Beautiful Home in Dunhill Crossing, Elkhart, IN Sold and Closed.Representing the Buyer, who was a referral from my daughter-in-law, the beautiful home became hers when we met at Meridian Title Company, in Elkhart, to sign the closing documents.  As you can see, she was thrilled to be a home-owner.---------------------------------------- If you know someone who wants to Buy or Sell a Home in Elkhart County, St Joseph County, or surrounding areas, have them call me:Larry Johnston, 574-304-7577Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLCElkhart, Indianaor email larry@larry-johnston 05/03/2015

Home in Syracuse, Kosciosko County, Indiana Sold and Closed Representing the Seller, inSyracuse, Indiana, we closed the transaction in Warsaw, Kosciosko County.I not only represent buyers and sellers from Elkhart County, but also, from St. Joseph, Marshall, LaGrange and Kosciosko Counties.If you need information on Buying or Selling a home, call Friends & Neighbors Real Estate, Elkhart, Indiana.  I will be glad to hep you through the Buying or Selling process.---------------------------------------- If you know someone who wants to Buy or Sell a Home in Elkhart County, St Joseph County, or surrounding areas, have them call me:Larry Johnston, 574-304-7577Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLCElkhart, Indianaor email larry@larry-johnston 05/03/2015

Morris Performing Arts Center - South Bend, IN - March 2015 Schedule. March 16 Brit Floyd Space and Time World Tour 2015   March 20  Memphis Broadway Performance   March 21 Memphis Broadway Performance    March 28 South Bend Symphony Orchestra Keybank Pops III A Tribute to Brubeck --------------------------------------------- If you know someone who wants to Buy or Sell a Home in Elkhart County, St Joseph County,  or surrounding areas, have them call me: Larry Johnston, 574-304-7577 Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLC Elkhart, Indiana or email larry@larry-johnston.com    02/22/2015

We're just into 2012 and already there's talk from Washington of a new program to "fix" the housing problem, with today's papers carrying a story about a modification of the Home Affordable Modification Act. While I've read conflicting reports its contents, it seems to focus on a refinancing plan to help people with good credit and current payments who are upside down on their current mortgages. Without getting into the specifics of the HAPA at this time, I couldn't help wondering how the previous plans had affected the housing market in Muncie and Delaware County, IN. The previous federal stimulus programs were as follows. 2008-The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008- First-time homebuyers were offered a tax credit of up to $7500 as a no-interest loan to be repaid at $500/yr for 15 yrs. 2009... 02/02/2012

2011was a challenge for the real estate market in Muncie and Delaware Co., IN. Terrible weather depressed business in the first quarter of the year. Second quarter results were also quite disappointing with nearly every measurement at or near all-time lows. However, there was a turn-around in the third quarter with overall sales better than the same period in the previous year for the first time in 12 months and we ended the year with 836 homes sold, down 6% from 2010. Repos remained steady at about 29% of sales, averaging around $33,000 each. 80% of the repos were sold for cash indicating they are being bought by investors. Since most of these units are below $40,000 threshold being required by lenders, buyers are having difficulty obtaining financing unless they have large downpayment... 01/27/2012

Muncie and Delaware Co, IN is a small market and I do both residential and commercial brokerage. On the commercial side we're usually dealing with business professionals and attorneys who have broad experience in these transactions. "Due Dilligance" is done prior to entering into the process of negotiating an offer and then there is an additional period after an offer is accepted. This gives the buyer time to investigate details such as environmental issues, inspections, zoning, governmental approvals, permits and the like. In residential transactions the buyers look at a number of properties and make an offer on the one they like best. Their "Due Diligence" usually involves personal viewing, investigation of schools, and a CMA prior to making an offer and then finalizing financing and ... 01/23/2012

As we come to the end of 2011 I want to look forward to 2012 and make some predictions about the real estate market in Muncie and Delaware Co, IN.  2011 was a very difficult year and when the final tallies are in, we're probably going to see unit sales down about 10% from 2010 and average sale prices about equal to 2010.The good news is that most of the problems were in the first half of the year and that 5 of the last six months have been better than their 2010 counterparts. Looking ahead, I think 2012 will remain relatively flat with some improvements in the second half. There are more optomistic predictions beginning to appear in the media, but many of those predictions are based on improvements from very dismal prior years. If you look at the formerly "hotmarkets" like CA, NV and FL... 12/30/2011

