Category Archives: Columbus Ohio

OK, everyone in Columbus, put your thumbs down

Posted on 04/06/2010 | Leave a comment

Blackberry Curve keyboard Columbus City Council just voted to ban texting, as have a number of cities. I don’t disagree with the intent but I’m never quite sure how you legislate against stupidity. Just as dangerous are all the other things we do in our cars beside paying attention to driving. Have you ever turned toward the back seat to yell at the kids? Ever spilled your “special sauce” in your lap and tried to mop it up?

Back to the texting issue, I have some questions that I’ve not heard answered by the media yet. I understand the texting issue, but we do lots of things with this keyboard that don’t constitute “texting”.

Is it OK to dial a phone number?
Will the new law include when we’re sitting at a stop light or in a traffic jam and want to check our email? Do the wheels have to be rolling for it to apply? After all, it’s “texting while DRIVING”.
What about taking a photo?
How will the police know the difference when we’re pushing the keys for making a call vs texting?
Will this cause people to hold the phone below the window line and thus, really take their eyes off the road?

I don’t text while driving, and I wait till I’m at a stop light to place a call, so I don’t think I’ll impacted by the law. I also don’t drive that much within the actual Columbus city limits since much of my driving is in Delaware County or the Franklin County suburbs. Now, if they ever decide to totally ban cell phone use then that’s another matter.

Copyright © 2010. 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.

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Posted in Central Ohio, Columbus Ohio, Franklin County, Technology, Transportation

Tagged central ohio news, texting while driving law

Hey, Columbus! Ohio’s housing market tops the list!

Posted on 01/06/2010 | Leave a comment

Check out this list of Best Housing Markets for 2010 from Housing Predictor. The Top 4 growth cities for 2010 are in Ohio. Cleveland leads the list at 10.4%. Columbus is second at 9.4%.

Not surprising since I’ve been hearing many agents talk about how busy they are, both with buyers and sellers wanting to take advantage of the two Tax Credits. With that increased demand, we “should” see prices begin to rise.

Buyers, if you were waiting for the market to bottom out, you may just have missed it. Call me to help you get your home on the market and buy a new one.

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Posted in Buyers, Central Ohio, Columbus Ohio, Franklin County, Home prices, Homes, Surveys

Tagged 2010 Housing market growth, central ohio real estate market news

Chihuly glass exhibit at Hawk Galleries

Posted on 11/15/2009 | 1 Comment

This afternoon my daughter, granddaughter, their husbands and myself visited the Hawk Galleries at 153 E Main St in downtown Columbus. My granddaughter is an award-winning sculptress and her husband is a graphics designer, so they were interested in seeing the Chihuly glass exhibit that is on display. There were two other designers displayed as well. What these artists have done with glass is absolutely fascinating.

The gallery encourages taking photos so I took my fair share. They lose some clarity with the Internet upload process, but I think they still look pretty good.

BTW, the brownish art piece that we’re standing in front of, had a price tag of $150,000. We couldn’t find a price tag on the colorful chandelier that the four of them are standing underneath. No doubt it’s beyond the “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” category.

We thought the photo of the four of them would make a great Christmas card.

For the best view, click the “Full” screen icon on the lower bar.

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.

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Posted in Central Ohio, Columbus Ohio, Franklin County

Tagged Chihuly glass art, Hawk Galleries

Enjoy your Memorial Day holiday … I plan to

Posted on 05/23/2009 | Leave a comment

Have you made your holiday weekend plans? Or are you staying flexible so you can enjoy last minute fun?

I’m hoping to work in my yard. Haven’t had the chance to do that this year. Every time I’ve thought I’d take a few hours off to do it, I get a phone call that changed my plans. I’ve bought the weed killer and the lawn fertilizer. I have a few annuals to put in, complete with the special soil mix to hold the water.

I may have to dig up some ornamental grasses that didn’t make it through this past harsh winter. Others really need to be divided, but I tried that last year and wasn’t strong enough to get the shovel through the base. Thankfully, I don’t have to mow lawn anymore. That’s my one splurge … I hire it done. It takes them a matter of minutes to do what it took me a good hour and half to do.

Many people may be planning to save money by staying close to home. If you’re looking for some suggestions perhaps some of these previous posts will give you some ideas.

Columbus Zoo and Zoombezi Bay (Powell OH). It’s not free but it’s local and fun for the whole family. My family went there for Mother’s Day and had a great time.

