IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE:

Estridge Homeowners: 30-Year Fixed Rates as low as 4.327% PLUS NO CLOSING COSTS!

Refinancing interest rates are still at all time lows and FirstSource Capital, an Estridge Company, is offering current Estridge homeowners the opportunity to save up to $436 every month on your mortgage payment with NO CLOSING COSTS. If you haven't reviewed your fixed mortgage rate in a while, now is the time!

>> Learn more about this special offer from FirstSource Capital.

Introducing Estridge New Home Designs! NEW: Estridge Guaranteed Buy Out Program!

Build a new home with Estridge and we guarantee your existing home will sell for 95% of the qualified list price. For more information contact Angie Huser at 317.669.8619 or husera@estridge.net or click here to register for information.

>> Learn more about this exciting opportunity for homeowners.

►HOMExperience Home Hint

Decorating your home for the first time? Updating an older home? Or just looking for decorating ideas? Read this month's HOMExperience Home Decor Hint to gather ideas for your bedroom, bathroom, living room or kitchen.

>> Learn more from the team at HOMExperience.

Did you know Estridge recently introduced more than 20 new home designs? You will find these new designs appealing on many levels, yet customizable to your personal tastes. Highlights include traditional spaces such as family foyers, mud rooms and Mom's retreats. All new designs include flex space near the guest foyer, allowing the ability to create a first floor guest bedroom, study or formal dining room. Match your needs and tastes with a brand new Estridge home!

 >> Learn more about these new home designs from Estridge.

 Estridge Neighborhood News!

Curious about your Estridge neighborhood? Find updates here! And feel free to share this news with any of your Estridge neighbors! The August issue includes updates on Anderson Hall, Bridgewater Parks, Grandin Hall, Heritage Hill, Highland Green, Somerset Woods and Whispering Pines... 

>> Read more Estridge neighborhood news here.

Introducing the Estridge Guaranteed Buy Out Program!

Build a new home with Estridge and we guarantee your existing home will sell for 95% of the qualified list price!

No risk. No worries.
 
To learn more about this program please contact Angie Huser at 317.669.8619 or husera@estridge.net.

OR

Visit Estridge.com to register for more information.

Anderson Hall News!
Welcome new residents!

Grandin Hall News!
Last month we mentioned Grandin Hall in Carmel added Christina Templeton, New Home Consultant, to their team! You can contact Christina by calling 317.669.8700, or by emailing templetonc@estridge.net. Grandin Hall is currently offering the Estridge Build Your Neighborhood Promotion! For more information on this promotion, call Christina Templeton at 317.669.8700, or by emailing templetonc@estridge.net.
West Carmel loves Grandin Hall! Grandin Hall is responsible for 38% of homes sold, both new and existing, in West Carmel starting at $600,000. And to add to our existing repertoire of custom homes, Grandin Hall has introduced plans in the $495,000 range. Find out what all the excitment is about! Call Christina Templeton, 317.669.8700, today!
Two Grandin Hall Homes Now Available! There is a New Home Available at Grandin Hall! With over 6,000 square feet, including 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a 3-car garage and 1 1/2 stories on a finished lower level with a fabulous Lanai, this home is offered at $729,000. Plus, the Grandin Hall MODEL HOME is now available! This stunning home offers 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a 4-car garage along with spectacular finishes plus 7,255 sqare feet and an outdoor Lanai. The Garndin Hall MODEL HOME is now offered at $898,000. Call Christina Templeton, 317.669.8700, for details! Learn more about Grandin Hall here.

Heritage Hill News!
Heritage Hill in Avon would like to welcome two new homeowners! Two new Estridge homeowners at Heritage Hill closed in the last month on homesite 8 and 16! Welcome!
Other Heritage Hill News: The Estridge Inventory Home on homesite 39 is almost complete! Check it out today!
“We just started framing a gorgeous ranch design on homesite 12,” Michelle Cannava, New Home Consultant at Heritage Hill, said. “It looks great, offering homeowners (and those thinking about building or buying a home) a chance to stop in and see this design transform into a home!” Learn more about Heritage Hill here.


Highland Green News!
Highland Green in Brownsburg is currently running a referral program where the customer will get a $500 gift card at HOMExperience. Refer somebody today! This program will run through December 31. Learn more about HOMExperience here.
We mentioned last month Highland Green added Jeff Visscher as a New Home Consultant! You can contact Jeff Visscher by calling 317.669.8631 or by emailing visscherj@estridge.net.



