This Weekend is National Open House Weekend!

The 2013 REALTOR® Nationwide Open House, the largest-ever international open house campaign, will be held on April 20 and 21. Below is some open house information from our annual profile of home buyers and sellers:
■Repeat buyers are more likely to find their home from an open house than first-time buyers and repeat buyers use open houses more frequently.
■Mid-income buyers, those with income between $55,000 and $75,000, are most likely to find their home through an open house compared to other incomes. However, as income increases the use of open houses actually increases as well. So higher income buyers are walking into open houses, but not finding their home through them.
■Older buyers, 65 years and older, are more likely to find their home through an open house than other age groups. As age increases the likelihood of using open houses as a search tool increases—45% of buyers aged 45 to 64 used open houses, compared to only 28% of buyers aged 18 to 24.
■Buyers in the South are most likely to find a home through an open house compared to other regions.
■Buyers of new homes use open houses much more frequently than buyers of previously-owned homes.
■Married couples and unmarried couples are more likely to walk through open houses than single buyers.
■Buyers whose primary language in the home is not English are more likely to use open houses—44% of buyers whose primary language is English use open houses, compared to 59% who use a language other than English in the home. Similarly, buyers who were not born in the U.S. are more likely to use open houses as a search tool—43% of those who were born in the U.S. use open houses compared to 57% of those who were not born in the U.S.

If you are looking for some open houses to see this weekend, check out Cressy & Everett’s open house listing.

Do you know about the Purple Porch Co-op??

 

Yes, South Bend has its very own Food Co-op.  The Purple Porch Co-op has quietly been growing with online ordering, and food pick ups at the Lang Lab on High St. But now a small storefront on Hill Street in downtown South Bend is slated to be the new full time location of a food co-op market and cafe.

Having reached a goal of 300 new member-owners, the organizers have started the next steps of financing, designing and building the new store with hopes for opening in the summer of 2013.

Check out their web page for news of the project, online food ordering (any one can order without becoming a member), recipes, and more.

How do you go about choosing a school when you move?

In the process of relocating to the South Bend – Mishawaka – Granger area, many of my clients and customers ask me numerous questions about schools.  Having a 5th grader at home definitely provides me with some perspective on local school performance and  issues, but to best serve my clients, I feel it is necessary to point out some of the stumbling blocks people encounter when faced with a choice of  a school system or even a particular school.

First and foremost is the over reliance on standardized test scores.  In Indiana, we have the ISTEP+ tests given in the early spring to all students from 3-8th grade.  The Department of Education archives the results of these tests with breakdowns by district (or corporation), individual schools, grade level, and type of test.  While going directly to the DOE’s website and looking up particular schools in an area can be one way of judging the schools success, I’m continually amazed at the number of people who are satisfied with a single number (an average) to describe the the passing rate of an the entire school corporation.  For example, there are 17 primary elementary schools (k-4) in South Bend.  Some are failing and some are excellent.  Does an average give an accurate picture of what is being done across the district?  Better to look at the results for individual schools within that district.

Sadly, many people don’t even make it to the official Indiana Education website for their data, but instead rely on third party web sites using out of date data, and only aggregate statistics even when purportedly describing individual schools.

It is important to add other methods of evaluation to make a thoughtful selection of school district and shool.  The three local school corportations: South Bend, Penn-Harris-Madison, and Mishawaka all have extensive website which will describe programs, curriculum objectives, and often demographics for each school.

Speaking with future colleagues and neighbors who have children is also a great way to get a number of views – but do be careful that the people you are talking with have had children in the system in the past 5-10 years.  Some of our school districts have made major changes to their programs (ie: magnet programs, open enrollment, etc.)

The Michiana region is blessed with a wide variety of school options, within the public and private spheres.  Take the time to look into what they have to offer.  You can find web links to all three public school districts along with some of the private options on the Links page of www.MoveToSouthBend.com

Is Your St. Joseph County Homestead Exemption in Place??

As you probably know, if you own a residence in St. Joseph County and it’s your primary residence, you are elegible for the Homestead Exemption which cuts your property tax bill nearly in half of what it would be without the exemption.  Because this is such a large exemption, it’s important to make sure that it remains in place with the County Auditor’s Office.  If you bought property in the past few years, the title company will have filed the exemption for you after the closing.  Otherwise, you might have done it yourself.

In the past 3 years, the state of Indiana has been conducting an audit of the existing Homestead Exemptions as a way of checking that those claiming the exemptions are legally entitled to it.  You may remember that along with your tax bill (or copy of your tax bill if your lender pays the property tax), a pink colored sheet was included, asking a few questions about your ownership of the property.  The form was to be sent back to the Auditor’s office.  This form was sent out for 3 years to make sure homeowner’s didn’t miss out.  If you don’t remember filling it out and/or returning it to the County, you may want to check with the Auditor’s office (574-235-9668)  to make sure your Homestead Exemption is in place.  If it’s not, (and sometimes these exemptions are lost) you should immediately go to the County City building and refile for the exemption. (Be aware that you will have a copy of the original filing document in your closing materials – or the title company may have it scanned into their system. You’ll want that “reciept” to prove that your exemption was filed originally)

Feel free as always to contact me if you have any questions about this. 

 

Acting Ensemble presents Charles Dickens The Cricket on the Hearth

Acting Ensemble presents Charles Dickens The Cricket on the Hearth.

