What's Happening in Northwest Indiana?

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

  

Hey everyone, today I am here with a quick market update for you. Today we are going to take a look at the latest real estate numbers in Northwest Indiana. We're going to take a look at the numbers through May of 2015, and compare them to what we we're seeing at the same time last year.

Through May of 2014, we sold 3,147 homes in all of Northwest Indiana. Through May of 2015, that number is now 3,255 homes, an increase of 3.4%.

 
The average sales price for a home in Indiana was $144,877 in May of 2014. In May of 2015, the average price was up to $155,484. That's an astonishing increase of over 7% in just one year!
We'd also like to congratulate Anthony Dubbs for winning a gift card in our testimonial and trivia contest.

For our next trivia contest, we are going to provide you with 3 different movie quotes. The first person to tell me which movies the quotes are from in an email will win a gift card as well! Here are the three quotes:

1. "Zed... is dead."

2. "You want answers?"
"I think I'm entitled to them"
"Do you want answers?!"
"I want the truth!"
"You can't handle the truth!"

3. "Look man, I ain't falling for no banana in my tailpipe."

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Do You Want a Free Gift Card or a Chance to Win $1,000?

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Leave Your Zillow Review Now for Your FREE Gift Card!

Today I'm going to offer you some bribes. I need reviews on Zillow.com, and I also want some of your referrals.

If you go into Zillow and write me a review, I will give you a gift card to Starbucks or Family Express. I currently have no reviews, and I would be extremely happy if you could go in and write one for me.

Another thing I need from you is your referrals! There is a statistic that every person knows 4 people who are looking to buy or sell a home every year. With this being said, I assume you might know one or two people that could help me out. If you refer me a client, I'll put your name in a drawing where you'll have the chance to win $1,000!

Lastly, I have a trivia question, and I'm going to reward the first person who responds with a correct answer. Respond to bart@bartsellshouses.com for a chance to win $25 to your store of choice!

The trivia question is simple. There was a group of high school kids in a movie back in the 1980's, and it was about them spending their Saturday together in detention. What movie am I referring to?

You have a lot of opportunities here to win cash and gift cards.

As always, please refer to me as your #1 resource for real estate in Northwest Indiana!

Three Things to Think About Before you Buy a Home

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here 
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 

As we enter the busy spring real estate market, there are probably a lot of buyers that are on the fence as to whether they should purchase a home. I have three important things you should be considering before you go to purchase a home in 2015. This is the same advice I give to all of my clients.

1. Form a plan: Think about where you want to be and what type of home you want. Do you need a yard with a fence, or a large shed on the property? When you can narrow down what you want, you can also narrow down your home search, which makes the process much easier. Don't forget to form a budget, either. It's important to consider how much you can comfortably afford.
2. Interview Agents: I find it crazy that almost no buyers do this. You need to find a professional that will be a good fit for your specific needs. This is extremely important to a successful transaction. When you're buying a home, you don't have to pay a commission, so why wouldn't you want to find the best person for the job?
3. Get Pre-Approved: When you speak with a lender and get approved to buy a home, you'll know what price range to look at, so you won't be wasting anyone's precious time. Also, sellers love to see buyers that have been approved for a loan, because they know that they're serious about buying, and this will help you as a buyer to win offers in crowded markets like the one here in Northwest Indiana.

If you're thinking about buying or selling a home this spring, now is the time to take action. The market is heating up and you don't want to be left behind. Give me a call and I'd be glad to help you out in any way possible!

Northwest Indiana Real Estate Market Update

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

  
Today I want to compare how our market is faring when we compare it to what was happening last year at this same time.

• Last year 960 homes had been sold by this point in the year, and in 2015 961 homes have already been sold. 
• While that's not an impressive increase in sales, I should let you know that the average sales prices rose by 5.8%!
• Nearly 80% of the homes on the market right now are overpriced, so we need good listings right now.
• If you're serious about selling, there are three important things for you to do:
• Declutter - if you have too much stuff in your home, consider getting a storage unit temporarily. Buyers like to see clean, organized homes.
• Think about curb appeal - you need to make a good first impression on your buyers, and this is one sure-fire way to do it. Trim your bushes, repaint your house, power-wash your driveway and clean your windows. New front doors can also make a huge difference to a buyer.
• Stage your home - professionally staged homes statistically sell for 2.2% more than homes that are not professionally staged. Ask us about our professional stager!

If you're interested in buying or selling your home, now is a phenomenal time to do so. Affordability is sky-high, and we're also in need of good homes here in Northwest Indiana. I would love to get you started out on the right foot to set you up for the best real estate experience possible!

We Want To Buy You Dairy Queen For A Year!

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

 Today, I'm coming to you from the beautiful Naples, Florida, where I'm visiting my mother and my brother! Since I'm in such a good mood right now, I want to make you a special offer! 

If you buy a home with Bart Vickrey & Company Real Estate in the next six months, I will give you a year's worth of Dairy Queen!

