Brad Baxter | Weichert, Realtors - McDonald-McKinney | (317) 501-3202 13390 Spring Farms Drive, Carmel, IN Best Value in Spring Farms located in Carmel, IN! 5BR/2+2BA Single Family House offered at $320,000 Year Built 1995 Sq Footage 3,535 Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 2 full, 2 partial Floors 2 Parking Unspecified Lot Size 13,067 sqft HOA/Maint $48 per month DESCRIPTION BEST VALUE IN SPRING FARMS!! LOCATED IN HIGHLY DESIREABLE CARMEL W/ EXCELLENT SCHOOLS & LOCAL AMENITIES. FULL BRICK WRAP,BEAUTIFUL HOME W/ 5 BEDROOM OPTION,FINISHED BASEMENT W/BATH,NEW UPGRADED FIBER CEMENT SIDING,NEW STAINLESS APPLIANCES STAY,GLEAMING HARDWOOD FLOORS,SIDE LOAD GARAGE,9' CEILINGS,CUSTOM TRIM DETAIL THROUGHOUT,STEP DOWN FAMILY ROOM W/GAS LOG FIREPLACE,AMAZING YARD & PROF. LANDSCAPING W/TIERED PAVER PATIO TO ENTE... 05/12/2011

There are 794 homes for sale in Carmel Indiana today; that would overwhelm the most organized of buyers! Where do you start? I like to have a buyer's consultation meeting with my buyers.  I like to learn about why they are looking for a new home, what they would like in their new home and what pricing is comfortable for them.  I then match that with what I know about the market.  I can search in MIBOR for Carmel homes that are within a certain price point, in a certain part of Carmel (we have a map drawing feature on MIBOR), have certain amenities, etc. I can take the 794 homes and narrow it down to something far more manageable and far more meaningful for my buyers. I like using MIBOR because it is real time.  Often when clients look at Realtor.com or Trulia, they see active homes that... 05/04/2011

Originally Posted at My Carmel Blog Maybe you are getting ready to sell your Carmel home, or maybe you just want a new look.  Sometimes just changing the paint color can give you that new fresh look; without all the renovation dollars! There is a great new tool out on the web that makes choosing a paint color easier.  The tool is from from Sherwin Williams and allows you to upload your room photo and try out various colors.  There are great new Spring colors out too; Benjamin Moore has a great selection.  Don't be afraid to experiment; paint is cheap.  If there is a little "bold" in your personality but your spouse/significant other doesn't have that same gene, try it as an accent wall as middle ground. As a buyer, don't let bold colors in a home "color" your view of that home.  Again, ... 04/24/2011

    Speechless Sunday – What a beautiful place of worship!  I pass this church often as it is located in Carmel, Indiana one of the main areas I service.  I think it is a beautiful piece of architecture.  I have never been inside, but I will bet it is just as impressive inside as it is outside.  It is Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. 04/17/2011

Originally posted at My Carmel Blog There were 109 homes sold in Carmel Indiana in March; up from 102 last March.  Carmel Real Estate has consistently been close to last year 2010 and way ahead of 2009 for the first quarter.  There were 225 homes sold in Carmel for the 1st quarter 2011 compared with 221 in 2010 and 180 in 2009.  This is a bit of a different story than what we are seeing in Fishers Real Estate market reports. The days on market did increase  from a year ago...currently running 116 days compared with 82 a year ago.  That's a pretty significant increase.  There were 17 homes of the 109 that sold that were older than 200 days on the market. The price per sq foot is also declining at $109 down from $114 a year ago. Part of this decline in price could be the number of luxury ... 04/15/2011

  You’ve heard it before: Carmel Indiana has excellent schools. But if you’re planning a Carmel relocation, you might be wondering what it is, exactly, that makes Carmel schools so remarkable. Carmel High School is a great example of the success of the entire Carmel Clay Schools district. A graduation rate that hovers near 100 percent, and an impressive selection of Advanced Placement classes, varsity sports, and extracurricular activities combine to well-prepare Carmel High School students for college and the working world. Carmel High School facts: enrollment: 4,400 facility: 55 acre campus in the city center of Carmel includes a 3-story Freshman Center graduation rate: 95.32 percent for the 2009-2010 school year, 86 percent of whom will enroll in post-secondary college or university ... 04/05/2011

Originally posted at My Carmel Blog There are currently 669 homes for sale in Carmel Indiana.  Of those homes, 168 are over listed at over $500,000.  That is what we consider a luxury home.  There are 34 homes listed at over $1,000,000. The most expensive home in Carmel today is listed for $2,999,999 and is located in Bridelbourne (106th and Shelbourne).  It has 9,411 sq ft (main/upper) with a master on the main level that is 32 x 24 (a normal bedroom is probably around 17 x 17) and five additional bedrooms all upstairs (often you will find a bedroom in the basement but they are all upstairs here).  The kitchen measures 30 x 19 with impressive tile.  There is an additional 2,536 sq ft in the finished basement.  It has a home theatre, wet bar, sauna and very contemporary finishes. It sit... 03/31/2011

