Indy Home Marketing - June 2008 Newsletter

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June 2008 Newsletter

Volume 2, Number 6

			Indy Ranked Most Affordable... Again For the 11th consecutive quarter, Indiana- polis was the most affordable market, with 90.1 percent of the homes affordable for families earning the area's median income of $65,100, according to the National As- sociation of Home Builders. Los Angeles
	was ranked as the least affordable market for the 14th consecu- tive quarter, with 10.5 percent of the homes affordable for a family earning that metro's median income of $59,800.

	GREEN TIP OF THE MONTH Install a Tankless Water Heater Every minute of every day, a standard water heater keeps 40 to 80 gallons of water heated to 120 degrees or higher, even when you're asleep or not even at home. Small wonder that the cost of heating that water is a home's second or third-biggest energy expense, repre- senting 13% of a typical utility bill. A
	"tankless water heater", also known as a "demand water heater" or "instantaneous water heater", can help pare the cost, as well as the environmental impact. A tankless water heater provides hot water only when needed... on demand. More

			Six Tips to Speed the Sale of Your Home in a Sluggish Market... Don't let the slow market get you down. Whether you're just thinking about putting your home on the market, or already have it for sale, the following suggestions will rev up your real estate potential and set your home apart from the competition.
	1. Give your house a makeover that adds value and keeps it up with the Joneses'. That doesn't mean you should run out and in- stall Italian marble. But if hardwood floors are the norm in your neighborhood, replace the carpet. More Tips


	RECIPE OF THE MONTH Grilled Pizza with Hot Sausage, Grilled Peppers, Onions and Oregano Ricotta Here's an outdoor grilling recipe guarenteed to get compliments. Courtesy of: The Food Network

INGREDIENTS:

•	1/2 pound Italian hot sausage	•	Olive oil
•	1/2 pound grated fontina cheese	•	Salt and pepper
•	2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil	•	1 cup sheep's milk ricotta
•	2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
•	1 recipe favorite pizza dough, rolled into 4 (6-inch) rounds
•	1 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
•	2 large yellow pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
•	2 large red pepper, cored, seeded and quartered

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your grill.

Grill the sausage on both sides until golden brown and cooked
through, about 10 minutes per side. Brush onions and peppers
with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onions
and peppers until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove
the sausage from the grill and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Remove the onions, separate into rings, and roughly chop.
Remove the peppers and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices.

Heat grill to high. Brush dough with olive oil, season with salt
and pepper and grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.
Turn over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the grill
and place on a flat surface.

Divide the fontina cheese among the 4 pizza rounds. Divide
the sausage, onions and peppers over the cheese. Place the
pizza on the grill, close the cover and grill until the cheese
has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. To finish in the oven,
preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the pizza on sheet
pans and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 10
minutes.

Mix together the ricotta, extra-virgin olive oil, and oregano
in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Remove the pizzas from the oven and drizzle with Basil
Vinaigrette (See ingredients below). Top with dollops of
the ricotta cheese mixture and let rest for 5 minutes.
Slice and serve.

VINAIGRETTE: 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, 1/4 cup white
wine vinegar,1 tablespoon honey, salt and freshly ground
black pepper, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Combine all ingredients
and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pep-
per, to taste.lender and blend until smooth. Add the green
onion and oil and blend until combined. Season with black
pepper, to taste. Return to Top

Fannie Mae Announces Keys to Recovery Initiatives

Fannie Mae President and CEO Dan Mudd recently announced
Keys to a Housing Recovery Initiative that will promote liquidity,
stability, and affordability in the housing and mortgage markets.
Here are the highlights:

1. Fannie is working to reduce the cost to consumers of jumbo
conforming loans (loans above $417,000 up to $729,750) and
make it easier to qualify for these loans. The National Associa-
tion of Realtors^® expects these steps to significantly lower
mortgage costs and give morechoices for many families
living in high cost areas.

2. Fannie is allowing up-to-date borrowers to refinance Fannie
Mae-owned mortgages even where current value of the home
is significantly less than the existing mortgage. This innovation
should help keep thousands of families in their homes and
prevent foreclosures that are a disaster not only for families,
but whole communities.

3. Finally, Fannie has entered into an agreement with the state
housing finance agencies to provide $10 billion in financing for
first-time homebuyers and entered into a new partnership with
the Self-Help Credit Union to minimize the harm caused by
foreclosures and help families become homeowners in
rehabilitated foreclosed properties. Return to Top

Six Tips to Speed the Sale... (Continued)

2. Use the secrets of staging experts, or hire one. Staging can be
as easy as a fresh coat of paint, new cabinet hardware and stra-
tegically-placed lighting. Think of it as a creative, inexpensive
facelift for your home.

3. Find out what's wrong with your house and get it fixed. Don't
wait until that serious buyer finds faulty wiring or a termite pro-
blem and then pulls the plug on the deal. Be proactive. Get an
inspection before hitting the market.

4. Make your house move-in ready. Throw in the furniture, flat-
screen TV, washer/dryer, appliances, backyard jacuzzi AND the
kitchen sink. The less money a buyer will have to shell out to
furnish the house, the higher the perceived value.

5. Help a buyer buy. Offer incentives that put money in the buy-
er's pocket, such as buying down the interest rate, absorbing
more of the closing costs or offering seller financing.

6. Utilize a Realtor^®(hopefully us) who can provide a customized
marketing plan, accurate pricing, targeted improvements, and
focused exposure. Return to Top

Tankless Water Heater... (Continued)

How it works: You turn on the hot water tap, the system rapid-
ly heats cold water (which travels through a pipe into the unit),
and hot water flows to your tap as long as you'd like. That
means you won't run out of hot water in the middle of a shower.

For homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, a de-
mand heater can be 24% to 34% more energy-efficient than
standard water heaters, according to the US Department of
Energy. If your household uses lots of hot water - say, 86 gal-
lons daily - the savings are smaller; a tankless water heater can
be 8% to 14% more energy efficient than a standard version.
Energy savings can reach 50% if you install a tankless heater
at every hot water outlet.

Tankless water heaters cost more up front than standard models;
the idea is that you'll save money in the long run due to lower
energy bills. That's why they're appearing in some high-end
houses, zero-energy homes and even some Habitat for Humanity
houses. If your old storage water heater is on its last legs and
you opt for a tankless unit, check whether you can get a federal
tax credit. At least in 2007, homeowners who chose an eligible
model (a gas unit with an Energy Factor of 0.80, or an electric
unit with an EF of 0.2) could get a $300 federal tax credit.
Return to Top