NorthWest Indiana Real Estate Blog

This Portage, Indiana Property SOLD quickly after being listed by F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate

There was never even a For Sale Sign in the Yard!

Nowadays, the Internet is our biggest For Sale Sign :)

Real Estate Markets are LOCAL.

Each market differs!

Every Month the Indiana Association of REALTORS compiles statistics on New Listings, SOLD Properties and Pending Sales (property that has an offer, but has not yet closed).

The data includes Year to Date comparisons by month(i.e. June 2010 vs. June 2011)  and 3 month periods.

F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate serves the residents of Lake County, Porter County and La Porte County in NW Indiana in buying or selling Real Estate.

These FACTS cannot be overlooked in preparing your home for sale or in making an offer on a property for sale in NWI.

Northwest Indiana Real Estate Statistics->

Lake County, Porter County, & La Porte County, YTD June 2011

*Data pulled as of July 19 and includes detached single family homes, condos and townhomes.

**Data Source = http://www.indianaishome.com  

Lake County, Indiana

• One Month and Year to Date June 2011

• Trailing 3 and 12 Month Data

Porter County, Indiana

• One Month and YTD June 2011

• Past 3 months and 12 months Data

La Porte County, Indiana

• One Month & Year-To-Date Views

• Trailing 3 & 12 month views
  

Came across this funny You Tube Video today and wanted to share it ->

March Madness Humor Butler vs Pittsburgh Buffalo Wild Wings Commercial Parody

It's an exciting time for Indiana Basketball...hope the same "commercial results:)" happen today for the

Purdue Boilermakers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish so we can have 2 more teams besides the

Horizon League Butler Bulldogs go to the Sweet 16 as Cinderella's...

Now that would be some March Madness for Indiana! REPRESENT !

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Indiana Short Sales and The New FTC MARS Rule Requiring

Specific Disclosures!

As REALTORS in NW Indiana representing clients involved in short sales, new disclosures are required when:

1) Advertising Short Sale Services

(SFR or other designations)

2) Listing Short Sale Properties

(in addition to the Short Sale Addendum already on Zip Forms)

3) Upon Lenders Short Sale Approval 

(2 part disclosure)

For more information about these New Rules implemented by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) that affect Indiana Real Estate Licensees, Indiana Association of REALTORS (IAR) and  Director of Legal Affairs RICHELLE COHEN MOSSLER have drafted sample disclosure forms for members use to comply with these new requirements.

Also, a handy Question and Answer newsletter by Kelly Shonborn, IAR STAFF COUNSEL gives specifics and examples.

IAR Legal Hotline is available for any questions Principal or managing brokers have as a result of this new “MARS” regulation.

Important Notice:

F. C. Tucker 1^st Team Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender.

Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

If you stop paying your mortgage, you could lose your home and damage your credit.

We closed on a Property for Sale in La Porte County listed by F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate earlier this week.

Our full service real estate company services Lake, Porter and La Porte County in Northwest Indiana.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home or land in NW Indiana, contact us.

In 2010, our office ranked in the Top 20% in Closed Real Estate Transaction Volume out of 288 real estate offices on our local MLS Board in these 3 counties.

Below is a map of just some of our active listings, pending sales and SOLD Homes in NWI that were listed by F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate serving Northwest Indiana.

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From our home to yours...wishing you a year filled with blessings of health, love,  joy and prosperity!

Happy New Year MMXI from F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate serving Northwest Indiana's Counties of Lake, Porter and La Porte.

Give us a call for all your 2011 Real Estate Needs!

Click on the name of any of our Professional Real Estate Agents to visit their websites for more information!

Ty Gammon ->

Neighborhood Matchmaker

Olga Kwolek ->

Hablo Espanol

Linda Littlejohn  ->

Real Estate Broker Associate

Experienced REALTORS looking for a change in 2011?

Click here to check out F.C.Tucker 1st Team options

F.C. Tucker 1st Team Real Estate a proud sponsor of Home Runs For Heroes !

We've blogged about the fun going to local Gary Railcats baseball games in the past.

