America is a great nation and despite what the press might sometimes have you believe is always at the forefront of embracing new, green technology.

Right now there are 30,000 wind turbines spinning across our vast country and the economic effect of this blooming industry is being felt.

Wind turbines contain around 8,000 parts and they are often manufactured in the US (in fact, about half the components used in wind farms are made in the U.S., compared with 25 percent in 2004) – in particular here in the midwest. Which is poised with the right manufacturer mix to be able to feed the supply chain with parts.

In Indiana, potential component manufacturers could create 25,180 new jobs out of the total $62.2 billion in investment. It is also estimated that 398,000 jobs could be created from the 185,000 megawatts of wind generation that should be installed in upcoming years. Indiana is among the top 10 states for investment and job-creation potential with the state ranking sixth in the number of employees – 53,064 of them – working at firms that have the technical potential to become active manufacturers of wind turbine components.

Even more local, here in Northwest Indiana, LaPorte County is listed among the top 20 counties in Indiana supplying component parts.

This is an excited time for Northwest Indiana!

Thinking of relocating to the Northwest Indiana area? You can use our moving truck for FREE!

As one of the top producing teams of experts in our field both locally and Nationally, our full service team strives hard to make sure your real estate transaction is a truly rewarding experience.

Finding your dream home or finding a buyer is only part of the challenge of a successful transaction. Click here to search Northwest Indiana Real Estate using our complimentary Northwest Indiana Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Jana Caudill and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Northwest Indiana Real Estate needs. You can call the office on: 219-661-1256 or email us on: jana@janacaudillteam.com

We believe you win in life by helping others. Thank you for this opportunity. We would love to help you too!

Exciting news for Northwest Indiana Real Estate!

Sales in Lake and Porter counties are up! 28.5% in Lake and 27.2% in Poter County in June 2010 compared to June 2009 according to the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors.

There of course was a slight slowdown after April 30th, but sales are on the up! Portage has an estimated nine month supply of homes and people are rushing to list their homes with the news that sales are rising and some say, hints at prices rising too!

Mortgage rates are of course still low and prices are still great. Those who missed out on the $8,000 need not worry – now is very much still the time to buy! NWI is not as hard hit as other areas of the country and it is still a top relocation destination across the nation.

Thinking of relocating to the Northwest Indiana area? You can use our moving truck for FREE!

As one of the top producing teams of experts in our field both locally and Nationally, our full service team strives hard to make sure your real estate transaction is a truly rewarding experience.

Finding your dream home or finding a buyer is only part of the challenge of a successful transaction. Click here to search Northwest Indiana Real Estate using our complimentary Northwest Indiana Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Jana Caudill and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Northwest Indiana Real Estate needs. You can call the office on: 219-661-1256 or email us on: jana@janacaudillteam.com

We believe you win in life by helping others. Thank you for this opportunity. We would love to help you too!

Yes we have said before, but it is being shown to be more and more true that Northwest Indiana’s economy is robust and that the area makes an excellent relocation destination.

Even in terms of comparing the region to the rest of the state – NWI is faring great!

Elkhart, Howard and Kokomo counties all need double digit rises in their economy to get it back on track, whereas Lake and Porter Counties only needing around 4%. Meaning that a small change will cause the region to be properly out of recession. Right now the recovery is very much underway with higher employment, lowever unemployment, more home sales and more and more industry moving to the region to take advantage of its fanstatic proximity Chicago.

Pending home sales have risen for three consecutive months nationally with double digit rises compared to 2009. Also, Job wise Indiana added 22,700 jobs in April, the largest over-the-month increase in employment since February 1999 according to the Building Indiana blog. The region of course also has its own development district championing growth in the area!

Thinking of relocating to the Northwest Indiana area? You can use our moving truck for FREE!

As one of the top producing teams of experts in our field both locally and Nationally, our full service team strives hard to make sure your real estate transaction is a truly rewarding experience.

Finding your dream home or finding a buyer is only part of the challenge of a successful transaction. Click here to search Northwest Indiana Real Estate using our complimentary Northwest Indiana Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Jana Caudill and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Northwest Indiana Real Estate needs. You can call the office on: 219-661-1256 or email us on: jana@janacaudillteam.com

We believe you win in life by helping others. Thank you for this opportunity. We would love to help you too!