The following article was posted by CNBC on Yahoo Finance last Fri. Those of you who read me regularly know that I usually ignore national market information because all real estate is local. This time, however, our Muncie-Delaware Co. market data seems to be reflecting many of the characteristics of the predicted recovery. Our unit sales have exceeded those for the same period in 2010 for the past 5 months. Average sale prices are also up. Here's the article. "After half a decade of withering sales and slumping prices, there are strong and diverse signs that the single-family housing market is poised for a rebound.In some metropolitan areas, the market has bottomed, with both sales and prices on the rise and foreclosures on the decline. This contrarian - and largely overlooked - thesis... 12/15/2011

The failure of the congressional "Super Committee" to reach a compromise on reducing the national deficit came as no surprise to many. The committee of distinguished, experienced congressional people divided along party lines, failed to compromise and therefore, set the stage for mandated, steep cuts in many programs and the elimination of tax reductions when they expire at the end of the year. The failure to compromise was really no surprise because the committee members are representative of the Congress as a whole and merely reflect the gridlock that has kept them from completing any meaningful task for some time. They seem to be so afraid of offending their power bases that they would rather do nothing than place their re-election chances in jeopardy. No wonder congressional approva... 11/23/2011

The election is now only 10 days away and it will be a critical election for Muncie, IN residents. Running for re-election is an experienced mayor with a strong track record of accomplishment. She has not only operated within a very challenging budget but will finish her term with reserve funds for next year. She has saved taxpayers $500,000 by not having to borrow money to cover operating expenses while awaiting property tax distributions. She has also been effective in building international relationships and working with economic development people at all levels to bring new jobs to Muncie. Our parks have received long-delayed attention and have added greatly to our quality of life. Prairie Creek Park has become an income producer for the first time in history and will return a $90,0... 10/28/2011

Conduct Your Own Energy Audit A do-it-yourself energy audit can teach you how to be more energy efficient and make you a more-educated consumer should you decide to hire an expert. Read Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this. Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® 10/20/2011

Being in real estate I hear Realtors saying all the time that it's better to own than to rent.  I know that the general population thinks we say that just because we want to sell more houses.  So let's take a REAL LOOK at why it is better to own than rent. Set the stage:  The average price (mean) of a home in Muncie - Delaware County, Indiana is $93,000.  Given 30 years at 12 monthly payments on an FHA loan at 3.85% (today's market rate for outstanding credit score) compared to a rental payment of $850 (including rental insurance). Using my rent v. buy calculator I get the following results in a full comparison: Estimated Savings with Ownership vs. Renting Number Of Years To Compare:   10   Concerning Rent: (Scenario One) Rent Amount Per Month:   $800.00 Monthly Renter's Insurance:   $... 10/18/2011

It's probably too early to get excited, but the third quarter 2011 residential real estate results for Delaware Co. In are in and we may have turned the corner. Third quarter unit sales were up nearly 3% over the same quarter in 2010 and it was the first time in the past 4 quarters that units sold had exceeded the same period in the previous year. Year to date is still behind due to very low activity in the first 2 quarters of this year. It does look like the rest of 2011 has a good chance to exceed the fourth quarter of 2010 and the improvement should carry on into 2012. The number of reposessions has leveled off at around 25% of sales, down from over 33% at its highest level. Short Sales remain a non-factor, accounting for less than 3% of units sold.  Even better news is that average ... 10/10/2011

Why do some houses sell more quickly? People often ask me that and here's a tale of two homes, across the street from each other in Muncie, IN. that I think shows two of the reasons. Both houses are well kept and updated, yet one sold for full list price in 35 days and the other, while it's now "pending" has been on the market 256 days. This is the house that sold for full list. Its general appearance and especially the landscaping produces a terrific "curb appeal." Anyone looking at photos on-line or driving by the property can't help but be attracted. The flowers are abundant with tastefully matched colors. The window box of white Impatiens is eye-catching and the picket fence along the front walk gives a nice accent to the planting bed.  House #2 across the street is larger and has a... 10/06/2011

