The corridor which stretches from Fairfax to Avondale is a transformative project connecting neighborhoods that have plenty in common that they will be successful. I can see myself jumping on my bike and traversing this corridor to enjoy dinner, cocktails and entertainment- locking up for the night and Ubering home. I believe a potential use of the corridor will be for just social events.  It will also be for the bike commuters living in one area and working in an adjacent. It will connect children to schools and provide safe routes.

Email or call me to be put on a MLS property search that traverses our City. This is exciting and for those looking for “value” in property, you can not afford to not take notice!

John@Payne-Team.com or 513-500-7474

Exciting new developments coming to Montgomery and Blue Ash are proving the concept of this model. What’s interesting about each of these is the Montgomery development has a focused face towards the Montgomery Rd frontage with a greenbelt on 2 sides. Likewise, the frontage of the Summit Park is on Pfeiffer/ Glendale Milford with likely an access point off of Plainfield, but buffered by commercial development on one side. They are encompassed and have very defined boundaries, unlike developments in corn fields. This detail alone on this shows future resale value because competition is controlled or stifled by lack of supply.

If I was to put fresh batteries into my crystal ball, I would say that each will have major success. The demographic of each is very similar with likely a slightly younger crowd gravitating towards Summit Park because of the tenants who have publically committed. The specific tenants have not been named in Montgomery when this was published.

If you don’t live in a location that is a Work, Live, Play structure and you would like too, please call me and we can identify a location within the Greater Cincinnati market to help better your enjoyment of day to day living! John Payne 513-500-7474.

Your downsize is relative to your current lifestyle and the lifestyle that you want to create. For the sake of this exercise, lets assume that you are in a traditional 4 bedroom house that is 3000 sqft and you would like to transition to a 2000 sqft condo. Logically, you need to eliminate 1/3 of your everyday room items and you likely need to downsize long term storage by at least 50%.

Start with the kids. Memory boxes are distributed to the kids on their birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah, etc. Its your children’s responsibility to save what they cherish and its likely a large proportion of what you are carrying!

Second, the closets should be paired down by being honest to what you wear, fit in, and love. Our family likes to support different causes, but the Veterans will come and pick up your under used clothes and provide those to people who are more vulnerable.

Third, downsize your bedroom sets. If your children haven’t already taken the beds for apartments or their homes Now is the time to start asking them if they have interest in their old bed, dresser, rugs, etc. Clean out the room completely and either leave it empty or stage it as a home office, music room, playroom, etc.

Finally, yes finally, its your personal belongings- your everyday couches, chairs, end tables, artwork, etc. Depending on personality and how you want to see your transition occur- an Auction could be a good option if you don’t want to micromanage. Locally, we have Everything But The House as the dominate force. Another option is to hire a local consignment shop to market them, or you can talk to regional antique dealer.

Emotionally and physically, this process is exhausting! Dealing with (sarcasm) your ungrateful children not wanting your perfectly fine ____, its never easy hearing someone doesn’t want what you have…

Ive found that once you are in a place mentally to accept the fact that your stuff is fine without you, it is a liberating and rewarding step towards your transition to a smaller home. I have heard from many people that liquid courage is a fine way to overcome hesitance!

As always, have fun with your move and be careful out there Selling and Buying Real Estate! Check out these condos in Hamilton County that are 2+ bedrooms and min. 2 car garage.

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During the offer period, it was noted in the disclosures that the house had a disclosed sewer backup in 2014 and that they have not had issue since. I also noticed that they had a mature, 25 year+ Silver maple in the front yard. I informed my client that it was my opinion that we inspect the sewer in addition to the house, which she was receptive too because she just replaced a sewer in her current house in Clifton.

The buyer hired Zins Plumbing, a local Cincinnati company to camera the drain. They discovered a major root intrusion and major break in the sewer line. Zins Plumbing was very professional and marked the location in the front yard and recommended that Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) to be called and they would see if the blockage went into their sewer main.

It is the homeowners responsibility to keep the house sewer to the street clear of roots. This is mentioned in multiple documents found on the public service website- http://www.msdgc.org

MSD only becomes involved when the pipe is compromised, cracked or shifted from alignment, within the Right of Way (ROW).

In our case, the pipe damage was deemed within the ROW and its depth was over 15’ below the surface. The estimate to perform this repair was well over $10k.

