Great New offering - Free Job Loss Mortgage Payment Protection

Real Living has introduced a new offering available to Buyers using Real Living agents, like myself, who get their new mortgage through Real Living Mortgage. There is an added benefit for buying a Real Living listing - an extra year of coverage or 24 months total. The intial coverage for using a Real Living agent and geting a Real Living mortgage will provide protection for up to a year and pay 6 months of mortgage payments up to $1500 if the buyer loses their job involuntarily. Real Living mortgage is an affiliate of Wells Fargo. This program can also be a benefit to Sellers listing with me as their property becomes eligible and will be attractive to Buyers wanting this protection. There is much more detailed information available on this program, so contact me and I will provide it.

The Best Homes Sell Fast

In today's market, many people think that it will take months to sell their property. I can tell you that many of the best ones sell very quickly, often within a few days of going on the market. If the home is in a range first time buyers can afford, is well maintained and decorated to appeal to many of these typically younger buyers - it can sell fast. The type of decor that seems to get my young buyers attention is the "Pottery Barn" style and colors. It must be marketed on the internet with as many pictures as possible, as that is how it will be seen by the most buyers in the least amount of time. Many saavy buyers and their agents have searches set up to alert them as soon as a property meeting their specifications comes on the market. This is why the pictures are so important - they will judge immediately whether it is a house they want to see in person. The buyers must be preapproved and ready to act when they find the right one, as any delay can result in losing the house to someone else. This may sound like what happens in a seller's market, instead of in today's well publicized buyers market but in the last month, I have personnally been involved in three multiple offer situations, all within the first days the houses were listed for sale.

Quality of schools impact property values

Today is election day and with all of the school levy and bond issues on the ballot in and around Columbus, I thought it would be a good topic to discuss. Real estate values are impacted by many things, not the least of which is the quality of the school system the property in which the property is located. When families with children purchase a home, they want to insure a good education with a full range of activities will be available. The higher the price range of the homes, the higher the expectations. It is important to keep this in mind as you go to vote. If your school system has to make major cuts because the voters reject operating levies, the houses in your neighborhood may not sell as well which will put downward pressure on prices and property values will decline. It might be worth paying those extra taxes during the year to help protect the value of the homes in your area. Worth considering....

City Hop results

The open house event on October 26th was successful and resulted in a number of new contracts on over 700 houses that participated. It will be repeated again on November 9th. Watch for ads in the paper or check the open houses on the website - many are already posted by area. I will hold two listings open on November 9th in Dublin. I would love to see you there!

Open House Event will gauge the market

Sunday, October 26th, Real Living HER is holding over 700 houses open in the Columbus market. These range in price from the 60's to over a million dollars and represent houses in all areas. The promotion includes coupons providing 1% discount toward closing costs by Real Living mortgage and publicizing the $7500 first time home buyer tax credit available through next spring. The Columbus market has cooled somewhat but is still a relatively healthy real estate market. The media and financial markets are affecting attitudes toward buying, but the truth is, there are real opportunities right now to get a great price on a home and interest rates are still around 6%. So, what to expect on Sunday? That remains to be seen. Attendance at the open houses will surely be an indicator of the market and buyer sentiment. Hopefully we will have a great turn out. Come visit my open listings at 384 Monterey Drive in Dublin and 5449 Metzger Crescent in the West Albany.

Unique Listing - Frank Lloyd Wright inspired

Occasionally a very interesting property come on the market that present unique opportunities. I recently listed a house on almost eleven acres on a river that has potential to be awesome. It is a multi-level home with river frontage on Big Walnut Creek. There is a smaller stream that runs under the great room and deck, reminiscent of Falling Water in Pennsylvania. The house needs interior work like paint, wall paper removal, new floor coverings at a minimum and many buyers would probably update the kitchen and baths. The great room has glass on three sides overlooking the woods and the river. The views are fantastic. The stream running under this room is very low right now but at certain times of the year it is much higher and fast moving - but at no time in the 40 years since this house was built has there been any water intrusion into the house. The walk-out lower level is high enough to prevent this. It is hard to describe this house, it really has to be seen. Features such as the floor to ceiling fireplace made from Hawiian lava rock is just one example of the interesting things you will find. Contact me if you are interested in this 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath home in Westerville schools. I would love to show it to you.

Open Houses

Open houses are still a common way for buyers to get inside houses of interest on Sunday afternoons. Many agents hold houses open every Sunday but don't always advertise them in advance. In Columbus, the HER Real Living Website (herrealtors.com) is a good place to find open houses listed. You can search by community and it will list every HER open house as long as the agent has added it online. Realtor.com is another place to check for open houses. The Sunday paper lists a few in the Columbus area but not many compared to the past. The paper is just not the place for real estate like it used to be. When a house is open you are encouraged to visit. Remember it is also a way for Realtors to meet potential clients and actually a good way for unattached buyers to be able to meet a number of Realtors in a neutral setting. If you already have an agent, tell the Realtor at the open house and they won't pressure you. If you don't have an agent, feel free to carry on a conversation and get to know them. You will want to work with someone you are comfortable with and if you are seriously thinking of buying, you should have an agent to represent you and your best interests. It doesn't cost you anything - the Seller pays the commission. In this market, having an agent can help you get the best price on the home you want and you will have someone working for you to make sure you are protected and everything goes smoothly.