Why isn't your Columbus Home Inspector Licensed?

In the State of Ohio, there are no regulations requiring the licensing of Home Inspectors. Some are certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors or have a bunch of designations after their name. Many others continually update their knowledge and education regarding home inspecting. Then there is the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors.

The fact is, though, you or your mother could be a home inspector. All that may be changing though. . . . Last week, a bill requiring licensing of home inspectors finally cleared its first major hurdle in the legislative process. HB 257, sponsored by Rep. Michelle Schneider (R) Cincinnati, was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives and sent to the Senate.

If the legislation is passed by the Senate and signed into law by the Governor, Ohio will become the 31st state to enact a statute addressing the performance of home inspections. Among the provisions included in HB 257 are the following: criminal penalties for performing home inspections without a license. creation of the Ohio Home Inspection Board to regulate the industry. a requirement that all inspections be performed pursuant to a written contract. creation of standards for performing inspections. creation of a process for investigating complaints filed against inspectors.

The Superintendent of the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing would have responsibility for administering the new law and providing staff support for the Home Inspection Board. Passage by the House was not unanimous. A handful of legislators disagreed with the bill for various reasons. Some felt it needed more teeth. More from OAR.

Is it Possible to Sell an Overly Customized Circus theme Home in Columbus?

Let’s say that a while back you found your perfect home. You painstakingly made it your own. I mean Really, Really made it your own. 

Maybe you painted the living room ceiling to resemble a Big Top Circus Tent and you used Really Bright Circus colors all over the home because, well, you’ve got a thing for the Circus. 

Even if you were wise enough to leave all the gorgeous original wood trim and floors unmolested, kept up the yard and had the house all cleaned up, you may not be able to sell that home.

Even if potential buyers could see past the paint and the life size dinosaur head protruding into the bedroom from behind the painted foliage above the marbleized slate mantel, they can’t see themselves in an overly customized home.

So do the little things.  Take down the foil wallpaper, paint over the crazy colors, neutralize, modernize, match and clean.  You will do yourself a favor and save thousands while being able to move on with your life.

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 7th, 2008 at 8:47 am and is filed under Real Estate News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Bring it on! National Championship OSU vs LSU

January 7th, 2008 categories: Columbus News

It's ON!  Tonight, The Ohio State University plays Louisiana State University in the National Championship game in New Orleans.  This is the third time in Six Years that Ohio State has played for the NCAA BCS National Title.   In 2002 they won the most exciting title game ever played.  Last year they were blown away by the Florida Gators (who then also beat up the Basketball Buckeyes in last year's National Title NCAA final).

I've mad a wager with Don Stern, a Coldwell Banker Real Estate agent and Real Estate blogger in Baton Rouge regarding tonight's game.  When the Buckeyes win, I get to post on his blog singing the praises of Columbus, Ohio to the down-trodden Tiger fans who, once they've heard the good news, will no doubt leave the Bayou behind and head North.  If you happen to see a similar post here originating from the capital city of Louisiana, well . . . the Buckeyes didn't prevail.

Normally I'd complain that the game is on so late on a Monday Night but since I'm showing homes in the Short North tonight, it's OK.  You can bet that the millions of dollars OSU receives from this game will somehow effect the Columbus real estate market.  I'm not sure how, but the trickle down theory tells me it will.

O-H-I-O !  (they can't even spell in Baton Rouge - they spell GO like GEAUX.  Yes, I took the 3 1/2 points!)

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Goodbye Macy's, Hello . . . ?

Goodbye Macy's, Hello . . . ?

November 30th, 2007 categories: Columbus News, Downtown

It's the last hurrah for Macy's Downtown.  No Lazarus, no Marshall Fields, no Jacobsens, no major department store anywhere near downtown.  We went the last few days of clearance sales and there was very little of any itnerest left.  Deals could be had on rugs and runners and I could have used a 16 foot runner @ 70% off the ginormous price tag but didn't bite.  We did pick up a store rack on wheels on which to hang our coats in the foyer - as much for nostalgia for what used to be the Region's major shopping attraction as for utility (our antique tri-pod coat tree had seen better days and often tipped over).

