DIY project tips

While everyone’s staying at home, a lot of people are hesitant to bring in outsiders for things like painting or smaller construction projects. This could be the perfect time to tackle some of those tasks as do-it-yourself jobs! There are many things around the house that you can do without having to bring in outside help. Or at the very least, you can get started and bring in someone else to finish later.

One common pitfall for aspiring DIYers is not quite being prepared for the task at hand. Since the current goal is to limit trips out of the house to only the essentials, it’s a good time to take stock of what you have on hand and determine what if anything you might need for those DIY projects. Here are some common things that you should check so you’ll know if you need to make a trip to stock up.

Common Supplies

There are a few things that will come in handy for almost any DIY project. These are items like sandpaper, wood glue, cleaners, rags, tape and lubricants. While not all of these will be used for every project you might tackle, if you don’t have any of them on hand then you’ll likely need to restock before your tasks are finished.

Tools

It’s hard to do it yourself if you don’t have anything to do it with. At the very least you’ll likely need tools like a drill, a hammer, Phillips and flat-head screwdrivers, wrenches and other common tools. If you have specific tasks in mind that require specialized tools, then you’ll need to make sure that you have those on hand too. You should also check to make sure that your tools are in good condition; too much rust or other corrosion can cause serious problems and possibly even result in broken tools once you get to work.

Screws, Nails and Fasteners

Chances are, you’ll need to have some screws, nails or other fasteners for the work that you’re doing. Don’t just assume that whatever you have on hand will work for any job, though. Screws for example come in different lengths, materials and head types, and if they don’t match the job that you’re doing or the tools that you have then you’re not going to be happy with the results.

Brushes and Rollers

Will you be doing any painting, staining or other similar applications? Make sure that you have the right type of brushes, rollers and other application tools for the job. Different types of paints, stains and glues/pastes all apply differently, so you’ll need to match your tools to the type of material you want to put down.

Shovels and Garden Tools

Working outside is a pretty common DIY task, but make sure that you have the right tools for the job. Shovels, hoes and rakes are all common outdoor tools, but you may also need a tiller or other equipment as well. You should also make sure that you have the right type of shovel or rake for your needs. A flat-nose shovel is good for spreading gravel, for instance, but won’t do you a lot of good if you need to dig a hole to plant a shrub.

Getting Ready to DIY

Once you’ve taken an inventory of the supplies you have with you, make a list of the DIY tasks you’d like to tackle around the house. See how your current supplies will meet the needs of those tasks, writing down anything that you seem to be missing. Take your time to plan out your various DIY projects, prioritizing those things that you can do without any additional materials. If you absolutely must get additional materials for your projects, do your best to make a list of everything that you’ll need so that you can wrap up your DIY shopping with a single trip. Or, better yet, place an online order that’s shipped directly to your house.

Fun family ideas while in quarantine

With the current state of the world, people are spending more time at home than ever. This provides for some great opportunities to bond as a family, and also gives some of us a bit more time to get things done around the house. Spending more time with your family can lead to some questions, though. One of the biggest is “Exactly what are we supposed to do now that we’re together?” Without the breaks afforded by work, school and other activities, trying to come up with activities for the whole family can seem a bit overwhelming.

If you need some ideas on how to spend that family time, here are a few suggestions to get you started. Not only will these ideas help you to spend some quality time together as a family, but some of them might help you with some of those tasks around the house as well!

Planning (and Planting) a Garden

Even though the year has gotten off to a rocky start, time waits for no one. We’re already getting into gardening season, so it’s time to start prepping the soil and starting your seeds. Since you’ve got the family all there at home, try to get everyone else involved as well. Plan out the size and shape of your garden plot and make a list of everyone’s favorite fruits and veggies to help decide what to plant. You can even get younger kids involved by letting them make row markers featuring pictures of everything you plan to grow.

Family Game Nights

Game nights are a classic, but sometimes it can be hard to fit them in. Timing isn’t as much of an issue these days, however, so let’s play some games! These could be anything from board games to multiplayer video games or even tabletop role-playing games. Let the family decide on the specifics and plan out a new game night every week to help keep everyone entertained.

Movie Time

Going to the movies is a popular family activity. Just because the theaters are closed doesn’t mean you have to give up on enjoying a film together, though. Make some popcorn, break out some snacks and cue up a favorite film on the TV. Several studios are releasing movies for sale or rental early, and some have even put new releases up for rental on streaming services even though they should still be in a theatrical run, so you can still catch some of the films that you might have planned on seeing as a family anyway.

Plan Some Redecorations

Were you hoping to redecorate this spring? You still can, and you can get the family involved in the process as well. Let everyone help pick out paint colors and decorations, especially in their bedroom or other rooms where they spend a significant amount of time. Even if you can’t get everything that you need for the project right now, this will let you plan things out in advance so that you’ll be ready to start once it’s go time.

Activities From a Hat

If you aren’t sure what to do, have everyone get together and make a list of three things that you’d like to do as a family. Once you’ve got the lists made, put them all on a hat or other container and draw one of the lists out. Look at the listed items and let the family vote on which activity you’d like to do from the list. If you’re worried that the same person might win too many times, the next time you do it, have the person who won sit out the suggestions and be the one to draw the winning list instead.

Time Alone, Together

Sometimes, one of the best things that you can do as a family is just relax and enjoy each other’s company. Don’t assume that you have to fill up every available moment with activities. Take some time to read books, give the kids some screen time or do some other individual downtime activities. You can take this downtime in the same room, spending casual time together without having to be “on” and actively doing things together all the time.

Working from home tips

Working from home can be a challenge, especially when you’re not used to it. There are a lot of distractions that can interfere with your work, sometimes causing you to get so off track that you end up behind on important tasks. While many consider working from home to be a great perk, if you’ve never worked from home before then you might be surprised at just how stressful it can be!

Fortunately, you’re not on your own. These are stressful times, and HomeKeepr is here to help you get through them. To that end, here are some tips that will make working from home for the first time a lot easier.

Set Up Your Space

When you think of working from home, you might picture yourself lounging on the couch in your pajamas with a laptop on your lap. While some people do choose to work like this when working from home, for most home workers this sort of setup is going to kill any productivity they might have. Instead of taking a “work wherever I end up” approach, set up a desk or office space that’s intended solely for work-related activities. This will help you to stay on task when you’re at work and will keep work activities from bleeding over into leisure time.

Check Your Equipment

If you’re used to having in-person meetings during the week, getting used to remote meetings via a video service like Zoom or Skype can be a bit of an adjustment. To make this easier, check your equipment beforehand to ensure that everything will work correctly when it’s time to start a meeting. This includes checking your webcam, your microphone and your speakers to make sure everything functions properly. There are websites and software solutions that help you with this, and some platforms like Zoom have built-in tests as well.

Keep to a Schedule

One common misconception about working from home is that you automatically gain the freedom to work whenever you feel like working. While this may be true for some industries, if you’ve been working 9 to 5 for the last 10 years then that isn’t likely to change much just because your office is now in your guest room. Keep as close as possible to your regular schedule, allowing for possible reduced hours or other differences brought about by working from home. It can help to print out a copy of your “office hours” as well, both as a reminder to others that you’re busy with work and a reminder to yourself that you’re supposed to be on the job.

Avoid Distractions

It’s said that one of the hard things about working from home is the fact that home is where we keep all our favorite distractions. This includes a lot of things, ranging from games to books to the TV. It also includes family members, who can be hard to ignore when you’re supposed to be on the job. As much as possible, try to avoid interacting with the people and things in your home unless you’re taking a break from work activities.

