Things to do in Central Indiana-Holiday Park

I just recently rediscovered this park (thanks to my wonderful husband) and it is such a great park. Holiday Park is located at 64th and Springmill on the north side of Indy. It has a Nature/Resource Center with a small outdoor amphitheatre where free concerts are held during the summer. A fabulous playground for kids with a rock climbing wall, 10-20' slides as well as a "spiderweb" to climb. A picnic area is located adjacent to the playground making it a perfect place for family get-togethers. We just made use of it on Memorial day weekend and everyone enjoyed it. There were trees for shade, plenty of picnic tables and all the kids loved the play ground but to us the best part of the park are the trails. There are 3.5 miles of trails that run right along the White River. We've been a couple of times now with our dog, Mac and we've all loved it. It is beautiful, shady, there are little areas where the river comes in that you can wade in if you feel like cooling off (Mac's favorite thing!) They have some cool classes during the summer too. My husband is hoping to do the fly fishing class. Check out Holiday Park, I think you'll really like it!

http://www.hollidaypark.org/about-hp.html

Things to do in Central Indiana-St Simon Festival

If you have never attended the St. Simon Festival on the far NE side of Indy, this is your chance. It starts tonight and goes through Saturday night. There are rides, carnival games, elephant ears, corn dogs and other "fair" food for the kids and games of chance, adult beverages (beer & wine) for the adults. Free music all three nights. The band tonight is Loo Abbey from 9-11 pm and Flying Toasters, Friday and Saturday nights from 9-12. They are a great band, lots of fun. I've attached a link to the info page. Hope to see you there!
http://www.saintsimon.org/festival10.html

Things to do in Central Indiana-Canal Walk

I'm going to start posting some of the great (and inexpensive, if not free) things to do in Indianapolis and surrounding areas. It amazes me how much fun you can have if you just get out and explore! So today's is walking or biking around the canal downtown. Near Military Park and the IUPUI campus, the canal is part of the White River State Park. Walking along the canal you will come to the Indiana State Museum with the steam clock playing "Back Home Again in Indiana" every 1/2 an hour and across from the museum is the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial. The canal is scenic and a great place to people watch. In the summer, there are gondolas and paddle boats for rent and bicycles and buggy's. I talked to a lady visiting Indy last summer and she commented on how great the canal was, she wished her city had something like it, yet I talk to people who have lived here for years and never walked around it! Go check it out and let me know what you think. Here's some video of the clock: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCUo2iWZ7Zc

Historic Home w/ Modern Updates!

Sellers kept the best-original hardwoods, built-ins, arts and crafts style doors but everything else is new and modern! Drywall, windows, roof, electrical, plumbing, water heater, HVAC-all updated. Three bedrooms-two with private baths plus hall bath. All baths have new fixtures, tile etc. Beautiful kitchen with new tile, cabinets, granite counter tops, & appliances. Den has original fireplace with lovely mantle (FP is non-working). Sun room off living room. Family room/Dining room off kitchen for easy entertaining. Large mudroom with utility sink. Washer/Dryer located upstairs near bedrooms for your convenience. Nice sized back yard and great front porch for outdoor enjoyment. Security system too. Close to downtown and interstate access. Check out the virtual tour at:

http://www.listingsmagic.com/18034

Call for a showing-317-513-0141.

Yeah! Tax credit extended to Existing Home Owners!

From the Associated Press:
"Buying a home is about to get cheaper for a whole new crop of homebuyers — $6,500 cheaper.
First-time homebuyers have been getting tax credits of up to $8,000 since January as part of the economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year. But with the program scheduled to expire at the end of November, the House voted 403-12 Thursday to extend and expand the tax credit to include many buyers who already own homes. The Senate approved the measure Wednesday, and the White House said President Barack Obama would sign it Friday.
Buyers who have owned their current homes at least five years would be eligible for tax credits of up to $6,500. First-time homebuyers — or anyone who hasn't owned a home in the last three years — would still get up to $8,000. To qualify, buyers in both groups have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30."

This is great news for Buyers who weren't quite prepared to buy and excellent news for sellers who have been wishing for a little something to make moving a little easier! If you are thinking of selling, now is the time to get it on the market..there will be more buyers out there and you can benefit with the $6500 ! Call me today for a free market analysis at 317-513-0141.

I was watching "Morning Joe" on MSNBC today when they reported the latest Case Schiller numbers and they were positive! After 3 years of declines, a couple of months of upward activity may show that we are finally on the road to recovery. I have always been a news junkie but I have to admit over the past year, I have been tuning out. The doom and gloom from the media made it hard to be positive in my daily life and negativity when you are working with the public is the kiss of death! If you read "The Secret", you have to believe most of us have been telling the universe to pile on the bad stuff! When the key is to think positive and believe that good things are in your future...that is pretty hard to do and listen to the talking heads on TV. It seems like every stimulus program that gets rolled out, every positive report they cover, immediately they start tearing it apart and warning us not to think things might be getting better.
I'm not a "Pollyanna" type person with my head in the sand about the problems we have been facing but at the same time I don't think anyone benefits from being "Chicken Little" either, running around screaming "The sky is falling!" Come to think of it, the media is a little like the guy that shouts FIRE! in a crowded theater, creating panic and confusion.
At any rate, I am choosing to feel good that housing prices are showing an increase! Owning your own home is still the American Dream for most of us and I love being a part of an industry that works hard everyday to make that dream a reality!

Here is a link to the complete article on CNBC's website.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/32550485

Indy Most Affordable Major Housing Market-Again!

Indianapolis, once again, was the most affordable major housing market in the country during the second quarter. Almost 95 percent of all homes sold were affordable to households earning the area’s median family income of $68,100. Indianapolis has now topped the affordability list 16 consecutive quarters.
This is according to the National Association of Homebuilders.

The most affordable market in the country plus the $8000 tax credit make buying a home a smart decision. Are you aware you can purchase HUD foreclosures in Indiana for $100.00 down? Or that if you would like to own a brand new home, many builders have drastically slashed their prices on their market ready homes in order to meet their end of the fiscal year goals?
As it stands now the $8000 tax credit program will end December 1, 2009. this means you must close by November 30th in order to qualify. If you have considered buying a home, please don't let this opportunity pass you by! Ask yourself, "how long would it take me to save $8000?" or "how long would it take me to pay down the equity on a home by $8000?"
Please call or email me today if you have any questions or would like to start looking for a home!
317-513-0141 or stacey@HRrealtygroup.com

Or you can start your search on our website:
http://tinyurl.com/HRrealty-Search