About Allen County, IN

When a buyer asks us if the neighborhood is "good or bad", we always tell them to go online and check the crime stats, or to go ahead a do a drive-by. (Pun intended.)

Amanda has been working with a younger couple that is struggling to find the right home on their budget. They sent Amanda a list of five houses that they wanted to see today. One of them is in a very well known high crime area. The buyers were aware of this, so they drove by it...

As they pulled in the alley they saw a group of about twenty angry looking men. These men were all dressed the same. These men all stared at them and gave them mean looks. Uh oh.

The couple quickly knew they needed to get out of there. They turned the car around and pulled away. They noticed that another car started following them. They accelerated and the car started chasing them...

Okay. I have to run. I'll come back and finish this tomorrow.

Just kidding. It turns out that the car following them was the DEA. Drug Enforcement Agency for those of you that don't know what DEA stands for. The house next door to the one they wanted to see is a known drug house, and the agents thought that my buyers were there to buy drugs, saw their car, and took off.

The agents asked them to get out of their car, frisked them, asked them 20 questions, and even took a drink out of the can the buyer was drinking to make sure there wasn't alcohol in it. After a few minutes they let the frightened couple go on their way. Now THAT'S scary!

Needless to say, they did not view that house today. Whether you are buying a house in Fort Wayne or in Dallas, Texas... if you aren't sure of the neighborhood, do your homework and maybe take a quick trip through the area. Preferably on a Saturday night. Did I tell you this happened mid day?? Be careful out there kids!

There is a local agent that does the same thing every time we show one of his listings. (And usually within MINUTES of setting up the showing.)

Agent XYZ: "Hey Jared. Agent XYZ here. Listen... I saw that you are showing my listing over there on 123 Main St. Well here's the deal. I have another listing over at 127 Main St. that is similar in size and just a few houses down. I really think that you should go ahead and show that one as well. What do you say??"

Me: "Well Agent XYZ... I'm very aware that you have another listing at 127 Main St. because I am a Realtor® that has MLS access and knows how to search for homes. The reason we didn't want to see that one is because the bedroom sizes are way too small, and the backyard isn't fenced in. Thanks for your unnecessary call and I look forward to another one next time I schedule a showing on one of your other listings."

If I sound a bit snippy, it's because he ALWAYS does this and we have had this conversation about FIVE times. (Not kidding.)

After we hung up I started thinking about it. Is he hurting his seller on home #1 by asking me to show a different home that is it's competition? Even if it's his listing? What are your thoughts?

The Blue Man group will be performing a live version of their new theatrical show in Fort Wayne at the beautiful Embassy Theatre on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights April 16th-18th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are now available starting at $29.50 and can be purchased by contacting the Embassy Theatre Box office Monday thru Friday 10am-6pm at (260) 424-5665, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

I just read a blog over on Trulia where a Realtor was excited to start door knocking for business again. He said he hadn't done it in over five years, but was anxious to get out there and get to work!

I cringed.

If I'm sitting in my dining room having dinner with my lovely bride, and I see somebody approaching my door... I know this person is either:

1. Selling something.

2. Selling something.

Nobody has ever knocked on my front door to say hi, to introduce themselves, or to give me money. I don't have any young kids at home, so it's never the neighbor kids asking if Mike can come out and play either.

Wait. I take that back. My neighbor Robin has knocked on my door to drop off cookies. Bless her heart.

I'm not saying that door knocking won't work for this guy, and I wish him all the luck in the world. It's just not my style. Here is my door knocking experience:

Back in 2009 Amanda and I were holding an open house. We decided to print out 100 fliers and drop them off to all of the families in the neighborhood. We practiced our script, made sure we didn't have anything in our teeth, and away we went.

House 1: Hi! We are Jared and Amanda with The Christiansen Team at RE/MAX Home Connection. We are holding an open house this Sunday over at 123 Main St, right down the road from you! Feel free to stop by and see the home, and bring anybody you can think of. There will be snacks and drinks. Hope to see you there!

House 1: Yeah. Great. Thanks. Can't wait. (He took the flier!!)

House 2: Hi! We are... Home owner: Slams door.

House 3: Hi! We are... Home owner: Not interested. Thanks.

House 4: Hi! We are... Home owner: Are you selling vacuum cleaners? Ha! GO AWAY!!

House 5: We didn't even start talking because the owner answered the door in a very skimpy night gown that almost revealed everything. She was probably approaching 80, so it wasn't even a good thing.

I could go on, but I won't. We spent the next few hours getting rejection after rejection. None of the neighbors showed up to the open house. None of the neighbors ever called us. I'm not saying this style doesn't work anymore, I'm just saying it's not for us.

What are your thoughts? Realtors: Do you still do this? Home Owners: Would door knocking work with you?

With the start of Spring training this week for Major League Baseball, many people have begun to anticpate the arrival of spring and the beginning of another season of America's pastime.....BASEBALL!

Fort Wayne is blessed to have a premier indoor training facility that allows individuals and teams to train year-round. The Diamond Baseball and Softball Academy is the brainchild of former Major League prospect Manny Lopez. Lopez spent two sesons with the Minnesota Twins affiliate Fort Wayne Wizards (now the Fort Wayne Tin Caps) in 1997 and 1998, after being called to the Fort Myers affiliate in 1999 and then playing for the CBL Independent league, he was forced to retire after suffering injuries in 2003.

Lopez then returned to the Fort Wayne area to coach and develop young talent where he realized there was a need for world class training facilities year around and founded The Diamond Baseball and Softball Academy.

The Diamond not only offers indoor facilities but sponsors area travel teams from 9 years old through 18 years old known as the Fort Wayne Cubs. The idea behind these teams is to develop young athletes and excellent citizens who are active in their community by fostering sportsmanship and character.

The Diamond with over 17,000 sq ft, 11 tunnels and a full
gym/fitness area, has something for almost anyone who is
interested in improving their skill level. From 3 different levels
of memberships starting at $295/yr to camps and clinics
that range from $15 a session to $90 for a series, private
lessons and tunnel rental (batting cage) you can find
something to fit the budget. Both of my boys are playing for
the Fort Wayne Cubs this year and have been training for
several months and I am really impressed with the hands
on instruction they've received from the staff at The Diamond.
Visit The Diamond's website at www.thediamondbaseball.com
for more information regarding individual pricing plans and
clinic schedules.

The Diamond is located at 5405 Keystone Dr in Fort Wayne just north of the Glenbrook Mall.