Don’t Make Deals

It’s easy to tell yourself that if you do something unrelated to work now, you’ll make up the work that you’re supposed to be doing later. Unfortunately, this tends to snowball, and the next thing you know you’re behind on everything you’re supposed to be doing. Avoid making these sorts of deals; instead choose to do those things or have those conversations during your next scheduled break, just like you would do if you were still going in to work. If there’s something you want to do that won’t fit into a regular break, try to get your current tasks done BEFORE you take the time off instead of bargaining that you’ll wrap it up after.

Stay Connected

Isolation is difficult, especially if you’re used to working closely with your coworkers. You can fight this by calling them up, collaborating over video or even sending out daily emails or texts to check on everyone. Even though it’s not the one-on-one interaction you’re used to, the contact you have with your coworkers can still make a huge difference.

Maintaining your mental well-being

Things are pretty scary at the moment. When you turn on the news, read a paper or just scroll through your social media feed, most likely you’re seeing one person or another talking about the COVID-19 pandemic. It can have a profound negative effect on your mental health, even if you live in an area where there hasn’t been any local sickness. How do you handle it, when it seems like there’s just so much to bear?

For at least one possible answer, let’s look back a few decades. Fred Rogers, better known as the one and only Mister Rogers, gave some advice that had been passed down from his mother: “Look for the helpers.” We’re all in this together, and with a slightly different mindset you can remember this even in the darkest of times.

Look for the Helpers

Mr. Rogers is highly quotable, but his comment about looking for the helpers is probably one of his more famous quotes. Though there are a few different versions from different things he’s shared over the years, one of the most poignant and relevant to our current situation comes from a newspaper piece he wrote back in 1986:

There was something else my mother did that I’ve always remembered: “Always look for the helpers,” she’d tell me. “There’s always someone who is trying to help.” I did, and I came to see that the world is full of doctors and nurses, police and firemen, volunteers, neighbors and friends who are ready to jump in to help when things go wrong.

If you’re tempted to give into despair, just think of all the doctors, nurses, police officers, volunteers and everyone else who are still out there and still doing their jobs. Remember that they’re not doing it just because they need a paycheck; they’re doing it because friends and neighbors in their community need them to. They’re doing it to help.

Nobody Is Alone

Everywhere we turn, the message seems to be about social distancing and self-imposed isolation to try and slow the spread of COVID-19. This is good and noble advice, but it can also be very lonely. Even if you have a family there with you at home, seeing only the same people day in and day out is difficult when you know that you’re not supposed to interact with others. It’s okay to feel that way, though… everyone else does.

It’s easy to forget that other people are feeling the same fear, the same sense of isolation and the same uncertainty. They are common emotions that unite us all, even if we don’t realize it. A great way to fight these feelings is to reach out over the phone or a video chat and check in on friends in town, across the country or around the world. Talk about what you’re feeling and encourage your friends and family to talk about it as well. Confronting this fear is the first step in overcoming it.

Everyone Is Enough

If you watched Mr. Rogers on TV as a child, you’re familiar with his recurring mantra that “you’re special just the way you are.” In the current situation, this means acknowledging that you still have worth, even if the best that you can do right now is to stay indoors. You don’t have to be a doctor or deliver meals to the elderly in your neighborhood; if all that you can do is stay out of the way and ensure that you aren’t spreading the virus, then that is more than enough.

Not everyone has to give their all with each part of this: You’re special just the way you are, doing just as much as you’re able to do. Take care of yourself and encourage others to take safe steps as well. If you can get out there and help firsthand then do so, but don’t despair if you can’t. Look for the helpers, and you’ll remember that there are a lot of ways to help. We can do this together, and you’re an important part of that effort.

How to support local businesses

Without mincing words, times are scary. People are afraid, and beyond that there is a significant amount of uncertainty about what is to come. In times like these, it’s important to pull together as a community and support each other in any way possible. This includes the small businesses in your community, since they are an essential part of what keeps your community going; without your support during the darker times, some of them may not survive to see the sun come out again.

How are you supposed to do that in a limited-contact or social isolation scenario, though? Fortunately, there are still several options available that will help you to help those local businesses that keep your community running.

Buy Gift Certificates

One great way to support local businesses is to buy gift cards and gift certificates even if you don’t need them right now. This allows you to make a simple purchase that minimizes potential contact while giving the business that issued the certificate some much-needed income. Once things improve, you can then return to the business and take your time using the gift cards you purchased. As an added bonus, they’re also easy to give to others if you know someone who’s in need.

Buy Branded Merchandise

Another good option is to buy branded merchandise such as t-shirts or coffee mugs that advertise the business. On top of the usual benefits of making a purchase, these items help to advertise the business as well. As an added bonus, buying branded merchandise helps you to show the business owner that you’re there to support the business specifically.

Order Online or On the Phone

Can’t get out? Check and see which businesses in your area offer online ordering and make use of that feature. If you can’t order online, give them a call and inquire about placing an order. You can even make arrangements for delivery or pickup while you’re on the phone.

Tip for Deliveries and Carry-Outs

A lot of people are relying on delivery and carry-out orders these days, especially from local restaurants. Unfortunately, a lot of people tip very little if at all for these services. Remember that a lot of employees are facing reduced hours in this stressful time, and every dollar helps. Be sure to tip even if you normally wouldn’t, and be generous when you do.

Spread the Word

There are many types of support. Financial support is definitely important for local businesses trying to stay open, but not everyone can help out financially. If you can’t afford to shop right now, try to get the word out on social media and other platforms. Share posts, talk about the businesses that you’d like to support and even post pictures of yourself wearing some branded merch. Every little bit helps, and someone might see your post and decide that they need to support local shops as well.

Donate Your Refunds

A major problem that small venues face is the refunding of canceled events. They’ve already spent money on advertising and racked up other costs, and now they’re losing their portion of ticket sales. If you have tickets for an event that was canceled and unlikely to be rescheduled, call the box office and inquire about donating your refund instead. While not all venues will do this, donating your ticket price lets those that do recoup some of what they spent and may even help them to stay open in the face of additional cancellations.

Be Considerate

Local businesses are a part of your community, and as such they want to see the community thrive. Situations like this are very stressful for business owners and employees alike, and the last thing that they want to see is people fighting over merchandise or those in need having to do without because someone else hoarded all the toilet paper. When shopping at local businesses, be courteous to other shoppers, maintain a safe distance so no one is crowded, and avoid the temptation to grab everything when you just need one or two items.

Shop Local

If you need to find local businesses and professionals to support, check out HomeKeepr. Not only can you open an account for free, but it will help you to find locals who need your support as well.

Is wallpaper making a comeback?

Wallpaper has been around for thousands of years in one form or another, with wallpaper-like wall coverings being used in China in 200 B.C. Modern style wallpaper with repeating patterns on continuous sheets was created by Jean-Michel Papillion in 1675, and it has remained a popular option ever since. With that said, wallpaper hasn’t been consistently loved since its invention; like most home décor trends, its popularity has waxed and waned over the years.

In the past couple of years, it’s been looking like wallpaper is poised for a comeback. As more and more homeowners turn to wallpaper as an element in their home decoration plans, new trends are starting to emerge. Does that mean that wallpaper is really making a return? It certainly looks that way, and modern wallpaper is definitely leaving its own mark on interior design.

Wallpaper Textures

Textured wallpapers are nothing new, but there are several newer wallpapers that take texture to an extreme that would make older wallpapers clutch their pearls. Embossed designs, brick or wood textures, faux bamboo and even delightfully smooth and satiny wallpapers are changing what people think of when they consider what wallpaper feels like. Not only does textured wallpaper give your walls a novel tactile sensation, but some textures can even change the way the wallpaper looks by creating a 3D effect.

