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Ohio’s Best Hometowns? Here they are…

January 9th, 2012 Categories: Real Estate

Well, these are Ohio Magazine’s Picks for the best towns in Ohio. Hilliard, Represent!

Best of the Best Hometowns

Here are a few of the reasons why Archbold, Lebanon, Nelsonville, Oberlin and Hilliard are Ohio Magazine Best Hometowns.
Linda Feagler, Christina Ipavec, Jessica Roblin, Jennifer Rogers, Jill Sell and Ilona Westfall

NELSONVILLE

<< Music Festival
Each May, some of the biggest names in music head to theNelsonville Music Festival for one of the summer festival season’s most unique weekends. With past performers including Willie Nelson, the Flaming Lips, Loretta Lynn, Neko Case, George Jones, Wanda Jackson and more, Nelsonville’s event (this year May 18–20) is one of Ohio’s most eclectic. The fest takes place on the campus of Hocking College at Robbins Crossing and is hosted by Stuart’s Opera House. 3301 Hocking Pkwy., Nelsonville 45764, 740/753-1924. nelsonvillefest.org

Degree Program for the Outdoorsy

Hocking College’s Wildlife Resources Management programcouldn’t be taught in a better location than southeast Ohio’s Wayne National Forest near Nelsonville. Students gain strong ecology, conservation and botany knowled
ge. Data collection, population sampling and map reading also give graduates an edge in the wildlife-management job hunt. hocking.edu

View of Autumn’s Colors
Hocking Valley Scenic Railway Foliage Train ride takes passengers on a 22-mile journey through the reds, oranges and yellows of autumn, while providing a narrative about Hocking Valley history as the train glides past historic landmarks such as canal locks and former industrial sites. The 1920s train cars travel just over two hours roundtrip to Logan or Haydenville and stop at Robbins Crossing, the living-history village at Hocking College, providing a leisurely weekend activity each October. 33 W. Canal St., Nelsonville 45764, 740/753-9531. hvsry.org

Historic Sandwich Shop
Nestled in a corner of the 1830 Dew House hotel, the one-room FullBrooks Café’s small size doesn’t match its big sandwich appeal. Freshly made bread-and-meat creations offer a variety of toppings such as hummus and pesto. With a street view of historic shops lining Nelsonville’s square, the lunch stop offers more than a quick bite. 6 Public Square, Nelsonville 45764, 740/753-3391. athensohio.com

Visitor Center
An ideal spot for hiking, Wayne National Forest has 300 miles of trails to explore. The Wayne National Forest Welcome Center ensures visitors get the most out of the 834,000-acre lands sprawling across 12 counties. Places not to miss in Athens County include the Shawnee Tower Lookout, the only remaining 1930s lookout point in Ohio, and the rock shelter of Tinkers Cave. Day trips can be spent hiking, biking, fishing, canoeing and observing wildlife. 13700 U.S. Rte. 33, Nelsonville 45764, 740/753-0101. fs.usda.gov


HILLIARD

<< Restaurant to Taste Ripe Plantains
Long before roasting Chiquita bananas over a campfire became a popular pastime, plantains were steamed, broiled and fried. Nobody does it better than Starliner Diner. The popular squat little banana is your first clue this is not a typical ’50s diner with a jukebox. With a menu that includes Pizza Cubana, Yucatan Marinated Chicken Breast and Mexican Chorizo, the restaurant’s fare leans toward Hispanic and anything south of the border. But there are American folk art murals on the wall and an atmosphere where the 1960s hippie scene meets the local Chamber of Commerce. Locals love it, and we would fill our sombreros with the cilantro lime dressing if we could take it home.5240 Cemetery Rd., Hilliard 43206, 614/529-1198.starlinerdiner.com

Reason to Appreciate Modern Voting Booths
The voting wagon displayed at Historical Village at Weaver Park in Hilliard is typical of the mobile polls that were pulled by horse or tractor from 1880 to 1940. Old wagons were often retired to back yards. Many homeowners thought they just had an old tin shed on their property until they discovered four wheels, sunk long ago into the ground. franklincountyohiohistory.org

Place to See TV Dinosaurs
The years 1928 to 1955 may not all be the Golden Age of Television, but it was certainly a time of important broadcast innovations. Visitors to the Early Television Museum see sets primarily from those years, including mechanical televisions (those without picture tubes), itty bitty screens and the first color offerings. Hundreds of televisions are on display, including do-it-yourself kit TVs that were housed in homemade cabinets. The TVs come from across the globe and, according to museum attendant Larry McIntyre, many still work. 5396 Franklin St., Hilliard 43206, 614/771-0510. earlytelevision.org

Religious Outreach
Only about 30 percent of the activities at the Noor Islamic Cultural Center are strictly or officially “religious.” Completed in 2006, the center also serves as a community gathering place, educational facility, art gallery, sanctuary and a beautiful setting for weddings. Under the guidance of Khaled A. Farag, the director of outreach programs and one of the center’s founders, activities reflect more than 40 different cultures in the region. Wishing for transparency in both the physical and political senses, the center’s huge windows encourage sunlight and observations from the local community. 5001 Wilcox Rd., Hilliard 43016, 614/527-7777.

