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  <title>Eric's Blog</title>
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  <id>http://activerain.com/blogs/eransom</id>
  <updated>2008-04-30T07:47:58Z</updated>
  <author>
    <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
  </author>
  <entry>
    <title>The Grass is Greener in the Columbus Real Estate Market</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/490329/The-Grass-is-Greener" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/490329/The-Grass-is-Greener</id>
    <updated>2008-04-30T07:47:58Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;No, I am not talking about the long green grass we all have been mowing twice a week lately!&amp;nbsp; I am talking about the Columbus Housing Market and some of the positives which seem to be repeatedly overlooked by the media bent on highlighting the negatives of our industry&amp;#39;s downturn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recently, &lt;a href="http://www.columbusrealtors.com/" target="_blank"&gt;The Columbus Board of Realtors&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.chpcolumbus.org/" target="_blank"&gt;The Columbus Housing Partnership&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="http://www.biahomebuilders.com/" target="_blank"&gt;The Building Industry of Central Ohio&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;have united to get the word out to the public about all the good things happening in the Columbus housing market.&amp;nbsp; Through &amp;quot;The Grass is Greener Here&amp;quot; Campaign these organizations aim to inform the public about the reality of our current market through the following core points:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Columbus, Ohio housing market is healthy and stable&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;It is a great time to buy&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Low interest rates are helping to keep the market strong&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;There are many reasons to be optimistic&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Waiting too long to get a good deal could cost Homebuyers in the end&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Buyers and Sellers should talk to market experts and not allow the media to direct their housing plans&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Homeownership is still a great investment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbushousingfacts.com/" target="_blank"&gt;The Grass is Greener Here &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;to get detailed information on each of these points and gain some insight into the Central Ohio Housing Market.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I will agree that the market has been tougher than in some of the glory days of the past, but homes are selling and Buyers are buying.&amp;nbsp; The national media can not be all wrong, but it is critical to remember that real estate is very much a local business.&amp;nbsp; There are always areas experiencing declines while others are seeing strong markets.&amp;nbsp; Making generalizations on a national scale can be dangerous and serve to further erode confidence. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If Buying or Selling a home in the Columbus area may be in your future, get the facts, get a good real estate professional and get moving!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>What is better for business than a handwritten note?</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/374694/What-is-better-for" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/374694/What-is-better-for</id>
    <updated>2008-02-11T08:12:31Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Having been in the real estate business for over 10 years now, I take pride in looking back at all of the repeat and &lt;a href="http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/advertising/a/aa020203a.htm" target="_blank"&gt;referral business&lt;/a&gt; we have been able to receive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Certainly a large part of this is due to the fact that we work tirelessly to do an exemplary job for our clients and to always represent their best interests.&amp;nbsp; Another component, however, is just being at the top of someone&amp;#39;s mind when they or someone they know needs a real estate professional.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With over 7,000 Realtors in the &lt;a href="http://www.columbusrealtors.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Columbus Board of Realtors&lt;/a&gt;, it is easy to get lost in the shuffle.&amp;nbsp; In the past we have tried many ways to let our clients and friends know how important they are to our business success.&amp;nbsp;A few include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Giving away free pumpkins at Halloween &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Delivering poinsettias at Christmas &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hosting community garage sales &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Serving as a referral source for contractors, financing, movers, etc. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Regular direct mail communications to our friends, family and clients &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Doing business with those you know or those referred to you is typically a win-win for all parties.&amp;nbsp; The trust factor is high, expectations have often been established in advance, and generally the parties are apt to enjoy being in business together.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We all ask for referrals for the services we use be it a doctor, lawyer, insurance agent, car dealer, financial planner or otherwise.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our most recent discovery in an effort to maintain contact with a growing group of contacts is perhaps our most exciting.&amp;nbsp; We have discovered an inexpensive and convenient way to send high quality, &lt;a href="http://www.sendoutcards.com/ransom" target="_blank"&gt;personalized greeting cards&lt;/a&gt; and postcards, through the mail, from the convenience of our laptop or desktop computers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.sendoutcards.com/ransom" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/9/9/7/8/ar120273891487992.png" height="64" alt=" " width="304" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This tool is a perfect fit for anyone wanting a unique way to stay in touch with friends, family or business contacts. It allows us a user friendly way to manage our contacts and never forget a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would be interested in this type of service, feel free to &lt;a href="http://www.sendoutcard.com/ransom" target="_blank"&gt;send out a card on us&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; We would love to hear your feedback on this&amp;nbsp;system and how it might be of benefit to you.&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>So You Want To Be A Real Estate Investor? - Part 2</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/302003/So-You-Want-To" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/302003/So-You-Want-To</id>
    <updated>2007-12-10T09:10:51Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;In my last post I discussed the ins and outs of investing in real estate by renovating and re-selling properties to realize a short term profit.&amp;nbsp; Today let&amp;#39;s look at the concept of &lt;a href="http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/RealEstate/HowToFindGoodInvestmentProperty.aspx" target="_blank"&gt;investing in rental properties&lt;/a&gt; as a longer term strategy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In recent years, many a client has come to me considering this avenue.&amp;nbsp; Ups and downs in the stock market, high housing inventory and low interest rates can make income producing properties a good option.&amp;nbsp; If you are considering the purchase of rental property, here are a few things to consider.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;How much money do you have to invest? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What are your objectives? (i.e. long term equity growth, short term cash flow, etc.) &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Will you self manage the property or properties? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What are the tax ramifications of your strategy? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Is your spouse or partner on board with the plan? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/7/4/4/9/ar119729936894471.jpg" height="240" alt=" " width="240" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/12/03/so-you-want-to-be-a-real-estate-investor-part-2/" target="_blank"&gt;more......&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>So You Want To Be A Real Estate Investor? - Part 1</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/285781/So-You-Want-To" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/285781/So-You-Want-To</id>
