Real Estate Information

by Jo-Anne LaBuda

Unfortunately there are people who are taking advantage of homeowners who are
facing foreclosure.  If you are not able to make mortgage payments now or feel
that it is a possibility in the future, the first call should be to your
mortgage lender/holder.  Find out if they will work with you to set up a
payment plan so that you can stay in your home.  If foreclosure is imminent or
you think you might be able to qualify for a short sale, call a Realtor that
you KNOW you can trust and talk with him or her about your options as far as
selling your property.

Call a Realtor that sells a lot of homes in your area.  Ask your neighbors who
they have worked with.  You want someone who knows your area well, has sold a
lot of homes in your area, is trustworthy (first and foremost) and has been
involved in short sales and foreclosures.

If anyone wants a fee because they will "rescue" you from foreclosure, talk to
your Realtor and/or Mortgage lender first.  Or you can call us or one of the
numbers below and we will refer you to a Realtor.

According to the "Columbus Dispatch" here are some tips to avoid a foreclosure
scam.

• Make payments only to your mortgage broker or lender/holder.
• Do not sign your deed unless you are signing over your house.
• Contact the Better Business Burea or attorney general's office to see if there
  have been prior complaints about the company you are talking with.
• Get all promises, information in writing.
• Do not give out your personal information espectially your social security number.
• Read carefully and understand what you are signing.
  
  Here are some nonprofit agencies you can call to help you should you be possibly facing
  foreclosure.  Each is approved by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.
• Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Columbus.  614-552-2222 or www.cccservices.com.
• Columbus Housing Partnership, Inc.  -  614-221-9990 or www.chpcolumbus.org.
• Homes on the Hill -  614-275-4663or www.hoth-cdc.org.
• Columbus Urban League - 614-257-6400 or  www.cul.org.
• Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission - 614-228-2663 or www.morpc.org.
• Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People - 216-361-0718 or www.esop-cleveland.org.

I know you have heard this many times in the past year or so but IT IS AND IT IS RIGHT NOW!

Mortgage rates are at an all time low, the economy is improving and home prices are as low as they, by all economic indicators, are going to get.

If you are an investor and can fix up and hold a property for apporximately 11-12 months and the price is over $200,000, do it now.  If you an investor and wish to purchase a property at $200,000 or less and can have it ready to market in 30-60 days, do it now!  If you are a first time buyer, take advantage of the stimulus $8,000 credit-- BUY NOW!  If you are buying "up" to a higher price range, talk to your Realtor, now may be the time.

If you fall into another category, keep your eyes on our blog and columbusnorth.com and we'll keep you posted!!! Please contact me at 614-264-8906 or at jlabuda@kw.com I'd love to chat with you about real estate.

Recently a person called our real estate hotline to inquire about renting a home that we have for sale.  She found the rental llisting on an all-inclusive internet site that includes homes for rent or sale, personal items for sale, personals, etc.

The property she inquired about was for sale and not for rent and had not been put on this internet list/site by us nor the owners.

We began researching what was going on and the woman that called was nice enought to contact us and alert us to a scam.  Several other potential renters did the same as the day progressed.

We were able to track down a person from a foreign country who was taking homes that were legitimately "for sale" on " homes for sale" websites and putting put them on an internet site for rent.  We are not sure how this party made money from innocent people but are sure that money or something even more was to be gained illegally.

Please do not pay fees in advance to anyone, meet at a property, or do anything to jeopardize yourself or your money. Always research who you are going to do business with. 

We found out that this has become a common scam.  The internet site carriers are aware of these scams as well as the FCC and are doing everything possible to protect the public. 

by Erin LaBuda

Well, I went.  Huntington Park, Saturday night's game - perfect weather, great crowd, nice seats, reasonable admission prices - quite an improvement from old Clipper Stadium. 

If I have any "beef" about the new park it is the big league pricing on food and  beverages...I mean, when I go to Chicago to a Cubs game, $6.00 for a bottle of beer is an expection; when I go to Huntington Park and buy my ticket for $8.50 (which is awesome) spending $6.00 on a beer and $3.00 on a frank (not even a "ballpark" jumbo frank nonetheless) it feels like gouging.   

BUT, if that is the only negative I would say my review of the new park is glowing.  I sat in the bleachers where we had a nice view of the game and the park, I had plenty of room and the crowd was fun without being obnoxious.  The facilities were immaculate and the concessions (once you figured out that all of the carts had much of the same options as the main concession area) moved at a relatively quick pace.  The view of downtown from the north and west side of the stadium is great and the new ballpark is sure to bring suburban Columbus downtown - which is a wonderful thing, if you ask me...Overall, my experience was great and I will be going back.  Next time, though, I may have a dog and a beer at home before opening pitch!

by Lynn Nadler

The Worthington School District will be on the ballot on May 5, 2009 for an operating levy.  It has been 5 years since the approval of a School levy.   During that time the district has reduced some programs and added to others.  Student enrollment has continued to decline but appears to have leveled off with an increase in enrollment being observed in the lower grades.  The District has made over $11 million in budget cuts over the last three years and has reduced the size of the teaching staff.