Originally posted at My Carmel Blog Let the fun begin!  The Rotary Club in Carmel is sponsoring their Adult Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 16th at the Monon Center.  This will be held in partnership with the Carmel/Clay Parks and Recreation folks.  It is for adults age 18 and older; finally an egg hunt for us!  Knowing how competitive adults are, they have 4,000 eggs that will be hidden with prizes to local stores and restaurants (Sullivans Steak House and Flemings to name drop!).  And what would an egg hunt be if it didn't have a golden egg!  Good news, there will be 20 of them at this event!  Some of those prizes will be a flat screen tv and an iPad2! This will be a really fun event as adults walk the scenic trailsof Central Park to find the eggs.  But more importantly you will be... 03/24/2011

Oiginally posted at www.mycarmelblog.com I am often asked what is the best neighborhood in Carmel...and much like an attorney I have to say it depends. Everyone has their own tastes and wish list for their next home.  Depending on what that is...defines the best neighborhood for them. There are 654 homes for sale in Carmel today; it is likely the perfect one for you exists! Things that might matter are its proximity to the Monon Trail, Clay Terrace, the Monon Center, Carmel High School.  Other things that might matter are children friendly or family friendly neighborhoods (best way to find one of those is to see how many swing sets are in the neighborhoods!).  Some folks who want to live in Carmel travel to downtown, so easy access might be important.  Now if you are looking for the bes... 03/19/2011

  You’re relocating to Carmel Indiana? Congratulations! We think know you’ll LOVE it here! Carmel has excellent schools, a vibrant Arts and Design District, plenty of parks and recreation venues, a brand new performing arts center, a rapidly growing city center, and a fantastic selection of beautiful neighborhoods. P.S. Carmel landed in the top 20 of Money magazine and CNNMoney.com’s 2010 Top 100 Best Places to Live in America. Really, what’s not to love? (Not convinced? Here are more great reasons to move to Carmel Indiana.) If you’ll be searching Carmel homes between $350,000 to $500,000, you’re really going to love it here! Carmel homes in this price range are plentiful, and depending on where you’re coming from, you might be amazed at how much space and luxury you can get for your m... 03/14/2011

There are currently 760 homes for sale in Carmel Indiana and of those 78 are below $150,000.  February was another good month for Carmel Indiana Real Estate; matching the 2010 numbers. In February there were 66 homes sold in Carmel compared with 65 a year ago.  The graph shows both January and February results comparable to 2010.  The days on market are also improving at 104 days this month versus 115 days a year ago. Where we might see some differences is in the luxury or wealthiest homes in Carmel.  Last year there were 13 homes over $500,000 that sold; this month (February) there were only four.  And of the four homes three of them sold for $100,000 less than their list price, so quite a buyers market.  It might be that there was an appraisal issue also.  These days we sell the house... 03/11/2011

Originally Posted at My Carmel Blog Carmel Real Estate residents will be enjoying food and fun this Thursday at the Taste of Carmel! It is an adults only event and will be at the Ritz Charles on Meridian.  It will be held from 6:00 to 9:00 on Thursday, March 3rd.  There will be over 25 Carmel area restaurants participating.  Some of those will be Sullivan's, Scotty's, The Melting Pot, Macaroni Grill, Ted's Montana Grill and Cold Stone!  Another favorite that will be there is family owned Bub's. There will also be a silent auction (4 Tickets to Walt Disney World, 10 one day passes to the Monon Center, and more) and also live entertainment featuring Blair Clark, a smooth and soulful R & B artist.  Blair has lived in Carmel for over 20 years and has a son that attends Orchard Park! This ev... 03/02/2011

      The Carmel Indiana Lincolnshire neighborhood has a peaceful, personal feel that only a small community can provide. With just 82 home sites, Lincolnshire residents have the opportunity to truly get to know one another – whether it’s a friendly chat on one of the Carmel neighborhood’s walking trails, or during a social hour at the neighborhood swimming pool and cabana. Lincolnshire offers new construction homes by Estridge, a popular and well-respected Carmel builder with a good reputation for quality homes and neighborhoods throughout the Indianapolis area. Anderson Hall in Fishers is another beautiful Estridge new construction community! Designed to give buyers a custom home feel without a custom home price tag, Lincolnshire homes feature standard luxury details, finished lower l... 03/01/2011

