Shanna’s Blog
Shanna Lafontaine is a Realtor with RE/MAX Affiliates who works the Dublin, Hilliard, Powell, Worthington, Westerville, Delaware and surrounding Columbus areas helping both Buyers and Sellers.
When DIY Goes Wrong!
My friend Tammy, a fellow Realtor, posted this fabulous picture on Facebook this morning that she took. Whenever I am out showing real estate I always see the most interesting things, see my post from last week about the one of a kind home I showed on Thursday.
I decided to share my favorites I’ve seen lately, you just can’t make this stuff up.
photo courtesy of Tammy Marquardt
For those of you that can’t tell what the picture shows, someone has taken the garage door sensors and put them in the middle, above the garage door and pointed them at each other. I can assure you this is NOT the correct way to make sure a child, pet or car will not be crushed by the garage door.
I always like to stick a sanding block behind my junction box to keep it flush and in place. I’m sure this is how the professionals do it, right?
I don’t have a picture of my all time favorite DIY job, I was showing an older home in Plain City and the previous homeowner had taken a drop ceiling tile like this:
Used it to close a large 10 inch hole in a plaster wall by drywall taping it and then mudding it. I wish I would have had my cell phone with me that day so I had photo proof of this ultimate DIY job gone bad.
The moral of the story is, if you can’t DIY a job, call me and I’ll hook you up with a good contractor to help you.
A bad home repair or remodel job is worse than no job.
Shanna Lafontaine is a Realtor with RE/MAX Affiliates who works the Dublin, Hilliard, Powell, Worthington, Westerville, Delaware and surrounding Columbus areas helping both Buyers and Sellers.
A Lovely Home in the Henderson Rd Area, or Not.
I’m sorry I’ve been neglecting all my readers lately, the real estate market in Columbus is just crazy right now so I’ve been working sun up to sun down and then some. I wanted to quickly show you the lovely home in the Henderson Rd area I showed yesterday morning. Thanks goodness I was able to take a quick trip home and change my shirt because the smell of smoke on myself was overwhelming me and made me want to gag.
Honestly though, besides the good picture taking opportunity, the situation was very sad. It seems like the gentleman was living there without the utilities on, which included a bucket in the living room (I’ll let you use your imagination) and home disaster including a flooded basement. I couldn’t help but feel sad for the owner and the house.
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- couldn’t take a bath without a cigarette?
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- check out the wallpaper and red toilet seat
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- this reads “hope is a good thing” written into the dust of the TV
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- old school stove
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- shower curtain and rod glued to the hallway entrance
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- fish wallpaper complements the pink bathroom
Columbus Real Estate Market News for February 2012
Things are really busy in the market, Spring has come early as you can see by the stats below. If you are thinking about buying or sell in the Columbus market give me a call.
Sale prices for homes sold in central Ohio last month showed a healthy increase over the previous year. The average sale price of $151,072 was 7.3 percent higher than in February of 2011, and 5.7 percent higher than the previous month according to the Columbus Board of REALTORS®.
“Buyer activity has been up while seller activity has dipped slightly,” said Jim Coridan, President of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. “Given the market conditions over the past couple years, sellers have been a bit reluctant to engage. But that could soon change as we head into the stronger spring selling season and the shifting landscape begins to register with well-informed homeowners looking to move.”
Central Ohio housing sales were up in February for the second month in a row. The 1,215 sales showed an 8.0 percent increase over the previous month and a 5.0 percent increase over February of 2011.
In addition, contracts for residential homes and condos jumped 21.7 percent over the previous month and were 57.4 percent higher than the same time last year.
The inventory of homes for sale continues to ebb slowly. There are now just over 11,000 homes for sale in central Ohio, almost 30 percent less than in February of 2011.
The median price of a home for sale in central Ohio is now $149,900 which is 11 percent higher than last year at this time.
