Northwest Indiana Real Estate Podcast with Bart Vickrey

I Have an Opportunity for You...

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 10:54:00 -0700

If you’re thinking about a career change, I have an opportunity for you. I’m currently looking for a few good people to join my team and start a career in real estate.

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Are you an established professional pondering a career change? Or how about a college graduate that doesn’t want to be schlepping Starbucks coffee anymore?

If that’s the case, I have an opportunity for you. I’m currently looking for a few good people that want to start a career in real estate. I can take you or anyone you know to a six-figure career within three years. All I require from you are three important attributes:

Reasonable intelligence
Connectability (i.e. the genuine ability to build a rapport)
Desire

In my 18 years as a real estate agent, I’ve done a few things wrong and a few things right. I want to be able to show you the things that work in this business. I have five team members that are on pace to make over six figures this year. Four out of those five members have less than five years experience in the business. Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it’s easier to have money than not to have money.

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I want to show you the things that work in this business.

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If you or anybody you know is interested in this opportunity, please give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to working with you!

What Has 4 Legs and Might Win You a Free Gift Card?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Wed, 3 Aug 2016 12:03:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Hello, and good day. Today, there isn’t any real estate related material to go over. Instead, I have a quick trivia question for you. A family feud-type question, if you will. The fastest three answers to this question will each receive a gift card from me personally to a favorite place of their choosing. So, without further ado:

What word do most people yell at their dog?

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Only the three fastest correct answers will qualify.

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nswer as quick as you can to [insert link], and gift cards will be flowing. If you don’t know the answer but have any questions regarding real estate, be sure to visit the site anyway or just give me a call. Good luck!

Your 2016 First Half Market Update

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 13:01:00 -0700

We are halfway through 2016 already, which is hard to believe. I wanted to give you a quick market update to let you know what’s been going on and what you can expect. We’ll compare the numbers we saw at the midway point of last year to the statistics we have halfway through this year.

In 2015, we sold 4,431 homes in Northwest Indiana through June. This year, that number sits at 4,924 homes. That’s an 11% increase!

Last year, the average sales price through the end of June was $160,953. Right now, the average price is $165,584. That is an increase of 2.9%.

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Home sales are up by 11%!

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The other statistic we like to look at is the average days on market. Last year at this time it was 95 days. Right now, it’s only 91 days.

So, there are 11% more homes selling than last year, and it’s taking 4% less time for them to sell for 2.9% more money. If you have any questions or are thinking about selling yourself, give the best team in Northwest Indiana a call. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank You to Our Northwest Indiana Clients

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 09:05:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Today, I’m here with an incredible offer just for you. First of all, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the business and referrals you are sending my way. My team of real estate ninjas is on pace to sell 363 homes this year! That would be a record for Northwest Indiana.

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You will get a gift card to your favorite place!

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To say thank you, if you’re one of the the first five people who email me back because you’re considering buying or selling a home in the next 12 months, you will get a gift card to your favorite place. Starbucks, Target, Walmart - whatever you want, I will send you a gift card, no questions asked.

If you have any questions, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

The Latest Market Numbers for Northwest Indiana Real Estate

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Mon, 23 May 2016 15:35:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

The Northwest Indiana real estate market is seeing a lot of new trends start to take hold. These trends are especially good for those that are thinking about selling. People always ask us when the best time to sell a home is, and our answer is right now!

In Porter County, the absorption rate is very low. There have been 191 homes sold in the past 30 days, while there are only 721 homes on the market, giving us an absorption rate of 3.77 months. This is a historically low interest rate for Porter County.

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We are no longer in the buyer’s market we are used to seeing.

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A common rule of thumb in real estate is that any absorption rate over 20% is considered a seller’s market. In Porter County, that figure sits at 26.5%. We are no longer in the buyer’s market we are used to seeing in Northwest Indiana. If you have a good home and it’s in decent shape, it’s going to sell quickly for top dollar.

