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About Lagrange County, IN

Buy Green and Save Green! Open House Saturday March 28th- New Construction-5 Star Energy Rating

Karen Frederick, Lake Property Specialist: Real Estate Agent in Wolcottville, IN

Stop in Saturday March 28th from 1-3 and tour

LaGrange County's First

5 Star Energy Rated Home

  • New Construction

  • 3 Bedrooms

  • 2 Baths

  • Appliances Included

  • Walkout Basement

This home was custom built for value minded environmentally friendly buyers!

Conserve Energy-Protect Resources-Save Money

Priced to Sell: $125,000

Click here for more details and the virtual tour.

0195 W 060 S (off of Townline Road in LaGrange)


What Does it Mean to "Be Green"?

It's in the news, in the magazines, and on HGTV- green building or being more green in a remodel. I understand the concept in general, but when our office listed the first new home in our county with a 5+ Energy Star rating, I wanted to better understand the significance. I was familiar with the Energy Star rating I had seen on appliances. But, I didn't know Energy Star is a joint program through the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to help save money and protect the environment. A 5+ rating is the highest a home can receive and the grade is based on items such as: insulation, windows, tightly sealed construction, efficient heating and cooling, appliances, lighting, and water heaters. This house offers great savings on utility bills and less impact on our environment.

The National Association of Home Builders recently adopted the National Green Building Standard.

How Green Are You?

My search led me to several online tools that you can use to test how green you and your household are. They also offer tips that can save you money and reduce the impact on our environment.

Energy Star's Home Energy Yardstick See how your usage compares to other U.S. households and how you can improve your efficiency and save money.

EPA Personal Emissions Calculator Estimate your greenhouse gas emissions and find out how you can reduce your energy and waste disposal costs.

American Public Radio's Consumer Consequences Shows you what the world would look like if everyone lived like you, your ecological footprint based on the global acres your lifestyle consumes.

Low Impact Living Calculator shows you way to reduce global warming and offers green project ideas for around your home.

Get With Green.com offers a widget that gives homeowners eco friendly news and information on new products and ideas- you can easily add it to your blog, myspace, facebook, etc.

Disable the Label- What a Great Idea-Lakeland High School- Awareness Walk

Karen Frederick, Lake Property Specialist: Real Estate Agent in Wolcottville, IN

As the parent of a child with Down Syndrome, this is dear to my heart. Others can be cruel to those with differences. And the key to changing this is helping others understand that the differences aren't what is important. Our local schools are doing a great job of teaching the "typical" kids the challenges faced by others. My daughter visits other classrooms and she has 4th grade "book buddies" who come in and read to the class. It is a learning experience for everyone as they meet new people and develop friendships.

My daughter's class was invited to attend a very special event today and she is really excited about it. When I was at the high school last week for the musical, they had posters up promoting the day. The schools have also held disability awareness days where students learn how it fees to be blind, deaf, or disabled in other ways while trying to perform simple everyday tasks.

This was taken from the Lakeland High School Calendar's description of today's event:

Mark your calendars for March 20th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., for the 2009 Disabilities Awareness Walk to be held at Lakeland. To our knowledge, this event is the only walk of its kind in the nation. Approximately 200 Functional Skills students from nine schools will team with Relay For Life and The American Cancer Society to have fun, play games, dance, walk, eat lunch, and find 3,000 Easter eggs for prizes. Local police and fire departments will also take part in this special event which is funded through a grant from The LaGrange Community Foundation. Our thanks go out to them, as well as all the people who work very hard to make this happen.

With so much being said about what is wrong with our schools, it is important to recognize what is right!

2 Sure Signs of Spring's Arrival in Wolcottville: Birds and Lake Home Buyers

Karen Frederick, Lake Property Specialist: Real Estate Agent in Wolcottville, IN

Sure Signs of Spring in Wolcottville:

As I headed in to the office Friday morning on a bright sunny day I saw these cranes in a "flood puddle" in a local farm field. I wish I had a camera with a longer range.

Cranes in Wolcottville Field

Many of our local birds are returning. In the early morning when I'm out with the puppy, the sounds of the birds are constant and varied. I'm spotting more species each morning.

And on the real estate front, after a few slow months, there's been a significant increase in buyers looking for lake homes. In the past week I've had 12 showings on lake homes. My web activity has picked up and the phone calls and emails are rolling in. It's a great time to take advantage of the large inventory of lake houses in our area: prices are competitive and interest rates are still low.

Pre-Spring randomness!

Valoree Lambright: Real Estate Agent in Lagrange, IN
Found some interesting facts when I was killing time online. Thought I would share them. ENJOY! A shrimp's heart is in its head. Photobucket Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants! Photobucket Wearing headphones for just a hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times! Photobucket If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why does Title 14, Section 1211 of the code of Federal Regulations, implemented on July 16, 1969, make it illegal for a U.S. citizen to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles? Photobucket In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere! Photobucket A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why not?! Photobucket Canadian researchers have found that Einstein's brain was 15% wider than normal. Photobucket Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different! 23% of all copy machines fail because people sit on them in an attempt to photocopy their butts. Photobucket More than 50% of the worlds population have never made or received a phone call. Photobucket The average person makes about 1,140 telephone calls each year. On average, 100 people a year choke on a ball point pen. Photobucket BEWARE!!! The elephant is the only animal with 4 knees. Photobucket Elephants are the only mammals that can't jump! You can lead a cow upstairs, but now downstairs. Photobucket It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and the 46th word from the last word is spear. The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies. It would take 11 Empire State Buildings, stacked one on top of the other, to measure the Gulf of Mexico at its deepest point. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building. A skunk's smell can be detected by a human a mile away. The three best-known western names in China: Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon, and Elvis Presley. All polar bears are left handed. Photobucket It is physically impossible to lick your own elbow. Photobucket Although most people that read this will give it a try! The electric chair was invented by a dentist. Photobucket Photobucket Big shock huh? (pun intended!) If Barbie was life-sized, her measurements would be 39-23-33 & she would stand 7 foot 2 inches tall. Photobucket Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day! Stressed is Desserts spelled backwards. And you wonder why when you are all stressed out all you want is a giant piece of chocolate cake!! The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear. Any cup-shaped object placed over the ear produces the same effect. Photobucket The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used. Photobucket Mr. President I think you should look at this!!

LaPorte and Surrounding counties FHA Loan Limits

02-27-09
Dave Woodson
Dave  Woodson: Loan Officer in Chesterton, IN

As a part of the Stimulus Package,some counties in our area have increased, but the Indiana FHA loan limits for LaPorte, Starke, St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties will remain at the 2008 levels.

One-Unit - $271,050

Two-Unit - $347,000

Three- Unit - $419,425

Four Unit - $521,250

There really never has been a better time than now to buy, build or refi. If you or anyone you know are looking for a true mortgage professional to review the opportunities that are out there please give me a call at (219)872-8000. Or you can apply online at the Mad Mortgage Machine blog, the Indiana FHA Expert. You can download my 14 page Mortgage Questionnaire, that will allow myself and my team better assist you with your financial goals.

Dave Woodson

The Mad Mortgage Machine