Time is running out – the clock is well and truely ticking on “FREE MONEY”!

Remember there are only days left before the deadline ends for the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit at the end of April 2010!

Here is what you need to do – courtesy of NAR:

• Remember to close on your home purchase between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, or have a binding written contract in place by April 30, 2010 with a closing date no later than June 30, 2010.
• Then the choice is yours – decide whether to: 
•  apply the credit to your 2009 tax return, filed on or before April 15, 2010;
• file an amended 2009 return; or, apply the credit on your 2010 return, filed on or before April 15, 2011.

REMEMBER TO ATTACH DOCUMENTION OF THE PURCHASE TO YOUR RETURN!

Don’t forget that the tax credit offers the following:

Also, don’t forget as we wrote earlier this month, there are other great tax advantages/deductions in buying a home - such as..

1. Mortgage Interest
2. Points – paid at closing if you purchased or possibly if you refinanced this year
3. Mortgage Insurance Premiums
4. Property Tax
5. Energy Efficiency Credits – see IRS Form 5695 for qualifying projects

With the clock ticking time really is of the essence – the time to act is now! With only days left, time is running out… fast!  [Remember our post in March about how to claim the tax credit? here is is again!]

Here in Northwest Indiana we have one of the best buyers markets in years and with the market improving every day and the prospect of such low rates and the tax credit unlikely to ever be seen again now is the last chance for buyers to grab themselves a new home in Northwest Indiana – a great place to live, work and play!

Thinking of relocating to the Northwest Indiana area? You can use our moving truck for FREE!

As one of the top producing teams of experts in our field both locally and Nationally, our full service team strives hard to make sure your real estate transaction is a truly rewarding experience.

Finding your dream home or finding a buyer is only part of the challenge of a successful transaction. Click here to search Northwest Indiana Real Estate using our complimentary Northwest Indiana Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Jana Caudill and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Northwest Indiana Real Estate needs. You can call the office on: 219-661-1256 or email us on: jana@janacaudillteam.com

We believe you win in life by helping others. Thank you for this opportunity. We would love to help you too!

Staging your home is a great way to help speed up the sale of your home  and the use of an interior designer can help save you time and money – whether selling your first or fiftieth home their advice can be worthwhile.

After all a carefully staged home will likely sell quicker and if your home is already vacant then buyers can have difficulty in visualing  living in the property so staging your home is always an excellent idea!

People often think that an interior designer is an expensive option – but the things they do with the space they are given is often impressive enough to lure buyers and make a quick sale.

There are some myths about staging -  you may not even need to buy new pieces of furniture or redecorate, an hour with a designer can help them tell you where to declutter, how to lay out the furniture to create a better flow and more! Rather than assuming you need to splash out they can surprise you by helping you use what you have got!

Also, rather than paying them to do the renovations you can do them yourself – as always, modern kitchens with door handles on cabinets and other high end accessories to create a polished look along with Bathrooms sell homes – clean, white bathrooms are a must! The right lighting is also an appropriate area to focus on throughout all areas of the home - make the most of the natural light you have and then upgrade ceiling lights and other mood lighting.

Remember that post renovation to always clean, clean, clean! Make everything sparkle and shine and the look will be impressive!

Thinking of relocating to the Northwest Indiana area? You can use our moving truck for FREE!

As one of the top producing teams of experts in our field both locally and Nationally, our full service team strives hard to make sure your real estate transaction is a truly rewarding experience.

Finding your dream home or finding a buyer is only part of the challenge of a successful transaction. Click here to search Northwest Indiana Real Estate using our complimentary Northwest Indiana Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Jana Caudill and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Northwest Indiana Real Estate needs. You can call the office on: 219-661-1256 or email us on: jana@janacaudillteam.com

We believe you win in life by helping others. Thank you for this opportunity. We would love to help you too!

Tax time is quickly approaching. The Jana Caudill Team would like to remind you of the following 2009 tax benefits for homeowners. What’s deductable in itemized deductions for homeowners?

1. Mortgage Interest
2. Points – paid at closing if you purchased or possibly if you refinanced this year
3. Mortgage Insurance Premiums
4. Property Tax
5. Energy Efficiency Credits – see IRS Form 5695 for qualifying projects
6. Home Buyer Tax Credit - see IRS Form 5405 to claim your credit if you qualify.

