IN THE Circle City, a budget in the $900,000 range can get you more house than in the pricier suburbs. Whether you lean toward new construction in a historic neighborhood or a Victorian with character, either of these options bring bang for your buck.

The Wow-Worthy Nest

From the street, this Cottage Home new build looks crisp and quaint, but the interior packs a punch. Soaring ceilings add interest to an open concept living area, while the exposed beams bring warmth with their woodgrain texture. Modern rustic finishes are complemented by a light color palette throughout. The primary suite is the only bedroom on the main level, offering privacy and relaxation. A large paver patio sits poised for entertaining, just waiting for twinkling lights, good friends, and a chilled bottle of chardonnay. A one-bedroom carriage house offers guest accommodations or a rental opportunity.

708 N. Highland Ave., Cottage Home

LISTING PRICE $955,000  BEDROOMS 3  BATHROOMS 2.5  SQUARE FOOTAGE 3,152  YEAR BUILT 2022  WINNING EXTRA One-bedroom carriage house  REALTOR Maywright Property Co.

The Stately Beauty

What was once the home of Indy’s first city councilwoman, Nannette Dowd, and her family teems with history in the Old Northside. It has been immaculately preserved, delicately updated but not overhauled. Pristine woodwork in the entryway sets the tone for what else is in store—namely, original, two-tone hardwoods, ornate tile fireplace surrounds, and pocket doors. The stained glass alone is enough to make an old house lover weak in the knees. A surprisingly large backyard offers an in-ground pool, outdoor kitchen, and perennial gardens.

1507 Broadway St., Old Northside

LISTING PRICE $940,000  BEDROOMS 4  BATHROOMS 3  SQUARE FOOTAGE 6,434  YEAR BUILT 1880  WINNING EXTRA In-ground pool  REALTOR F.C. Tucker

The post Realty Check: Cottage Home Or Old Northside? appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

BUYING A HOUSE is already a stressful experience. Now, imagine making that enormous decision based solely on video tours while living more than a thousand miles away. Such was the case for Jeff and Eliza Widelski. The Colorado residents of eight years decided last winter that the time had come for them to stop renting. They wanted to purchase a home, but they felt the Centennial State wasn’t a good fit. “Colorado real estate had skyrocketed,” Jeff says. “That led our circle of friends to leave, and we were left there alone. We found that familiarity and people we knew were very important to us.”

Landing on Indy as their new home wasn’t totally random. Jeff was born in Northern Indiana, and he had lived downtown in the late ’90s. With Eliza’s family north of Chicago, Indy made sense. The comparatively low Hoosier home prices and cost of living were also appealing. Conducting the home search from so far away, they put a lot of trust in their Realtor, Natalie Clayton of Maywright Property Co., who went above and beyond by capturing detailed videos of prospective homes and sending them to the Widelskis back in Colorado.

And then they saw it—a 1910 Holy Cross beauty with tasteful updates, a great front porch, and classic curb appeal. The couple share an affinity for older homes, so “it popped off the page to us,” Jeff says. They spent hours “touring” the neighborhood on Google Maps and falling in love via Street View. The stress was worth it, according to Eliza. “It all came together perfectly,” she says. “Holy Cross feels much more suburban and closeknit, and it has good walkability.” And compared to Colorado? “People are a lot more friendly here,” Eliza says.

FAVORITE FEATURE
The front porch

PURCHASE DATE
February 2024

NEIGHBORHOOD
Holy Cross

SQUARE FOOTAGE
2,526

The post A Long-Distance Relationship appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

IF YOU KNOW where to look, you’ll find them sprinkled throughout Indy: hidden-gem neighborhoods filled with well-maintained homes, nearby amenities, and vibrant communities. For Madeline and Collin Noll, East Avalon Hills was the perfect—albeit unexpected—place that checked every box on their wish list. And it was right under their noses all along.

Both were born and raised on the north side. Their families still live in the area, so it made sense to settle there after selling their home in Louisville. They wanted a house with room to grow into, a big yard for their big pup (a cutie named Miller), an office for Madeline, and ample storage.

After a months-long search, Realtor Robbin Edwards sent them a 1970 colonial revival. “There were only two previous owners, and the house was in pristine condition,” Madeline says. Plus, the half-acre lot felt too good to be true. They submitted an offer immediately.

In no time at all, the couple has fallen in love with the neighborhood. “It’s a very warm, friendly, family-oriented neighborhood. Many homeowners have been here 20-plus years, and everyone greets each other,” Madeline says. “Plus, we love being so close to the interstate and the amazing amenities the north side has to offer.”

