Greenwood, IN

Ring in the new year in celeb style!

Join Z 99.5 FM personalities Smiley, KJ, Weedman, B-Moore, Dave Decker, Scott Sands and Carlos Diaz from Extra will usher in 2009 with a New Year's Extravaganza starting at 8 PM on New Year's Eve (December 31, 2008) at Valle Vista Country Club. Tickets are $19.99 (advance sale) or $39.99 (at the door). According to their website (http:www.carlosdiaznewyear.com) there will be three main rooms featuring three different types of music - country, 80s and 90s retro and hip-hop/dance. There will also be a Karaoke area and a Movie Grotto. This is sure to be the "happenest" party on the southside of Indy, if not in the entire metro Indy area! They are also offering free food and champagne toast at midnight. I'm thinking of stopping by (still need to purchase my tickets as well) and hope to see you there!

Here's some great advice that our good friend, Jim Schwarz sent to us from Center Grove Real Estate Inspections. On cold, wintery nights like this one, these sure are some timely tips!

• Ensure all windows are tightly closed and latched.
• Seal all gaps at doorways.
• Caulk any exterior gaps in siding and trim.
• Ensure all doors completely close easily and effectively.
• Reduce home temperature. Most of us can handle 65F nighttime and 68F daytime temperatures. The lower energy usage will surprise you.
• Ensure the fireplace damper is completely closed if not in use.
• Seal all switch and receptacles in walls to prevent air intrusion.
• Ensure the damper in all bathroom exhaust fans effectively closes.
• Clean the coils and radiator fins under your refrigerator and freezer for more effective cooling.

Thanks again Jim. For more helpful tips, please call Jim directly 317.313.5362

OK, have you ever gone through the Chik-fil-A drive thru and when you get up to the window to pay, you're pleasantly surprised to find out that the person in line in front of you has already paid your bill? Isn't it fun?

Well today, I got an even better treat! I got to be the person in front that got to pay for the person behind me!

As I drove away, I got stuck at a red light and as I looked in my rear view mirror, here came that same car that had been behind me in the drive thru line...whipping around the corner and racing up to sit next to me at the stop light.

Well of course, I had to glance over and look at the driver next to me and to my pleasant surprise I saw a very enthusiastic young girl waving like crazy and blowing me kisses! I quickly rolled down my window, blew her a great big kiss back and gave her the thumbs up.

How fun!!! I know I had the biggest, cheesiest smile on my face when I drove away, but it just felt so good to do such a fun surprise for someone...and it only cost me $6.42!

If you haven't tried this little trick yet at a drive thru line (I recommend Chik-fil-A because they seem to be used to it) I strongly recommend it...it will completely make your day! :)

As a quick follow up to an article we posted last week, here are some more specifics regarding the FHA 203k Loan Program.

Again, this is a great loan for financing HUD Homes, Bank Owned Properties and "As Is" or "Handyman Specials".

From our friends at Indy Mortgage, "Here are some allowable improvements:

• Roofs
• Gutters
• Downspouts
• Windows
• Siding
• Doors
• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Room Additions
• Appliances
• A/C
• Hot Water Tank
• Well
• Septic
• Floors
• Basement Waterproofing
• Basement Finishing
• Porches
• Patios and more!"

If you are anywhere near the Greenwood or Indianapolis area, you know our real estate market is full of HUD Homes and Bank Foreclosures to choose from.

Want to try your hand at bringing some love back in to these once loved homes? Give us a call at 317.893.1636 or send me an email at Shawna@iShopGreenwood.com

We'd be more than happy to hook you up with the best deals and the best loan programs for these types of projects. Contact us today!

This information was originally published at www.iShopGreenwood.com

OK, your turn...what do you think? Which pricing strategy do you prefer?

Like most people, I used to think that $499,900 was naturally the best choice. After all, it's what all the retailers do, right? And besides, $9.99 always sounds better than $10.

Well, a couple of years ago I attended a training by a top notch realtor, Bruce Hardie in Spokane, WA. It was at this training that I was first introduced to the idea of pricing right on the money...on flat numbers as opposed to coming in right below the obvious.

Here's the reason...if a buyer is searching for homes between $200,000 - $250,000 and my home is listed at $249,900 the buyer will find me.

But...if I'm priced at $250,000 then all of the buyers searching between $200,000 - $250,000 will find me but even better....all of the buyers searching from $250,000 - $500,000 will also find me! Groovy! I've just doubled my exposure!!!

We came back from the training and started implementing this pricing strategy immediately. Our average market time has gone down since then (for our listings sold). Can I attribute that specifically to the pricing change? Not necessarily, but I'm sure it didn't hurt.

Is this something you've ever tried doing?

Please share your thoughts...