Thursday, August 19, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Worthington Schools, Powell Address, & Columbus Taxes!!
You won't find too many like this on the market - Great Location @ Great Price!! Updated bath, some new windows. Eating Space w/sliding DR to Florida Rm; Large Deck Looking into Fenced Treed Yard & Shed. Wood Burning Fireplace W/Wood Mantel. Pls allow 24HRS for showing
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
5br - 5 BR under 200K!!
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Friday, February 19, 2010
2002 3BR 1.5BA $100990 - NO HOA FEE UNTIL 2011*
SELLER TO PAY ALL 2010 HOA MONTHLY FEES if in contract by 4/30/2010 - In magnificent condition, maintenance free condo, end of court w/add space for parking, newer carpet, light fixtures, 2nd fl laundry, M BR w vaulted ceilings & walk-in closet, porch & patio. Close to park & Clubhouse. ..HURRY!!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Best Places To Get Ahead 2010
Francesca Levy, Forbes.com
Feb 2nd, 2010
Over the last few years, jobs and incomes in these counties grew most. Professional success often requires some degree of sacrifice. Surprisingly, one of those sacrifices might include moving to the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio. Living in Delaware County is, in some ways, a smarter career move than packing up and heading for Wall Street or Silicon Valley.
With three-year income growth of 11% between 2007 and 2009, Delaware County is one of 10 places Forbes found best for professionals to get ahead. The fastest-growing county in the state, it has benefited from both a diverse mix of jobs that has kept the economy strong, and family-friendly neighborhoods that expanded out from the city center.
The counties on our list are geographically spread out and varied in industry, but they have one thing in common: They're all suburbs of big cities. But these aren't sleepy bedroom communities feeding off of urban spillover.
"The inner-ring suburbs look very much like their city neighbors," says Lawrence Levy (no relation to this story's writer), executive director of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University. "They look like it physically, racially, ethnically, and economically."
Behind the Numbers
To find the best places to get ahead, we looked at counties where the number of jobs had grown the most between the second quarter of 2007 and the second quarter of 2009 (the most recent quarter for which county-level statistics are available), using data from the U.S. Department of Labor. We factored in the counties with the highest income growth as well, using median household income growth between 2007 and 2008, the most recent year that the data are available from the U.S. Census Bureau.
We limited our search to counties where the median household income was $75,000 per year or higher, to focus on places where you can earn a solid salary and move up quickly, rather than ones that went from low to average incomes. It's a sign of the times that in many of these counties, job growth was flat or even down, but they still placed high because the drop was more modest than elsewhere in the country.
Fort Bend County, Texas, a suburb of Houston, topped our list. Incomes there have grown 10% between 2007 and 2008, and that's not a fluke based on a small contingent of wealthy residents. The county has also added 5,913 new jobs since the second quarter of 2007, an increase of 5%.
Like the rest of Texas, Fort Bend gets a healthy chunk of its revenue from the energy sector, but it also benefits from a diversity of industries--including education and hospitality--that has fueled several decades of rapid population growth. Several companies on Forbes' 400 Best Big Companies list are headquartered there, including Texas Instruments, Baker Hughes and Thermo Fisher.
Center Strength
In the Midwest, the decline of the manufacturing sector has curbed employment growth in many areas, but some pockets have bucked the trend. Kendall County, a suburb of Chicago, is No. 3 on our list. The area's 90% population growth, from 54,560 in 2000 to 103,460 in 2008, spurred an influx of restaurants, stores and service-industry businesses to accommodate the newcomers. The result: a 7% rise in income and a 3% jump in job growth. Another fast-growing Chicago suburb and No. 6 on our list, Will County, Ill., saw incomes grow by 7% between 2007 and 2008. Carver County, Minn., on the outskirts of Minneapolis, ties Hanover County, Va., for the No. 10 spot, with income growth of 5%.
If you live on the east coast, your best bet is to head to areas just outside the capital, where a steady churn of government jobs has kept nearby suburbs growing. Loudon County, Va., and Alexandria County, Va., wealthy communities outside of Washington, D.C., saw 4% and 7% job growth, respectively.
