Eric Karrfalt - realtor/broker

Price. Condition. Location. Time. Sounds like your home is getting exposure based on your showing activity. As the expression goes, "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink."
Price solves everything. Home sales are market driven, so if they are looking at yours but buy somewhere else, you gotta find what it is they are averse to in yours. Try this. You get feedback and the showing agents name, right? Have your agent look up the last few months pended and closed sales that comp to yours. What you are looking for is the agents that viewed your home but their clients bought elsewhere. You can now see the homes that beat you out. What is different in those homes? Noblesville is my stomping grounds. I guarantee at $400k you are being shopped against new construction. As unfair as it is, you better look like a model home because just about every buyer in the county will see a model home at some point in time and expect yours to look as nice as that model. If it's not, start cutting price till it's attractive, or start improving your home. You have demonstrated that demand for your home is there by second and third showings. You need to focus on what the detractor is. Is it price, condition, location, or given market conditions, do you need more time on the market? Again, price solves everything. If your FSBO, or limited agency, contact me and I can offer some additional tips. All the best.
-Eric karrfalt, "helping clients gain a competitive advantage in todays market." - Yesterday, 15:12

In talking to my neighbor, who grew up in that area 20 years ago, the difference between Little flower now, and Fishers, is like night and day. Did not want to raise a family there. Fishers/Hamilton County........growing area, job growth, some of the best public schools in the country, lots of ammenities. Let alone looking at what you get from public services for your tax dollars. The demographics speak for themselves. Marion County is at a disadvantage to surrounding counties. From purely a housing standpoint, you can probably get a lot more bang for your buck in Marion. But there is a good reason for that. My question would be to you is what are your priorties? Got kids going to school, or are planning on it? Schools are a big question I get. Even if you don't have school kids, it does reflect on desirability and demand, which reflects on you ability to resell when you decide to do that. Is location a priority? Is drive time a consideration? Urban vs. suburbs? Just being a devils advocate here. No good answer but wanted to relay thoughts from someone I know who grew up there and still has family there. - Tue May 13 2008, 20:28

The listing expired 4/26/2008. It came to market 5/21/2007 and has not sold yet. I can contact the owner if you would like. Note, it is in a flood plain and would requires fix up. It is not for your average buyer. - Mon May 12 2008, 10:47

Tom,
No is the short answer. In general, lets say evey sale in your community has finished basements. Lets say they sell for $250k, You paid $250k for your home, finished your basement, and want $275k. All things being equal, you are at a big disadvantage if price is the only object. What I'm trying to demonstrate is that improvements such as your basement remodel derive value from the market, not a standard return on what was spent. You need to look at the a bigger picture of your project such as sq/ft finished , quality of work, quality of materials used, custom ammenities, etc. Then compare it to the general real estate pricing for homes like yours in Carmel, then to sales of similar homes in your community. Generally speaking, I can demonstrate an increased value, as additional finished sq/ft almost always raises your price. I have clients who have lost 50% and others who have gained 20% over their cost, all depending on the cost of their project and how it compaired the competition. So there is no hard and fast rule. I would say 70% ROI is fair but I would watch how you use that figure. Hope this helps gain perspective. -Eric - Mon May 12 2008, 09:47

Kate,
You seem familiar with the north side,.I would suggest all of Hamilton County. Noblesville Westfield, Fishers and Carmel are all in proximity to 465. Cicero, Arcadia and Sheridan are a little further north. We are in one of the fastest growing areas of the whole country so when you describe the area remaining the same for years, I would consider looking at Cicero/Sheridan/Arcadia, but "neighborhoods" are limited. I would say those are still fairly "rural areas". but they are still close enough to Indy that another 5-10 minutes really does not seem that much for the privacy. Zionsville, Avon, Brownsburg, Pendleton, are all excellent areas to look at. Trees? It's pretty flat here and most of the development that is happening has occured on farmland, thus only new trees unless you are looking at established older neighborhoods. There are many established neighborhoods around though that have all you are looking for. More info is required to stear you in the right direction. New vs. old? Fix up vs/ turn key? City utilities vs. well and septic? Target price range? Ranch/two story/basement? Bedrooms and sq/ft? These would really help define specific neighborhoods or areas to look. Traffic.....Can be an issue no matter where you are located outside the 465 loop. All roads get congested during rush hour in my opinion. All sides of the city can get congested, no matter what town you reside in. But, once your a local, you will get to know the side streets that can get you to the interstate or downtown quicker if things are backed up. Normally, morning and evening rush hour traffic slows you down, but depending on your destination and timing, it's not as bad as you might expect. Still if your caught in traffic, like anywhere else, it can be unpleasant. I can get to downtown Indy in 1/2 hour to 40 minutes most of the time from Noblesville. Barring accidents, the most it ever took me was less than an hour. An upcoming project to consider is the US 31 project. Slated to start in 2011. Still a few years off but if you are going to be here for awhile, it's valuable knowledge. See website: http://www.in.gov/indot/div/projects/us31/hamiltoncounty/
Essentially they are converting a Main north south corredor, US 31, from state highway standards to interstate standards. You will be able to cover almost the whole length of the county without stoplights or interchanges. New off ramps, cloverleafs, etc, are part of the project. This will really change the landscape and travel time within the whole county. I predict it will also open up Sheridan/Cicero/Arcadia to growth and more demand. It would be nice to reach the 465 from these towns on a straight shot without hitting stoplights and stop and go traffic. Off the top of my head I'm thinking of about 20 neighborhoods that are great for kids, have trees, are built out and established, have community parks/playgrounds/pools, are within 20-30 minutes to 465, depending on traffic patterns and accidents.
Please forward me some specifics on your needs and I would be happy to screen the areas I am familar with for homes and pass them along. -Eric - Sat May 10 2008, 15:59