Fishers, IN

There was a State of the Schools address recently for Fishers, Indiana. It is August and still very hot here. But, what I am noticing over the last few days is SCHOOL BUSES. So it is back to school time here; I want to take a moment to tell you about the schools in Fishers, Indiana.

The Fishers, Indiana schools are based on several key priniciples:

1. Having high expectations
2. Having prinicpals in the Fisher Schools that are focused on staff development and curriculum development.
3. Having "Learning" as its focus
4. Being results driven (looking at scores, surveys, etc and making changes)
5. Having a climate for success (loving, safe, clean, innovative, helpful, etc)

The schools in Fishers, Indiana have grown from an enrollment of 8,777 in 2000 to just over 17,000 in 2008. They are projected to have over 20,000 in 2013! Fishers, Indiana is one of the most sought after communities around the country because of the school system. Of the 18 schools, 11 of them were classified as exemplary and the other 7 were within 1% of that classification. They were 200 points above the national average for SAT scores in 2007. Over 85% of the seniors last year in the schools in Fishers said they were bound for a 4 year college.

The challenges ahead for Fishers, Indiana schools are capacity for high schools students (there were 1,528 1st graders and 965 seniors last year!), redistricting with the opening of the new Riverside Intermediate (5-8th grade); and finding a qualified new superintendent. These are not easy challenges, but if previous success in decision making and moving a school system forward are any indication, the schools in Fishers, Indiana are likely to move through these current challenges with flying colors.

If you are in Fishers, Indiana you need to have lunch at the Nickel Plate Bar and Grill located on 116th just behind the fair train station. The Nickel Plate is also know as the Indiana Steelers venue because the owners are huge Pittsburgh Steeler fans (we don't hold that against them though!). You can see from the picture that it is not your typical restaurant; the people you see eating outside are in an area that is pretty much wide open; at night garage doors close those areas. You can get typical bar food at this restaurant, but an unusual item that is quite yummy is the bison burger.

You can also see from the picture the old fashion light posts that line the streets of Fishers and the cobblestone side walks! The downtown Fishers area is truly a step back in time with the train station, the cobblestone, the architecture of the buildings, the snow cone shop and other ageless venues. You will also find lots of people on the streets each night milling around and re-connecting with each other. It is no surprise that Fishers was named the number one place in the country to raise a family.

It's here, it's here. it's here! The State Fair with it's Dairy Barn (yummy grilled chesse), Fried Everything (Twinkies, Snickers, etc), the Midway with all those rides for the kids, the Grand Stand (Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry!!), Special Events (Giant Pumpkin Contest!), all the livestock (it is INDIANA afterall) and the best ear of corn or strawberry shortcake you will ever have is here!

From August 6th the Fair opens with the giant balloon race (lots of hot air balloons take off from the fair grounds to open the celebration) through August 17th when all us Hoosiers will be a lot fatter and probably a lot happier too!

So you don't really feel like driving to the fair?? Here is a great option available in Fishers, Indiana for you!

This train leaves every 90 minutes beginning at 8:45 each day and travels to within a few steps of the fairgrounds. This is basically the only time these train tracks are used.

So kick back and enjoy the ride to the Fair. And be sure to come back to this site and let me know what you think of the State Fair in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Hi, I have been thinking about the Top 10 Questions regarding real estate that I get on a regular basis. Here are my ten and the answer I use for Question #1.

Top 10 Questions:

1) What price should I bid for this house?

2) How much house can I afford?

3) What will be my monthly payments?

4) Where is the best resale (neighborhoods)?

5) What is the process to buy a home?

6) How will listing my home with you be better than with another agent?

7) What websites will you post my home to?

8) Should I renovate/upgrade my current home or buy another home?

9) What payback will I get on my renovation/upgrade?

10) Can you show me this home in an hour???? :-)

Here's my answer for Question #1

As your buyer's agent, I can open the houses easily; in fact any agent can do that. The real value I bring is helping you determine the best price to pay for a home. With that being said, IF a home is fairly priced our local Board of Realtors say that the home will probably sell for between 95 and 97% of the listing price.

I will look at the home you have selected and run some comparables. If the home you select is three bedrooms and 1500 sq ft with 2 baths, I will see what other comparable homes have sold for in the neighborhood to help us get started. We'll need to consider other items too. They include:

1)Are there upgrades in the home that are important to you (i.e. is there stainless steel appliances)

2)Do you want to include some of the personal property in the home (i.e. swingset, appliances, washer/dryer)

3)Are you going to ask the seller to help pay your downpayment or your closing costs?

4)Is this the only house out of 75 that you've seen that you like?

5)Is the home you are looking at vacant?

Questions 4 and 5 play to the motivation of you and seller because that may impact your purchase price. All of these factors go together to help come to the purchase price we will bid for the home.

Do you hear any questions over and over again?

The Fishers real estate market seems to be exhibiting the same behavior as the Carmel market in April 2008; number of homes sold is down while the average selling price is up. Here is a quick glance at what happened with real estate in Fishers Indiana for April 2008:

The number of homes sold is down for the third straight month in a row; however the average selling price for a Fishers home is up 6% over last year. In 2008, it took 6% or 7 days longer to sell in a home in Fishers and the price per square foot is relatively unchanged. There are currently 762 Fishers homes for sale and 1533 homes sold in the last 12 months; this means there is a 5.96 months supply of homes on the market in Fishers. This is quite good and on par with Carmel real estate which also posted an increase in average selling price.

While the market continues to be plagued with lower number of sales, Fishers and Carmel real estate are still managing to get an increase in average selling price which is quite remarkable. I think we can look to these two areas to make a quicker recovery than the rest of the market. Even though we did see an increase in price over last year and hopefully this is an indicator of good things to come, now is a great time to buy a home. If you are interested in purchasing a home in Fishers, visit our Indianapolis homes website to search the entire MLS. If you looking at homes in Carmel and Fishers, you may also want to consider Noblesville real estate as well.