If you're driven by sheer ambition, you'll have the best shot at getting ahead in places where industry is diverse enough to be buffered from a decline in any one sector, or areas dominated by education, health care or government.
But even in these places, employment has inched--rather than leapt--ahead recently. Only a handful of the counties we ranked saw job growth in the past three years, and even then, only at an average rate of 2%.
So no matter where you are in the country, the real key to getting ahead might just be holding on until the economic recovery takes off.
Top Places To Get Ahead
1. County: Fort Bend County, TexasSuburb of Houston, TexasMedian Household Income, 2007: $77,082.00Median Household Income, 2008: $84,782.00Change in Income: 9.99%Change in Jobs, 2007-2009: 4.77%
2. County: Delaware County, OhioSuburb of Columbus, OhioMedian Household Income, 2007: $80,448.00Median Household Income, 2008: $88,899.00Change in Income: 10.50%Change in Jobs, 2007-2009: 2.22%
3. County: Kendall County, Ill.Suburb of Chicago, Ill.Median Household Income, 2007: $76,020.00Median Household Income, 2008: $85,545.00Change in Income: 12.53%Change in Jobs, 2007-2009: 0.12%
4. (tie) County: Williamson County, Tenn.Suburb of Nashville, Tenn.Median Household Income, 2007: $81,954.00Median Household Income, 2008: $93,321.00Change in Income: 13.87%Change in Jobs, 2007-2009: -1.19%
Feb 2nd, 2010
Over the last few years, jobs and incomes in these counties grew most. Professional success often requires some degree of sacrifice. Surprisingly, one of those sacrifices might include moving to the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio. Living in Delaware County is, in some ways, a smarter career move than packing up and heading for Wall Street or Silicon Valley.
With three-year income growth of 11% between 2007 and 2009, Delaware County is one of 10 places Forbes found best for professionals to get ahead. The fastest-growing county in the state, it has benefited from both a diverse mix of jobs that has kept the economy strong, and family-friendly neighborhoods that expanded out from the city center.
The counties on our list are geographically spread out and varied in industry, but they have one thing in common: They're all suburbs of big cities. But these aren't sleepy bedroom communities feeding off of urban spillover.
"The inner-ring suburbs look very much like their city neighbors," says Lawrence Levy (no relation to this story's writer), executive director of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University. "They look like it physically, racially, ethnically, and economically."
Behind the Numbers
To find the best places to get ahead, we looked at counties where the number of jobs had grown the most between the second quarter of 2007 and the second quarter of 2009 (the most recent quarter for which county-level statistics are available), using data from the U.S. Department of Labor. We factored in the counties with the highest income growth as well, using median household income growth between 2007 and 2008, the most recent year that the data are available from the U.S. Census Bureau.
We limited our search to counties where the median household income was $75,000 per year or higher, to focus on places where you can earn a solid salary and move up quickly, rather than ones that went from low to average incomes. It's a sign of the times that in many of these counties, job growth was flat or even down, but they still placed high because the drop was more modest than elsewhere in the country.
Fort Bend County, Texas, a suburb of Houston, topped our list. Incomes there have grown 10% between 2007 and 2008, and that's not a fluke based on a small contingent of wealthy residents. The county has also added 5,913 new jobs since the second quarter of 2007, an increase of 5%.
Like the rest of Texas, Fort Bend gets a healthy chunk of its revenue from the energy sector, but it also benefits from a diversity of industries--including education and hospitality--that has fueled several decades of rapid population growth. Several companies on Forbes' 400 Best Big Companies list are headquartered there, including Texas Instruments, Baker Hughes and Thermo Fisher.
Center Strength
In the Midwest, the decline of the manufacturing sector has curbed employment growth in many areas, but some pockets have bucked the trend. Kendall County, a suburb of Chicago, is No. 3 on our list. The area's 90% population growth, from 54,560 in 2000 to 103,460 in 2008, spurred an influx of restaurants, stores and service-industry businesses to accommodate the newcomers. The result: a 7% rise in income and a 3% jump in job growth. Another fast-growing Chicago suburb and No. 6 on our list, Will County, Ill., saw incomes grow by 7% between 2007 and 2008. Carver County, Minn., on the outskirts of Minneapolis, ties Hanover County, Va., for the No. 10 spot, with income growth of 5%.