    <updated>2007-11-26T10:57:13Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;With all of the press about the Columbus real estate market, foreclosures, mortgage crises, etc., it is no wonder many folks are jumping on the bandwagon to take advantage of opportunities a down market often provides.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In my humble opinion, real estate is a great investment, especially in a market where properties may be purchased at truly &amp;quot;wholesale&amp;quot; prices.&amp;nbsp; If you are &lt;a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Beginners-Guide-to-Flipping-Houses&amp;amp;id=4317" target="_blank"&gt;new to the world of investing&lt;/a&gt; in real estate, however, there are a number if things you should consider and understand before diving in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the sake of this post we will discuss the concept many &amp;quot;flippers&amp;quot; are focused on which is purchasing and renovating properties to re-sell at a profit.&amp;nbsp; Part 2 of this post will focus on acquisition of income producing rental properties.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I use the term &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipping" target="_blank"&gt;&amp;quot;flipping&amp;quot;&lt;/a&gt; cautiously as it can have negative connotations tied to &lt;a href="http://www.flippingfrenzy.com/" target="_blank"&gt;scams&lt;/a&gt; involving fraudulent lenders and appraisers over valuing properties and taking advantage of Buyers.&amp;nbsp; Here it simply refers to buying a property below market, making improvements and selling for a profit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/3/8/1/5/ar119609612051834.jpg" height="300" alt=" " width="224" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/11/26/so-you-want-to-be-real-estate-investor-part-1/" target="_blank"&gt;Read more......&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>How Spooky is the Columbus Housing Market?</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/259416/How-Spooky-is-the" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/259416/How-Spooky-is-the</id>
    <updated>2007-11-02T12:52:05Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/8/9/4/ar119402577149817.jpg" height="171" alt=" " width="240" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This was the scene outside our house on Wednesday evening as we participated in the annual trick or treat ritual.&amp;nbsp; I must say the creature I created scared his share of kids, thanks particularly to the loudspeaker and microphone which allowed me to act as his voice.&amp;nbsp; It was a great time and I am sure kept some of the smaller children up that night long past their bedtimes.&amp;nbsp; It was, as I had hoped, pretty scary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But talk about scary, what&amp;#39;s up with the housing market?&amp;nbsp; If you relied solely on the media to fill you in, you might think we are hurtling towards the end of the world and all of our homes will be worth nothing soon.&amp;nbsp; Not so, I say!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recently I wrote about a &lt;a href="http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/01/property-stable-homes-forbeslife-cx_mw_1001realestate.html" target="_blank"&gt;Forbes article&lt;/a&gt; selecting Columbus as the &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/10/09/columbus-ohio-housing-market-ranked-3rd-most-stable-in-us/" target="_blank"&gt;3rd most stable housing market in the country&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; For me, this came as no surprise as Columbus has historically exhibited stability in terms of economy, housing and jobs without the wild home price fluctuations seen in some of the most troubled markets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/11/02/how-spooky-is-the-columbus-real-estate-market/" target="_blank"&gt;more&lt;/a&gt;.....&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>5423 Forest Highlands Ct., Westerville, Oh. 43082</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/233686/5423-Forest-Highlands-Ct" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/233686/5423-Forest-Highlands-Ct</id>
    <updated>2007-10-11T09:46:17Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/2/5/8/8/ar119211381888529.jpg" height="192" alt=" " width="256" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What an opportunity in the desirable Highland lakes subdivision.&amp;nbsp;This all brick Duffy home is in immaculate condition with many recent upgrades and sits on a gorgeous .56 acre lot.&amp;nbsp; A great open floor plan, professionally landscaped cul de sac lot and the finest of details and finishes make this the perfect place to call home.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The location offers convenient access to freeways, shopping, recreation and dining including:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.polarisfashionplace.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Polaris Mall&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.memberstatements.com/login/login.cfm" target="_blank"&gt;Medallion&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.memberstatements.com/login/login.cfm" target="_blank"&gt;The Lakes&lt;/a&gt; Country Clubs &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.ci.westerville.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=111" target="_blank"&gt;Westerville Community Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.downtowncolumbus.com/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Price: $409,900&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bedrooms:&amp;nbsp;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Baths:&amp;nbsp;2.5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garage:&amp;nbsp;3 car&amp;nbsp;sideload, attached&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Schools: &lt;a href="http://www.westerville.k12.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Westerville&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Square feet:&amp;nbsp;2,919 per Builder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rooms: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Great Room &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Eating Space &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;First floor utility &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;First Floor Den &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Formal Living Room &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Formal Dining Room &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/10/11/5423-forest-highlands-ct-westerville-ohio-43082/" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for photos and additional information.&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Columbus, Ohio ranked 3rd most stable housing market in US!</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/231244/Columbus-Ohio-ranked-3rd" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/231244/Columbus-Ohio-ranked-3rd</id>
    <updated>2007-10-09T09:45:56Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Columbus, Ohio may not be the most exciting place in the world to live but for its residents, that is OK.&amp;nbsp; With &lt;strong&gt;solid Midwestern values&lt;/strong&gt;, a &lt;strong&gt;great demographic mix&lt;/strong&gt; and a &lt;strong&gt;steady economy&lt;/strong&gt;, we have a somewhat static existence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/6/7/4/5/ar119194099754767.jpg" height="150" alt=" " width="200" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is not suggest that Columbus lacks energy or spontaneity, as it is a wonderful place to be with more and more opportunities for &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://downtowncolumbus.com/do/" target="_blank"&gt;dining, recreation and entertainment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We do, however,&amp;nbsp;lack the flash and excitement of cities like &lt;strong&gt;LA, New York and Chicago&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; When it comes to the real estate market, lack of excitement is not a bad thing!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With all of the hoopla in the media, we Realtors keep hoping people will see through the spin blitzed across the TV and Newspaper and realize the &lt;strong&gt;Columbus housing market&lt;/strong&gt; is not that bad at all.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps Forbes has come to the rescue!&amp;nbsp; Last week, &lt;a href="http://www.forbes.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Forbes.com&lt;/a&gt; ranked Columbus the &lt;a href="http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/01/property-stable-homes-forbeslife-cx_mw_1001realestate.html" target="_blank"&gt;3rd most stable housing market&lt;/a&gt; in the country.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Factors attributable to our stability include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lower than average inventory levels &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Little price volatility &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Solid job growth &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click to read &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/10/09/columbus-ohio-housing-market-ranked-3rd-most-stable-in-us/" target="_blank"&gt;more...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>CondoQuest to showcase maintenance free living in Columbus</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/216993/CondoQuest-to-showcase-maintenance" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/216993/CondoQuest-to-showcase-maintenance</id>
