Waterfront Lifestyles-Small Town and Country Living on the Lakes in Northeast Indiana

Just how important is it in today's market to choose an agent who embraces technology?

Does it really matter if your agent knows the difference between a blog, a podcast and a tweet?

Ask your agent what "viral marketing" is.

Online advertising is the #1 Way to Reach Buyers. I take the time to learn new technology and apply this knowledge to my marketing campaigns.

Stop in Saturday March 28th from 1-3 and tour

LaGrange County's First

5 Star Energy Rated Home

• New Construction

• 3 Bedrooms

• 2 Baths

• Appliances Included

• Walkout Basement

This home was custom built for value minded environmentally friendly buyers!

Conserve Energy-Protect Resources-Save Money

Priced to Sell: $125,000

Click here for more details and the virtual tour. 

0195 W 060 S  (off of Townline Road in LaGrange)

What Does it Mean to "Be Green"?

 It's in the news, in the magazines, and on HGTV-  green building or being more green in a remodel. I understand the concept in general, but when our office listed the first new home in our county with a 5+ Energy Star rating, I wanted to better understand the significance. I was familiar with the Energy Star rating I had seen on appliances. But, I didn't know Energy Star is a joint program through the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to help save money and protect the environment.  A 5+ rating is the highest a home can receive and the grade is based on items such as: insulation, windows, tightly sealed construction, efficient heating and cooling, appliances, lighting, and water heaters. This house offers great savings on utility bills and less impact on our environment.

The National Association of Home Builders recently adopted the National Green Building Standard.

How Green Are You?

My search led me to several online tools that you can use to test how green you and your household are.  They also offer tips that can save you money and reduce the impact on our environment.

Energy Star's Home Energy Yardstick  See how your usage compares to other U.S. households and how you can improve your efficiency and save money.

Get With Green.com  offers a widget that gives homeowners eco friendly news and information on new products and ideas- you can easily add it to your blog, myspace, facebook, etc.

As the parent of a child with Down Syndrome, this is dear to my heart. Others can be cruel to those with differences. The key to changing this is helping others understand that the differences aren't what is important. Our local schools are doing a great job of teaching the "typical" kids the challenges faced by others. My daughter visits other classrooms and she has 4th grade "book buddies" who come in and read to the class. It is a learning experience for everyone as they meet new people and develop friendships. My daughter's class was invited to attend a very special event today and she is really excited about it. When I was at the high school last week for the musical, they had posters up promoting the day. The schools have also held disability awareness days where students learn how it fees to be blind, deaf, or disabled in other ways while trying to perform simple everyday tasks.

This was taken from the Lakeland High School Calendar's description of today's event:

Mark your calendars for March 20th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., for the 2009 Disabilities Awareness Walk to be held at Lakeland. To our knowledge, this event is the only walk of its kind in the nation. Approximately 200 Functional Skills students from nine schools will team with Relay For Life and The American Cancer Society to have fun, play games, dance, walk, eat lunch, and find 3,000 Easter eggs for prizes. Local police and fire departments will also take part in this special event which is funded through a grant from The LaGrange Community Foundation. Our thanks go out to them, as well as all the people who work very hard to make this happen.

With so much being said about what is wrong with the schools in our nation, it is important to recognize what is right!

Sure Signs of Spring in Wolcottville:

As I headed in to the office Friday morning on a bright sunny day I saw these cranes in a "flood puddle" in a local farm field. I wish I had a camera with a longer range.

Many of our local birds are returning. In the early morning when I'm out with the puppy, the sounds of the birds are constant and varied. I'm spotting more species each morning.

And on the real estate front, after a few slow months, there's been a significant increase in buyers looking for lake homes. In the past week I've had 12 showings on lake homes. My web activity has picked up and the phone calls and emails are rolling in. It's a great time to take advantage of the large inventory of lake houses in our area: prices are competitive and interest rates are still low.