northwest indiana: Home buyers want more than green - 10/22/12 04:34 AM
The shock and horror is evident in the quiet response, but I after spending many years working with home buyers at all price ranges I do believe they are more complex than we give them credit. 
Sure, some care a lot about the environment and our long term health, so green building and green development is important.   One odd part though is that many home building clients don't have any idea whatsoever what green building or green development might involve, they just feel a need to be ethically trendy.   More on green building in tomorrow's post ...
Today the concept in … (1 comments)

northwest indiana: People worth following in the region Part VI - 02/08/10 07:30 PM
First a smattering of posts from my new favorite legal blogger in Northwest Indiana -
Surprising Victory for Illinois Medical Malpractice Victims Drunk Driver Causes Mishawaka Officer's Death, MADD Proposes Solution Judicial Technology and Automation Committee Makes Progress Toward Statewide Odyssey Case Management System Have you noticed how few attorneys take the time to blog, to even communicate with their clients?  Well I have and I was pleased to find this legal team that was contradicting the trend.
Northwest Indiana Lawyer - An Internet resource intended to educate practitioners as well as laypeople, creating awareness of the rights and compensation to … (2 comments)

northwest indiana: People worth meeting in Northwest Indiana V - 02/02/10 06:13 AM
Northwest Indiana audio engineer
Josh Walker is a producer and audio engineer, now I won't force you all to watch a video of my own meager attempts to record vocals in studio years ago ... but he is the real thing.  My attempts in the studio, for the record, were based on radio commercials and jingles for my own home builder clients.  So this is actually germaine.   Josh's key services:
Northwest Indiana music producer Northwest Indiana recording studio Northwest Indiana audio consultant Freelance recording engineer  
So what's the point for you?  Here are some ideas to implement this type … (1 comments)

northwest indiana: Hey agents, why should someone buy now? - 01/27/10 08:27 AM
Top 5 Reasons to buy a home now I would always prefer to write answers to actual questions submitted by our readers, and in this case a perfect one for mid-January: QUESTION - Steve, I keep hearing you and others saying we should buy a home now, why? What's so key that we need to buy now instead of waiting until this summer?ANSWER - I'd be happy to supply my thoughts in general, and yet I acknowledge up front that many of you have situations that are unique. Top 5 Reasons to BUY now!
Interest Rates are not going to stay … (1 comments)

northwest indiana: Northwest Indiana Mortgage Rates - Upward Bound in 2010 - 01/16/10 09:07 AM
Week 3 2010 - mortgage briefs This week was a bit of a wild ride, with the general climate favoring increases in mortgage rates but negative economic news holding rates down. It's my opinion that this holding level will not last long, that rates are going to start their climb ... I even went so far as to suggest they might go all the way to 7% in 2010. The attached chart is from Marketwatch and shows the last two months for the 10 Year Treasury Bills, note the low in November when we were actually locking crystal clean borrowers with … (1 comments)

northwest indiana: This week in Northwest Indiana - posts from my friends - 01/04/10 11:12 PM
 Northwest Indiana Insurance Quotes - a local insurance professional and yes online quotes
 Kathy Sipple - Northwest Indiana Social Media Coach - named #1 Social Media Influencer in 2009 for the State of Indiana
Nate Findling - Inbound marketing consultant - he says it like it is, you want to market online, then you need a consultant that knows how to drive the traffic
Evelyn Johnston - Elkhart Indiana Real Estate - one of our own here from AR, and a top rated real estate professional in Indiana
Steve Dalton - Northwest Indiana Mortgage Banker - in short ME!
Jeff Eriks … (1 comments)

northwest indiana: Porter County Indiana Elections in 2010 - 01/03/10 03:30 PM
I keep this post updated about every other day, if you are politically engaged in NW Indiana this might be worth watching and participating: Porter County Elections - Daily update Update: January 1st ... Just trying to fill in more missing names, and unravel the confusion that always surrounds township level politics. If you have names, please send them along. 2010 will feature county level elections for a portion of commissioners and council seats, some of the county elected "skill" positions (an NFL term) and township government. We will also have the chance to vote on all our Indiana House seats, … (1 comments)

northwest indiana: People worth meeting in Northwest Indiana II - 12/29/09 01:48 PM
 
Today's post features Jeff Eriks from Cambridge Construction:
I met Jeff a couple months ago at Portillos, and we talked social media and real estate in Northwest Indiana and the fact that all bets are off, marketing has changed dramatically over the last year.  Now it's not enough to have a cell phone and email address, if your customers want to find you on other plaftforms you have to be there too.  Jeff is a great example of being consumer friendly:
Cambridge Construction is a Northwest Indiana commercial contractor, working with small and large businesses to acquire property, design … (7 comments)

northwest indiana: 2010 People worth meeting in Northwest Indiana I - 12/26/09 04:16 PM
I'll be doing a series of posts early this year on a bunch of great professionals, not all in real estate, whom I have enjoyed getting to know.  Many are from right here in Northwest Indiana and I think can be valuable to you the reader of this blog. 
 