Community That Loves Its Police Dogs
When the City of Hilliard’s Division of Police recently retired Brix, its beloved police dog, with full honors, the city was without a K-9 unit. The division went to residents and businesses to raise the $11,000 it needed for a trained police dog and equipment. According to Chief of Police J. Douglas Francis, about $34,000 was collected in less than eight weeks. That generosity allowed for the purchase of three Belgian Malinois shepherd dogs named Erko, Eros and Oz, along with maybe a few dog bones.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE OTHER THREE BEST HOMETOWNS AT OHIO MAGAZINE.COM

The Top Ten Highest Home Sales in Franklin County in 2011

January 6th, 2012 Categories: Real Estate

In 2011, the breakdown of Million Dollar Columbus Homes saw 1 sale in Westerville, 1 in Upper Arlington, 2 in Dublin, 3 in Columbus, 4 in Bexley and 22 in New Albany.

In 2011, the breakdown of Million Dollar Columbus Homes saw 1 sale in Westerville, 1 in Upper Arlington, 2 in Dublin, 3 in Columbus, 4 in Bexley and 22 in New Albany.

A whopping 281 homes sold in Franklin county for a sales price above $500,000 in 2011. What will North of half a million dollars get you in and Greater Columbus? On average, about 4 bedrooms and 3 baths in around 4741 square feet.

Thirty-One of those 2011 home sales were at least $1Million or more which puts you at about 5 beds, 5 baths and just over 7500 sf.  Surprisingly, the average days on market for were a mere 190 days — though on average they sold for only 85% of list price.

Surely our friends moving to Columbus from the East or West coast are salivating at that kind of space at prices they’d consider values, but in Central Ohio, $1MM is a lot of money.

All three Columbus homes that sold for for more than $1,000,000 were in German Village, 2 of them were on Deshler across from Schiller Park.

As we remember that cost may have nothing to do with quality or character, here are the cream of the most expensive home sales crop in greater Columbus for 2011:

2012-01-05_2342

Happy New Year Columbus

January 2nd, 2012 Categories: Real Estate

CIMG07072011 was a fantastic year for my family and I personally and professionally.  I’m looking forward to a better 2012 in many respects.

Thanks for coming here, reading this and allowing me to do what I wake up every day eager to pursue. I’m hoping to make the time to write more often this year…about my clients, our real estate markets here in Columbus and first ring suburbs and my day to day. More misc. thoughts, more photo and video captures of being a realtor in Columbus, Ohio and more knowledge and advice shared from me to you so that you and your friends can make better, more informed decisions.

Happy New Year to you and yours.

Sales up for 5th month, 20% fewer homes on market than in 2010

December 21st, 2011 Categories: Real Estate, buyers, market updates, sellers

IMG_0282This Morning’s Press Release from the Central Ohio Board of Realtors:

Home sales remain elevated in central Ohio

(Dec. 21, 2011) November marks the fifth consecutive month of increased home sales in central Ohio this year after the first half of the year struggled to keep up with increased sales from 2010 due to the home buyer tax credits. According to the Columbus Board of REALTORS®, 1,406 homes sold in November which is seven percent more than the previous year.

Additionally, the number of residential homes scheduled to close was up over 37 percent, from 1,341 last year to 1,843 last month (November 2011).

“We’re finding that sellers recognize the challenges of today’s market and are realistically pricing their homes to sell,” says Rick Benjamin, 2011 President of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. “Buyers are responding well to the pricing and, of course, the record low interest rates. It’s still a great time to buy a home.”

Homes in central Ohio this year have sold for an average of $157,032, down 2.5 percent from the average sale price in 2010, but up over five percent from the average sale price in the first quarter of 2011. The average price of a home sold in November was $153,673, up 3.1 percent from the previous month ($149,082).

The number of homes listed for sale last month (1,949) is 20 percent less than listings added to the market in November 2010 (2,439). The total inventory of homes available for sale in central Ohio was 12,675 at the end of November, which is down 27.5 percent from one year ago. <– That’s the key phrase and why things are normalizing.

As a result, the month’s supply, a measure of inventory that estimates how many months it would take to sell the entire home inventory, fell 28.5 percent to 7.4, down from 10.3 last year.

“A healthy months supply for our market would be around 6.5. So the decrease in inventory is a positive sign of market recovery,” adds Benjamin. “Plus, based on the concept of supply and demand, when we have too many homes on the market, homes are more likely to sell for less.”

Click here to view the November sortable housing market report by area.

Click here to view the entire central Ohio Local Market Update.

The Homestead Exemption in Franklin County – What is it?

December 10th, 2011 Categories: Real Estate

PICT0005The homestead exemption is a statewide program administered by the County Auditor that offers qualifying homeowners a reduction on their real property or manufactured home taxes. Senior citizens and permanently and totally disabled homeowners may reduce their property tax burden by shielding some of the market value of their home from taxation.

The primary responsibilities of the homestead section are to assist taxpayers with the homestead exemption application process as well as maintain and update existing application records. There were 53,030 homeowners in Franklin County who received the credit for 2009 real property taxes and 859 manufactured home owners who received the credit for 2010 mobile home taxes, for a total savings of $27,208,382.30 during calendar year 2010.

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