    <updated>2007-09-26T10:42:42Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/4/7/7/6/ar119082112367745.jpg" height="180" alt=" " width="240" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the spring of 2003 The &lt;a href="http://www.biahomebuilders.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Building Industry Association of Central Ohio&lt;/a&gt; rolled out the &lt;a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2003/03/10/story3.html" target="_blank"&gt;first ever&lt;/a&gt; &lt;strong&gt;CondoQuest&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; With 25 Builders and 50 furnished models at a variety of sites, consumers were able to get a great overview of condominium living which has taken over a large share of our housing market.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With shifting demographics over the last several years, the concept of &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/05/17/condo-is-not-a-dirty-word/" target="_blank"&gt;maintenance free living&lt;/a&gt; appeals to a range of Buyers looking for convenience and flexibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For years the BIA has annually showcased luxury homes through the organization&amp;#39;s &lt;a href="http://www.biahomebuilders.com/ParadeHomes/2006%20Parade/06%20Parade%20History.htm" target="_blank"&gt;Parade of Homes&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; This event is typically held at a single location in one of the area&amp;#39;s newer premium subdivisions.&amp;nbsp; CondoQuest differs in that the sites are scattered offering a wide range of locations, amenities and pricing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year&amp;#39;s CondoQuest will feature 19 Builders in locations throughout the city.&amp;nbsp; Loads of furnished models will be available to tour with staff available to address questions about the specific communities or condominium living in general.&amp;nbsp; For more information about the Builders and locations &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/contact-us" target="_blank"&gt;contact us&lt;/a&gt; or check out the links below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=60&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Bob Webb&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.terrazzaresidences.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Brackett Builders, Inc.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=48&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Centex Homes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=134&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Daystar Development, LLC&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=49&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Duffy Homes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.broadwaycondos.net/" target="_blank"&gt;Edwards Communities&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=61&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Epcon Communities&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.lakesatcheshire.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Lakes at Cheshire, LLC&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=203&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;M.H. Murphy Development Company&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=63&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Markpoint Development&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=78&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Newbury Homes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=58&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Portrait Homes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=47&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Rockford Homes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=122&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Romanelli and Hughes Building Company&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=215&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Romanelli Custom Homes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=133&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Schottenstein Real Estate Group&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=199&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Spectrum Properties, Inc.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.villasatsaintandrews.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Sperry Van Ness&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbuscondoquest.com/default.php?story=columbuscondoquest%2FCondoquestSearchResults.php&amp;amp;ctl_View=builder&amp;amp;ctl_Sort=builder&amp;amp;srch_CondoStatus=Active&amp;amp;srch_Id=59&amp;amp;B1=Submit" target="_blank"&gt;Virginia Homes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/09/26/condoquest-to-showcase-maintenance-free-living-in-columbus/" target="_blank"&gt;more....&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words (but how many thousands of dollars?)</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/207723/A-Picture-is-Worth" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/207723/A-Picture-is-Worth</id>
    <updated>2007-09-17T14:01:00Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/9/7/9/1/ar119005547819796.JPG" height="160" alt=" " width="240" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now isn&amp;#39;t the setting above the kind of place you would like to put your feet up and call &lt;strong&gt;home&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; To me, this is a great photo, capturing&amp;nbsp; the wonderful outdoor living space that makes this home special.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every home has something special to offer, though it may be harder to capture in some than others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the past few years, the quality of photos used in real estate marketing has become increasingly important.&amp;nbsp; Our job as &lt;strong&gt;Real Estate Professionals&lt;/strong&gt; is to showcase each property we market in the absolute best light.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I meet with sellers, I always emphasize the investment in equipment and professional approach to photography we provide to ensure a quality visual presentation.&amp;nbsp; This includes:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;High quality SLR camera with wide angle lens &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Photographer carries step ladder and additional lighting &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;If the day is cloudy, rainy or overcast, we will re-schedule &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lots of photos taken -&amp;nbsp; 200 or more per house! &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;We will move items and replace if necessary to get good photos &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Detailed review of photos as well as image enhancement to&amp;nbsp;ensure best shots for marketing use &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/8/3/9/6/ar119005552469387.jpg" height="171" alt=" " width="240" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps the above seem like the least you would expect from a &amp;quot;professional&amp;quot;.&amp;nbsp; In truth, some of the photos seen online are horrible and can make the best home in the neighborhood look like the worst!&amp;nbsp; Some of the common &amp;quot;less than desirable&amp;quot; practices include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Photos taken at dusk or later &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Photos taken on rainy days &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&amp;quot;Out of season photos&amp;quot; left on the MLS (think snow in June!) &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Out of focus photos &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use of Auditor&amp;#39;s photo (sometimes several years old) &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;No photo &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Today&amp;#39;s Buyers&lt;/strong&gt; use the internet, and most of the time, their impression is formed by what they see visually.&amp;nbsp; No matter how nice the home sounds in the remarks, if the pictures do not do it justice, they will not want to see it.&amp;nbsp; It happens over and over that Buyers rule out a property I have suggested just because the pictures are bad.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shame on any Realtor who can not provide decent quality photography in this day and age.&amp;nbsp; To get a feel of the kind of photography that is out there check out:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.reagentinct.com/category/bad-mls-photo-of-the-day/" target="_blank"&gt;Bad MLS Photo of the Day&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer/viewer.asp?t=830679&amp;amp;sk=46&amp;amp;dm=teamfisher.com" target="_blank"&gt;Unbelievably Bad Real Estate Photos Hall of Fame&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.orlandorealestatephotography.com/bad_mls/bad_mls.html" target="_blank"&gt;MLS Trash Can&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(my favorite...I love the comments!) &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/09/17/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-but-how-many-thousands-of-dollars/" target="_blank"&gt;more...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Is that an eyesore I see?</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/200955/Is-that-an-eyesore" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/200955/Is-that-an-eyesore</id>
    <updated>2007-09-11T10:46:42Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Having lived in Westerville for close to 10 years,&amp;nbsp;I have seen lots of change.&amp;nbsp; As I have suggested in previous posts, I think, all things considered, it has been for the good.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am sure not everyone agrees that my &amp;quot;positives&amp;quot; are good choices for the City of Westerville.&amp;nbsp; In recent years esthetics of new buildings has been a hot topic.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I recall going to a meeting covering the &lt;a href="http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvs/gateway/cvsmain" target="_blank"&gt;CVS&lt;/a&gt; proposal for Walnut and State streets.&amp;nbsp; At the time, I wasn&amp;#39;t &lt;a href="http://www.sprawl-busters.com/search.php?readstory=1353" target="_blank"&gt;real happy &lt;/a&gt;with the concept of a &amp;quot;big box&amp;quot; pharmacy as the &amp;quot;gateway&amp;quot; to our uptown.&amp;nbsp; Today, however,&amp;nbsp;there is a nice looking building, which is very convenient, and looks far nicer to those entering Westerville than a vacant gas station did.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/7/8/6/0/ar118952548706875.JPG" height="150" alt=" " width="200" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/09/10/is-that-an-eyesore-i-see/" target="_blank"&gt;more.....&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Buying a Home in Columbus Ohio - What to expect in today's market</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/189393/Buying-a-Home-in" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/189393/Buying-a-Home-in</id>