Today we are blessed to have the opportunity of helping sponsor the

" Home Runs For Heroes " 

event held at the

 Gary South Shore Railcats U.S. Steel Yard Stadium

that the Northwest Indiana Military Support Network and the

 American Red Cross coordinate along with the Railcats organization.

The program is open to the public from 1:30 pm to 4:30 p.m. and tonight's Railcat game at 6:00pm (against the Rockford RiverHawks) is almost a sellout ! Thanks to local businesses and people who have stepped up to buy tickets making it possible for local Veterans and their families to attend.

We look forward to enjoying a night at the ball park with this honorable group of service men and women who have sacrificed for us! Thank you and God Bless!

There are many returning US Troops lately in the news that still qualify until April 2011 for the 1st Time Home Buyer Tax credit. VA Loans are also available for returning Vets to finance property purchases.

The F.C.Tucker Company is listed as #number 48 in the July/August issue of REALTOR Magazine, for the number of closed transaction sides in 2009. It is also the Top Indiana Company in SOLD volume (#59).

There is no other Real Estate Company in Indiana ranked higher in either category!

 With over 1,500 agents statewide and over $2 billion in sales, The F.C. Tucker Company is the largest independent real estate firm in Indiana, and is ranked among the largest independent real estate firms in the nation. Its family of businesses includes a full range of real estate services - mortgages, title insurance, a full line of insurance products, auctioning, homeowner warranty products, and relocation services. Started in Indianapolis 90 years ago, Tucker has 35 affiliate offices in Indiana and Kentucky, in addition to its 16 Indianapolis-area offices. Less than one percent of all real estate firms in America enjoy a continuing history as long as F.C. Tucker Company, Inc.

Recently, we Listed and SOLD a home in Valparaiso, IN and received 3 offers to purchase out of  a dozen showing appointments in the 1st 19 days the home was on the Market!

Many times, when we take a listing in NW Indiana (we service Lake, Porter & La Porte Counties), we are asked by our clients when will they get feedback from any showings?

We always answer the same way : The Best Showing Reports Are Offers!

When you schedule an appointment with us to Tour Your Home for a 1st hand view of it's condition, as Professional Real Estate Brokers with combined designations of CRS (Grace Safrin) and SFR (Jeff Safrin) , we do our homework beforehand and pull neighborhood Active and Sold com parables and an MLS Fannie Mae Market Condition Report.

So the price range we suggest is based on fact and the 10 Commandments For House Staging we provide along with other suggestions is based on direct observation of Your Home plus experience with knowing what buyers like after hearing from hundreds of them firsthand in over a decade of working in this field.

This information we provide to you at the listing appointment is your 1st showing Feedback...  from us... the people you picked to sign an Exclusive Listing Agreement to represent you by bringing a ready, willing and able buyer to your property by our many marketing efforts.

Other future showing reports come from Agents whose vested interest (Exclusive Agreement) is with someone else:)

Part of our marketing plan needs seller cooperation. Case in point, the home above that had 3 offers and over a dozen showings in just the 1st 19 days on the market, the sellers cooperated by implementing everything we suggested!

In this case, the sellers were kept busy with either countering, rejecting or accepting an offer rather than wondering about feedback from a showing.

Yes, we do relay feedback that we get from cooperating agents. It's quite easy nowadays, everything is electronic! Both our Lockbox and Showing Assist Scheduler online has auto-reminder emails they send to each agent to simply click "reply" with their mouse or cell phone to give a feedback response immediately, or the next day.

Yet, we still believe the bottom line that the best showing report/feedback is an offer!

The "State of Real Estate" in Indiana is improving.... Here is a video with Market Statistics from Jim Litten - President of F.C.Tucker Co. Indiana's largest Real Estate Firm with->

F.C.Tucker  Statistics

- 45 Offices

- Over 1300 Sales Associates

- Over $2.1 Billion Sold in 2009

- 14,294 Families Represented in 2009

- 10,489 New Listings in 2009

- 10th Largest Regional Brand in America

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 The Indiana Association of REALTORS has a great website called Indiana Is Home.

There is a collection of Market Data Reports with Statistics on home Sales in Indiana by County updated montly

Here is a link to January 2009 vs. January 2010 Existing Single Family Residential Home Sales

When Indiana's largest Real Estate Company puts on an event - It's 1st class !

