December 2012 Real Estate Review

9 Steps for Showcasing a Listing During the Holidays

Whether it’s wreaths or menorahs, your sellers shouldn’t overdo it around the holidays. Here’s how to stage a listing properly during “the most wonderful time of the year.”

December 2012 | By Barbara Ballinger

REALTOR MAGAZINE

Gone are the days when houses were best listed come spring when flowers bloomed or in late summer before the beginning of the school calendar. Now, any time of year is good for selling if the property is priced correctly, clean, and in good condition.

But with Thanksgiving past and Christmas, Hanukkah, and the New Year fast approaching, many sellers wonder if December bodes well, given how busy people’s lives get and because so many home owners like to decorate their houses. Holiday decorations can distract buyers and make it hard to focus on a home’s important architectural features when, for instance, rows of stockings camouflage a beautiful period fireplace mantel or a toy train set takes up the entire living room floor.

Click here to read more...

Fannie and Freddie halt foreclosures for the holidays

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Homeowners facing foreclosure just received an early Christmas present: They won't be evicted from their homes over the holidays.

By Les Christie @CNNMoneyDecember 3, 2012: 2:13 PM ET

Mortgage giants, Freddie Mac (FMCC, Fortune 500) and Fannie Mae (FNMA, Fortune 500), announced Monday that they will suspend all bank repossessions beginning December 17 and December 19, respectively, and will not resume the evictions until January 2, 2013.

Read more here...Fannie and Freddie halt foreclosures for the holidays - Dec. 3, 2012

November 2012 Real Estate Review

Central Ohio Housing Report for October 2012

11/19/2012

Columbus Board of REALTORS®

Fall home sales show no signs of slowing down


Ohio homes sales in October were up for the tenth consecutive month. There were 1,964 residential sales during the month of October, a 23.2 percent increase from the 1,594 home sales in October 2011, according to the Columbus Board of REALTORS®.

Homes closed during the month of October sold for an average of $163,925, 10.1 percent higher than just one year ago.

“Even though the inventory isn’t as high as mid-summer, you have more serious buyers and sellers,” said Jim Coridan, President of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. “Many buyers who had planned to buy before the fall are still out there looking for their dream home.”

The number of new listings on the market is up 12 percent (2,764) from last year and actually increased by 1 percent from the previous month. Total inventory of homes (10,717) stands at 31.5 percent less than 2011.

Click here to read more...

Area home sales up 11.4% over 2011, hinting at end to buyers’ advantage

By Jim Weiker, The Columbus Dispatch

For seven years, real-estate experts have described central Ohio as a buyers’ market.  Yesterday, that may have officially changed.

For the first time since August 2005, there is less than a six-month supply of homes for sale in central Ohio.

“When months of supply gets below six months, we have a sellers’ market, and in that market, we expect prices to climb more steadily, with stronger appreciation the shorter the supply gets,” said Jim Coridan, president of the Columbus Board of Realtors.

Read more here...

September 2012 Real Estate Review

4 Big Design Turn-offs of Home Buyers

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

Certain dated design features in a home can really make some home buyers cringe. Could your listing have one of them?

A recent article at AOL Real Estate spotlights a few pet peeves of home buyers when touring homes today. Among the items making their list:

1. Popcorn ceilings: The speckled ceilings can attract dirt and be impossible to paint. Plus, if the home was built prior to 1980, the ceiling may contain asbestos and need to be tested by an inspector.
Fix it: Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for removing popcorn ceilings; it can get messy. It’ll have to be scraped off and the ceiling then will need to be repaired. Plus, you’ll want to have it tested for asbestos before scraping. Home owners will likely want to consider hiring a professional to do this.

2. Carpeting everywhere: Many home buyers today have a fondness for hardwoods over wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpeting can show spots and dirt, which can serve as a quick turn-off to potential buyers who prefer the more polished look of hardwoods.

Click here to read more... 4 Big Design Turn-offs of Home Buyers

Home buyers face serious competition

Winning in a seller's housing market

By Sarah Max @Money                             September 12, 2012: 5:53 AM ET



(Money Magazine) -- When Paul and Ieva Johnson moved from Minnesota to Florida, they were looking forward to warm weather and plenty of bargain-priced homes. But when the couple made their first offer earlier this year, they quickly discovered that they'd have to settle for the sunshine.
  
Not only didn't they get the house, says Paul, but "we didn't even get a callback." Over the next two months they put in seven offers -- most at or above asking price -- before finally making a successful $365,000 bid on a Sarasota three-bedroom.

To their surprise, buyers in some housing markets are finding that they're no longer in the power position. The reason is simple: too many bidders and not enough homes.

Read more here...Home buyers face serious competition

August gardening checklist - MSN Real Estate

Watering, weeding and deadheading are among the main activities for gardeners this month. But it's also time to harvest fruits and flowers.

By Sally Anderson of MSN Real Estate

Summertime, and the livin' is easy — at least it can be for gardeners.

Aside from tasting, weeding and watering, essential gardening tasks are at a lull in August.

Never fear, gardening addicts: There's always something to tend for those who are determined. But go easy on yourself and take advantage of the occasional cool day to work in comfort. (Bing: Build an outdoor shower)

Annuals
August is a relatively low-maintenance month for flowers, but regular watering isn't the only task that will keep your garden in top shape.

