Indy Home Marketing - March 2008 Newsletter

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March 2008 Newsletter

Volume 2, Number 3

	Staging Your Home to Sell Staging is presenting your home in its best and most appealing light to the majority of home-buyers... and it's becoming an increasingly used selling tool in today's competitive market. Staging goes beyond cleaning, declut- tering, painting, and making minor re- pairs to a home you plan to sell. It's actually about often simple changes
	(such as furniture rearrangements or wall color changes) that can make your home look bigger, brighter, and more appeal- ing to potential buyers. Although it sounds simple, staging can be a challenge for most homeownersRead More

			MIBOR Stats for January Reflect Huge Increase in Number of Homes for Sale While it's normal to see the number of homes for sale in- crease in the spring, recent Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtor stats show a 25% jump over January totals for the prior two years.
	At the same time, sales of single-family homes in Jan- uary continued to slump by over 20% below 2006 and 2007 figures. Editor's Note - On the posi- tive side, we expect to see the downward home sales trend begin to reverse in the Indianapolis market by the second quarter of this year. Return to Top


	RECIPE OF THE MONTH Roman-style Chicken Here's a great recipe for a cool spring day that will warm you up and delight your taste buds. Courtesy: The Food Network

INGREDIENTS:

•	1/4 cup olive oil	•	2 cloves garlic, chopped
•	1/2 cup white wine	•	1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
•	1/2 cup chicken stock	•	1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
•	2 tablespoons capers	•	1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
•	1 red bell pepper, sliced
•	4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs
•	2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
•	3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
•	1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
•	1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
•	1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
•	1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon

DIRECTIONS:

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon
pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over med-
ium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned
on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers
and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and
the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and
cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Us-
ing a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom
of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and
bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer,
covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to
30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir
to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the
chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate.
The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium
heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.

Staging Your Home to Sell... (continued)

without expert and objective guidance.

When you list your home for sale with Indy Home Marketing,
we'll provide you with professional advise and the staging re-
sources you need to get your home sold quickly, and for
top dollar.

If you're planning to sell, here are 5 things you need to do
BEFORE placing your home on the market:

Clean Your home must sparkle! To achieve this level is usually
only feasible by hiring a cleaning crew. In fact, having a clean-
ing service return weekly while your house is for sale is pro-
bably a pretty good investment. Get your windows profes-
sionally cleaned inside and out too.

Fix Got a dripping faucet or a cracked tile? These will send the
wrong message to potential buyers. Getting them fixed before
you put your house on the market is a smart idea.

Eliminate Clutter The "50% Rule" requires that you eliminate
the clutter in your home by at least half. Everyone loves clutter...
it reflects our memories, hobbies, and values. But it doesn't sell
homes! Clutter makes homes seem smaller and disorganized.
Even the ancient practice of Feng Shui has the elimination of
clutter as a central focus.

Neutralize Neutral colors sell. It's a fact. Try to convey an im-
age of quality and neutrality. Potential buyers walking through
your home want to imagine themselves as the owners. If you
use styles or colors they would never select, you've just turned
them off. Staying high-quality, but neutral is safest.

De-personalize Remove objects that your potential buyers
won't be able to identify with. Buying a home is an emotional
decision, and you want potential buyers to make an emotional
connection with your home by being able to "see" themselves
in it.

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