I think one of the perks of my job is I’m privileged to see a number of very interesting home up close, inside and out. If you’ve read some of the posts here then you know that I love old homes especially. The character and charm can’t be duplicated. Here’s an example…a closeup of part of the painted plaster ceiling detail in a classic, early 1900′s home located on Meridian Street. Even if something like this was put into a new home build today, it would take a hundred years to acquire the same rich patina that age has left over time.

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One of the windows/doors at the Landmarks Center on Central Avenue. This is just one facet, one glimpse of  what the whole building is like…an exquisit restoration. Worth taking the time to visit. They have tours!

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Does this look familiar?  This photo was taken somewhere in the Indianapolis area. If you are the first one to solve this Mystery Challenge then you win a prize…a $25 gift card to a local restaurant of your choice. For your answer to be correct, name the subject of this photo and where it is located.

 Entries are to be submitted by using the “Make a Comment” link in this post. Good Luck!

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For almost all Buyers, when looking for a home to purchase, the Kitchen is the most important room. This is followed by the Great Room or Family Room, which is usually attached or adjacent to the Kitchen. They see themselves living in these rooms most of the time. Maybe 90% of all the waking hours are spent there. So, if you are considering selling your home, it makes sense to at least make any repairs and do any obvious updates that are needed like painting, new counter tops, flooring, appliances, maybe even cabinet refacing or replacement. If the Kitchen is extremely tired, it greatly reduces the probability of selling faster or simply selling at all. If moving is somehere a little down the road, why not do these things now so you can at enjoy them yourself for a while too.

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A walk in the new fallen snow in a section of woods near my office this morning yielded an encounter with this gigantic tree, easily the most interesting individual among all the others. It’s hard to tell from this, the size, the wingspan of it’s reach, but probably at least 70 feet across and more than that tall. In order to reach those dimensions, it has had to be there in that same spot, living for a long time…guessing 90-100 years. As a mobile human being, it’s impossible to imagine doing that, staying in one place and witnessing all that happens from one perspective only. That made me feel lucky to be who I am and to take advantage of it.  But I was impressed by this spirit in the woods, giving it a brief salute after I snapped it’s photo…and headed onward with my day.

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Depending on your perspective, numbers can be interpreted  to indicate just about anything. For a glass-half-empty type, there is always something to worry about. But something’s going on now that’s different. There’s something in the air now that even the half-empties can’t ignore. For a long while now, the residential market has been stabilizing, steadily evolving into a more balanced market. In years previous, there was way too much inventory for the number of actual buyers. The real numbers are coming closer now to where it’s a balanced market between buyers and sellers. Actual sales have increased too. In Marion County for instance, inventory was down 18.5% last month and there was a 22.7% increase in the number of pended sales over this same period last year.

For more detailed analysis by county including real numbers, charts and graphs, take a look at my latest Market Watch newsletter for this month.

The market is is still evolving, it’s an election year too, and there will always be more surprises, both positive and negative that will have an impact. My advice is not to get too caught up in that. If you want to buy or sell a home, the climate is comfortable now and for the foreseeable future.

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The Indiana War Memorial downtown is an imposing building anytime, but especially at night when in it’s nocturnal mode. The architecture is unique among buildings. It looks sort of like a cross between a reinforced bunker and a mausoleum, definitely a monument of some sort. It was built to honor the veterans of the American Armed Forces from Indiana for their service. It’s too bad that there has to be any monument to war, but unfortunately there are some wars that have to be fought. Maybe some day there won’t be. I’ve come to believe that it’s mostly the leaders of countries that cause the conflicts that others have to fight in. Their egos and desire for power. The average person anywhere in the world just wants to be happy…work, live and raise their families. Maybe instead the conflict should be resolved by the leaders themselves in their choice of either a wrestling, boxing or one-on-one basketball match? The Pay-per-view popularity would be off the charts.

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A view from the footbridge that crosses the canal at IMA, connecting the museum buildings and garden areas with the 100 acre Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. The 100 Acres includes a 35 acre lake, open meadows, and wooded trails along White River.

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