The Master Plan for the Indiana University Bloomington Campus is now online

I just attended an event today with guest speaker Lynn Coyne of IU. The master plan for IU is truly phenomenal and very progressive. You can see the entire master plan, along with great historical information about IU at http://www.indiana.edu/~uao/. Simply click on master plan logo (shown above) and you will be directed to a vast amount of information about the future of the IU Bloomington campus

Check out what's happening in the Indy real estate market this weekend

This weekend is the Parade of Homes for Indianapolis. So if you have some time and are curious about our neighboring city's real estate market, this is a super opportunity to get inside a collection of new homes.

Homes are open today and tomorrow from 1:00 to 5:00. Check out more information at the Indianapolis Parade of Homes website: http://www.paradeofhomesindy.com/

The Beauty and Diversity of Bloomington's Architecture

I usually walk 45 minutes to an hour every day. I have three primary routes that I take and all of them include passing by beautiful houses that showcase the diversity of Bloomington's architecture. So today I brought my camera and took pictures of a few of my favorite houses on this route. Some are unique, some are classic and some are simply sweet. What can I say, I love houses!

From an article in Realtor Mag, the online magazine for Realtors from the National Association of Realtors, these ten cities are showing the greatest signs of continuing a declining trend in home values:

1. Atlantic City/Hammonton, NJ
2. Provo, UT
3. Portland/Vancouver, OR
4. Glen Falls, NY (home to Rachael Ray)
5. Bellingham, WA
6. Flagstaff, AZ
7. Charleston/Sommerfield, SC
8. Eugene/Springfield, OR
9. Salisbury, MD
10. Salt Lake City, UT

These figures were compiled by Forbes.

Fabian Seafood is heading back to Bloomington

You know spring has arrived when Fabian Seafood starts coming to Bloomington again. The next visit is this Tuesday, April 20th from 1:30 till 5:30 at the Bloomingfoods East location on Third Street.

This is fresh shrimp and shucked oysters straight from the Gulf. These folks drive up from Galveston Texas to share their bounty with us land-locked folks. It sells out fast, so if you are interested, get there early!

BTW, if you sign up for their email notices, you get a discount. Simply email them at SteveF@fabianseafood.com or visit their website at http://www.fabianseafood.com and sign up.

A Sample of Today's Interest Rates

An article in Sunday's New York Times said that interest rates were going nowhere but up. But they are still at historically low rates. Rates that we may not see again for decades. Here's a sample of today's rates from local lenders. Keep in mind that rates are subject to change and posted rates are based on credit scores, etc.

• Fifth Third Bank (www.53.com): 5.00%
• Premier Home Mortgage (www.premierhomemortage.com): 5.00%
• People's State Bank (www.peoples-bank.com): 5.25%
• United Commerce Bank (www.unitedcommercebank.com): 4.875%

Bloomington Farmers Market is Back!

Bloomington's famous farmers market is back for the season. This fantastic outdoor market runs April through November.

1. 
   Items currently available at the market include arugula, asparagus, cauliflower, goose eggs, rhubarb, and tamales (very good) and so much more. Here's a link to a complete list of what the farmers market has to offer so early in the season:

http://bloomington.in.gov/documents/viewDocument.php?document_id=1742

The market is located in downtown Bloomington on the b-line trail off of 7th street and is open every Saturday from 8 till 1. See you there!

Interest Rates Are Up!

Are the glory days of interest rates below 5% over? Well, for now they seem to be. After months of hovering at or just below the 5% mark, they are now consistently up. The average rate that is being forwarded to me today show rates at 5.25%.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the increase is due to worries about inflation as the economy improves. If you are considering buying or refinancing, this might be the right time to talk to a local lender and make that move!

Updated Sales and Pricing Information for 120 Kirkwood in Downtown Bloomington

Above is the latest information on sales and pricing for the 120 Kirkwood Project in downtown Bloomington. Floor plans are also available. Feel free to contact us with questions on this project and we'll do our best to get the answered for you.

National Association of Realtors newest consumer website

The NAR has just launched this week a new consumer website that is geared to help home owners make better decisions in maintaining, protecting and increasing the value of their homes.

This site will help home owners plan projects for their homes, and offer comprehensive articles with helpful information. And the site is free. Just go to www.houselogic.com to check it out.

Chicago Makes Forbes Magazine's Top Ten World's Most Beautiful Cities

Forbes Magazine just came out with their top ten list of the world's most beautiful cities and our own mid-western mecca made the list. New York and San Francisco also made the list. Other cities included Paris, Tokyo, Cambridge England, Sydney, Florence Italy, Cape Town South Africa and London. Finishing up the list is Vancouver, home to this year's Winter Olympics.