Monthly Archives: June 2009

Will Hoover Reservoir be YOUR sanctuary?

Central Ohio has two main lakes which are both man-made water reservoirs: Hoover and Alum Creek. For me, Hoover Reservoir is the “quiet one” and Alum Creek is the “bustling one”. Speed boats aren’t permitted on Hoover, so it seems more serene with the sail boats, kayaks, and small fishing boats casually floating by as many birds fly overhead.

On any given nice Saturday or Sunday afternoon, your likely to see bike clubs pedaling their way on the tree-lined roads that circle the lake. Red Bank Rd runs along the east side and Sunbury Rd along the west side. The terrain along the Red Bank side is more rolling and the homes that sit between the road and the lake are often hidden within wooded lots with many have ravines. Homes on the Sunbury Rd side tend to have flat lawns, fewer trees, and more unobstructed views of the lake. They also have more traffic as Sunbury Rd is the primary access to many subdivisions on the west side of the road.

Occasionally, there are luxury homes for sale in this Hoover area. It’s a very desirable location not only because of the views but also because of its easy access to the airport or downtown Columbus (~30 min). People can enjoy spending the day in the city, then come home afterward to their own quiet sanctuary.

Except for the lower southwest side of Hoover Reservoir, the area is serviced by the Big Walnut school district which has a report card rating of Excellent with the Ohio Board of Education. Another advantage to the area are lower tax rates than the neighboring Olentangy school district.

If this area sounds like a place you would like to call home, call me first and I’ll try to help you find the perfect place so you can start enjoying your own personal sanctuary.

Copyright © 2009. Elaine Reese, Real Living HER. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate.com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.

So your Realtor® won’t let you buy the house you want …

As Realtors®, part of our job is to help our clients buy the home they want (assuming the home is within the approved financial means of the client). When we first meet with the home buyer, we talk to them about their basic criteria, their preferred locations, their “need to haves” vs their “want to haves”, and what they absolutely don’t want.

During the physical viewing process, a good agent will listen to the subtle comments a buyer makes as they’re viewing the various homes. Without realizing it, very often the buyer will reveal something about their “feelings” that’s not on the basic list.

I had some relocating buyers a number of years ago where we viewed quite a few homes that met their criteria list, but none of them were “the perfect home”. None had the special set of features that made the buyer want to buy. At the end of the day as we were assessing the homes and making plans for their next trip to the area, the wife said, “I FoyerViewOfBackwant a home that makes me go WOW when I walk in the front door”. Ah-ha! That’s a big clue. That’s what I mean by “feelings”.

So prior to their next visit, I previewed homes that met their basic criteria (on a golf course, 1st flr MBR, under $500K) THEN I looked for the WOW FACTOR. I found it … we viewed the home the following weekend … and they bought it. The view from the front door was of a curved staircase and wall, marble floors, AND a view of the golf course from the special windows in the Great Room.

Now what happens if, as a home buyer, you’re working with an agent that won’t let you buy the home you really want?

I once had a buyer’s agent tell me that although the buyer really liked the home, he wasn’t going to LET her buy it because he thought it was too big for her. SAY WHAT! He told me he had to keep holding her to the initial criteria she gave him and he wasn’t going to allow her change it. He felt she was selecting homes that were larger than what she really needed. In other words, he was deciding what home she should or should not buy based on HIS feelings … not hers.

If I had ever had an agent with that kind of opinion when I was shopping for any of the homes I bought prior to becoming a Realtor®, I would have fired that agent. It’s common for buyers to change or adjust their criteria while they’re viewing homes. It’s a learning process that can and should be allowed to evolve. It’s not uncommon to have a buyer fall in love with a home that met very little of the initial criteria. They fall in love with it because it just “feels” right.

The decision to buy a particular home usually ends up being an emotional one. We choose a home because we can see ourselves living in it. We can imagine where we’ll have our morning coffee, where we’ll relax at the end of the day, how we’ll celebrate holiday dinners, take Sunday afternoon naps, cozy up with a favorite book, etc.

So, pick a home YOU like and don’t let your agent pick one THEY like. This also applies to parents’ opinions … except of course, for my kids … where my opinion does count. :-)

Copyright © 2009. Elaine Reese, Real Living HER. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate.com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.

Murphy responds to doxie-killing cop story

The Murph ask to be a Guest Writer for this post.

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Mom just told me about a tweet from NBC4 regarding a news story about a Danville VA cop shooting an 11-year old miniature dachshund. The officer was serving a warrant at a neighbor’s home when “Killer” began running toward the officer.

Later, Killer’s owner spoke with the officer who by now was leaning against his patrol car, smoking a cigarette. The officer said “he had to shoot the dog because it was BARKING at him.”

For all the trigger-happy cops out there, here’s an instruction manual on miniature doxies:

  • Dachshunds BARK and we do that very, very well. We have what is called a “sharp” bark. That’s so we can be heard when we’re down in the rabbit hole.
  • Miniature doxies aren’t supposed to weigh more than 11 lbs per the AKC standards. You can kick us away … you don’t have to shoot us.
  • We’re called “ankle biters” for a reason. Have you checked out the length of our legs? At best, we’ll tear a hole in your socks.
  • Our teeth aren’t sharp because we’re supposed to retrieve rabbits without harming the pelt.
  • We try really hard to protect our families and therefore, sound the alert to our loved ones. You, Mr. Cop, were an unknown intruder into the neighborhood. Killer was merely warning his family of potential danger. I do the same thing when the meter reader walks by my back door.
  • Killer was 11-years old. That’s 77 in human years. That’s like the cop that tasered the 72-yr old grandma.

