Verification Form

Have you filed your Homestead Verification Form yet and you live in Indiana? If not, you had better do so or rish paying up to DOUBLE in property taxes! See the graphic for more information.

Closing Questions...Answered

December 2012 Steve & Jack's Home News

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We hope you had a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family and are now preparing for the Christmas holiday season. Steve & Brigid hosted Thanksgiving again this year for Brigid's brother and wife, Steve's sister and family, and Jack and Mary Anne. We had a great time and everyone left with lots of leftovers! Our favorite is turkey sandwiches the next day...with lots of mayo, of course!

Steve & Brigid took advantage of the long weekend to get Christmas decorations up throughout the house, both inside and out. Although a full day of work, it is our favorite time of the year and we love looking at the Christmas tree with all of the bows, lights, and ornaments. A tradition Steve & Brigid have is picking up a Christmas ornament every time they travel. It always bring back fond memories of vacations gone by and remembering how life has changed over the years. Of course, we have ornaments from when we were younger as well and we share with Ana & Talia how old we were and some memories of that time in our lives. It is a great family time for sharing memories and teaching our girls a little about when we were their age.

One of the new traditions we have embraced is the Elf on The Shelf. What a great vehicle for impressing upon kids the importance for good behavior! Ana read the book about the Elf to Talia. If you are not familiar with the Elf, Santa sends him to kids' houses to watch them and then he reports their behavior back to Santa each night. The following morning, the kids have to look for him as his location changes daily. They aren't allowed to touch him as he will lose his magical powers. Every parent we know who has an Elf in their house absolutely LOVES it!

On a down note, Steve & Ana both have to have their tonsils removed. In order for them to take advantage of the Christmas break and Brigid's vacation time to play nurse, they had to schedule the surgery on December 21st! So, Christmas will not be quite as merry as usual, but the important thing is that they will be much healthier in the future. Recovery time for Ana is about a week, but for Steve it will be about two weeks. Lots of milkshakes have been promised!

In housing news, excellent data has been released, yet again!! These numbers are for all of the MIBOR service area. Hamilton County numbers are even better!!
• Closed sales are up 18.0%
• Median sales price is up 1.9%
• Inventory is down 11.5% and is down to 6.8 months


***Don't forget about our Annual Santa Night at our office-3801 E. 82nd Street on Thursday, December 6th from 5-7PM. This has become an annual event for many of you and we always look forward to seeing you each and every year. This is great for kids, parents, and grandparents. A friendly Santa will be there along with his elfs, a professional photographer who will be taking FREE photos, & some refreshments. Please RSVP by 12/3 to Lisa Kirkpatrick at 317-654-5430 or Lisa@Welcome2Indy.com.

Here are some fun articles you will find in this month's newsletter:
• The Archer
• December Doings
• December Quiz Question
• Boost Problem Solving
• Winter Fun Facts
• Birds Can be Multilingual
• Perfect Holiday Parties
• Overheard on A Bus
• Sleep Tight
• Nuts to You-for A Healthier Diet
• Less Is Often More
• The Power of 'We'

Click here to read the final newsletter of 2012.

Click here to access our exclusive coupons & discounts to save you money at stores you shop every day.

Click here to download the most powerful real estate app in Indy.

Our wish to you this holiday season is that you are able to take some time out of your hectic schedule and the pressures that accompany this time of year and spend some quality time with friends and family as you enjoy your own holiday traditions. Please remember that there are so many people who will not have a very merry Christmas this year. Volunteering in some way is not only good and very much appreciated by those less fortunate, but also does some pretty amazing things for us as well. Please consider volunteering this holiday season to make it just a little brighter for someone else.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Top Tips Before Buying A Home

View Your Home from A Buyer's Perspective

Boost Your Home's Curb Appeal

November Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome Fall!!! With the much-lower temperatures come the changing of leaves and greener grass along with more rain. It also marks the end of many sports, such as baseball and soccer. Such is the case with our family. Ana finished her last soccer game on Saturday, and while it frees up three days/week, it is bitter-sweet as I always look forward to watching Ana play. Brigid enjoys coaching, but is ready for a break as well.