Gradients

Most people think of wallpaper as having a more or less consistent repeating pattern. This doesn’t have to be the case, however. Many modern wallpaper designs incorporate gradients that let the colors on your walls change from floor to ceiling. Sometimes this effect can be subtle, but other wallpapers incorporate transitions between bold colors that really stand out. These can be a great way to accent specific colors in your décor or help direct attention to key pieces of furniture.

Bold Prints

In the past, wallpaper has run the gamut from subtle coloration to full-on tackiness. Some manufacturers are now inching as close to the latter as possible without crossing the line, offering up some bold prints that really capture the eye. Complex florals, colorful graphics and even wallpapers that create volumetric effects might seem like they’re too much, but in the right room they can really bring the décor to life.

Metallics

Wallpaper that incorporates metallic tones isn’t new, but some modern wallpaper is taking it a step further. Instead of simply using metallic tones as accents or working with flat metallics, modern wallpapers use metallic coloring along with texture and design to create effects like brushed steel, metal plating and other metal-like designs. This can let you capture the look and to an extent even the feel of metal without the substantial cost and hassle that can be involved with installing actual metal plating on your walls.

Combining Wallpaper Styles

One trend that’s really coming to the forefront with modern wallpaper is combining different wallpaper styles within the same room to really make the room stand out. Similar effects were created in the past using paint and wallpaper, but the modern trend uses contrasting wallpaper styles to better incorporate the textures and other features of wallpaper within the room. This can profoundly change both the look and feel of the room, transforming it from just a basic living space into an experience that really has to be seen to be believed. Even if you don’t take things quite that far, you can use this same technique to help match that couch that never really seems to go with anything.

Don’t Call It a Comeback

While wallpaper may have been less popular for a while, it never really went away. If you’re ready to embrace some of the modern wallpaper trends that are emerging in interior design, HomeKeepr can help. Sign up for a free account today and find a painter or other wallpaper expert you need to help you create that unique look that you’re searching for.

How to clean to help prevent Coronavirus in your home and office

There has been a significant amount of concern raised recently about COVID-19, a relatively recently discovered disease caused by a type of virus known as a coronavirus. A lot is still unknown about the virus and the disease that it causes, and this is causing some people a great deal of anxiety about it. Major conferences and events are being canceled, people are buying up supplies (even if they shouldn’t), and the internet is filled with memes teaching people how to wash their hands.

COVID-19 has the potential to be a serious illness. Here’s some info that can help you to protect yourself, especially if you’re confused by some of the contradicting advice that you might have seen online.

What Is COVID-19?

Even though it’s mostly referred to simply as “coronavirus”, the virus that causes COVID-19 is actually a novel coronavirus that’s been designated “SARS-CoV-2” and sometimes referred to as “2019-nCoV.” COVID-19 itself is a potentially severe respiratory illness that typically presents with fever, cough and difficulty breathing. While most people who become infected with COVID-19 recover, the disease can be severe and even fatal. Those at greatest risk from COVID-19 are individuals older than 60 years of age and those with preexisting conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.

Decluttering to Prevent Illness

If you want to clean up to try and prevent coronavirus infection, a good first step is to declutter your home. This will eliminate surfaces where the virus could linger, making it easier to disinfect your home and keep it clean. Decluttering can also have a positive effect on mental health and anxiety levels, which can improve your overall wellbeing and even provide a bit of a boost to the immune system.

Disinfecting Surfaces

The US Centers for Disease Control recommend disinfecting surfaces with regular household disinfectant wipes and sprays. While many of these have not been tested specifically for use against SARS-CoV-2, they are effective against some other common coronaviruses and are likely to at least reduce infectiousness if not kill the virus completely. Other household cleaners and disinfecting practices are also likely to be at least partially effective.

Handwashing Stations

One of the best defenses against COVID-19 is good handwashing practices. As such, make sure that you have soap available by every sink and clean towels ready for use after washing your hands. Printing out a guide to proper handwashing and placing it near your sinks can also be a good idea, especially if you have young children who are still learning how to wash their hands properly. If you have any, having hand sanitizer accessible for times when you can’t wash your hands is also helpful.

Don’t Panic

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t panic. Don’t stockpile supplies that you don’t need, buy sensible amounts of the things that you do need, and take reasonable steps like avoiding large crowds and not shaking hands. One of the best ways to stay safe from COVID-19 is to keep yourself clean, keep your home clean and apply some common sense to your preparations for the disease.

Cool pantry ideas!

A pantry is a great thing to have. Not only does it store all your dry goods in one place, but you can also use your pantry to better organize your kitchen. Whether it’s a space the size of a small closet or a walk-in the size of a small room, your pantry is an important part of your overall kitchen experience.

With that said, do you ever wish that your pantry could do just a bit more? Here are a few ways that you can modify your pantry to add additional functionality and really get the most out of that storage space. Best of all, many of these ideas work regardless of how large your pantry is!

Multi-Height Shelving

Most pantries feature shelves, and most cases those shelves are fairly evenly spaced within the pantry. You can get more use out of the space if you break that symmetry up a little, however. Fit in more shelf space by leaving a shelf or two with a lot of headroom and then placing other shelves a bit closer together. If you really want to maximize the effect, install vertical dividers on shelves so you can have one side be tall and add a smaller half-shelf on the other side.

Undershelf Baskets

Another great way to increase storage is to add undershelf baskets that slide out when you need them. These baskets are available in different sizes depending on your needs and can be used for bagged items, loaf bread or other things that are light or fragile.

Zone Organization

To make better use of your pantry, consider designing a zone organization plan. A zone organization plan places your canned goods in one area, your pastas in another, breads and cereals in another … whatever groupings you want can work! You can modify each zone to meet the shelving and storage needs of whatever it holds. When you’re done organizing, add labels to the shelves to identify the zones and make items easier to find.

Tool and Utensil Storage

A lot of people think that a pantry is just a place to store food items. It’s also a great place to put your kitchen tools and other utensils so they’re out of the way. Add hooks or drawers in the pantry to hold lesser-used utensils so that they’re out of the kitchen but easy to find when you need them. You can even put small kitchen appliances in your pantry as well.

Take Notes

Add a chalkboard, whiteboard or other writing surface to your pantry so that you can make shopping lists, jot down meal ideas or otherwise take notes without having to leave the pantry area. If the pantry has a door, you can even add a coat of chalkboard or dry erase paint on the inside to give you an extended notetaking area.

Door Racks

If you have spices, small containers or other small items to keep in your pantry, consider adding racks on the back of your pantry door as a place to keep them organized but out of the way. Depending on the type of door and what it’s made of, you can either install them directly to the door or simply use an over-the-door hanging rack.

Spin It Around

Lazy Susan units are a great way to get more use out of your pantry space. Depending on your needs and your available space, you can go as simple as a one- or two-tier unit sitting on a shelf or use a bigger floor-to-ceiling unit to make a full revolving section of your pantry.

Roll-Out Shelves

If you have limited space and want to make the most of it, consider investing in roll-out shelves or full-width drawers for your pantry. This lets you slide out the shelf that you need and access it all the way to the back so that you can place your shelves closer together than you might be able to with stationary shelving.

Revitalize Your Pantry

Do you need a contractor to help you pull off your pantry revamp? You’re in luck! HomeKeepr is here to help you find the perfect contractor for the job. Simply sign up for a free HomeKeepr account today and start finding contractors based on recommendations from people in your area.

March Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome to March Madness, St. Patrick's Day, Lent, and Daylight Saving Time! Between the super-busy spring market, warmer weather, Coronovirus taking over the news, and a multitude of other events and headlines, this proves to be a busy month!!!

If you are a long-time reader of this newsletter, you may remember about 10 years ago I recorded a video to go along with the newsletter and for various reasons, it wasn't continued. I am happy to say, after a long break a new video was recorded and we hope you will take a couple of minutes to watch and give us your feedback. You can watch it via the link below.

In this month's newsletter, there are some pretty fun and interesting articles:
Freedom
Spidey-senses
Brain teasers (do you know the answer???)
Is medical advice on the internet accurate?
Time spent on activities in your life
Positive job habits
Where do you keep your phone?
An ancient mystery
Home buying/selling reports
**Don't forget about our March Happy Hour on Thursday, March 19th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller's! Free drinks and appetizers are provided. You bring the laughter! We usually have a great turnout and always have fun. Please RSVP to Patti at Patti@Welcome2Indy.com by Wednesday, March 18th. Hope to see you there!

Thank you to all of our loyal clients and referral partners for making us one of the top teams in the city of Indy again last year as well as earning the Angie's List Super Service Award for the 6th time in a row! We are extremely grateful and honored and look forward to continuing to serve you and those you care about in 2020.

Steve attended Keller Williams' annual convention in Dallas a couple of weeks ago. It is called Family Reunion. Tons of good information was shared, but mostly about technology and real estate. Keller Williams is not only the largest and fastest-growing real estate company in the world, but also has the most technology. We have invested over $1 BILLION in tech in the past two years and you will see some of this over the next few weeks and months. Our KW app has been redesigned and it is the most powerful out there. Several clients have already downloaded it and love it! Give it a try and tell us what you think!!

You will start to see on social media showcase videos of our VIP Vendor Partners. These are the essential parts of our team that allow us to provide the service you have come to expect from us. We cannot do it without them and get requests for their info almost daily. We thought it would be a good idea to launch a video series to highlight each of them over the next few months so you can get to meet and know them. We hope you enjoy the videos and get to virtually meet our extended team.

Finally, the market is HOT!!!! For the first time in my 20-year career the following five stats have aligned:
Lowest interest rates EVER
Lowest inventory EVER
Highest sales prices EVER
Lowest unemployment rate EVER
Highest number of job openings EVER
What does this mean to you?? If you or someone you care about is even remotely thinking of selling your house this year, NOW is the time to do it! These conditions will NOT last long. We have been almost begging people to put their house on the market as there isn't enough inventory to satisfy demand. We have over 50 buyers who cannot find a home!! Please call us and let us consult with you about your options so you can make an informed decision. We would love to help you take advantage of these historical seller conditions that will not last much longer. Call Steve at 317-573-1880 today!

Here are the market stats from MIBOR from January 2019 to January 2020
Median Sales Price-UP 6.8% to $181,500
Closed Sales-UP 9.3% to 1,803 units
New Listings-UP 3.1% to 2,533 units
Pending Sales-UP 17.3% to 2,806 units
Days on Market-UP 3.1% to 66 days
Price per s.f.-UP 6.9% to $109
% of Ask Received-UP 0.4% to 96.8%
Active Inventory-DOWN 12.6% to 4,392 units
Absorption Rate-DOWN 20.0% to 2.4 months

Thank you, again for being such great clients and referral partners! We are grateful to you and look forward to helping you into the future.

Click here to watch our brand new March newsletter video. Tell us what you think!

Click here to read our brand new March newsletter

Click here to download our BRAND NEW real estate app-the most powerful and innovate on the market. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Click here for exclusive access to coupons and discounts at places you shop every day. Who doesn't like to save money??

Click here for a 1-minute video on This Month in Real Estate

Click here to read 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!

Organization pro-tips

Have you heard of Marie Kondo? Even if you can’t quite place the name, there’s a good chance that you’ve run across some reference to figuring out whether things “spark joy” when cleaning up your house. The idea might seem simple, but it’s a central part of her organizational philosophy, repeated again and again in her books and on her Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. If something doesn’t bring joy to your life, why are you keeping it around?

Organizing Your Life

There are a lot of reasons that you might choose to try and organize your life and get rid of some unnecessary things around the house. It might be that you’re just trying to get rid of clutter. Maybe you’re going to downscale and need to get rid of some of your belongings. Maybe you want to make it easier to find the things you care about by getting rid of a lot of unnecessary things. Perhaps you’re planning a yard sale and want to figure out what to sell. Or, maybe you’re anticipating a move and only want to have to pack the essentials.

Regardless of the reason, sorting through your belongings and figuring out what you really want to keep can be a major undertaking. This is where Marie Kondo’s method can come in handy, because it helps you to evaluate exactly how you feel about the things you’ve surrounded yourself with. By bringing those feelings to the forefront, it can make it much easier to get rid of what you need to get rid of while keeping the things you actually enjoy.

The Marie Kondo Method

You’ve probably seen the basics of Marie Kondo’s method referenced even if you’ve never read her books or watched her show. She encourages people to pick up the object they’re evaluating, consider it and ask whether it “sparks joy” within them. This causes you to stop and think about your actual feelings for the item and helps you to separate those things that you hold on to for no reason from those that you actually enjoy.

Does It Spark Joy?

When it comes time to go through your own belongings, you can easily implement some of Marie Kondo’s techniques into your organizational methods. You obviously don’t have to do it for everything in your house; there are some things that you know you want to get rid of, and others that have long outlived their usefulness. Go ahead and get those out of the way, by recycling them, giving them away, or otherwise ridding yourself of them.

Marie Kondo’s techniques are most useful for those things that you’re not sure about, such as items that you’ve had for years and never use. You may never even touch them unless you’re dusting or need to find something that they’re in the way of. Some of these items might have sentimental value, but that’s different than sparking real joy within you. You don’t have to rush yourself; take some time and really consider whether you have an actual use for these things or if you’re just holding on to them because they’ve always been around. You might be surprised what you’re willing to let go of once you really put a little bit of thought into it.

Making Positive Changes

Decluttering and otherwise cleaning up your house can be a big chore. Sometimes you’ll find that you need to bring in some outside help after you’ve figured out what you’re keeping and what you’re getting rid of. You may also realize that you’ve finally gotten rid of enough stuff to start an exciting new project but need the help of a painter or other contractor to make it happen. Regardless of your need, HomeKeepr is here to help! Sign up for a free account today and find the cleaners, contractors and other pros that you need to help make sure that everything in your home sparks joy.

Landscape pro tips

As the last winds of winter blow and the days become longer, it’s time to start thinking about the spring. In addition to cleaning up around the house, there are several landscaping activities that you generally want to do in the springtime. The question is, where do you start?

If you’re not sure how to tackle your spring to-do list, here are a few suggestions. These are some of the most common landscaping tasks that need doing once things start to warm up, and knocking them out early can make other landscaping tasks easier as the year goes on. Who knows, taking care of some of these items might even get you inspired to take on a larger landscaping project later in the year.

Clean Up That Winter Refuse

The winter can be rough on your lawn, with clumps of leaves that haven’t quite decayed, sticks and branches that fell in a winter storm, muddy spots where ice formed and thawed and formed again … it can all leave a bit of a mess behind. Spend some time cleaning up the mess left by winter before you get into any other tasks and you’ll find that the rest of your spring to-do list will be much easier.

Prune the Trees and Shrubs

Early spring is a great time to prune most of your trees and shrubs, since it’s before they get into a strong growth period. Early pruning allows you to shape them the way you want them to be and gives you a chance to eliminate unwanted overhangs and encroachment. If you wait until there’s new growth you can actually stunt some of that growth and make it harder to control how your trees and shrubs are forming.

