Karen Frederick, Lake Property Specialist

Saturday May 3rd from 9:00-11:00 at Pine Knob County Park

Stop in Saturday morning and listen to guest speakers tell us about their government agencies, responsibilities, and jurisdiction in protecting the valuable natural resources in our county.

The LaGrange County Lakes Council has a mission "To promote, protect, and preserve the quality of the lakes and watersheds in LaGrange County". An important part of that mission is to educate the public.

Guest Speakers Include:

Brad Baldwin of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Jeremy Price, Lakes Compliance Biologist, Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Ryan Cassidy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The event is being held at the Pine Knob County Park. It is located 3 miles east of Howe on SR 120. If you haven't been there yet, it is absolutely beautiful. So take a drive up there this Saturday, see the newest addition to our wonderful county parks, and stop in to learn about preserving the natural beauty and resources we are blessed with here in LaGrange County.

Is Spring finally here?

When I got up this morning and opened the curtains, I saw the heron! We enjoyed watching him all last summer. Even though I knew it was too dark for a good picture, I had to try. Then, as I was getting ready to snap the shot, the geese swam by.

While I was waiting for more light, I was thinking about how much I have missed watching the wildlife since the weather changed. Last summer, along with usual kinds of birds and waterfowl, we also had occasional visits from swans. Across the lake, we watched a mother deer and two little ones come in to drink and swim. We would sit on the pier and watch the fish, turtles, frogs, and snakes. There were also squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, and skunks.

I had to pull myself away to get the kids up and around for school. As the sun rose a little more, I stopped and snapped another picture.

After the buses came for the kids, I came back to check the light. It was still a little too dark. It was so quiet, I could hear all the birds around the feeders and the sounds from the woods. At dawn and in the evening, we can hear so many sounds from the different animals. I remembered sitting around listening and guessing sounds with the kids. And laughing when the sound was from the bison ranch next door.

I had just convinced myself I could be a little late for work. In a few minutes, the light would be perfect.

But the heron had other plans.

March 2008

(Numbers in parentheses are average list prices). As of March 31st, 2008, there are 252 homes currently for sale (175,040). They have been on the market for an average of 190 days. 63 are lakefront (300,745). 26 homes are located channelfront (164,050), 76 are on ski lakes (281,146) or lakes with access to ski lakes (172,457). 34 are on non-ski lakes (157,426) 21 have association or deeded access (94,559). 142 homes have no lake access (133,184).

In March 2008, there were 4 homes sold with an average sold price of 120,975. They spent an average of 307 days on the market, and were originally listed at an average price of 128,300. There were 48 new homes listed for sale this month at an average list price of 131,991.

*These figures are based on data supplied by the Northeastern Indiana Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service for the period starting 03/01/2008 to 03/31/2008.

Are You Avoiding Your Lender?

All those phone calls and letters- It is human nature to avoid the unpleasant. It can be hard to admit when you need help or are unable to live up to the expectations you have set for yourself. The first step in the right direction is a call to your lender. Do it today! Find your monthly billing or coupon book, locate the number, and call your lender.

Lenders Can Provide Options to Foreclosure

If you lose your home, it is very costly to your lender. In addition to the loss of anticipated interest income, the foreclosure process is time consuming and expensive. It is in their best interest to work with you to resolve the problem and keep your loan on track. The cause of your current financial situation and the possibility of it improving will determine the lender's options which may include:

• Allowing you extra time to make up a late payment
• Spreading missed payments out until they are repaid
• Changing the terms of your loan through refinancing. You can restart the 30 years, change to a fixed rate loan, or lower the interest rate.
• Adding the missed payments to the unpaid balance of your mortgage.

Some financial situations may be due to an unexpected hardship such as unemployment, divorce, illness, accident, death, or bankruptcy. In these cases, lenders are more likely to be receptive to working out the problem with you and helping you keep your home.

Help Yourself and Maintain Your Good Credit

Sometimes we get so caught up in the situation that we don't realize our options. If you can't afford to stay in your current home, here are some choices that others have made to help them preserve their good credit:

• Sell your current home and downsize to one that fits your current financial situation.
• Rent your home out to cover the mortgage payments. If you can't get enough to also cover a rental for yourself, a temporary move into the home of family or friends can help until you are back on your feet.
• Maybe you could stay if you find a roommate and split the mortgage and utility costs.
• If your loan is assumable, find a buyer for your home that will take over the loan.

What If You Owe More Than Your House Is Worth?

The combination of the current housing market, adjustable rate mortgages, home equity loans, and little or no down payment loans has put many homeowners in this situation. If it is impossible to keep up and stay in your home, you have options to foreclosure, but they will affect your credit. Some can also result in you still owing the bank. There may also be tax consequences.

• A pre-foreclosure or "short sale" is when the bank agrees to accept less than what is owed in order to avoid the foreclosure process.
• A deed in lieu of foreclosure is when you give back your home without forcing the bank to foreclose.

You Are Not Alone

Sometimes it is comforting to know you are not alone when facing a stressful situation. If you are facing foreclosure, you are NOT ALONE. The rate of foreclosure in this country, and in our county, is higher than ever. Foreclosure has affected many homes and families. It has hit neighborhoods of small starter homes as well as high priced lakefront properties. It has hit homes in the city and in rural areas. Every single one of those homes has a story, a reason the home was lost, and a family that was displaced.

The federal government has a website where you can find out more. For detailed information on the above topics and contact information for local help, you can visit the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A good place to start is this page which offers Help for Homeowner's Facing the Loss of Their Home.

Indiana has a great program that has already helped over 1500 homeowners avoid foreclosure. They offer FREE confidential financial counseling and can be reached by telephone at 877-GET-HOPE from 8-8 daily. Or click the photo below to visit their website.

Let Me Know If I Can Help

If circumstances force you to sell your home, I will do everything I can to help you through this process. If you have questions, feel free to contact me.

LaGrange County Housing Market Monthly Activity Report

February 2008

(Numbers in parentheses are average list prices). As of February 29th, 2008, there are 226 homes currently for sale (182,122). They have been on the market an average of 202 days. 61 are lakefront (302,727). 18 are channelfront (155,044), 71 are on ski lakes (286,559) or lakes with access to ski lakes (189,569). 24 are on non-ski lakes (174,508) 15 have association or deeded access (125,593). 132 homes have no lake access (136,503).

In February 2008, there were 6 homes sold with an average sold price of 77,733. They spent an average of 81 days on the market, and were originally listed at an average price of 89,758. There were 24 new homes listed for sale this month at an average list price of 184,712.

*These figures are based on data supplied by the Northeastern Indiana Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service for the period starting 01/01/1999 to present. This data may not reflect all real estate activity in the Market and is compiled from information that is input by many members and may contain errors that affect results so the accuracy of these figures can not be guaranteed.