Don't Let Your Short Sale Leave You Taxed!

If you, or someone you know, owe more on your home than it's worth and need to sell NOW is the time to contact me!  Time is running out to save yourself from what could be a significant tax implication in the future.

In 2007, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act was passed in an attempt to help the millions of homeowners who, due to the housing crisis and economic crash, suddenly found themselves in danger of losing their home to foreclosure.

The act has helped many distressed homeowners find solutions that help them avoid foreclosure and opened up options to them that were previously unavailable.

However, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act was always intended to be a temporary solution and it is now set to expire at the end of 2013. For distressed homeowners, this means that time is running out for them to take advantage of the program and potentially save themselves tens of thousands of dollars.

If you know of anyone who may need my expertise, please have them visit my website www.HomesByCindyB.com for a copy of my recent report entitled “Don’t Let Your Short Sale Leave You Taxed”  or you can contact me for a copy.

And then contact me for a confidential consultation today so we can get started!

Three Benefits of Painting Your Home’s Exterior This Fall

While the summer months are typically thought of as the best time to paint your home exterior, don’t be so quick to put the paintbrush down as autumnal weather sets in.

As it turns out, early fall can be an excellent time for painting the outside of your home, affording the following benefits:

1. Fall has optimal temperature conditions for painting. In general, autumn temperatures remain above the minimum recommended painting temperature, which is anywhere from 35 degrees F to 50 degrees F. On top of this benefit, fall temperatures tend to fluctuate less between daytime and nighttime hours, putting less stress on paint.
   
   
2. A fresh coat of paint is a great selling point. The early fall is a time period when the last influx of home sales occurs before winter descends and the calendar year wraps up. Applying new paint to your house is an economical way to boost curb appeal and desirability during this last surge of home sales, and is a way to set your home apart from other homes on the market that are vying for the attention of buyers.
   
   
3. Painting protects your home from the winter elements. In addition to making your home look fresh and bright, a new paint job adds a great layer of protection to the exterior of your home leading up to the typically harsh winter weather of Central Indiana.

Want more information about improving curb appeal and readying your Indianapolis-area home for sale? Get in touch with me, your Prudential Indiana Realty Group agent!  You can reach me at 317.442.9786 or cbreneman@prudentialindiana.com

Virtual Open House for week ending September 27th

I hope you have been enjoying our beautiful weather!  Summer continues to hang on although we did usher in Fall this week.  With that, the west Carmel housing closed home sales was reflective of the change in seasons with only three closed sales.  However, new listings still remain strong with one of those listings receiving an accepted offer.

Sold listing for the week:
998 3rd Ave NW, 111018 Tamoshanter Drive, and 615 East 116th Street.

New homes on the market:
112441 Creekwood Lane, 11004 Crooked Stick Lane, 11237 Horbeck Street, 2575 Manigault Street, 13736 Royal Saddle Drive, 9970 Mill Run Overlook, 974 2nd Ave NW, 73 11th Street NW, 11717 Yale Drive, 13839 Perrin Drive, 11567 Perkins Street, 485 East 116th Street, and 931 Wickham Court.  11547 Woodview Drive West was listed and received an accepted offer this week. 

It's never too late to begin thinking about the market next Spring.  If you are considering listing, now is the best time to begin to make the preparations.  In order to get a jump on the market next Spring, you need to begin now!  Fall is a great time for exterior painting and the lawn care steps you take today will be evidenced in the early Spring as things begin to green up.  Contact me TODAY for a free market analysis. We can discuss your plans and develop the timeline to make this to happen for you!

Your Virtual Tour...September 20, 2013

I apologize to my faithful readers out there who look to this site to keep up to date on the latest closings and new listing in the 46032 zip code.  I was doing very well at keeping up when things began to explode this spring and then...BAM! I got busy, the number of new listings and closings each week began to grow and the next thing I knew, I got away from the postings on the actual market data for each week.  Today is a start back into listing that data each week.

