Whether you’re an Indiana property owner looking to sell or lease your home, you can’t ignore the importance of curb appeal. Curb appeal is the first impression of home buying—that immediate gut reaction you get when you look at a building. Because so many prospective buyers or renters drive by homes they’re considering before they ever call to book a showing, you could be losing out on solid prospects who can’t get past your home’s ugly exterior enough to see its lovable interior. Just like you make important judgments about people based on first impressions, they’re judging your home by your lawn, your walkways, even your driveway.

The first step to improving curb appeal is making sure the home looks well-cared for. This can be as simple as pruning back overgrown trees and giving those scraggly shrubs some shape. Make sure your street number is visible, not hidden by overgrowth, to make it easier for people to literally find your house. Make sure your lawn is neatly trimmed and free of trash, debris or excessive children’s toys. Remember, people want to imagine themselves living in your house. Consider adding a pot of flowers to the front step to add a welcoming, inviting touch.

Next, look at the exterior of your house itself. Is the paint in good repair, or is it flaking and peeling? Is the color something that most people would like, or is it a bright or just plain ugly color? How does it fit in with the houses around it—does it blend or stick out like a sore thumb? Make sure any interior lights are illuminated at night, without any broken or burned-out bulbs.

Finally, don’t neglect the driveway. Assuming prospects do book a showing, chances are good that the first thing they’ll see when they step out of the car is your driveway. Is it free from cracks, potholes and oil stains? You may want to consider a fresh seal coat for the asphalt, to give the driveway a shiny, cared-for appearance. If you have multiple cars that you keep in the driveway, consider moving them to a nearby street-parking location, if possible.

What the inside of your house looks like doesn’t matter if people never walk through the door. Whether you’re selling or leasing your Indiana home, let the experts at Polaris Real Estate make sure prospects are seeing the true beauty of your home.

First, before it ever gets to the eviction stage, a good property management company will do everything possible to fix the problem. That might mean sitting down and figuring out an alternative payment plan, finding out why a tenant is breaking lease terms and just generally understanding what the problem is. Eviction should only be a last resort. Besides the emotional toll it can take on all parties involved, evictions are also time-consuming and means your property will sit empty while a new tenant is found, meaning a loss of income for you.

If no agreement can be reached, then it might be time to start considering eviction proceedings. In the state of Indiana, evictions can start only after rent is at least ten days late, or there has been a breech in the leasing agreement. From there, the eviction process becomes regulated by law, and a property management company will help by handling all the legal headaches of dealing with an eviction so you don’t have to, making sure you’re in compliance with the law and handling the difficult matter with the respect and sensitivity it deserves.

Evictions and difficult tenants are an inevitable part of the leasing process, but one of the hardest, especially if you’re trying to manage a property on your own. Let the experienced property management agents at Polaris Property Management help guide you through every step of the rental process, even the hardest ones. Call us today.

What is a residential screening report?

How do I obtain a residential screening report?

First, there’s the basics: credit and background checks. A clean credit check gives you peace of mind that the tenant will pay on time and in full every month. A background check helps you discover any unsavory pasts—both criminals, sex offenders or those who commit white collar crimes like fraud that might keep you from getting paid.

Then, of course, you want to make sure that these people will treat your property with respect. While a property management company will take care of many of the major maintenance tasks, you want to make sure your tenants will keep the lawn mowed, the hedges trimmed, the yard free from trash and clutter and generally take pride in the property. When your tenants love the property, it also helps you: They’re more likely to report a minor maintenance problem, like a leaking pipe, before it turns into a giant maintenance nightmare, like a burst pipe or a flooded basement.

Finally, you want people you trust in your property. People who will leave your home as good or better than they found it, people who will be good neighbors, and people who just love living in your house. Ultimately, that all makes for a better owner-tenant relationship, and smoother sailing.

How do you find such elusive tenants? Hire an experienced property management company like Polaris Property Management. We work with property owners like you to find tenants you can trust. Give us a call and find out how we can help you find your dream tenants today.

If you’re in the market yourself, we have a fantastic four bedroom, three bath home in Fishers just waiting for you. Located on a quiet cul-de-sac, this house features an open floor plan that’s ideal for entertaining, and a screened porch just begging you to spend a hot summer night relaxing.

Let us help you find your dream home, or sell or lease your existing home today. Give us a call!

Specific counties actually saw tremendous growth, including Boone County (9.57% increase in units sold), Hendricks County (8.41% increase) and Hamilton County (1.42% increase). Marion County saw a 5.4% decrease in 2011 homes sold.

So what does this mean if you’re looking to buy or sell a home? If you’re looking to buy, this is still one of the best times in American history to own a home. With rock bottom home prices and low interest rates, the dream of home ownership is more attainable than ever before. However, if you’re looking to sell, the picture becomes more muddied. Homes are selling—it’s just taking longer. This underscores the importance of having an experienced real estate agent by your side who understands the Indianapolis area real estate market.

Some people will continue to struggle to find the right buyer in 2012, and these homeowners may want to consider leasing their homes. The steady cash flow allows you to move into a new home or otherwise get on with your life, and you’re still able to put your home back up for sale when the timing’s right.

If you need an experienced Indianapolis real estate agent, let Polaris Real Estate help you find the house of your dreams, or find the buyer you’ve been looking for.

