Prayer Vigil @ Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, IN on 4/12/11 Come Join Us! On Thankful Tuesday, April 12, 2011Let’s come together in prayer, filled with thankfulness for 32 years of faithful ministry to CLC from Pastor Jerry W. CastlemanPr. Castleman will retire after Mothers Day in May. May Almighty God continue to bless Pastor and his family during his retirement.We Invite You to Join Us to Ask for God's Blessings and Lift Up Those in Need by attending aPublic Prayer VigilonTuesday, April 12anytime between9:00 am to 9:00 pmat theNew Sanctuary ofChrist Lutheran Church2610 N. Campbell St. Valparaiso, IN 46385Map219-462-6660 or clcvalpo@frontier.comPlease commit to participating on this Thankful Tuesdayin the Sanctuaryor in your heartat a specific time of your choosing.Come Join Us... 03/31/2011

 Opportunity Knocks!     Did you ever want to join a Ladies Bible Study?     How about one that is flexible enough that you can plug in any given Tuesday Evening, and even miss a week and not fall behind, because the topic is NEW each week. Your chance starts April 5th, 2011 at 7:15 pm – Mark your calendar!     The Study “Praying The Names of Jesus” (written by Ann Spangler from Grand Rapids, MI),Will be held in Room 120 @ CLCValpo and consists of:  Reading the Weekly Lesson aloud  Reading & Reviewing associated Bible passages of scripture(we all have different versions of the Bible, bring your own or we can lend you one if needed)  Answering a few thought provoking questions written by the author  Prayer time (requests)  Fellowship and Laughter "For where two or three have gathered tog... 03/25/2011

Ad infinitum !  How Long do Blog Posts Work? I'm not talking about the marketing blogs I write to showcase music home video's of our listings for sale in NW Indiana (athough we do get calls on posts in which the homes have already sold). I'm not talking about Local Restaurants or Outlet Mall Blogs that I've written and submitted to Localism. (Yes, we still get calls from these posts in which we say: Sorry, we cannot take your carry out order for dinner, or tell you the hours of the sidewalk sale this weekend LOL). I'm talking about a Blog Post about using SKPE in a Bible Study that I wrote nearly 2 years ago and having a Ministers wife just call me recently because their church was thinking about doing the same and when she googled the topic, up came my post! After about a half hour con... 03/22/2011

  Saturday was senior night at VU. Anyone who follows our blog, knows that we enjoy going to basketball games to cheer on our hometown team! Going to home games puts us in touch with people in the community we serve. We even went to some away games in the past 4 years, where we had the opportunity to meet some of the real road warriors for the Crusaders, parents of the players!  Getting to know some of the team and their parents is a special plus!  This year senior Howard Little even gave us a mention during his senior speech after the final season game and we appreciate it! His parents are a class act and we will miss talking to them regularly next season.    Wishing all the seniors this year success in their future endeavors!                   Valpo Crusaders Senior Night Means -> Mar... 02/28/2011

Things to Do In Valparaiso, IN - come watch the VU Crusaders play basketball! There is nothing like College Basketball in Indiana! In our own hometown of Valparaiso, IN the local university college team, the VU Crusaders of the Horizon League are having an exciting season! Just last week Dick Vitale was at the ARC, his first time ever doing play by play for a Bracket Buster game-> see Highlight Video here!  It's a great atmosphere to be a part of, you can even follow Crusader alumni and fans tweets hashtag on twitter #GOVALPO         This week there are 2 HOME Games at VU come on out for some good home town family fun and cheer on your local team!       02/23/2011

We Just listed a property that meets the requirements of the National Green Building Program in Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 - NAHB Green Built Home For Sale ! It's not easy building green. The National Green Building Standard's foremost rating system for residential construction is the ICC 700 which has the approval of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Throughout the process of development, a home seeking National Green Building Program Certification (NAHB) is inspected at various stages of construction to assure green building practices and environmental performance levels meet the set requirements in six categories on a point based system. This 2010 Model Home For Sale in Valparaiso, IN's North-side Neighborhood of North Hampstead is both a NAHB Green Built Home and has ... 02/19/2011