FAVORITE FEATURE
The huge backyard

PURCHASE DATE
February 2024

NEIGHBORHOOD
East Avalon Hills

SQUARE FOOTAGE
2,700

The post Hidden Treasure appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

IT’S A STORY that seems straight out of Hollywood—lifelong friends purchasing a duplex together and living side by side. But this story didn’t play out on the big screen; it happened in Indy’s Willard Park, where Elizabeth Anderson and Vicky Morrow are living out their dream.

Friends since they were 18, the Tennessee transplants were roommates many times over the years. They liked living together and understood one another’s quirks. When Elizabeth returned to the Circle City from Korea, she moved in with Vicky and her husband, Sam, while she house hunted. The arrangement was supposed to be temporary, but a wild real estate market sent that plan asunder. The friends had long joked about buying some land and living together, but when Elizabeth suggested a duplex in all seriousness, the Morrows agreed without hesitation.

Their wish list was straightforward: It had to be move-in ready and have HVAC, and the laundry room could not be in the basement. Their friend and Realtor, Lee Bailey, helped them navigate the drastically low inventory. After touring a “terrible” duplex, Elizabeth asked Lee to show them a lovely remodel they’d been monitoring, which was made even more enticing by a recent price cut. “We all liked it right away,” Vicky says. “It was nicer and bigger than any other duplex we’d looked at.” They’ve already implemented new traditions, like their “Monday Rot,” where they order takeout, watch a show, and relax. Future plans include adding a patio for hangouts and building a secret bookshelf door to connect the two spaces.

FAVORITE FEATURE
The remodeled bathrooms

PURCHASE DATE
March 2024

NEIGHBORHOOD
Willard Park

SQUARE FOOTAGE
1,800 on each side

The post Friendly Neighbors appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

Photograph by Robert Boogar

INDIANA LANDMARKS has a soft spot for homes of a certain age. The private historic preservation organization’s website and bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation, showcase exceptional old structures around the state—from a former automotive building with concrete floors and roll-up garage doors for days to a modernist stunner by Lake Michigan—that make DIY homebuyers dream big. Mark Dollase, Indiana Landmarks’ vice president of preservation services, explains that they have “an ongoing relationship” with the properties they acquire (following a lengthy vetting process) that goes beyond the sale of the house. “We attach what are called ‘protective covenants’ to the deed of the property to make sure that it’s maintained over a long period of time and doesn’t become a demolition threat again in five years,” he says. “We will be looking out for that property for decades.” Ready for a fixer-upper that’s not a quick flip? These diamonds in the rough from Indiana Landmarks are for sale as of press time and still standing strong, proof that they just don’t build them like that anymore.

Photograph courtesy of Dawn McKenna Group

HORNER HOUSE, BEVERLY SHORES Designed by renowned Swiss architect Otto Kolb in 1949, this idyllic wonder with views of Lake Michigan consists of three buildings: the three-bedroom main house with its living room cantilevered over a ravine, a guesthouse, and a one-car garage. $924,900 

Photograph courtesy of Indiana Landmarks

504 E. O&M AVE., NORTH VERNON Spanning a whopping 5,550 square feet over three floors, the home of downtown North Vernon’s original J.R. Greathouse & Son’s Hardware store has plenty of mixed-use potential—residential on top and retail on bottom. The interior is an exposed brick wonderland, and the property comes with an adjacent vacant lot for parking or expansion. $124,900

Photograph by Robert Boogar

458–462 N. CASS ST., WABASH These two historic homes are being sold as a bonded pair. The more-spacious one (on the right, at 2,177 square feet) is move-in ready, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It could serve as a handy home base for the more involved renovation of its next-door neighbor, a four-bedroom stucco beauty with salvageable original woodwork and interior doors and a well-preserved stairway. $135,900

The post Old Bones appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

Photograph byvAngela Jackson

IN THE PAST two years, Hope Fowler has moved from Plainfield, to Brownsburg, to Whitestown in search of a safe, happy home for her girls. Her real estate odyssey began when the Department of Child Services called to see if she would consider foster parenting 5-month-old twins, Jasmine and Jaiyel, who were born with cerebral palsy and developmental delays.

Though she has been a foster parent for years, Fowler initially felt inexperienced. But she took in the girls and quickly fell in love. Last summer, DCS asked if she would adopt the sisters. “That was a very big responsibility,” says Fowler, a full-time church administrator at Agape Apostolic Faith Assembly. “I prayed, ‘Lord, do you want me to do this?’ God made a way. I told them, ‘Yes.’” The trio moved to a bigger house in Brownsburg, but when Fowler learned that Jasmine would eventually need a wheelchair, she knew their new two-story house wouldn’t do. “I didn’t want her to be confined to one area of the house because she’s in a wheelchair. That’s not fair to her.”