NEW LISTINGS

10664 Walnut Creek Drive, 10348 High Grove Drive, 1855 Hourglass Drive, 3805 Steeplechase Drive, 12436 Horesham Street, 13973 Inglenook Lane, 2567 Manigualt Street, 12572 Brandford Street, 13187 Antonia Blvd, 9671 Priairiewood Way, 12842 Bird Cage Walk, 12735 Vanderhorst Street, 12736 Ashworth Street, 12840 Bird Cage Walk,121 1st Street SE, 12729 Vanderhorst Street, 942 Grace Drive, 664 W Main Street, 11160 Westfield Blvd, 358 Carmelaire Court, 366 Carmelaire Court, 11715 Brockford Court, 11725 Lenox Lane and 12568 N Timber Creek Drive.  402 Kimbrough Lane was listed and pended this week.

CLOSINGS FOR THE WEEK

11427 Brookstone Drive, 12192 Teal Lane, 3741 Carwinion Way, 11451 Sutton Place Drive East, 10911 Valley Forge Circle, 1359 Holden Court, 522 Chauncy Street, 2926 Vinings Drive, 433 Stonehedge Drive, 11030 Auman Drive West and 510 Hunters Drive West.

JOIN ME THIS SUNDAY!

Join me this Sunday, September 22nd for an open house on 14240 Murphy Circle East Drive from 1-3.  This is a turn-key 4 bedroom home with a full finished basement.  The master area has a separate sitting area and probably the largest closet you'll ever see!  The yard is completed with patio, pergola and tons of landscaping.  This is really a must see!

Just remember, if you are interested in seeing any of these homes or would like a FREE market analysis completed on your home, feel free to contact me at 317-442-9786.

4 Questions to Answer Before Paying Off Your Mortgage Early

Paying off your mortgage early is a relatively risk-free move, which is not something that many other investments can offer. That being said, there are opportunity costs associated with paying off your mortgage early.  For instance, paying off your mortgage quickly while not having enough “rainy day” funds or exposing yourself to other risk may not be worth it, especially if you already have a good interest rate locked in. Or maybe getting rid of that 3 percent to 4 percent interest sounds good, except maybe you could have made 7 percent to 8 percent interest by investing it elsewhere. It’s a tricky subject, but here are four questions you should answer before deciding to pay off your mortgage early. 1) How much principle remains? This is key in understanding how much you will pay and for how long during an accelerated pay schedule. Generally, it is a good idea to make an extra payment on your mortgage whenever it makes sense financially, but if you have 28 years left on your mortgage, trying to pay it off in 12 may not be as easy as it sounds. On the other hand, if you only have 9 years left on your current schedule, it is probably easier than it sounds. 2) What do your other investments look like? This is a follow-up to question No. 1. A home is one of the largest investments most people will make. But what about the rest of your portfolio? If you are sitting pretty on a couple of good stocks/investment groups and confident in their returns, you may decide investing in stocks, bonds, real estate or other capital is better than paying off a low-interest loan early. 3) What other debt do you have? If you have credit card debt which is hitting you with a higher monthly interest rate than your home – and add non-tax-deductible interest on top of that – you’ll probably want to focus on paying that down instead. Or if you have children who will be entering college in a few years and you would like to put more money to their college fund, this may be a better use of money than paying off your mortgage early. 4) What are your upcoming life plans? Do you plan on moving in a few years? What about having a child? Or maybe you are three years into a 30-year mortgage but only 10 years away from retirement. Take a look at how much you will spend short-term vs. save long-term and how that plays into your future life plans. For a closer look at what making extra payments on your mortgage will mean to your bottom line, fill out this Early Mortgage Payoff Calculator and decide what your best course of action is. If you still have questions, feel free to call me, your Central Indiana Prudential Realtor, at 317-442-9786 and I can assist you in your queries.

U.S. Home Prices on the Rise: What’s Next?

The Indianapolis Star reports that the average price of homes in the U.S. is steadily rising when compared to where they were a year ago. The most recent data, from May, shows a 12.2 percent jump from the 2012 averages.