Anyway, what will become of the City Center Space now that the City of Columbus has the keys?  With Nationwide Realty Investments in charge, great things are expected. Whatever happens, three things are certain:

• It must be brilliant because it's going to be a driving force for the south end of downtown for the coming decades and beyond.
• It won't be done for a considerable amount of time - I'd guess 5-7 years before whatever incarnation  takes shape there to be free of construction and longer if it involves selling all residential properties that may come of it, or leasing all new retail/office space.
• It won't look in on itself and shut out the city streets.  Lesson learned.

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Listings without Pictures of the Kitchen?? it must be awful

No Picture of the Kitchen?? It must be antiquated

November 30th, 2007 categories: Real Estate News

I was looking, as I do most every day, at which listings had just come on the market in different Columbus Neighborhoods.  In looking at an Upper Arlington property that just came on the market for $1.7+MM, I noticed that there was no picture of the kitchen. 

It's a good looking home on the outside, 4-5,000 sq feet and, like all too many Upper Arlington homes for sale, looked like it hadn't been updated in years - old drapes, wallpaper, etc.

Any kitchen has at least one good photo in it.  People buy homes because of kitchens.  We all spend a considerable amount of time in our kitchens and if we're buying a home, we want to see the kitchen.   Even if it is old and shabby, what is the space like, what is the view, is there room to eat in the kitchen, does it have an island, a pantry, decent lighting, is it open to another room??

Nearly every buyer I have ever worked with wholeheartedly believes that no picture of the kitchen in the MLS means that the home's kitchen must be a wreck.  The Columbus MLS allows ten pictures to be uploaded.  One of those had better be the kitchen.

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I want to sell the most homes?

I don't want to sell The Most homes

November 30th, 2007 categories: About Me?

I don't want to sell the most Homes in Columbus. 

I don't want to work with rude, harsh people. 

I don't want to work outside of Franklin County. 

I want to sell great homes to great people and great families.   I want to be a trusted advisor through the home buying or selling process.  I don't want to guide you through the ins and outs of purchasing just one home, I want to be your resource (and your friends and families) for all things Real Estate in the City of Columbus.  For Life. 

It's more important that I'm the most at what I do than it is to do the most.  I'm educated, informed and ready to help any way I can.  It's just one of those days when I realize how happy I am in this job, how good I am at doing this job, and how glad I am that I answer only to my clients.

November is Realtor Designation month.  True, I've said many times that designations mean very little.  I also think it's lazy and unprofessional to rest on your laurels.  I always educate myself about my profession.  I'm a Columbus Realtor, that's my job. 

Possibly of Interest: After the Closing You'll Miss Me

Is your Realtor a Graduate of the Realtor Institute? I am 

100% Client Satisfaction

Business First writes about Columbus Homes Blog 

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Bexley homes for sale, sold - market update

The Bexley Real Estate Market has been Quiet

November 29th, 2007 categories: Bexley, Condos & Lofts

This month there has not been too much happening in our neck of the woods.  I was excited to see 8 homes on the Bexley, Berwick, Eastmoor realtor Association tour this morning until I realized I had seen all but two of them already - and those weren't really worth seeing anyway.

So far this November, ONE home has sold, an 1800 sq ft cape on Francis in South Bexley for $226,500. Interestingly, that home (which was a nice property) started out at $254,900 162 days prior to accepting an offer and the same home sold for $217,500 almost exactly four years earlier.  (just for fun, the same home hold sold for $117,500 TEN years prior which would be a much nicer appreciation rate).

What can I say, it's been slow.  To be fair though, there are 38 properties In Contract at the moment, many of which will close tomorrow.  There are 97 Active Listings in Bexley, Ohio right NOW. 

About a year ago today, some of the Bexley Gateway condos hit the MLS.  One example of the Bexley Gateway condos would be a fourth floor 2 bed, 2.5 bath corner unit that was listed at $520,900.  After 146 days, it expired and came back on the market at $549,900 in late May.  It expired again this month after 185 days, as did about 8 other Bexley Gateway listings in the MLS.

Right now, the only Bexley Gateway condo units in the MLS, though all unsold units are available for sale, are units 205 and 308 which would put them near the two models.  I love the unit #307 model with the superb kitchen done in black and white but I'm not a big fan of the choices in the other model, mostly decorative choices. 

Unit #308 is listed at $805,900.  While it boasts 2345 square feet and all that Bexley Gateway has in the way of amenities, and even if it includes over $28,000 in upgrades and a 15 year 50% tax abatement, I just cannot justify the price.  Most of these prices really.  So what if you have two balconies if the only views you have are the parking lot for the commercial building and the back of the Trinity Lutheran apartments?  As spectacular as this project is, in my book, it's just not $343/sq ft spectacular. 

