fastsinclairteam

Ben Bernanke said that the Fed will go for a Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP) through 2014. That means that the housing and economic recovery isn't as robust as hoped. The government is trying to give a boost to the economy. Treasury bill rates are 3%. However, with rates this low, it would take 25 years for an investor to double their money. While the lower interest rates won't help your IRA or savings plan, it does mean your buying power in real estate has never been stronger. Interest... Read Full Story

The price of autumn home sales declined 3.5%, compared with 2010 fall pricing.  Part of this is because distressed homes (foreclosures and short sales) account for 30% of all sales.  It's still a buyers market.  If you've been waiting to buy or invest in homes, now is the time to buy! Read Full Story

Buy a house for $100 down?  For the next 12 months, in select states, all a buyer needs is $100 to put as a downpayment on a HUD owned home!  The buyer must live in it as their permanent resident (no investors), use FHA insured financing, and the sale must be for the list price of the home.  If you've been waiting to save 3.5% down to buy a house, save your money!  With rates as cheap as they are now, your buying power is at it's strongest! Read Full Story

The S & P loweredthe Freddic Mac and Fannie Mae's rating to an AA++.  The previous rating was AAA.  The recent debt crisis was given as the determining factor.    Read Full Story

Washington Update: Debt Ceiling Analysis, FHA Loan Limits, National Flood Insurance Earlier this week, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law, the Budget Control Act of 2011, more commonly known as the Debt Ceiling Bill. After careful analysis of the bill, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) reports that it contains no direct impact on real estate tax rules or spending provisions. No tax laws of any kind were changed, nor were any housing programs cut. The bill passed... Read Full Story

Indianapolis is now the 11th largest city in the U.S., moving ahead of Jacksonville, Florida, San Francisco, California and Detroit, Michigan. In 1989, the total population of Indianapolis was 1,281,516.  In 2009, the population was 1,743.113.  That reflects 36.0% growth!  The cost of living, low housing prices and cleanliness of the city are contributing factors to this rise in population.  (Statistics courtesy of the U.S. Census bureau)   Read Full Story

Tiling a kitchen backsplash We've had a busy few weekends at our lake house at Heritage Lake, updating our 11 year old color scheme, and installing some custom touches. This past weekend we tiled our kitchen back splash. Having never tiled before, I learned a few things that made it much easier than I had expected. Here are my hints: 1) Watch YouTube. There are numerous "how to" videos that were easy to follow. It was great to also watch someone do something while they were talking about it... Read Full Story

Track your spending, using free sites like mint.com or wesabe.com .  They can sync with your bank account, and track your purchases.  Best of all, these sites are free! Read Full Story

Several schools in the Carmel Clay district schools received Green grants.   The “Mission Recycle” program at Carmel Middle School received $550.  The Environmental Club at Carmel High School's received $936 for the “Taming the Beast: Recycling at CHS” program.  Fifth graders at Woodbrook Elementary received $670 for their “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” program.   Congratulations to the students, teachers and schools who were involved.  Go Green... Read Full Story

Population in cities rise and fall.  It is the nature of change.  When earthquakes or hurricane's hit, it is easy to understand why people may move out of that city.  However, since the year 2000, several cities have seen large declines in population.  Large automobile companies have had huge economic losses, leaving hundreds of people out of work in areas where automotive industry was king.  Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati have felt the impact of fleeing residents.  Chicago alone has lost... Read Full Story