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Spooky South Walking Tour
2007-10-04 00:48:49
The Columbus Landmarks Halloween Ghost Tours this year include the “Spooky South Walking Tour.”   The walking tour includes Kelton House, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Columbus Performing Arts Center (Davis Discovery Center) AND the  O’Shaughnessy Funeral Home. This tour is scheduled for October 21, 27 & 30.  You can call 614 -221-4508 to register and buy tickets.  “Advance registration is required & group size is limited. All tours begin at 7 p.m.” Other Columbus Landmarks programs and events.


Columbus Housing Market is Stable
2007-10-03 18:37:43
Another Forbes.com list of cities…  according to Forbes.com and Moodys Economy.com when it comes to housing market stability,  Columbus is number three in the country:   “Housing Trends - America’s Most Stable Housing Market s” 1. Seattle 2. Pittsburgh 3. Columbus They say of our Columbus home prices  ”Annual price change from 2006: -1.2% Projected price change to 2008: 3.49% “Based on Moody’s Economy.com calculations, next year Columbus should boast the eighth-fastest sales rate of the 40 markets examined.” There is a slide show of Americas most stable housing markets online within the Forbes.com article  including Columbus and a little further down the list Cincinnati.  Forbes.com uses a similar photo of the skyline of downtown Columbus from North Bank Park.  In the October 1, 2007 article Forbes.com and Moody’s Economy.com get into the effect of the subprime mortgage market’s  collapse nationally and in lo


Home Sellers Your Central Ohio Showings
2007-10-03 12:10:34
Home Sellers   has your Central Ohio home has been shown?  In our market leaving a business card is the way you can tell if a Central Ohio home has been shown by a real estate agent who is a member of the Columbus Board of REALTORS® Usually a business card is left to show the agent has been there.  Other ways to tell?  Foot prints in the carpet. More than a business card left?  A football schedule magnet? A bookmark (this was an item sold to real estate agents and the ads did say it was nice to leave on showing.. I thought it sounded sleazy.  Did the agent leave a nice little note about what the showing agent could do to get your house sold that your listing agent is not doing? I’d say talk to your listing agent about anything more than business cards and footprints in the carpet.  The shoing agent may be soliciting your business.    Feedback…. It is customary in this market for the listing agent to get feedback from the buyer’s agent.  The listing age


Tree Trimming
2007-10-03 01:49:25
Your tree’s (The tree trunk is on your lot) branches of the tree hang over your neighbor’s lot… what are your responsibilities?  Can the neighbor trim the tree?  Are you required to trim the tree for the neighbor? I had a client write a crazy clause about tree trimming into a purchase contract (and an attorney review clause too, thank goodness.)  The seller did not comply.  We were lucky.  It turned out what the buyer asked for was illegal.   The “tree trimmer”  cleaned out the dead ”stuff” but did not deface the tree or trespass on the neighbor’s property.   I can’t provide details of that transaction because of client confidentiality. California real estate agent Mary Pope-Handy  shared the NOLO (legal website) about tree trimming, maintenance, responsibility, etc.  via a real estate forum. Need local real estate legal advice?  I can refer you to a good real estate attorney or two since I am just a lowl
Read more: Trimming

Haunts on the High Road
2007-10-02 00:41:12
The Haunts on High Road Rally Tour is one of the Columbus Landmarks Foundations 2007 Halloween Ghost Tours This tour is offered October 19, 26 and 29.  “Advance registration is required & group size is limited. All tours begin at 7 p.m.” according to the Foundations website. It’s a  walking/driving tour that focuses on High Street in Downtown Columbus.  A road rally between the Lofts Hotel at 55 W. Nationwide Blvd and the Antique Mall at 1045 S. High Street.   The Columbus Landmarks Foundation site mentions, the ‘Lady of the Lofts?’  Call 614-221-4508 to register and buy tickets Other Columbus Landmarks Foundation programs and events.   


