FREE HOME WARRANTY

FREE Home Warranty
by Matt Clark, Cincinnati Realtor
Cincinnati Real Estate

Unfortunately for a seller, home buyers in today's Cincinnati real estate market expect a seller to throw in some "freebies." This may take the form of a reduced price, home warranty, closing costs, washer & dryer, etc.

Offering a buyer a home warranty is a great way to not only make a buyer confident in the condition of your home's systems and appliances, but also offer them a concession, and at a VERY reasonable price for the seller.

A home warranty MUST be part of your marketing plan in this current real estate market to set yourself apart from other homes not offering this guarantee. RIGHT NOW I AM OFFERING TO PAY FOR THIS COVERAGE (normally a cost to the seller) WHEN YOU LIST YOUR HOME WITH ME. THIS WILL SAVE YOU UP TO $400!!

If you're planning to do some fix ups and list your home this summer, that is great too! I'll pay for your warranty THEN as long as you call me NOW and let me know about your plans for selling.

Give me a call today or send me a message at www.MattClarkCincinnati.com and mention this blog!

It's that time of year again...CALL YOUR REALTOR!

If you know that you have to move soon, the best thing you can do is involve your REALTOR as early in the process as possible. Any home that is going to be competing in the overstocked spring market should be preparing now (while there's still snow on the ground).

• Get the minor interior fix ups out of the way now so you can use any of those unseasonably warm weekends on the exterior of your home.

• Pack like you're moving! (Because if you list with me, YOU ARE MOVING!) Buyers hate clutter; start packing all your non essential property and organize it neatly in the garage or basement, or best of all, put it in a storage unit.

• Eliminate at least one piece of furniture from every room. "BIG," "BRIGHT," and "OPEN," is what buyers want to see.

• A can of paint will go a long way. Don't gut your whole kitchen (you might not get that value back in some areas of this market). Paint, new carpet, replacing a counter top, a new light fixture; these are some more economical ways to improve your bottom line. Ask your local real estate expert which improvements will be best for you.

As a REALTOR, we spend 60+ hours a week working with our local housing market. WE know what buyers in your neighborhood expect (because we're working with them), we know what improvements your competition has (because we've been through them all).


Involve your real estate professional as early in the process as you can (we're not on vacation). It will pay off!

5 Energy Saving Ideas for the New Year

One of the joys of owning a home in Cincinnati is that you can have the air conditioning on one day and need to turn the heat on the next. Although we can't change the weather, there are some simple things we can do to reduce energy usage and save money.

Here are 5 EASY energy saving tips that will begin paying for themselves in no time!

• Change your air filters
  
• Cost = $30/year, Savings = $100/year, Skill Level = Amateur
• Replacement filters cost less than $10 a piece and should be changed quarterly.
  
• Install a programmable thermostat
• Cost = $50, Savings = $100/year, Skill Level = Amateur
• A smart thermostat will allow you to dial down the temp during hours when you're sleeping or not home and then bring it back to your desired level throughout your waking hours.
  
• Wrap your water heater in a blanket
• Cost = $20, Savings = $34-54/year, Skill Level = Amateur
• A water heater that is just a few years old can lose a few degrees per hour. Adding more insulation with a water heater blanket will pay for itself in a matter of a few months.
  
• Use a smart power strip
• Cost = $30, Savings = $30/year, Skill Level = Amateur
  
• Can't believe that a TV or stereo uses just as much energy when it's turned off than when it's in use? This blows my mind as well. Why go through the pain of unplugging all your electrical devices when not in use when a smart power strip will cut that energy usage for you.
  
• Install compact fluorescent bulbs
• Cost = $5, Savings = $5/year, Skill Level = Amateur
• An energy efficient bulb can last ten times as long as a normal incandescent bulb and save almost $50 over the life of the bulb.
  

Start 2008 off by reducing your energy consumption; it's good for the environment, and your wallet.

 

TRICK OR TREAT Open house!

As a kid out for some candy gathering on Halloween, I really hated vacant homes.  Obviously, if the homeowner has moved away, you get no candy.  As a kid, this sucks.  With the increased inventory out there, and a lot of them sitting vacant, maybe we as REALTORS should do something about it?  In an effort to break into a new market, I decided to hold a vacant listing open for some trick or treating.  I'll be there all night passing out candy and business cards to the kids. 

Hopefully the neighborhood will see how hard I'll work for them, but if not, worse case scenario is me relaxing and eating chocolate all night!

Any thoughts/comments?

Forgotten Mansion

How did this...

become this...

?????????

 

After receiving a call a few weeks ago about this 110 year old Hannaford mansion, I started thinking about how many great forgotten gems are around Cincinnati.  Originally 16 rooms, 8 bedrooms, 4 full/2 half baths built on a secluded lot.  Now this home sits front and center set back 50 feet from a very busy street.  This phone call led me to explore all over North Avondale which is full of very large old homes and brilliant architecture.  Lots of these homes still shine like the day they were built, but some are in terrible disrepair. 

Another abandoned Hannaford masterpiece..

Over 8600 square feet!  This picture must have been taken years ago because now it is so overgrown that you barely see the house beyond the fence.  You can own this piece of history for just over $200,000. 

 

Discovering this great little street and taking a stroll around the area has really made me think about how much we just "dispose" of.  Expanding up and out, looking toward the future, or just letting something great slowly fall apart; we should respect and preserve our past because without it, the future won't be quite as great..