Prep Your Lawn

If you want your lawn to look its best, you need to show it some love in the spring. Aerate the lawn to help break up soil packed by snow and ice in the winter, dethatch it to help it grow in thicker, and sow some seed to fill in bare spots once it’s warm enough. If your lawn has an uneven surface after the winter, bringing in a roller to go over the lawn wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Clean Up Your Flower Beds

If you’ve got flower beds around your home, chances are they could use a bit of picking up after the winter. Get rid of any damaged plants, pull any weeds or grass that tried to get established during the winter, and tidy up any debris or other crud that might have found their way into your beds. You should also pull away the winter mulch surrounding your perennials and divide them to get your beds off to a good start.

Feed and Protect

While you’re working on your lawn and your flower beds, go ahead and take the time to prep them for spring growth. Add new mulch to your beds as needed, give your lawn a nice dose of fertilizer, and make sure that all your other plants are similarly fed and protected. Everything’s going to be doing a lot of growing in the coming months, so you want to make sure that they have everything they need.

Plan Your Summer

This is also a good time to prepare for late spring and summer projects as well. If you’re going to have a garden, take the time to start prepping it now by tilling the soil, working in compost and starting some of your spring seeds indoors. If you’re going to undertake a construction project or add new features to your lawn, go ahead and start clearing the area. The work you put in now will make things so much easier later in the year.

Ready to Get to Work?

Depending on what you have planned, you may need a bit of help to get your landscaping in tip-top shape. Luckily, HomeKeepr is here it help. Sign up for a free HomeKeepr account today to connect with landscaping pros who can help you design and implement the perfect landscaping plan for your lawn.

Kitchen islands...

When it comes to home improvements, there are few things that are requested more often than kitchen islands. Having a kitchen island can totally change the way that you work in your kitchen, and in some cases they can even add new functionality that you might not have had before. Because they’re such a hot commodity in a lot of homes, having a kitchen island in place can even increase the value of your home if you decide to put it on the market!

So what makes for a good kitchen island? Long gone are the days when a kitchen island was just an additional surface to set things on while working in the kitchen. If you’re thinking about installing a kitchen island of your own, here are a few things you could consider adding to it to make it a modern, functional island.

Cooking Surfaces

Many modern kitchen islands contain burners, full stove tops or other cooking surfaces. Some even contain griddles or electric grills, giving you cooking options that your standard cook top might not offer. This both allows you to cook in different ways and gives you more surfaces and heat sources to work with when you’re fixing a large meal. Depending on the design of the kitchen island and the specific cooking surfaces added, you can either give the island an electric connection or hook it up to an existing gas line.

Island Appliances

Cooking surfaces aren’t the only things that people include in kitchen islands. You might also see appliances such as ovens, mini refrigerators or dishwashers included in the island as well. In some homes you might see less common appliances included as well such as a steamer, warming bin or wine cooler. If there are electrical outlets built into the island, you might also include countertop appliances such as a stand mixer, toaster or can opener.

Kitchen Prep Areas

One common reason for installing a kitchen island is to add a prep station to the kitchen that is separate from other kitchen surfaces. This can involve adding additional features, such as a small refrigerator to keep prepped items cold until you’re ready to cook. Some must-haves for a prep area on your kitchen island include a sink and some form of cutting surface. Ideally the sink should be deep enough to wash vegetables and other food items and should have both hot and cold running water. The cutting surface can take a variety of forms, though butcher block is a popular option. Having a rack or storage for cutting boards and possibly a built-in knife block are also popular options.

Additional Storage

If there’s one thing that almost every kitchen needs, it’s more storage. Your kitchen island can help with this, giving you a place to add additional drawers, shelves or cabinets. Spice racks or other ingredient storage is also a popular option to add. If you want to make the most use of your kitchen island space, you can also add a hanging rack above your kitchen island for pots, pans and other cooking items.

Stow-Under Seating

Some people want to be able to use their kitchen island as a place to enjoy a quick meal, especially at breakfast or lunch. Stools or other small seating options that store under a lip on the kitchen island can make this happen, providing easy access seating that stores out of the way when not in use. A seating space can be added on top of other features, typically by letting the side of the island that faces away from the main kitchen be used for seating while the interior-facing side is more functional.

Ready to Build Your Island?

If you want to find a pro to build your kitchen island or hook up your various fixtures, trust in HomeKeepr. Sign up for a free account today and start connecting with the professionals who can make your dream kitchen island a reality.

Top things to do to prepare your house for sale

When you put your home on the market, you obviously want to get as much as you can for the property. A lot of things can affect your home’s value, including many items that are largely out of your control. That’s not saying that you can’t do anything to bring the value up before listing your home, however. In fact, there are some things that you absolutely need to do before you even think about sticking that “For Sale” sign in the yard.

Depending on what city, county and state your home is in, there may be code requirements you need to address before you’re allowed to list or sell your property. On top of that, however, here are five fixes that you can make to help get the most from your home when you sell.

Water Stains

If you’ve got water stains on the ceiling or walls, they tell potential buyers that there are leaks somewhere. It’s possible that you already took care of the leak, but a buyer isn’t going to know that, and will likely assume that there’s still a nasty surprise waiting for them somewhere. You obviously need to track down the leak and repair it, but after that’s done you should do something about the water stain as well. Don’t just slap a thin coat of paint on them and call it a day, either; take the time to do it right so that the stains don’t reappear.

Slow Drains

If you have slow drains in your home, this can be a big red flag for some home buyers. They might ask about the plumbing, or even want to run more water to see what the water pressure and drains are like everywhere else. To head off potential problems it’s important to do your best to take care of the issue. In many cases it’s a relatively easy fix, though there are some causes of slow drains that will take a plumber to straighten out. Still, the effort you put into it now can result in a higher selling price once someone buys the house.

Switches and Outlets

People don’t want to buy houses that have electrical problems. If your switches or outlets look discolored or beaten up, this can lead people to assume that there are problems even if there aren’t. Take the time to replace any damaged, discolored or malfunctioning switches and outlets, along with any non-working fixtures or “mystery switches” that you might have around the house. Even if it’s not a very big job, it can have a major impact on how potential buyers view your home.

Trip Hazards

Are there any loose bits of carpet or wood on your floor that you’ve learned to just step around? Fix them before you have people in to look at the house. You might have gotten used to them, but a potential buyer won’t be. They’ll see potential tripping hazards as something they’ll need to fix, and they’ll negotiate the price down as a result.

Walls and Ceilings

Are your walls drab, dull and damaged? Take the time to fix any holes or dings before you list the house. A little bit of drywall repair can go a long way, and this can be a perfect time to update the look of your rooms with a fresh coat of paint as well. Don’t neglect the ceiling either, since those little issues that you’ve learned to overlook will stick out like a sore thumb to potential buyers.

Need Help?

If you have some repairs to make before listing but don’t know where to start, HomeKeepr can help you find the pro you need to get your home in tip-top shape. Sign up for a free account today to find pros in your area that come recommended by people you know and trust. They’ll get your home ready to sell and won’t cost you an arm and a leg to do it.

New Trends in Outdoor Kitchens

Outdoor kitchens have been popular for years. Not only do they give you an excuse to enjoy beautiful weather outdoors but they’re also great for entertaining. Having a nice outdoor kitchen can even improve the overall value of your home! While these kitchens were once thought to be a fad, they actually seem to be getting more and more popular as time goes by.