Buy Now!
2007-10-16 07:04:50
Columbus is a stable housing market. One of the best in the country. Says who? Says Forbes.com and Moody’s Economy.com! From the Columbus Board of Realtors: “Last year was the third highest number of sales ever in Central Ohio. Yes, it was down 4.5% from 2005 and the average sale price is down a `whopping’ 1%, but it was still a good year. Today, compared to 2004, only 3 years ago, we have sold close to the same number of houses and the average sales price is up nearly 3%. “ If you like ads click here… for an ad from the Columbus Board of Realtors. It’s a .pdf Buy now Ad … hey if it was Forbes.com there’d be pop ups and Steve Forbes would come walking across the screen occasionally to sell you something… Here’s a graph for the Greater Columbus Area (Franklin and Delaware Counties… to me those two counties are all that matters… most of the time… apologies to outlying counties.) Click and the graph will


Polaris Area Gets More BBQ
2007-10-16 00:35:33
“It’s gonna get messy” is a slogan for the newest BBQ place in Central Ohio.  More BBQ  in the Polaris area!  Shanes Rib Joint at Gemini Place III  in the Polaris area  is the newest addition to the local BBQ scene according to Columbus Business First.  Shanes joins Hoggy’s, Smokey Bones and City Barbeque in the Polaris area.  Former and returning Columbusites Mike and Cheryl Koontz franchisees say: “Our sauce is second-to-none,” he said, referencing a 40-year-old family recipe passed to chain founder Shane Thompson. “We’re fast-casual and family friendly. We want to attract everyone.” The chain is based out of Atlanta.  Shane’s Rib Shack website has  a picture of Shane, a large guy and says: “Never trust a skinny guy when it comes to matters of eating.”


Extreme Green Will Backfire
2007-10-15 08:47:08
Happy Blog Action Day! Mark my words.  Green is good but the extremists and those with a political agenda will turn off more people than any they will inspire to be a bit more green personally if they over dramatize…  “Disclosing Global Warming?  WTF?” WTF?  World Trade Federation? Is it a trade issue too? Or does  WTF mean “Where’s The Fire?” in a Technorati hot topic sense?  Or is “WTF?” the common phrase I really always think of when I see “WTF?”  In Disclosing Global  Warming  WTF? Jay Thompson, The Phoenix Real Estate guy links to Jennifer in Minneapolis worrying about disclosing global on the coasts.  I tried to get in on the conversation on Jennifer’s blog but don’t see my comment there.      I must not have made the cut.    Jennifer wrote:   “I was recently reading a post on Active Rain about Global Warming. The author wrote that he believes it is real estate agents duty to
Read more: Extreme , Backfire

Green Schools
2007-10-15 07:15:27
From Columbus Business First on Blog Action Day (all about green blogging…) Green Schools in Ohio Schools looking for funding from the  Ohio School Facilities Commission will need LEED certification:   “With a goal of meeting higher energy efficiency and environmental standards in new elementary and secondary schools, the commission has decided to adopt a widely used certification program as part of its building design requirements. All future projects will need to meet at least the silver certification standard of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Schools rating system and will be encouraged to reach even higher for LEED’s gold certification, said Michael Shoemaker, the commission’s executive director.” The added expense of the LEED certification is questioned by some in the state…


To the Swiftest go the Spoils
2007-10-14 06:36:02
I wrote here about Columbus being named a stable market on October 3…  Columbus is the third most stable housing market    in the US according to Forbes.com.  That’s not bad. On our internal website my company Real Living HER announced the facts to us around October 10…. “Columbus Ranked Third out of the 10 Most Stable Markets    Forbes Magazine teamed up with Moody’s Economy.com to rank the country’s 10 most stable markets – and Columbus is No. 3! Pittsburgh, Columbus and Dallas follow Seattle in the rankings. Predictions are based on the state of the local economies, new construction contracts, foreclosure rates, local credit markets, sales rates, affordability and inventory. There is even more good news in the article. Based on Moody’s Economy.com calculations, next year Columbus should boast the eight-fastest rate of the 40 markets examined! “ Fastest… I remember that line in the article on Forbes.com but I read it now and