As for buyers sitting on the fence, interest rates are still low and home values are going through the roof. It’s a good time to make a move now, while rates are low, and enjoy that home appreciation in the near future.

If you have any questions for us or any suggestions for future video topics, let us know! We would love to hear from you.

Are You Looking for a New Career in Northwest Indiana?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Fri, 6 May 2016 10:16:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Have you, or has anyone you know, ever considered getting into the real estate business? If so, I would really love to chat.

Right now, the Northwest Indiana real estate market is, as they say, en fuego (ON FIRE)! Simply put: in order to best serve the needs of our clients, we need some help. Whether you’re looking for a part- or full-time job, we would love to sit down to see if you’re the right fit for our team.

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We would love to sit down to see if you’re the right fit for our team.

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For an idea of what kind of opportunity this is, take this into account: This year, I will have four agents on my team that will earn more than six figures. One of them will earn over $300,000! I know that money doesn’t buy everything, but I can ensure you that it’s better to have it than to not! Trust me on this one.

Give me a call at (219) 531-1111 or reach out to Bart@BartSellsHouses.com if you have ANY interest at all! This just might be the career change you’ve been looking for!

What Can We Expect Out of the NW Indiana Real Estate Market?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 14:18:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

I have something special, and it's meant specifically for you. What am I talking about? A market update for the Northwest Indiana area!

From 2015 to 2016, home sales increased by 9%, which is excellent news for our local economy, and we can only expect this increase to continue. Our average sale price was $143,785 in 2015, and in 2016 it is now $155,931. That’s an increase of 7.81%, which is great news for you, your neighbors, and everyone else in this area!

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It’s a stellar time to sell a home in Indiana.

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Homeowners all over Northwest Indiana can rejoice over this news. We are expecting 2016 to be a great year to sell if you want to ride this wave of equity. It’s also a good time to buy because interest rates are still so incredibly low.

If you need help buying or selling in 2016, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

How Can You Get Our Good Life Newsletter?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 14:33:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Today, I just want to give a quick shout out to all those in law enforcement, firefighters, teachers, and other school employees!

If you are one of these people, or if you know one of these people, please get in touch with me so I can add your name to my Good Life Newsletter.

It is mailed to your doorstep once a month and includes special offers for people in law enforcement and firefighters (those who protect us) and people in education (those who take care of our kids)!

Send me the names, numbers, and mailing addresses of anyone who works in these fields! I promise you will not regret it.

Northwest Indiana is a fantastic community and I'm just trying to give back where I can. Give me a call or shoot me an email at any time! I'm always here to help.

What's Happening in Northwest Indiana?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 12:27:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Hey everyone, today I am here with a quick market update for you. Today we are going to take a look at the latest real estate numbers in Northwest Indiana. We're going to take a look at the numbers through May of 2015, and compare them to what we we're seeing at the same time last year.

Through May of 2014, we sold 3,147 homes in all of Northwest Indiana. Through May of 2015, that number is now 3,255 homes, an increase of 3.4%.

The average sales price for a home in Indiana was $144,877 in May of 2014. In May of 2015, the average price was up to $155,484. That's an astonishing increase of over 7% in just one year!
We'd also like to congratulate Anthony Dubbs for winning a gift card in our testimonial and trivia contest.

For our next trivia contest, we are going to provide you with 3 different movie quotes. The first person to tell me which movies the quotes are from in an email will win a gift card as well! Here are the three quotes:

1. "Zed... is dead."

2. "You want answers?"
"I think I'm entitled to them"
"Do you want answers?!"
"I want the truth!"
"You can't handle the truth!"

3. "Look man, I ain't falling for no banana in my tailpipe."

If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Do You Want a Free Gift Card or a Chance to Win $1,000?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Mon, 6 Apr 2015 10:51:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Leave Your Zillow Review Now for Your FREE Gift Card!

Today I'm going to offer you some bribes. I need reviews on Zillow.com, and I also want some of your referrals.

