Shawna O'Brien, Realtor/Broker Indy, Geist, Fishers, Carmel & all surrounding areas
Author: indianapolisareahomesforsale
You deserve an advocate in the home selling and buying process who will educate, guide with honesty & integrity your best interest at the core. You deserve to be represented by someone who knows the market, communicates promptly & is not afraid to negotiate. You deserve someone who will understand your expectations, advise throughout the process & market your home to achieve a top dollar offer.
It’s my honor & privilege to assist you. When you partner with me, I will provide the best customer care before, during & after the home sells. Using my extensive knowledge of the real estate industry & current markets, I will devote my time & efforts assisting you to make the best long term decision for your personal happiness & financial future.
You can depend on me to be well versed in the home selling and buying process & to share my network of professionals for your benefit.
My background is in banking, lending, sales and marketing. I'm dedicated to my Husband & two children; volunteering at church & helping my community is important to me. I'm tenacious, a strong communicator and achiever which has contributed to my professional success.
A growing family was referred to me to quickly sell their existing home and help them find a new home – and I had ONE MONTH to do it before the new baby was due to arrive.
Whelp, good thing I work well under pressure and with a deadline. The stars aligned and this amazing home just blocks away from their existing home became available due to the 1st buyer changing his mind within days of putting their home on the market. We had to negotiate a bit on price and a few fixes but in the end, this home was everything they were looking for with location, space, condition and charm.
It’s a wonderful feeling when it all comes together but mostly I appreciate and value their trust in me to deliver results. Can’t wait to drop by after the baby is born to see how they have put their personal touch on this already beautiful home.
7/30/2024 – catherinejhickey Sold a Single Family home in 2024 in Geist, IN.
Local knowledge: ***** Process expertise: ***** Responsiveness: ***** Negotiation skills: *****
“Shawna guided us through every point of listing our home for sale, including researching the market in our area, setting up video and photos for the listing, having a brokers’ open house, and always being so responsive to our many questions throughout the process. Her expertise in all facets of real estate was extraordinary and we couldn’t have negotiated it all without her. She served as our advocate throughout the process and all her advice helped sell our home quickly. Loved working with her!”
As someone who’s thinking about buying or selling a home, you’re probably paying close attention to mortgage rates – and wondering what’s ahead.
One thing that can affect mortgage rates is the Federal Funds Rate, which influences how much it costs banks to borrow money from each other. While the Federal Reserve (the Fed) doesn’t directly control mortgage rates, they do control the Federal Funds Rate.
The relationship between the two is why people have been watching closely to see when the Fed might lower the Federal Funds Rate. Whenever they do, that’ll put downward pressure on mortgage rates. The Fed meets next week, and three of the most important metrics they’ll look at as they make their decision are:
The Rate of Inflation
How Many Jobs the Economy Is Adding
The Unemployment Rate
Here’s the latest data on all three.
1. The Rate of Inflation
You’ve probably heard a lot about inflation over the past year or two – and you’ve likely felt it whenever you’ve gone to buy just about anything. That’s because high inflation means prices have been going up quickly.
The Fed has stated its goal is to get the rate of inflation back down to 2%. Right now, it’s still higher than that, but moving in the right direction (see graph below):
2. How Many Jobs the Economy Is Adding
The Fed is also watching how many new jobs are created each month. They want to see job growth slow down consistently before taking any action on the Federal Funds Rate. If fewer jobs are created, it means the economy is still strong but cooling a bit – which is their goal. That appears to be exactly what’s happening now. Inmansays:
“. . . the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employers added fewer jobs in April and May than previously thought and that hiring by private companies was sluggish in June.”
So, while employers are still adding jobs, they’re not adding as many as before. That’s an indicator the economy is slowing down after being overheated for quite some time. This is an encouraging trend for the Fed to see.
3. The Unemployment Rate
The unemployment rate is the percentage of people who want to work but can’t find jobs. So, a low rate means a lot of Americans are employed. That’s a good thing for many people.
But it can also lead to higher inflation because more people working means more spending – which drives up prices. Right now, the unemployment rate is low, but it’s been rising slowly over the past few months (see graph below):
It may seem harsh, but a consistently rising unemployment rate is something the Fed needs to see before deciding to cut the Federal Funds Rate. That’s because a higher unemployment rate would mean reduced spending, and that would help get inflation back under control.
What Does This Mean Moving Forward?
While mortgage rates are going to continue to be volatile in the days and months ahead, these are signs the economy is headed in the direction the Fed wants to see. But even with that, it’s unlikely they’ll cut the Federal Funds Rate when they meet next week. Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve, recently said:
“We want to be more confident that inflation is moving sustainably down toward 2% before we start the process of reducing or loosening policy.”
Basically, we’re seeing the first signs now, but they need more data and more time to feel confident that this is a consistent trend. Assuming that direction continues, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, experts say there’s a projected 96.1% chance the Fed will lower the Federal Funds Rate at their September meeting.
Remember, the Fed doesn’t directly set mortgage rates. It’s just that whenever they decide to cut the Federal Funds Rate, mortgage rates should respond.
Of course, the timing of when the Fed takes action could change because of new economic reports, world events, and other factors. That’s why it’s usually not a good idea to try to time the market.