At least that has been our experience over the last 9 years, being affiliated with F.C.Tucker Co.....1st as Sales Associates and now as Broker/Owners of one of their 45 offices in Indiana (ours being the northwest office in Valparaiso, IN  which services Lake, Porter & La Porte Counties).

The Venue was spectacular! The beautiful landmark in Downtown Indianapolis - The Scottish Rite Cathedral cost over $3 MILLION DOLLARS way back in 1927 to complete!

It's ornate architecture with craftsmanship details and stained glass windows was certainly something to be taken in and appreciated!

The Awards ceremony took place in the Theater.

Jim Litten (co-owner) gave a re-cap of events in 2009 that affected Real Estate. He referred to 09 as "A Year of Anxiety" with reminders of Bank Failures, Bailouts, economists use of words like recession and even depression. He pointed out that 4 states account for 50% of the stressed markets (CA,AZ,NV,FL) and reminded us that ALL REAL ESTATE IS LOCAL.

That being said, he reported very positive news=> that F.C.Tucker Company did over 2.2 BILLION dollars in sales in 2009 in Indiana - up from the previous total sales year of 2008. October of 2009 was the companies 2nd best month ever in Real Estate Sales history!

Fred Tucker III, then presented hundreds of awards to honor the achievements of REALTORS around the state who persevered and prospered during these challenging times despite the negative press.

One award in particular brought tears to my eyes. The Special Volunteer of the Year Award - Honoring Above and Beyond Service to Mankind went to an F.C.Tucker Agent, who gave her kidney to a complete stranger as a Samaritan Donor in the Fall of 2009. God Bless her!

F.C. Tucker is so much more than a Real Estate Company - it's the PEOPLE who make it special :)

Like the final award for the evening:

The Bud Tucker Volunteer of the Year Award, an annual award honoring an individual in his/her commitment to community service, or, as Fred's father Bud once put it ...Civic Duty- "The rent you pay back for the space you occupy".  Recapping the countless past winners and sharing the current vitae of this years recipient brought tears to Fred Tucker's eyes as he brought up this years winner, with his wife and 2 sons appearing on stage to surprise him and share the moment!

The Banquet following the Awards presentation was filled with Food & Dance & Fun!  Gourmet Food Serving Stations with eclectic presentations i.e. pasta in martini glasses, stir fry in take out boxes, and lavish chocolate desserts! PLUS, a live band made up of TUCKERS own talented musicians and singers to rock the night away :) Mingling and networking galore with agents from all around the state for several more hours into the night!  FUN is an understated adjective to describe the evening.

 I tell Jeff every year this gets better & better  - they out do themselves ?!  You just have to experience this event for yourself 1st hand...If you are considering a change in Real Estate Firms in Indiana - Talk To Tucker, so we can see you at next years celebration:)

Typically, we take a vacation around the winter season in NW Indiana because activity on listing and selling real estate USED TO slow down somewhat.

Not anymore:) 

Over the past couple weeks we've been blessed to assign relocation clients to each one of our experienced agents!

Even while taking a few days R & R in Florida, our corporate office called us with more potential client referrals looking to either buy or sell a home in Northwest Indiana.

Relocation referrals are a benefit of being a F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate agent, and they are distributed in sequence one by one right down the list of agents on board with us (unless an agent is requested by name).

The volume of referrals comes from being a member of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World

If you are an experienced professional REALTOR looking for a change in 2010 and enjoy relocation clients, call Jeff or Grace for a confidential interview to see if our Virtual Real Estate Brokerage Model  is something that would interest you.

Our Listings of REO or Bank Owned Properties For Sale are selling quickly in Northwest Indiana.

Recently we had a listing which was under contract in only 14 days on the market, and closed 27 days later. 

However - there was much time, energy and effort by us behind the scenes working collaboratively with the REO specialist at the bank which took months PRIOR to this happening!

 This included:

  Doing Broker Price Opinion's in both an "as-is" condition AND another BPO with repair estimates included.