Then again, you can walk to the Drexel and see a great film almost every night of the week.  Did I mention Jeni's ice cream is coming to Bexley?  Now if the developers would throw in free ice cream for life for every condo purchase . . . . .

of interest: Public Art AND Function? In Bexley? 

Bexley Real Estate Market Update - October Homes for sale and sold

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Mortgage Crisis - Credit Crunch - blah blah blah

Had About Enough of the Mortgage Crisis Talk?

November 27th, 2007 categories: Columbus News, Real Estate News

Me too.  Remember, despite the doom and gloom you read and hear everywhere, All Real Estate is Local.  Locally, things aren't so bad.  Especially in my wheelhouse - Columbus and suburbs inside the outerbelt.  There are all kinds and degrees of Housing Market Problems out there but this caught my eye and made me think about how the country isn't really on the Highway to Hell.

Forbes Magazine, aka Forbes.com, published a piece about the top ten best and worst housing market cities.  Between Number 10 of the Best Housing Market City, Portland Oregon (+5.2% over the previous year,) and the Number 10 Worst Housing Market City, Jacksonville Florida (-3.5% over the previous year,) there is a whopping 8.7% difference.

That means that the entire rest of the country falls somewhere in the middle.  Is this really worth all the ink, headlines and hand-wringing?  Maybe if you're Countrywide.  Remember, many of these failed mortgages are tied to re-finances and home equity lines in addition to home sales.

Looking for a place to hang your hat?  Email Me.

By the Way, Salt Lake City came out on top of the best housing markets this year.

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Hocking Hills - Where to go for a Columbus Getaway

Columbus Get Aways - Where to Go - Hocking Hills

October 30th, 2007 categories: About Me?, Columbus News

We went to the Hocking Hills area this last weekend.  Every year we get the kids, some pumpkins, some gear and head down to Hocking Hills for some great Autumn Fun, usually around the last weekend before Halloween since we now carve our pumpkins while at our Hocking Hills Cabin. 

This year, we got very lucky as our trip coincided with fantastic fall colors on the Hocking Hills Trees.  An hour or so south, geography terms such as Hollows, Ridges, Cliffs, Caves, Meadows, Valleys, Falls, and Gorges all come alive in the beautiful scenery that makes up the Hocking Hills Region.

We've got wonderful Metro Parks in Columbus, Hayden Falls in Delaware, various local Damns but nothing like the great escape of Hocking Hills, a popular weekend getaway spot and 2^nd home mecca for Columbusites.

If you're considering moving to Columbus but you're worried that Ohio is nothing but flat farmland, rest assured that a weekend in Hocking Hills will rejuvinate your outdoor spirits - even with kids.

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Which neighborhoods make up Columbus? Where do you stop?

What Neighborhoods Comprise Columbus?

October 30th, 2007 categories: Columbus News

I have a side project that I've been meaning to get to that is a Wiki of Columbus Neighborhoods. You could go crazy trying to decide what makes up a neighborhood and start calling every subdivision a neighborhood, which in a way, they are. I couldn't find an officially sanctioned list of recognized Columbus Neighborhoods on the City's Site.

Wikipedia has the following listed as Columbus Neighborhoods. I will probably use most of these Columbus Neighborhoods and maybe drill down one level here and there to include communities such as Woodland Park and Beechwold. Here's a chance to brush up on your Columbus Neighborhood Knowledge.

Tell me what you think about this list. Overly comprehensive (I never heard of Seagrave) or not comprehensive enough?

Columbus Neighborhoods . . Is yours here?

• Arena District
• Berwick
• Berwin (Berwick Manor) - bordered by Livingston Avenue to the north, James Road to the west, Interstate 70 to the south, and the abandoned railroad line that lies just east of Bostwick Road to the east.
• Brewery District
• Briggsdale
• Cherry Creek
• Clintonville
• Discovery District - located in the eastern part of Downtown Columbus. It is bordered by the innerbelt on the north, east, and south sides, while 6th street makes the western border. Within the area are many cultural institutions, including the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus College of Art and Design, as well as Franklin University, Capital University Law School and Columbus State Community College.
• Downtown Columbus
• Driving Park
• Eastland - centered around Eastland Mall, this area is located just south of I-70, while the I-270 outerbelt splits right through the area.
• Eastmoor
• Flytown

Click Below to see the rest and you may also like . . .

