Fishers, IN

I consider it very important to take the required courses to remain a Fishers Realtor of choice. Recently I took a class on Multi-Generational Marketing that I thought was very interesting. I need to pay attention to the age of my buyer because what they value may differ depending on how they grew up.

There are basically five generations as follows:

1. G.I. Generation (1901-1924) and they represent about 5% of the market
2. Silent Generation (1925-1945) representing 20% of the market
3. Baby Boomers (1946-1964) representing 45% of the market
4. Generation X (1965-1981) at 20% of the market
5. Generation Y (1982-2000) 10% or so of the market

A great way to look at this is to think about how Kennedy died. The first three would say gunshot in Dallas, the Generation X may say a plane crash near Martha's Vineyard and the Y Generation would say of old age and in 2009!

The Veterans (GI) are often selling their homes and moving into assisted living or nursing homes. They may not have family and need me to be do many things for them. For example, I helped an elderly lady secure people to clean out her house to be ready to sell. They often have accumulated a lot of stuff!

The Silent Generation values hard work, family, tradition and discipline. The are often the group that is looking at reverse mortgages, they may want to stay in their home awhile longer but do not have the money for the necessary repairs to keep their home liveable. To be eligible for a reverse mortgage, you need to be 62 years old or older; the older you are the more of your equity you can free up to either repair your current home or use for medicine, etc. There are no restrictions on the use of the money.

The Baby Boomers are perhaps the busiest. They often have parents in a generation above and children in a generation below! There are approximately 78 million Boomers and they are often the richest generation. They are concerned about retirement and healthcare issues. When they look at a home, they often want open floor plans, master on main, and an office space. Often they are looking for a room they can convert if an elderly parent needs to live with them.

The Generation X people typically will stay in their homes a shorter amount of time than previous generations. They are not tied to a job as earlier generations were and often will switch for greater job satisfaction. They like to have entertainment spaces. They are very well informed and fairly tech savvy; with 81% using the internet to find their homes. But they still need Realtors® to look at the history, resale values and potential zoning issues.

Generation Y are the fastest growing Generation. They are just entering the work force and because of the $8,000 buyer's credit; are also taking the home buying population by storm. Generation Y is plugged in 24/7 with I-Phones, Blackberrys, and other devices. They typically will prioritize family over work. They want a house that is move in ready, no painting, no fixer upper, no huge time commitment to make the house their own.

Understanding the various generations helps me to zero in on what type of community and Fishers home will work best for the buyer and their lifestyle. It helps me know what kind of information to give them about finances to make the most sense for what they want to accomplish. It isn't about just finding someone a house, it is about finding them a home...and there IS a difference.

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Other Northside Blogs (Carmel, Noblesville, and Geist)

Cindy "in Indy" Marchant - Fishers Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Fishers IN Real Estate Website
317-290-7775

It's my monthly analysis of the Fishers Real Estate market. There are currently 759 homes for sale in Fishers, with 135 of them below $150,000. Here is a quick list of those homes less than $150,000 in Fishers; it is dynamic so changes daily. Those are great homes for first time buyers to take advantage of the extended $8,000 tax credit. If you haven't already heard, there is a credit for repeat buyers as well now. The rules are:

1. Must have lived in the home five of the last eight years
2. Must have a married income of less than $225,000 or a single income of $125,000
3. Must purchase a new home
4. Both the sale and buy must take place between now and 4/30/2010; closing before 6/30/2010.

Moving into the October market for Fishers, we saw 118 homes close compared with 114 last year. This is great to see after several months of 2008 beating 2009. We are currently still behind about 7% from a year ago in looking at the year to date figures. In terms of distressed properties, there were 15 this month and 14 last October.

The average days on market were 80 this month which is substantially less than they were a year ago at 96. The average price per square foot remains relatively constant at $100 from a year ago; so not a great deal of appreciation this year although it DOES vary by subdivision.

We saw Sunblest Farms hit it out of the park this month with 7 sold properties and the days on market were 4, 5, 8, 13 and 34 for five of those. When you can list a house and sell it in the same week; that's a hot neighborhood!

Lake Stonebridge had three that sold this month; it is where I ultimately want to retire! I watch that neighborhood closely.

There were two homes that were over $1,000,000 sell this month; the days on market for those were significant at 156 days and 246 days.

If you'd like specific information on your neighborhood, send me a quick email or reply to this blog post and I'll give you graphs and statistics on your home.