Bottom Line
Recent economic data may signal that hope is on the horizon for mortgage rates. Count on a local real estate agent you can trust to keep you up to date on the latest trends and what they mean for you.
This 672sqft Greenfield home was small but had a mighty punch! This 2-bedroom, 1-bath home is in a great neighborhood near many activities in town. The sellers perfectly designed it for simplicity and comfort and buyers appreciated the unique blend of modern amenities and minimalist living. With an updated kitchen, updated bathroom, new floors, & newer appliances, this home offered a blend of cozy living spaces, quality materials & contemporary aesthetics. It was EXTREMELY desirable to many 1st time homebuyers in this price point.
The adorable growing family had OUTgrown the home with a second baby on the way and were referred to me for help. We blasted social media with pictures & perfectly executed video resulting in multiple offers after only 2 days on the market! What a joy this was to help them.
What a lovely couple to work with and I’m SOOO happy they found the perfect home for them. We looked at many Fishers homes over the course of the spring and summer months. Within their price range we saw a huge range of home conditions. Over time we were able to narrow down to desired neighborhood and features and then we had to stay patient and wait for the right one to hit the market. This phenomenal home went live and we had to JUMP to see it. So much so, that my business partner had to show the home because I was out of town. There was no time to waste!
We wrote a competitive offer, without overextending them or their comfort zone, and we were selected in a multiple offer situation! When I was finally able to see the home once back in town, it really WAS the best house we’d ever toured and it was PERFECT for them. Thank you to a previous client for referring them to me and I thank them for trusting my guidance. I’m looking forward to knowing them as their family grows in this home, making memories for years to come.
All of my sellers are important & receive the same 100% white glove attention and dedication from me when I list their home but this was special because they were neighbors who had already purchased another home in an adjoining state & needed to sell quickly but also for the RIGHT price. Not only did I want top dollar for them but I wanted to secure top dollar for my neighbors & our neighborhood.
We pulled out all the stops starting with a catered brokers open to collect feedback on the condition of the home and the list price from peers/real estate professionals. They all raved about the home’s condition, aesthetics, & floorplan and said it was priced perfectly.
Even though our price per square footage was “high” for a home without a basement (very rare in this neighborhood) we received many showing and wonderful feedback. During a time in our industry when interest rates were still quite high and buyers in this price point are more discerning, the home sold quickly with minimal negotiation on our side.
Thank you to my neighbors for hiring me to partner with you! The buyers agent is a real estate professional I know well and the entire transaction was top notch & executed beautifully. So bittersweet to see them move away but the sellers are closer to family in a fabulous condo overlooking Lake Michigan!
A previous client, and now friend, asked for assistance in selling some of her land. This absolutely could have been done “by owner” but at what cost? She definitely did not want to field the phone calls, buffer different buyer personalities & demands nor negotiate. We also had to make sure we marketing this property correctly in terms of what type of structure can be constructed on the land, how close can it be to the creek, is there a flood zone, can we install city water, septic, soil test…the list goes on.
There is A LOT of value in hiring an agent to sell land professionally and legally for you. We received multiple offers, some represented by a buyers agent & some represented by themselves. We sold for OVER list price and had a wonderful, agreeable transaction and due to the many buyers in this “small town” that were interested in her property, there were a few connections and “friends” made along the way.
In the fall of 2023 while at an open house in Fishers, IN I met a wonderful young couple just starting their home search. That day they decided for the 1st time to visit some open houses to get to know Fishers because they wanted to move from the south side. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time that day because we hit it off right away and I set up a search for them immediately with their criteria of what kind of home they were looking for, what neighborhoods, and what price point.
For a few months they casually looked because their lease had a few months to go before renewal. I took them on a few home tours to see homes on the market so they could understand the various price points and home conditions depending on the neighborhood, school district, proximity to the freeway…all the things. We had a lot of fun!
One evening after seeing many existing homes, I suggested we go look at a model home of a builder that was just starting a new phase close to their family in an area they liked and around their price point. They loved it!
We did a zoom call on a Saturday morning (during one of my Daughter’s volleyball tournaments) with the builder rep and we negotiated the price down (quite a bit!) and we negotiated the builder to pay some closing costs! We ended up being UNDER their budget/target purchase price AND the build completion was in line with when their lease was up so they would not have a month with double payments (rent + 1st Mortgage payment).
The picture in this post is the builder photo but my lovely young couple scored all the above with the model BUT their home has a THREE car garage. SCORE! They both had so much fun watching their NEW home being built and the closing day walk thru was extremely exciting and rewarding. The best part is I feel we’re friends and we live so close I occasionally see her at my gym and we can work out together. This “job” is amazing. Thank you to these trusting First Time Homebuyers!
5/14/2024 – MalloryHeydon6 Bought a Single Family home in 2024 in Noblesville, IN.
Local knowledge: ***** Process expertise: ***** Responsiveness: ***** Negotiation skills: *****
“As first time home buyers we were very new to the house search process and Shawna guided us perfectly every step of the way. Her expertise in real estate and knowledge of the area was a huge factor that lead to our success in finding the perfect home. Shawna was always available to us and answered any questions we had very promptly with great detail. If you are a first time home buyer I would definitely recommend Shawna to help you along the way! We are so thankful to have worked with her. “
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