HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-29-11 Success at selling urban homes 4SoDTR 8E
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Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
July 29,2011
9 a.m.
Success at selling urban homes
Event celebrates 6 sales in Near Northwest Neighborhood
Near Northwest
Neighborhood
INCORPORATED
Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications&Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564, Sue
Solmos, Residential Marketing Specialist, 235-5879, or Karen Ainsley, Executive Director, Near
Northwest Neighborhood Inc., 232-9182
A joint release of the City of South Bend and the Near Northwest Neighborhood Inc. (NNN)
NOTE.Media are invited to an open house at 11 a.m. Monday,Aug. 1 at 824 Lindsey Ave.
Representatives of the NNN, the South Bend Certified Realtors and recent homebuyers will be
present.
At a time when home sales nationwide are at a seven-month low, six single-family homes have
sold in the last 30 days in South Bend's urban Near Northwest Neighborhood, highlighting
targeted efforts by the neighborhood and specially trained Realtors.
In five of the instances,the homes were sold by a South Bend Certified Realtor—a graduate of a
training program operated by the City of South Bend's SELL South Bend initiative, which
highlights the distinctive advantages of living in the city.
But in addition to knowledgeable sellers, the success results from the quality of historic and new
housing stock being sold. The celebration highlights this fact taking place at an open house for a
newly constructed home at 824 Lindsey Ave.,just down the street from the historic firehouse
theater of the South Bend Civic Theatre.
"This brand new, three-bedroom, 1.5-bath home is the shining star of an already great block,
being offered for significantly less than what it cost to build," said Karen Ainsley, executive
director of the Near Northwest Neighborhood. The house was built through the NNN's New
Construction Program made possible by the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funded
by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in partnership with the City of South Bend's
Department of Community and Economic Development, the University of Notre Dame Students
for New Urbanism and Place Builders.
Although newly constructed, the two-story home with a single-car garage fits into the character
of the older, wood-frame homes in a neighborhood that includes many young families.
"The open floor plan and soft, white woodwork give it a great contemporary feel," Ainsley said.
"This is the opportunity of a lifetime for some lucky homebuyer."
The New Construction Program offers qualifying homebuyers the opportunity to become
homeowners in a neighborhood that is close to downtown, recreational and cultural amenities,
and the University of Notre Dame. The home at 824 Lindsey is priced at $107,000, for which a
family of four making up to $71,251 annually would qualify. For more information, visit
www.NearNorthwe st.org
The six houses sold recently to four sets of graduate students at the University of Notre Dame, to
a woman relocating from another South Bend neighborhood and to a couple from Chicago who
were returning home to raise a family in a setting that was affordable.
Through the SELL South Bend initiative,the City of South Bend helps real-estate agents provide
more in-depth information to prospective buyers about South Bend's assets, neighborhoods and
diversity of housing options.
"These recent sales demonstrate that SELL South Bend works. Informed real-estate agents are
better equipped to promote the benefits of living in South Bend and help prospective homebuyers
make an informed choice," said Sue Solmos,residential marketing specialist for the City of
South Bend. "It also helps when residents like the Near Northwest Neighborhood show pride in
their neighborhood and work actively to promote a vibrant urban lifestyle while making quality
housing available to first-time homebuyers."
For more information about South Bend Certified Realtors or to see housing options in South
Bend neighborhoods, visit www.SouthBendIN.gov/neighborhoods