We are looking forward to enjoying some time in the Smokies for Fall Break with Jack and Mary Anne later this month. Mary Anne had eye surgery a few weeks ago, which necessitated her having to keep her head down for 10 consecutive days! While not fun, she completed her recovery a week ago Saturday last. Now, she has another 4 or more weeks before she can expect full vision to be restored, but it beats going blind!

We are looking forward to going to some pumpkin patches and our annual Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood. Ana has decided she is going to be Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and Tali is going to be her favorite cartoon character Scooby Doo. Hopefully, you are looking forward to Trick-or-Treaters, Halloween parties and/or Fall Break plans.

Our real estate market continues to improve and has received quite a bit of great press lately. Here is why:
Quarter-over-Quarter Change in Closed Sales +14.5%
Quarter-over-Quarter Change in Median Sales Price +4.2%
Quarter-over-Quarter Change in Inventory -11.2%
Months Supply of Inventory 7.8 months -21.7%

Happy Fall!!!

Save the date for our annual Santa Night at our office on Thursday, December 6th from 5-7PM. Santa will be there with on of his Elfs, refreshments will be served and professional photos will be taken, suitable for Christmas Cards. More details will be coming soon!!!

Some of the fun articles you will find this month:
• Don't Doubt The Power of A Dream
• Notable in November
• November Quiz Question
• Furnace Readiness Tips
• Oldest Bird, Not A Bird?
• Knowledge Is A Matter of Perspective
• Caring for An Elderly Relative While Working
• Facts about Factoids
• 5 Tricks Theaters Use
• Remodel with A Financial Blueprint
• Lost Jobs Lead to New Opportunities
• Girls, Ask Your Guys

Click here to read our November Newsletter:


Click here to access our exclusive coupon & discount site:


Click here for the most advanced real estate app available, including sold listings!
or TEXT: HOME21 to 87778

Buyer Facts & Trends

Some great insight into buyer trends.

First-Time Buyer Facts

October Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome to Fall! After such a hot and dry summer, fall has hit us hard with much lower temperatures and one of the wettest Septembers on record. We hope that you have gotten back into the rhythm of fall with school back in session, sports in full swing, a multitude of activities to attend, and don't forget this week started new episodes of our favorite TV shows. And...the NFL refs are coming back!!



I attended a class last week hosted by our lender, which focused on business planning for next year already! It was a shock to start thinking about next year, but in order to prepare it is essential. Have you begun planning for next year? Are you good about extablishing goals and committing them to writing? A study once found that over 90% of people accomplished their goals when they were clearly written down and broken down into small tasks. What would your life look like if you accomplished 90% of what you wanted to do?



A coach of mine calls these 'shoulds'. I should do this and I should do that. He asked me to write down 100 'shoulds'. I had to work hard to come up with 100, but eventually was able to do so. After 1 year, I re-visited the list to find that over 80% of my 'shoulds' were completed. That brings up another thought, what would happen if you could dream a goal and you knew that you couldn't fail? What would that goal be? What would happen if you started approaching that goal as if you couldn't fail? In what ways would your life be different? What is the worst that could happen if you didn't accomplish your goal? I'm curious to know what your dream goal is. Would you share your dream goal with me if I shared my dream goal with you?



My dream goal or Ultimate Scenario is to be able to send both Ana & Natalia to Notre Dame by having a business so strong, which creates raving fans by providing magical service to clients that we are able to help 50 clients each year buy, sell, or build a new home. Additionally, my dream goal is to have our systems so tight and have help with our clients, which allows Brigid and me to travel to Europe for 6-weeks, which is our dream vacation. I have already written this goal down and broken it down into small steps and am on my way to accomplishing it. The most important thing is that I can visualize myself having accomplished this goal. I know what it looks like and how I feel having accomplished it. That is my dream goal. Everyone has a different one. What is yours?



While you ponder that, take a gander at this month's newsletter. Here are some of the acticles you will enjoy:

*The Reward That Keeps on Giving
*Fall into October
*Halloween Tongue Twisters
*6 Weird Facts about Technology
*The Cold Facts
*Personal Productivity Trick
*Pumpkin Carving Tips
*Avoid 'Vicarious' Success
*Liking Living Alone
*Your Body Is A Laser
*One-Liners



Click here to read our October Newsletter.