Sunday is for Open House
2007-10-20 23:37:05
Sunday is still for Open House s in Columbus. Many housing markets in the US just don’t do open houses anymore. You hear, “the open house is dead. R.I.P.” The open house is alive and well in Central Ohio. Real Living HER’s Open House List has over 300 properties advertised this week. As this post ages… that link will reflect current scheduled open house lists not the Sunday, October 21, 2007 list…because really who cares what was open? Members of the Columbus Board of Realtors, (I am one…) have access to a list of all open houses submitted to the MLS. The only problem with that list is most agents do not put their listings on that open house list. For example in homes in the price range $400,000 to $500,000 (my listing I am holding open this week is in that price range so I looked) there are only 6 homes listed as open, four of those are Real Living HER agents listings. Those homes are also on the list of open houses you as a consumer
Read more: Sunday

Columbus Blog Help Wanted II
2007-10-20 04:50:05
Last week I ran an ad on Saturday looking for local bloggers in the real estate industry. OK it was just a normal blog post… not an ad. No nibbles… but that’s OK I first heard from my home inspector blogger who has contributed twice… months after I ran the first ads looking for a home inspector blogger to contribute on Columbus BestBlog.com Attention Columbus Home Inspectors This week I am looking for nonreal estate bloggers who would like to guest blog occasionally or contribute on a regular basis to ColumbusBestBlog.com Any local content. Bloggers who write about biking, food, sports, music, cartoons, events, a cause, a group, a community, a place, in Central Ohio are encouraged to inquire. Columbus and Central Ohio are the common denominator. Interested email: MaureenatColumbusOHHomes4Sale.com with the appropriate symbol with a link to your blog.  Or use the form at  Contact Me I know if you leave a link to a sample of your blogging style in the
Read more: Help Wanted

“home sales down 13% in region”
2007-10-19 17:21:24
&ldquo ;Report: September home sales down 13% in region &rdquo ;   is the headline on a Columbus Business First article today. What’s the region you may ask… I know I do each month. I usually forget what counties are covered by the Columbus Board of Realtors® Multiple Listing Service, month to month.   Columbus Business First quotes the board spokes person: “The Board of Realtors monitors sales in Franklin, Delaware, Fayette, Madison, Morrow and Union counties, and portions of Licking, Pickaway, Fairfield, Champaign, Clark, Knox, Logan and Marion counties. “  The counties that are pieces are the part I forget…   Mostly I pay attention to Delaware and Franklin Counties Franklin and Delaware County - Through September 2007  Columbus is one of the top three stable housing markets in the US


Columbus K9
2007-10-19 02:54:56
“To Leash or Not To Leash: Dogs at Goodale ParK”According to a WOSU article there was a meeting last night about Victorian Village dogs having the run of the park without leashes. Possible outcomes: “One, have a fenced-in dog area within Goodale Park. Two, have designated off-leash areas and times within the park. And three, fence in Wheeler Park, a five acre area located behind Giant Eagle on Neil Avenue, to be used as a dog park.” Mingle with our Mutts is this Sunday at the Franklin County Dog Shelter (My mutt is from Capital Area Humane Society… lots of opportunities in Columbus .) Mingle is 1st. and 3rd. Sundays each month.Halloween Pet Parade! Sunday, October 28, Easton Town Center, Town Square (behind Brio Tuscan Grill). Benefits Capital Area Humane SocietyColumbus K9 Links Rescue groups, shelters, events.


The Home “Pricing Disconnect”
2007-10-18 09:46:02
A client used those words recently, &ldquo ;pricing disconnect.&rdquo ; I can’t tell you the context of the conversation.. confidentiality you know…   Yes there is a “disconnect” between the prices of homes on the market and the prices of homes that sell. In the graph above the green line is obviously what homes for sale are priced at. The red line is the price that homes sold for.   There is a disconnect.   The graph is for homes (single family and condominium) in Franklin and Delaware Counties. The chart shows the past 15 months ending September 2007.   If a seller priced their home based on the competition and the neighbors are not priced competitively (with what has sold very, very recently) … the new listing will have that same pricing disconnect …  Priced the same as the rest of the neighborhood which is not selling. Sold/List Diff. % 97 97 96 97 96 96 96 96 96 97 97 97 97 97 96 Above is the frame fro the table of sta
Read more: Pricing