    <updated>2007-08-30T13:10:08Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;The last few months have certainly been a string of field days for the media.&amp;nbsp; With the apparent collapse of the sub prime lending industry, &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/07/02/tougher-mortgage-regulations-a-good-thing/" target="_blank"&gt;tougher mortgage regulations&lt;/a&gt;, and lots of inventory on the market, Buyers must be stealing homes from Sellers in the Columbus area.&amp;nbsp; In reality, this is not really the case.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are considering purchasing in the near future, here are a few things to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Columbus Board of Realtors&amp;#39; statistics suggest our year to date &lt;strong&gt;average sales price&lt;/strong&gt; is down about 1% from last year.&amp;nbsp; Though last year was the first year in recent history Columbus experienced a decline in average price(-1.8% for 2006), this clearly is not a catastrophic decrease. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Homes are &lt;strong&gt;selling&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; As the chart below indicates, listings sold in July of 2007 were up 5% over the previous year. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Rates are still great.&amp;nbsp; When I started in the business 11 years ago, rates were around 8.5% and &lt;strong&gt;Realtors and Buyers&lt;/strong&gt; alike were all thrilled.&amp;nbsp; Depending on you credit history, employment and downpayment rate you may qualify for 30 year fixed rates in the low 6% range today. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The fact that we have lots of inventory in the &lt;strong&gt;Columbus Housing Market&lt;/strong&gt; today is good for you as&amp;nbsp;Buyer!&amp;nbsp; There is lots to choose from and compare. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img src="https://www.columbusrealtors.com/Img/ContentImg/Stats%20July%2007.bmp" height="421" align="baseline" alt="" width="352" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/08/29/buying-a-home-in-columbus-what-to-expect-in-todays-market" target="_blank"&gt;Read more....&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Westerville, Ohio - Home Sales Statistics</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/180453/Westerville-Ohio-Home-Sales" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/180453/Westerville-Ohio-Home-Sales</id>
    <updated>2007-08-21T14:14:58Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Well, with all that has been in the news of late about &lt;strong&gt;home prices&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;mortgage lending issues&lt;/strong&gt;, etc.&amp;nbsp; I thought I would provide some recent, detailed statistics for a specific area during a finite time period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Below please see statistics for the entire &lt;a href="http://www.westerville.k12.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Westerville School District&lt;/a&gt; from 7/1/07 through 8/21/07.&amp;nbsp; Note this is not specific to Westerville proper but includes all areas making up the district.&amp;nbsp; This data also includes &lt;strong&gt;condos&lt;/strong&gt; as well as &lt;strong&gt;single family homes&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; This data details only properties which are listed through The &lt;a href="http://www.columbusrealtors.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Columbus Board of Realtors&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Homes currently &lt;strong&gt;for sale&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Under $100,000 - 47 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$100,000-200,000 - 366 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$200,000-300,000 - 230 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$300,000-500,000 - 145 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$500,000 and over - 41 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Homes currently &lt;strong&gt;under contract&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Under $100,000 - 14 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$100,000-200,000 - 75 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$200,000-300,000 - 56 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$300,000-500,000 - 14 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$500,000 and over - 3 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Homes &lt;strong&gt;Sold&lt;/strong&gt; from 7/1/07 through 8/21/07:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Under $100,000 - 19 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$100,000-200,000 - 91 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$200,000-300,000 - 26 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$300,000-500,000 - 26 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$500,000 and over - 3 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;So what does all of this mean?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;There is lots of inventory on the market in these areas.&amp;nbsp; With so much to chose from this is a great time to be a Buyer! &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;165 Homes sold in a 45 day period.&amp;nbsp; Homes are definitely &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/07/24/what-to-do-if-you-really-want-to-sell-your-home/" target="_blank"&gt;selling&lt;/a&gt;, with pricing and proper staging being more important than ever. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;162 more are in contract (not all of these will close). &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The heart of the market in this area is in the $100,000-300,000 range. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bottom line here, is things are not as bad as the media may make them seem.&amp;nbsp; True, it may be harder to get a loan today if your work and credit history is spotty.&amp;nbsp; For those of you with good credit and job history, however, this is a &lt;strong&gt;great time to Buy&lt;/strong&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have questions about these statistics or would like a more detailed overview of a specific area in Central Ohio, please &lt;a href="http://www.realestatelaundry.com/contact-us" target="_blank"&gt;let us know&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; We would be happy to serve as a resource for you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Related Must Reads:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/07/02/tougher-mortgage-regulations-a-good-thing/" target="_blank"&gt;Tougher Mortgage Regulations&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/07/24/what-to-do-if-you-really-want-to-sell-your-home/" target="_blank"&gt;Selling Your Home&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Bright Lights - Get out of the city!</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/171947/Bright-Lights-Get-out" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/171947/Bright-Lights-Get-out</id>
    <updated>2007-08-12T13:36:04Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;For at least one night our family will be heading &lt;a href="http://www.galenaohio.org/" title="here" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;to join another family member so we can view the fabulous &lt;a href="http://www.earthsky.org/radioshows/51468/the-2007-peak-of-the-perseid-meteor-showe" title="Perseid meteor shower" target="_blank"&gt;Perseid meteor shower&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;under a &lt;a href="http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/11jul_greatperseids.htm" title="clear, dark sky" target="_blank"&gt;clear, dark sky&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;This is supposed to be a great one and we are especially excited to check them out.&amp;nbsp; Since we live in&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.ci.westerville.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Westerville&lt;/a&gt;, we have a city-lit sky making it a tad unremarkable to see the showers.&amp;nbsp; Mind you, we are able to see the evening sky rather well, but for optimal viewing pleasure, we decided to head to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.co.delaware.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Delaware County,&lt;/a&gt; where the lights are fewer and the night sky darker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After hoping to get some sleep, we&amp;#39;ll awaken around 4:00 am&amp;nbsp;as&amp;nbsp;we discovered&amp;nbsp;this will be the &lt;a href="http://www.space.com/spacewatch/050805_perseid_guide.html" title="best time" target="_blank"&gt;best time&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to view this annual display of astronomical wonder.&amp;nbsp; We understand that for the majority of you out there, this might be difficult to arrange with regular work hours arriving soon after sunset.&amp;nbsp; One of the great benefits of being in a two &lt;a href="http://www.ericransom.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Realtor&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;household is we can be somewhat flexible with our schedules.&amp;nbsp; At least that&amp;#39;s what we tell the kids when they question why we might occasionally be home after dinner.&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot;Remember when we spent the night at&amp;nbsp;Grandmom&amp;#39;s and watched the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/8935687.html" title="great perseids" target="_blank"&gt;Great Perseids&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and then slept in really late on a Monday morning?&amp;nbsp; Remember?&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;#39;d like to&amp;nbsp;see them&amp;nbsp;locally,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/080907/common/News/briefs/080907-News-400281.html&amp;amp;tab=tab1" title="here!" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; are a few fine area parks offering meteor watching opportunities.&amp;nbsp; If you happen to miss them on August 12, check out these other &lt;a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292289,00.html" title="dates" target="_blank"&gt;dates and events&lt;/a&gt; for more showers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/08/12/bright-lights-get-out-of-the-city/" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to read more!&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>4567 Teton Ct., Columbus, Ohio 43230</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/168539/4567-Teton-Ct-Columbus" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/168539/4567-Teton-Ct-Columbus</id>
