Breathtaking entry! Quiet, wooded cul-de-sac lot. Terrific square footage. Updated kitchen appliances and lovely granite countertops, lots of new lighting, carpet, paint. Vaulted & cathedral ceilings, flooded with natural light. Massive deck. Wonderful storage. Walk-in closet in master suite w/ dbl sinks & tub & sep shower. Hardwoods. Kitchen overlooks family room and fireplace. Seconds from Eagle Creek, minutes to highway. Quick access to downtown and airport.

Well kept, all brick, 2 bed/1 bath bungalow in desirable Broad Ripple neighborhood. Hardwood floors, formal dining room, stainless steel appliances and built-ins. Basement is partially finished, complete w/office-den. Walking distance to Canterbury Park, Monon Trail and Broad Ripple. Convenient to shopping, downtown & nightlife. Pre-listing inspection performed. Newer roof and water heater. Don't miss out on this fantastic Broad Ripple opportunity. For more information, please call Chriss Cheatham at 317-696-0057 or email her at chriss@macduffrealty.com.

I love technology. Someone once described me as “gadget-y,” and I can’t argue with that descriptor. And while there’s a tendency for that aspect of my personality to be drawn into gigantic time-sucking distractions, I am also aware of how some hardware and software tools can be enormously time-saving.

One of the most common questions I’m asked is, “Where’s the best place to go online to find available homes?” My clients want to be able to access the most current information available about homes that might suit their needs. More often than not, the common theme is this: how can I – while I’m out driving in neighborhoods – get more information about a house that I happen to drive by?

Thanks to a terrific FREE iPhone app by REALTOR.com®, this task has been reduced to the ridiculously simple. AND IT WORKS ON BOTH THE iPAD and iPHONE!

(There is also a Droid version available HERE.)

Not only does this app permit you to enter MLS number data to search from anywhere, it also uses the iPhone’s built-in geo-locating capabilities to figure out where you are and what houses near you are for sale.

So the next time you’re out driving around looking in neighborhoods, simply launch the app, do a search, and find what you’re looking for. You can even send the listing to me if it’s a property that you’re interested in knowing more about or seeing in person.

Here's a quick tutorial on using the app.

Head to the iTunes App Store

Or, choose the App Store on your iPhone. Enter “realtor.com” as a search term and look for the app. Or, click on the button above to take you directly to the app from your browser.

Register the App by clicking on the "Gear" icon in the lower right of the screen.

You'll then get this screen:

Create a new, free account.

This is a really important step. Use an email address that you check regularly. You’ll then be able to get listing updates, share properties with your family, friends and agent.

Add the email address of your real estate agent. If I’m acting as your agent, enter joe@macduffrealty.com in the first spot of the sharing shortcuts.

You can also add other folks who you want to keep in the loop. Add up to two other email addresses here of the folks you want to be able to send interesting listings to. Your BFF, your S.O., your mom...you pick.

You're done with the registration. Now it's time to search for a home.

The main screen give you several options for performing a search.

When you arrive at a neighborhood or house you're interested in, you can choose the "Homes For Sale" button. You’ll be able to view listings close to where you are currently parked (you did park before performing the search, right?!?) as a list, with a street map view, or from a satellite view.

One of my favorite features is being able to "draw" a search area using the "Area Highlighter" view, and you can also view by satellite of map view in this mode. Super cool!

Find a home you want to share?

Click on the "Send" button in the property view and send it to me and a friend! You can also "Save this listing."

The app also gives you the ability to "Share" the listing on Twitter, Facebook or by text message.

Have fun, and I look forward to being of service!

Several weeks ago, I was chatting on Twitter with a few friends, and the topic of pie came up. I was immediately thrust back into my childhood, and the taste memory of my grandmother's pie came flooding back to me.

Immediate. Obsession.

The calls went out to family members who had the recipe. I asked about the finest details. Did she cook on a baking sheet or not? Butter or margarine? Electric stove? Convection or regular?

