Category Archives: Delaware Ohio

Articles about Delaware Ohio

NEW LISTING – Do you work in Polaris, Powell or Dublin?

Posted on 05/01/2012 | Leave a comment

This charming home is located south of Delaware in Stratford Woods, making it very convenient to shopping, entertainment or employment in Dublin, Powell or the Polaris area. You’ll also love getting a lot of living space at a very reasonable price … it’s only $199,900 for total living space of 2,855 sq ft (includes lower level).

Enjoy evenings on your paver patio on a quiet side street overlooking your large sloped lawn. It’s perfect for BBQ’s. During cooler times, move the party inside to the fantastic finished lower level with a wet bar. At formal holidays, there is a formal dining room next to a formal living room. The island kitchen has plenty of space for helping hands, no matter the season. Plus, there’s a good-sized area for casual dining.

Upstairs are 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths and a laundry with a wall ironing board. The owner’s suite is vaulted with plant ledges. The owner’s bath has a jetted tub, shower stall and walk-in closet. It’s well located away from the other bedrooms for added privacy.

Give me a call if you would like more info on this terrific home.

Click for Google map

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Posted in Buyers, Central Ohio, Delaware County, Delaware Ohio, Elaine's Listings, Homes, Homes for sale, Powell Ohio

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1 Qtr Home Sales Results for Central Ohio

Posted on 04/09/2012 | Leave a comment

Enough days have passed since the end of the first quarter, that I can now look at the real estate home sale results. Generally the results are pretty positive when compared with the 1st Quarter 2011. Most school districts realized an increase in the number of homes sold, and many also benefitted from higher average prices as well. Remember, when considering higher prices, that doesn’t mean that any given home will receive more money, it merely means the average of the prices the buyers CHOSE to buy was higher. In a way, that can be good since it may indicate that buyers are in better financial positions when they finally decide to buy.

1st Qtr Home Sales *
School 2011
#		 2012
#		 %
Chg		 2011
Avg $		 2012
Avg $		 %
Chg
New Albany 52 54 +3.8% $411,688 $449,190 +9.1%
Dublin 72 96 +33.3% $340,516 $352,136 +3.4%
Olentangy (Rt 23 west) 74 74 0.0% $381,090 $345,315 -9.4%
Olentangy (Rt 23 east) 56 81 +44.6% $288,849 $300,727 +4.1%
Big Walnut 32 24 -25.0% $236,814 $261,066 +10.2%
Worthington 66 99 +50.0% $237,233 $225,191 -5.1%
Westerville 113 110 -2.6% $213,378 $202,877 -4.9%
Buckeye Valley 16 23 +43.7% $297,196 $223,175 -24.9%
Hilliard 115 105 -8.7% $212,216 $192,141 -9.5%
Marysville 34 33 -2.9% $190,209 $159,350 -16.2%
Delaware 36 60 +66.7% $142,931 $149,411 +4.5%

* Data does not include homes sold as REO, foreclosure or short sale.

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Posted in Central Ohio, Delaware County, Delaware Ohio, Dublin Ohio, Franklin County, Galena Ohio, Hilliard Ohio, Home prices, Homes, Housing stats, Lewis Center Ohio, Powell Ohio, Worthington Ohio

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Spring Landscaping Ideas

Posted on 04/09/2012 | Leave a comment

pierus japonicusIf you’re making some landscape plans this spring and would like an interesting plant, I recommend the “Lily of the Valley” shrub (Pieris japonica). It’s colorful year-round and is ever-changing its colors. New leaves are burgundy and contrast nicely with the light-green older leaves. Year round it has flower fronds that resemble lily-of-the-valley flowers.

The plant in the photo is near my front door so it’s easily seen. The way it looks now is pretty much the way it looked all winter long – although our winter was very mild. If you click on the above botanical name link, you can read more details on Monrovia’s website.

Spice ViburnumOther plants that I’m really enjoying – and also in the front yard near the sidewalk – are Spice Viburnums. The flowers have been open a few days now but they’ll soon go away. As the name indicates, the flowers are a very spicy fragrance, similar to a hyacinth. I recommend putting the plants where you will be able to enjoy the fragrance. Around a patio would be perfect, since the shrubs also provide a nice screen.

Eventually small berries appear where the flowers were, but the birds will soon clean them off the branches. I have a bird feeder nearby, so the birds love to use these shrubs as quick cover because they’re so dense. The shrubs in the photo are about 4-ft tall and are several years old – so they’re slow growers. A word of caution … rabbits like to eat the lower leaves and will stand on their hind legs to do so!

