Holiday Roundup

Good Friday afternoon! It has been too long since we've had a chance to sit down and blog a bit. We blame it partially on business (New listings, pendings, and new buyers!) but also on this busy holiday season. It seems that after Thanksgiving weekend passed, time has just been flying. Has it felt that way to you?

We certainly can't complain; it's always so much fun to put up holiday decorations throughout the house and go pick out a Christmas tree. Shopping for friends and family has been on the to-do list as well, along with festive gatherings for work and our community organizations. 

We celebrated with a Merry Mixer for the SIAR Young Professionals Network last Thursday, which had a great turnout and even had a guest appearance from Evansville's Mayor Lloyd Winnecke! Andrea gave a wonderful speech, as the chair and founder of the group, highlighting this first year for the organization and outlining what we have in store for next year.

Chelsea attended a holiday "mini-meeting" gathering for The Junior League of Evansville and also went to the Evansville Philharmonic's Guild's holiday luncheon. The group was treated to an abbreviated performance of The Nutcracker. If you will be in Evansville this weekend, we strongly encourage you to get out and go to one of The Nutcracker performances at The Victory theater. Your choices are either 7 p.m. Saturday or 2 p.m. Sunday. The dancers were incredible and the Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing Tchaikovsky's music live to accompany the ballet. We are so fortunate to have these performances in Evansville to celebrate this special time of year. Tickets can be purchased through the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra's website.

In the midst of all of these fun activities, we have been working hard! If anyone tells you no one moves during the holidays, they need to come spend a week with us. We talked about how thankful we are for our business in the Thanksgiving post, but it is worth saying again how much we appreciate the wonderful clients we get to work with and help navigate through the buying or selling process. 

Before wrapping up, we would like to share the December Community Events Calendar that includes all the upcoming holiday-themed activities around Evansville and also mention that if you're able, please consider donating to one of our local homeless shelters, food pantries, or non-profits this season. There are a lot of families in our community that will benefit from your generosity, whether you are able to give some canned goods, kids' Christmas gifts, or even your time to serve a meal or help a family going through a tough time.

We wish you all a very happy holiday season! Cheers!

The Holidays Have Arrived!

Happy Thanksgiving from The Murphy Team! We hope you all have finished your shopping and are beginning to cook those delicious meals and welcome family and friends.

We are getting into the thankful spirit this week with a new listing at 8575 Middle Mount Vernon Road in Posey County! It's a beautiful home in a country setting you won't want to miss!

We know the holidays are always fun, fast-paced, and sometimes stressful, and if you've been thinking of putting your house on the market, you might be thinking that now is not a good time to go ahead and list. Today's post is going to share with you why it most certainly is a fantastic time to go for it and put your house on the market this holiday season. A lot of sellers don't realize how many people are out and about during the holiday season. We promise you, they're out there!

So, to celebrate the start of a busy, shopping-filled holiday season, here are 10 Good Reasons to List Your House during the Holidays!

1. People who look for a home during the holidays are serious buyers.
2. These serious buyers have fewer homes to choose from during the holidays, so you have less competition than say, mid-summer.
3. Houses "show better" when decorated for the holidays. Who doesn't love walking into a home filled with holiday cheer?

4. Buyers are more emotional during the holidays. They may very well connect with your home and want to spend their next holiday season there!
5. Buyers have more time to look for a home during the holidays.
6. Many people want to buy before the end of the year for tax reasons.
7. January is traditionally the month of transfers. Transferees can't wait until spring to buy. You must be on the market to capture those tranferring families.

8. You may still restrict showings during your personal family holiday events.
9. You can sell now, but specify a delayed closing or extended occupancy until after the holidays if you desire.
10. By selling now, you have an opportunity to buy during the spring when many houses will be on the market!

If you have any questions or want to learn more about how The Murphy Team can help you, don't hesitate to give us a call. Call Andrea at (812) 589-9312 or Chelsea at (812) 455-5665.

In the meantime, have a very Happy Thanksgiving!! We are very thankful to live and work in this community.

Enjoy tomorrow's turkey feasts---and who is getting out for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday shopping this weekend?

Style and Stage in Your Own Home!

Good morning on this cloudy, cozy Tuesday!

We are focusing on a fun topic today after spending the weekend doing open houses and taking care of our buyers and sellers. One of the best things about being a Realtor is seeing different styles of homes and working to make them as appealing as possible for potential buyers. On both the buyer and seller sides, we find ourselves discussing design and décor quite often with our clients. Buyers want to know what style the home is, whether it's on-trend in terms of design, and most importantly they want to know if their furniture and décor taste will work in this new house. For sellers, it's important for them to present a home that will appeal to a wide range of buyers that looks current and well-kept.

It’s always exciting to see how some paint, new furniture, and accessories can completely transform a space.  The way we style our homes gives us a sense of comfort; it’s what makes a house feel like a home. This topic is at the forefront during this time of year because of the upcoming holidays, bringing guests and festive gatherings, and also the colder weather that unfortunately keeps us inside our homes rather than outside playing golf, swimming, or gardening.

Styling our homes isn’t only important if we’re trying to sell. We think it’s important to create your dream home to enjoy every day, even if you’re not necessarily living in your dream home...yet!

Creating this dream home takes work and some research–and a lot of patience. It means arranging and rearranging furniture until it feels right and moving your favorite objects and accessories around when you want a change. We all need a change of scenery once in awhile, right? Over time you will create a home filled with treasures you love that have been gathered and pieces together over time.

