Finding the right REALTOR is often hard when everyone knows someone you should use.  Finding one that is familiar with Geist, water frontage, dock ownership options, Cocktail Cove, etc is challenging.  You want to consider things like experience, knowledge of the local Geist Real Estate market and availability as you make your decision.  As well as Trust…you want someone you can trust with such a big decision.   Here are some things to consider as you start the process of searching for a waterfront home for sale in Geist.

The Metropolitan Board of REALTORS has 5,800 members.  There were 75% of those agents that did less than 10 transactions last year.  And of the remaining, only 250 agents wrote more than 30 transactions last year. That says that there is a small pool of experienced agents and in this business experience is priceless.

It is so much more than just opening the door; it is the way I look at the home ( with experience I know to look for wear/tear, water issues, cleanliness), the analytics I do with the history of the home and comparables in the neighborhood (my previous job was an Accountant so love the analytics), it is the way that I negotiate and the way that I troubleshoot the issues to protect you in the process.

It is so much more than sitting down and listening to what you want; it is asking why those things are important to you, it is watching you in the homes and listening to your emotion and the questions you ask, it is understanding your motivation, it is shaking the etch a sketch sometimes to find a house that is perfect for you that you hadn’t thought of.

Are you a first time buyer, come to our first time home buyers clinic that we hold each month; registration is required.  We have a Real Estate agent, a lender and a home inspector go through the process (15 minutes each) and then have a Q & A.  We give you some great handouts to take with you too.

I am one of the 250 agents that wrote more than 30 transactions last year and for the last several years; and at the end of the day, I want to sell you “I gotta have that house”; not “that house will do”.  I have handled and solved many problems over my career since 2001 and while I probably haven’t seen it all…I’ve seen a lot.  Every transaction will typically have a least one blip…find an experienced Geist agent you can trust.

Cindy in Indy Marchant  – Geist Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Geist IN Real Estate Website

Homes sold on Geist Reservoir for the year 2011 compared to 2010 were about even.  There were 33 homes sold on Geist Reservoir in 2011 compared with 31 a year ago. Currently there are 32 homes for sale on Geist Reservoir.

The map shows what area on Geist Reservoir sold, the red are sold and the four gold ones are pended (offer accepted).  The majority of the homes sold on Geist Reservoir were in the Springs of Cambridge; 10 homes of the 33 were in this neighborhood.  A close second were the homes in the Admirals with 8. 

There were 8 homes over $1,000,000 that sold in Geist in 2011, compared with only 4 in 2010.  On the other side; there were only 2 condo’s this year compared with 5 last year.

The days on market also trended positively; 106 days in 2011 compared with 161 days in 2010. 

The Marchant Team sold 38 homes and our average days were 69; so we typically can sell faster than the average agent in Geist.

We do this because we have experience in preparing a home for sale (i.e. staging), pricing the home correctly and marketing the home better than most (i.e. IVR system, enhanced website placement, etc).

If you would like to discuss how to sell your home with the Marchant Team, we would love that opportunity; to exceed your expectations.

Looking for some options for New Years Eve in Geist? If only we were in a warm climate and could use the Reservoir for boating in December!

There are some great other options though:

Living Proof will be a the Hilton Garden Inn; they are a 7 piece R & B band and were voted #1 Band in 2010 by the Indy Channel.com’s A List! It is $275 a couple and include one night stay in the hotel and an open bar!

Looking for something a little more family oriented…Pinheads will have a Glow Bowl from 5-8 p.m. at $35/hour per lane for unlimited bowling. They will also have a a New Years Eve bowling party from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at $149.95 per lane up to 6 people.

If you don’t mind a short commute to downtown, there is a Masquerade Ball at Union Station. Live music by My Yellow Rickshaw hosted by the Smiley Morning Show and of course a costume contest! Ticket are $49 for general admissions.

Hoping you have a great time on New Years Eve and that you take some time to consider those resolutions in 2012!

Cindy in Indy Marchant – Geist Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Geist IN Real Estate Website

Looking for an Indianapolis home on the water? Geist Reservoir is one of the most sought after areas to live in Indianapolis. There isn’t a lot of boating waters here in Indy, so Geist is popular for people relocating to Indianapolis.