Keep deadheading flowers as they fade; not only will the plants look better, but if they're allowed to produce and shed their seeds, they're more likely to stop producing new blooms.

In areas with mild winters and longer growing seasons, annuals should have another feeding of fertilizer in late summer.

Read more here... August gardening checklist - MSN Real Estate

August 2012 Real Estate Review

Central Ohio home prices hit a 5-year high

Central Ohio Housing Report - July 2012

Courtesy of Columbus Board of REALTORS®

 

 

Central Ohio home prices hit a 5-year high

Home prices in central Ohio hit its highest point in five years last month as many of the area’s pricier communities saw double digit sales increases, according to the Columbus Board of REALTORS®.

Homes closed during July 2012 sold for an average of $186,781 which is 10.3 percent higher than the average sale price of a home sold in July of 2011.The last time homes during any given month sold were selling this high was June of 2007 when the average sale price was $187,180.

This holds true for the year as the average sale price of homes sold January through July 2012 ($167,754) is also at its highest point since January of 2007 ($172,531).

Read more here...

Prefabulous: A Guide To Green And Gorgeous Homes

Prefabulous: A Guide To Green And Gorgeous Homes
Courtesy of REALTOR.com



Over the last few years, the style and variety of prefab homes has only gotten better and better. In a new book: Prefabulous + Almost Off The Grid (due out in October), author Sheri Koones shows how prefabrication can be used to create almost-off-the-grid homes, ones that are not only green but can operate with nearly zero annual energy cost. The homes may take a bit more planning and additional outlay but they make up for it later with energy-saving benefits.

Read more here: Prefabulous: A Guide To Green And Gorgeous Homes | REALTOR.com® Blogs

9 Ways to Make a Kitchen Look Swank for Less

Courtesy of National Association of REALTORS - REALTOR Mag

9 Ways to Make a Kitchen Look Swank for Less

Costs for even relatively moderate kitchen redos can run well into the tens of thousands of dollars. Here are a few ways to enhance this focal point of a home on a budget.

June 2012 | By Barbara Ballinger

According to Remodeling magazine’s latest Cost vs. Value survey, the average price of an upscale kitchen redo hovers about $113,000. Even the cost of a mid-range overhaul is a whopping $58,000.
However, sellers are rarely willing to invest the kind of time and money it takes to do that kind of remodeling job, especially one they’ll barely use before they move. But there are affordable alternatives to make this much-used gathering spot more appealing, both aesthetically and functionally. Here arenine easy-to-implement, easy-to-copy ideas for you to share with sellers and buyers. Tell them to try one, two, or perhaps all of them!

Read more here...9 Ways to Make a Kitchen Look Swank for Less

Join us Sunday, July 22nd for 3 open houses!

Join us Sunday, July 22nd for 3 open houses!

602 Olde North Church - 12 PM to 2 PM

478 Spring Road - 12 PM to 2 PM

4014 Daffodil Drive - 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Housing Passes a Milestone

Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal...

The housing market has turned—at last.

The U.S. finally has moved beyond attention-grabbing predictions from housing "experts" that housing is bottoming. The numbers are now convincing.

Nearly seven years after the housing bubble burst, most indexes of house prices are bending up. "We finally saw some rising home prices," S&P's David Blitzer said a few weeks ago as he reported the first monthly increase in the slow-moving S&P/Case-Shiller house-price data after seven months of declines.

Read more here...

Maximizing space in your garage...courtesty of Yahoo Homes

Does getting something out of your garage involve running an obstacle course or seem more like a treasure hunt? Is your garage like a time capsule of layered storage against the walls? Unless you are the owner of a Garage Mahal, your garage is likely pressed for storage space. Older homes tend to suffer from pre-SUV and single car syndrome which translates into a smaller garage with little to no excess space.  Read more...

June 2012 Real Estate Review

Jenny Bradford off to Olympic Trials!

We're so excited! Team member Brenda Bradford's daughter, Jenny, is going to the Olympic Trials! Congrats and sending you good luck! Check out the schedule on her website below...

http://jennybradford.com/under-2-weeks-to-olympic-trials-round-3/

5 tips for staging your home | Inman News

5 tips for staging your home | Inman News

New Open House Page

Introducing our new Open House Page: www.AllAboutColumbusOhio.com/openhouses.php
be sure to check back often as this page is updated as open houses are put on the schedule.

Also, check out this great home that will be open this weekend:
134 Orchard Ln 1-3pm, Sunday, March 11

For more information, 
(614) 895-7400
Jill@TheRudlerTeam.com 
www.AllAboutColumbusOhio.com

Winter Listings

The Columbus Board of Realtors put out a great article about listing your home in the winter. See an excerpt below:

"It’s that time of year again, which begs the question whether or not it’s necessary to keep a listing on the market during these dreadful, Midwest winter months. Ohio has some of the most unpredictable winters in the nation with snow, sleet, ice, more snow, grey skies and not to mention unseasonal flooding. The one-liner, cowboy comedian Jeff Foxworthy once said, “You know you live in Ohio when you know all the four seasons: winter, still winter, almost winter and construction.”"
Read More