If you go into Zillow and write me a review, I will give you a gift card to Starbucks or Family Express. I currently have no reviews, and I would be extremely happy if you could go in and write one for me.

Another thing I need from you is your referrals! There is a statistic that every person knows 4 people who are looking to buy or sell a home every year. With this being said, I assume you might know one or two people that could help me out. If you refer me a client, I'll put your name in a drawing where you'll have the chance to win $1,000!

Lastly, I have a trivia question, and I'm going to reward the first person who responds with a correct answer. Respond to bart@bartsellshouses.com for a chance to win $25 to your store of choice!

The trivia question is simple. There was a group of high school kids in a movie back in the 1980's, and it was about them spending their Saturday together in detention. What movie am I referring to?

You have a lot of opportunities here to win cash and gift cards.

As always, please refer to me as your #1 resource for real estate in Northwest Indiana!

Three Things to Think About Before you Buy a Home

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:32:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here
Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

As we enter the busy spring real estate market, there are probably a lot of buyers that are on the fence as to whether they should purchase a home. I have three important things you should be considering before you go to purchase a home in 2015. This is the same advice I give to all of my clients.

Form a plan: Think about where you want to be and what type of home you want. Do you need a yard with a fence, or a large shed on the property? When you can narrow down what you want, you can also narrow down your home search, which makes the process much easier. Don't forget to form a budget, either. It's important to consider how much you can comfortably afford.
Interview Agents: I find it crazy that almost no buyers do this. You need to find a professional that will be a good fit for your specific needs. This is extremely important to a successful transaction. When you're buying a home, you don't have to pay a commission, so why wouldn't you want to find the best person for the job?
Get Pre-Approved: When you speak with a lender and get approved to buy a home, you'll know what price range to look at, so you won't be wasting anyone's precious time. Also, sellers love to see buyers that have been approved for a loan, because they know that they're serious about buying, and this will help you as a buyer to win offers in crowded markets like the one here in Northwest Indiana.

If you're thinking about buying or selling a home this spring, now is the time to take action. The market is heating up and you don't want to be left behind. Give me a call and I'd be glad to help you out in any way possible!

Northwest Indiana Real Estate Market Update

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 09:15:00 -0700

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Today I want to compare how our market is faring when we compare it to what was happening last year at this same time.

Last year 960 homes had been sold by this point in the year, and in 2015 961 homes have already been sold.

While that's not an impressive increase in sales, I should let you know that the average sales prices rose by 5.8%!
Nearly 80% of the homes on the market right now are overpriced, so we need good listings right now.

If you're serious about selling, there are three important things for you to do:

Declutter - if you have too much stuff in your home, consider getting a storage unit temporarily. Buyers like to see clean, organized homes.
Think about curb appeal - you need to make a good first impression on your buyers, and this is one sure-fire way to do it. Trim your bushes, repaint your house, power-wash your driveway and clean your windows. New front doors can also make a huge difference to a buyer.
Stage your home - professionally staged homes statistically sell for 2.2% more than homes that are not professionally staged. Ask us about our professional stager!

If you're interested in buying or selling your home, now is a phenomenal time to do so. Affordability is sky-high, and we're also in need of good homes here in Northwest Indiana. I would love to get you started out on the right foot to set you up for the best real estate experience possible!

We Want To Buy You Dairy Queen For A Year!

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Tue, 3 Mar 2015 09:00:00 -0800

Buying a Northwest Indiana home? Get a full home search here

Selling your Northwest Indiana home? Get a Home Price Evaluation

Today, I'm coming to you from the beautiful Naples, Florida, where I'm visiting my mother and my brother! Since I'm in such a good mood right now, I want to make you a special offer!

If you buy a home with Bart Vickrey & Company Real Estate in the next six months, I will give you a year's worth of Dairy Queen!

Simply contact me if you are looking to buy a home! If you want free Dairy Queen for a year, there is only one catch: you need to contact me and register within 14 days of watching this video! Give me a call at (219) 531-1111 or email me at Bart@BartSellsHouses.com! We look forward to hearing from you soon!