Wednesday Wine Walk in South Bend 11/14/12 (5-9 pm)

Smart Growth in South Bend

Yesterday I attended a presentation centered around the ideas of Smart Growth. Presented by Nathan Norris, a consultant and member of the urban design firm, PlaceMakers, he travels the country assisting cities in their efforts to make their cities more liveable, more walkable, and generally more attractive to its citizens and visitors, he is speaking with groups from South Bend government, Notre Dame, and realtors.

[Side Note:  check out your home's Walk Score - just plug in your address and see how it ranks for walkability.]

In general, demographics provide the major impetus towards these efforts: the current under 30 demographic (Generation Y) has been shown to be less interested in buying cars (note the recent hiring of MTV by a major car company to help them figure out how to sell this generation more cars) and more interested in the category of housing known as “suburn – mixed use”.   For a model of this, think of Eddy Street Commons.  Another indication of Gen Y’s interests include social connectedness (think Facebook and Twitter). This type of housing directly answers the need for connection and is antithetical to the isolation found in the typical American suburb (think Granger nighborhoods).

Norris pointed out that unlike many towns, South Bend has some of the desireable features and “places” that make a movement toward Smart Growth attainable: a major university, good geographic location, a river running through the town, a model project (Eddy Commons) and excellently sized city blocks (!)

Keep an eye out for more speakers on the subject of the New Urbanism and smart growth coming to South Bend over the next few months.

Pools, Waterplay, and Beaches in South Bend / Michiana

Okay, so we’re not right on the coast of Lake Michigan but there are still lots of great places for you and your family to cool off in South Bend. 

Kennedy Water Park

One of my favorites when my daughter was small was the Kennedy Water Park, located off Olive St. just north of Kennedy Academy.  Low depth, interactive, colorful and perfect for toddlers and smaller children.  Once they get bigger the Potawatomi Pool in the park of the same name and just across the park from the zoo.  One of the newest and biggest new water centers is located in the fabulous new Kroc Center on Western Avenue in downtown South Bend.

Numerous residential neighborhoods have community pools that they open to public memberships.  Some of these may offer swimming lessons, swim clubs or exercise sessions additionally.  Two located on the north side of South Bend are Swanson Pool and Arlington Pool.

A couple of beach ideas….and no, I’m still not talking about driving up to St. Joseph’s Silver Beach or Warren Dunes (though with time these are great choices):  if you have a connection to Notre Dame (staff, student, etc.) don’t forget the little beach on St. Mary’s Lake.  It’s open daily with lifeguards and boat rentals too.   But, consider a short drive into the hills near Buchanan to Fuller’s Family Resort on the shores of Clear Lake.  It’s open to day visits, very inexpensive, and the camp store sells a nice selection of ice cream to entice the younger ones off the beach and back into the car for the ride home.

Outdoor Dining in South Bend

As the days remain warmer into the light filled evening hours, my choice of where to eat out often depends on the outdoor options:  is there a patio? a deck? a screened porch? Some of my favorites have taken a while to identify — so here’s my short list of favorite al fresco spots:

1. For being right on the river, and a possible sunset view, you can’t beat the terrace outside The Emporium Restaurant in downtown South Bend.  Located right on the East Race trail, you can even bike to it after time at Howard Park or a concert at Sitz Park.  Bring your sunglasses though since you’ll have a fanatstic view across the river towards South Bend and Century Center with a setting sun behind.

2. If your tastes include a more casual river spot, the Oaken Bucket is for you.  A multi-tiered deck out over the river just east of the bridge at Ironwood, has tables with umbrellas, great burgers, beer (full bar too)  and plenty of salads and entrees.  This spot is close to IUSB and the new bike path which will be connecting South Bend and Mishawaka bike trails.

3. Finally, one of the loveliest spots of all is the Carriage House Restaurant and Gardens.  The garden terrace has been the home to a successful TGIF (with featured cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and live jazz) in past summers.  But the terrace also serves a more casual menu, has a lovely outdoor bar and wood fired grill kitchen, and is surrounded by a beautiful set of perennial gardens.  Consider sitting at “the kitchen” bar as I did last weekend.  You’ll  have front row seats for the amazing wood fired pizza oven in which many of the entrees and desserts are prepared.

Leash Free Dog Park in Mishawaka

As the owner of an 8 month old adolescent puppy who lives to run, it was important to find somewhere to let her off the leash for lots of running and bonding with other dogs. After asking around and scouring the web, I happened across Mishawaka’s newest park….Margaret Prickett Marina Park. While it’s a bit of a drive for those of us on the western side of South Bend, it’s just a half mile east of Capital Avenue on Jefferson, right next to the fish hatchery on the river. 

You’ll find a very large fenced in area (1-2 acres?) open dawn to dusk all year long. There’s water when the weather cooperates (dog owners bring big jugs for the winter when the water is turned off), a double fenced entrance, bags for cleaning up after your pet, benches, and a variety of areas for play (woods, sandy spots, hills).

There are rules: most importantly that your dog is licensed and up to date on their vaccinations. It’s best to know if your dog will be ready to be a “team player” — overly aggressive dogs will not be tolerated.  Here’s the official website from the Mishawaka’s Parks Department:  http://www.mishawaka.in.gov/dogrun

Additionally, there’s a great Facebook Fan page that will link you with some of the users of the park, and display photos of some of the “canine customers” enjoying themselves.

The dog park is a wonderful resource and a fun place to go and watch all the fun!  Now who’s ready to spearhead the effort to get one of these in South Bend??  I’ll be ready to help!