If you live on the east coast, your best bet is to head to areas just outside the capital, where a steady churn of government jobs has kept nearby suburbs growing. Loudon County, Va., and Alexandria County, Va., wealthy communities outside of Washington, D.C., saw 4% and 7% job growth, respectively.
If you're driven by sheer ambition, you'll have the best shot at getting ahead in places where industry is diverse enough to be buffered from a decline in any one sector, or areas dominated by education, health care or government.
But even in these places, employment has inched--rather than leapt--ahead recently. Only a handful of the counties we ranked saw job growth in the past three years, and even then, only at an average rate of 2%.
So no matter where you are in the country, the real key to getting ahead might just be holding on until the economic recovery takes off.
Top Places To Get Ahead
1. County: Fort Bend County, TexasSuburb of Houston, TexasMedian Household Income, 2007: $77,082.00Median Household Income, 2008: $84,782.00Change in Income: 9.99%Change in Jobs, 2007-2009: 4.77%
2. County: Delaware County, OhioSuburb of Columbus, OhioMedian Household Income, 2007: $80,448.00Median Household Income, 2008: $88,899.00Change in Income: 10.50%Change in Jobs, 2007-2009: 2.22%
3. County: Kendall County, Ill.Suburb of Chicago, Ill.Median Household Income, 2007: $76,020.00Median Household Income, 2008: $85,545.00Change in Income: 12.53%Change in Jobs, 2007-2009: 0.12%
4. (tie) County: Williamson County, Tenn.Suburb of Nashville, Tenn.Median Household Income, 2007: $81,954.00Median Household Income, 2008: $93,321.00Change in Income: 13.87%Change in Jobs, 2007-2009: -1.19%
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Best Time Of Year To Sell A Home
Francesca Levy, Forbes.com
Jan 4th, 2010
Homeowners should buck the conventional wisdom about selling in the spring.
Putting a home on the market in this grim real-estate climate might seem like lunacy considering how heavily the market favors buyers. Home prices are down 28% from their national peak in the second quarter of 2006, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index, which tracks sales in 20 major housing markets. Still, listing a home during certain months can improve a seller's odds.
Late spring and summer are usually thought of as the best times to put a home on the market because buyer demand builds steadily through spring. Sales then peak during the warmest months, when it's easiest for families to move without uprooting their children from school. But this year, experts predict that the selling boom, which normally starts in spring, will hit at a different time than it has in the past. Sellers with flexibility should market their homes earlier in the year.
According to data from Zillow.com, an online real-estate database, the volume of home sales was highest in June, July or August every year since 2000. This year, however, an $8,000 credit for those buying their first home--that expires on June 30, 2010 and requires buyers to have closed on a home by April 30, 2010--will force buyers to speed up their decisions. Historically low interest rates also suggest that sellers will face a busier market as early as February.
"This year, we're anticipating sales will peak earlier," says Nicole Hall, editor in chief of Lendingtree.com, an online mortgage comparison service. "The best time to get your house on the market will be February or early March, and maybe even earlier if you want to avoid competition."
The Economy Upsets Seasonal Trends
House hunting may have traditionally sped up after March, but nothing about the last few years in real estate has been traditional. In 2008, sales failed to pick up with their usual gusto in late winter because the financial crisis cast a shadow of fear over buyers, and lending seized up.
"Between the fall of 2008 and March of 2009, there was a long dead period in real estate," says Ken Shuman, spokesman for the real estate Web site Trulia.com. "You don't want to buy a house if you don't have job security, and a lot of people had jobs but didn't feel too secure about them."
2009 didn't follow typical trends, either. Fall, when sales usually plummet, saw more sales activity than usual this year because of the introduction of the government's tax credit, which was initially set to expire on Nov. 30, 2009.
Improving the Odds
Granted, some sellers have no choice but to sell at a slow time of year. Job relocation and the need to free up assets are facts of life that can deprive families of the luxury of waiting until the peonies bloom to put their homes on the market.
But Hall says that there are ways to improve your chances of a sale if you have to list your home late in the year, like playing up holiday decorations and shoveling walkways to maximize curb appeal. She adds that selling at this point in the cycle isn't always the worst fate.
