Overwhelmed!

Updated on March 13, 2007
A.W. asks from Indianapolis, IN
22 answers

I am currently looking to buy a home for my son and I in May. I do not even know where to begin! Can anyone recommend a good real estate agent? I have not lived in Indianapolis very long, and have certainly never bought a house before. Any advice is much appriciated! I do know I would like to live on the North side, preferably in Fishers b/c I work there. I'm so confused as to what I am supposed to do first.

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M.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

My Aunt Peg is an amazing real estate agent. She's very low key and will take care of you! email me if you want her number ____@____.com

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L.N.

answers from Indianapolis on

Try EasyStreet Realty. They were great for me, specifically Evan Bell. The website for his office is mikeandevan.com. I really found him to be a big help from step 1 of the process.

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B.B.

answers from Indianapolis on

Look into The meadows of shelbourne @ Deerpath I moved here a year ago and I love it. It's @ 238/Greenfield AV & Brookschool RD. You dont need a realitor or a broker because they do everything for you. all these realitors are desperately trying to get your business. I learned that the hard way.

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L.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hi A.,

I called and met with a couple of real estate agents during my home buying experience and ended up going with a new home community by Beazer. Sounds like you may be on a budget and we found this to be an economical and nice choice for our young family. There are others out there: CP Morgan, Portrait Homes, Davis Homes, etc. They really held our hand through the process and taught us a lot - we were in the same boat that you are in terms of being very unsure where to start and we really feel good about the end result. We bought a spec(already built but never lived in) home and that saved us a good deal of money. You might look into that.
Best Wishes!

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P.B.

answers from Indianapolis on

My son works for Carpenter Realtors. I am sure if you call him he can help you. His name is Michael phone# ###-###-####.

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K.S.

answers from Indianapolis on

We moved here from out of state and got a great realtor. His name is Andy Deemer with Talk to Tucker. His email address is ____@____.com and his office # is 259 600. He totally works for you!!
Kelley Stockton

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E.S.

answers from Indianapolis on

A., have you been approved for a mortgage? If not, that is the first thing you should do, before looking at any properties. Until you have the financing worked out there isn't much point in looking at properties -- you need to know how much you can afford, and an offer is more likely to be accepted by a seller if you can show them an approval letter from a lender.

You should take a look at your credit report and credit score so you know where you stand. I used www.truecredit.com to get copies of my reports and score from all three agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). You'll need a credit score of at least 750 to get the best interest rates, maybe 700 with some lenders. Shop around for a good interest rate, don't just apply to the first lender you find. There are lots of dodgy mortgage companies out there, so unless you want to be ripped off for a bunch of junk fees, stick with established lenders such as banks or credit unions. The current prime rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage with 0 points is 6.25%. If you plan to stay in the house for the foreseeable future, don't get an adjustable mortgage. Adjustables start out with a lower rate, but after 3 years (or 5 or 7, depending on the terms) the rate goes up and you wind up paying more than you would have with a fixed rate loan. There are a lot of exotic loan products out there, and you should be wary of them, Run far, far away from any mortgage company which says you can buy a $500,000 home with no money down and monthly payments of $500. They will charge you thousands in junk closing fees, and the mortgage will be interest-only with a 1% rate for the first few months, after which it will go up way over prime and you'll be paying $5000 a month.

You also need to work out how much cash you have available for a downpayment. If you can put down 20% you avoid paying Private Mortgage Insurance, which can add several hundred dollars to your monthly payment. If you have good credit there are ways to buy with a smaller downpayment or even none at all. Taking out two mortgages is the usual way to do that but the interest on the second one can be pretty high.

Once you have the finances straight, then you can start looking at properties. Use the Internet. Plenty of realtors have an online search engine you can use regardless of whether or not you are their client. When we bought in Carmel 18 months ago I used www.mswoods.com to search for properties, though our agent was Sharon Bulmann of Century21 Scheetz.

You'll need an agent to get into properties you want to look at, and to guide you though the process of making offers, but don't look only at properties your realtor suggests. Realtors are only human and they'll want you to buy the house that gets them the biggest commission. Also beware of realtors who try to talk you into getting your mortgage from a lender they are associated with. Some realtor-lender partnerships are above board, but sometimes the agent gets a kickback from the lender, and the terms of the loan and reputation of the lender may not be in your best interest.

Good luck!

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M.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

We recently had to downsize and our realtor jumped through hoops performing a miracle, she got us into our new place before our old home had sold which is something I never thought could be done! I gave her name to my girlfriend who had been looking with another realtor. She was in her home within the month!!
Her name is Doreen Harris (Century 21) Cell ###-###-####
Tell her M. Mathews sent you!! Good luck!

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S.R.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hi A., We just moved to Fishers last July, We used Donna Stacey. She is with the Haddad Group part of Keller Williams Reality. Donna was wonderful, worked with my husband and I, showing us several houses, and enjoyed that we brought our daughter (at the time 1 year old) along with us.
The number is ###-###-####. or email at ____@____.com. I hope is helps! She was wonderful! Any other questions, dont hesitate to ask!