After a few tries, I knew I was getting close to perfection. Thanks to some brave volunteers who risked their lives sampling my baking finery, I worked through the kinks and have finally arrived at what I believe is a pie as good as my grandma's.

My frequent readers may again be asking, "What in the world does this have to do with real estate?"

Not much...unless you consider your house your home. The place where memories are made and recipes are shared. My home is a fertile testing ground for all sorts of ideas. I make art here. I bake here. I run a real estate company from my basement. I've got stacks of guitar gear and percussion instruments for noise-making. And my kitchen is sometimes converted into a tie dye factory, churning out piles of outrageously gorgeous material.

What's your house for, and how can I help you make it your home? 

I was at an auction last week at Dan Ripley's Antique Helper and got into a discussion with a friend about my philosophy on auctions. I'm not a dealer, and I can barely call myself a collector of much. So my approach is very simple: I buy things I like to look at and will enjoy living with. If the price seems fair, then by all means go for it.

I'm not overly concerned with a piece's pedigree or provenance. I can't keep up with what's fashionable. But I know what pleases my eye. Those are the things I watch out for.

That day, I picked up two large Tibetan paintings, a small persian rug and some Mid-Century ceramics. He took home several sets of Mid-Century Modern dishes and a nice Broyhill bedroom suite. Neither of us overpaid, because we weren't buying to sell. We were buying to keep and enjoy. Sure, I may turn around some day and sell some or all of what I bought. Should that happen, I'd be happy to at least get my money back.

In the mean time, however, I'll enjoy walking into my family room and seeing an historic piece of pottery and a beautiful, one-of-a-kind painting. And I'll place that small rug in front of my guitar amp so my feet stay warm while I'm noodling on my pawn-shop-purchased guitar. All for less than the price of a decent meal for two.

If you're looking for some enjoyable things to have in your home, visit a local artist on a First Friday gallery walk. Make a resale shop like IndySwank or an auction house your first stop next time. Swing through a thrift store or Goodwill. You never know what you might find.

Many of my friends and associates know I have a little obsession with photography. I shoot it. I admire it. I emulate the good stuff as much as I can. You can each come to your own conclusion about my relative success at capturing moments in time, but I’m sure having fun with it.

Some have asked, though, how my time spent taking photos of people, places and things enhances my chosen career, that of a Real Estate professional.

There is that old saying: a picture is worth a thousand words. In the current real estate economy, how a property is portrayed in both online and offline media is vitally important in helping Buyers, Tenants and Investors make their decisions about which property to pursue.

All of the statistics we can gather support a few simple ideas. Bad photos don’t compel people to inquire about property. No photos on a listing gets the property ignored completely. Good photos help. Great photos - and lots of them - keep prospects engaged and drive requests for more information.

Whether it’s a condo or a trailer, a warehouse or an office space, a custom home or a tract home, each property needs to be presented to prospects in a way which compels them to want to know more about it. 

My hope and belief are that my random photographic excursions to things like Social Media Breakfasts, Irvington Green Hours and Bacon Tweetups accomplish three things: a) I get to practice using one of my marketing tools; b) I get to talk to prospects for properties I list; and c) I get to interact with people of all sorts and hear what they are thinking about real estate in general.

I’ve shot a lot of stuff over the last few years. It’s mostly garbage, but some of it is really beautiful. Happy accidents. And hopefully I’ve continued to refine my craft, adding an extra bit of visual interest to my clients’ property listings.

As always, if I can answer any questions related to real estate, please don't hesitate to call or email. You can reach my by phone or text at 317-413-8501. My email is joe@joeshoe.com.

Cheers!

According to a recent study, the best return on your money comes from replacing your entry door. A typical $1,270 job will return 76.1% of your investment.

What's the worst thing you can do and expect a return? Remodel your home office or add a backup generator. Those two things only return 38.1% and 40.5%, respectively.

To find out more about what improvements will offer the best investment return, SEE THIS ARTICLE from Remodeling Magazine.

Have a great Holiday season!

I hope it helps you make sense of the oftentimes confusing information that overwhelms our inboxes, TVs and radios.

Have a terrific Holiday season!