This lovely 2 bedroom 1 1/2 barh brick ranch has a main floor laundry room.  A finished basement with 2 more possible bedrooms down stairs and a 3/4 bath.  It has an enclosed patio, above ground pool, 2 car garage, new roof, updated electrical and has been freshly painted.

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Do you love to fish, boat, water ski, or tube?  This home is for you.  The lovely home is located 2 blocks from Hudson Lake. Can be either a great home or a summer home perfect for entertaining. Updated 4 bedroom 2 baths. Dry bar. 2 covered porches one on the lower level and one on the upper level. This home is a must see.  Only $124,900.  If you are interested feel free to give me a call.  219-789-1153

Presented by Ronda Myers-Waters  Willems Realtors

Whenever someone asks what I do for a living and I say I'm a REALTOR they always ask isn't the market slow.  I tell them that I have actually been busier than I ever have been.  If you know the price range that most buyers are looking in then you can stay busy and have money coming in.

In my area Northwest Indiana the homes under $200,000 are moving.  Especially under $150,000.  I know that isn't a whole lot of commission but when you can close a few a month then it's not so bad.  I figure I sell thise first time home buyers a home they will eventually want to buy a larger home.  Plus some of their friends might me looking for homes soon.  Great way to get referrals. 

My last three deals were first time home buyers.  Knowing that this is their first big purchase.  I try to go over with them the advantages of owning a home.  The deductions on income tax.  That the equity that they build while owning a home.  I also make sure that I call them about 5 weeks after the closing to remind them to file their property tax exemptions.  Most people forget to do that. 

I actually had a client lose their house because the taxes went up and they couldn't pay the payment increase.  I felt bad.  I even tried to sell their home using a short sale but the lender wouldn't go for it.  Now it has expired on the market three times and is listed for less than the short sale offer was. 

I know a lot of the  top producers in my area are hurting.  I know that some of them only like to sell higher end home $300,000+ .  That could be why they are hurting. 

There is not a lot of buyers in that price range.  Especially those that bought their homes in the last two years are upside down and would take a loss selling their home in this  market.  But what if they need to relocate for their job what do they do.  A division of the real estate company I work for has helped those owners find tenants to rent their home.  We have been pretty busy with that.  We have more tenants wanting homes then we have home right now.  We are helping them find homes to rent.

I have been in the real estate business for 2 years.  I know at first you rely heavily on family and friends to help get you clients.  You spend a lot of time in the office doing floor duty to get more clients off the signs of the listings the office have.  You may even reap the benefit of a walk-in buyer or seller.  My first closed deal was a seller that walked in.

I enjoy what I do.  I believe it shows.  I have had now a few of my clients give me referrals.  I will be closing with one of the referrals probably the end of this week or early next week. 

I did personally call my past clients and thank them for the referral.  They told me that they gave the friend my name and information.  He told them that I would look out for their best interests and not convince them to buy a home that was not for them.  

I also believe that the blogs from fellow rainers has helped me grow.  I have also referred people moving to other areas of the country by using active rain to find an agent for them.

Looking foward to SPRING, but not all the yard work. Just the place for you! 2 bedroom 2 bath first floor condo in Munster. Neutral colors, Ready to move in. Close to expressways. Enjoy your weekends with your family and friends.

 2 bedroom/2 bath 1st floor condo with garage.  1300 square feet.

 

$170,000

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How many of you have closed deals with fellow AR members?

  I'm happy to say Active Rain helped me close a deal with a client and a fellow Active Rainer, Steve Dalton.  I was excited today to actually meet Steve in person for the first time.  We have had several communications through active rain but this was the first meeting.  I can say if it wasn't for talking to him through AR this deal may not have happened.  My client was getting ready to look at a FSBO when Steve and I had negotiated a deal.  My client was thrilled with the results of the negotiations and now is a proud owner of a brand new Condo.

 I know Steve and his contractors worked hard to make this deal happen.  Thanks for your hard work and dedication.  I hope to do another deal with you soon. 

Why is it that because the media says it's a slow real estate market that other family members and friends think that us Realtors have nothing to do so they dump their responsibility on us?  Just because they have jobs in factories, or offices and I tend to work from home a lot doesn't mean that I don't work.  Yes, I like the flexibility of being a Realtor.  I now get to spend more time with my son and get to watch him participate in activites I didn't get to when I worked shift work at the local steel mill.  But that doesn't mean that I don't get work at all.  I pride myself on giving personal service to my clients.  I don't have an assistant.  I show my clients homes when they are available.  I have a listing, a buyer in contract due to close the end of the month or early next month, two clients getting ready to list their homes and start looking for other homes.  I have a client looking for 3 homes as rentals and another client looking for a home.  I just finished a closing last week with a client also.

I am excited all of this is going on in my career.  I also became the managing broker of my office.  I was really excited about that.

I finally had to tell those family members and friends that I do have clients that I'm working with and I can't do all of this and take care of my responsibility and my clients needs.  The media may say it's a slow market but this is the busiest I have been since I started in real estate back in 2006.  After explaining that to some of the family and friends they now are starting to take care of some of the responsibilities that they tried to dump on me.

Have any of you had trouble finding comps on your mls because each agent puts the listing in differently?  I even call the association to see if I was doing something wrong.  They did not get any properties either.  I know that there have been listings down the street from the new listing that I am going to have since I drive down the street every day.  I put in the address number the direction the street name the postal direction since it is a county road the city, state and zip and the system tells me it can't validate the address.  It would be so much easier if everyone put their listings in the same way.  I had to map the area to get some listings to show up. 

YODER'S SHOPPING CENTER

Yoder's shopping center has been around for nearly 40 years. The department store has a wide assortment of Amish fabric, linens hats and other items. If you are looking for something and can't find it the staff is always willing to help you find what you are looking for. When you are finished there go across the hall to the hardware store for some unique items. There is also a grocery store to pick up a few items on your way out. Again it is hard to walk out empty handed.

BLUE GATE RESTAURANT & THEATER

Located in the middle of Shipshewana the Blue Gate Restaurant & Theater is a place to visit. The restaurant has both menu and family style available.  Enjoy a Amish meal and make sure if you are too full for dessert you visit their bakery for a take home treat.  To see what is playing at the theater go to http://www.bluegatetheater.com/. It will give you the list of events and prices. Top off the evening with a buggy ride or horse-drawn carriage ride available right outside the restaurant.