The School Board has made a commitment to make this levy last for three years.  The purpose of this levy is to pay for day-to-day expenses of the district, which include teachers salaries and benefits which make up almost 87% of the budget.

According to the District Treasurer, Jeff McCuen, if the levy is approved it will cost homeowners an addiitional $226 in taxes per $100,000 home valuation.   The levy will generate approxiately $13 million per year for the district.

For additional information, please visit the website  www.celebrateworthington.org or contact the group Educate Worthington for additional views.

As Spring approaches the threat of severe weather increases.  Now is a good time to consider how to be prepared in case of tornadoes or other kinds of severe weather.  The National Weather Association has a number of suggestions to help households be prepared and safe. 

First, have a plan for the home including a place to take shelter and a designated out-of-area contact for family check-ins.  Secondly,  have an emergency kit prepared which should include at a minimum water, a change of clothes, blankets, a first aid kit, cash or credit cards, a flashlight. and additional batteries. Also, remember to keep important papers in a fireproof, waterproof container.  Next, purchase a weather radio in order to keep up to date on changes in weather bulletins and announcements.  Finally, remember to unplug all unnecessary appliances and the AC unit during the storm to protect them from power surges.

Being prepared is the best way to stay safe!

by Jo-Anne LaBuda

The sun is finally out in Columbus, Ohio!!  It's been a gray winter and there probably is a little left after the forsythia bloom but the trees are budding and Spring is just around the corner.
This applies not only to the weather but to the housing market.  There are a lot of great things going on for buyers and sellers in Columbus, OH this year.  Columbus is affordable!  Great homes are available!  Terrific Great Rate Finaincing is available!  There is an $8000.00 credit for first time home buyers!

Columbus didn't have the big "swings" in prices that areas that  Florida, California, Las Vegas did and so we were not "hit" as violently with the bursting bubble as those areas.  It is my feeling that we will see a slight rise in prices this year and a drop in inventory.  If you are a buyer, it is
time to call us and begin looking  for your new home.  We help families and individuals with new builds and re-sales and have a lot of great advice and years of experience to help buyers make the right choice for their future.

Sellers, it's time to call us so we can advise you on how to get your property ready for the spring market (which is here) to get the highest price possible.

Give us a call on our hotline 614-421-9111.  We'll work hard to make you happy!!

by Jo-Anne LaBuda

A few months ago our coach at the office suggested we all get into social networking such as "Facebook","Twitter", "Linkden".  At the time I thought that I was way too busy and not interested.  I spent some time clicking the "ignore" button as "Facebook" and the other sites had people who I didn't know.

Not that long ago I decided "what the heck" and filled in a profile.  (Looking back , I shouldn't have filled in the year I was born but once someone saw my picture, it was clearly evident that I'm a "Baby Boomer",  so who was I kidding?)  My real estate coach has taught classes on "Social Networking" and suggested that her clients get involved.  Still I thought, "too much time and for what purpose?"  Slowly but surely I have moved on from looking at pictures of my daughters and
friend's grandchildren's pictures.

At about 6:00 AM this morming, I started looking for old friends, friends of old friends, posting messages about Easter peep's to old friends, kids of friends... oh Lord... I'm hooked.  I have real estate work to do today so I'm going to go do it.  It's just paperwork though today so if I go fast.... I can see if that friend of mine who was married 4 times, made it a 5th.
Gotta go...
(What is tweeting?)

by Jo-Anne LaBuda

FORBES magazine lists COLUMBUS, OHIO as the 6th most affordable city in the
U.S.!!

"Forbes" magazine (2/2/09 article by Matt Woolsey) was named as the 6th most affordable city in the U.S. with according to "Forbes", a median home price of $126,500 and median family income of $65,300.  So not only is it a wonderful and fun place to live and loaded with great people but it is also one of best places to purchase a home.  Add that to my personal feeling that Columbus prices are going to rise this year.

Here are the other 9 cities sited by "Forbes":
10. Chattanooga, TN
9.   Knoxville, Tn
8.  Greensboro NC
7.  Pittsburgh, PA
6.  Columbus OH
5.  Louisville KY
4.  Rochester NY
3   Buffalo NY
2   Syracuse NY
1   Binghamton NY

Go to www.forbes.com to read more.

If you are interested in real estate in Columbus, OH, please call us. If you are thinking of buying real estate in any of the above cities or anywhere in U.S. or Canada, we have Realtors who will do an outstanding job helping you find a primary or second home.

 by Lynn Nadler

Some good news for Columbus and surrounding areas is that in 2008,  Franklin County alone   added more people that did the entire state of Ohio.  Continuing with that trend, Delaware County's population grew by 50% between 2000 and 2008.  Together these two countines added 16,800 people between July 2007 and July 2008.

According to Nancy Reger, a demographer , "Central Ohio is younger than a lot of the rest of the state.  There are still jobs here.  There's no place better.  Why leave Columbus."  The  numbers show that central Ohio jobs are attracting young people and keeping them here.

This is good news for not just the Real Estate market, but great for retail, restaurants, etc.  As the area grows so do the number of consumers.