Somerset Woods has five different designs currently in construction! Stop in to see these designs transform into homes! Contact Kelly Dillon, New Home Consultant at Somerset Woods, by calling 317.669.8624 or by emailing dillonk@estridge.net. Find more information on Somerset Woods here.


Whispering Pines in Avon is growing! This Estridge neighborhood currently has many homes under construction, including a new ranch design under construction at Whispering Pines homesite 111. Along with the new homes, new paved roads are now available for use at Whispering Pines! And their staff is growing. Whispering Pines would like to welcome Lauren Geisler, their new Sales Associate, along with Chase Miller, their new assistant builder! Questions about Whispering Pines in Avon? Contact Angela Line, New Home Consultant, by calling 317.669.8635 or by emailing linea@estridge.net. Learn more about Whispering Pines here.
 

Learn more about Estridge, central Indiana's hometown homebuilder since 1967, here. Check back here or become a friend of Estridge on Facebook for regular updates.
 

HOMExperience in Clay Terrace allows you to explore more than 24,000 design features to truly personalize your new home or update your existing home. Thinking about updating your central Indiana home or building a new home with all new design features? In this month's HOMExperience Home Décor Hint, Candace Crooks, Designer with HOMExperience, discusses decorating ideas, ideas and... ideas!

Decorating your first home or apartment? Updating an older home? Or looking for a few home decorating ideas?

Ideas for the Bedroom: Avoid "overdoing it" with flower patterns. These patterns convey life and color, mix and match well, but need to be edited carefully by adding other elements. Striped pillows provide a bit of a contrast and a cool color on the walls quiets things down and keeps the flower-pattern look from being too much. Remember having less furniture puts a spotlight on other things in the room. Since these pieces will have a greater impact, choose them carefully.

Ideas for the Living Room: Make a non-working fireplace the focal point of the room by adding elements of fire with a large candelabra. Go a step further and add some texture with stacked split-logs. Also, avoid the white-out effect and cover large, plain walls with sculptural artwork, mirrors or removable decals.

Ideas for the Kitchen or Dining Room: For townhomes or apartments where space is at a real premium, a mix of materials and colors highlight the eclectic feel of these types of housing. For homes with space, try opaque shades for Kitchen Islands in order to prevent the glaring reflection in the granite countertop that clear shades would not prevent.

Ideas for the Bathroom: Valances above the tub area let in as much natural light as possible, but can lack in privacy. Roller shades can be installed underneath to help this problem. If you’re looking for a spot of color in that boring white-walled loo, consider a wallpaper border, also a great idea for a child’s bathroom that you might want to update easily when they grow up.

- Candace Crooks, Designer, HOMExperience

View the Estridge E-Lifestyle Blog for other tips and hints here. Check back for regular updates or become a FAN of HOMExperience on Facebook for regular updates. Learn more about Estridge, the hometown homebuilder since 1967, here.


Did you miss last month's Home Décor Hint?
Read the July Hint here.
Read the June Hint here.
Read the May Hint here.
Read the April Hint here.

Real-Estate Investing: the Best and Worst Markets

Aug. 21, 2010- Looking to snap up some investment properties on the cheap? You may want to consider Durham, N.C., Indianapolis and Huntsville, Ala. They are among the best places to invest now, according to a new report that ranks the best and worst markets for conservative residential-real-estate investors. Hard-hit Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla., are among the riskiest.

Local Market Monitor Inc., a Cary, N.C., firm that analyzes real-estate trends for lenders, builders and investors, compiled its first Investor Suitability Report using economic data through July 31 for 315 U.S. markets. The firm is best known for its housing-market forecasts, which use "equilibrium" home prices: what home values should be in relation to incomes, job growth and population. In its new report, it uses similar data to rank communities by their investment prospects, focusing on single-family homes.

Regions that rank highly for investment suitability are those where there is a low probability that home prices will fall further, says Local Market Monitor President Ingo Winzer. They are places where income is growing moderately; where employment is relatively stable because of a large percentage of jobs in health care, education or government; and where a relatively small share of jobs is in construction or financial services, which have been volatile. (Job losses in government and education tend to come later in an economic cycle, so some areas could be hit harder in coming months.)

The report, which excludes towns with fewer than 200,000 residents, focuses on price-appreciation potential instead of rental income, since falling home prices usually result in higher vacancy rates in apartment buildings and lower rents overall, Mr. Winzer says.

Good markets for conservative investors are those that already have stabilized and should yield average returns, Mr. Winzer says. Dangerous markets probably will see further price declines and have little potential for a turnaround because of poor local economies.