This required meeting multiple licensed contractors at the property in order to provide detailed written quotes on any Repairs or Mold remediation.

Submitting these to the REO Manager (on Bank Forms) and awaiting the file to be returned from committee for decision on what work will actually be doneand the decision on listing price, takes persistent follow up skills. 

Detailed Photos (before and after) and invoicingmust be kept & shared with the bank contact.

Also, the REO department has specific Bank Contracts and Addendum's that differ from our State or Local Board Real Estate agreements and these must be reviewed carefully.

Sometimes, customary fee's like Title Insurance, are NOT customary , but negotiable! 

Financing REO Properties is another topic in and of itself these days :)

Mortgage departments familiar with this ever growing trend of Real Estate sales are sharing their specific requirements for internal financing of REO properties which may or may not differ from their Local lending branches for conventional home sales.

All in all, in our opinion here are the keys to a quick REO sale ->

• Competitive Market Price- a Real Estate Broker experienced in BPO's can help set this!
• Decent Property Condition - a home in which health or safety concerns have been addressed & corrected sells quicker!
• Mass Marketing efforts / Internet sydication of the listing from day one of going on the market- multiple showings and competition among qualified buyers yields better offers (a Certified Residential Specialist can help with this :)
• Excellent communication,attention to details, and meticulous follow through by the Listing Agent (s) of Record are needed in this current market to get deals to the closing table!

 If you are a Bank or Lender who has Inventory of Foreclosed Homes in NW Indiana and are looking? to   move them quickly, please call us for a confidential consultation.  References available on request.

Help us in welcoming

Olga M. Kwolek - Experienced REALTOR

to F.C.Tucker Company's 32nd affiliate brokerage office statewide:

F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate serving Northwest Indiana

Olga has 25 years of selling and marketing experience which makes her a great candidate to come on board with our Virtual Office Model of Real Estate Practice for professionals.

A licensed professional Realtor who prides herself in superior Customer Service, she has been married for 30 yrs. to her husband Phillip and has been established in Valparaiso for 17 yrs.

Contact Olga for a marketing anaylsis and sales plan customized to your specific needs.
She is bi-lingual, English and fluent in Spanish - HABLO ESPANOL.

 If you are looking to buy or sell a home or property in Lake, Porter or La Porte Counties in NW Indiana,

Talk To Olga @

219-916-1955

or

Toll Free @ 800 - 671-2898

email : 

olgasagent@yahoo.com

We wish her

continued success!

With more than $2 billion in annual sales, F.C. Tucker Company is Indiana’s largest independently owned comprehensive real estate firm with 46 offices and more than 1,500 sales associates throughout Indiana and select markets in Kentucky. Less than one percent of all real estate firms have the longevity of F.C. Tucker. Founded in 1918, the company’s family of businesses includes a full range of real estate services—mortgages, title insurance, relocation services, a full line of insurance products, auctioning and homeowner warranty products. F.C. Tucker has earned a reputation for its exceptional service, experienced sales associates and “Golden Rule” commitment to its clients and employees.

We've Blogged about La Porte County Indiana before.....this week we listed a Ranch Home For sale in

  the town of Wanatah, IN 46390.

The home is being Sold as is and needs some work, but the scenic setting of a farm in your backyard and the spaciousness of the home for the price is worth careful consideration - especially for those who can do the updating themselves as it is affordably priced!

Wanatah is know for it's annual Scarecrow festival! In just a few weeks...the weekend of September 25th, 26th & 27th the town is transfromed with displays of scarecrows, contests, a race, vendors food and activites for all ages...here is the schedule of events for this year

Map & Directions

Wanatah is located in southern LaPorte County in northwest Indiana at the corner of U.S. Hwy 30 and 421, easily accessible from most interstates and expressways.

Here is a photo slide show with information on the Property For sale in Wanatah, Indiana

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Corporations continue to move their Managers and Executives despite economic conditions.

Seasons do not matter either.....Today we Closed on a home in Porter County, IN in which we represented the Relocating Buyers.

We've been blessed with a wave of RELO business lately in NW Indiana.

The benefits of being part of F.C.Tucker - Indiana's Largest Real Estate Company...which is part of the Largest Relocation network in the WORLD !