Today there are 29 active listings that are on the reservoir. They range in price from $379,900 (which is a foreclosure with some mold in the home) up to over $5,000,000. The first home for sale that is NOT distressed on Geist starts at about $550,000. Intracoastal is one of the best neighborhoods to be on the Reservoir at a reasonable price. There is currently one in there that was just listed for $538,000. It is 3,100 sq ft with an additional 1,700 sq ft in the unfinished basements. It sits on nearly 1/2 acre.

The majority of homes currently for sale have 5 bedrooms and at least 3 full baths. They all have at least a 3-car garage. Most are over 3,500 sq ft (main/upper) and all have basements. Many have multiple fireplaces.

Popular Geist neighborhoods with active listings include Springs of Cambridge, Intracoastal, Feather Cove, The Admirals, and Masthead.

There are 10 homes over the $1,000,000 mark but many of them have been on the market a long time (over 200 days). So if you are thinking about a home on the water in Indy, contact a Geist Real Estate agent to help you navigate the waters of buying a home on Geist.

Cindy in Indy Marchant – Geist Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Geist IN Real Estate Website

Looking for a Geist home for sale with a walkout basement and in law quarters…I have it! Those are two things that are often hard to find on an internet search. You can often find basements but walkout is not an option on most searches. Using a REALTOR when you are searching for a home in Geist for sale because we have those fields available on our REALTOR site.

I have a home for sale for $350,000 that is located close to I69 but far enough away to enjoy the sounds of nature. It is located off of Sargent Road between 86th and 96th. It has nearly 3000 feet (main/upper) with a bedroom/office measuring 19 x 13 on the main level with a full bath; perfect for in laws.

It has a full 1600 sq ft walkout basement also with a full bath. The basement has a room that could also be a bedroom or a craft room and then a large storage area as well. It walks out onto a beautiful private wooded lot.

There are also an updated kitchen and master bath with granite. A sunroom comes off the breakfast area for morning coffee or evening tea overlooking the woods.

The home is located at 9012 Gary Place and will be held Open on Sunday October 2nd from 12:00 to 2:00.

Search homes with YOUR phone

Search Indianapolis Waterfront Homes

Read other Northside Blogs (Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville)

Cindy in Indy Marchant  -  Geist Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Geist  IN Real Estate Website
317-290-7775

There are  definitely signs of a real estate recovery happening in the Fishers, Carmel and Geist area.   The Fishers Real Estate market was up 40% over a year ago in July and the Carmel Real Estate market was up 14%.

So let’s look at the Geist Real Estate market and specifically the number of homes sold in  Geist that are on Reservoir.

In the period January 1 – July 31st in 2010; there were 14 homes that sold (this excludes condos) that were on the Reservoir.   In 2011 for the same period there were again 14 homes that sold.   How is that a recovery you ask…

The number of homes over $1MM that sold in 2010 was one…a single one.   In 2011 for the same period, there were five over $1MM.   That alone could be considered a recovery in Geist.   But add to that the number of days these homes were on the market and the news gets better.   In 2010 the average days on market for homes for sale on Geist Reservoir were 151 days compared with only 93 this year!

I have even more good news!   There are currently 8 homes pended on the market that are on the water and their average days on market are 86.   There are two of them over $1MM.

If you have a home on Geist Reservoir that you are thinking about selling…I would say now is the time!

Search homes with YOUR phone

Search Indianapolis Waterfront Homes

Read other Northside Blogs (Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville)

 Cindy œin Indy Marchant  -  Geist Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Geist  IN Real Estate Website
317-290-7775

There are currently 15 homes  for sale on Geist Reservoir that are over one million dollars.

Five  of those are in Lawrence Township,  9 are in Hamilton Southeastern area  and one is in the Mt Vernon area.

There are a few popular neighborhoods in Geist that typically have homes on the water for sale.   They include Masthead, Springs of Cambridge, and Feather Cove.   Occassionally you can also find   them in the Admirals or Canal Place.

Waterfront views are so beautiful not only in the summertime but in the Fall and Winter too.   They create a peaceful feeling after a stressful day at work.   Most of these will have docks and often sellers will sell their boats too!

All but one also has an inground pool and cabana’s; truly homes to entertain in and enjoy the fruits of working hard.