"Look at how you can turn it to your advantage. Maybe because you're forced to sell at a different time, there will be less competition," she says. "Also, be realistic about your price. If you know you're selling at a tough time, it can be a tough call, but you might have to drop that price a little."
Shuman and Hall agree that the season shouldn't be the only factor homeowners consider when getting ready to sell. Paying attention to the vagaries of the local real-estate market, where inventory and prices can fluctuate week to week, will offer more guidance to sellers than simple seasonal trends.
"Check out your local inventory," says Hall. "Read the housing-market blogs, follow the local market really carefully, and look at the unemployment rate. That will make a big difference."
For smart sellers, Shuman and Hall agree, taking a chance and starting the sale process earlier will reap distinct benefits in 2010.
"The beginning of the year is going to be make-it-or-break-it," says Shuman. "If you're a seller, get your property listed as early in the year as you can."
Jan 4th, 2010
Homeowners should buck the conventional wisdom about selling in the spring.
Putting a home on the market in this grim real-estate climate might seem like lunacy considering how heavily the market favors buyers. Home prices are down 28% from their national peak in the second quarter of 2006, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index, which tracks sales in 20 major housing markets. Still, listing a home during certain months can improve a seller's odds.
Late spring and summer are usually thought of as the best times to put a home on the market because buyer demand builds steadily through spring. Sales then peak during the warmest months, when it's easiest for families to move without uprooting their children from school. But this year, experts predict that the selling boom, which normally starts in spring, will hit at a different time than it has in the past. Sellers with flexibility should market their homes earlier in the year.
According to data from Zillow.com, an online real-estate database, the volume of home sales was highest in June, July or August every year since 2000. This year, however, an $8,000 credit for those buying their first home--that expires on June 30, 2010 and requires buyers to have closed on a home by April 30, 2010--will force buyers to speed up their decisions. Historically low interest rates also suggest that sellers will face a busier market as early as February.
"This year, we're anticipating sales will peak earlier," says Nicole Hall, editor in chief of Lendingtree.com, an online mortgage comparison service. "The best time to get your house on the market will be February or early March, and maybe even earlier if you want to avoid competition."
The Economy Upsets Seasonal Trends
House hunting may have traditionally sped up after March, but nothing about the last few years in real estate has been traditional. In 2008, sales failed to pick up with their usual gusto in late winter because the financial crisis cast a shadow of fear over buyers, and lending seized up.
"Between the fall of 2008 and March of 2009, there was a long dead period in real estate," says Ken Shuman, spokesman for the real estate Web site Trulia.com. "You don't want to buy a house if you don't have job security, and a lot of people had jobs but didn't feel too secure about them."
2009 didn't follow typical trends, either. Fall, when sales usually plummet, saw more sales activity than usual this year because of the introduction of the government's tax credit, which was initially set to expire on Nov. 30, 2009.
Improving the Odds
Granted, some sellers have no choice but to sell at a slow time of year. Job relocation and the need to free up assets are facts of life that can deprive families of the luxury of waiting until the peonies bloom to put their homes on the market.
But Hall says that there are ways to improve your chances of a sale if you have to list your home late in the year, like playing up holiday decorations and shoveling walkways to maximize curb appeal. She adds that selling at this point in the cycle isn't always the worst fate.
"Look at how you can turn it to your advantage. Maybe because you're forced to sell at a different time, there will be less competition," she says. "Also, be realistic about your price. If you know you're selling at a tough time, it can be a tough call, but you might have to drop that price a little."
Shuman and Hall agree that the season shouldn't be the only factor homeowners consider when getting ready to sell. Paying attention to the vagaries of the local real-estate market, where inventory and prices can fluctuate week to week, will offer more guidance to sellers than simple seasonal trends.
"Check out your local inventory," says Hall. "Read the housing-market blogs, follow the local market really carefully, and look at the unemployment rate. That will make a big difference."
For smart sellers, Shuman and Hall agree, taking a chance and starting the sale process earlier will reap distinct benefits in 2010.
"The beginning of the year is going to be make-it-or-break-it," says Shuman. "If you're a seller, get your property listed as early in the year as you can."
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