👻 It's Thursday, aka Halloween eve eve.

• It's not too late to toss together a last-minute costume!

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 78 and a low of 53.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Gary Cervak!

Today’s newsletter is 1,113 words — a 4-minute read.

Homebuyers are gaining an advantage in more than 60% of Indianapolis-area ZIP codes, according to new Redfin data Axios analyzed.

Why it matters: With the cost gap between renting and owning widening in Central Indiana, the conditions give hopeful buyers some additional negotiating room.

State of play: Conditions are shifting in buyers' favor in 54 of 85 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood metropolitan statistical area ZIP codes, per Axios' analysis, while 14 favor sellers. The other 17 show mixed signals.

• The analysis examines Redfin data on housing supply, active listings, time on the market and price cuts for the three months ending September 2026, including year-over-year changes.
• The area studied extends to communities like Elwood and Nashville to the north and south, and Greenfield and Cloverdale to the east and west.

By the numbers: Listings increased by more than 20% in 20 ZIP codes.

• A typical listing spent 52 days on the market across reporting ZIPs.
• The slowest-moving group includes nine ZIPs at 67 days or longer, led by Downtown Indianapolis (46204) at 89 days.
• The metro's fastest-moving homes were in Clayton (46118) at 28 days, Carmel (46033) at 32 days and Home Place (46280) at 35 days.

Zoom in: Buyers are gaining ground in Lawrence, Frankin Township and the Meridian-Kessler/Mapleton-Fall Creek area, where nearly 50% of listings had price cuts and homes sold below asking.

Sellers still have the advantage in places like Noblesville and Westfield, where active listings fell 9% from last year and the housing supply has decreased.

Zoom out: The median sales price in September for single-family homes in Central Indiana was $320,000, per the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors (MIBOR).

• Within the 17-county MIBOR service area, eight counties reported price increases compared to a year ago, including Marion, Boone, Brown and Madison.

What they're saying: "Affordability is still a real challenge for many buyers, but they have more options, with inventory up more than 16% from last year," MIBOR CEO Shelley Specchio said in a statement. "Prices are holding steady, and homes that are priced right are still attracting serious buyers."

Go deeper

Tickets are on sale now for the 2027 Indianapolis 500 and other marquee events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Why it matters: A third consecutive Indy 500 sellout is expected, said INDYCAR and IMS president Doug Boles.

• Plus: Prices only go up from here.

What they're saying: "Buying now not only locks in an exciting and world-class experience at IMS in 2027 but locks in the best available seats at the lowest prices," Boles said. "We can't wait to see you."

State of play: Ticket renewals are ahead of the past two sellout years, so the inventory of reserved seats is already limited.

• Prices start at $55 for general admission tickets, up to $166 for reserved seats.
• Tickets for practice, qualifications, Carb Day, Legends Day, Snake Pit, parking, camping and credentials like garage and pit passes are also on sale.
• The $5 per-ticket service fee is waived until Jan. 4.

Zoom out: Tickets are also on sale now for the Sonsio Grand Prix, Racing America Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Pennzoil 250, NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400, IMSA TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks and GT World Indianapolis.

How to buy: Tickets can be purchased at IMS.com and the IMS Ticket Office.

• Kids 15 and under can attend all 2027 racing events at IMS in general admission locations for free when accompanied by an adult with a general admission ticket.

📚 A new Black literary festival will debut in Indianapolis next July at the new Signia Hilton hotel downtown, coinciding with Indiana Black Expo's Summer Celebration.

• Kinfolk Lit Fest's lineup includes best-selling authors Tayari Jones, Sadeqa Johnson and Ibram X. Kendi. (IBJ)

🏀 Indianapolis is a finalist to host the men's and women's Final Four between 2032 and 2036.

• We'll host the men's title game for the 10th time in 2029 and the women's for the fourth time in 2028. (Via press release)

🚲 Indianapolis plans to build a Nickel Plate Trail bridge over 82nd Street to improve safety and connectivity for trail users. Construction is expected to take about a year and start in 2028. (WISH-TV)

⛪ The National Eucharistic Congress will return to Indianapolis in 2029, drawing Catholics from every corner of the country. The city also hosted the gathering in 2024. (IndyStar)

Meet Andre Parnell, an Indianapolis artist and activist using his talent to preserve neighborhood stories.

The inspo: Parnell grew up in a creative household and graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design in 1992.

• His mother was a writer, his father worked in advertising and his brother passed the time by drawing and painting.
• After two decades in signage and wayfinding design, he turned toward personal art and community storytelling.
• His work spans illustration, painting, murals, graphic design and mixed media.

Zoom in: Through Artists At Work and Arts for Lawrence, Parnell leads initiatives documenting the Far Eastside through oral histories, design workshops and residents' stories.

• He's also the new artist-in-residence at the Harrison Center's Polklore Micro-Museum, where he'll help grow the collection, create art with neighbors and expand youth storytelling programs.

What he's saying: "With my project … I had very lofty goals and visions. I want to be impactful," he said in a recent Artists At Work interview.

What he's making now: On Sunday, Parnell is making a stop at Arts for Lawrence's Theater at the Fort for an artist talk from 6-8pm.

Check him out

Indianapolis trick-or-treaters looking to get their fill this Halloween will have two hours to pile up those peanut butter cups.

Driving the news: Official trick-or-treat hours in Indianapolis are 6-8pm Saturday.

• The Indianapolis Fire Department's 44 stations will hand out candy during those hours, and IMPD will patrol neighborhoods.
• Speedway also has hours of 6-8pm, Southport's hours are 5-8pm and Beech Grove's are 5:30-8:30pm.

Pro tip: City officials share tips to make sure Halloween night is safe.

• Wear light-colored clothing or add reflective tape to help drivers see you.
• Make sure masks don't obstruct children's vision. Face paint is another option.
• Carry a flashlight, watch for traffic and cross streets carefully.
• Inspect treats before eating and discard anything that's unwrapped.

Trick-or-treat times around the region

🤞 Arika is on day four of costume crafting and hoping she finishes on time.

🐈‍⬛ Justin is trying to convince his cat to wear a funny hat for Halloween.

Larry Graham edited this newsletter.