 Let's expand the RR quiet zone. There's a lot of controversy in the City Council about the proposal for creating a downtown "quiet zone" where passing trains would be prohibited from sounding their horns at crossings. Currently they must do so by federal law unless that is over ridden by local statutes. I live in Riverbend Commons near the intersection of Morrison Rd. and River Rd. Approx 1 mi. south of us are the CSX tracks and less than a mile north of us are the Norfolk-Western Tracks. Depending on the atmospheric conditions and the engineer at the time it almost feels like I could reach out and touch trains on either of those tracks. They are blowing non-stop and when there are trains on both tracks at the same time, it sounds like diesel horns in stereo. There are few ungarded cro... 09/27/2011

Good News: Our local Star-Press business columnist wrote a nice article for yesterday's paper quoting sales statistics from the IN Assoc. of REALTORS, stating that the housing market in Delaware Co. is improving. We don't often get postive headlines and articles in the press, so it was great to see both a positive headline and article. Bad News: The statistics quoted in the article were incorrect. I'm sorry to say that our market is not getting better. The Star-Press article claimed a 5.2% increase in sales, with 263 units closed June through August in 2011 vs 250 closed sales for the same period in 2010. In reality, we had 267 sales in 2011 vs 268 during the same period in 2010. The column also stated that median sale price had declined $84,750 in 2010 to $78,900 in 2011, whereas the a... 09/26/2011

Next year, the city of Muncie will be negotiating labor contracts with both the police and fire unions. In addition, the federal grant that paid to bring back 25 laid off firefighters will expire. In light of the federal government's budget reduction programs it seems unlikely to be renewed. Over 80% of the city's budget is spent on public safety, mostly wages and benefits for the police and fire departments. Property tax caps and declining property values have limited the total amout of revenue that can be obtained from property taxes. Two candidates for the upcoming city election are directly tied to the fire department. The Democrat candidate for mayor is a retired fireman who retains strong ties to the fire union and one of the Democrat candidates for City Council at Large is the wi... 09/22/2011

Three new listings of homes for sale in the Storer neighborhood appeared in the past week and two previously pending homes sold and closed. The inventory of active lisitngs remains about where it was. Looks like Constitution Day at Storer was a success and there was a nice article with picture in the Star-Press. Here's a link to Storer's web site for upcoming activities in Sept. http://www.muncie.k12.in.us/storerweb/aboutus/eventscalendar Bev & I enjoyed the Ball Sate game on Sat. and it was great to see the Cards come back and win. Maybe they should give the Colts a few tips. Sun. we went to the Johnny Appleseed Festival in Ft. Wayne. Great food, lots of stuff to buy, interesting re-enactors and an all around good time.   09/19/2011

Even though it's still summer for 5 more days, fall is in the air and it's my favorite time of year. Last weekend, Bev and I went to the Covered Bridge Festival in Matthews and this weekend we're going to hit both the Old Washington St. Festival in Muncie and the Johnny Appleseed in Ft. Wayne. I'm giving up trying to loose weight until the last elephant ear is gone. Ball State opens it's home season tomorrow night and we're going to that as well. I've been very impressed by the new attitude in the BSU football program and I'm looking forward to cheering their success. Basketball season isn't far off either and it will be a pleasure watching Nick Osborne (neighbor's son) complete a terrific high school career at Central. All this and I haven't even mentioned the fall foliage. What a grea... 09/16/2011

Real estate activity in the Storer School Distric pretty well reflects the overall Muncie-Delaware County market. Through the first 8 1/2 months of 2011 there have been 80 homes sold averaging just over $90,000. Original asking price average for these homes was $99,530 and it's taking just about 126 days from list to close. There are currently 75 for sale withg an average asking price of $106,430. Real estate is very, very localized however so if you want specifics for your home, please contact me. Looking at Del. Co. as a whole, the average selling price has been under $90,000 and the average list to close time is around 140 days. I'll have more specific information to report in about a month when the third quarter data is available. If anyone has any neighborhood news or events they'd... 09/14/2011