Have paperwork in order in case worst happens

November 24, 2018

Over this last year I have spoken repeatedly about being prepared to sell or buy a home. There are many things you can do to prepare a house to sell, or prepare yourself to buy, but are you prepared to sell your home if you weren’t alive? Throughout my Realtor career, some of the hardest conversations I have had were with survivors after a spouse or parent or even child has died. Once the shock wears off, the “business aspects” of selling the house must be addressed. If the family hadn’t prepared in advance, this can be a bigger shock than the survivors ever imagined. I ask ...

Consider learning about a reverse mortgage

November 17, 2018

We are all taught to save money throughout our lives. “Save for a rainy day” or “save for retirement” are phrases I remember from my parents. They lived through the Great Depression and World War II, and learned early that having a nest egg of money is essential in getting through the hard times. Many studies today show that while people have a pension and / or social security income when they retire, one of the largest single sources of wealth is the value of their home. As Realtors, we are very aware of the potential tax benefits of home ownership, and we know that home ...

Tips to make fall easier

November 10, 2018

It is hard to imagine a season prettier than the fall. For a brief fleeting time, the rich, bright colors of a burning bush in your yard or a hillside emblazoned with the foliage changing are satisfying and gorgeous — until you have to clean up those leaves. Fall also offers challenges to Realtors, buyers and sellers. The waning daylight makes showing and seeing homes more difficult, and transitioning a home from open windows and manicured lawns to plowed and salted walkways makes keeping a house at its “showing best” a real challenge. First, be sure the outside is prepared for ...

Is building a new home the right choice?

October 27, 2018

So you and your Realtor look diligently at every new home on the market that might fill your needs, and still have found nothing. You scour every website, newspaper, homes magazine, and even drive through neighborhoods you like, and still nothing suits you. Have you asked your Realtor to check into new construction? Have you considered a large addition or remodel of a home you saw? The perfect home might just be an addition, remodel or new build away, and your Realtor can help. First, ask them about homes they show and sell, and if they know who built them. Good (and bad) builders ...

Issue 1 removes person’s motivation to get clean

October 14, 2018

Proponents of Issue 1 believe Ohio can solve substance addiction by essentially decriminalizing the possession of any drug of abuse of less than 20 grams by reducing possession to a misdemeanor and by limiting jail sentences for probation violations. But the truth is a drug offender’s involvement in the criminal justice system can present a meaningful opportunity for recovery through Ohio’s drug treatment courts. Anyone who has watched as a loved one battles substance addiction knows recovery will not occur until there is a rock bottom. Sadly, addicts will have to crash their life ...

Tips for selling a home in winter

October 13, 2018

Winter will be here before you know it and it is already cold outside. I am out there daily showing homes with hundreds of other Realtors in the Valley. Don’t tell me homes don’t sell in the winter. If a buyer is willing to trudge out in 10-degree weather and 6 inches of snow, that buyer is serious. So one day I got a call from one of my snowbird sellers asking for a report, and I realized that you should hear that report too: “Mr. Seller, thank you for having the snow shoveled. The buyer saw six homes today, and according to their agent, four of them were deep in ...