Columbus Introduced Cows to the New World
2007-10-25 10:16:07
Did you know Columbus (Christopher, the Italian explorer in the employ of the Spanish government that Columbus Ohio is named after)  introduced cows to the New World .  According to Matt on his Bag Wine Ruminations blog’s Columbus Day post “Land D’oh”: “For instance, most people do not know that Columbus introduced cows to the natives. Now why is that significant? Let me tell you. In order to keep the natives from bothering the cattle and preventing theft of the bovine, Columbus kept them penned up in an area guarded by a sailor named Giuseppe. Everyday at noon, Giuseppe would eat his lunch…the same thing everyday. He would eat a semi-circle shaped piece of dough that was stuffed with cheese and sausage. When asked what this delicacy was called, he said, “ I don’t know, but it really helps me to get through working twelve straight hours here in the Cow-Zone.” The spelling may have changed, but to this day it is a staple of fine Pizzeria dining


Central Ohio Halloween
2007-10-25 03:07:47
Beggar’s night (trick or treat) is on Halloween this year… In the City of Columbus - Trick or Treat 2007 and many of the suburbs, Dublin, Powell, Westerville, Worthington. A couple of years ago the Columbus Dispatch said of the history of Beggar’s Night in Columbus: “Beggars Night, which could fall as many as four days before Halloween, was started in Columbus at least 90 years ago, originally because a Downtown community party was held on Oct. 31. But the party got too rowdy, according to newspaper accounts, and Columbus police halted it in 1954.” Channel 10 has a list of many Central Ohio Communities! Halloween in Central Ohio is not just for little kids! Although the website says “Boys and Ghouls” the website and the real live site are definitely not for young children… or mature adults who don’t enjoy gore. Dead Acres - Haunted Hoochie is scary. It is one of the top 10 haunted houses in the US. Terror Park at Co


Scary Central Ohio Neighborhoods II
2007-10-25 00:14:21
This one will be scary… Looooong ago. I sold a house to a couple relocating to Central Ohio from Cleveland. They wanted a new or newer house in an area where they knew no industry or commercial developments could upset their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, American Dream, etc. Schools they wanted smaller… Their kids were coming from a much smaller high school than the majority of Central Ohio school districts offer.   They really liked the Olentangy School District because it was so small… (remember I said this was long, long ago., Olentangy was a dinky school district then, kinda rural.  It did not have the breadth of programs of other schools in the area but that is what they liked. )  We looked at homes in the Westerville and Dublin school districts as well initially but they thought the high schools in Dublin and Westerville were too large for their kids. They made an offer and went in-contract on a new construction home in Sawmill Woods, in Pow
Read more: Scary

What is Columbus? A Poll
2007-10-24 13:31:20
What is Columbus ? Where is Columbus? Who is Columbus? Is the area north of 270, in the City of Columbus but also in the Worthington School District Columbus to you? Is the Riverside Green area (City of Columbus, Dublin School District) Columbus to you? Is Madison County, Columbus to you? Is Fairfield County Columbus to you? Are parts of Licking, Morrow, and Knox Counties, Columbus to you? Is Pataskala, Columbus to you?  The Dead Acres Haunted House in Columbus made a national top ten list.  Dead Acres - Haunted Hoochie is in Pataskala.  Is that Columbus to you?  


Scary Central Ohio Neighborhoods
2007-10-23 23:02:55
Kenmore Park is a neighborhood in northeast Columbus. I showed a house in Kenmore Park on Weber Road to a buyer a few years ago who was sure it was haunted. It was decorated like a bordello, it was pretty old, it was a VA repossession but I did not know why she thought it was haunted. As she explained it: “old house someone must have died there sometime…”  I don’t think the house was that old.  She bought a home built in the 1950’s. German Village? Braumeister ghosts in the big houses? Brewery worker ghosts in the cottages? Victorian Village? I am not sure who would be haunting those? Victorian Columbus residents? Repressed people in funny fussy clothes? Davis Estates is a neighborhood on the south end of Worthington that made the news in 2006 when a cheerleader was shot by a recluse. I wrote about it on ActiveRain (a real estate network) at the time: “I’d never heard the kids in Worthington considered a house on the south end of t
Read more: Central , Ohio , Scary