I feel sorry for Killer’s family.

I need advice from an arborist or entomologist

This photo is of a Kwansa (sp?) cherry tree. I noticed that one of it’s limbs is bare. Tonight I noticed that the trunk bark is pulled away and there are ¼” holes all along the trunk. I can’t tell if an insect has made the holes or a bird.

This tree isn’t far from my house so I’ve not noticed any birds hanging on the trunk. Other than The Murph, the only critters I’ve seen in the yard are rabbits and a chipmunk. I’m not sure why so much of the bark is pulled away. It only looks like this on the bottom 3-feet of the trunk.

BTW, my yard is fenced and there are no deer. For perspective, that’s The Murph standing behind the tree so as you can tell, the tree isn’t very large.

Can anyone tell me what is attacking this tree?

tree1

Delaware County jobless rate is lowest in Ohio

The Ohio Dept of Job and Family Services has issued Ohio’s jobless rate for April and Delaware County is the lowest in the State at 6.6%. The State rate is 10.2%.

This isn’t too surprising as the southern portion of the county – where most of the population is – is primarily bedroom communities. The residents live here but work elsewhere. According to the Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce, 60% of the county’s workforce actually work outside the county.

Neighboring counties have more jobs and thus higher jobless rates. Franklin County’s rate is 8.1% and Union County, where Scotts-Miracle Gro Co and Honda are located, is 8.4%.

The bedroom communities located in southern Delaware County are Powell, Lewis Center, Galena, Delaware city and a portion of Dublin (Muirfield). Olentangy is the largest school district in the southern part. Portions of Big Walnut SD, Buckeye Valley SD and Delaware SD are also located in the southern portion of the county.

If you would like to live in this great county, give me a call. I live here too and can help you find a terrific home.

Information source is ThisWeekNews.com.

Should home buyers disclose their warts?

Should home buyers be required to provide a Disclosure similar to the Property Disclosure that is required of home sellers? This was a question posed by Jim Crawford, an Atlanta real estate agent in one of his blog posts. So far, the comments to that post have mostly been in support of the concept.

Currently home sellers are required to “tell all” about their homes – warts and all. Buyers have access to this information before they ever decide to write an offer on the home. Buyers can decide on their acceptance -or non acceptance – of those warts.

wartsThere is no such Disclosure required of home buyers. It’s not a level playing field, as Jim says. Should home buyers be required to provide home sellers with a Disclosure about the buyer’s warts BEFORE they decide to enter into a Purchase Contract with that buyer?

In real estate we use the term READY-WILLING-ABLE buyer. Should a Buyer Disclosure provide the seller with proof that the buyer truly is Ready-Willing-Able?

What might a Buyer Disclosure include?

  1. Readiness To Buy
    • Information on whether they have a home to sell first; whether that home is in-contract; the closing/possession date of that home’s contract.
    • If renting, information on lease commitments (month-to-month, 30- or 60-day notices, etc.).
    • Information on whether buyer has committed to a specific lender and will or will not be exploring other lenders for a better deal. (sellers need to know whether it’s a reputable lender since this is so critical to the actual sale of the home)
  2. Ability To Buy
    • Identification of the lender’s company that the buyer has committed to.
    • Information on whether the buyer has provided all required papers to the lender (a yes/no answer).
    • A Pre-Approval Letter that includes the maximum price the lender has approved the buyer to buy. (some buyers have been making offers on homes much higher priced than their approval and this causes later problems for all involved)
    • Identification of any buyer-related contingencies to that Approval (i.e. getting funds for down payment).
    • Information regarding the due dates the lender requires to execute a loan. (i.e. if a lender is taking 45 days to close, the buyer shouldn’t write an offer to close in 30-days)
  3. Willingness To Buy
    • The number of any previous Purchase Contracts entered into by the buyer and general reason as to why those Contracts were not executed. (can indicate financing issues or buyer’s remorse)
    • Identification of the intended inspections the buyer plans to have conducted and the name of the inspection company they plan to use. (will they use Uncle Charlie because he’s good at “fixing” things)
    • Is the buyer aware that they are entering into a legally binding Contract with potential penalties for non-performance?
  4. Awareness of the Home Buying Process
    • Is the buyer aware that they may be asked to forfeit their earnest money to cover the costs the seller incurred as a result of entering into the Contract with the buyer?
    • Is the buyer aware that there are no perfect homes and that all homes require routine home maintenance?
    • Why should the seller enter into a Contract with you? (an essay question)

One of the agents who responded to Jim’s post indicated he is already using a Buyer Disclosure. With Contracts falling out due to the buyer’s inability to secure financing or using a home inspection to get out of a Contract when they have “buyer’s remorse”, these Disclosures may become more customary to level the playing field between sellers and buyers.

Once burnt … twice shy

pay moneyIt may also become more customary for sellers to ask to have the earnest money paid to them if the deal falls apart, in order to cover the expenses they incur to store their furniture, make their own deposits on a new home or temporary housing, etc., plus, the lost opportunity they suffered by having their home off the market. In Jim’s post, I commented that having a seller keep the earnest money can be viewed as a “restocking fee” that some retailers charge when customer’s return merchandise. Adding this Term into the Contract places some risk on the buyer and might minimize the casualness that some buyers have when they enter into a Contract.

The majority of buyers take their home-buying very seriously. They’re excited about buying and thoroughly understand what is taking place. They do all their homework in advance of writing a Purchase Offer. It’s too bad that a few may be ruining it for the honest, truthful, serious READY-WILLING-ABLE buyers.

Copyright © 2009. Elaine Reese, Real Living HER. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate.com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.