Archive for the ‘Residential’ Category

Recently, we had the enjoyable opportunity to play a round of golf at the beautiful Long Beach Country Club in Northwest Indiana's scenic La Porte County.

Now we've blogged about La Porte County attractions in the past and the fabulous sunsets along Lake Michigan beaches and the local wineries nearby.

The Long Beach Community is a great place for a second home or even year round lake living.

Homes for Sale in Long Beach along the Lake Michigan Shoreline or even a short walk away- or - on the Golf Course as pictured in the Map below.

Give us a call @ 219-405-1232 if you are considering making Long Beach Indiana your next Home Sweet Home or if you are in the market to sell your Long Beach Property.

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It's been all over the news the last few days - many US Troops are coming home from IRAQ.

We are very thankful for their service during this long war!

Veterans Returning From IRAQ this Year still qualify for the $8000. 1st time Home Buyer Tax Credit

according to REALTOR.org

"Military Personnel Overseas May Still Be Eligible for Tax Credit"

"As part of the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit passed on November 6, 2006, military personnel and certain federal employees serving outside the United States may still be eligible for a tax credit of up to $8,000. Although the Home Buyer Tax The credit is being made available to eligible military personnel and federal employees who:

• purchases or enters into a binding contract to purchase, a principal residence on or before April 30, 2011; and closes on or before June 30, 2011. "
• For additional information about obtaining this credit, please consult the IRS's new release on the Home Buyer Tax Credit for Military Personnel. 

Welcome Home Veterans!

If we can help you find a home in Northwest Indiana, give us a call

Northwest Indiana Home Owners Testimonial endorsing F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate Services

Recently, we Listed a home in Valparaiso, IN 46383 that SOLD quickly and here is what our sellers had to say:

     We can’t thank Jeff and Grace enough! We had already found the house we wanted to move to before calling them to put our house on the market. They gave us some staging suggestions to get our home ready to sell. We followed their expert advice and thanks to that, plus their excellent marketing, we had two offers in a week!

     The Safrin’s used their experience and expertise to help sell our home in no time. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for REALTORS that work for you and with you to make buying or selling your home a great experience.

Chris & Erin Schmidgall

Valparaiso, IN

If you are planning a move to Chesterton, Indiana located in Northwest Indiana’s County of Porter, did you know you will live about an hour from Chicago by Train ( South Shore Stop map ) or IN Toll road.

Chesterton is home to the world famous Wizard of Oz Festival held annually! We’ve blogged about the Town of Chesterton before.

With the scenic Indiana Dunes and Lake Michigan nearby, there is a wide range of housing options available from affordable to mid priced homes to gated Golf Communities/Country Club Settings!

We just listed a move in ready home with amenities galore in the award winning Dune-land School District.

Lower taxes, Affordable Homes, scenic recreation spots, yet big city culture nearby! Enjoy the best of both worlds by living here!

Check out the hi res music video below and give us a call if you are considering making Chesterton, IN your home sweet home!

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Just SOLD – Valparaiso, Indiana Expired Listing sells when Marketed by F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate

Sometimes, we list homes that had been on the market previously with other REALTORS and did not sell.

At the closing table last week, the buyers remarked to Jeff that our detailed marketing and many photos and descriptions about the various amenities of the home was what “sold them” to come out and view the property.

Location, Price, Condition, and Marketing are all factors that influence buyers to make an appointment to see a property.

As Professionals, it is our job to give you suggestions and implement a specific marketing plan based on known data so your home has the best chance of a successful closed sale. 

 If you are in the market to sell your Northwest Indiana Home, read what our past clients have to say and then give us a call to schedule an appointment @ 219-309-9930. 

 Recently we SOLD a home In Porter County, IN  that we listed subject to lenders approval of a short sale.

Short sales are not a game.

There were back up offers on the property.

The Buyers with the 1st offer submitted were savvy enough to do ALL of their due diligence according to the contract terms and conditions mutually agreed upon BEFORE the short sale was approved.

Short sales are bittersweet.

We have become much more select at which sellers we will work with to list an Indiana  short sale property and which buyers we will work with to show a Northwest Indiana short sale property.

Extensive interviewing goes into the decision process so we have the best chances of getting deals done! 

Uncooperative sellers or fickle buyers only make for experiences which will be passed along to friends and relatives who become “experts” in their own mind, because of “stories”  they have heard

Hasty and sweeping generalizations about short sales are, by definition, illogical.

We glady accept back-up offers on our Short sale listings -> Sale pending does not mean SOLD.

If you are considering buying a short sale, give us a call to discuss at lenght the risks of this non traditional type of Real estae transaction. Some Short sale Buyers are Missing the Boat so to speak. Or,  if you are behind on your mortgage payments give us a call to see if selling your home with your lenders approval of a short sale is an option to consider?

 SFR certified and have closed short sale listings in NW IndianaHAFA or not, EQUATOR system or not.