Sagamore, one of Valparaiso, Indiana's Newer Neighborhoods in Union Township, Porter County,IN ! The name Sagamore was chosen for one of Valparaiso, Indiana's newest communities inspired by the Home Estate of Theodore Roosevelt, one of our nation's Great Conservationists. Formerly farmland, this terrain with delicate slopes, a man made pond, and natural wetlands along with wooded areas provides a scenic country setting for this neighborhood of new homes! The conservation design of Sagamore has home-sites integrated into the picturesque contours of the land, with restored native vegetation, prairie plantings and flowering grasses. This development of 96 acres of open space including a play field for children, 2 miles of walking trails, seating areas and boardwalks throughout the wetland... 02/18/2011

Our Twitter profile says it best : "We enjoy going to VU Basketball Games" and what a season this has been so far for our home town team the -> Valparaiso University Crusaders Mens Basketball Team are currently in 1st place in the Horizon League! and now this news: Dick Vitale is coming to VALPO - It's Awesome Baby!       ESPN has confirmed that legendary college basketball analyst Dick Vitale will be at the ARC next Saturday, February 19 to call the Valpo game vs. Missouri State.  This BRACKET BUSTER GAME is scheduled to begin at 4pm and is being broadcast on ESPN2 nationwide! You can buy tickets still! Come on out for a family fun time! ***It should be an exciting March Madness in Indiana this year - see you at the Games:) GO Valpo!   02/12/2011

Valparaiso, IN 46383 -  Ranch Home For Sale in Washington Township (red area on map).     Located in Porter County, Northwest Indiana, a mailing address of Valparaiso encompasses several Townships Center Township - The heart of Town Washington Township - East of Town Union Township - West of Town Morgan Township - South of Town Liberty Township - North of Town     Recently, we listed a newer Ranch Home For Sale in Valparaiso's Washington Township's popular Pine Creek Estates neighborhood.     xxxx xxxx 02/09/2011

 Meridian Woods, An Age Restricted Retirement Community in Valparaiso, Indiana 46383Life in "The Golden Years" for those 55 and older, Valparaiso, IN has an age restricted retirement community of homes in the Meridian Woods Neighborhood. The peace of mind coming from living in a Newer Home where all the exterior maintenance is done, and the amenities of having a comprehensive Neighborhood Services program which includes:All exterior maintenance, including yard maintenance.Periodic maintenance and mulching of landscape beds.Repair and/or replacement of all exterior light fixtures, mailboxes, and streetlights.Maintenance and upkeep of the Meridian Woods Entrances.Use of all the Meridian Woods facilities, including "The Campbell Street Cafe" during regular program hours.Snow Removal on str... 02/08/2011

Located on the north side of Valparaiso, Indiana is a newer neighborhood development North Hampstead. If you are looking for a NEW HOME in a neighborhood convenient for a Chicagoland commute, Minutes from the on ramp to the Indiana Tollroad and a South Shore Train Stop about 15 minutes away....consider some of The Features of North Hampstead: Calmed Traffic - Designed to reduce traffic speeds and promote pedestrian activity. Public sidewalks connect all areas of North Hampstead. Take a stroll or sit and enjoy the outdoors in any of the neighborhood pocket parks Valparaiso School System This neighborhood is located just steps from Flint Lake School, Valparaiso's newest elementary school Low-Maintenance Living Courtyard homes offer the ease and convenience of condominium living with exte... 02/07/2011

This Saturday, January 29th at the Athletics Recreation Center on the campus of Valparaiso, University in Northwest Indiana the VU Crusaders mens basketball team plays against the Butler University Bulldogs! Game Time  is 1pm CST and will be televised as the Horizon League Game of The Week on Comcast SportsNet Chicago Limited tickets are still available - Come one, Come all to watch VALPO, who are in 1st place in the Horizon League play their long time in state rival Butler  3rd place in the Horizon League(last years runner up in the national championship game). Should be a great game! For an overview of the STATS click here :) GO VU ! 01/27/2011

