Neighborhoods

Who Moved My Property?

December 9th, 2009 categories: Neighborhoods, Real Estate News, Real Estate Selling

Who moved my house

Last night WCPO News ran an interesting story highlighting a frustrated homeowner who purchased a home in Hyde Park in 2001 and now finds the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati (MLS) considers the house location as Oakley!

Talk about surprise- who moved the house? Well actually the property didn’t sneak to another location while the owners were sleeping- MLS was simply adhering to their rules by following CAGIS (Cincinnati Area Geographical Information System). CAGIS is an organization comprised of business, city and county entities (details here) working together on a shared data base.

Realtors rely on the MLS to help provide accurate address location data.

I am sure you have heard somebody describe their property in some location- Wyoming, Glendale, Finneytown -when in reality it was situated on a street near or very near the actual boundary lines. Over the years, the lines become blurred and as confusing (and probably frustrating for owners caught in the middle of the change) the location of any property needs to be decided by “neutral well informed source” and not the general public or their Realtors. (me included)

If you live in Cincinnati and want to know your exact location in CAGIS- follow the link below. Once you are on the site find Locating Tools on the left side bar, click on address and you are ready to go. Click here to get started.

CAGIS

Posted by Kathy Koops | Discussion: No Comments »

Real Estate Activity for Beckett Ridge, Liberty Township and West Chester

November 9th, 2009 categories: Beckett Ridge, Liberty Township, Ohio, Neighborhoods, Real Estate Stats, West Chester, Ohio

Real Estate in the Lakota School District is slowing its fall colors.

According to the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati real estate activity is shown below:

West Chester	Single Family	Average Price	Days on Market	Condos	Average Price	Days on Market
Actives	263	$313,723	104	86	$119,618	117
Pendings	90	$260,938	93	21	$99.504	59
Closed (01/01/09-10/31/09)	435	$218,035	73	106	$90,485	71

Data from Greater Cincinnati Multiple Listing Service

Beckett Ridge	Single Family	Average Price	Days on Market	Condos	Average Price	Days on Market
Actives	12	$253,533	75	6	$116,850	90
Pendings	5	$259,660	163	3	$105,600	38
Closed (01/01/09-10/31/09)	31	$240,497	59	6	$91,042	76

Data from Greater Cincinnati Multiple Listing Service

Liberty Township	Single Family	Average Price	Days on Market	Condos	Average Price	Days on Market
Actives	247	$302,016	134	5	$238,920	101
Pendings	71	$251,576	93	1	274,900	22
Closed (01/01/09-10/31/09)	376	$247,636	74	7	$236,214	141

Data from Greater Cincinnati Multiple Listing Service

During the month of October 34 homes and 12 condos closed in West Chester, 3 homes and zero condos in Beckett Ridge and 45 homes and zero condos in Liberty Township. Good news both the listing and sale prices have drifted upward. Closings have slowed-but the extension of the tax credit should continue to fuel activity throughout the coming months. Credit remains tight-so the available pool of buyers has not expanded.

Questions about the current market for your property? Call or email for in-depth detailed information.

Start your home search now.

6181 Ross Road in Fairfield Ohio

August 28th, 2009 categories: Entertainment, Fairfield, Ohio, Neighborhoods

Elisha Morgan Mansion

As you round the gentle curve on Ross Road, in Fairfield, you pass by a very historic address -6181 Ross Road. The Elisha Morgan Mansion nestled in Gilbert Farms was built around 1817. The Mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

If you are out and about enjoy walking around the wonderful grounds surrounding the Mansion.

Posted by Kathy Koops | Discussion: No Comments »

Why Empty Nesters Flocking to Paradise in Cincinnati, Ohio

January 2nd, 2008 categories: Cincinnati, Ohio, Neighborhoods, Real Estate Buying, Real Estate News

There is a pleasant surprise for empty nesters (young and old) living in greater Cincinnati, Ohio.

A wide variety of newly built (or to be built) condos and single family homes are available within the city limits.

According to articles published by NAR (National Association of Realtors ) empty nesters and couples without school age children are searching for housing stock in walkable neighborhoods. In an article published in Builder Magazine, Christopher B. Leinberger, a Brookings Institute fellow says up to 40% of Americans want to live in urban places where they can walk to restaurants, shop, jobs and entertainment, He predicts that the move downtown may well lead the the housing market out of its slump. “Downtown living is the preferred alternative,” he says.

And since my husband and I fall into the “older” empty nester category…I have been nudging him to consider abandoning suburbia for the city.

While our interest to “move in” is high, the desire to grapple with an old home or condo in need of major reconstruction is not what we are looking to buy. So a quick search of the greater Cincinnati Multiple Listing Service (MLS) recorded 373 brand new or under construction condos or homes located in or very near to downtown Cincinnati. I made a few appointments and dragged the hubby to see them…and we were pleasantly surprised. (No he is not ready to give up suburbia just yet). The places we wandered through had adequate bedroom, closet and storage space- and while some of the locations did not meet our needs- there is definitely something out there for everyone.

For most of us trying to decide the what the perfect urban dwelling would include often leads to meltdown. Do you want spectacular river views or do you need to be within walking distance of your favorite bakery and grocery store? One level floor plan or stairs, elevator and doorman or private entrance? For us it is all about the space….with out of town kids, sleeping space is important, as is a place to store golf clubs and biking gear. I don’t want to park outside- so a 2 car garage or 2 covered parking spaces are required.

Trying to figure out what is acceptable for your lifestyle is not an easy decision and I often spend a lot of time discussing the options with clients and friends. ..because they are struggling with the same concerns. The good news is there is a wide variety of newly built (or to be built) condos and single family homes within the city limits. According to MLS in 2007 130 newly constructed or renovated units closed with prices ranging from $20,000 to $1,918,364. And as the year closes out there are an additional 79 pending sales waiting to close. The numbers indicate a definite purchasing up-tick of new units in urban Cincinnati. In a market where home sales have declined slightly, the sale of new condos and homes in Cincinnati has increased significantly over 2006.

Can’t make up your mind? Maybe you need to shop around greater Cincinnati and analyze your options…give me a call or send an email and I would be glad to assist you.

In the interim-I will keep you posted our search for the perfect nest!

Posted by Kathy Koops | Discussion: 1 Comment »