About Hendricks County, IN

Chris Castetter quoted in the Hendricks County Business Leader...

Everyone knows how dismal the housing market has been recently. Chris Castetter knows. He is a Realtor. He is also a small business owner and knew he had to do something. "You have to change with the times or fall through the cracks," he says. As the downturn continued, Castetter asked himself, "What is it going to take to set me apart?" He researched successful agents nationwide and interviewed them. "I educated myself (to know) what it means to have a website and how to drive traffic to it"

Castetter says. He uses his website to educate consumers and keep them informed. "The marketing for sales is mostly web-based now," he adds. Castetter also reassessed how he worked. As a result, he hired another agent to concentrate on homebuyers, so he could concentrate on sellers. He established a partnership with Home Matters, LLC, a professional home staging company and added a consultation for all of his listing clients. Administratively, he hired an assistant. Now he spends most of his time working with clients and building his business.

"I determined what I had to do to survive, and thrive in this economic climate. The foundation of my past clients was and is my saving grace (in the beginning), and now I am meeting new people I may never have had contact with (through my website)." He credits the strategic changes made in his business for making 2009 his strongest sales year to date. Score one for small business. He can be contacted through www.chriscastetter.com or at (317)414-1117.

Parks at Prestwick in Avon offers some of the most beautiful land in Hendricks County. Scenic tree lined and sloping hillside lots sitting above the Prestwick Country Club. On either side of the custom home lots are paired ranch maintenace free communities. I've always been a huge fan of these communities. No yard work, no shoveling snow, no exterior maintenance! Okay, so it's really a huge benefit for my husband, but still, if he's not busy maintaining all these items, I could create another honey - do list :) I mean honey-please list.

Last year the largest builder of maintenace free homes in Indianapolis went out of business and the communities are in foreclosure. I have been working with the Receiver of the homes at Grant Park and after a few months of getting all the details in place, I now have some of the homes at Grant Park listed and ready to sell. We will be adding additional homes to the inventory soon.

Although not officially bank owned, we have been given the liberty to price these homes to SELL.The price represents a savings of 25-30% off what the builder had these homes listed for.

My favorite model is the Majestic with the optional bonus room. We just happen to have one available. With over 2900 square foot, you would never know you are in a condo. This model home features a double sun room with a wall of windows overlooking the pond, hardwood flooring, fireplace and custom upgrades throughout.

I will be there on Sundays from 1-4 with all five models open, plus four additional homes. We have some homes which can be finished to specifications. Come by and check out this beautiful community. I'll see you there!

You can see more detail, floor plans and photos at GrantParkAvon.

After a long and anticipated wait, the Hendricks County real estate tax bills are finally getting sent out...however, better check those bills for any changes. Many clients are calling our office and asking what their rights are with the revised Hendricks County tax bills. Below is a list of items to check:

1) Assessed Value. This value is suppose to be based on "Market Value". If you live in a neighborhood where there are many foreclosures and they have raised your assessed value. Then you will probably need to file an appeal.

2) Exemptions: If the property is your primary residence and you have a mortgage on it, then you have the right to file a Mortgage and a Homestead Exemption.

3) Additional Exemptions: Other exemptions for Hendricks County include over 65, blindness and disability, etc. Contact the Hendricks County Auditor to check eligibility for other exemptions.

Not having any exceptions filed could be paying up to two times the amount for your Hendricks County Taxes.

These changes in taxes are going to create many problems within the Hendricks County community because of the following reasons:

• Many bills have increased tremendously and they are due on September 10th for Spring and then the fall bills will be due on November 10th. Approximately 61 days after the first round of taxes are due.
• If you have your real estate taxes paid thru your mortgage payment - check your escrow balances verses the amount of your tax statement. Lenders could change your mortgage payment based on the increase in your real estate taxes.

Here is the website for Hendricks County, to check on the taxes you need to click on "Data Warehouse Lookup":http://www.co.hendricks.in.us/

One of the hardest hit people with the new taxes are the investors. My husband & I own a few rental properties in Danville and Hadley Indiana and our taxes will have a tremendous effect on our rental properties.

Three counties show improvement in Central Indiana housing market

July statistics point to areas with improved sales, overall shrinking inventory

HENDRICKS COUNTY - While overall pended home sales remain lower on a month-to-month and year-to-date basis in Central Indiana, three Indianapolis-area counties reported higher sales than the same time last year, according to pended sales statistics compiled by F.C. Tucker Company.

July pended home sales in the nine-county area were down 3.1 percent overall with 2,267 homes pending compared to 2,339 in July 2008. Johnson County posted a 1.3 percent increase, followed by Marion County and Hamilton County, with 1.1 percent and .7 percent increase, respectively. Year to date, overall pended home sales are down 9.1 percent compared to the sametime frame in 2008.

Housing inventory in Central Indiana continued to drop in July with 16,223 homes on the market in the nine-county region, 3,267 fewer homes than in July 2008 - a 16.8 percent decrease overall in inventory. Marion County was the only county to experience above average inventory declines with a 21.5 percent decrease.

"While the Central Indiana real estate market continues to stabilize and improve, I believe the momentum we've gained in the past few months will carry through to the end of the year," "The economy is picking up, and we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."

Average year-to-date home sale prices, down 11.8 percent from the July 2008 year-to-date figures, have shown a steady improvement since January 2009. In January 2009, the average year-to-date home sale price was $118,438; in July 2009, it was $136,943.

A recent USA Today survey indicated two-thirds of economists believe existing-home sales have hit bottom. Also, consumer spending has stabilized. Such signals are prompting 37 percent of economists to predict a moderate or fast recovery.

Quick Links:

Active Listings - Inventory

Pended single-family and condominium home sales

Active Listings over Time

Average Sale Price

Home Prices over Time

Sale Price

Note: All statistics were compiled by F.C. Tucker Company from a report drawn from Propertylinx statistics on August 7, 2009. Pending means the sales contract has been signed, but the transaction has not closed. According tothe NAR, pending sales typically are finalized within a month or two of signing.

Brownsburg, Indiana gained national attention when CNN Money named it the 33rd best place to live in the country. Although traffic was named as a a detractor, the advantages of living in Brownsburg far outweigh the negative impact traffic has been for the city.

Job growth, schools and quality of life were factors in determining the best places. Other factors considered were: Crime, financial purchasing power, leisure and culture, access to amenities, weather (guess they didn't visit this week) and taxes. Real estate tax data was not available for Brownsburg when the numbers were reported.

For those of us familiar with the western suburbs of Indianapolis, Brownsburg is a great place to live. As a matter of fact, my daughter and her family recently moved to Brownsburg; they love it!

Traffic congestion can be a bit of a pain. I imagine that's true of any town or city where people want to live and the quality of life is above average. Congratulations to the town and community of Brownsburg!

Have a question about neighborhoods or real estate taxes in Brownsburg, contact us.

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Originally posted at IndyRealEstateTalk by Paula Henry.