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M.M.

answers from Jacksonville on

We moved here a little over a year ago and used Jan Hoffman-Meeks with Remax. She is so nice, and really listens to what you want. She does not try to make you look at things that you know you can't afford. I don't have her number off hand, but I highly recommend her. She's great. She works out of the remax office at Keystone at the crossing. I would take the time to look up her number- she is that great.

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K.H.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hey A.! My friend Heather Anderson is a realtor for Re/Max Legends and lives here in Fishers. She grew up here, and knows her way around the area, and is SO nice. I sent her your request, but Mamasource requires her to wait for activation, so she asked that I give you her info!

Her direct number is ###-###-####
The office number is 317-849-sold

And since cold-calling real estate agents can be overwhelming at first, you can also email her at first if you want at ____@____.com

I really can't recommend her enough! She's got a great, friendly, warm personality, and will really work hard to find you what you want and can afford!!!

Good luck!

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C.G.

answers from Indianapolis on

Call Marlou Beader and tell her C. Gold referred you. She is a member of my family. She is great and VERY familiar with the north side. And she is with Coldwell Banker Alliance. ###-###-#### is her cell phone.

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T.J.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hi A.,

my husband and I moved to Fishers, Indiana from the east coast.
We first had an apartment in Indianapolis. Then we did some research and found Mike Morris of Arbor homes and we now live in Fishers off 126th St. We wanted to move to Fishers because research shows that Hamilton Cty has the top 5 schools in Indiana. His information is below. You can tell him I referred you and that I live in the Bristols.

Sales Manager: Mike Morris
Phone: ###-###-####
Email: ____@____.com

http://www.yourarborhome.com/Communities/Community.aspx?C...

Hope this helps!

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S.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

The problem with using regular realitors is they charge 3.5% of the purchase of your home. I used a real estate broker who doesn't charge near as much. Her name is Liz Foley and she owns her own business. She's based out of Carmel and works in Indy, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, etc. Her website is www.lizfoleyrealestate.com. You can contact her via email/phone. She really personalizes it and keeps your best interest at heart. We have sold and bought from her once and our house is back on the market with her. Good luck in your first home purchase! There are quite a few neighborhoods that are really cute in Fishers... Wildwood, Charleston Crossing, etc. You can also go to www.talktotucker.com or www.mibor.com and put in your price range, what you want in a house, location, etc. and it will pull up all the homes available that meet your criteria.

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A.G.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hello, & welcome to Indy! My husband Ryan is a real estate agent. He is very personable & honest & I'm sure would be able to assist you. ###-###-####

Thanks, & good luck!

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J.F.

answers from Indianapolis on

I know someone personally and have known her and her family for about 9 yrs. I met them thru my church, on a Mission trip to Mexico. Her husband is actually a Minister of the church. She works for Talk To Tucker and I believe has gotten many rewards for her service ect. I think she would be wonderful to work with, if you're still searching for a house. She's very pleasant and very kind! I know you would be well pleased. Let me know if you're still looking and I'd be happy to pass her info onto you.
Good luck. I know it's a big move/step!

J.

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K.H.

answers from Indianapolis on

A., my husband's best friend is a realtor. He has assisted many of our friends in their first time home experiences, including us, and I couldn't think of anyone that would be more helpful and more comfortable for you to use than him. His office number is ###-###-####, his name is Tyce Carlson. He really works to find the home that best matches your wants and needs and, honestly, I couldn't think of a nicer person. Best of luck. Feel free to tell him, if you call, that Kati told you to call. I will drop your name as well to him - he really will take awesome care of you. His e-mail address is ____@____.com, he's with F.C. Tucker.

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K.

answers from Indianapolis on

A.,
I would first work on the financing to be sure everything is in order there. I recommend Don Stoeffler at Wooden Horse Investments. He has helped our family and several of my friends and family when purchasing their homes. His number is ###-###-#### and, he email is ____@____.com. I wish you luck, K.

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J.F.

answers from Indianapolis on

highly recommend roger haag with coldwell banker (website rogerhaag.com) i would start by looking at houses in your price range to see what different neighborhoods have to offer. good luck!

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M.H.

answers from Indianapolis on

A.-
We used FC Tucker's Castleton office, Art Borton was our agent. He worked very hard for us, even though he wasn't gaining any commission from helping us find a house. He can be reached at ____@____.com or through the Castleton office at ###-###-####. Good luck!

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H.A.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hi A.,

My name is H. Anderson, and I am a Realtor with RE/MAX Legends in Fishers. I was recommended above by Kristi, but I just wanted to contact you myself and offer my help! I also wanted to clear up a misconception from above as well. Using a Realtor to find your new home costs you absolutely nothing. The seller of the home is who pays for the commission, not you! As a first-time homebuyer, I highly recommend you use the skills and knowledge of a Realtor to your advantage.

I can't wait to help you find your new home A., and I look forward to meeting your son! I myself have a 21 month old son, so I know how hard raising a little boy can be. Please feel free to email me first if you would like, and we can start that way!

____@____.com

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T.S.

answers from Indianapolis on

Yes, yes. Jen Bouwkamp of Talk to Tucker.
www.jenbouwkamp.com
I tried to buy a house from one of her clients and she has stuck with them despite their constantly turning offers down.
She's incredibly loyal, friendly, and professional.
Talk to her before you decide. She's awesome.

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