From the category archives:

Real Estate

Some Sellers Are Now Requiring Waivers To Tour a Home

November 30, 2009

Quasi government agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have quite a few homes for sale throughout the country, including the South Bend area.  They sell homes “as is” without guaranteeing their condition and without repairs. That has become the norm for banks and government like institutions such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Now we [...]

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Lustron Homes in South Bend: Metal Houses from the 1940s

October 25, 2009

Recently architects have been working on plans for stylish pre-fab houses built out of things like shipping containers or that are easy to install after disasters like Hurricane Katrina. The idea is to make possible an appealing house that is less expensive, more durable, and completed more quickly with less skilled labor than traditionally built [...]

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Behind the Scenes: One South Bend House Sale

June 24, 2009

5309 Larkspur in Hermitage Estates was my family’s last home. We sold it in April 2009 after 180 days on the market. In that time, we went through a series of price reductions from a hopeful $175,000 to a more realistic $160,000. We had 20+ showings with almost uniformly positive feedback. But offers didn’t [...]

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Can Anything Overcome Location?

March 21, 2009

1 Acre Lot
2-story Foyer
Beautiful Kitchen
Wraparound Porch
Cathedral Ceilings
Finished Lower Level
Privacy Fence
PoolÂ
What would it take for you to spend $379,000 here?
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click for a larger image.

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New Listings Under $100,000 in South Bend, Mishawaka or Granger Indiana

December 7, 2008

There have been 102 new listings since December 1st in the South Bend Area MLS. That number isn’t perfect because properties can hit the mls as a new listing for reasons other than the fact they are new, such as changing agents or expiring for a period of time and hitting the maket again. ÂÂ
Of [...]

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Half a Million in South Bend (and Granger and Mishawaka) Indiana

October 20, 2008

A reader wonders
what throwing down half a million buys you in the area?
Based on sales this year between $450k and $550k this year, you could expect a newer 3,000 – 4,000 square foot home with 3 or 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and some combination of the following:

Brick front

But you’ll have to wade through homes [...]

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Properties by Price per Square Foot in South Bend, Indiana

June 21, 2008

I’m fortunate in my job that I get to work with smart people from around the country. Recently, I’ve been working with a businessman from Florida considering a purchase in South Bend. He brings an entrepreneur’s eye for value to his home search, and we’ve been discussing price per square foot as a means to [...]

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