Ohio Transfer Tax - YMMV
2007-10-29 18:25:56
YMMV = Your mileage may vary YMMV = Your market may vary   Sellsius Real Estate Blog shares a site the National Conferance of State Legislators that gives  the  Transfer Tax for every state!  Ohio  Transfer tax: $0.10 per $100 plus local option $0.30 per $100  0.4% (0.1% plus 0.3% local)  Posted May 2005. Transfer tax (also known as conveyence fees) vary by county in Ohio.  That may be exactly what it says but it does not say what they are by county, so it really doesn’t say anything.  Delaware County has long been higher than Franklin County.  Until January 2006 the 2005 info.. was correct for Franklin County.  I am used to thinking  of it as dollars per thousand rather than dimes per hundred dollars though.  According to the Franklin County Auditors website “Franklin County conveyance fees are $2 (two dollars) for every $1,000 (one-thousand) of the sale price. Effective January 12, 2006, The Franklin County Commissioners have imposed a $1 per thousan


Witchy Welcome
2007-10-29 03:42:52
I understand this “sign” says “Welcome .” Croeso means  welcome in Welsh?  The language they speak in Wales…  I am not sure what the lines below welcome mean .. It says  CROESO I CWMGWRACH. Welcome to ColumbusBestBlog, whether you’ve been reading it for awhile or if you are new… since it’s getting close to Halloween I thought I would break out my welcome witch. You are welcome to leave a comment.  I moderate all comments.  I didn’t until recently but I’ve learned I have to.  I won’t post a comment that is comment spam. You are welcome to all of the information here.  To read it.  Not to hijack it to another site with Google Ads or to copy and paste my content to another blog. You are welcome to: Search Central Ohio Homes Online No Sign Up MyRealLiving.com - Set up your own page! Choose me as your agent if you would like to work together to find a property. Look for real estate. Find a Central Ohio Home - Let


If the California Cows Relocated to Columbus
2007-10-28 00:28:02
If the California Cows (”Happy cows”… in a series of commercials for California cheese) relocated to Central Ohio… they could probably afford more land.  The outlying counties would probably be more appropriate for relocation as land prices are higher in Franklin and Delaware County.  There are cows inside 270 though, the OSU herds in Northwest Columbus . There’s a dairy herd and a beef herd living in the city.  Sorta.    < It’s a great time to buy in Central Ohio! Buyers: Search Central Ohio Homes Online No Sign Up MyRealLiving.com - Set up your own page! Choose me as your agent if you would like to work together to find a property. Find a Central Ohio Home - Let me help you find your “Dream Home” Home owners: What’s your Columbus Ohio home worth? Market Analysis Request


Columbus Pet Costume Contest
2007-10-27 16:10:51
Do some canines like to dress up?  My dog Buddy does not like wearing costumes.   The winner Raul an English Bulldog won the Columbus Dispatch’s 2007 Pet Costume Contest , dressed as Henry VIII complete with wives heads (they look like Barbie Doll heads to me. ) Raul’s costume really is creative. 2007 Pet Costume Contest - Slide Show on The Columbus Dispatch website. The second prize winner, Beau, a French mastiff is wearing my dog Buddy’s Devil costume or similar…probably a lot larger devil costume and Beau wears it well and as the judges noted Beau has the right expression.  This photo is from years ago and although you can not see Buddy’s expression you can see Buddy did not want to dress up as a devil.  This was the best photo of Buddy in costume.  Hardly a photo that will win a dog costume contest.  It is almost impossible to photograph a dog who does not want to wear a costume.  The Humane Society would probably frown on the use of du


Columbus K9 Halloween 2007
2007-10-26 07:03:31
Another local Halloween event, this one benefits the Franklin County Dog Shelter, Muttster Match  this Sunday, noon to 4:00 P.M.  at Fitzgerald’s Tavern in Northwest Columbus .  Fitzgerald’s Tavern - 2640 Bethel Rd Columbus (just east of Sawmill Rd.)  Ph: 614-457-3489. My dog has the same devil costume as the little dog pictured on the Friends of the Shelter Page (Muttser Match)  on the Franklin County Dog Shelter site.  I have no good photos of Buddy wearing the costume since he becomes a whirling dervish as I try to put the costume on him. He tries to eat the cape and horns. The Friends of the Shelter page on the Franklin County Dog Shelter pages says the Muttster Mash  is 1:00 to 3:00 and the Fitzgerald Tavern announcement says noon to 4:00 (those party animals….) so I am confused. Halloween Pet Parade!   Sunday, October 28, Easton Town Center, Town Square (behind Brio Tuscan Grill). This one benefits the Capital Area Humane Society.  Columbus K9


