3c: Cuyahoga County Treasurer Writes About Slavic Village, Foreclosures and The Poignancy Behind the Crisis
- 09/30/07 07:02 AM
Jim Rokakis has been our Treasurer for quite some time. I had no idea how eloquently he could write a story. The Washington Post's Outlook section featured an article he wrote today. The article is about everyone wanting the American Dream, not having enough money to get it, and then being given false hope that a loan can in fact make you a 'part of' that Dream. There are parts of the article that make me uncomfortable, because he talks about predators and that includes Realtors®. He talks about Ohio's NAR lobbying against predatory lending legislation a few years ago. Regardless of … (16 comments)
3c: A Call To uh, No ARMS ....Are ARMS really the devil incarnate?
- 09/26/07 01:09 PM
Approximately 600,000 ARMS are set to well, reset next month. This prompts a coalition of groups to call for a moratorium on ARMS. A two year moratorium. WKYC's website has an article about it here. Cleveland's Slavic Village and Union-Miles neighborhoods are in the unfortunate position to be number one in the Country in foreclosures...yes, that is the Country and not the County! So Slavic Village was the setting for this moratorium request. They call it the Save The American Dream program. There were people there from other cities like Des Moines and Pittsburgh.....places also hoping to stem the tide of foreclosures. They give … (31 comments)
3c: Real Estate News From Inman - First Hand Homeowner Stories on Their Upside Down Ownership Experiences
- 09/10/07 09:09 AM
Many of us read Inman on line. They just started a three part series highlighting stories from actual homeowners who are upside down and facing foreclosures. The first part was very insightful, covering several different homeowners: one who lives in her property and finds herself upside down because of the market and the terms of her loan; a guy in Atlanta who said he unfortunately purchased investment homes at good prices in neighborhoods that weren't the best investment areas. You can read the entire article here. It was sad but insightful to read how they got into trouble because of job losses or … (18 comments)
3c: Can Someone Seriously Explain to Me How Prices Were Allowed to Skyrocket?
- 08/12/07 11:40 AM
Reading Lenn Harley's amazingly 'on point' post today got me thinking about something that keeps churning in my brain. If prices on homes should be $300,000, how in blazes did they get to $500k and $600k in the time it takes to eat a cookie? I'm really serious about this. What do they tell you about appraisals for homes? Here they say, you better expect your home to be within one precent (two MAYBE) of the comparable sales in the neighborhood. How did these homes pass appraisals or am I missing something? I believe in a free market economy; I surely want … (79 comments)
3c: Where Have I Been! I Missed National Rebuilding Together Cleveland Day 2007
- 08/03/07 04:47 PM
For years I have wistfully missed the Christmas in April program. Now it seems to have appeared in another form in Cleveland! I'm gleeful, yet sad that I had to find out about it after the fact. I don't know if this was the first time this event was held in Cleveland, but The Sun News and Ken Prendergast reported about last Saturday's Rebuilding Day 2007. The local organization is called Rebuilding Together Cleveland and it's an arm of a National Umbrella Group of the same name. (Minus the Cleveland part of course). The focus is to help low income homeowners with home repairs, … (16 comments)
3c: Book Meme: You Show Me Yours and I'll Show You Mine
- 07/27/07 04:23 AM
Something tells me those of you who love to blog also love to read. I bet some of you are pretty darn good writers too, even BTB (Before The Blogosphere). I am starting a meme, which surprises me probably more than it surprises you. I thought it would be a good way to get to know each other, and allow anyone reading our blogs to do the same. It's summer and a perfect time to read, not that there is ever a bad time. Please pick your Top Five books of all time, and tell us why you like them so … (46 comments)
3c: The 'Downeaster' From Maine to Boston Shows Us What The Hub Can Do For Ohio
- 07/21/07 02:52 PM
This is why The Ohio Hub and the 3C Corridor Plan is such a great idea for Cleveland and Ohio in general. Watch this video and see what the Downeaster Railroad Line has done for people in the Maine to Boston corridor. No really, please watch it!I also have a link here to the May 2007 financial report regarding the Downeaster. Ridership is up, they had over 28k riders in May of this year. They are at 97 percent of their target ridership for the fiscall year (I am assuming it's July to July?) They are getting ready to add a … (14 comments)
3c: Universal Design Homes Just Might Help You Keep Your Independence So You Don't Have to Move to Florida
- 07/19/07 07:02 AM
No offense to Florida, really. It's a great State! But Clevelanders are 'sticky.' It's one of those high tech terms for those who own a website; we want our websites to be sticky meaning people visit our sites and then browse for more than a few seconds. Well, that's how I view the Midwest, at least here in Cleveland. Families are here so as people reach retirement age, moving to Florida or anywhere else away from our families is not always a pleasant thought. Moving to a retirement community isn't always a happy thought either. There are things you can do to your … (40 comments)
3c: Talk About Web 2.0 Doing Good! Presidential Debates Go Interactive on CNN and Youtube
- 07/13/07 04:09 PM
Is it possible that someday we will all be watching flat screen Internet hung from our living room walls instead of HDTV cable? CNN and Youtube are getting together to sponsor live and interactive coverage of the upcoming South Carolina Presidential Debate.CNN's Political Ticker blog reports that people will be able to submit questions via YouTube video. So it's history in the making. I'm visualizing an overloaded system but that may be wishful thinking since I want everyone to be involved in our political processes.The Democratic debate will be on July 23rd. The Republican debate held in Florida will be on August … (10 comments)