The cost of inspection was $200, the cost saved was peace of mind and over $9800. That’s a nice return on investment and something that in my opinion more Buyers and Sellers should investigate as they do maintenance on our homes. Knowledge is Power, and as always be careful out there buying and selling real estate!

I have changed my opinion within major sections of Cincinnati this last year. I believe within the Sellers market regions of Cincinnati, you buy equity in the neighborhood. Equity in a neighborhood is the upward mobility of your immediate area- your neighbors.

There are rules to this theory and I believe they are bound by these three rules: the market search of the neighborhood, how close the subject property is to the core of the neighborhood and does it have the housing features of the typical house in that neighborhood.

First, the market search is critical. People are not creative when purchasing a house, if they want Hyde Park- they don’t want Oakley, Evanston or Norwood. Some areas of Cincinnati’s MLS simply don’t get searched and their values do suffer because agents and the general public do not know what that neighborhood is named!

Second, how close the house is to the core of the neighborhood. Context is everything- your proximity to the center of the neighborhood is critical. A community core can be an obvious “square”, it can be “that house” on the block, it can be adjacent to an iconic park- it’s a place where people want to be.

Lastly, the housing features- these are critical. If you buy a 2 bedroom in a 4 bedroom neighborhood- it’s a out of market house! Buy the same style of house that everyone wants or has. If you buy a 2 bed in a 4 bedroom area, you should make sure to have the money to add those additional bedrooms and make it nicer than your neighbors.

So don’t get frustrated by the marketplace, accept it, negotiate nimbly within it, but don’t forget- its not a bad place to be on successes’ coat tails! Be careful buying out there!

The inspector does not include in the report how to correct, they do not recommend companies to do the repair. Your agent may have qualified persons from previous dealings or AngiesList is always an option.

The Buyer takes the information in the report and tells the agent what items within the report need to be repaired or resolved before they move forward with the purchase.

The Buyers agent provides this list of desired repairs to the Sellers agent on a “Post Inspection Addendum” boilerplate form. After the presentation of this form the Sellers have a negotiated time period to respond to the addendum. We usually write 3-5 days in the purchase contract.

The Sellers can negotiate from the Addendum. While it is a request of repair, it is formally a counter offer to the original purchase contract. As a buyer, you should understand that they can say “NO” to any item. Typically, if the request is reasonable, we get this negotiated pretty easily unless a structural or major mechanical system needs addressed. Sellers are hesitant to invest money in the house that they want to Sell, and Buyers are wanting a stable house to move into. It is critical that both agents understand their clients goals; Buyers Agent- Buyer needs a house; Sellers Agent- navigate the Owner to a successful Closing.

After everyone is satisfied, the Buyer and Seller sign the addendum and move forward to Closing!

If the Buyer and Seller can not be satisfied, then the Buyer is Released from the Contract and retains the Earnest Money deposit because they exited the contract using a negotiated contingency.

In the Sellers market that Cincinnati saw the summers of 2014 and 2015, I saw many contracts being emotionally written and then the buyers agents’ used the inspection period to negotiate the transaction to the real market price. It was a tactic used to emotionally invest the Buyer and Seller, then you leverage the fear of the Sellers that the house would look defective if they couldn’t negotiate with the Buyers. It is something to be aware of during the transaction!

In the competitive world I think of cab drivers and Uber, Kroger and farmers markets and Realtors and Facebook. Each has their appeal and place in the market, but do you as the consumer know the difference? Let me tell you.

I’ll leave cabs, Uber and Grocery alone- you can watch the news for that headline. Real Estate and Facebook, or social media, has never had higher stakes in my businesses.

National data from the National Association of Realtors, 9% of home sales were FSBO in 2013. The typical home sold for $184,000 compared to $230,000 for agent assisted home sales. Source- NAR website. That information doesn’t tell you anything definitive, but it does tell you that the spread between the two is $46,000 and the commissions paid would have profited the consumer who used the agent assisted method.

If you have a house under $250,000 or you live in a neighborhood that sells within 14 days of being on the market, you are thinking “I can Sell this myself”. I am here to say, maybe, but I can do it better and it may not cost you anything more once the transaction is complete.

I want to Market, Negotiate, and Shepherd you to a successful Closing. Call me to get more information about how I can get you your equity! 513-500-7474.