If you’re thinking of adding an outdoor kitchen to your home, you might be wondering how to make sure that your new kitchen fits with the current trends in outdoor kitchen design. While the final decision comes down to you and your tastes, here are a few hot trends to help form the design of your new outdoor kitchen.

Rustic Looks Are King

Once upon a time, outdoor kitchens were little more than blocks of brick and mortar with an oven or grill built in. Now they’ve really grown, and their overall look has grown as well. One of the really popular trends in outdoor cooking spaces is to give them a rustic or even semi-rustic look; brick and stone still play a part, but so do aged wood and similar accents like corrugated metal. Brick flooring and rustic whitewashing are also fairly popular, as they give the whole kitchen area a very part-of-the-home feel.

Semi-Outdoor Chic

While some outdoor kitchens are completely separate from the home, one growing trend is to build them into a covered deck area or other space that connects to the home. Adding a bit of roofing and a few partial walls or supports capitalizes on the outdoor feel of the space while still giving you a bit of privacy and control over the space you’ll be cooking in.

Accessible Food Prep

When outdoor kitchens first started becoming popular, the usual approach was to do all the food prep inside and then bring things out to cook. Over time, though, homeowners have shifted toward wanting to do some if not all of their prep outdoors as well. This means that modern outdoor kitchens provide access to counter-space, butcher block cutting boards that are built in to the surface, and other prep-area essentials. They also offer up sinks and other sources of water, and many include mini-fridges to keep fresh ingredients cool until they’re needed as well. Some outdoor kitchens even come equipped with dishwashers to provide beginning-to-end cooking solutions!

Pizza Ovens Remain Popular

A lot of outdoor kitchens got their start as an excuse to install brick pizza ovens, and these outdoor ovens remain popular today. The types of pizza ovens that people want have evolved a bit, however. While you’ll still see plenty of very basic brick pizza ovens, clay ovens and more traditional gas or electric ovens are also gaining popularity. The type of pizza oven you choose depends largely on personal preference, just so long as there’s a place for you to cook a pizza out there somewhere.

Outdoor Storage

One other major trend in outdoor kitchens is an increase in available storage space for various tools and other kitchen implements. Some of these spaces are simple, with shelves or reclaimed crates as a place to hold items temporarily. Others are much fancier, including “windows” attached to the house that open to reveal service settings and everything else you need to enjoy a good meal outdoors. There are lockable storage solutions, open-air storage solutions and just about everything else that you can think of available. Basically, it’s a good idea to include all the storage that you would want in your regular kitchen when building a kitchen outdoors.

Building Your Dream Outdoor Kitchen

Are you loving the idea of an outdoor kitchen but aren’t really sure where to start? Let HomeKeepr help! Sign up for a free account today to find a contractor who can take your outdoor kitchen dreams and build them into reality.

Automatic Attic Vents-How Do They Work?

Keeping your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter is one of the big goals of most homeowners. There are a number of ways to do this, including upgrading the windows to more energy-efficient models and performing seasonal maintenance on heating and cooling systems to keep them operating at peak condition. One thing that’s often overlooked however is the influence that attic temperatures can have on the temperature of your whole house.

You may have seen suggestions about installing automatic attic vents to help regulate the temperature in your attic. Is there something behind this, or is it just another upgrade to your home that provides very little benefit? You might be surprised at how effective automatic attic vents can be.

Hot Attic, Cold Attic

It’s pretty common knowledge that hot air rises. The question is, where does all that hot air go? If your attic isn’t well vented, it can build up within the attic itself and increase the temperature of your attic space significantly. The problem with this is that future hot air won’t really have anywhere to go, causing it to linger in the house itself for longer. This is great if it’s the middle of winter and you’re trying to keep your house warm, but you can see how it might be a problem during the heat of summer.

You can run into the opposite situation as well if you have open vents in the attic. Heat can escape more easily, but if it’s cold outside you’ll find all that heat escaping much faster than you would like. This in turn causes heat within your house to escape faster, making it harder to stay warm in the depth of winter’s chill.

Regardless of the situation you find yourself in, the end result will be the same: higher energy costs to keep your house cool in the summer or warm in the winter.

Proper Attic Venting

Attic ventilation is part of the key to solving this issue, but there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. During the summer, you want open attic vents to expel heat and keep your attic as cool as possible. In winter, you want attic vents to be closed to hold heat in for as long as possible. You can open and close these vents manually as part of your seasonal preparations, of course, though this won’t be a perfect solution. The truth is, unless you open or close the vents to account for all the temperature fluctuations during the year, you’ll still be losing money to unnecessary heating and cooling.

Automatic Attic Vents

This is where automatic attic vents come into play. These vents are connected to thermostats (and sometimes even humidistats) to monitor the condition of your attic and open or close the vents as needed based on what things are actually like in the attic. If the temperature goes too high during the summer or if it becomes too humid, the vent opens and lets that unwanted heat and humidity escape. If temperatures drop, the vents close to prevent outside heat from coming in. The opposite happens during the winter, keeping the vents shut to keep warm air in your attic.

Some automatic vents function as simple ventilation units, possessing little function beyond opening and closing. Others include connected fans to force air in or out of the attic to even greater effect. Regardless of the vent type you choose, however, adding one to your attic can make a notable difference in how warm or cool the attic air gets during the year.

Installing New Vents

If you want automatic attic vents but aren’t sure where to start, HomeKeepr has your back. Sign up for a free account today to connect to pros who can install the automatic vent unit that will be the best fit for your current attic setup. All you have to lose is all of that unwanted energy waste.

Should you hire a house cleaning service?

Cleaning up around the house isn’t a task that a lot of people enjoy. It can be especially harrowing if you have a big family or just have a schedule that seems constantly packed. There are probably times when you’ve thought that it would be so much easier to just hire somebody to come in and do the cleaning. And you totally can! There are a number of cleaning services that can provide you with the cleanliness and sanitation you require. The question is, should you hire someone?

There are several factors that can go into the decision to hire a cleaning service. If you’re not sure whether you actually want to call in a cleaning service or not, here are a few things to consider.

How Much Cleaning Is Needed?

The first thing that you should consider is exactly how much cleaning there is to be done. If you only have a small amount of cleaning that’s needed at any given time, there may not be much of a benefit to not just doing it yourself. If you need more cleaned up, though, the benefit obviously grows with the workload.

How Often Is Cleaning Needed?

Another factor in how much of a benefit there is to hire a cleaning service centers around the frequency with which cleaning is needed. If you find that you really only need things cleaned up once every month or two, that probably isn’t an insurmountable task and there’s relatively little benefit based on frequency. If your home could use a good cleaning every week or possibly even a few times a week, however, there could be a huge benefit to hiring it out.

Of course, this should also be weighed against the amount of cleaning required; needing a significant amount of cleaning once a month might still provide a strong case for hiring a cleaning service. Even if cleaning amounts differ, such as one large cleanup followed by periodic maintenance cleaning, the overall benefit could still be substantial.

Do You Have Time to Clean?

The amount of free time that you have can affect the degree of benefit you’d see from hiring a cleaning service. If you’re constantly busy and have very little free time, having someone else do the cleaning would provide a significant benefit. On the flip side, if you find yourself with hours of time in which you don’t have anything to do, you could put some of that time toward cleaning tasks; this would reduce the benefit of hiring a service.

Can You Afford a Cleaning Service?

After you have an idea of how much benefit there is from hiring a cleaning service, compare that against the cost of bringing cleaners in. Look up prices or request quotes from some cleaners in your area to figure out how much of a financial burden the cleaning service would be. You might even want to develop a few different cost models, figuring out how much it would cost to bring them in weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or even on demand.

Should You Hire a Cleaning Service?

