Community Service Tip - Fabian's Seafood in the parking lot of Bloomingfoods on 3rd

There are so many things to learn about Bloomington, including how to get the freshest seafood.

Fabian's Seafood from Galveston Texas comes directly to Bloomington every once in a while. Today is the day. Come to the parking lot of Bloomingfoods on 3rd Street from 2:00 till 5:30 (or until they sell out).

The seafood is fresh and wild caught. Who would have thought that would be available in Bloomington?

Sign up to receive email notifications of when they will be in town at www.fabianseafood.com and you can receive a discount of 30 cents per pound on shrimp and crab meat. What'a deal!

The Rates are Starting to Move Up-A Sample of Today's Interest Rates

Just last week an article in the New York Times stated that interest rates should hold steady for a while. But today we are seeing some lenders increase rates. Here is a sample of today's rates from local lenders. And as always on the b-town Report rates are for a 30 year fixed rate conventional mortgage and rates are subject to change.

• Fifth Third Bank (www.53.com): 5.00%
• Monroe Bank (www.monroebank.com): 4.875 after paying .25% of a point
• Premier Home Mtg (www.premierhomemortgage.com): 4.875%
• United Commerce Bank (www.unitedcommercebank.com): 5.125%

Matthew Cole's Pick-of-the-Day Listing

Who says you can't live near the heart of Bloomington's entertainment and arts district for under $100,000. This three bedroom/one-and-a-half bath home is a great deal.

Located half a block from public transportation, two blocks from a community pool, three blocks from a city park and walking distance to Upland Brewery, how can you go wrong for $82,500! Check out more information at:

www.819OrrisDrive.com

Eco-Freindly Outdoor Fireplaces

We ran this article last winter, but with everyone heading outside now to enjoy spring, what better way to think green that having an EcoSmart Fire outdoor fireplace installed.

As chic as it is eco-friendly, the EcoSmart Fire system gives you the pleasure of a fireplace without the pollutants. This is a self contained unit that is fueled by clean-burning denatured ethanol, a renewable resource. These portable fire boxes can be placed anywhere inside or outside a home since they require neither a utility connection nor a chimney. And to make this product ever greener, the company will plant two trees on the buyer's behalf for every unit purchased. Models range from $2100 to $11,500. For more information, go to:

• http://www.ecosmartfire.com/
• http://www.vangasfireplaces.com/ecosmart.asp
  
  
  
  

She's a Brick House...Barbara Corcoran gives us a video tour of national real estate offerings

Weekend vidoes are alway a favorite at the b-town report. Follow the link for information on housing across the country:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30475692#30475692

Market Update for the Week Ending May 1st

The number of closings were significantly up this week, an outcome of a very busy season of showing houses during March. Here are the basic numbers for the week:

• 59 Sales
• 69 New Listings

Starting out with the week's closings, here's the breakdown:

• 8 Condos/PUDs
• 5 Commercial Listings
• 46 Single Family Homes

The lowest priced home to sell this week was on Orris Drive in the city of Bloomington and closed for $19,000. This home was sold as a fixer-upper and has had a blue tarp over the roof for quite a while...The high seller of the week was a 5800+ square foot home on over 15 acres in northwestern Monroe County which sold for $450,000.

Here's the price breakdown for the single family home sales:

• 9 home sales under $100,000
• 16 home sales between $100,000 and $150,000
• 10 home sales between $150,000 and $200,000
• 5 home sales between $200,000 and $250,000
• 2 home sales between $250,000 and $300,000
• 1 home sale in the $300,000's
• 1 home sale in the $400,000's (noted above)

For the week's new single family home listings, here is the price breakdown:

• 11 homes priced under $100,000
• 19 homes priced between $100,000 and $150,000
• 9 homes priced between $150,000 and $200,000
• 4 homes priced between $200,000 and $250,000
• 6 homes priced between $250,000 and $300,000
• 2 homes priced in the $300,000's
• 1 home priced in the $400,000's
• 1 home priced in the $500,000's
• 1 home priced in the $600,000's
• 1 home priced at $1,299,000

The million dollar listing of the week is a new construction home being built in Gramercy Park on Bloomington's north side. It will have 5 bedrooms and 4 full baths with a total of 5656 square feet of finished living space.

"Baby Boomers Take Advantage of Age-Restricted Communities"

According to Rismedia, a real estate information system, more and more baby boomers are choosing to move to 'age restricted' communities. Here's what they had to say:

April 30, 2009-Most baby boomers, like their parents, are choosing to “age in place,” but a large and growing number - more than 1.2 million households - are choosing to move to communities designed to meet their needs, according to a study released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI). The data is significant because by 2010, the boomers will represent one quarter of the U.S. population - a group that will greatly impact the choices available in the housing market.

Just a sample of options in Bloomington are listed below:

• Meadowood Retirement Community - www.meadowoodrc.com - (812) 336-7060


• Bell Trace Senior Living Community - www.belltrace.com - (812) 332-2355


• Brookdale-Sterling House of Bloomington - www.brookdaleliving.com - (812) 330-0885


• Redbud Hills Retirement Home - www.holidaytouch.com - (812) 335-0089