• Add a new entry door. Spruce up your curb appeal and save energy by upgrading your exterior door. Steel doors, which can mimic many types of wood, typically run for $400 at big-box stores and offer the strongest barrier against intruders.
• Get organized. Decluttering and maximizing storage space are inexpensive ways to transform a home. Add space to kids’ rooms by installing platform or bunk beds ($400-$600); neaten piles of shoes with shoe organizers ($20), which can do double duty as catch-all organizers in family room closets and kitchen pantries; extend bookshelves to the ceiling, creating storage in otherwise dead space. Especially if you’re considering selling or renting, extra storage space is a huge plus with buyers and renters. Also, by stashing your stuff, you’re making it easier for your potential buyers or tenants to imagine themselves living there.
• Save with a programmable thermostat. Switching from a manual to a programmable thermostat (less than $500) can save you up to $180 a year in energy costs.  Programmable thermostats allow you a variety of options, including changing the temperature automatically while you’re out of the house or while you’re sleeping. The latest models offer remote programming via the Internet.
• Replace cabinet hardware. If you’ve got traditional knobs and pulls, try contemporary; change from staid to whimsical. Big-box retailers often have huge selections for budget prices. (10-pack for $20).
• Update bathroom flooring. Give bathrooms a quick facelift by replacing old tile with vinyl flooring or ceramic tile, which can cost as little as $3 per square foot for material and installation.

Take on little renovation projects to give your home a whole new look, whether for you or for potential buyers and tenants.

• Getting your property ready to rent. Just because you want to rent doesn’t mean your property’s ready for a tenant to move in. Is it clean? Have you removed most of your belongings? Have you made necessary repairs? Will it photograph well? Do your zoning laws or HOA covenants allow you to rent your property? How much should you charge for rent? An experienced property management agent can help make sure everything is ready for your new tenants.
• Finding tenants. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But think of all the steps involved in finding a good tenant: photographing the property, publicizing it online, in print and with a yard sign, speaking to all prospective tenants, doing background checks, renter history checks, credit checks and signing a final contract, to name only a few. It’s a big job to take on if you don’t intimately understand the ins and outs of tenant acquisition.
• Staying legally compliant. Renting your home isn’t as simple as just putting out a yard sign. There’s a whole host of federal, state and local regulations that take a professional to unravel. Additionally, a property management company can help you create strong, binding contracts, collect security deposits and deal with rent collection and eviction.
• Maintenance. A good property manager will either have an in-house maintenance team or good relationships with local handymen and contractors. They’re the ones your tenants will call when that pipe bursts at 3 a.m.

Having a good property manager can make your life immeasurably easier when renting your home or investment property. If you’re looking for an Indianapolis property management company, we’d love to talk to you about how we can help.

1. Start with a plan. When you just start going into your kitchen and tearing fixtures out willy-nilly, you might find yourself running dangerously over budget and over schedule. So take the extra time and money to create a good plan from the start, including a demolition plan, to save on headaches further down the road.

Your plan should be comprehensive and detailed — everything from the location of the refrigerator to which direction the cabinet doors will open to whether you need a spice drawer.

1. Ordering. Cabinets and appliances are the biggest investments in your kitchen remodeling project. If you’re remodeling in stages, you can order them any time after the plans are complete and store them in a garage (away from moisture) or in a spare room until you’re ready to pull the trigger on the installation. Remember that it may take 4-6 weeks from the day you order them for your cabinets to be delivered.

Keep old flooring for cost savings. This works if your new cabinets match your old layout, so that the new cabinets fit exactly into the old flooring configuration. If the existing flooring runs underneath your cabinets and covers all flooring area, then any new cabinet configuration will be fine.

1. Demolition. Here’s where the remodel gets messy. Old cabinetry and appliances are removed, and walls may have to be opened up for new electrical circuits. Keep in close contact with your contractor during this stage so you can answer questions and clear up any problems quickly. A major kitchen remodel can take 6 to 10 weeks, depending on how extensive the project is.

During this stage, haul your refrigerator, microwave, and toaster oven to another room — near the laundry or the garage, for example — so you’ve got the means to cook meals. Consider tackling a big remodel in the summer, so you can use an outdoor grill for meals.

1. Installation. If you’ve done your homework and bought key components in advance, you should roll through this phase. You’ve now got a (mostly) finished kitchen.

A high-end countertop and backsplash can be a sizable sum of money. If you can’t quite swing it, put down a temporary top, such as painted marine plywood or inexpensive laminate. Later, you can upgrade to granite, tile, solid surface, or marble.

Kitchen remodels can be a great way to improve your family’s quality of life and your home’s long-term resale value. Just be smart about it, and you’ll be in a gorgeous new kitchen in no time. More questions about how remodels can change your home’s value? Call Polaris Real Estate, an Indianapolis real estate company with your questions.

A good property manager is probably also a REALTOR®, but a REALTOR® may not be a great property manager. Why? Many of the same skills that make for a good real estate agent also make for a good property manager: a strong knowledge of the real estate market, an understanding of comparables and marketing. However, a property manager needs a much more specialized subset of knowledge besides general real estate know-how: an understanding of applicable rental laws, a strong network of maintenance contractors, processes in place for rent collection and eviction and a dozen other subsets that someone who specializes exclusively in home sales and purchases might not know.

When it comes to choosing a property manager for your home, make sure you’re asking the right questions: does the agent have experience as a property manager, or are they just jumping on the bandwagon? How do they handle emergency maintenance requests, eviction, new tenant acquisition, rental contracts? Make sure they have experience you need to price, rent and maintain your rental property.