Northwest Indiana Insurance Quotes
A site created for consumers in the Region who want to obtain better quotes for auto, health, home, life, and business insurances.  Is this the only online source for this type of information?  Of course not.  There are hundreds of sites like this one, but NW Indiana … (4 comments)

northwest indiana: Porter County Indiana Property Tax Bills 2010 - 12/13/09 03:11 PM
Actual Status of Porter County Tax Bills After some political posturing by Porter County Democrat Auditor this week, I thought I'd do a bit of digging to get to the data behind the easily mis-construed headlines. (via NWI Home Finders Blog)Auditor Jim Kopp, who has been roundly denigrated by community leaders and even some elected Democrats in Porter County, announced that 2010 tax bills will be sent out on time. Times article. Just so we're all on the same page, Porter County was the 60th county to certify net assessed values in Indiana, not exactly setting land speed records. But it … (0 comments)

northwest indiana: The ethics of negative equity in a home - 12/05/09 01:48 PM
Should you walk away from your home? There is a debate brewing on the ethics and viability of people who are underwater on their homes walking away.
"Millions of Americans would be better off financially if they did walk away," says White, who authored the paper "Underwater and Not Walking Away: Shame, Fear and the social management of the Housing Crisis." via Tampa Bay OnlineWhite suggests that those who decide to walk away should consider getting a new car or house before they default on their mortgage, which will constrain their credit. Whoa, that's controversial at a minimum, and it's going … (6 comments)

northwest indiana: Local real estate office teams with community organization - Porter County - 12/01/09 05:43 AM
Century 21 Alliance - Keep it in our Community Local effort - Keep it in our community
A great real estate office teams with one of my favorite local community groups, can't go wrong. Great work!Jeanne Sommer/Century 21 Alliance Group donate to 'Keep it in our Community' program:
Jeanne Sommer of Century 21 Alliance Group presented two checks to Jennifer Peek and the Porter-Starke Services Foundation through Century 21's "Keep It inOur Community Program." Both donations are a percentage of Sommer's commission on real estate transactions conducted by Porter-Starke Services employees.
Lisa Lemmons, a day treatment specialist, purchased a Chesterton home … (1 comments)

northwest indiana: Porter County Indiana - Active Rain Real Estate Experts - 11/27/09 07:47 AM
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northwest indiana: Northwest Indiana Real Estate Recovery - 09/08/09 08:10 AM
More recovery news in NW Indiana real estate For the first time in quite a while a new housing project will go to the Porter County Commissioners for review. Grand Oaks will feature upwards of 400 homes and lots of green space. This will also be a test of Commissioner Bob Harpers supposed focus on green-friendly development. In outside the region news, economist professor Mark Perry features an analysis of the Twin Cities Real Estate market and possible recovery already in motion. For in-depth analysis of Northwest Indiana Politics ... or FHA Mortgages in Indiana. Our team is excited about the … (2 comments)

northwest indiana: Twitter members in Northwest Indiana worth following - 07/03/09 07:23 AM
The first list, and obviously some will find it controversial, of Top Twitter members in Northwest Indiana. 
 
My biggest complaint is the almost non-existence of Realtors on the list.  I'll be frank, some of you live in communities with real estate professionals who really work social media hard.  So far, northwest indiana has a bunch of real estate professionals that may have signed up for a site, but don't use them and don't engage.
 
Jeff and Grace Safrin are the exception to this of course, they get it.   A few mortgage people get it, but all in all our … (3 comments)

northwest indiana: Home values - leveling off for best time to buy - NOW! - 06/30/09 08:07 AM
Help - I need to know if I should buy now? Let's be honest, this was a real question submitted by a reader, but they knew my thoughts on the matter. YES, there has never been a better time to purchase a home in Northwest Indiana. Real estate values have completed a small correction over the last two years, and are actually leveled or even increasing in some areas.
 
I wrote that post a couple hours ago on my personal outside blog, Northwest Indiana Mortgages and Real Estate, and now the Case Schiller Home Price Index is released substantiating the … (1 comments)

northwest indiana: An update on Northwest Indiana - 06/25/09 06:21 AM
A few years back I was a lot more active here on Active Rain, working with some great real estate professionals and learning every step of the way.  Thanks to all of you who have been true friends.  I am spending most of my time on mortgage lending these days, although still building a home once in a while.  Here is a list of links to my mortgage sites, most still in fledling stage but I'd like to do your loan.  Northwest Indiana Mortgages   For those looking for our website, please check it out First Financial Trust Mortgage. For home … (2 comments)

northwest indiana: 1-16 Northwest Indiana news and views - 01/16/09 08:13 AM
Worth reading - NW Indiana Today Like many of our readers, I try to skim through the Times and the Post each morning online, and then my google reader feeds for NW Indiana ... recently I've added a few more bloggers and the #NWIndiana twitter stream just to keep my eyes open for interesting news. See NW Indiana bloggers if you want to add some great new sites.Here's what I found today, I'll keep comments to a minimum so you can read quickly:School Closings due to extreme cold weather - one editorial suggesting the schools are waiting too long to let … (1 comments)

northwest indiana: Northwest Indiana - blogs worth reading daily - 01/09/09 02:04 PM
Recap First NW Indiana Blogger Meetup First let me say thanks to those that attended, I think we had 15 total and next time we'll easily see 20 plus if the weather if a bit better. To those that attended, please feel free to comment liberally on ideas and thoughts on where we can collaborate.Our evening's hosts Golden Technologies - terrific team of IT and software consultants from Valparaiso were magnanimous in extending hospitality ... thanks again!In attendance:
Aaron Simac from NWI Reviews and On Home Comfort Dave Woodson from Mad Mortgage Machine and Dave Woodson.com Brad Enslen from NWI Pundit … (2 comments)

northwest indiana: Northwest Indiana Blogger Meetup - 01/04/09 07:58 PM
NWI Indiana Blogger Meetup This Thursday at 6 pm. at Golden Technologies 2402 Beech St. ValpoNo sales pitches, just a chance to meet everyonePlease come ... and also help us promote it. (use #nwindiana hashtag if using twitter)
 
I know that there are a bunch of real estate bloggers in NW Indiana, a lot more than when I used to be real involved here on AR, please join us if you can make it.
… (2 comments)