Enjoy your Fall and the amazing colors that it brings!

Excellent News on Housing Prices!!!

Updated Morgage Stats-Did You Know This?

Updated Seller Stats & Trends

Great Real Estate Stats

Check out these great stats on the recovering real estate market:

Graphic courtesy of Brian Buffini

September 2012 Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome to the end of summer! With school starting earlier and earlier, it seems like summer is getting shorter and shorter. Ana started 2nd grade last Tuesday and Talia started in the TOTS program at Ana's school last week as well. Both absolutely LOVE their teachers and classmates. We are so fortunate to have such amazing schools! They both attend Maple Glen Elementary in Westfield and we couldn't be happier. Hopefully, if you have school-age children, they had a smooth transition as well going back to school.

With the new school year comes new activities. Ana has taken an interest in voice and piano and has been taking lessons weekly to encourage and improve her skills in both. We have been very happy with her progress, but getting her to practice is not always easy... Ana has also started soccer again and Brigid is her coach once again. Both enjoy it and Ana is also taking an additional developmental practice session for 5-weeks to sharpen her skills. She seems to enjoy that as well. Finally, we signed Ana up (at her request) to sing in the Indianapolis Childrens' Choir. If she likes it, we will probably continue it, but Ana knows she can't do any more activities without discontinuing a current one. Mom and dad have run out of time!!!

Earlier this month our family traveled to Tampa, FL to visit Brigid's parents for a few days and then we took our first Carnival cruise. Over the years, we have taken a couple Disney cruises, a Costa cruise and I took a couple of Royal Caribbean cruises with my family while in college. We were interested to see how our experience would be with Carnival.

Overall, it was quite good and we would recommend Carnival to others. It was a smaller ship and an older ship celebrating its 10-year anniversary while we were on board. We were able to get a good deal and secured a stateroom with a balcony for Brigid and me and then got an adjoining inside stateroom for the girls. That arrangement worked great allowing us to relax on the balcony at night after they went to bed and during Talia's naps.

The food was surprisingly good, except for the last night. The dining room service was extremely slow, however. The shows at night were a disaster and even the crew admitted they were terrible! We enjoyed the family comedy shows early each evening. The Carnival Kids Club was amazing and was actually rated higher than Disney!!! The girls both loved it so much, they didn't want to hang out with us the rest of the cruise! We enjoyed several relaxing dinners and comedy shows, as a result. Our ports of call were Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, & Grand Cayman. We swam with the dolphins in Cozumel, stayed on the ship in Belize as there wasn't much we wanted to do there, took a zip line tour through the forest in Roatan (without the girls, of course), and enjoyed a pirate ship ride in Grand Cayman.

We were lucky that we missed both hurricanes, which came through there the weeks prior and following our trip. Carnival is trying really hard to kick its reputation of being a 'booze cruise' and instead is more of a family cruise now. We had a great time and will probably do it again. If you get the chance to take their 'Behind The Fun' tour, do it!! It was fascinating to see areas of the ship guests never see.

Jack and Mary Anne are both doing well and enjoying taking some trips and playing lots of bridge. I was fortunate that Jack was able to cover for me while we were gone. That is quite a relief knowing your clients are in great hands while you are away.

As for the real estate market, it is still going strong! Closed sales are UP 16.6%, the median home sales price is UP 5.3%, and inventory is DOWN 11.6% to 7.8 months. These are all great numbers and are contributing to one of the strongest years in real estate that we have seen in years.

Enjoy the end of summer and feel comfortable calling us anytime we can help.

Here is a sneak peek into this month's newsletter:
• Better Write It Down
• September Quiz Question
• Have A Peaceful September
• Are You in The Cloud?
• Six Innovative Questions
• Movie Homes for Sale
• Four Interesting Food Facts
• Thrifty Car Management
• You Probably Suspected...
• Early Signs of Diabetes
• Why So Many Zippers Say YKK

Click here to read the September newsletter.