Just How BIG is Columbus, Ohio?

Berwick and Eastmoor - Two of Columbus' Neighborhood Gems

It's a Great Time to Buy Columbus Area Real Estate!

• Forest Park - sandwiched between State Route 161 and Morse road, this neighborhood was built out in the 1960s and 1970s. Among its unique features are Tamarack Circle, a large roundabout as well as a YMCA branch. It is considered part of the larger Northland area.
• Franklinton
• German Village
• Glenbrook - forming a triangular shaped area on the southeast side, this neighborhood is bordered by I-70 on the north, Courtright Road on the east, and US 33 on the south and west.
• Hardesty Heights - located on the westside of the city, and the most western part of the neighborhood is also the city limits. It's eastern border is Norton Road, and it is directly across from Cherry Creek; the neighborhood is townhouse type condominiums, which all also have carports. Harrison West
• Hilltop
• Hungarian Village - on the south side of the city, one finds this relatively small neighborhood. Bordered by Merion Village on the north, Parsons and Woodrow Avenues make up the eastern and southern borders respectively, which High street defines the western edge.
• Italian Village
• King-Lincoln-Bronzeville - just east of downtown Columbus, this area is bordered by the Mount Vernon neighborhood on the north, Taylor Avenue on the east, Olde Towne East on the south, and Interstate 71 on the west.
• Linden
• Maize-Morse - just north of Linden, this neighborhood encompasses the area around and south of the former Northland Mall. It is considered part of the larger Northland area.
• Merion Village - just south of German Village, [[Merion Village is a neighborhood with homes mostly from around the turn of the 20th century.
• Milo-Grogan
• Murray Hill
• Northern Woods - found on the northeast side of the city, this neighborhood is bordered by the I-270 Outerbelt on the north and east, Minerva Park on the south, and the Northgate neighborhood on the west.
• Northgate - just north of Forest Park, this neighborhood is bordered by I-270 on the north, the Northern Woods neighborhood on the east, and Karl Road on the west.
• Northland
• North Grandview - also sometimes referred to as the Tri-Village area, this neighborhood is bordered by the OSU campus on the north, the Olentangy River on the east, the Grandview and Marble Cliff corporate borders on the south, and the border with Upper Arlington on the west.
• Northwood Park - This small residential neighborhood consists of the impressive turn-of-the-century brick homes on Oakland & Northwood Avenues between High Street and Indianola Avenue, immediately north of the Ohio State University campus. Northwood Park has been designated as a historical district.
• Old North Columbus - found just north of the OSU Campus, and south of Clintonville, this area is formed around High Street as its main thoroughfare. It is also sometimes referred to more generally as the University District. It is known for its coffee houses and restaurants, including Indian food.
• Olde Towne East
• Olentangy
• Riverbend - on the southwest side, one finds this neighborhood bordered by I-270, Alkire Road, State Route 3, and Clime Road.
• Seagrave - this was a small area centered around the intersection of Lane Avenue and Kenny Road, on what is now the West Campus of The Ohio State University. Although much of the neighborhood was demolished to make way for State Route 315, a few buildings remain, including the ruins of the Laneview school.
• Short North
• South End
• Southern Pines
• Swaynes Addition - this small neighborhood is just south of downtown, it borders are S Parsons Ave to the west, S 18th St to the East, Livingston Ave to the North, and E Columbus St to the South.
• Tri-Village - North Grandview
• University District Central
• University District Northeast
• University District Northwest
• University District Southeast
• University District Southwest
• University View - This neighborhood is part of the Tri-Village area, located just west of State Route 315 and the OSU campus. Nearly all the houses in this subdivision are of Cape Cod in style.
• Victorian Village
• Weinland Park - on the near north side of the city, this neighborhood is bordered by East 11th Avenue on the north, the Big Four Railroad on the east, Italian Village on the south, and High street on the west.
• Westgate

Found your Columbus Neighborhood and ready to move? Call me.

Also see

Just How BIG is Columbus, Ohio?

Berwick and Eastmoor - Two of Columbus' Neighborhood Gems

It's a Great Time to Buy Columbus Area Real Estate!

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