    <updated>2007-08-08T16:11:28Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/3/2/0/3/ar118660736730231.JPG" height="200" alt=" " width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beautiful cul-de-sac lot backing to trees provides the perfect setting for this well maintained home.&amp;nbsp; The wonderful neighborhood offers access to walking paths, 2 playgrounds, loads of green space and planned community activities.&amp;nbsp; This really is a great place to call home!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Price: $142,900&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bedrooms:&amp;nbsp;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Baths:&amp;nbsp;1.5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garage: 2 car&amp;nbsp;attached&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Schools: &lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.westerville.k12.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Westerville&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Square feet:&amp;nbsp;1,268 per&amp;nbsp;Auditor Rooms: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Living room &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dining room &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Utility room &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Family room &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heating/Cooling: Electric/Central Air &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Features:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Updated kitchen with eating bar &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Huge two tiered deck is freshly painted and ready to entertain&amp;nbsp; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Private treed yard &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Loads of updates including roof, windows, interior doors, painting and more!&amp;nbsp; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Double vanity in full bath &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Light and bright 1/2 bath in lower level &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Wood burning fireplace &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/08/08/4567-teton-ct-columbus-oh-43230/" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for photos and more details!&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Here Comes Buckeye Football!</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/168435/Here-Comes-Buckeye-Football" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/168435/Here-Comes-Buckeye-Football</id>
    <updated>2007-08-08T14:54:03Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#39;s true.&amp;nbsp; We are less than a month away from kick off at the &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Stadium" target="_blank"&gt;Horseshoe&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; I realize many think our passion for Buckeye Football here in Columbus borders on insane.&amp;nbsp; I for one enjoy the ride each year and am looking forward to another season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I consider myself a die hard fan and despite last year&amp;#39;s humiliating loss to Florida and the loss of so many talented players, I believe in this year&amp;#39;s &lt;a href="http://ohiostate.rivals.com/croster.asp?team=OHIOST" target="_blank"&gt;squad&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Last year was a great run, but it is in the past.&amp;nbsp; Let&amp;#39;s look to the future whatever record it may bring.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And as we look to the future I offer some suggestions for good fan behavior.&amp;nbsp; My time at the 2006 &lt;a href="http://library.osu.edu/sites/archives/OSUvsMichigan/osuvsmichigan.htm" target="_blank"&gt;Michigan game&lt;/a&gt;, which was potentially one of the best college football games of all time, was marred seriously by ignorant, rude and childish fan behavior from all ages.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don&amp;#39;t get me wrong, I enjoy a bit of tailgating before the game just as much as the next Bucks fan.&amp;nbsp; The reality, however is that too many take it too far.&amp;nbsp; Drunken, cursing fans and burning couches are unbecoming to say the least.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would think every OSU fan would want visitors to our area to be impressed by our home town including the people, the sports facilities, the sportsmanship and the football team.&amp;nbsp; With this in mind I would encourage everyone attending a Buckeye game to consider the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;We are&amp;nbsp;ambassadors of the &lt;a href="http://www.osu.edu/" target="_blank"&gt;University&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href="http://www.cityofcolumbus.org/" target="_blank"&gt;City of Columbus&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href="http://ohio.gov/" target="_blank"&gt;State of Ohio&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;It really is, in the end, just a game. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The players on the field are just kids and they work incredibly hard to provide the sporting entertainment we so enjoy.&amp;nbsp; Honor them. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;We owe it to the younger generations in the crowd to see what true sportsmanship is and how to be a true fan, win or lose. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;We know what is right and wrong.&amp;nbsp; Remember the &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethic_of_reciprocity" target="_blank"&gt;golden rule&lt;/a&gt; and treat others as you would like to be treated. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/08/07/ohio-state-football-is-cominghere-we-go-again/" target="_blank"&gt;Read more...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>7343 Summerfield Dr., Lewis Center, Ohio 43035</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/166380/7343-Summerfield-Dr-Lewis" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/166380/7343-Summerfield-Dr-Lewis</id>
    <updated>2007-08-06T13:51:29Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/0/8/6/8/ar118642613886806.jpg" height="200" alt=" " width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is a fantastic opportunity to live in a community with many higher priced homes.&amp;nbsp; This well maintained two story features a huge lot in Summerfield Village, a community highlighted by walking paths and a community pool.&amp;nbsp; The location just North of Orange Road provides easy access to freeways, shopping and dining.&amp;nbsp; A few of the easily accessible amenities include:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.polarisfashionplace.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Polaris Mall&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.memberstatements.com/login/login.cfm" target="_blank"&gt;Medallion&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.memberstatements.com/login/login.cfm" target="_blank"&gt;The Lakes&lt;/a&gt; Country Clubs &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.ci.westerville.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=111" target="_blank"&gt;Westerville Community Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.downtowncolumbus.com/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Price: $239,900&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bedrooms:&amp;nbsp;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Baths:&amp;nbsp;2.5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garage: 2 car&amp;nbsp;attached&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Schools: &lt;a href="http://www.olentangy.k12.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Olentangy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Square feet:&amp;nbsp;1,763 per&amp;nbsp;Auditor (lots of additional square footage in finished lower level)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rooms: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Great Room &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Eating Space &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;First floor utility &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;First Floor Den &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Partial basement - Great finished living space!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/08/06/7343-summerfield-dr-lewis-center-ohio-43035/" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details and photos!&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>How to Sell your Columbus Area Home</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/155156/How-to-Sell-your" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/155156/How-to-Sell-your</id>
    <updated>2007-07-24T14:19:37Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;We all hear so much about the real estate market and how tough it is these days.&amp;nbsp; Sure, there are markets&amp;nbsp;susceptible to huge price swings and financially devastating market shifts, but folks &lt;strong&gt;Columbus, Ohio&lt;/strong&gt; is not one of them.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In fact, things are pretty good here.&amp;nbsp; It is true the wonderful Sellers&amp;#39; market of recent years is not here, but the adjustment has been far more subtle than the media may portray.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few facts from the Columbus Board of Realtors comparing January-May 2007 to January-May 2006:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;The total number of &lt;strong&gt;listings sold&lt;/strong&gt; decreased by 5%&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The number of &lt;strong&gt;new listings&lt;/strong&gt; added to the market decreased by 4.9%&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;average sale price&lt;/strong&gt; decreased by .5%&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;average days on market increased&lt;/strong&gt; from 98 to 112&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clearly, these are manageable adjustments in any market and to be expected as real estate in any area is cyclical in nature.&amp;nbsp; The biggest take away, however, lies in the change in days on market.&amp;nbsp; It is taking significantly longer to sell homes in the Columbus area than it was a year ago, but&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;homes are selling!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are considering selling your home there are some things you can do to help ensure your success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/07/24/what-to-do-if-you-really-want-to-sell-your-home/" target="_blank"&gt;Read More....&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>4186 Bradhurst Dr., Dublin, Ohio 43016</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/151755/4186-Bradhurst-Dr-Dublin" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/151755/4186-Bradhurst-Dr-Dublin</id>