Fowler put the house back up for sale, where it sat for four or five months. “The market back then was horrible. Not that it’s any better now, but it was worse back then.” More prayers followed. “Next thing I know, I got two full-price off ers the same day,” Fowler says. But then she needed a house—and fast! She was saved by her Realtor, Amy Robinson from Prime Real Estate Group, who found a move-in ready, open plan, ranch house in Whitestown with a front yard and backyard (in which Fowler plans to build a playset where the now 2-year-old girls, big fans of Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, and Ms. Rachel, can enjoy one of their other favorite things—swinging).

Even better, the school district has an excellent developmental preschool for the girls. “This was the perfect fit for us,” she says. “I want them to have the best possible life.”

FAVORITE FEATURE
The open layout

PURCHASE DATE
February 2024

NEIGHBORHOOD
Whitestown

SQUARE FOOTAGE
2,253

The post A New Family Home appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

AMY AND KYLE Anderson enjoyed the many carefree perks of their downtown-adjacent townhouse. After they became empty nesters four years ago, their home’s easy maintenance, proximity to community, and sense of security fit perfectly into their lifestyle. As time passed, however, they longed for two things: more space to entertain and a screened-in porch—a feature they adored from their old home. “As many people do, I perused Zillow and walked the neighborhood,” Amy recalls. They knew they wanted to stay downtown, but with the market moving so quickly and prices on such a steep incline, finding the right home through their real estate agent proved to be a challenge.

They considered all their options, even the possibility of investing in a duplex at one point. Eventually, “we decided to up our budget to get what we really wanted,” Amy says. Expanding their search radius helped, too. “We looked at a broader range of neighborhoods, from Fountain Square, to Cottage Home, to the Old Northside and Herron-Morton. We knew we wanted a small backyard and screened-in porch, plus walkability to Mass Ave and downtown.”

After spotting a bright, modern, newer-construction home in Herron-Morton, they knew they’d need to act fast. Their agent sent them the listing on a Thursday. They toured it on Saturday and submitted an offer the next day. It met “90 percent” of their needs, but that wasn’t even the best part. They had lived in Herron-Morton from 1997 to 2003 and loved the full-circle moment of returning to a dear, familiar place. “We loved everything about it then,” Amy says. “Now we love it even more.”

FAVORITE FEATURE
The screened-in porch

PURCHASE DATE
March 2024

NEIGHBORHOOD
Herron-Morton

The post A Bright Future appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

REALTOR Summer Hudson was always waiting for the perfect midcentury modern home to hit the market and lure her away from her beloved Irvington. On Hudson’s popular TikTok channel, Find a Lot to Love, she cooed over original 1960s woodwork and intact bathrooms for the 207,000 followers who enjoyed watching her walk through houses for sale in Central Indiana. But the eXp Realty agent’s own family needed a yard for their 5-year-old daughter more than she needed a pristine Avriel Shull A-frame, so she gave her husband, Ryan Sloan, one criterion: Find a house with the exact same layout as their 3,000-square-foot Irvington ranch, plus a yard, and she’d move.

Lo and behold, he did, in Crows Nest. The three-bed, two-bath house has a circular layout with semi–open concept living, dining, and kitchen spaces and, as a bonus, a pool on the half-acre lot. “I always said I’d never turn down a pool,” Hudson says. The home had been sitting on the market for a while because, in Hudson’s opinion, the listing for 1,800 square feet was misleading; the homeowners couldn’t include the 1,200-square-foot finished attic because the ceiling was too low. Additionally, the photos didn’t do the home justice. “From the outside, it looks tiny and bungalow-ish, but you don’t realize how deep it goes,” she says, adding that the images didn’t showcase the layout’s attractive flow, either. The couple got it under list price for $410,000, and Hudson, who uses the attic as her office, has no regrets—her dream midcentury home can wait. Downsizing forced the couple to purge, and they discovered the joys of a simplified lifestyle. “I’m actually spending more time with my kid out- side. That has been the most amazing part of all of this,” Hudson says.

FAVORITE FEATURE
The nature-filled backyard

PURCHASE DATE
March 2024

NEIGHBORHOOD
Crows Nest

SQUARE FOOTAGE
1,800

The post A Yard Of One’s Own appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.