I am your Fishers Realtor signing out!

Search homes for sale in Fishers by Neighborhood

Other Northside Blogs (Carmel, Noblesville, and Geist)

Cindy "in Indy" Marchant - Fishers Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Fishers IN Real Estate Website
317-290-7775

Here is what happened for real estate in Fishers Indiana for October 2009:

Well, considering the tax credit coming to an end; I expected to see a big increase in these numbers. I might be able to justify a decrease in the average sales price because the first time home buyer should be purchasing the less expensive homes on the market. However, I am shocked to see a decrease in the number of homes. Until this tax credit crunch is behind us, we really won’t be able to get a good grasp on the market.
If you are look to buy or sell a home, please visit our Fishers homes for sale website for more information. You may also want to look at our Fishers Indiana neighborhoods page or our real estate in Indianapolis website.

As I am writing this post, I have my HP Mini 2140 charging up and downloading any updates that it may need in preparation for Real Estate BarCamp Indianapolis tomorrow. I also have my iPhone plugged into iTunes to see if there are any apps that I might need updated and/or downloaded in preparation to endure this day long event.

I have had many individuals ask why I would subject myself to waking up at 4 AM, CST to make the 2-1/2 hour drive from my home in Chesterton Indiana all the way to Fishers Indiana where the event is to take place. That's a good question.

First of all, what is Real Estate BarCamp (aka. REBarCamp)? According to Andy Kaufman, the founder, RE BarCamp is...

"an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from attendees."

Nobody is paid to speak and all of the events are coordinated by volunteers and paid by sponsors. Consequently, people gravitate for the purposes of sharing what really works and not just the theory of what should work. I was fortunate to witness one of the larger RE BarCamp events when it was hosted in Chicago by the National Association of Realtors.

This leads me to my second and primary purpose of attending this event. Since the original concept of this event evolved from a technology gathering, most of what is discussed is the proper methods to integrate technology into the human experience of real estate.

In other words, how can we enhance the law of attraction through all things digital. Want to know more? Come join us on Monday, November 2nd, from 9 AM - 5 PM, EST. Can't make the event in person, follow the ongoing conversation on twitter.com with the search hash tag of #rebcindy.

Are You Ready for Real Estate BarCamp Indianapolis?

If you have a Fishers home for sale, you undoubtedly have talked about the commissions that will be paid. Whether they are justified or not is certainly a topic of controversy. I could take either side of that depending on who we are talking about as the Realtor.®

I think I'll talk about the expenses first and then give you some ideas on how to negotiate the commission. My time is worth something, to put a dollar amount on it would be difficult. But, there is time involved in scheduling stagers, photographers and sign installation. There is time involved in getting the listing on to MIBOR with profile sheets and numerous forms that need to be copied and entered as well as pictures and tours being loaded. There is time involved in following up with showings, securing various documents for the showing agent (i.e. disclosures, surveys, lead based paint, etc). There is a tremendous amount of time to get the transaction to the closing table, mostly in terms of talking with the appraiser if needed and certainly scheduling contractors for inspection issues.

I also pay for the consultation with the stager, staging (no furniture rental) and the professional photographer to shoot the pictures of the home.

I spend premium dollars with Trulia and Realtor.com as well as others that allow me to showcase your home with more pictures and better positioning. Most Realtors® can feed their listings to various sites, but it costs more to have the premium packages.

You pay for me networking abilities and negotiation skills. I am a more experienced Fishers Realtor® and also had a previous career that was highly visible allowing me to have a very large circle of influence. I typically can sell my own listings because I actively look for buyers for them! You pay me to set your home apart from the others and to get premium dollars. For 2009, I am getting 96% to list price!

This is a nice transition to how you might be able to receive a lower commission from me. If I do bring the buyer, I often will discount the commission. If you buy a home from me once we sell yours, I often will discount the commission. If you are a strong referrer, I will discount the commission. I have one teacher at Indian Creek who has brought me so much business that when it sells, it will be for free on the listing side. I will still have to pay for the agent who brings the buyer.

I hope that helps explain why the commission rate is what it is; contrary to popular belief it is not just for putting the sign in the yard. But, NOT all Realtors® work the same. Ask yours why they are worth their commission or better yet, hire me!

Search homes for sale in Fishers by Neighborhood

Other Northside Blogs (Carmel, Noblesville, and Geist)

Cindy "in Indy" Marchant - Fishers Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Fishers IN Real Estate Website
317-290-7775