If you are a buyer looking for a home for sale on Geist Reservoir, there could be some great deals.   There are six of these homes that have been on the market for awhile (more than 120 days) and could have motivated sellers.

Search homes with YOUR phone

Search Indianapolis Waterfront Homes

Read other Northside Blogs (Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville)

 Cindy œin Indy Marchant  -  Geist Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Geist  IN Real Estate Website
317-290-7775

A local Realtor in Austin recently contacted me about guest blogging; as part of my summer vacation…here is an article on Austin from James Kim…enjoy

With all of the economic problems of late, it™s more important than ever to consider what your monetary prospects are based on where you choose to live. Accordingly, you have two things to look at: the cost of living and corporate presence in the city/state. (But between us, after reading this you might decide to put on those old cowboy boots and look into some Austin real estate.)

You can probably guess the first few places that you can cross off your list from cost of living alone: New York City (the most expensive city in the country) and California. But did you know that Hawaii is tied with California as the most expensive state? In fact, Honolulu is the seventh most expensive city while   California has two cities “ LA and San Francisco “ in the top eight (as shown here, again).

But enough of that. You want to know where you can afford to live, not where you can™t. Forbes succinctly rounds up some of your best options. Because of their landlocked locations, œMidwestern cities in general tend to have a relatively low cost of living, according to Robert Helsley, who is a professor at the University of California, Berkley. In keeping with this, St. Louis ranks as the cheapest on Forbes™s list (though it œmight not have a reputation for top schools, a low crime rate or good weather) and also has nine companies that rank among the strongest in the country.

The true winner of Forbes™s study, however, is Texas, which houses œthree of the best cities to earn a living: Dallas, Houston and Austin. Along with an all-around low cost of living, Texas is home to numerous top-ranked companies: 38 in Houston and 15 in Dallas, alone.

These places are probably starting to look at least somewhat good to you, but maybe you™re a little skeptical of the œtop-ranked company claims. Well, all of these companies are either on the œForbes™s 400 best big companies or œ200 best small companies lists. For example, St. Louis is home to both chemical giant Monsanto Company and battery giant Energizer Holdings Inc. Texas houses industry giants like AT&T and Texas Instruments (Dallas), Dell and Whole Foods (Austin) and ConocoPhillips and Halliburton (Houston) (find a bigger list here). It™s a simple fact that areas with large amounts of business and corporate headquarters have better job markets, so if you™re on the lookout for a new job, moving to one of these areas can seriously help.

So, if you were wondering where you could best live out your days in economic security, now you know. If you™re already in a comfortable economic situation, the Midwest™s phenomenally low cost of living will serve you well. If, however, you™re looking for a place that is both cheap and has excellent career prospects, start looking in Texas.

James Kim writes for Austin Real Estate service Homecity.com.  HomeCity combines powerful online Austin MLS search technology and other online tools with personalized real estate services to provide clients with the knowledge they need to make the right buying and selling decisions.

If you are thinking about selling your Geist waterfront home; you might be curious about what the current market is showing.

I’ve compared the last six months of 2011 to the same time period in 2010 (January-June) and found that the exact same number of residential homes have sold that are on Geist   Reservoir.   There were 12 both years.  

The good news is the homes on the water  are selling faster; 101 days on the market this year compared with 132 days a year ago.   And the price per square foot is also increasing about 15%!

This year, there were 5 homes over $1,000,000 that sold compared with only one last year.

The market is somewhat saturated currently with 49 waterfront homes on the market.   The one I would pick if I could…would be Tomas Scheckter’s home.   It is absolutely stunning with its Mediterranean influence and natural light.   It is 4200 sq ft and an additional 2500 sq ft in the finished basement.   It has a pool as well overlooking the Reservoir!   All for $748,000.

If you are looking for a waterfront home for sale in Geist, I can set up a search specific to that criteria.   I also live in the area and can give you some ideas on resale and popularity of neighborhoods.   With this heat wave…what better time than now to do some research on owning your own waterfront home!

Search homes with YOUR phone

Search Indianapolis Waterfront Homes

Read other Northside Blogs (Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville)

 Cindy œin Indy Marchant  -  Geist Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro NE
Geist  IN Real Estate Website
317-290-7775