Working hard to help a buyer obtain their dream home. Very exciting!

What a wonderful day to be of service to others. This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad

At Greenwood Rotary. What a great group. Service Above Self!

Getting ready to spend Sunday with family. We are grateful for the gift of family.

If you live in or are moving to the Central Indiana area, call us for all of your real estate needs. We are the Realtors you can trust.

Central Indiana is not only an affordable place to buy a home, it is also just a great place to live and work. This past Saturday, my partner Charles Gantz, great friend Jerry Sargent, and I attended a packed concert at Mallow Run Winery with a stellar performance by the Carmel Symphony Orchestra. With events like these, the greater Greenwood area in Johnson County certainly stands as a primo place to live or to relocate. We love living in the Indianapolis metro area and believe that you will also. Call Atlas Property Group, LLC for all of your commercial or residential real estate needs. Contact Lisa Walston, 317.709.5122

Forbes.com has recently named the 10 most affordable cities in which to buy a home. Affordability was based in part upon the percentage of the population who could afford the median priced home in that area.
Forbes.com went even further than that raw number, however. They also looked at the costs of home ownership in the form of percentage of monthly income going towards property taxes and insurance.
And finally they projected whether the future home prices were expected to rise or fall.
Of the cities with a population of 500,000 or more, Indianapolis ranked #2.
95% of the population can afford a median priced home in the Indianapolis market. On average here in Indianapolis we spend only 20% of our monthly income on housing and housing related expenses.
Although Forbes.com did not look at quality of life issues, I would also add that in addition to being affordable, the Indianapolis metro area is just a great place to live. We have it all. Professional sports (Pacers, Colts, Indians, Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, etc). Arts: (Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Eiteljorg Museum of Western Art, Indiana Reperatory Theater, to name a few). Amateur and college sports (NCAA Final Four, Butler Bulldogs, as example), Education: (IU School of Medicine at IUPUI, University of Indianapolis, and multiple other universities and colleges). And we can’t forget great parks and trails systems.
We love living in Central Indiana and we think you will, too. Contact Atlas Property Group, LLC for all of your residential and commercial real estate needs. 317.709.5122.
And the #1 city for affordable housing? Congratulations go to Pittsburg, PA.

Mandatory Sprinklers?

There is a movement afoot in Indiana that would require all new construction of 1 or 2 unit residential buildings to have a fire sprinkler system installed. Depending on whether you talk to proponents or opponents, the cost of adding a sprinkler system would be anywhere from $1.61/s.f. to $6.88/s.f.

The Indiana Builders Association is solidly against this proposed legislation. The following information comes from their web site http://www.buildindiana.org/.

Mandatory Fire Sprinklers
Home Builders Oppose Mandatory Fire Sprinklers…The home building industry is dedicated to the safety of the communities in which they build. Whenever changes are proposed to the building codes, we make sure that these proposals are necessary and that they are cost effective so that homes stay affordable. Fire sprinklers are expensive to install, can be difficult to maintain and do not represent a cost-effective safety improvement over smoke alarm systems. Indiana Builders Association supports programs that encourage the installation and maintenance of smoke alarm systems in all homes rather than measures to mandate fire sprinkler systems.
Fire Sprinklers Are Not Required in One and Two-Family Dwellings in Indiana YET…The requirement for mandatory fire sprinklers in all one and two-family dwellings and townhomes made its debut in the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC). Indiana is currently reviewing this code for adoption in 2010. The Residential Code Review Committee of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, comprised of building officials, home builders, and others from various disciplines related to residential construction and design, carefully weighed the testimony provided by the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) then voted 18-6 to delete the requirement for fire sprinklers in new home construction. Once the Committee completes its review and the document is published as a proposed rule, a public hearing is set and proponents of fire sprinklers will fight hard to get the requirement re-inserted. The Commission will have the final say on whether or not sprinklers are mandated for Indiana new homebuyers when it considers the proposed rule later this year.
What IBA Is Doing…
IBA is forming alliances with other organizations that support the installation and maintenance of smoke alarm systems in all homes rather than measures to mandate fire sprinkler systems.
IBA is gathering information on the true costs of installing sprinkler systems.
Costs vary significantly, ranging from $2.66/ sq ft to $6.88/ sq ft, depending on a home’s location, layout, number of stories, and other factors – particularly access to water. Since much of Indiana is rural and many homes are on wells, typical costs are even higher because of the need for additional components such as storage tanks and larger pumps. Homeowners with wells must consider how the sprinklers will operate if the power goes out or if water pressure is a problem.
IBA commissioned at survey to determine Hoosier homeowners’ opinions regarding residential fire sprinklers. According to a Public Opinion Strategies Survey of 500 likely voters in Indiana conducted January 12-13, 2010:
* Nine out of ten Hoosiers believe smoke detectors do an adequate job of protecting their family from house fires.
* 57% believe that fire sprinkler systems should be optional for homebuyers that want them.
* Hoosier new homebuyers would prefer a free finished basement and even a free home security system over a free fire sprinkler system.

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* Almost half of those surveyed do not want a fire sprinkler system regardless of cost.
What YOU Can Do…Educate your local building officials, local elected officials, legislators, and prospective homebuyers on why home builders say no to mandatory fire sprinkler systems.
Looking for additional information? NAHB’s Fire Sprinkler Action Kit provides you with the information you need to know in opposing mandatory fire sprinkler requirements for one- and two-family dwellings in the IRC. The Action Kit covers a wide range of topics from concerns about residential sprinkler systems performance, installation, cost, and the arguments made by sprinkler proponents.
Direct questions about this critical initiative to Carlie Hopper at Carlie@BuildIndiana.org or 800-377-6334 800-377-6334 x206.

	I would be interested in hearing from the legislators who are advocating this. I would also be very interested in hearing from my firefighter friends whose opininion I value.

If you live in or are moving to the Central Indiana area, call us for all of your real estate needs. We are the Realtors you can trust.