The better questions to ask might be- what type of life style, commuting distance and amenities are you looking for in your home? Many of today’s buyers are not interested in big back yards or a large single family home that requires both indoor and outdoor maintenance.  Plus, many of the condos on the market are conveniently located close to work or in walkable neighborhoods with food and entertainment located within a few blocks.

If your goal is to plant a huge vegetable garden, house 4 cars and blast your sound system at odd hours then condo living may not meet your needs.  Most complexes and buildings have “Home Owner Associations” and HOA rules and regs ( and yes many neighborhoods of single family homes have the same set-up) Many Associations limit the number the  number and type of vehicles, changes to the exterior, the number of pets as well size and weight of dogs as well as restrictions for what can and cannot be done in “common areas”.  And if you’re looking to make an investment today, live in it for a few years then rent it for income- check the rules and regs- because many complexes/buildings do not allow rentals.

Make sure you carefully review all the rules and regulations before signing the final documents.  Most of today’s purchase contract include clauses which give the buyer a time frame to review and approve the documents- make sure you review all the pertinent documentation.

Most condos require the owner to pay a monthly HOA fee to cover things like building maintenance, common areas, trash removal, and depending on location- grass cutting and/or snow removal.  While buyers want low monthly fees, associations need a “slush” fund to cover ongoing repairs (roof, elevators, structural) and it’s usually better for most owners to pay a little more each month than be assessed several thousand dollars to cover major repairs.

And finally to answer the biggest question- will a condo value hold its value? Well nothing is guaranteed in the world of real estate.  Your agent can run a report  detailing sale prices, expired listings, number of units currently for sale and in some cases the comment sections of the local MLS’s includes notes about short sales and bank owned properties.  Make an informed decision when you buy any real estate.

Bottom line deciding to buy a condo is pretty much the same as deciding which home to buy- it’s a matter of what “feels like home”.  Lots of today’s buyers are looking to downsize or just begin the process of home ownership and the local Cincinnati real estate market has lots to offers when it comes to purchasing a condo. Ready to start looking for a condo now-Click here to to Call: 513-300-4090,by email or Subscribe

homes for sale cincinnati oh

As a first time home buyer, you are probably looking for some clues in how you go about making this purchase as smoothly as possible while getting the home of your dreams. There are many things that go into buying a home and every first time buyer should take them into consideration. Here are some tips for first time home buyers in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In a market where homes are lasting a mere couple of days on the market, you have to make some quick decisions. Good properties are being picked up left and right so first time home buyers have to choose a home within a few weeks. You want to search for a number of homes that fit into your criteria for an ideal home before you settle on one. The reason for this is that you could find issues with a home that you don’t find to be perfect for you, and if you settle on one home you will wonder if there are better homes out there. Being an active home hunter is going to benefit you greatly.

Get to know the area. By getting to know the area you can also get a feel for what homes around the area are selling for. Homes that are comparable and in the same area should all be roughly the same price, so this is a great way to tell if a house is overpriced. You will also want to know what is around the area such as schools, hospitals, grocery stores, entertainment, and many other local amenities.

Figure out your budget before you even look at properties for sale. This might be the most important tip a first time home buyer should pay attention to. Without a proper budget, you risk having your home that you love being foreclosed and you would lose everything. Therefore you should figure out a budget. This means the closing costs, monthly utility costs, mortgage costs, planning for any unforeseen costs, and anything else that could come up.

As a first time home buyer, it’s important to avoid jumping into the purchasing pool and grabbing before you’re ready. You want to make sure that the home you buy is a great investment and fulfills all of the things you need in your home, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Anything less than what you need might make you regret your decision. Most importantly, always remember that your budget is there for a reason and that your home should fit into your budget.

About the Author
Coldwell Banker Mountain Property is pleased to bring you this article on first time home buying tips. Coldwell Mountain primarily focuses on Granby Colorado real estate and Winter Park CO real estate. If you are interested, check out their website today.

A sign of the times for Cincinnati Ohio home sales?

If the information below is not detailed enough or if you are considering buying or selling your condo- call for detailed market analysis. Or make it easy and just Subscribe.

At the  moment the direction of local Cincinnati home sales is clear.  Lots of activity, busy open houses and buyers writing contracts. The real estate activity in some of Cincinnati’s larger townships reflects the general ups and downs we’re seeing through out the area. The median list prices continue to bounce around for no particular reason. The number of listings is still low and the data is pulled from the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati potential buyers have 8894 single family homes and 1403 condos to buy-a god increase in the new listings from the last township report.

Even though lack of homes and condos for sale continues to dog the local market- the spring real estate market is definitely in full swing. Want to list your property or start house hunting now-Click here to to Call: 513-300-4090,by email or Subscribe

cincinnati homes for sale, sibcycline.com

If you can’t find what you’re looking for- send me an email.

