Pick of the Week- Fresh Find in Saxony

I get the chance to come across some great homes in my line of work. My "Pick of the Week" posts will allow me to highlight some different homes that you might not get to see everyday. These won't necessarily be my listings, but in this case (it being my first "pick of the week") I've decided to make it one of my listings.

This 4BR/2.5BA home is currently listed at $279,900 (started at $289,900) and is the lowest priced home available in Saxony. Saxony is a mixed-use development in Fishers that includes some unique housing options, as well as businesses, restaurants, shoppes, daycare, etc. It's kind of like Village of West Clay but much more affordable and done in a way that I think will attract more homeowners. From this house, it's super close to I-69 and near Hamilton Towne Center.

Here are some of the great features of this house:

• One of the only 3 Ryland Built Homes in this Neighborhood- Exclusive!


• Raised Ceilings & Open Floor Plan


• Hardwood Floors


• Rubbed Bronze Fixtures


• Butler's Pantry & Walk-in Pantry


• 42" Cabinets with Pullouts


• Sleek Corian Countertops


• Stainless Steel Appliances


• Sunroom/Breezeway


• Basement with Rough-in


• Screened-in Porch & Back Patio


• Low Maintenance HardiPlank Siding


• Dusk to Dawn Coach Lights


• Rear-Load 2 Car Attached Garage


• Professional Landscaping


• Irrigation System


• Imported Window Coverings

It's very close to the neighborhood park & to other Fishers restaurants & grocery stores. This is a great house for family or young professionals, anyone who really does not want to spend all of their free time maintaining their lawn. The home values in here go up to $550,000 or more, so this being in the high $200,000's is really a great deal. Check out this link to the virtual tour. Let me know if you have any questions on this house or any others in Saxony, which is almost completely built out now.

Good Habits & Habitat for Humanity

There are certain times of year that people are inspired to set new goals- New Year's, the first day of spring, lunar new year, and another time is when kids are going back to school. I have been seriously slacking on updating this blog and I plan to fix that right now. My goal is to write at least blog entry a week. Now that I've put that out there, I had better do it!

About a week ago I got a chance to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in the downtown area. I've volunteered with other organizations before, but this was the first time I was going to get really physical. It was a lot of fun to really see not only the building of a house, but to actually help out. I mostly worked on putting up siding- learned how to correctly caulk, use a nail gun, and this automatic saw thing which I was at first terrified of, but then got the hang of it.

This was an especially momentous occasion because this is the first Platinum LEED certified home built in Indianapolis. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is kind of a complicated grading system, but basically for a residential property there are four levels- certified, silver, gold, and platinum -being the highest. So after the building is complete, this third party comes to evaluate the 'performance' of the house in energy savings, water efficiency, indoor air quality, building materials, harmful emissions, etc.

Here is some more info from the U.S. Green Building Council on LEED's rating system, which I'm also a member of. If you would like to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity too, here's the link to their website. It's very rewarding, especially when you get to meet the people and hear some of the stories of the people who will be calling the house you helped built their home.

Earth Day!

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day! Although most people probably don't think of Indianapolis has the 'greenest' place to live, this city has been making some remarkable strides and we can only get better. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) has a great website with great info on how to donate, volunteer, and where to dump all of your junk! Sometimes the hardest thing to do is finding the right place for your trash or things that you no longer need.

Try to do at least one thing differently in your routine today to help the environment. It doesn't have to be a huge step, but all of the little things make a big difference! Some ideas- car pooling, start a compost pile, wash your office coffee mug instead of grabbing the styrofoam, don't print out all your emails, trade clothes with a friend, etc!

Also, here are some events going on today and some on Saturday in honor of Earth Day!

Embarrassed By Your Credit Score?

Football scores, Scrabble scores, SAT scores, - when it comes to a credit score we all want to improve, but how do you do it? Below are 9 tips on improving your credit score.~

Tuyl and Margaret La Grange, an award-winning mother-daughter team with Prudential California Realty in Coronado, have compiled their latest list, “Top Tips for Improving Your Credit Score Now.” “Although interest rates are at historic lows, you need to have excellent credit to secure the best possible rate,” said Christine Van Tuyl, real estate agent. “Whether you’re looking to boost an already good score, or if you have a foreclosure or short sale on your record, it’s never a bad time to improve your credit score.”

Top Tips to Improve your Credit

1. Review your current credit report for accuracy. Everyone is entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Get a copy of your credit report and look at it for accuracy. First, make sure that the information in your file is about you and only you, not someone who has a similar name or a similar Social Security number. It is very common for your credit reports to have mistakes or incorrect information. At a minimum, make sure that the information you are being evaluated on is current and correct.

2. Repair credit report mistakes. If you find something on your credit report that is incorrect or missing, you should dispute the mistake by contacting the credit bureaus directly. All credit bureaus have their dispute procedures on their website. They are also required by law to investigate any disputed items and these investigations will usually be done within 30 days of your request.

3. Pay your bills on time. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Payment history accounts for roughly 35% of your credit score. Paying bills on time is the most important thing to do. If you’re struggling to catch up, contact your creditors to work out a payment schedule.

4. Increase the length of your credit history. This accounts for about 15% of your score. Don’t cancel your old card or get a lot of new ones in a short time span because this can hurt your score.

5. Keep credit card balances low. It’s a good idea to keep the balances below 25% of your available credit. Even if you pay off your credit cards every month, a high average balance will impact your score. This accounts for about 30% of your credit score.

6. Keep new credit requests to a minimum. This accounts for 10% of your score. Every time a lender runs your credit, an inquiry is recorded. If you are trying to get a loan, don’t apply for new credit cards first.

7. Be aware that paying off a collection account will not remove it from your credit report. It will stay on your report for seven years.

8. Pay off debt rather than moving it around. The most effective way to improve your credit score in this area is by paying down your revolving credit. In fact, owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your score.

9. Beware credit-repair scams. By all means, don’t pay someone to wipe away the negative items in your file. If they don’t follow through, the damaging items will reappear in two or three months.

Please keep in mind that Christine Van Tuyl and Margaret La Grange are real estate agents, not mortgage lenders. For more information on how your credit score will impact your loan and interest rate, please contact your mortgage lender.Read more: http://rismedia.com/2009-11-14/9-tips-for-improving-your-credit-score/#ixzz0X8GxeZQT

It's Official- Tax Credit Extended!

Well you heard it here first (if you follow me on twitter), it's official- yesterday, President Obama signed off on the first time homebuyer's tax credit extension (among other things). It is actually now new and improved. Below are the new requirements:

• First time homebuyer(s) can receive $8,000 or up to 10% of the purchase price
• They must not have owned a property in the last three years
• They must qualify for a mortgage to get the credit (no cash, sorry!)
• Income limits for single people raised from $75,000 to now $125,000
• Income limits for couples raised from $150,000 to now $225,000
• Price limit for the home is $800,000
• Non first time buyers can also receive the credit now- up to $6,500
• Non first time buyers must have owned their property for 5 consecutive years out of the past 8 years
• Contracts must be in placed by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010

Here's a great video from the president of Century 21 giving a little more information on the tax credit.

If you have specific questions about whether or not you would qualify for this tax credit, just let me know! CNN Money Article