So-called speculative markets, by contrast, are those where prices could fall further, but which also have potential for greater appreciation of 3% to 5% annually after bottoming out—making them more suitable for investors with stronger stomachs. Local Market Monitor identifies Hagerstown, Md.; Jacksonville and Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Modesto, Calif.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C. as speculative areas.

In the best markets, home prices already are stabilizing. Durham, N.C., for instance, is home to Duke University and is near the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Big companies like International Business Machines Corp., GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Nortel Networks Corp., as well as numerous biotech start-ups, have facilities at the nearby Research Triangle Corporate Park. About 40% of area jobs are in health, education or government, according to Local Market Monitor.

Haywood Davis, owner of a Century 21 real-estate brokerage in Durham, says home-sales volume in the area increased 13% last month over July 2009, though prices rose only slightly.

Some other metro areas with large percentages of relatively stable jobs and moderate growth include Knoxville, Tenn.; Lexington, Ky.; and Indianapolis.

Jason Moore, a 34-year-old auto-sales manager in Baltimore, took advantage of plunging home prices in his hometown of Indianapolis to snap up an investment property there—a brand-new four-bedroom, two-bath home—for $56,000 late in 2008.

Prices in Indianapolis were falling because of foreclosures and rising unemployment. Disappointed with their stock-market investments, Mr. Moore and his wife, Keisha, 32, decided to buy an investment property to add to their portfolio. The Indiana house is generating a positive cash flow of about $300 a month in rent after mortgage, insurance, taxes and fees, he says.

"It has been adding income, and the tax benefit has been helpful," Mr. Moore says. Read the entire article here. 

Learn more about Estridge, the hometown homebuilder since 1967, here.

Finding the Best Builder; Tip # 4

• Check the real estate section of your newspaper to see where homes are going up and the builders building them.
• Check the resale homes in the newspaper. Look at these ads and see if they list the builder; if a builder's name is showing up over and over in resale ads, it means they probably have a reputation for building excellent homes.
• Walk through new home construction areas and look for the builders.
• Talk with a real estate professional about the builders they are familiar with or those they have worked with.
• Call the local builders association and ask many questions.
• Search the web, but focus your search outside the builder's website.
• Knock on a few doors. You'll get no better input on a builder than from actual homeowners.

Estridge Neighborhood News for July

There so many events and opportunities throughout the summer in the many Estridge neighborhoods in central Indiana. Here are few of the great things going on right now in these wonderful Estridge neighborhoods:

Bridgewater Parks is growing! Seven homes have been sold in this Estridge neighborhood in the past 90 days!
Bridgewater Parks is currently offering the Estridge Build Your Neighborhood Promotion. For more information on this promotion, call Jessica Paullus, New Home Consultant at Bridgewater Parks, at 317.669.8538, or by emailing paullusj@estridge.net.
New pricing at Bridgewater Parks! Bridgewater Parks is offering new homesite pricing for the Renaissance Collection homesites. For more information on the new homesite pricing, call Jessica Paullus, New Home Consultant at Bridgewater Parks, at 317.669.8538, or by emailing paullusj@estridge.net.
Learn more about Bridgewater Parks here.

Grandin Hall in Carmel has added Christina Templeton, New Home Consultant, to their team! You can contact Christina by calling 317.669.8700.
Grandin Hall is now offering two new floor plans available to walk through! Call Grandin Hall at 317.669.8700.
Grandin Hall is currently offering the Estridge Build Your Neighborhood Promotion! For more information on this promotion, call Christina Templeton, New Home Consultant at Grandin Hall, at 317.669.8700, or by emailing templetonc@estridge.net.
Learn more about Grandin Hall here.

Heritage Hill in Avon would like to congratulate our Realtor Partner Winner of Heritage Hill’s Grand Opening Drawing: Robin Graves with The Sanders Group Realty won a Panasonic camera!
“We just started building a gorgeous ranch design for new homeowners,” Michelle Cannava, New Home Consultant at Heritage Hill, said. “We are getting ready to frame it so stop in and see this great design transform into a home!”
Learn more about Heritage Hill here.

Highland Green in Brownsburg is currently running a referral program where the customer will get a $500 gift card at HOMExperience. Refer somebody today! This program will run through December 31. Learn more about HOMExperience here.
In addition, Highland Green has added Jeff Visscher as a New Home Consultant! You can contact Jeff Visscher by calling visscherj@estridge.net or by calling 317.669.8631.
Learn more about Highland Green in Brownsburg here.