Cash Deals Close Quicker than Financed Real Estate Transactions. Recently we closed on Home we listed for sale in Northwest Indiana that was funded by cash. Cash deals move quickly, since there is no lender and underwriting approval process involved. That is a big plus these days, as from the time of the accepted offer to settlement took only two weeks. Although much less common than offers subject to financing, the risk of accepting a cash offer is less when verifiable funds await just the satisfactory completion of inspections, title work and deed preparation. Also, there is no waiting for the funding approval at settlement from a lender or delays due to late wire transfers (dry closing), so the time at the closing table is much briefer as well. In today's strict lending milieu, cash ... 01/26/2011

Sometimes we are just here to facilitate matches made in heaven :) Like This -> Just Sold - Valparaiso Ranch Home in Shamrock Neighborhood had an Accepted offer in only 3 days on the Market!   Talk To Tucker Indiana's largest Real Estate Company   01/22/2011

Whether you or your family holds property in Northwest Indiana in a Supervised Estate or Unsupervised Estate, we can help get it SOLD by marketing it to attract ready, willing and able buyers.   Just as we did for this Home in Valparaiso, IN that Just SOLD as an Estate Sale.   The F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate office is located centrally in downtown Valparaiso across from the Court House itself.   Give us a call @ 219-309-9930, we will work with your attorney.     01/18/2011

Valparaiso residential home sales in 2010 remained relatively stable in year-over-year comparisons versus 2009 figures.  GNIAR MLS data shows that while unit sales were slightly down from 815 units to 809 units, median sales price remained identical to 2009 at $174,900.  Average days on market stayed at 84 days, and the average house sold square footage was stable at 1921 SF.  On the inventory side, as of January 1, 2011 there were 587 single-family homes on the market, with a total months supply of inventory (MSI) figure of 9.7 months.  Most experts consider a 6.0 MSI figure as a balanced market, so overall the Valpo market is still considered a buyer's market in single-family homes.  When looking at various price levels, however, this figure is slightly skewed by the high months suppl... 01/14/2011

  We listed a Ranch Home For Sale in Valparaiso, IN 46385 a couple months ago and put up for sale signs, marketed it actively, and low and behold -> closing on this property 70 days from date of the listing! Now Real Estate Markets are a Local Business, and every area is different, however, NW Indiana has plenty of properties on the market to chose from and the winter season does affect the buyer pool somewhat.... A well priced Home, updated and staged to sell in move in condition, does bring ready, willing and able buyers to make offers in our market year round-so don't delay if you are thinking about selling...   Interest rates are LOW and won't stay that way forever! Experienced Professional REALTORS know that the real work in selling a home begins after the negotiated purchase agre... 12/29/2010

I set up & manage a few social media platforms for our church this year as Evangelism chair i.e. Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, Blog  ... so a member recently sent me an email with this video saying: "Being the social media guru that you are, I thought you might get a kick out of this." LOL, I do not consider myself a guru, However, I did find this video funny and wanted to share it ...  Wishing a very Merry & Blessed Christmas to ya'll! and Enjoy-> xxxx   12/21/2010

  VALPO MENS BASKETBALL STARTS 2010-2011 WITH IMPRESSIVE WIN   The Valparaiso University Crusaders Men’s B-Ball squad opened the 2010-11 season against the Indiana University Northwest Redhawks with one of the most impressive wins I have ever seen. Not because they scored 111pts, not because they won by 46 points, it was because of the 29 Assists in the game – yes 29 assists! It was amazing watching this team play so unselfishly. Having a birds-eye view from court-side, the passes were precise, crisp and dead-on! This team showed that when they aren’t lighting it up from 3 point range, they can move the ball and get easy points in the paint. The Crusaders had 70 points in the paint - some contested, some not – none-the-less, they still were making the shots! Senior Guard Howard Little w... 11/13/2010

While on the way home from showing properties in Valparaiso, IN , we found this creek along a winding country road and had to stop and take a moment to enjoy the sounds and view:) 11/03/2010