"IMMACULATE" Fully Loaded Townhome in Carmel! Fabulous upgrades! Enjoy maintenance free living at its finest in this stylish 3 bedroom TH w/over 1840SqFt. Gourmet KIT w/upgraded cab, Granite countertops, Stainless Appl, Cntr Island, Brkfst Bar, balcony that overlooks Courtyard & Tile Floors. LVRM just off the dining area offers Hrdwd Fl, Surround Sound, wall of glass and balcony. Spacious Mstr Ste offer WIC and luxurious bath. Lower Level & custom built-ins. Don't let this one get away!

World-Residence.  Once in a rare while will a truly magnificent home such as this be available.  Built without compromise, the home reflects only the very best.  This home has baths sheathed in Porcelain, Travertine & slate, site finished white oak flooring and all the amenities present on your wish list.  Breakfast patio with fireplace overlooking the Pete Dye Championship Golf Course.  This is what success is all about. If you promised yourself the best in life, you can keep that promise.

Continuing the market's trend: Hamilton County reports 62 homes that went under contract last week while Marion County saw 173 homes pend. 

The numbers for July are in and according to MIBOR here are the Highlights:

• During May to July 2010, average sale price increased 5.7% when compared to the same period in 2009. 
• Average Sale Price increased 8.9% during July 2010 when compared to July 2009.
• Closed Sales decreased 4.1% during the three month comparison and decreased 30.4% during July 2010 when compared to July 2009.
• Pended sales during May to July 2010 decreased 30.7% when compared to the same three month period in 2009. The one-month comparison recorded a 27.2% decrease during July 2010 from the same month in 2009.

This new 3 bedroom home built by Homes by McKenzie includes a finished daylight basement.  With every amenity one would expect in a residence.  Imagine the very finest & you will still be delighted.

You will want to see this magnificent home built by Homes by McKenzie.  What makes it special is the feeling of elegance tempered with simplicity created by the architect for the lifestyle you deserve.

The last of the best when we sell this new home on Long Cove there won't be any more.  This 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,400 square foot Honors plan features soaring ceilings, glass-wrapped living area, very private home office, garden kitchen, an unbelievable master suite, and just about every conceivable upgrade.

Bridgewater, This beautiful 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 3,000 square foot Denison plan features soaring ceilings, glass-wrapped living area, private home office, garden kitchen, an unbelievable master suite and just about every conceivable upgrade.  Enjoy the lush landscaping from your patio overlooking the pond.

Homes by McKenzie: Estimated completion Early Fall of 2010. Amazing finishes are planned on this main floor master home in the Village of WestClay. There is still time to change the design plan and finishes. Other homesites are available. Floor plans available. Photos are from a model home. 

MUST SEE! Better than new Fishers Residence situated on one of the BEST lots in very desirable Gray Eagle. Of course there's a dream gourmet kitchen w/tons of granite, stainless appliances, expansive family areas, breakfast area overlooking the stunning stamped concrete patio, oversize master suite w/ his&hers closets. Huge lower level with theater area, bonus room, wine cellar, wet bar, office/5th BDRM and full bath. All amenities one could wish for. DON'T LET THIS ONE GET AWAY!

6673 Pennan embodies the function & style that a modern home should. The floor to ceiling greatrm windows immerse you upon entering - this is only the start, the home boasts: custm cabntry, eat-in gourmet kit, granite abound, brick accent wall, a cozy hearth rm, srnd sound & mltpl outdr spaces. Main flr further hosts the GR, DR, office & mstr bdrm. The style & flair of the home continue into the bsmnt which is marvelously finished w/custom wet bar, wine cellar, home theatre, 2nd ofc& workout rm.

Magnificent Estate in Carmel situated on 5.25 professionally landscaped acres! This home comes loaded with a gourmet kitchen, Heath room, formal dining, great room, office, main level MSTR wing, huge bonus room and 3 over sized upped bedroom suites. Special features include spectacular soaring ceilings, tray ceilings, gleaming hardwoods, custom tile, tons of granite, 4 fireplaces, walls of glass, oversized 4 car garage & a 24x44 sparking swimming pool. Truly a masterpiece you want to call home.