Somerset Woods has five different designs currently in construction! Stop in to see these designs transform into homes! Contact Kelly Dillon, New Home Consultant at Somerset Woods, by calling 317.669.8624 or by emailing dillonk@estridge.net.
Find more information on Somerset Woods here.

Whispering Pines in Avon is growing! This Estridge neighborhood currently has four homes under construction! Two of these four homes are designs from Estridge’s new Ameritage Collection, while the other two homes are Estridge's new ranch home design. We are down to just 13 homesites remaining in Whispering Pines. In addition, Whispering Pines is offering 50% savings on all homesites until July 25, 2010. Be sure to share this news with your friends!
Contact Angela Line, New Home Consultant at Whispering Pines in Avon, by calling 317.669.8635 or by emailing linea@estridge.net.
Learn more about Whispering Pines in Avon here.

The question seems simple: "How do I choose the right homebuilder for my family?"

• Custom Builders
• Production Builders
• Semi-custom Builders
   

Working with a few hundred new central Indiana homeowners annually, the Design Consultants at the Estridge Design Studio in HOMExperience are often asked about the most popular design features for new Estridge homeowners. This month Tina Dahl, Design Consultant with HOMExperience, focuses on a recently popular design feature: The Simplice Pull Down Faucet.  

This month, the most popular custom design feature amongst Estridge homeowners is the Simplice Pull Down Kitchen Faucet. 

The high arch design of this popular kitchen faucet by Kohler compliments many home decor styles with availability in Polished Chrome, Vibrant Brushed Nickel and Matte Blackas well as provide great functionality in the kitchen. Estridge homeowners appreciate the choice between a spray, an aerated flow and a pause function. Plus, The quiet hose with Kohler ProMotion technology allows 360-degree rotation. As with all Kohler faucets, the Simplice finishes resist corrosion and tarnishing.  

- Tina Dahl, Design Consultant, HOMExperience.

April Estridge Design Studio Feature: Distressed or Scraped Hardwood Flooring
May Estridge Design Studio Feature: Dual HVAC Systems

Thinking about updating your Indianapolis home or building a new home with all new design features? Visit HOMExperience and explore more than 24,000 design features to personalize your new home or gather ideas to update your existing home. For more information on HOMExperience, click here.

"When putting together your home's spring décor, look for colors, textures and patterns that evoke the spirit of the new season. Right now, the spring season welcomes light colors and fun patterns!

"If you are trying to add a little color to a room, focus on the smaller, more portable elements first. A bold throw behind an armchair or a bright glass vase (see picture) on a coffee table can make a huge impact, allowing you the freedom to experiment with different combinations until you strike the perfect balance."

- Candace Crooks, Designer, HOMExperience

HOMExperience in Clay Terrace allows you to explore more than 24,000 design features to truly personalize your new home or update your existing home. Thinking about updating your central Indiana home or building a new home with all new design features? Visit HOMExperience today!

On Monday March 15th, a pilot release of the new Ameritage Collection of homes was introduced to central Indiana homeowners. This new Collection by Estridge, Indianapolis home builder, features homes designed for the way homeowners live today with the flexibility to change and grow with their evolving lifestyle.

The HARRISON new home design is built from $199,900.

The COLVIN new home design is built from $219,600. 

The ROBERTSON new home design is built from $209,900.

The Ameritage Collection offers Estridge quality construction married with personalization and affordability, with homes starting at $199,900 in Estridge Brownsburg neighborhoods.  Plus, Estridge quality construction practices, combined with the 3-year HomeLife Maintenance and Reliability Program, produce safe, sound and reliable homes. 

Each Ameritage Collection new home offers the 21st Century Lifestyle Living Triangle creating circulation between the great room, harvest room and kitchen and creating natural flow and family connectivity. And that’s only the main level. On the upper level, homeowners will find central landing areas which create larger bedrooms and a connection of bedrooms like those found in historic Indianapolis homes. 


 

The customization doesn’t end with the home footprint: homeowners love the jumbo garages! Each home includes a jumbo garage with the square feet of a 3-car garage, offering storage space for lifestyle, as well as cars, with variations and options such as increasing the depth of the garage, adding a third bay, or creating a side-entry. 
 

Ameritage Collection designs each present a “kit of parts” with structural and feature details allowing truly personalized flex spaces, garages, interiors and home exteriors. Homeowners can personalize the Ameritage Collection traditional exteriors with many features, such as dentil molding, varied window trim and roof dormers, so your home mirrors your personal style.