For regular readers of this monthly newsletter, this is no surprise. There has been consistent good news on housing, like last month’s piece on home-sale agreements, or the 20 consecutive months of home sale improvements. In many places around the country, and even here in Central Indiana, it is starting to turn into a seller’s market — though buyers can still find fantastic deals and historically low interest rates.

After years of a down market, we are seeing signs of growth faster than we have in previous years. So what do you do next?

Well … it depends. If you’re looking to sell, now is a great time to list. There are still a few months left of the peak buying season, and if you move quickly, you can still show off your home with green grass and beautiful landscaping. If you’re looking to buy, rising interest rates should motivate you to contact me today and begin the buying process, which includes determining the kind of home you need and getting pre-approved for a mortgage.  I even have lenders that I can recommend to you.

Even though the peak buying and selling season is winding down, continued growth is showing that this year’s gains will continue into fall and winter. But who wants to look for homes in the snow when you can do so now in this beautiful weather? And if you wait until next Spring you will most certainly see higher interest rates.

Contact me today to get started.

July Monthly Market Indicators

I'm sure you have been wondering just where is this market taking us.  The stats for July are in and are showing continued improvement in the housing market, regardless of what you may have heard from one local company earlier in the month.

The Central Indiana housing market continues to show impressive sales activity with increasing median and average housing prices.  Inventory hit a low earlier in the year and continues to stay at a relatively low rate...at least we have consistency here.  New listings continue to add to the inventory selection as buyers adapt to this changing, fast-paced market.

How did Hamilton County come out for the month of July?
New listings for the month of July were up 19.6% over July 2013 with a three month total increase of 13.4% over the same period last year.  Sales continue to be brisk with an increase of 39.6% month to month over last year and a total increase over the period of May through July of 30.0%.  

The average sales price for July was $259,822 which is a 4% improvement over last year with a median sales price of $225,000.  The median sales price for the same period last year was $214,500 which shows a 4.9% improvement.

Where is all this headed?
Once again, since my crystal ball still eludes me, I'll just have to share what the industry predicts.  The status of mortgage rates and what the fed ends up doing, along with the low inventory will be the key factor's as to how the market will swing.  Uncertainty of the upcoming effects of the Affordable Health Care Act may have some impact if it ultimately affects employment and wage growth. That may pull some of the buyers from the market.  

Mortgage rates are currently holding steady but an increase could hold some buyers back or pull them from the market altogether.  We have seen some instances where buyers have gotten caught up in the increased rates and have had to lower their expectations.  

How should I react to this news?
I would say it all depends on your goal and what you want to accomplish.  If you are considering buying, I would say if you're in the position to do so, DO IT!  If you need to sell and if your home is market ready, don't wait, get it on the market now, since we are faced with some uncertainty of what will happen six months down the road.

Should you wait until next Spring?  One thing that is most likely going to happen is that you will see interest rates increase. Currently, they are holding steady, but we don't know how long that will last. We are seeing an increase in sales price, so if you are moving up, you're probably best not to wait.  If you're looking to down size, weigh the cost factors of where you are at vs. where you will be once you move.  That will be your determining factor. You may decide that getting out from under the big house, mortgage, big heating bills before winter might be the best thing to do. One thing that I can say, is that today we know what we are facing, next Spring, it may be another story.

If you are considering making a move, please contact me at 317-558-7771 so we can discuss your goals and determine what works best for you.  If you would like to discuss the market in further detail, I'm always willing to buy you a cup of coffee and chat about it.

Until next time.....

The Westons Update...Yes, the Market is HOT!

There has been quite a bit of activity going on in the Westons neighborhood the past few months and it is safe to say that sales and sale price have dramatically increased since the first of May.

Since May 1st, 9 homes have sold with an average sales price of $306,844 with an average of 45 days on the market.  Of those 9 homes, four of them had accepted offers within 10 days of going on the market.  The average sales price is 98% of the listed price and computes out to $119 per square foot.