Golf Village Open House - 1st National Open House
2007-11-02 15:02:28
Real Living HER Open House List  This home is part of the “First National Open House” Sunday November 4, 2007 -  There’s only two Ohio homes… but if you want to move to Arizona you’ re in luck. 8525 Northbluff Lane  Powell OH. 43065  Open Sunday 2 to 4, don’t forget to Fall Back Map Link - 8525 Northbluff Lane, Powell Ohio Previously on ColumbusBestBlog.com Powell Property Participates… Buyers: Search Central Ohio Homes Online No Sign Up MyRealLiving.com - Set up your own page! Choose me as your agent if you would like to work together to find a property. Look for real estate. Find a Central Ohio Home - Let me help you find your "Dream Home" Sellers: What's your Columbus Ohio home worth? Request a Market Analysis
Read more: Village

Columbus wants to be…
2007-11-02 01:45:14
Chicago?  Cleveland?  Really? I don’t think Columbus wants to be Chicago or Cleveland&hellip ; A Dayton blog thinks Columbus has aspirations to be Chicago or Cleveland? In “I wish we were more like…” Dayton Most Metro claims: Columbus = Cow Town And they hate the fact that whenever mentioned on the national stage, they are always called Columbus, Ohio as opposed to just Columbus (and some have suggested they change their name.) I think the first is Cow-Town… or so my ColumbusBestBlog.com spell check tells me.  My category here is Cowtown but that’s because that was what the category was on the original Columbus Best Blog and that blog is sooooo old it did not have spell check when I started. The Columbus Ohio thing… Gee I hope Columbus doesn’t change the cities name… I’d have two blogs I’d need to rename.  I think Columbus is OK with all those other mini Columubuses sharing the same name.  I can understan


Franklin County Dog Shelter
2007-11-02 01:24:22
This Sunday, November 4, 2007  is the Franklin County Dog Shelter ’s “Mingle With Our Mutts” at the shelter on Alumn Creek Drive. The Franklin County Dog Shelter The ‘Mingle With Our Mutts’ page on the dog shelter site says:   ”Mingle is the best place to look for your new best friend!” Mingle With Our Mutts is the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.  The Franklin County Dog Shelter is located at 1731 Alum Creek, Columbus, OH 43207 I have links to other Central Ohio animal shelters and rescue groups on my Columbus K9 page    on my Real Living HER website, MaureenMcCabe.com.  My dog was adopted from the Capital Area Humane Society.


Fall Back
2007-11-02 00:12:10
 Remember Sunday November 4, 2007 “Fall Back” one hour. Remember to reset your computer clock, put batteries in smoke detectors, etc. This image is a Real Living ePostcard.  Want me to send you email postcards?   


“Green” in Columbus drink French Bordeaux!
2007-11-01 01:01:56
&ldquo ;Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit. &rdquo ; Old habit. It’s for good luck. Good news Columbus .  Being ”Green ” in Columbus means you ought to drink the French Bordeaux ! Choose the Chateau Rothschild over the Gallo …. or the California Merlot… Andrew Leonard wrote “How green is your bottle of red?” in ‘How the World Works’ on Salon.com “And now for a truly important question: What is the greener option, in terms of carbon footprint, for a hypothetical wine-drinking citizen of Ohio: a California merlot from Napa county, a cheap Australian bottle of Yellow Tail shiraz, or a French bordeaux?” “Green” Columbus Drinks European Wines? No …. “This means that east of Columbus, it is less injurious to drink wine shipped across the Atlantic than trucked from Napa. In New York, if you want to “drink locally” — think France.” No I guess we are the dividing line so Green Columbusites ma
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