The Ameritage Collection is available to build in select Estridge new home neighborhoods:

Whispering Pines in Avon (317.669.8635),

Hession Fields(317.669.8627) and Highland Green (317.669.8631) in Brownsburg

Edenwilde (317.669.8633) in Indianapolis. 

Visit any of these selected Estridge neighborhoods to learn more and build your new Indianapolis home with special pilot release pricing. Or call 317.669.8619 to Ask Angie about building a new Ameritage Collection home.

Join us at Rock Bridge on April 20th and enjoy an exclusive tour of three new Estridge home designs in Zionsville, Indiana from the local architect, Greg Cradick.

Greg, lead architect for Estridge Custom Galleries and the Estridge Extreme Makeover Home, will lead hard hat tours through each of these beautiful homes. He’ll provide insights on the design process, dialogue on the custom-like details and open spaces in these new homes, and answer all of your questions about these homes and other Estridge home designs.

This is a unique opportunity from Estridge to learn about each home ask questions of the architect.  Tour the homes in various states of new construction for inside knowledge of their design and Estridge construction practices.  Enjoy refeshments in the Rock Bridge decorated model home before and after your tour.

For directions, visit www.Estridge.com.  Call Rhonda at 317.669.8637 to learn more today.

Spring is a very busy time of year for real estate professionals and new home builders around Indianapolis. Many homeowners take advantage of the warm weather to tour new home neighborhoods, look at real estate, and put their home up for sale. Beginning to build a new Estridge home is also popular in the spring, with the five month construction process completing in time for the start of the following school year.

With the Federal Home Buyer Tax Credit, Spring 2010 has proven to be even busier for many Indianapolis real estate professionals.

It's no different for all of us here at Estridge.

There are 121 new Estridge homes under construction!

• 21 Homes in the ‘pre-construction’ stage
• 12 Homes in Basement Foundation
• 24 Homes currently in Framing or will begin Framing in the next week
• 17 Homes in Mechanicals (Plumbing, Electrical and/or HVAC)
• 16 Homes in Drywall
• 11 Homes in Trim
• 5 Homes in Flooring
• 7 Homes in Finishes (Plumbing, Electrical and/or HVAC)
• 3 Homes completed and scheduled to close with their new homeowner
• 5 Homes completed and ready for a new Estridge homeowner

Think Spring is  a good time for you to begin your new Estridge home? 

Contact Angie, your Estridge Online Concierge, today to learn more about building a new Estridge home in central Indiana.

Selected Estridge neighborhoods in Avon, Brownsburg and Franklin Township recently introduced a pilot release of the Ameritage Collection by Estridge. The Ameritage Collection features homes designed for the way you truly want to live today with the flexibility change with your changing lifestyle. Featuring jumbo garages, flex spaces, full lower levels and open living areas, this Collection of homes offers incredible opportunities to build a new home with prices from $199,900.

The Harrison, a 2-story Ameritage home by Estridge, Indianapolis's premiere new home builder, was introduced at Hession Fields in Brownsburg and Edenwilde in Franklin Township on Monday, March 29^th.



Visit Edenwilde in Franklin Township and build your Harrison home from $199,900.
Visit Hession Fields in Brownsburg and build your Harrison home from $199,900.

This unique new home design from Estridge, your premiere Indianapolis new home builder features Georgian style home exteriors:

-          True period architecture with a gable roof and symmetrical design

-          Classical exteriors with transom window framing front door, surrounding entry lights, detailed door surround and more

With a new home design created for the way we live today:

Entry Areas:

-          Flex space off of front door

-          Separate family foyer keeps clutter out of the living areas

-          Sight line from entry to back wall enhances the open, spacious feel

Central Living Areas:

-          Open living area with 21^st Century Lifestyle Living Area – connection between harvest room, family room, and kitchen

-          Transom windows provide sunlight to family room and provide definition while allowing for functional furniture placement

-          Kitchen sink on breakfast bar island encourages interaction between spaces

-          Walk-in pantry offers generous, hidden kitchen storage

-          Spacious harvest room allows for dining furniture placement and multiple uses

-          Inclusion of hearth room and family room allows homeowners to stay connected while participating in varying activities

Upper Level:

-          Upper level landing area eliminates the need for hallway circulation and creates generously sized bedrooms

-          Walk-in closets in three bedrooms

-          Spacious master suite with three generous windows

-          Convenient hall linen closet

Generous Storage Space:

-          Open lower level with space for multiple functions

-          Jumbo garage features 2-car doors with 3-car square footage offers great storage! Create more space by personalizing up to a 4-car side-load garage!

Interested in learning more about this home?

View the Harrison new home design.