There are several varieties of viburnums but the flowers on other types aren’t as fragrant. I have three leather-leaf viburnums in the backyard for high screening. They’re much larger plants and faster growing, but the flowers aren’t very fragrant. The berries are larger and the birds REALLY like them. The rabbits eat the bottom leaves on those plants as well. Wascally Wabbits!

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Posted in Central Ohio, Delaware County, Delaware Ohio, Landscape

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Our Tax Rates Keep Going Up … Surprised?

Posted on 03/09/2012 | Leave a comment

Every year after the local property tax rates are published on the Auditor’s web site, I update a tax graph that compares the various rates for nearby school districts. I frequently get questions or requests from readers regarding these graphs.

Well, I just updated the graph again and this year there were some noticeable changes in the districts’ relationships with each other. Most noticeable is that the top tax rate is now approaching $100 (that’s per $1000 of assessed value). For all prior years, New Albany had the highest tax rate by far. Now the Hilliard district is higher than New Albany’s. There are other changes as well. For comparison, view the graph I posted a year ago to see how much things have changed. View 2011 graph.

2012 Tax Rates by Central Ohio School District

2012 central ohio tax rates by school district

Click to enlarge. Note that the base is at $20 not $0

NOTE: On March 6, Westerville approved a school levy. I doubt that the increase of that levy has been incorporated into the Auditor’s web site data at this writing.

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Posted in Central Ohio, Delaware County, Delaware Ohio, Dublin Ohio, Franklin County, Galena Ohio, Hilliard Ohio, Lewis Center Ohio, Powell Ohio, Schools, Worthington Ohio

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A Decade of Home Sales in Central Ohio

Posted on 01/03/2012 | Leave a comment

The end of the year means it’s time to look back to see how we did in our local real estate market. Average prices of single-family homes “seem” to have turned the corner in most school districts – some moreso than others.

2002-2011 Avg Prices homes sold for Jan-Dec in central Ohio

Click graph to enlarge, then click again

The discouraging news is the severe downfall in the number of homes sold since 2009. The data for the years 2010 and 2011 includes only “normal” sales and does not include homes sold as a short-sale or REO-owned.

2002-2011 No Homes Sold Jan Dec in central Ohio

Click to enlarge, then click again

Having the real estate industry get back on its feet is critical to improving the employment rate since the NAR has calculated that one job is created for every 2-3 homes sold. Additionally, people need full-time jobs and decent paying jobs in order to afford a home. Gov Kasich has been laser focused to keep companies in Ohio or bring new businesses here. As such, the state’s unemployment rate has declined since he took office and that may be reflected in the uptick of the number of homes sold in 2011. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see number of homes sold continue to increase for 2012.

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Posted in Central Ohio, Delaware County, Delaware Ohio, Dublin Ohio, Franklin County, Galena Ohio, Hilliard Ohio, Home prices, Homes, Housing stats, Worthington Ohio

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Happy Thanksgiving to your family

Posted on 11/21/2011 | Leave a comment

thanksgivingThis is Thanksgiving Week AND it’s OSU-Mich week. If you’re in to shopping, it’s also Black Friday week. Since I’m one of those people who hate shopping, there is NO WAY I would ever go to a store on Friday.

My family has reached the point where we must coordinate Thanksgiving dinners around other grandmas, other in-laws and other “might-be-in-laws-someday”. Bottom line, this year dinner is at my house on Saturday – the day of THE GAME.

This week will be spent getting everything ready … cleaning and planning groceries. My cupboards and fridge are mostly empty throughout the year because I nuke my food. That means I must buy fresh stuff like flour, brown sugar and spices. My girls always check the expiration date because they know I don’t cook or bake anymore.

We don’t do turkey, but prefer a ham from City BBQ. They are so good, we inhale the whole thing. I am also charged with fixing scalloped oysters for my sons-in-law and myself. One of my sons-in-law is a great baker of pies (as well as a great BBQ cook) so his job is to fix a pecan pie or two. My daughters will be fixing the salads, candied yams, and of course, green bean casserole. Naturally there will be other snacks and goodies as well. Hasn’t it been estimated that at the typical Thanksgiving dinner,  people eat between 3,000-5,000 calories?

I’m sure this year the Thanksgiving prayer will include thankfulness that we have jobs, have roofs over our heads, food on the table and that we’re all healthy. Yes, like others, we have recent college grads that aren’t working in their profession and we have others that are working two jobs to pay all the bills, but so far we’re OK, and I’m thankful for that. The main thing is that we have each other. I hope your family can enjoy the holiday.

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Posted in Central Ohio, Delaware County, Delaware Ohio, OSU Buckeyes, Powell Ohio

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