    <updated>2007-07-20T12:09:36Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/3/5/8/7/ar118495125578532.jpg" height="179" alt=" " width="250" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If maintenance free living in a prime location is what you are looking for.....Welcome Home!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This brand new condominium at The &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/05/29/location-location-location-new-condos-offer-the-best-of-columbus-living/" target="_blank"&gt;Broadway&lt;/a&gt; has it all.&amp;nbsp; Spectacular Northwest location offering the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Great location adjacent to &lt;a href="http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=1229" target="_blank"&gt;Tuttle Mall&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Access to entertainment, exercise, spa and relaxation at &lt;a href="http://www.livethebarn.com/" target="_blank"&gt;The Barn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Minutes to &lt;a href="http://www.ua-ohio.net/" target="_blank"&gt;Upper Arlington&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.grandviewheights.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Grandview&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.dublin.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Dublin&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.cityofhilliard.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Hilliard&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and &lt;a href="http://www.downtowncolumbus.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Downtown&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Price: $220,000 (includes $15,000&amp;nbsp;Discount!)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bedrooms:&amp;nbsp;2&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Baths:&amp;nbsp;2&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garage: 2 car&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Square feet: 1,506 per&amp;nbsp;Builder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rooms: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Great Room&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dining &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;First floor utility&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heating/Cooling: Gas/Central Air &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/07/20/4186-bradhurst-dr-dublin-oh-43016/" target="_blank"&gt;Read More!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Brodway Condominium for sale - Dublin, Ohio</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/151753/Brodway-Condominium-for-sale" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/151753/Brodway-Condominium-for-sale</id>
    <updated>2007-07-20T12:06:24Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/7/3/6/ar11849510563783.jpg" height="102" alt=" " width="250" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nothing to do here but move in!&amp;nbsp; If you are looking for the convenience of a maintenance free lifestyle in a brand new condominium, this is it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a water view and the finest in ammenities this new build at &lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/05/29/location-location-location-new-condos-offer-the-best-of-columbus-living/" target="_blank"&gt;The Broadway&lt;/a&gt; has it all.&amp;nbsp; Spectacular Northwest location offering the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Great location adjacent to &lt;a href="http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=1229" target="_blank"&gt;Tuttle Mall&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Access to entertainment, exercise, spa and relaxation at &lt;a href="http://www.livethebarn.com/" target="_blank"&gt;The Barn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Minutes to &lt;a href="http://www.ua-ohio.net/" target="_blank"&gt;Upper Arlington&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.grandviewheights.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Grandview&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.dublin.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Dublin&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.cityofhilliard.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Hilliard&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and &lt;a href="http://www.downtowncolumbus.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Downtown&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Price: $210,000 (includes $15,000&amp;nbsp;Discount!)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bedrooms:&amp;nbsp;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Baths:&amp;nbsp;2&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garage: 2 car&amp;nbsp;attached&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Square feet: 1,591 per&amp;nbsp;Builder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rooms: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Great Room&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dining &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Main&amp;nbsp;floor utility&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heating/Cooling: Gas/Central Air &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/07/20/5617-frawley-dr-dublin-oh-43016/" target="_blank"&gt;Read More!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Dublin, Ohio Condo for sale</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/151748/Dublin-Ohio-Condo-for" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/151748/Dublin-Ohio-Condo-for</id>
    <updated>2007-07-20T12:03:00Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/1/8/7/2/ar118495088027812.jpg" height="192" alt=" " width="256" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enjoy life and let someone else take care of the maintenance. This brand new condominium at&amp;nbsp;Gramercy Place&amp;nbsp;has it all.&amp;nbsp; Spectacular Northwest location offering the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Great location adjacent to &lt;a href="http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=1229" target="_blank"&gt;Tuttle Mall&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Access to entertainment, exercise, spa and relaxation at &lt;a href="http://www.livethebarn.com/" target="_blank"&gt;The Barn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Minutes to &lt;a href="http://www.ua-ohio.net/" target="_blank"&gt;Upper Arlington&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.grandviewheights.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Grandview&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.dublin.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Dublin&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.cityofhilliard.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Hilliard&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and &lt;a href="http://www.downtowncolumbus.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Downtown&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Price: $290,461 (includes $20,000&amp;nbsp;Discount!)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bedrooms:&amp;nbsp;2&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Baths:&amp;nbsp;2.5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garage: 2 car&amp;nbsp;attached&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Square feet:&amp;nbsp;2,201 per&amp;nbsp;Builder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rooms: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Great Room&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dining &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;First floor utility&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Partial basement&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Loft&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heating/Cooling: Gas/Central Air &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/2007/07/20/5588-queens-park-dr-dublin-ohio-43016/" target="_blank"&gt;Read More!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Westerville, Ohio - Music and Arts Festival a success again!</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/147508/Westerville-Ohio-Music-and" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/147508/Westerville-Ohio-Music-and</id>