The Verizon Wireless Music Center is one of the best places in the Midwest to see a concert, it is no surprise that the 2010 schedule is packed with top performers. Indianapolis is lucky to have such a venue! 

5/7/2010                      Pearl Jam

5/15/2010                    Jimmy Buffett

5/22/2010                    Nickelback

5/23/2010                    Country Throwdown 2010

5/29/2010                    X103 MayDay with Three Days Grace

6/5/2010                      Brad Paisley

6/18-19/2010                Dave Matthews Band

6/27/2010                     Lynyrd Skynrd

7/6/2010                      Vans Warped Tour

7/7/2010                      Steve Winwood/Santana

7/10/2010                     Tom Petty & The Hearbreakers

7/16/2010                     Brooks & Dunn with Gary Allan

7/20/2010                     Lilith

7/22/2010                     Chicago and The Doobie Brothers

7/23/2010                     Jack Johnson

7/31/2010                     The Rockstar Energy Mayham Festival

8/3/2010                       Rihanna

8/12-13/2010                 Phish

8/15/2010                     John Mayer

9/3/2010                       Kings of Leon

Last week, 4/16-4/23, Hamilton County had 125 homes go under contract and Marion County saw 304 homes go under contract. Our reporting does not count this past weekend, which unless extended, will have been the last home shopping weekend to take advantage of the Home Buyer Tax Credit. By all accounts the tax credit worked. We have been saying for about a year now that with interest rates so low, free money available, and prices down from their 2007 highs this has been an amazing time to buy a home. 

The remaining question is how will the housing market fare when standing on it's own? Our prediction is that in that the summer months will be down as many of the would be summer and early fall first time homebuyers purchased homes earlier than expected to take advantage of the tax credit. Fall and Winter should be in line with previous averages and we should begin to see a normally increasing numbers by next March.

Financier Warren Buffett on the state of the housing market:

"Within a year or so, residential housing problems should largely be behind us," Buffett wrote Saturday in his annual letter to the shareholders of his Berkshire Hathaway. "Prices will remain far below 'bubble' levels, of course, but for every seller or lender hurt by this there will be a buyer who benefits. Indeed, many families that couldn't afford to buy an appropriate home a few years ago now find it well within their means."

Families in the market for a house are shopping at the right time: Nationally, homes are near the most affordable they've been in 18 years. In the fourth quarter of 2009 housing was 62.4% more affordable than the same time a year earlier, according to the Housing Opportunity Index, published quarterly by the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo.

In Depth: America's Best Housing Markets
The best place to buy right now: Pittsburgh. For a housing market to be attractive it should have appreciating prices that show homeowners are making wise investments; an affordability rating that gives middle-class families with good credit entry into the market; and a relatively low number of foreclosures, which keeps prices stable and indicates there isn't an excess of inventory.

Pittsburgh has all three. In the metro area, 85% of homes are affordable to those making the median family income of $62,500. At the same time, foreclosures are low: Only one home is in foreclosure for every 120 housing units--the second-best record of all the cities we ranked; and home prices are expected to increase 2.67% by the end of the year.

Yes, the city has suffered greatly since the decline of its manufacturing-dependent economy. But that slump helped its real estate market dodge the rapid run-up in prices that doomed so many markets after the housing boom.

"Manufacturing cities like Pittsburgh have suffered so much for the last two, three, four years that there's still a population base in that region, and now those areas are sort of attractive," says James P. Gaines, research economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. "Home prices are so low, some service-level jobs can be created, so it's not surprising perhaps that there's been a revitalization of some of those communities."

Behind the Numbers

To find the country's best housing markets, we used the Housing Opportunity Index, a metric created by the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo that determines affordability by measuring median home prices against median incomes. Using the 40 largest housing Metropolitan Statistical Areas that the HOI ranks, we then factored in Moody's Economy.com's one-year forecast for the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, a measure of sales prices in major markets, to find out where home prices were expected to rise. Finally we included the 2009 Foreclosure report from RealtyTrac, ranking cities by their percentage of foreclosures. We averaged the rankings for all these measures to arrive at an overall score.