How Can You Get Top Dollar for Your Northwest Indiana Home?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 08:00:00 -0800

Selling Your Northwest Indiana Home? Get a free home value report
Buying a Northwest Indiana Home? Search all homes for sale

Are you thinking about selling your house this spring? If so, you've come to the right place. Today, we share 3 quick and simple tips to help you get the most out of your home sale:

Price: By far the most critical factor when selling your home. It's not all about location, but about how you price your home in a given market. We could sell a run-down shack in the middle of a swamp if it was priced properly.
Presentation: The condition and appearance of your home will play a huge factor in the kind of offers you receive. If you have light bulbs that need to be replaced or walls that need to be painted, we recommend getting those things taken care of long before you list your home. Cleaning is also important - make your home spotless before buyers get anywhere near it!
Agent: The agent you hire is so important to getting your home sold that it cannot be overstated. Your home is the biggest asset you own; you can't put it in the hands of an amateur, a part-timer, or a solo agent. If you have the opportunity to hire a team, the best thing to do is hire one that will put multiple people to work for you!

If you're thinking about selling, remember the three keys: price, presentation, and agent. When selling your biggest asset, you want to do it right - hiring the right team for the job is a good first step, as they will help you take care of pricing and presentation.

Give us a call or shoot us a quick email if you have any questions. We would love to hear from you!

The Key To Real Estate Success

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 07:39:00 -0800

There are many great Northwest Indiana area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (219) 531-1111 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

What does it take to be the best real estate sales team in Northwest Indiana?

Well, while most other agents are still tucked away in bed, dreaming of the big deals, our team is up and working on a strategy to make big deals actually happen!

While the other agents are at home sipping their coffee, we are working together, practicing our craft, and figuring out how we can better serve our clients.

The average real estate agent only sells five or six homes a year. Our group, a band of real estate ninjas, sold a total of 206 homes last year! So, who would you rather use: the still-asleep, average agent or the group that rises early to start working for you?

Frankly, we think the choice is clear.

We encourage you to reach out to us via phone or email. Or, you can check out how we can offer you the best real estate experience of your life at Bart@BartSellsHouses.com. We hope to hear from you soon!

How we help Nick with his real estate transactions by being hands-on

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 09:32:00 -0800

"Bart’s one of the most hands-on realtors that we know. He’s very innovative, and doesn't just do the normal processes that other realtors go through. He looks at lead generation differently, and we've had good luck with him. As a builder, we deal with about 30 homes a year. The whole relationship with Bart is just above and beyond."

What Are the Benefits of Homeownership in Northwest Indiana?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 08:16:00 -0800

Hello, and welcome back to the blog! Today, I want to answer a very common question we've been getting at Bart Vickrey & Co Real Estate.

We own a handful of rental properties, and our tenants often ask us, "When is a good time to buy?" I always tell them the simple truth: NOW! As soon as you can, you need to buy a home! It's pretty simple: you're either paying your own mortgage, or you're paying for mine! I don't mind if you want to pay mine, but I think you would be better off building equity for yourself, not for me!

I do appreciate all my tenants, but I want you to understand that the American Dream is homeownership. One of the main reasons is it's a form of wealth building. In a sense, it's an automatic savings account - you pay for your mortgage, part of that money goes to principal, and part of that principal pays down the debt. Once that debt is paid off, you have a very valuable asset on your hands!

If you think now is the time to become a homeowner, or would like real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me a quick email. We're the number one team in Northwest Indiana for a reason, and we would love to show you what we can do!

Thanks, and have a great day!

Are Interest Rates on the Rise in Northwest Indiana?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 06:42:00 -0800

The other day, I got an article from a friend about interest rates. It said that because oil prices have plummeted lately, interest rates are going to go down. I found that to be pretty interesting, so I started doing some research myself. An article I found said that because of the drop in oil prices, interest rates are going to rise! Then, in another article, it was predicted that interest rates were going to stay the same! What gives?