There is still time to take advantage of this tax credit in 2010. You must be in a binding sale contract by April 30th to qualify.

Don’t let this great opportunity to buy a home pass you by. Use our website to find the home of your dreams and put The Jana Caudill Team to work for you. We wish everyone a great Easter holiday.

One of the fundamental questions that always looms at some point in anyones life in any kind of real estate market – Should I rent or buy?!

Well, in the case right now, mortgage rates and prices are lower than before meaning that the math may well favor buying for you! Meaning that a mortgage payment may be less than what you would pay for rent!

Here in Northwest Indiana we have a great selection of homes available and with mortgage rates in the low 5% range at the moment buyers have the best market conditions for years!

Think about it – at the end of a lease you have paid thousands of dollars and have nothing to show for it. Yes it may be quicker to sign a lease than save for a downpayment, shop for a home, apply for a mortgage etc. But in the long run if you own the property and make your mortgage payments in an stable or appreciating market you build a nice amount of equity! Which, in turn is the downpayment for the next property!

Of course the old adage is true – location, location, location! But the question of where to start is often a thought – a house or a condo?

Well, condominiums are a great starting point – if the units are high rise it is suggested to buy into the best floors with the best views as this will help resale. As we wrote last year – there could be a big boom in Condo sales coming!

New or used? No, we are not talking about a car! A new development can in an appreciating market make you money – buy at the early stages of a development and by the end of construction when you move in and the unit could be worth more than you paid for it. Or buy a used unit – one that needs some light cosmetic renovation and you could make money on resale down the line.

Keep an eye on the monthly maintenance fee when shopping for a condo. Also, if the development is already being lived in, talk with existing owners about the building, management company etc.

Financing unfortunately for condo’s is tough – but there are FHA Condo financing options as we wrote about. Click here for more.

That aside, with the tax credit deadlines looming – now really is the best time for switching from a renter to a buyer!

Thinking of relocating to the Northwest Indiana area? You can use our moving truck for FREE!

As one of the top producing teams of experts in our field both locally and Nationally, our full service team strives hard to make sure your real estate transaction is a truly rewarding experience.

Finding your dream home or finding a buyer is only part of the challenge of a successful transaction. Click here to search Northwest Indiana Real Estate using our complimentary Northwest Indiana Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Jana Caudill and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Northwest Indiana Real Estate needs. You can call the office on: 219-661-1256 or email us on: jana@janacaudillteam.com

We believe you win in life by helping others. Thank you for this opportunity. We would love to help you too!

Just north of Crown Point, St John, Schererville and Valparaiso is Indiana’s South Shore - located east of Chicago, this beautiful area along the shores of Lake Michigan is not just a fun filled place for the weekend it is also a great place to host your corporate event.

Being located just 30 minutes from Chicago the area has changed dramatically from its beginnings in the steel industry. It’s slogan “built by steel – changed by tourism” is very true. The video above is created by the South Shore CVA which was formed to promote the area. This video is a great snippet of what you can do in the region and is from their youtube channel.

The area is fast developing along with the rest of the region thanks to a robust local economy, desirable locations to live and general growth that is improving the quality of life for all.

If you are an outdoors enthusiast you can enjoy the South Shore’s golf courses, miles of beaches, hiking and cross-country skiing. Don’t worry, you won’t be hungry during your visit; there are hundreds of restaurant choices throughout the area to satisfy any craving for all tastes!

The area is a mix of big city fun and small-town friendliness. You will find what your looking for here in Lake County, Indiana. There are four lakefront casino boats right on that gorgeous beach!

Our county’s 19 communities offer a rich blend of culture and diversity. If you are thinking about relocating to the area to take advantage of its delights permenantly then please contact us today.

Thinking of relocating to the Northwest Indiana area? You can use our moving truck for FREE!

As one of the top producing teams of experts in our field both locally and Nationally, our full service team strives hard to make sure your real estate transaction is a truly rewarding experience.

Finding your dream home or finding a buyer is only part of the challenge of a successful transaction. Click here to search Northwest Indiana Real Estate using our complimentary Northwest Indiana Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Jana Caudill and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Northwest Indiana Real Estate needs. You can call the office on: 219-661-1256 or email us on: jana@janacaudillteam.com

We believe you win in life by helping others. Thank you for this opportunity. We would love to help you too!