Compare that with the period from February 1 through the end of April and we find only 5 homes sold with an average sales price of $204,700.  The average days on market for those sales was 54 days and the average price per square foot was $102....a pretty dramatic increase.

Currently there are 6 homes listed for sale in the MIBOR BLC, 4 of which have pending offers.  The two homes currently for sale are the homes at 10901 Weston Drive and 10736 Morristown Court.  If you or someone you know would like to take a look at either of these two homes please contact me.

If you have considered selling your home and would like to still get in on this hot market, don't wait another day!  Give me a call so we can discuss what we need to do to get your home sold.

 

Rising Mortgage Interest Rates Signal Time to Act

Central Indiana residents looking to buy a home this summer will be watching mortgage interest rates start to climb. Though rates remain at historically low levels, the national averages for interest rates are on the move.

According to bankrate.com, the benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was around 4.48 percent earlier this month. This is compared to around a 3.87 percent rate last year at this time.

Overall, the rise of interest rates signals a stabilizing economy that will need less caretaking from economic industries. This is good news, but for people looking to buy a home in the next few months, it could be a signal to act.

According to some experts, the steady growth in mortgage interest rates will keep moving along. This does not mean you have missed the opportunity to buy a new home, as rates are still remarkably low and home prices in Central Indiana are still affordable.

What these rising rates means, however, is that potential homebuyers should think about searching for their new home and listing their current property soon, as there could be an increase in home-buying activity as people try to lock in low rates.

Of course, every situation is different, and you should never rush into selling or buying a home. But for those residents who are interested in learning more or beginning the process, contact me today and learn what deals you can find, and get up-to-date information on mortgage rates and trends.

How Much Can You Afford to Spend on that Perfect Home?

 Having a finger on the pulse of how much your household brings in each month and also how much money flows out in that time period will be what helps you to understand which price range you should be shopping within.

One helpful tool that can get you on the right track is the Homebuying Calculator from MSN Money. By filling out the fields required on this calculator as accurately as possible, you’ll be given a solid estimate of how much money you can put toward a house.

One area that remains hazy on this calculator, however, is the “Other monthly obligations” item. Here’s a sample of what these items might include:

• Student loan payments
• Healthcare/gym costs
• Monthly utility bills
• Your household’s entertainment and recreation budget
• Food budget
• Clothing budget
• Savings budget
• Transportation budget

In addition, first-time homeowners must realize that it costs a lot to get a home up and running. Items you may want or need to invest in include:

• Furniture
• Large appliances — washer, dishwasher, refrigerator, etc.
• Furnishings and home accessories — lighting, dishes and cookware, window dressings, rugs, etc.
• Outdoor items — lawn mower, ladder, outdoor furniture, etc.

Tally up the amount allotted to all these items — as well as any other areas where you have payment commitments — to get the best estimate possible for your home-buying budget.

Once you’ve squared away how much you can afford and are ready to begin shopping for a home, contact me to get the ball rolling on your home search!

Home Sale Agreement are Still Rising

For people into numbers, there are plenty of good stats coming out about Central Indiana’s real estate market. For people who aren’t into math, the key takeaway is that the nine-county Indianapolis-area real estate market is selling more homes than it has in years.

The Indianapolis Business Journal reports that year-to-date home sales are nearly 20 percent ahead of the 2012 pace, and the average sale price is more than 5 percent up from last year — through June the average sale price was $161k. Even high-end real estate is increasing, as seven $1 million homes were sold in June.

June saw 2,637 purchase agreements on existing homes. Marion County agreements are up 5.5 percent from last year, while Hamilton County saw an 8.3 percent jump.  If you are interested in more detailed information about home sales in your neighborhood, please let me know.

An active market is a healthy market, so if you’re looking to buy a home, now is a good time to start.

Let me know if you’re ready to buy or sell a home in the Carmel area, and we will work diligently to put you in the home of your dreams.