Once you have both your approximate benefits and costs figured out, it’s time to compare the two and make sure that there’s enough benefit to justify the cost. If the cleaning service would cause you a financial strain, then there would obviously have to be a substantial benefit for you to hire them. If it would be easy enough to fit their services into your budget, however, the requisite benefit to make it worth your while will be much less. Comparing these two factors will make your decision much easier and can provide insight into how often and to what degree you’ll want their services as well.

Finding the Best Cleaner for Your Needs

If you decide that you do need a cleaning service, you’ll obviously want to get the best one in your area. HomeKeepr can help! Sign up for a free account today and find a cleaning service that will do a great job for a great price, based on the recommendations of people just like you.

Debt Consolidation

If you’re carrying around a lot of debt, the number of payments and the various interest rates you have can make managing it quite difficult. Some people choose to get this under control through debt consolidation. By consolidating your debts, you can reduce multiple items to a single payment with a single interest rate, making your finances easier to manage. Before rushing into debt consolidation, though, it’s important that you take the time to understand exactly how it works and what its benefits are.

Consolidating Your Debt

As its name implies, debt consolidation is the process of combining multiple debts into one that is (theoretically) easier to make payments on. Debt consolidation can even combine different types of debt such as loans and credit cards into a single debt. At its most basic, debt consolidation establishes a new loan or line of credit and then uses that to make payments against the other debts to pay them off. This leaves you with a single remaining debt. Depending on how you manage your consolidation, though, there may be a few differences in your experience.

Consolidation Loans

Taking out a loan to consolidate debt is one of the most common forms of debt consolidation. These loans are typically pretty straightforward, since the borrowed money is used to pay off existing debts and you simply need to pay off the loan after that point. In some cases, you may even be able to piggyback debt consolidation on top of a loan taken out for a purchase, borrowing extra to pay off existing debt. Just be sure to check with your lender to make sure this sort of use is okay before borrowing the money for it.

Credit Card Consolidation

Credit card consolidations typically occur when taking out a new card, using balance transfers to consolidate your existing balances to a single card. This is especially useful if the card has an introductory interest rate such as a 0 percent APR for six months or some other promotion. The theory remains the same, however; instead of having balances across multiple cards, you have only one balance to focus on and pay down.

Debt Management Programs

Though not necessarily a true “consolidation”, debt management programs are another way to get debt under control. These programs can negotiate with debtors, allowing you to make payments on a negotiated schedule without worrying about late fees and other costs piling up. You may have restrictions placed on you such as not being able to take out additional loans, but you will have the advantage of not having to work through getting your debt under control by yourself.

The Effects of Consolidation

Debt consolidation can have a major impact on your financial health, both improving your credit score and helping you to pay down your existing debts faster. It can also save you time and money, since you’ll only have one set of interest charges instead of multiple to keep track of. Best of all, most forms of debt consolidation won’t have a negative impact on things like buying a house since there isn’t a special classification to the loans or transfers in most cases. Even debt management won’t necessarily interfere, since its restrictions are usually focused on unsecured loans instead of secured ones like a mortgage.

What to Watch Out For

There are a few things that you should be careful of when looking into debt consolidation. Perhaps the most important is to avoid getting yourself even deeper in debt once you pay off the balance of your credit cards or other lines of credit. The goal is to pay off what you owe, so hold off on using your cards again until you’re more financially stable. You should also watch out for predatory lenders and fraudulent debt consolidation companies that will charge you a significant amount for things that you could manage on your own for free.

Is Consolidation Right for You?

If you aren’t sure whether debt consolidation is right for you, HomeKeepr may be able to help. Sign up today for free and get in touch with loan experts who can advise you on getting your finances in order without having to sacrifice your big dreams like owning your own home.

Staging Your House to Sell

If you’re planning to sell your house, proper staging can make a huge difference. It’s important to keep in mind that tastes change over time, though, and the staging techniques that were popular when you bought the home might not impress buyers today. If you really want to get the most value out of your home when you sell, it helps to employ staging that will appeal to buyers in the current housing market. Fortunately, there are many ways you can stage your home so that it draws in modern buyers. The goal is to help them see your home as a place they could inhabit and fill with their own style, and these suggestions will help you to achieve this even if tastes have changed since you last decorated your home.

Maximize Your Lighting

A lot of modern buyers are looking for function as well as form when they’re looking at houses. One example of this comes in the form of good lighting. Make sure that the windows are clean and that your window dressings allow natural light to come through. Check that you have sufficiently bright bulbs in your fixtures, and double check that none are burned out. You might also consider adding spotlights or other accent lights in places like the kitchen and bathroom where the potential buyers might want additional light. If you really want to wow people, you could even install smart bulbs that can be controlled from a smartphone or smart speaker.

Keep It Earthy

Color trends change over time. At the moment, warm colors are hot. When staging your home, work with accent colors such as chocolate, olive green, beige and wine to tie your various decorations together. This will add splashes of warm, earthy color that’s neither too bright nor too dark. As an added benefit, these shades go well with a wide range of wall and floor options, so you can add some nice earthy accents without having to completely redesign your home beforehand.

Touch Up the Walls

If your walls are too mild or too wild, consider adding a fresh coat of paint before you get ready to sell your home. There are several colors that are popular right now, including a number of shades of blue, gray and green. You can usually get away with some light pink and gold shades too, as well as the occasional off-white. You don’t want anything too bold in most rooms, just something that will give a bit of color to the room. But feel free to skew a little darker if you’re painting a bathroom or bedroom.

De-Personalize the Place

You may have heard that it’s a good idea to make your home look lived in, since that can help potential buyers see it as an actual living space instead of just a showcase. This isn’t bad advice; having some unique decorative items and other accents can really help buyers to picture their own stuff in the house. Just make sure that you take out anything that’s overly personal, like family photos, items with your family name and other keepsakes. Leave your decorations a little sparse, too. The goal is to inspire potential buyers and help them picture where they would put their belongings and their own pictures, and it’s hard to do that if there are pictures of your family everywhere or decorations filling every available space.

Finding the Right Look

If you’re not exactly sure how to stage your home, don’t be afraid to bring in a bit of professional help. HomeKeepr is here to help you with that, too. Sign up for a free account now and you’ll be on your way to finding the decorator or professional stager to assist you in getting just the look you need to really make your buyers want to sign.

February newsletter

Happy Valentine's Day!

In the spirit of this amorous season, we have BIG news! Last month, our very own Thea Charnas was taken on a surprise trip to Cleveland (her hometown) where her boyfriend Michael proposed to her on their college football field surrounded by family and friends (hiding in the stands) as he got down on one knee in an empty and quiet stadium with the lights shining bright and asked her to marry him! We couldn't be any happier for Thea and Michael!! Her ring is stunning! They are planning a wedding for this summer. When you see Thea next, be sure and wish her congratulations!! She is SO excited...and so are we!!

We hope this finds you off to a great start for 2020-The Roaring 20s! February is an interesting and eventful month in many ways-between the palindrome 02-02-2020, which apparently hasn't happened in over 900 years...to this being a leap year and we get an extra day on February 29th...to Groundhog Day and we find out if we will have 6 more weeks of winter...to Valentine's Day...to President's Day...to Black History Month...and let's not forget the Super Bowl! Whew! That is a LOT going on in one month!

Speaking of the Super Bowl, did you watch? Do you care? If you did watch, it was quite the game until the end. And, let's not forget the incredibly controversial halftime show! The ads, which is always a favorite didn't seem to be as funny or memorable this year with two notable exceptions for me: 1) the Jeep commercial with Bill Murray and Groundhog Day and 2) Ragged Old Flag. Did you see those? What did you think? Hopefully, if you placed any wagers, the fates were shining upon you. :-)

Kylie is doing great and keeping our team running smoothly. She tracks everything and is doing a great job ensuring we are hitting our goals and providing higher and higher levels of service.