    <updated>2007-07-15T16:21:13Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;For the 34&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; time the &lt;a href="http://www.westervillechamber.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;pulled it off.&amp;nbsp; A wonderful weekend of Art, Music and Food.&amp;nbsp; Here&amp;#39;s to the beautiful weather and the winds which helped make the temperatures pleasant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I must admit I was sad when the event moved from &lt;a href="http://www.otterbein.edu/" target="_blank"&gt;Otterbein College&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; I enjoyed the quaintness of the campus and the abundance of shade.&amp;nbsp; I will admit, however I am a convert.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This was the seventh year at &lt;a href="http://www.westerville.org/Portals/0/Heritage.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;Heritage Park&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Clearly this venue was meant to host this event.&amp;nbsp; The winding paths offer the perfect setup for the numerous vendors.&amp;nbsp; The &lt;a href="http://www.westerville.org/Default.aspx?tabid=113" target="_blank"&gt;Everal Barn &lt;/a&gt;offers a prime setting for a fantastic line up of entertainment, and the location provides for easier access and more parking.&amp;nbsp; I do miss the &lt;strong&gt;shade&lt;/strong&gt;, however.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The setting is great for families and if you are an area resident you are sure to stop often to catch up with friends and neighbors enjoying the event.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you missed it this year, be sure to keep it on your radar for next year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A few favorites not to be missed include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Roasted Almonds&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lemon Shake Ups with Lots of Sugar&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A stroll through the vendor booths&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lunch and some live music&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you go to buy, look, or just take in the experience, it really is a great place to be!&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Blog Tour USA Visits Columbus</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/145952/Blog-Tour-USA-Visits" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/145952/Blog-Tour-USA-Visits</id>
    <updated>2007-07-13T13:32:21Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Thanks to Rudy and Joe from &lt;a href="http://www.sellsiusrealestate.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Sellsius&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for taking the time to visit Columbus, Ohio.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/9/0/6/1/ar118435167616093.JPG" height="133" alt=" " width="200" /&gt;Rudy and Joe sharing some insight on Real Estate Blogging.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A very special thanks also to &lt;a href="http://maureen.realtownblogs.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Maureen McCabe&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for coordinating and playing host to this great event.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Being newer to the blogosphere I wasn&amp;#39;t quite sure what to expect.&amp;nbsp; I met some great people (and 1 dog), and enjoyed hearing a bit about other folks&amp;#39; perspective on blogging.&amp;nbsp; I am glad to put a face with the blog, so to speak, for:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.delawareohrealestate.com/"&gt;http://www.delawareohrealestate.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.reesespiecesofrealestate.com/"&gt;http://www.reesespiecesofrealestate.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbushomesblog.com/"&gt;http://www.columbushomesblog.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.columbusrealestatevoice.com/"&gt;http://www.columbusrealestatevoice.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.thebrickranch.com/"&gt;http://www.thebrickranch.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/6/9/9/ar118435174899651.JPG" height="133" align="left" alt=" " width="200" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Crowd listens intently as Rudy and Joe present their carefully scripted presentation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The guys from Sellsius have been rambling across the country in an RV meeting bloggers and sharing some great insights, while making new friends and seeing new places.&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.blogtourusa.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Blog Tour USA&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;will complete the journey with an arrival at &lt;a href="http://www.realestateconnect.com/sf07/bloggersconnect.aspx" target="_blank"&gt;Bloggers Connect&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;taking place from 7/31-8/1 in San Francisco.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/3/6/6/2/ar118435181326632.JPG" height="133" align="left" alt=" " width="200" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.realestatelaundry.com" target="_blank"&gt;Eric and Nikki&lt;/a&gt; showcasing the Blog Tour &amp;quot;Rig&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kudos to Rudy and Joe for coming up with such a creative venture.&amp;nbsp; This should challenge us all to think outside the box.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks again for the visit and enjoy the &lt;a href="http://www.graeters.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Graeter&amp;#39;s&lt;/a&gt; ice cream!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Westerville Home For Sale - 114 N. Vine Street</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/143344/Westerville-Home-For-Sale" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/143344/Westerville-Home-For-Sale</id>
    <updated>2007-07-10T15:29:56Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Front_small.jpg" border="0" height="137" alt="Front" width="160" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You have found a real gem here.&amp;nbsp; Located in a prime location within blocks of Uptown Westerville this home has so much to offer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Area ammenities include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uptownmerchants.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Uptown Westerville &lt;/a&gt;Shopping, Dining and Entertainment &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fantastic &lt;a href="http://www.westerville.org/Default.aspx?tabid=309" target="_blank"&gt;Parks and Rec &lt;/a&gt;Department &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.westerville.k12.oh.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Westerville Schools&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.westervillelibrary.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Award Winning Library&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.westervillechamber.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Numerous Business Opportunities&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Price: $197,900&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bedrooms:&amp;nbsp; 3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Baths:&amp;nbsp; 1.5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garage: 2 car detached&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Square feet: 1324 per Auditor&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rooms:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Living &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dining &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enclosed Rear Porch/Utility &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Sitting room off of living room &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Basement:&amp;nbsp; Full/unfinished&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Annual taxes:&amp;nbsp; $3,421 per Auditor&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heating/Cooling:&amp;nbsp; Gas/Central Air&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Updates:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Newer HVAC &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lots of fresh paint &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Newer storm doors &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Newer vinyl windows &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;New roof on rear porch &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Updated landscaping &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Newer white kitchen cabinetry &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Updated bath with jetted tub and ceramic tile &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/GR_20towards_20DR_20_281_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/GR_20towards_20DR_20_281_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="85" align="left" alt="GR towards DR (1)" width="130" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/GR_20towards_20DR_20_283_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/GR_20towards_20DR_20_283_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="85" align="left" alt="GR towards DR (3)" width="127" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/GR_20Extension_20_283_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/GR_20Extension_20_283_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="85" align="left" alt="GR Extension (3)" width="125" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/KI_20_284_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/KI_20_284_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="85" align="left" alt="KI (4)" width="127" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/KI_20_285_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/KI_20_285_29_thumb1.jpg" border="3" height="112" align="left" alt="KI (5)" width="128" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/Laundry_20_26amp_3B_20Mudroom_20_283_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Full_20BA_20_283_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Full_20BA_20_283_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="85" align="left" alt="Full BA (3)" width="127" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Full_20BA_20_287_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Full_20BA_20_287_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="128" align="left" alt="Full BA (7)" width="93" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/OS_20_281_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/OS_20_281_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="85" align="left" alt="OS (1)" width="127" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/BR_202_20_283_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/BR_202_20_283_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="89" align="left" alt="BR 2 (3)" width="128" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/BR_203_20_283_29.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/BR_203_20_283_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="96" align="left" alt="BR 3 (3)" width="128" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/Garage_20_26amp_3B_20Shed_20_282_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Garage_20Porch.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Garage_20Porch_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="85" align="left" alt="Garage Porch" width="127" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Front_20Porch.JPG"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Towards_20Garage_20_282_29.JPG"&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Towards_20Garage_20_282_29_thumb.jpg" border="3" height="85" align="left" alt="Towards Garage (2)" width="127" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Tougher Mortgage Regulations</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/142204/Tougher-Mortgage-Regulations" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/142204/Tougher-Mortgage-Regulations</id>