Carmelfest...Silver Edition

2013 marks the 25th year for the annual celebration our nation's birth in the town of Carmel.  Celebrating Independence Day in Carmel has become quite a tradition and has fun for all ages.  The festivities kick off today at 4:00 at the City Civic Center with food, fun and entertainment on three stages.

Highlights of the two day event include the annual Freedom Run, which kicks off July 4th at 8:00 from the Carmel High School parking lot followed by the Fourth of July Parade at 10:30. In addition festival attendees will find Marketplace and food vendors as well as a Kid's Zone offering an array of family-friendly rides,  activities and entertainment throughout the two day festival.

The Festival Finale is the 2013 fireworks show launched by Firestone and synchronized to music on FM 107.9 "The Mix" following a signature performance by the Carmel Symphony Orchestra on the Gazebo Stage at 8:30.  

Admission is free to the public but you are encouraged to purchase a "Spark Button" to help cover the cost of the fireworks show.  Come out and show your Patriotic Pride this July 4th.  Hope to see you there!

Virtual Tour for the Week Ending June 27, 2013.

This week saw an increase in home inventory with 24 homes coming on the market, two of which now have offers and only 17 closed sales.  However to get a true reading of what is going on we would have to look at the total number of homes on the market vs. those with pending offers. An assessment of that data shows that there are currently 253 homes listed as active in the 46032 area and 171 with offers waiting to close.

New homes on the market this week:
421 Springwood Drive, 12900 Clay Center Road, 3550 Sedgemoor Circle, 3509 Sedgemoor Circle, 1820 Millford Street, 13836 Coldwater Drive, 10764 Kings Mill Drive, 12550 Pembrooke Circle, 12447 Glendurgan Drive, 1391 N Claridge Way, 318 107th Street, 12192 Teal Lane, 3741 Carwinion Way, 13707 Autumn Lake Overlook, 2272 Moon Shadow Lane, 444 Twin Oaks Drive, 2264 Mood Shadow Lane, 490 Smokey Row Road, 818 Ivy Lane, 14561 Saddleback Drive, 754 Bennett Road and 14035 Sedona Court.  

If  you are interested in having a private showing of any of these homes, please contact me at 317.442.9786.

New to the market with offers:
644 E Main Street and 11559 Woodview Drive.

Properties that closed this week:
934 Deer Lake Drive, 12974 Regent Circle, 10669 Crown Court, 12521 Branford Street, 11397 Royal Circle, 354 Terrents Court, 12826 Shelborne Road, 1367 Hinault Way, 11510 Perkins Street, 590 Burr Oak Drive, 235 Legacy Lane, 2962 Weatherstone Drive, 111 Blairsden Ave, 11213 Arborwood Trail, 330 2nd St SW, 574 Hunters Drive West, and 12517 Timber Creek Drive.

This is the latest market news for this week. Be sure to check back for my latest on the May stats for Hamilton County and don't forget, you can subscribe to this blog to have the latest news delivered to your inbox.

Your Virtual Tour for the Week Ending June 20

Market activity has remained steady this week with 17 new listings, three of which received offers the first week. Be on the look out for my monthly market update for all of Hamilton County coming in the next few days.

New homes on the market this week:
11140 Ditch Road, 13168 Dumbarton Street, 13671 Brookstone Drive, 1192 Angelique Court, 11574 Westbury Place Drive, 689 Edison Way, 12916 Tradd Street, 2141 E 106th Street,  763 Grace Drive, 726 Woodview Drive North, 11542 Applewood Circle, 874 Rosalind Place, 137 9th Street NW, and 944 Rosalind Place.
 
Homes listed that already have offers:
10889 Weston Drive, 1346 Holden Court, and 1371 Holden Court.

Homes that closed on the sale this week:
10450 Windemere Blvd, 2444 Hopwood Drive, 1307 Clay Spring Drive, 13921 Silver Stream Circle, 1446 Clearwater Court, 12824 Clifford Circle, 2030 Hamilton Lane, 12761 Forsyth Street, 840 Bennett Court, 11522 Perkins Street, 425 Autumn Drive, 220 1st Ave SE, 862 Rosalind Place, 11221 Basswood Court, and 582 Hunters Drive West.