“According to the most recent Ohio Housing Market Confidence Survey, 88 percent of central Ohio REALTORS® expect a moderate to strong housing market in the next six months and 84 percent expect home prices to remain the same or rise 0-5 percent,” adds Coridan. “As list prices have strengthened over the past year and demand is healthier, I’d have to agree.”
Click here to view the February sortable housing market report by area.
Click here to view the entire central Ohio Local Market Update.
The Columbus Board of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service (MLS) serves all of Franklin, Delaware, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Pickaway and Union Counties and parts of Athens, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Fairfield, Hocking, Knox, Logan, Marion, Muskingum, Perry and Ross Counties.Shanna Lafontaine is a Realtor with RE/MAX Affiliates who works the Dublin, Hilliard, Powell, Worthington, Westerville, Delaware and surrounding Columbus areas helping both Buyers and Sellers.
Not All Bathrooms are Created Equal
Last week was the week of weird bathrooms. I kid you not I saw 2 showers in unfinished basements and 3 toilets in unfinished basements. To make it even funnier, the Realtors for most of these listings actually considered these “roughing it” plumbing fixtures to be legitimate bathrooms. If you have a toilet, in the concrete, in your basement that is awesome, you can use the potty while you do the laundry, but please don’t think this is a legitimate toilet/bathroom setup that is going to increase value in your home. It isn’t.
Am I wrong here?
Would you think the set up to the left adds value?
Oh and in this house pictured, the laundry was on the first floor, so the laundry sink, was for washing your hands after using the toilet in the basement unfinished space.Shanna Lafontaine is a Realtor with RE/MAX Affiliates who works the Dublin, Hilliard, Powell, Worthington, Westerville, Delaware and surrounding Columbus areas helping both Buyers and Sellers.
Coming Soon: Godown (Columbus) Dog Park
Thanks to Worthington, Columbus and Central Ohio dog lovers all coming together, there will soon be a new Columbus dog park. They turned the real estate on the north side of Godown Road, just west of the railroad tracks that is bound on the north and west sides by Don Scott Field into Godown Dog Park.
The park will feature a one-acre small dog area at the front, nearest Godown Road. It will be divided with a fence from the four-and-a-half acre large dog area to the north.
Opening is planned for late Spring 2012, right now they are hoping shortly after Memorial Day to give the grass time to grow in.
FHA Annual MIP & Up-Front MIP changes April 2012
HUD has issued Mortgagee Letter 12-4 announcing changes to the FHA Single Family Annual Mortgage Insurance Premium (Annual MIP) and Up-front Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP). If you don’t want to read below the bottom line is that it is going to cost you more to get an FHA loan to buy a home. If you want the details, check them out:
Highlights include:
- Annual MIP increasing by 10 bps (basis points)
- Loan amounts ≤ $625,500
- Mortgages with terms ≤15 years and LTV ≤78% remain exempt from the Annual MIP (ML 11-35)
- Effective date: Case number assignment date April 9, 2012
- Annual MIP increasing by 25 bps
- Loan amounts > $625,500
- Mortgages with terms ≤15 years and LTV ≤78% remain exempt from the Annual MIP (ML 11-35)
- Effective date: Case number assignment date June 11, 2012
- Annual MIP decreasing to 55 bps – Streamline RefinancesEffective date: Case number assignment date June 11, 2012
- Streamlined Refinances endorsed on or before May 31, 2009
- Endorsement date is on the Case Query screen in FHA Connection
- Streamlined Refinances endorsed on or before May 31, 2009
- UFMIP increasing to 1.75% of base loan amount
- Regardless of loan amount, term or LTV
- Currently the rate is 1% of the loan amount
- FHA will continue to permit financing of this charge into the mortgage and will continue to calculate actual premium changes against the base loan amount before adding any financed UFMIP
- Fortunately, the upfront MIP can be financed and amortized over the life of the loan.
