Real Estate Information

I'm going to take the plunge and start immersing myself in the newest Internet Social Media 2.0 tools. One of the tools getting a lot of buzz on the Internet these days is a simple social networking tool called Twitter.

With Twitter you send out or "tweet" a short 140 character message about whatever you want. 140 characters is not a lot of space to say something and that's the point and what has made Twitter the latest sensation on the web. I must admit I'm not exactly sure if I need to jump on the Twitter bandwagon but I want to learn more and there is no better way than to just jump in and get started.

My goal is to stay current with the newest technologies for the clients I serve. If Twitter can help me to serve and engage you on a more personal level I'm all for it. Twitter does seem like a simple way to stay connected. Here are a few of the possibilities off the top of my head I might use Twitter for.

1. As a Real Estate agent for over 20 years I've traveled most everywhere in the Michiana area. I know where most of the hidden treasures are buried like great restaurants, unique stores and interesting places to relax and have fun. I'll send out a short "tweet" when I run across a place of interest I think you might enjoy checking out.
2. New favorite real estate listings with links to pictures and information.
3. Links from current Real Estate news and information I think will help you either purchase a home or sell the home you have.
4. My favorite recipes and other personal tips and tricks I have learned over the years on various topics of interest. Hey, why Twitter if you can't have share with each other and have some fun with it.
5. Maybe I'll even let you take a peak behind the curtain of what goes on in the world of Real Estate on a day to day basis.

So if you're looking for a creative way to keep up with the real estate market in the Michiana area why not follow me on Twitter. If you're not signed up yet it's a piece of cake. Just follow the instructions and you'll be sending out "tweets" of your own in no time at all. I'd love to follow you on Twitter and stay up to date with what's going on in your world as well.

Depending on where you are relocating from it can be quite startling to find out what your hard earned dollars can buy you here in the Michiana area. For instance the median value of a home located in San Fancisco California is in excess of $600,000.

Here are some Real Estate value "General Rules of Thumb" about what you can expect when purchasing homes in the Michiana area:

• $50,000 - 700-1,200 sq. ft., Bungalow style, 2/3 bedrooms, 1/1.5 baths, built between 1900 and 1950 may have a 1 car detached garage.
• $100,000 - 1,300-1,800 sq. ft., Ranch/2 story/Tri-level, 3/4 bedrooms, 1.5/2 baths, built after 1940, 2 car attached garage, may or may not have a formal dining room.
• $150,000 - 1,800-2,500 sq. ft., Ranch/2 story/Tri-level, 3-4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, attached 2 or 3 car garage, built after 1975, full basement
• $200,000 - 2,300 - 3,000 sq. ft., 2 story ranch, 1-1/2 story, 3 - 4 bedrooms, attached 2 - 3 car garage, 2.5 - 3 baths,
• $300,000 - 2,500-3,500 sq. ft., 2 story, ranch, 2.5 - 3.5 baths, 3 - 4 bedrooms, 2 - 3 car garage
• $400,000 - 3,500+ sq. ft., 4 - 5 bedrooms, 3.5+ baths, 3 car garage

Need help finding or selling a home? Call today, we will be happy to assist in anyway we can!

Anita Hildebrecht
Direct Line: 574-968-4214
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Are you relocating to the Michiana area?

Michiana is a beautiful area of the country with some of the friendliest people you'll ever meet. Maybe most noted for the University Of Notre Dame, Michiana includes other countless sites and sounds unique to the United States.

Did you know that?

• Michiana offers some of the most affordable housing currently available in the United States.
• Michigan City Indiana and St Joseph Michigan are home to some the best beaches on Lake Michigan and are less than an hour away.
• Michiana offers a wide selection of public and private schooling options to educate your children from kindergarten through college.
• The South Bend Civic Theater stages between six and fifteen full length selected productions each year for your enjoyment.
• Michiana is home to some of Indianas finest golf courses with reasonable rates, such as Black Thorn, Juday Creek and Elbel Park Golf Club.
• South Bend is the home of the College Football Hall of Fame.
• Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad is the only electric commuter line remaining in the United States and connects South Bend to downtown Chicago on a daily "loop".
• Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, is less than two hours away by car. Anita can get to the parking garage by Blookingdales in less than an hour and a half.

Yes, Michiana is a wonderful place to live and enjoy a high standard of living. With affordable housing, lower than average tax rates and utilites, access to a wide selection of entertainment and activites and all the social services such as education, health care and transportation you need to build a life for your family, Michiana is one of the best kept secrets in America.

Relocating? Call Anita today! Anita will be happy to assist in any way she can with your relocation to the Michiana area.

Anita Hildebrecht
Direct Line: 574-968-4214
Send An Email

I’m often asked if this is a good time to buy a home.  Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already.  They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy.  The problem with this approach is that you don’t know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you’ve missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability.  Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows.  Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life.  It’s important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial “comfort zone.”  To that end, it may be more important to lock in today’s relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today’s market.

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 was just signed by President Bush with some amazing benefits for first time homebuyers.  Call everyone you know who wants to buy their first home (or who hasn’t owned one in three years), this is too good to miss – it’s a $7,500 tax CREDIT (not deduction but a credit).

If you have not owned a home in three years, you qualify as a first time home buyer.  If you buy a home after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009, you qualify for this credit.  Call your friends who just bought a home since April 9th and tell them they may take $7,500 off their tax bill if they qualify.  It has to be your principal residence, so rentals do not count.

The tax credit is 10% of the cost of the home, up to a maximum of $7,500. This is not an additional deduction that lowers the amount of income to be taxed, it is a tax credit.  In other words, you take $7,500 off your tax bill.  But there is a catch; the credit you receive now is actually an interest-free loan that must be repaid.

The loan has no interest, and will be paid back over 15 years.  You get the credit on your 2008 taxes, but you start paying it back on your 2010 taxes that are due in 2011, so you get at least two years without a payment.  You pay back 6.67% of the credit each year, so for a $7,500 credit the payment is $502.50 per year.  If you stay put for 15 years, you pay it off with no interest.

What happens if you sell the house?  You pay the balance back at the closing.  So, you get $7,500 now, and pay the rest of it back if you make money on the sale of your house.  What happens if you do not make enough money when you sell your house?  They forgive the rest of the debt. 

Other restrictions stipulate that you have to buy your first house in three years before July 1, 2009, not have super high income, not use bond financing and buy anywhere in the US.

If you’d like to learn more about this program, please call me!