Originally posted at MyCarmelBlog on 2/21/11 If you are looking for a ranch styled home for sale in Carmel, there are 111 of those available today.  As a Carmel Realtor, I like to encourage dialogue about why my buyer desires their needs/wants in their next home.  Take for example the person that wants a ranch in Carmel...if we chat further they sometimes tell me they want to avoid stairs, their knees are getting bad.  Or they may say they don't want to carry laundry and this makes it more likely they won't have to do that.When I listen to my clients, sometimes I can give them more options.  In the case of someone who wants to avoid stairs...maybe having the master on the main level is enough to accomplish that.  If we look today at homes for sale in Carmel with the master on the main l... 02/25/2011

Pay It Forward – Sometimes NOT Doing Something is Paying It Forward! I have a transaction right now with an agent we will call Larry.  I represent the Carmel, Indiana home sellers and Larry represents the buyers.  The negotiations went smoothly and Larry was nothing but professional.  After we got the deal worked out, my client, said, “Larry is a pompous ass!”  Since she had no contact with him during negotiations, I asked what made her think that.  She reminded me that she used to work for a title company and had contact with lots of realtors.  (Oh yea, that’s right.  I wondered why I had been chosen since we had never met.  Had all of her experiences been bad?) I am sorry to report that Larry has done his best to prove my client right.  He calls and reams me every chance he gets.  Ex... 02/20/2011

I am just plain STUPID!   stu·pid  (st p d, sty -) adj. stu·pid·er, stu·pid·est 1. Slow to learn or understand; obtuse. 2. Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes. 3. Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless: a stupid mistake. 4. Dazed, stunned, or stupefied. 5. Pointless; worthless: a stupid job. n. A stupid or foolish person.     Last October, I went on a listing appointment for a home in Carmel, Indiana, one of the areas in which I specialize.  The seller is a ‘semi-celebrity’ in the Indianapolis area.  He is a personal injury lawyer who used to do a lot of television ads.  His name and face are well known. I was not exactly star struck, but maybe just a little more nervous than usual.   His home had been on the market for six months, listed with one ... 02/17/2011

The Deal Fell and I am Feeling Bad for the Listing Agent.... One of my new team members has been working with some first time home buyers. They negotiated a good price on a 3 bedroom home in Carmel, Indiana and everything seemed to be going smoothly.  I try to stay out of the way unless my advice or help is needed.  Today I had to step in. The listing agent is also the seller.  We did our research and quickly learned that the home is an investment property he purchased October, 2010 as a bank owned and put back on the market in November.  Hmmmmm, must have worked really hard to get a home renovated that quickly. Having never seen the house, I was anxious to see the inspection report.  It quickly became obvious to me that this is the agent’s first attempt at ‘flipping’ a home. Among the ... 02/13/2011

Originally posted at My Carmel Blog on 2/8/11 As we ended 2010, the Carmel Real Estate market looked strong and we continue that trend into January to some extent.   If you missed the year end 2010 Carmel Real Estate market report, be sure to check it out! For January 50 homes in Carmel were sold in 2011 compared with 54 in January of 2010.  The 50 homes is about the norm in the area, Fisher sold 48 homes and Noblesville 40 in January of this year.  Weather certainly played a role in that...with all the ice we have had, I'm sure February might be a tad lower as well. The Days on the Market were down from 2010 from 98 to 85; so a 15% improvement.   We did see the price per sq ft drop from $116 in 2010 to $106 in 2011.  I think part of this could be tied to the number of luxury homes in C... 02/11/2011

Guide to Carmel Indiana neighborhoods and subdivisions $250,000 to $350,000 The first thing you should know about relocating to Carmel Indiana is that it’s pronounced like the candy, not the same-named city in California! The second thing you should know is that this popular suburb just north of Indianapolis cracked the top 20 in Money magazine and CNNMoney.com’s Top 100 Best Places to Live in America - and it's not the first time! And finally, you’ll want to know that you’re not alone. Carmel is the most-often requested northern suburb for people relocating to the Indianapolis area, making it a friendly, welcoming place for newcomers. Excellent schools, low crime, reasonably priced housing, and plenty to see and do only add to the allure! The hardest thing about relocating to Carmel In... 02/07/2011

There are some things I can embrace easily….blogging for example.  There are other things where I need a nudge or a significant push.  Thank you Bob Stewart for the push to pursue putting a video online; it is something I have often thought about but was sure I couldn’t do it. Figuring out the idea was the first sign of trouble…I like to be original.  Figuring out if I could even record on my little Olympus camera was the next challenge.  Then learning the Windows Live Movie Maker was laborious…I’m just not as quick as I used to be at this techy stuff.  But…in the end I have a submission. I stage every house I list because I’m a believer.  It says this in the video…but studies have shown that 95% of homes that were staged sold in 35 days or less.  So, that’s my topic. Recording on my li... 01/26/2011