3c: Ohio Needs Jobs? How About 16,700 of Them? An 'Ohio Hub' Update
- 07/12/07 09:27 PM
NE Ohio needs jobs, this is our collective mantra. My personal mantra is the Ohio Hub/3C Corridor Plan. But then I guess I don't really have to tell you that do I? The Economic Impact Study has been completed. It was conducted (pun intended?) by the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC). The reports just keep getting rosier guys! The Ohio Hub becomes a very important link in the chain to the National Rail Network which serves 140 Million People in the Midwest, Northeast and Canada. This is from a news article coming from Frederick Maryland and NOT Ohio. The rate of return on a $1 … (22 comments)
3c: Cleveland Housing Trends: We Continue to 'Go Green'
- 07/06/07 05:25 PM
What if I told you that you could buy a new home, wind up paying less than $600 a year on natural gas fuel costs, be within walking distance to the Rapid Transit? And buy this home for less than $130,000? You'd say I was not of sound mind? Well you'd be wrong, this time anyway lol. There is a new green housing development getting ready to break ground (maybe as early as late August) between W. 58th and Pear Avenue. This is exciting news folks. One Design's ECCO House was selected to do the project. This is also the site of … (15 comments)
3c: My Media Meme or How I Tune In, Turn On, Tune Out
- 07/03/07 08:45 PM
Bonnie Erickson meme'd me and I can never turn her down (ssshhh, don't tell her). Thankfully, this is a meme about the kinds of media that has played a part in my life...and I how I got into all this tekkie stuff- at least that is how I am chosing to interpret it. So here goes. I had an Apple II-e.I loved that machine! It was like a Jetson's phenomenon to me. This was back in the 80s of course. I wasn't on the Internet then of course but it stayed useful until I got another version of it in the mid 90s … (33 comments)
3c: Realius - A New Real Estate Game Website to Wet Your Whistle Before You Buy
- 06/27/07 02:36 PM
A shout out to Atomic Spin, one of the software developers working on this innovative project. There is a new web game in town and it's called Realius. According to the folks at Atomic Spin, it is different than a site like SecondLife because you don't spend real money, you play the game. It is apparently an attempt to teach us all skills about buying real estate because it will walk us through the process before we actually do it in real life. I've always fantasized about owning a high rise building (and a baseball team but that is another story). It … (11 comments)
3c: Terrific Investment: Four Family Home With Almost 1,000 Square Feet in Each Unit
- 06/04/07 09:17 PM
Solid Well Kept Brick Fourplex Only Three Tenths of a Mile From the RTA!Location: Detroit ShorewayThis is your opportunity to invest in a multi-family home that makes sense. Live in one, rent out the other three. Each unit features two bedrooms, hardwood floors, a formal dining room with built-ins, gorgeous decorative fireplaces, a back patio and a front porch. This home has a backyard that is fully fenced and comes complete with a storage shed, a garden area and perennials - all because it has been a one owner, owner-occupied building for four decades. There are laundry facilities for each unit … (13 comments)
3c: Strongsville Home in The Heathers Let's You Live Close To Nature Yet Be In Walking Distance to Downtown Strongsville
- 06/03/07 12:45 PM
Commune With Nature At The Heathers on Glenmar WayLocation: The Heathers Idyllic setting, and you can walk to downtown Strongsville from your new home. The kitchen/family room layout is perfect for entertaining, and you can extend that thought by exiting the sliders to the newer hot tub! This home features 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full baths, a large whole wall pantry off the kitchen, a big fireplace and oversized two car garage. Did I mention it's an all electric home? Say good bye to those pesky natural gas bills! Call or email for your own private showing.Photo GalleryInformationContact InformationCarole Cohen, Belinda Bonoan, … (7 comments)
3c: Bellaire Puritas Home: Professionally Rehabbed, Tax Abated and Affordable
- 06/03/07 12:41 PM
Rehabbed, Tax Abated Ranch in Bellaire Puritas NeighborhoodLocation: Bellaire PuritasHard to find this kind of house at this price! Bellaire Puritas Development Corp. had this home professionally rehabbed. The Family Room addition is vaulted with a large skylight; the yard is deep, the garage has a covered patio on it. The kitchen is fabulous with newer appliances, great storage, and a laundry suite adjacent to it. City of Cleveland Tax Abatement froze the taxes on this home a few years ago. And there are six years left. Multiple Financing options. The entire list of upgrades is too long to list here. … (0 comments)
3c: Elegant, Spacious and Warm Richmond Heights Home
- 05/31/07 06:05 PM
Elegant, Upgraded Sun-filled HomeLocation: Between Richmond and TrebeskyVaulted ceilings, skylights, and a brick floor to ceiling WBFP in the living room are some of the attractive features of this home. Add a window alcove for reading, new floors, carpeting, chimney damper and cap and as of May 2007, a brand spanking new roof. There is a lower level family room with a wall of bookcases and a privacy fenced yard replete with a large deck, lush lawn and perennials. There is also a fertile garden with raspberries and strawberries. This is a beautiful home and a great value. Photo GalleryInformationContact InformationCarole … (6 comments)
Jim Rokakis has been our Treasurer for quite some time. I had no idea how eloquently he could write a story. The Washington Post's Outlook section featured an article he wrote today. The article is about everyone wanting the American Dream, not having enough money to get it, and then being given false hope that a loan can in fact make you a 'part of' that Dream. ;)
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