As always, if you are interested in more information or to see any of these homes, please contact me for your private viewing.  And did you know that you can subscribe to this blog and have the posts delivered to your inbox each and every time there is new information? Just click the subscribe link at the end of this post.

That's all for this week....see you next time!

Virtual Tour For the Week Ending June 13, 2013

The market just keeps on keeping on!  We continue to see a number of new homes come on the market and go just as quickly.  Here is your virtual tour for the week ending June 13th.

Can we say, the market is hopping???

New homes on the market for the week:
1514 Preston Trail, 653 W 141st Street, 1395 Queens Way, 1905 W Main Street, 2993 Topaz Lane, 10737 Stratton Circle, 9894 Summerlakes, 12511 Glendurgan Drive, 1245 Helford Lane, 321 W. Main Street, 2114 Renegade Court, 3205 Tantara Bend, 13906 Stonemill Circle, 13674 Oliver Lane, 855 S Park Trail Drive, 11512 Blossom Way, 12848 Clifford Circle, 1370 Bentley Way, 787 Grace Drive, 9618 Shelborne Road, and 2994 Weatherstone Drive.

Those new on the market with offers:
10910 Trumbull Circle, 804 Woodview Drive North, 421 Lexington Blvd, 429 Thornberry Drive, 519 E 116th Street, 12029 Leighton Court, 371 Patoka Place, 2884 Brook Vista Drive, 12951 Tuscany Blvd, 2118 Burning Tree Lane, 9748 Sawgrass Court, 13756 Roswell Drive, 10706 Jordan Road, and 10424 Fergus Ave.

Home sales that closed this week:
2119  Finchley Road, 696 Suffolk Lane, 3795 Barnstable Road, 12894 Brighton Circle, 12708 Brandenburg Drive, 12734 Moonseed Drive, 3584 Inverness Blvd, 2896 Brook Vista Drive, 3626 Patriot Court,  544 Village Drive East, 136 Park View Road, 2000 Rhettsbury Street, 3582 Seminole Drive, 2243 Glebe Street, 100 Harmony Road, 593 Burr Oak Drive, 461 American Way South, and 745 Hickory Drive.

What It Take to Compete as a Buyer In today's Market

The real estate market in Central Indiana has settled firmly into seller’s market territory.
 

The newest report from the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS notes the increased activity on the housing market is creating somewhat of a frenzy, with “buyers eager for available properties compet(ing) like they haven’t in years.”

For sellers, this is a great thing.

But for buyers, it might take a bit more effort than in the previous few years to land the home you’re longing for. Here are a few tips to help buyers compete in this seller’s market:

1. Know What You’re Looking For. Determine your needs and your wants in a potential home, all before you’ve even started looking. This way, the moment new homes come on the market, you (and your agent) will know which ones are up for consideration and which ones aren’t worth pursuing, all based on your predetermined parameters.
2. Get Financing Squared Away. Plain and simple: Unless you plan to pay with cash, get preapproved for a loan. Otherwise, you’ll get left in the dust by buyers who have proof that they have the means to purchase the home in question, all while you’re still working to get finances squared away. Money talks; give sellers your word with a loan preapproval.
3. Prepare Yourself For A Bidding War. Be prepared to be outbid by other buyers competing for the same home. You can combat this issue by shopping for homes below your price range; in the case that a bidding war ensues, you’ll be able to up your offer and still stay within your budget. Note that if you’re only shopping for homes at the top of your price range, you’ll need to mentally prepare yourself for disappointment if you can’t keep up with higher offers from competing buyers.
4. Be Prepared To Make Decisions Quickly. In this market, homes change hands in short order. If you’re serious about a particular property, be ready to make decisions regarding purchase quickly. Tarry, and the home will likely get picked up by someone else in no time.

If you or someone you know is planning to buy or put their home on the market, contact me today, so I can get you started on this process.  Homes are moving fast and it's a great time to be a seller. 