With three different predictions in three different articles, what was I supposed to think? I thought long and hard, I looked into my real estate crystal ball, and I found that... I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT RATES ARE GOING TO DO THIS YEAR!

The truth is: NOBODY DOES!

Recently, rates have been historically low. Since no one is sure when they'll rise and by how much, now is the time to take advantage of low interest rates! We can't be certain when these conditions will change, so we suggest making a move now, while the market is in fantastic shape!

If you have a $200,000 mortgage, at a 4% rate, and rates go up 1%, the difference is $120 a month! That one percent rise in the rate will cost you $43,200 over the course of a 30-year loan! With rates at all-time lows, now is the time to make your dollar go further.

If you have any questions about market conditions here in Northwest Indiana, or would like real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email. I would love to help you make the most of this fantastic market!

Thanks, and have a fantastic week!

What You're Missing This Winter

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 09:32:00 -0800

I get the question all the time: "When is the best time to sell?" The answer is simple: whenever you NEED to sell is a great time to do so! If it happens to be the winter, then so be it!

There are actually a lot of great reasons to sell during the winter months. If you've been thinking of waiting until spring, think again - EVERYONE is waiting for spring! There is much less competition during the holiday season, so you will be able to get your home much more exposure than usual. Another benefit of selling during this time is the buyers out there now are serious - they are out there because they have to be!

If you're interested in taking advantage of these fantastic conditions, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to help you in any way possible!

How we helped Molly sell her home by doing whatever it took to get the job done

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 06:10:00 -0800

"Bart has sold every one of our homes. Recently, he sold an over half a million dollar home in 5 weeks! Even though Bart does have people working for him, we requested to work directly with him and he was very willing to meet our request. He did whatever it took! I really just can’t say enough good things about him to be honest. He met with us whenever we wanted, he came and took the pictures for us, and he just did everything! I’m always his number 1 fan because he’ll do anything it takes to make his clients happy. I’m forever grateful and I wouldn’t use anyone else!"

-Molly Stewart, Home Seller

Is It a Buyer's or Seller's Market in Northwest Indiana?

bart@bartsellshouses.com (Bart Vickrey) — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 09:56:00 -0800

Hello and welcome to our video blog! Today, I want to give you a market update for Northwest Indiana, so you can have the knowledge you need to make informed decisions in the marketplace.

A question we get asked all the time is: "Is it a buyer's market or a seller's market?" Buyers always think it's a buyer's market and sellers always think it's a seller's market - which, of course, is impossible. So, where are we right now?

When I said it can't be a buyer's and seller's market at the same time, I wasn't being completely honest. Who the market favors depends on the price range, condition, location, and type of the home in question.

Our market is getting close to being balanced once again. After the crash we had a buyer's market that raged for about four years, before inventory tightened up. Now, when it comes to inventory that is priced properly, in a certain price range, and in a desirable area of Northwest Indiana, we are seeing a seller's market.

Homes that are $250,000 and under are selling a lot faster than homes priced above that range. Regardless of price range, pricing your home properly is crucial, as around 80% of homes on the market are overpriced. The 20% of homes that are priced appropriately sell quickly! When buyers see that your home is reasonably priced, you'll get offers on it sooner and sell it for closer to the list price than if you overprice it.

When homes sit on the market for an extended period of time, especially in this market, it is a sign that the home is outdated, overpriced, and in an unfavorable location. In these scenarios, it could be a buyer's market. Again, whether it's a buyer's or seller's market is dependent on the circumstances! I'm predicting we'll see better and better products sell much faster next year. When homes are properly priced and in good condition, we're seeing a seller's market - most homes outside of that range are seeing a buyer's market. Plain and simple.

If you have any questions about conditions in your area, don't hesitate to give me a call! I would love to discuss your options with you and determine the best course of action. Hope to hear from you soon!