 

We are fortunate to have a number of great places to find these treasures in Evansville. We have local stores and larger chains that cater to those of us with a limited budget, and those that can afford to have more expensive pieces hand-selected by an interior designer. We’d like to share with you a few of our favorite places around Evansville to find great deals, beautiful home décor, and some pieces to splurge on when you can!



Local favorites:
The Barefoot Cottage in Newburgh
The Red Poppy on Evansville’s east side
The Secret Garden downtown Newburgh
Karen’s Upscale Resale in Evansville
Sugarbaker’s Home Fashions in Evansville
Gelhausen Floral and Home Décor in Evansville
Haubstadt Antique Mall in Haubstadt
BJ’s Home Accents downtown Newburgh


Chain favorites for great deals:
TJ Maxx
Tuesday Morning
Steinmart
Marshall’s
Target

If you are out and about this week getting a head start on holiday shopping or just braving the cold, we encourage you to just start browsing some of these stores. Take your time and find the things that you know will be perfect in your space and allow you to create your dream home, wherever that is.

**Please note this is all opinion. We personally shop at these stores and are not affiliated with them in a professional way.**

Local Hot Spot--City Taco

Happy Monday! 

We hope the start of your week has been great! It's busy as usual in The Murphy Team office, just how we like it!

Today's post features a great new local restaurant we think is both delicious and fun. Have you visited City Taco yet? It's the latest venture for local restaurateur Jayson Munoz and his business partner Mark Logan. 

Here is how the City Taco website describes their gourmet Mexican eatery...

 "If you want great pasta, go to a pasteria, if you want great pizza, go to a pizzeria, if you want great tacos, go to a taqueria.  We put the gourmet in the food, not in the atmosphere.  From pow pow shrimp tacos to plain ol’ tacos, black bean cakes to chips and queso, we have something for the foodies and the not-so-adventurous eaters." -About Us

Exterior

We think a taqueria is just what Evansville needs, and on a recent visit our taste buds agreed. We decided to try as many things on the menu as possible and some of our favorites were:

Starters: chips and chorizo queso and the bazooka guacamole (must-try for goat cheese lovers!)

Featured photo from City Taco's Facebook page

Tacos (this was a tough choice): Chicken Pesto, Buffalo, Hawaiian, and Plain 'ol Taco. All the taco shells are made from scratch and are fantastic! 

We recommend getting the Two Tacos & a Side meal so you can try a couple and get one of the delicious sides to accompany your tacos. Our favorites were the Mexican Street Corn and Chorizo Chili. 

Two Tacos & a Side as shown on City Taco's Facebook page

In addition to their great food, we really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant. There is a lot of pop art, bright colors, funky seating, and a cozy feel to the place. When the weather is nice, the covered patio is the perfect place to enjoy lunch or dinner.

We also love that City Taco updates their menu and frequently shares specials and information on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Are you craving a taco yet? Make your way over to 2403 Washington Avenue as soon as you get the chance! City Taco is at the corner of Washington & Boeke in Ross Center. 

Just make sure you're there during their hours of operation which are: 
                                Monday – Saturday: 11am – 10pm
                                Sunday: 11am-9pm

What's your favorite item on the menu? We'd love to know what to try next!

What do you think is the best local eatery? Share with us where we should go next.

Fall Tips plus a Warm Welcome!

Welcome and thank you for stopping by! The Murphy Team has decided to take a creative leap and enter the blogging world, and we can't wait for you to join us as we collect stories and share a wealth of real estate knowledge with you. 

Take a minute and check out our About The Murphy Team page to learn more about what sets us apart. Get to know us and please feel free to send questions our way anytime!

A week's worth of leaf raking in this beautiful yard!

In this first post, we would like to share a bit about preparing your home for fall, and very soon, winter. There are a few things you can do to ensure your home is protected for the upcoming harsher weather. Most of these are with-in our abilities as average homeowners, and as you're putting our your pumpkins and mums, consider taking a look at these items as well.

Exterior

• Check your gutters: Clean leaves and gunk out of your gutters and downspouts. You don't want anything freezing there over the next few months!
• Check your windows and exterior door frames: Make sure there are no gaps or cracks, and if there are, repair them with weather stripping or caulking. (This will help keep your utility lower too!)
• Inspect your roof: You don't need to climb up on your roof, but look closely for missing shingles or shingles that might be "curling" up and exposing the roof to the elements. 
• While you're looking at your roof, check your vents as well. Are they clear, corroding, or leaking? 
• Peruse your Pavement: Repair any cracks or damage in your driveway, steps, or sidewalks. We don't want those causing issues when there is ice and snow on the ground!
• Drain and winterize your outdoor faucets. They could burst if they expand when it freezes. It's best to detach outdoor hoses and store them in the garage for the winter.
  

Interior

• Check out your furnace. When it gets cold, you want it to be heating efficiently and safely.
• Refresh your filters: This is the perfect time to replace the old, dirty filters in your vents.
• Fireplace tune-up: If you have a fireplace, carefully check it for any blockages or soot build up. This one might be best left to a professional chimney sweep!
• Test your smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and any other precautionary items you have in your home.
• General clean up: Prepare your home to be comfortable, clean, and safe for your family, as you will likely be indoors a lot more with shorter days and colder temperatures.
  

We would welcome winter in this cozy dream home!

What do you do each fall to ensure your home is prepared to go into the winter months? We would love to hear from you!