Just The Facts!

I've been reporting over the past several weeks about the uptick in the housing market for the 46032 area.  I just wanted to give you some perspective as to how all of this is actually breaking down when we look at the numbers.

I pulled the data and here is what we have. From March 1 this year, 487 homes have closed in the 46032 area compared to 443 for the same period last year.  Median price per square foot was $115 vs. $106 for this period last year and the median Days On Market was 49 vs. 68 for 2012.

Sounds like you need to be IN the market, and not just a by-stander!  Contact me TODAY and let's get it started!

June 7th Virtual Open House

Activity has been brisk in the 46032 area and we continue to see improvement in the housing market.  The next three months should see a frenzy of activity as buyers and sellers work to position themselves where they want to be by the time that school begins and cooler weather arrives.  

With the increase in market activity and increase in prices we have also seen an increase in interest rates.  While they are still at historically low levels we are seeing some increases.  If you're considering buying or selling and haven't jumped into the market yet, what are you waiting for??  Call me TODAY so we can get moving on this before all the good deals are gone!

I would be happy to show any of these homes that were just listed to you: 1764 Halifax Street, 1336 N Claridge Way, 12363 Amethyst Circle, 2513 Sutton Place Drive South, 9761 Colonial Drive, 3790 Lattice Court, 12953 N Fleetwood Drive, 823 Ivy Lane,  13461 Winamac Court, 1363 Bentley Way, 643 Marana Drive, 31 Manchester Court,  600 Melark Drive, 11725 Brockford Court, 10424 Charter Oaks and 550 Hunters Drive West.

New to the market but already under contract are 9726 Innisbrook Blvd, and 10427 Connaught Drive.

Look for new neighbors in these homes: 3261 Whispering Pines Lane, 2365 Steffee Drive, 12732 Brandenburg Drive, 11599 Newbridge Court, 10441 Bosahan Court, 10305 Tammer Drive, 824 N Bennett Road, 10743 Putnam Place, 1786 Harvard Lane, 9732 Innisbrook Blvd,  616 Lexington Blvd, 12475 Carmel Garden, 640 1st Ave NE, 230 5th Street NE and 11720 Brockford Court.  

If you are interested in keeping up to date with the new listings on the market subscribe to my blog and have my posts delivered directly to your inbox.

Interested in listings in the other areas of Carmel?  I can help with that.  Just email me at cbreneman@prudentialindiana.com and tell me what you're looking for and they will be delivered to your inbox each morning. 

How Do These People Sleep At Night?

From time to time we hear of local real estate scams going cropping up. Most of the time they are of the nature of something to do with repairs to homes, especially when summer storms roll through.  More often than not, the victims are unassuming elderly individuals who have been convinced that the services are needed. When I hear of such reports I wonder how these individuals can sleep at night? 

The following alert was sent out by the office of Attorney General Greg Zoeller.  Apparently there have been numerous complaints regarding this.  While this "service" is not illegal it is highly unethical.  

If you ever have questions regarding anything to do with property you own please feel free to contact me.  I am your trusted resource for all matters Real Estate!

"Watch out for mailings offering copies of deeds"

News reports and consumer calls confirm that the “Property Deed Scam” is still hitting

home with Hoosiers.  The mailing is often from a private company, with a government-

like name, offering certified copies of your land deed for an excessive fee – up to $87.

Property deeds are public records and your county recorder can provide you a copy for free or at a nominal cost, often times a $1 per page.  Attorney General Greg Zoeller said that while the property deed service is not necessarily illegal, the solicitation can often mislead consumers into believing they need a copy. Homeowners are not required to have copies even when they sell a property.

Zoeller asks consumers to disregard the mailings and help warn family and friends –

especially senior citizens. If you have any doubts about a mailing offering a government-provided service, contact the entity directly to confirm the solicitation’s

legitimacy. If you have paid for this service, but did not receive your deed copy you can

file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office by visiting www.IndianaConsumer.com or requesting a complaint form be mailed to you by calling

1.800.382.5516.