Posted on September 24th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Downtown, Entertainment, Historic Homes / Buildings
I was downtown a couple days ago visting a bookstore really close to the Madam Walker Building, and grabbed an opportunity to snap this photo. I wish I had a photo to show of the Madam Walker Theater inside too. It’s really beautifully done.
The real Madam Walker who this theater is named for, was truly a pioneer for successful women in business, women as political activists and African-Americans. Her success and involvement in the early 19th century in Indianapolis forever has left a legacy that will never be forgotten.
The theater located at the corner of Indiana Ave and Martin Luther King Blvd just northwest of center of downtown has been a landmark for many decades, and now hosts a varied lineup of interesting cultural events. The site is now a national historic landmark and is registered on both the state and national registers of historic places. After an immense amount of work restoring and improving the building beginning in the 1980′s, it has been transformed into a magnificent facility for the performing arts and other events.
Posted on September 22nd, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Nature, Photo Flash
A celebrated event occurs silently today. Summer officially shifts to Fall. At about 9:18 PM I’m told, the Earth will be slanted equally away from and toward the Sun. After that, the Earth will start to slant away from the Sun more and more, thus reducing the amount of sunlight that falls upon us. We begin to notice subtle changes here in temperature and colors begin to change in the leaves and foliage. This Maple tree I saw has already decided to get into the Fall spirit a little earlier than most. After today, the amount of sunlight will keep diminishing a little at a time until about December 22nd when it will begin to increase again.
I’ve always thought we were lucky here in Indiana to be able to experience a balance of seasonal weather. A lot of places…most places actually…don’t get an equal amount of each season. Here, Fall is about as long as Spring…and Winter is about as long as Summer. We get to have it all. Although in the middle of a cold January day you sometimes have to dig deep to remind yourself how lucky you are. Someplace like Hawaii with only a 4-5 degree fluctuation in temperatures to me seems a little boring, although in January, 75 degrees would certainly be a treat for us.
The weather is great teacher. You can’t change it, so it doesn’t do any good to complain about it. It only makes sense to just enjoy whatever you are having…much like other things in life that come your way.
Posted on September 20th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Market Conditions, Market Watch
I get a feel for what’s going on in the market because I can watch the numbers from a lot of different sources, but mainly I see it in the faces and hear comments from customers and other real estate professionals. If you are currently trying to sell your home or have sold a home recently…or if you are looking for a home or have purchased a home recently, then you know a lot more than most about the current market. But for a lot of people, their information comes from homogenized, generalized versions as presented in newspapers, television and major-media generated information websites. That’s why I’ve dedicated a monthly post called Market Watch, which contains a link to my monthly newsletter of the same name. By looking back at the previous months statistics, it provides a snapshot of real numbers and an honest look at just what is going on out there in central Indiana.
The residential real estate market here in central Indiana in a word is stable. For our area, residential sales are almost exactly at the same levels as they were this time last year. Several counties are even reporting an increase as compared to this same time. For more in depth information including charts and statistics and analysis, please take a look at my Market Watch Newsletter for this month.
If you would like a copy of MarketWatch emailed to you every month, just send a request and your address will be added to our Newsletter subscription mailing list. Subscriptions may be started or stopped at any time.
Posted on September 15th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: For Home Buyers, For Home Sellers
It shouldn’t surprise me by now but it still does. The power of suggestion coupled with the choke-hold that the media has on the public collective consciousness. This rings true on just about any topic…but of course I’m a little more focused on real estate than other areas of discussion. The sky is NOT falling. I’m wondering what it will take to convince some people of that? The market is OK and getting better. But good news doesn’t sell newspapers. And the Nightly Evening News without stories that make people concerned about their own well-being don’t attract viewers. So I know we will never get any positive news with the same bravado that the negative news has been given.
Most Buyers who are looking for a home in a certain area, when given the facts about recent comparable sales there, understand the market dynamics. But I still run into Buyers that think the real estate market in general is moving closer to deaths door no matter what evidence you produce…and that every Seller either is, or should be having a fire-sale with deep discounts. That just is not the case. For most Sellers around here, market values have been a little flat for the last year or two. It is true that on a case-by-case basis, some properties have sold for discounts but there have not been any wholesale across the board discounts. Some have even risen in value. It all depends on the specific home, neighborhood, and the Sellers circumstances for wanting to sell. Those Sellers that MUST sell no matter what have sometimes had to offer discounts, especially in homes in the upper price ranges. The entire market is clouded by stories of these in the media. But there has not been a substantial devaluing of properties in our area as some believe.
I figure the best thing to do is just keep telling the truth about it…which is: If you are a Seller, it’s a great time to sell. Inventories are down from previous levels, so there is less competition. If your home is in good condition and priced right, it should sell. And if you are a Buyer, selection is still very good and interest rates are unbelievable. Last time I checked, a 30 year/fixed rate loan was 5.125%. Competition for homes that are in price ranges that first-time-buyers are attracted to is heating up though as the Government Incentive-$8,000 Tax Credit deadline of November 30th looms closer. If someone is a first-time buyer or has not owned a home in the last 3 years, and interested in taking advantage of the incentive, then they really should get their purchase under contract by no later the midde of October.
Posted on September 12th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Downtown, Entertainment
One of the spicier landmarks of Indianapolis is the Slippery Noodle. Proclaimed as Indiana’s oldest bar, established in 1850. I’m not going to go into any personal stories, but take my word for this, if you are in the mood to go to a “real bar” with “real music”…blues and rock’n roll that is, then there is no place better around Indy than the Noodle. It’s a fitting atmosphere to catch some well known and not-so-known blues bands. I haven’t been there when this has happened, but am told that on special nights, would-be Blues artists can even jump on stage and jam.
The location itself has a rich history that reads like a colorful novel…evolving into the business you see today. It’s located close to everything downtown, at the corner of Meridian and South Streets…372 S. Meridian St.
Posted on September 9th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Nature
I took this shot earlier this summer and have been wanting to get this posted while it’s still the season. I followed this Monarch Butterfly on a series of their leisurely flights around an area where grasses and flowering plants were growing. They especially liked this Milkweed plant and kept coming back to it. Whenever I got close they flew away, so I used a zoom lens from a distance and tried to keep it steady.
I did a little research and found out that Monarchs are one of a very few species of butterflies that migrates for great distances…just like some birds do. North in the Spring…and south in the Fall. But they do it in an interesting way. The individual Monarch that begins the migration does not complete it. Their offspring or a successive generation completes the journey, in cycles, one step at a time. Somehow they know where their ancestors came from..and where previous generations were headed on their journey. Curious creatures huh?
