Does this look familiar? This photo was taken somewhere outside a well known central Indianapolis attraction. If you are the first one to solve this Mystery Challenge then you win a prize. In this case a $25 gift card to a local restaurant of your choice. For your answer to be correct, please state the exact location where this photo was taken.
Entries are to be submitted by using the “Make a Comment” link in this post. Good Luck!
I thought I better get a picture quick while its still in one piece. This won’t stay intact for much longer before large chunks start mysteriously disappearing one by one. It’s the latest creation at home. It’s sort of like a thin-crust apple pizza if you had to describe. Several layers of sweet pastry dough baked crispy on the bottom and around the edge. The apples are sweetened to medium-sweet, but tangy. Granny Smiths. I know this because I sampled some just after I took the photo. This obviously has nothing to do with Indy or real estate, but I haven’t done any posts in the cuisine category for a long time. And I thought “why not”.
This is one of those features on a home that you hardly ever see anymore. Some would call this a veranda while I’ve heard the term ‘portico’ to describe it also. I suppose you could call it a porch too and that wouldn’t be incorrect. Many years ago something like this could be found on some of the more elaborate homes. But verandas and large front porches in general were left out when designing a home after air conditioning was invented and started to become more commonplace. Backyards became the more popular place to socialize with friends and neighbors, away from the street.
You can almost visualize people sitting on this veranda in the early 1900′s relaxing in comfortable, cushioned wicker chairs sipping cold lemonades on a hot summer day.
Another common miracle about to take place. Soon these four blossoms will evolve into young tomatoes. It won’t be too soon for me. The ones from the grocery look like tomatoes, but that’s about it. Just something about home-grown Indiana tomatoes. Must be the climate. It’s been a while though so I’m getting excited. Last year I picked all the half-ripe and green tomatoes just before the first frost, and so there were home-growns finally getting ripe all the way to Thanksgiving. Since I’ve waited all winter I guess I can wait a little while longer.
When was the last time that there was a Sellers market? The last time that occurred here locally was around 2005-2006. But labels like that over-generalizes what really happens in the marketplace. Every home in every neighborhood in every section of town is different than the next. Some homes sell very quickly for full price. Others do not. A number of factors can cause this, but nine times out of ten the main reasons are either price or condition or both. Let’s say two homes in the same neighborhood are for sale and they are priced the same. They are similar in size, floor plan and features. But one needs painting, carpet, landscaping, repairs and updates. It’s obvious which one of the two is going to sell.
I’m thinking about this now because I’ve been talking with someone who is getting their home ready for the market to list with me soon. A lot of Sellers don’t get it, but I can tell from our conversations that they understand what is necessary in this market to sell their home. People thinking about a move may be a little spooked about the market now thinking it’s not a good time to sell a home, but that’s not true. There are lots of homes selling now. Sure, it’s not a red hot market like 2005-2006, but it’s still a good market. Each home is unique in the way the market responds to it. If someone wants their home to sell then price it appropriately and prepare it for the market by removing any condition issues. It will stand out from others and greatly increase the probability of success. Forget how the media portrays the market these days as a Buyers martket. If price and condition are in balance, the home will sell.