The reason for taking all these factors into account is that alone each doesn't say much about a housing market's health. An area could be affordable because prices were dragged down by a glut of foreclosures. Similarly, a low foreclosure rate doesn't guarantee that home-buying is a good investment, as values could be flat or falling. Even looking at home-price forecasts in a vacuum won't tell you everything about a market, since some areas have dramatic price increases ahead due to severe drops back when the bubble burst.

Like Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, might not jump to mind as one of the country's best cities for housing, but job-rich suburbs surround the city and 87% of middle-income families can afford a home. That combination creates significant pull for homebuyers.

Also looking strong is Louisville, Ky., a city whose low foreclosure rate--only 1.15% of homes are in foreclosure, half the national average--illuminates it as one of the cities least affected by this aspect of the dramatic housing market collapse of the past three years. Louisville had less of a market boom than coastal cities and vacation destinations, so it didn't have as far to fall.

Jobs Stability Equals Housing Stability

Strong industries have bolstered some of the cities on our list: The energy sector has kept jobs flowing into Texas oil town Houston, and that effect trickles into Dallas and Austin (which is also buoyed by technology jobs). A good job market means the housing outlook will stay strong. Houston home prices are expected to rise 1.2% by next year; it's one of only four of the markets we ranked where prices won't continue to slide, according to Moody's Economy.com.

Midwestern cities Indianapolis, Minneapolis and St. Louis make our list in spite of middling home-price forecasts because housing in these places is eminently affordable. Indianapolis has the highest HOI in the country, with decent housing accessible to 96% of families making the median income. In places like this the recession has weighed down home prices, but mortgage rates are still at historic lows, giving families a chance to get in on the ground floor.

Some markets are accessible to buyers because of a price slide now, yet still offer wise investment choices. In Minneapolis-St. Paul, which is ranked seventh in HOI, prices will continue to slide this year by three-quarters of a percent; but by 2012 they will have risen 2.82%.

Most real estate markets are struggling, some quite severely, so discussing the best ones is relative. But between the even-keeled housing climate of some Midwestern cities and the job opportunities in Texas, real estate in these areas is worth keeping an eye on.

America's Top 5 Housing Markets

1. Pittsburgh, Pa.
1-year Home Price Forecast: 0.03
Housing Opportunity Index: 85.1
% of Housing Units in Foreclosure: 0.83

2. Louisville-Jefferson County, Ky.-Ind.
One-year Home Price Forecast: -0.01
Housing Opportunity Index: 84.3
% of Housing Units in Foreclosure: 1.15

3. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
One-year Home Price Forecast: 0.01
Housing Opportunity Index: 73.2
% of Housing Units in Foreclosure: 1.3

4. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis.
One-year Home Price Forecast: -0.01
Housing Opportunity Index: 84.9
% of Housing Units in Foreclosure: 2.2

5. Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.
One-year Home Price Forecast: -0.02
Housing Opportunity Index: 95.7
% of Housing Units in Foreclosure: 2.47

Click here to see the full list of America's Best Housing Markets

By: Francesca Levy, Forbes.com

Home Sales in Hamilton and Marion Counties were up 19% in the fourth quarter 2009 compared with the fourth quarter 2008. In fact, the fourth quarter of 2009 was the strongest since 2006! The brightest spot was Carmel, where sales were up 41% during that time period. 

Though we are Realtors with Sotheby's Realty in Indianapolis we have contacts with top producing realtors across the country. If we don't personally know someone, we will search every major real estate brokerage on your behalf to find the most qualified agent to meet your buying or selling needs. The agents will be interviewed and evaluated based on:

• Production 
• Education/Certifications 
• Marketing 
• Agent and Client References  

We offer this service free of charge, if you have a friend or family member who is in need of the best real estate service in their area, email us HERE or reply to this note. We can generally track down the right person within 24 hours.

Know of someone buying or selling a home ANYWHERE? Click Here and we will help!

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