Blue Gold Game This Weekend! It’s almost time! It’s April that means March Madness is over and you know what comes next; I’m not talking about the start of Major League Baseball or the NBA Finals, it’s almost Notre Dame football season people! And the reveal of the shirt is coming up this weekend. You know the Notre Dame shirt, the official shirt for football fans before each football season and the blue and gold game this weekend if you bleed blue and gold like I do you know why this is a big deal.    I’m Steve Smith of Irish Realty coming to you from South Bend and your ..read more

Experience Notre Dame – Investing in South Bend Real Estate Looking for the ultimate guide to Notre Dame real estate? Welcome, you’ve found it! Whether you’re a Notre Dame fan, alum, current parent (or both!), we are here to help you with the next steps through our Notre Dame market experts.  We’re here to guide you from consultation to closing. There are a plethora of practical reasons to buy property in South Bend. From the great sports scene & community events, to rich historical areas & low cost living…we’ve got it all! Notre Dame Property as an Investment Many Notre Dame fan ..read more

House Hunting! Ready to start searching listings and hitting open houses? Before you visit another open house, sit down and make a list of your needs and wants — and yes, those are two different things. You may want a pool, but you probably could live without it. (Plus, it’s worth considering that having a pool could raise your home insurance costs.)   Learn what you can afford. Determining your budget and how much financial wiggle room you have can help put your must-haves on your house hunting checklist more clearly into view. How much do you have saved for a down payment? What about hi ..read more

Christmas Light Tips for a Dazzling (and Safe) Display! Start out small. If you’re a Christmas lights novice, light just two or three items, such as trees or bushes, to serve as focal points. Then, add new displays each year. Only use lights with the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) label; be sure you’re using lights designed specifically for outdoor use. Check for burned-out lights. Test light strings and replace any burned-out lights before decking the halls. Burned-out lights drain power from the entire light string, and the other bulbs will grow dimmer. Add some dimension. Consider ground an ..read more

Should I talk with a bank before looking at homes? The answer to this question is YES!  There are many reasons why you should talk with a bank and get pre-approved before looking at homes. First and foremost, talking with a bank before looking at homes can help you understand exactly how much you can afford. There is no reason to look at homes that are listed for $250,000 if you can only afford up to $200,000. If you’re a first-time home buyer, talking with a bank before looking at homes is strongly suggested, as there are many first-time home buyer programs available. These programs can ..read more

How to save on your winter energy bill! Winter is coming and naturally, you want to turn that heat on and get nice and toasty. However, that usually means a higher energy bill. We have a few ideas of how you can save energy! Sealing out drafts is a good place to start. Your doors and windows can leak out more heat than you might imagine. Installing door sweeps can help seal the space between the bottom of your door and the door frame. Don’t set the thermostat higher than you actually want it. It won’t heat your home any faster, and it will keep your furnace running longer than necessary. Inst ..read more

What is the first step to buying a home? Before you can purchase a home, you’ll need to check your credit score. Potential buyers with good credit scores reassure lenders that they can be trusted to repay the loan. High scores reflect consistent on-time payments, long-term borrowing experience, and a good mix of credit types (student loans, car loans, credit cards, etc.). Lenders look at these factors to determine if you qualify for certain kinds of mortgages, so be sure to review your credit history and correct any errors. This will give you a better chance at qualifying for loans with lower ..read more

Should you sell your current home before buying a new one?   Timing is critical in all things, but it can be especially challenging when it comes to real estate. Deciding whether to sell your home before buying a new one is a difficult decision. It could land you in temporary housing if you haven’t found a house to buy. That means two moves, which is nobody’s idea of a good time. Or, you could wind up paying two mortgages for a while if you go ahead and buy that dream house before you’ve sold yours. Each option may have advantages that depend on market conditions. If the built-up equity i ..read more

What You Need to Know About Notre Dame Real Estate! According to our resident Notre Dame real estate expert here at Irish Realty, about 80% of properties purchased around Notre Dame come from parents of Notre Dame students.  Many Notre Dame parents are motivated to have a place to stay when they come to visit their Notre Dame students, especially on Junior Parents weekend, football weekends – when Hotel prices go WAY up! Parents‌ ‌of‌ ‌Notre‌ ‌Dame‌ ‌students‌ ‌are‌ ‌taking‌ ‌advantage‌ ‌of‌ ‌our‌ ‌affordability‌ ‌and‌ purchasing‌ ‌condos‌ ‌for‌ ‌their‌ ‌students.‌ ‌This‌ ‌used‌ ‌to‌ ‌be ..read more

Planning on buying a house this season? Go in prepared with advice from the pros. Summer brings longer days, warmer weather and more people out house-hunting — particularly families hoping to get settled before the school year begins in September. But there aren’t necessarily more houses on the market—and this year that’s truer than ever. “Inventory is the lowest I’ve ever seen it,” says Denver, CO, agent Susie Best. Recent Trulia research bears this out, showing inventory falling for 8 consecutive quarters. The reasons are varied: investors bought up homes during the ..read more