Relocation Clients come pre-approved with a narrow window or time frame to find a home and the transaction itself moves rather quickly - only a few weeks from accepted offer to closing!

The best fringe benefits of working with relocating buyers is making new friends! We plan to visit them next week when they are settled in their new home :)

If you are an experienced REALTOR and would like to be afforded the opportunity to work with referrals of corporate relocation business, please give us a call for a confidential interview.

This past Tuesday, Jeff & I attended the IAR Region I Road show held this year in La Porte County, in the Grand Ballroom of the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City.

We go every year and especially look forward to the legislative updates by Sally Johnson our IAR government affairs/Lobbyist and legal updates by IAR attorney Richelle Cohen Mossler.

 3 things I found interesting from this conference which was attended by nearly 200 REALTORS/members of our local GNIAR Board:

• The Statewide Number of Members of the Indiana Association of REALTORS has dropped from 21,000 to 16,600 and the speaker said they expect an even further drop by year end speculating bottom at 13,000 ?

• Case of Pride  Vs. Christian Buyer who breached Indiana Residential Purchase Agreement did end up paying $$$$$ to parties affected.

• HVCC related issues ->Complaints against appraisers on the basis of "GEOGRAPHIC Incompetance"  are being filed.

This year I tweeted all the great new website info from the various speakers PowerPoint presentation

so if you follow our twitter feed, you already saw some of these links :)

As Professional REALTORS, keeping current and informed on the frequently changing laws, and even moreso, being aware of legislation introduced that impacts the homeowner or Home Buying consumers who we serve is important to us!

IAR does a great job of traveling around the state with annual Road Show Updates and we appreciate this!

 Just as we have the choice of who we want to do business with - so do our clients!

There is an old saying" the greatest friend of truth is time :)

Our repeat business continues to grow from clients "moving up' or "downsizing" from properties in which they used our representation previously.

Friday, we closed on a home listed in Crown Point, IN in which we represented the buyers in several previous real estate transactions over the past decade.

The fringe benefits of our business are priceless...to be able to see their little one grow, to be invited to their summer barbeque's, to even stay in touch by social media!

We never bring gifts to closings anymore. Waiting and making a personal visit to spend time with people face to face is, for us, the best way to say we appreciate them choosing us as their REALTOR.

People don't care how much you know...until they know how much you care.

There are thousands of REALTORS on our local board to chose from. We're humbled at the opportunity to serve and wish our clients blessings for many years to come in their new Home Sweet Home!

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 Thanks for stopping by and reading our Blog about Life in NW Indiana, The Housing Market, Communities, Local Spots, Events, attractions & more @ NorthWestIndianaRealEstateBlog.com

 Sincerely,

Jeff & Grace Safrin Broker / Owners

F.C. Tucker 1st Team Real Estate  - Independently Owned & Operated

13 Lincolnway Suite # 203,        Valparaiso, IN 46383           Office # 219-309-9930

On  Facebook? be-friend us, look up Jeff Safrin  : )  Linked in??  link to us, look up Grace Safrin  : )

TWITTER??? ...Follow....  SAFRIN

Yesterday, F.C. Tucker 1st Team Real Estate showed up for business on our Local MLS (The Greater Northwest Indiana Association of REALTORS).

Although the announcement came out from F.C.Tucker's Corporate Offices in Indianapolis, IN on 7/8/9....that we were new Owners, visiting & calling over 30 some loyal clients to get the paperwork done took a day or so :)

While we were at our new office @ 13 Lincolnway, Suite # 203 in downtown Valparaiso Indiana, 46383- we received a pleasant surprise - a flower delivery

The Broker /Owners of F.C.Tucker Emge REALTORS (Kathy Briscoe and Kevin Eastridge)who have offices all the way down in Evansville, IN sent them to us !

A big thanks to them - we look forward to sending you referrals!

As Always,

We appreciate your business & referrals.

Sincerely,

Jeff & Grace Safrin

Broker / Owners

F.C. Tucker 1st Team Real Estate

Independently Owned & Operated

Serving Northwest Indiana - > Lake County, Porter County, La Porte County, Starke County.