Here are some Northwest Indiana Short sale properties we have SOLD as well as some of our insights to working to get short sale deals done:

please click on the link to read the story behind each of these successes.

 http://activerain.com/blogsview/206925/sold-by-the-safrin-s-successful-short-sale-2262-vermillion-st-lake-station-in-46405-northwest-in-priced-to-sell-with-alittle-tlc-spacious-corner-home-big-fenced-yard

 http://activerain.com/blogsview/1420474/lake-county-indiana-short-sale-sold-in-26-days-from-for-sale-sign-up-to-signing-the-closing-documents

 http://activerain.com/blogsview/1296437/some-short-sales-in-northwest-indiana-real-estate-are-getting-done-quicker-easier

 http://activerain.com/blogsview/1722094/just-sold-la-pore-county-in-short-sale-closed-before-the-june-3oth-1st-time-home-buyer-tax-credit-deadline-whew-

  http://activerain.com/blogsview/239193/Short-Sale-Tips-that-Helped-Us

 http://activerain.com/blogsview/1504566/some-nw-indiana-short-sales-are-closing-sooner-than-traditional-real-estate-transactions-

 http://activerain.com/blogsview/861999/happy-new-year-for-indiana-homeowners-facing-short-sale-new-law-that-may-help

  http://activerain.com/blogsview/588362/13-weeks-to-Complete

 http://activerain.com/blogsview/475656/Valparaiso-IN-Opportunity-Knock

 http://activerain.com/blogsview/1593093/back-up-offer-closed-in-this-real-estate-market-anything-can-happen-we-encourage-our-sellers-to-keep-showing-their-property-

 http://activerain.com/blogsview/520985/indiana-realtors-take-note-2008-legislation-you-should-be-aware-of-

  http://activerain.com/blogsview/1349045/our-listings-of-reo-or-bank-owned-properties-for-sale-are-selling-quickly-in-nw-indiana-once-priced-right-and-ready-for-ma

Wild Rose Neighborhood in Valparaiso, IN offers Low Maintenance Home ownership Lifestyle for busy professionals, snowbirds, or those wanting to downsize and just enjoy life!

If you are looking to simplify your life and enjoy a Low Maintenance Home in a scenic setting, then the  Wild Rose neighborhood on Valparaiso’s north side may be worth your careful consideration.

The HOA dues includes lawn mowing and trim, fertilization, snow removal, garbage pickup!

There is a private park for residents to enjoy with a playground, basketball court, picnic tables, grills, and even a neighborhood gazebo overlooking a private lake where you can fish or take out a small boat and enjoy!

The town of VALPO and all it’s attractions/events is nearby, not to mention the South Shore train Stop is minutes away for an easier commute to the big City of Chicago (or the IN toll road/sky-way is a driving option with the exit minutes away from this development as well.

Recreation nearby??  - one of the country’s remaining outdoor theatre’s the 49-er drive in is family fun for all ages

Recently we listed an Immaculate home For sale in Wild Rose - affordable priced and in move in condition!

Enjoy the neighborhood photos and check out the hi res. music video if you are looking for a new home sweet home!

entrance to Wild Rose off of Edgewater Beach Road	residents enjoy this pivate park and lake
basketball anyone?	enjoy fishing or boating
neighborhood gazebo	barbeque grills and picnic tables

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 Real Estate Sales continue at a healthy pace in NW Indiana IF your home is priced right for the neighborhood and staged to sell ( tip top shape).  It does not matter that the 1st Time Home Buyer tax credit is over – Homes listed in June and July are getting offers and closing!

This Valparaiso, IN  46383 Home Sold when listed by F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate and had more than one offer in just 2 weeks on the market and closed a few weeks after that!

Move-up Buyers, those with Job Relocations, Investors and those downsizing/retiring still need to buy or sell properties to get on with their goals in life!

Give us a call today should you need Professional services to market your home to sell too!

We decided that we would take a look at moving within the area and see if we were able to find a newer home.  We loved the home we were in and would move only if we could find a good deal that allowed us to not spend the money required to update our 22 year old home.  We had several constraints that would make the overall success of the move very difficult.  Any offer we made would need to be contingent on the closing of our home, we needed to remain in the same school district, and we needed to be under contract within 5 weeks and the sale of our home and closing on a new home must be at the same time. We had many requirements of a new home including a certain kitchen style, four bedrooms, private backyard, 3 car garage, pool, etc.  Basically we loved the home we were in and would move only if the stars aligned and we could find a great deal. 

 Jeff and Grace went to work and through their determination they aligned the stars.  After diving deep into what we wanted, they took us to several homes to refine both our expectations and better understand what we considered important.  We had two offers on our home within the first two weeks and this was after the housing bubble burst, where credit was tough and the number of buyer’s limited.  In addition, the move included several small children and Jeff and Grace structured the contracts and entire transaction (sale of our home and purchase of the new home) to minimize the risk to our family. 

 If you have a complex situation with a short timeline and need a first class team that is able to apply tremendous energy to push a deal through while helping you manage the risk to you and your family, then you need the husband & wife team of Jeff and Grace Safrin.

 Best Regards,

Chris & Kelly

Lake Shore Drive

Long Beach, IN

awesome

summer

sunset!

If you are in search of a vacation home on Lake Michigan in La Porte or Porter Counties in NW Indiana, give us a call.