- Effective date: Case number assignment date April 9, 2012
- UFMIP decreasing to 0.01% - Streamline RefinancesEffective Date: Case number assignment date June 11, 2012
- Streamlined Refinances endorsed on or before May 31, 2009
- Endorsement date is on the Case Query screen in FHA Connection
- Streamlined Refinances endorsed on or before May 31, 2009
Shanna Lafontaine is a Realtor with RE/MAX Affiliates who works the Dublin, Hilliard, Powell, Worthington, Westerville, Delaware and surrounding Columbus areas helping both Buyers and Sellers.
How to File a Franklin County Property Tax Appeal in 2012
In August 2011, The Columbus Dispatch published a very informative article about the latest auditor appraisals within Franklin County. According to Clarence Mingo, Franklin County’s auditor, homeowners lost $3.7 billion in property value since 2005. While most people saw a decline, some owners actually saw an increase, including residents in Grandview, Clintonville, Bexely, and some areas of Westerville. Read more about the re-evaluations here.
If you are one of those homeowners that feels like your tax property value still doesn’t properly reflect your market value there is possible relief. Franklin County has a deadline of April 2, 2012 to file an appeal for your 2011 real estate tax value. To file an appeal you will need to fill out the forms via the Franklin county auditor’s website, and mail into the board of revisions. Once they have received your paperwork they will schedule an appointment to hear your complaint, at this time you will need an appraisal or sale comparables.
Link to the forms here.
I am happy, free of charge, to run comparable sold listings for you, or you can hire an appraiser to appraise your home. If I can help, please contact me.
Shanna Lafontaine is a Realtor with RE/MAX Affiliates who works the Dublin, Hilliard, Powell, Worthington, Westerville, Delaware and surrounding Columbus areas helping both Buyers and Sellers.
Unsexy House Porn for February 2012
As I drive around Columbus showing real estate I often see postcard perfect pictures of BAD curb appeal, otherwise known as unsexy house porn. I’m not sure if homeowners just aren’t aware, or just oblivious.
Bushes covering your entire front of your house, BAD.
Bright green siding, BAD.
100+ tchotchkes covering your yard, BAD.
Fence falling down, BAD.
Surprising Columbus Real Estate Market News January 2012
(Please click HERE if you can’t see the video above)
I’m not surprised by these statistics but I think someone who isn’t actively involved in the Columbus real estate market and pays close attention to national market news will be. Bad news always seem to sell better than good news.
Not only were central Ohio housing sales up in January, but they showed the highest activity for that month since 2008. The 1,125 sales showed a 6.0 percent increase over January of 2011 according to the Columbus Board of REALTORS®.
In addition, 1,845 residential homes and condos were placed in contract – up over 40 percent from the same time one year ago.
“Sales last month were at the same level as we experienced just prior to the housing boom,” said Jim Coridan, 2012 President of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. “It’s a direct result of the increased activity during the last few weeks of 2011 – and a great way to begin 2012.”
Shanna Lafontaine is a Realtor with RE/MAX Affiliates who works the Dublin, Hilliard, Powell, Worthington, Westerville, Delaware and surrounding Columbus areas helping both Buyers and Sellers.
2011 Property Tax Due Dates
Don’t forget that now is the time for real estate property taxes to be paid here in central Ohio. In Ohio, real estate taxes are paid in the rears, so you are paying for 2011, in 2012. If you are in Franklin, Delaware or Union counties your first half taxes should have already been paid. If you escrow your taxes, check your next statement to make sure money went out to pay your bill. Second half real estate taxes are all due mid-year.
Franklin County
January 20, 2012
June 20, 2012
Delaware County
February 10, 2012
Early July, 2012
Union County
February 15, 2012
Mid-July, 2012Shanna Lafontaine is a Realtor with RE/MAX Affiliates who works the Dublin, Hilliard, Powell, Worthington, Westerville, Delaware and surrounding Columbus areas helping both Buyers and Sellers.
About Shanna
I am a Realtor at RE/MAX Affiliates in Dublin, Ohio providing real estate news, advice, local information and my opinions to homeowners and future homeowners in Columbus and Central Ohio.
RE/MAX Affiliates Inc. 7239 Sawmill Rd. Ste 210, Dublin, OH 43016
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