Highbanks Metro Park (Lewis Center OH) is a great place to hike the trails or gather for a family picnic. Stroll through the woods or meander along the Olentangy River. There’s one trail that dogs can walk on, but they can be at the picnic places. Keep them on a leash and of course, pick up the doo-doo.

Alum Creek Reservoir (Lewis Center OH) has something for everyone. There’s a beach, picnic areas, boat launches, camping areas and a dog park with its own beach.

If you just want to relax along water, southern Delaware County has four such waterways: Hoover Reservoir, Alum Creek Reservoir, the Olentangy River, and the Scioto River.

If golfing is more your thing, there are LOTS of opportunities.

If you’re short on time or have only an hour or two, you can visit Hayden Run Falls where you can walk through a wooded area to see the falls, or get a unique view of the Scioto River. You’ll forget that you’re in the heart of a busy city.

If you need a reminder of why we have this 3-day weekend, be sure to read Missy Caulk’s blog post. She has included many great quotes from past politicians when patriotism was perhaps a little more prevalent than it is now. Plus, she honors her son who is now serving in the Navy.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you take some time to recharge your batteries, get re-acquainted with your family, enjoy a little nature, and just RELAX. Oh, and I’ll be the one with the sore muscles come Tuesday.

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Posted in Ballantrae, Brookside Village, Central Ohio, Columbus Ohio, Delaware County, Dublin Ohio, Franklin County, Galena Ohio, Golf course communities, Golf Village, Kinsale, Lewis Center Ohio, Muirfield, Powell Ohio, Scioto Reserve, Water fun, Wedgewood, Worthington Hills, Worthington Ohio

Tagged Alum Creek dog park, Alum Creek Reservoir, central ohio real estate market, Columbus Zoo, Hayden Run Falls, Highbanks metro park

Mother’s Day at the Columbus Zoo in Powell

Posted on 05/10/2009 | Leave a comment

I spent Mother’s Day with half my family at the Columbus Zoo which is located in Powell (map). I hadn’t been to the zoo in eons, so I really enjoyed it since it has undergone so many improvements over the years.

We were hoping to see the new baby elephant but that line was over an hour long. Instead we had a Pizza for the Pachyderms lunch. During the lunch, they showed a video of Phoebe (the new mom) illustrating what a good mom she is by showing how she trains her babies to be elephants. After the lunch, there were door prizes. I happened to win 4 general admission tickets, so I think I’ll give them away at an open house.

If you plan to go to the zoo or Zoombezi Bay, you can go to their web site and get some discounted tickets.

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Posted in Central Ohio, Columbus Ohio, Delaware County, Franklin County, Powell Ohio

Tagged Columbus Zoo

An ear to the ground for central Ohio real estate

Posted on 02/25/2009 | Leave a comment

talking I’m the chair for the CBR’s Tech User Committee. At the start of yesterday’s meeting, I ask the 40-some agents in attendance if their business was thumbs-up, thumbs-down, or were they working with “fence-sitters”. Probably a good half of them indicated a “THUMBS-UP”. They’re busy! A few others said they were working with the fence-sitters. Almost all agents felt that March was going to be a busy month … when the weather is less nasty.

Last night I received an email from the CBR President, giving January statistics for the entire MLS system.

266 fewer homes were sold Jan 2009 vs Jan 2008. The Pres attributed it to the weather and the economy. (remember how bad/cold the weather was in December!)
More than 1,000 homes went into contract during Jan 2009, an indication that sales may be increasing due to the the 1st Time Homebuyer Tax Credit.
In January, there were 17.4% fewer homes for sale than in Jan 2008. That means a major reduction to inventory which is needed to create balance to supply-demand.
The average price of homes sold in Jan was $137,446. This could be due to sales of homes in trouble financially.

Busy Realtors® … low inventory … low interest rates … appealing 1st Time Homebuyer program … flat prices … ALL POSITIVE SIGNS!

I’ve written before how the media tends to put negative spins on stories because people are more apt to read those stories. When they do this, they are really doing a disservice to the industry or people they’re covering. Here’s how a local NBC reporter wrote up the above information. There are so many other headlines she could have chosen that would have better helped the local market of which she represents. And, this is from a station that is currently running a promo of “Where Accuracy Matters”.

We need the media to step up to the plate to help the nation OUT of some of the problems, not continue to propel us downward! OK, I’ll step off my soapbox now.

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Posted in Buyers, Central Ohio, Columbus Ohio, Franklin County, Home buying process, Homes, Homes for sale, Housing stats, Media, Realtors®, Sellers, Television