Simply contact me if you are looking to buy a home! If you want free Dairy Queen for a year, there is only one catch: you need to contact me and register within 14 days of watching this video! Give me a call at (219) 531-1111 or email me at Bart@BartSellsHouses.com! We look forward to hearing from you soon! 

How Can You Get Top Dollar for Your Northwest Indiana Home?

Selling Your Northwest Indiana Home? Get a free home value report
Buying a Northwest Indiana Home? Search all homes for sale
 

Are you thinking about selling your house this spring? If so, you've come to the right place. Today, we share 3 quick and simple tips to help you get the most out of your home sale:

1. Price: By far the most critical factor when selling your home. It's not all about location, but about how you price your home in a given market. We could sell a run-down shack in the middle of a swamp if it was priced properly. 
2. Presentation: The condition and appearance of your home will play a huge factor in the kind of offers you receive. If you have light bulbs that need to be replaced or walls that need to be painted, we recommend getting those things taken care of long before you list your home. Cleaning is also important - make your home spotless before buyers get anywhere near it!
3. Agent: The agent you hire is so important to getting your home sold that it cannot be overstated. Your home is the biggest asset you own; you can't put it in the hands of an amateur, a part-timer, or a solo agent. If you have the opportunity to hire a team, the best thing to do is hire one that will put multiple people to work for you! 

If you're thinking about selling, remember the three keys: price, presentation, and agent. When selling your biggest asset, you want to do it right - hiring the right team for the job is a good first step, as they will help you take care of pricing and presentation.

Give us a call or shoot us a quick email if you have any questions. We would love to hear from you!

The Key To Real Estate Success

There are many great Northwest Indiana area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (219) 531-1111 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

 

What does it take to be the best real estate sales team in Northwest Indiana?

Well, while most other agents are still tucked away in bed, dreaming of the big deals, our team is up and working on a strategy to make big deals actually happen! 
 
While the other agents are at home sipping their coffee, we are working together, practicing our craft, and figuring out how we can better serve our clients.

The average real estate agent only sells five or six homes a year. Our group, a band of real estate ninjas, sold a total of 206 homes last year! So, who would you rather use: the still-asleep, average agent or the group that rises early to start working for you? 

Frankly, we think the choice is clear.

We encourage you to reach out to us via phone or email. Or, you can check out how we can offer you the best real estate experience of your life at Bart@BartSellsHouses.com. We hope to hear from you soon!

How we help Nick with his real estate transactions by being hands-on

"Bart’s one of the most hands-on realtors that we know. He’s very innovative, and doesn't just do the normal processes that other realtors go through. He looks at lead generation differently, and we've had good luck with him. As a builder, we deal with about 30 homes a year. The whole relationship with Bart is just above and beyond."

What Are the Benefits of Homeownership in Northwest Indiana?

There are many great Northwest Indiana area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (219) 531-1111 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hello, and welcome back to the blog! Today, I want to answer a very common question we've been getting at Bart Vickrey & Co Real Estate. 

We own a handful of rental properties, and our tenants often ask us, "When is a good time to buy?" I always tell them the simple truth: NOW! As soon as you can, you need to buy a home! It's pretty simple: you're either paying your own mortgage, or you're paying for mine! I don't mind if you want to pay mine, but I think you would be better off building equity for yourself, not for me! 

I do appreciate all my tenants, but I want you to understand that the American Dream is homeownership. One of the main reasons is it's a form of wealth building. In a sense, it's an automatic savings account - you pay for your mortgage, part of that money goes to principal, and part of that principal pays down the debt. Once that debt is paid off, you have a very valuable asset on your hands! 

If you think now is the time to become a homeowner, or would like real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me a quick email. We're the number one team in Northwest Indiana for a reason, and we would love to show you what we can do! 

Thanks, and have a great day!

Are Interest Rates on the Rise in Northwest Indiana?

There are many great Northwest Indiana area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (219) 531-1111 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

The other day, I got an article from a friend about interest rates. It said that because oil prices have plummeted lately, interest rates are going to go down. I found that to be pretty interesting, so I started doing some research myself. An article I found said that because of the drop in oil prices, interest rates are going to rise! Then, in another article, it was predicted that interest rates were going to stay the same! What gives?

With three different predictions in three different articles, what was I supposed to think? I thought long and hard, I looked into my real estate crystal ball, and I found that... I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT RATES ARE GOING TO DO THIS YEAR! 

The truth is: NOBODY DOES! 

Recently, rates have been historically low. Since no one is sure when they'll rise and by how much, now is the time to take advantage of low interest rates! We can't be certain when these conditions will change, so we suggest making a move now, while the market is in fantastic shape! 

If you have a $200,000 mortgage, at a 4% rate, and rates go up 1%, the difference is $120 a month! That one percent rise in the rate will cost you $43,200 over the course of a 30-year loan! With rates at all-time lows, now is the time to make your dollar go further. 

If you have any questions about market conditions here in Northwest Indiana, or would like real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email. I would love to help you make the most of this fantastic market!

Thanks, and have a fantastic week!