Patti has been working hard on some new marketing programs for our clients and referral partners. We are always looking for new ways to provide value to our clients and referral partners. Look for a cool video campaign where we spotlight some of our most recognized referral partners so you can learn more about them. They keep us looking good for our clients! Patti has also been hard at work studying for her real estate exam. It is a LOT of classwork and studying, but she is doing great and is looking forward to being the 4th licensed team member.

Jack and Mary Anne helped us celebrate Tali's 10th birthday last week. It is hard to believe both of our kids are in the double-digits now! She is doing so well in school and has been doing great competing at the next level up in gymnastics. She still practices 4-days/week and loves every minute of it! Ana is loving Guerin High School! It was quite a change from Westfield High School, but she only attended 1 trimester there before transferring to Guerin. She is working harder now than ever before, but is enjoying her new friends and a much smaller school. Brigid has been doing quite a bit of traveling for her job lately and we are always happy to have her home!

Steve will be headed to Dallas on Valentine's Day to attend the annual Keller Williams convention called Family Reunion. This will be the first time since he joined Keller Williams 7 years ago that he went, and is looking forward to it. It is 4 days jam-packed with seminars and workshops on how to improve your business and service to your clients. There will be a lot of ideas to implement upon his return! Steve also celebrated in November 20-years in real estate! It is hard to believe it has been that long. Time flies when you are having fun!!

The real estate market is already off and running! With the record-low inventory, houses in certain price ranges and areas are selling in hours with multiple offers already! The continued record-low inventory is the main issue stifling the real estate market right now. There just aren't enough houses on the market to satisfy the demand.

Steve attended a meeting with some of the heads of the largest real estate companies in the state speaking. They were all in agreement that 2020 would be another extremely strong year in real estate. They were predicting relatively flat growth, but that is flat at a very high sales pace, so not bad. More inventory would do wonders for our market. So, if you or someone you care about is thinking about selling this year, please give us a call. We have a unique marketing plan that has propelled us to one of the top teams in the city with one of the lowest days on market and highest list price to sales price ratio. We would love to show you how we do it! Call us at 317-573-1880.

Below, please find the December 2019 compared to December 2018 MIBOR market numbers. They are showing the effects of the low inventory with higher sales prices and low days on market.

Median Sales Price-UP 6.4% to $190,500
Closed Sales-DOWN 0.4% to 35,474 units
New Listings-DOWN 2.2% to 41,590 units
Pending Sales-Flat at 35,825 units
Days on Market-DOWN 8.3% to 44 days
Price per s.f.-UP 5.7% to $112/s.f.
% of Ask Received-DOWN 0.1% to 97.6%
Active Inventory-DOWN 11.1% to 5,695 units
Absorption Rate-DOWN 17.4% to 2.3 months

We are SUPER excited to announce that we have WON the Angie's List SUPER SERVICE AWARD for the 5th year in a row!! This is awarded to the top 5% of companies in each category. We are honored and grateful as your stellar reviews got us here. Please keep those reviews coming! They are most appreciated!!!

Happy Hour for February is Thursday, February 20th from 5-6:30pm at Matt The Miller's in Carmel. We would LOVE for you to join us! FREE drinks and appetizers and tons of laughs and good times. Please stop by, even if only for a few minutes as we would love to see you!

Are you or someone you care about thinking about buying a new home this year? If so, and especially if this is going to be your/their first home, please plan to attend our first Homebuyer's Workshop THIS Thursday, February 6th from 5:30-7pm at the Westfield-Washington Public Library located at 333 West Hoover Street. We will be walking you through the process of how to buy a home as well as The Top Ten Mistakes Buyers Make and How to Avoid Them. There will also be a lender there to answer any questions you may have. Come join us and bring your questions! We won't leave until every last one of them is answered! Bring your friends as everyone is welcome.

Thank you for reading this far! :-) We hope you enjoy your Valentine's Day and do let us know how we can help you or someone you care about, whether it is buying, selling, or building (yes, we help a TON of clients with new construction-both custom and production and you don't pay a dime for our professional services and advice!).

Click here to download the most powerful real estate app available

Click here to read our February newsletter

Click here to read what others are saying about us

Click here to read about our Senior Advantage Program

Click here to request a FREE market analysis of your home

Click here to access coupons and discounts at places you shop every day

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Your Friends in Real Estate,

Steve, Kylie, Patti, & Thea

P.S. Please don't keep us a secret!

Umbrella insurance policies

Insurance is important, especially for homeowners. There are a lot of things that can go wrong around the house, and having a good insurance policy helps to guard against unexpected problems or accidents that can occur. What happens when your homeowner’s policy isn’t enough, though? There are some instances where you may find yourself in need of a bit more coverage than your current policies offer. This is where an umbrella policy comes in.

Umbrella insurance policies provide you with additional liability protection on top of your existing insurance coverage. If you’re like a lot of homeowners, though, you might not be sure whether you need an umbrella policy and may not even know exactly what coverage it provides. If that’s the case, here is some information to help you decide whether you need an umbrella over your head.

What Is an Umbrella Policy?

Umbrella coverage is known by a few different names: personal umbrella policies, umbrella insurance and even umbrella liability insurance. Regardless of what it’s called, though, the coverage is designed to protect individuals from large liability claims and judgments. These policies cover some of the biggest causes of liability claims including bodily injury, property damage, landlord liability and similar situations. As the name implies, they are intended for personal claims and won’t cover liability due to contracts (beyond property rental agreements in the case of landlords) or business losses.

How Umbrella Policies Work

An umbrella policy acts as additional insurance coverage once the primary insurance liability limit is reached. For homeowners, this means that if someone is injured on your property or you face some other significant liability, the liability coverage in your homeowner’s insurance or other policy will be used to cover the cost first. If the liability is substantial and requires a larger payout than what your policy limit covers, the umbrella policy will take over to cover the additional amount.

It’s worth noting that umbrella policies aren’t just for homeowners. They can provide coverage over other types of insurance as well. Many homeowners also use umbrella coverage to protect against automobile accident liability as well, since a car accident could easily cause property damage or injury that exceeds the liability coverage offered by a lot of car insurance policies.

Why Get an Umbrella Policy?

Having the extra liability coverage provided by an umbrella policy is a good way to put your mind at ease. Not only does it ensure that medical and other costs that can result from accidents will be taken care of, but it also provides additional protection against lawsuits that might arise from those same accidents. This becomes particularly important if you own a fixer-upper or are in the process of slowly remodeling your home, since the little imperfections and other problems that you hope to eventually fix can increase the likelihood of accidents or other damage. While it’s possible that your existing insurance will cover your liabilities, the umbrella coverage gives you an extra layer of protection.

Is an Umbrella Policy Right for You?

Whether you need an umbrella policy depends on your current lifestyle, the home you live in, its state of repair and even the coverage limits of your existing insurance. In most cases you won’t be required to have umbrella coverage, unlike a homeowner’s policy or mortgage insurance often required by lenders. You should take the time to consider your situation, shop around for umbrella policy quotes and think about whether an umbrella policy will give you a little more security.

Finding Your Perfect Policy

If you decide that you need umbrella coverage, the next thing you need to do is make sure that you aren’t paying too much for the coverage that you get. HomeKeepr can help. Sign up for a free account today so you can find an insurance agent who has the perfect umbrella policy for your needs without you getting left out in the rain.