    <updated>2007-07-09T10:23:28Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;Many in the Real Estate and Mortgage industries may be groaning as they realize fewer Homebuyers will be qualifying for loans in the near future.&amp;nbsp; In reality, the loose restrictions and&amp;nbsp;lenient loan programs dominating the industry for several years have created some real problems for the &lt;strong&gt;Real Estate&lt;/strong&gt; industry and many &lt;strong&gt;Homebuyers&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These problems include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/14/real_estate/April-foreclosures/index.htm" target="_blank"&gt;Unprecedented foreclosure rates &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;nationwide with Ohio ranking near the top &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Artificially inflated sales prices&lt;/strong&gt; due to financing costs built in to the price of a home &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Significant financial problems&lt;/strong&gt; brought on by Homebuyers over-leveraging themselves through the available mortgage programs &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The net effect of these issues has surely been a contributor to the sluggish real estate market with many Sellers needing far more than they can sell their home for just to break even.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the recent past, Buyers choosing &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjustable_rate_mortgage" target="_blank"&gt;adjustable rate mortgages&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(arm) would be qualified using the initial rate.&amp;nbsp; For instance if a Buyer could afford a home at a starting rate of 5%, no consideration was given to the fact that the loan might adjust to 7% three years down the road making the payments out of reach for the Homeowner.&amp;nbsp; This scenario in no small way added to the number of foreclosures as Homeowners struggled to keep pace with upward adjusting rates.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/754511_money_4_small.jpg" border="0" height="240" alt="754511_money_4" width="179" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Going forward, Buyers will need to &lt;a href="http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/07/01/subprime_rules.ART_ART_07-01-07_D2_8T75VFI.html" target="_blank"&gt;qualify at the higher rate&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Though this will keep a lot of people from getting in to a financial bind, it may be a disappointment as loan amounts offered may be significantly lower.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a &lt;a href="http://www.ericransom.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Real Estate Professional&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;I have always been careful to educate Buyers about the ins and outs of their financing decisions.&amp;nbsp; It is critical that Homebuyers understand the worst case scenario as it relates to taxes, interest rates, etc.&amp;nbsp; Unfortunately, many Homebuyers have been tempted by the &amp;quot;get it all and get it now&amp;quot; mentality promoted by the lending industry and in many cases they are paying the price now.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are considering a home purchase, be sure to do your homework.&amp;nbsp; Here are a few tips:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ask lots of questions.&amp;nbsp; There is no stupid question when it comes to your financial well being. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Research on your own.&amp;nbsp; The internet has a wealth of pertinent information. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Borrow based on your comfort level.&amp;nbsp; Often a Lender will offer far more than you are comfortable borrowing.&amp;nbsp; Purchase a home that fits &lt;strong&gt;YOUR&lt;/strong&gt; budget.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Get the help of a capable &lt;a href="http://www.ericransom.com/bin/web/real_estate/AR220498/TIP/DISPLAY/BS1/LIDK67084/AR1055/Buyer+Tips/1183130061.html" target="_blank"&gt;Real Estate Professional&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Statistics show you do not save money by &amp;quot;going it on your own&amp;quot;. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>A Taste of Worthington</title>
    <link href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/142200/A-Taste-of-Worthington" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>http://activerain.com/blogsview/142200/A-Taste-of-Worthington</id>
    <updated>2007-07-09T10:20:42Z</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Eric Ransom (Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
&lt;p&gt;If good food and a great time are on you agenda, be sure not to miss the 16&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; annual &lt;a href="http://worthingtonohcoc.weblinkconnect.com/CWT/External/WCPages/WCEvents/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=189" target="_blank"&gt;A Taste of Worthington&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.worthington.org/Calendar/CC_search_results_detailCRD.cfm?OrganizationName=Worthington%20Area%20Chamber%20of%20Commerce" target="_blank"&gt; &lt;/a&gt;this Friday, July 13, 2007.&amp;nbsp; Sponsored by the &lt;a href="http://www.worthingtonchamber.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce&lt;/a&gt;, this family friendly event is a great way to sample some of the sights, sounds and especially the tastes of the Worthington and Columbus area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://realestatelaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/Band2_20OBN_small.jpg" border="0" height="30" align="left" alt="Band2 OBN" width="92" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event will be held just West of &lt;a href="http://www.worthingtonsquare.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Worthington Square Mall &lt;/a&gt;at 350 W. Wilson Bridge Rd. in the parking lot of OfficeScape Corporate Center.&amp;nbsp; The event runs from 5:30-9:30 and costs only $1, yes that&amp;#39;s right $1.&amp;nbsp; Children under six get in for free!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.933litefm.com/main.html" target="_blank"&gt;Lite FM 93.3&lt;/a&gt; will provide recorded music as well as live music from &lt;a href="http://www.ransombandmusic.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Ransom Band &lt;/a&gt;and In Full Swing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And of course there will be food as well.&amp;nbsp; Participating restaurants include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.bucadibeppo.com/locations/location.aspx?id=3505" target="_blank"&gt;Bucca di Beppo &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.massappealdining.com/pages/about.html" target="_blank"&gt;Mass Appeal&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jgilberts.com/Home.aspx?LocationID=824" target="_blank"&gt;J. Gilberts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.oldbagofnails.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Old Bag of Nails Pub&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.panerabread.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Panera&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.dairyqueen.com/en-US/default.htm" target="_blank"&gt;Dairy Queen&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.whollyjoes.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Wholly Joe&amp;#39;s&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.qdoba.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Qdoba&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.worthingtoninn.com/" target="_blank"&gt;The Worthington Inn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bridgewater Resort and Conference Center&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.buckeyesubs.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Buckeye Subs and Salads&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.cheeseburgerinparadise.com/destinations/polaris.asp" target="_blank"&gt;Cheeseburger in Paradise&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.willow-brook.org/assistedhome.php" target="_blank"&gt;Willow Brook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.buffalowildwings.com/index2.asp" target="_blank"&gt;BW3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.getcosi.com/" target="_blank"&gt;COSI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My mouth is starting to water just putting together this list!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have some time this Friday be sure to check it out.&amp;nbsp; You will be hard pressed to find a better family entertainment value.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See you there!&lt;/p&gt;    </content>
  </entry>
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