County Parks

• Butler County
• Clermont County
• Hamilton County
• Warren County

Entertainment

• Beach Water Park
• Kngs Island
• Newport Aquairium
• Zoo

Golf

• Cincinnati.com Golf Links
• Cinci.golf

Government

• County Auditors
• Ohio Driver’s License
• Ohio Vehicle Registration
• Ohio Sexual Offender Registry-Lookup
• US Post Office -Change of Address
• Voter Registration

Lenders

• Coldwell Banker Mortgage Services
• Lender 411
• Reverse Mortgage

Museums

• Art Museum
• Contemporary Arts
• Museum Center at Union Terminal
• National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
• Taft Museum

Schools

• School Finder
• Area Public Schools
• Area Private Schools
• School Report Cards

Sports

• Bengals
• Cyclones
• Reds

Utilities

• Cincinnati Bell Telephone
• Duke Energy (gas and electric)
• Time Warner Cable
• Water Companies

If the information below is not detailed enough or if you are considering buying or selling your condo- call for detailed market analysis. Or make it easy and just Subscribe.

Cincinnati homes for sale surged ahead in April of 2013 versus the same month in 2012 in all 4 counties. According to data pulled from the CincyMLS,

Home sellers in Warren County experienced a very slight drop in the average sale price- but not in the number of homes sold.

Buyer demand for houses and condos continues and while the average sale prices for single family homes in greater Cincinnati are better than last year- we still have a way to go before values have recovered.  During the height of the real estate market in 2006, the average sale price in Butler County was $169,070, Clermont County -$192,299, Hamilton County – 166,830 and Warren County $246,300.  The current issue of Time Magazine features an article authored by Rana Foroohar titled “The Housing Mirage“  which provides a quick, but in depth, view on the current state of real estate.  In short, we haven’t overcome all the hurdles to secure a smooth increase in not only home sales or average sales price in the near future.  And maybe that’s a good thing-because as soon as real estate prices begin to rise rapidly the “creative mortgage lenders” come out of the woodwork …and we know what happens when buyers cannot afford to make payments.

Stay tuned for updates as the “Fed” fiddles with moving away from Quantitative Easing and interest rates begin to rise slowly (hopefully).

Want to start house hunting now-Click here to to Call: 513-300-4090,by email or Subscribe

cincinnati homes for sale, sibcycline.com

If the information below is not detailed enough or if you are considering buying or selling your house or condo- call for detailed market analysis. Or Subscribe.cincinnati homes for sale

Last year 1711 properties closed between 4/5 and 5/5 with an average sale price of $151,805 and a median sale price of $123,000.  This year 1926 homes/condos closed during the same time frame with an average sale price of $161,739 and a median sale price of $131,025.  The numbers reflect a good start on the spring housing market for greater Cincinnati.

Cincinnati home buyers continue to bid on properties.

The number of listings for homes and condos continues to shrink. According to the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati potential buyers have 8818single family homes and 1395 condos available -another small increase in the number of available properties. Compared to the last zip code report the local Cincinnati real estate market is experiencing an decrease in the single family median list price in 3 of the 6 of the areas and 3 zip codes for condos.

Want more details or help making a decision about the direction for your real estate needs -Click here to to Call: 513-300-4090,by email or Subscribe

As local and national media compete to describe the state of the current housing market one thing remains true- we don’t need any government incentives that use our tax dollars to subsidize home buyers  The local Cincinnati Ohio real estate market is doing well on its own.  Buyers are making wise decisions based on what they can really afford to pay and sellers are getting better at reacting to pricing trends.

In 2010 government tax incentives spurred a “fake” real estate boom from which we are finally recovering.  Talk of future incentives are beginning to leak as concerns over sustaining the current real estate boom are questioned.  Waving our tax dollars at potential home buyers improves sales for a very short time and, in the past, the after effect on sales was the equivalent of pushing home owners over a cliff.  The chart below reflects a 3 year recovery to get back to “normal without government incentives” and is a true picture of the local real estate market.

Surprised by what you see- don’t be. Get the real numbers about your neighborhood or subdivision.

Need more information or interested in selling or buying a home -Click here to to Call: 513-300-4090,by email .or sale, sibcycline.com

It’s time to remind buyers and sellers about “shopping for schools”.

One of the first things out-of-town buyers (and sometimes in-town too) always asks…”what’s the best school district?” And my standard reply has always been…..”I can’t say because you know what’s best for your kids”.

There are lots of rules and guidelines for Realtors(c) and on the top of the list is that we do not discuss school districts. The guideline are good for a few reasons:

1. No way I could stay informed about all the schools in greater Cincinnati and with internet access- each district keeps their information updated for your review.
2. My choice of schools may not meet your expectations or requirements.
3. I’m a Realtor(c) not a schooling specialist.

However, there are lots of places to look for information about public and private schools within the greater Cincinnati area. Listings for public schools and private schools are available in a variety of places. Also the Ohio Department of Education posts “report cards” for all of the State’s schools online. New sites are appearing all the time like “Great Schools”. A lot of these sites seem to aggregate information – so you may want to begin your search on the actual school district sites.  Once you’ve narrowed down your search, met with school officials and made a decision-it’s time to begin house hunting.

In the past few years there have been an increasing number of people inquiring about the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State. For those of us who have enjoyed a meal at the Institute- the interest is no surprise. UC, Mt. St Joe and Xavier are not the only higher education institutions drawing students to Cincinnati.

Real estate buyers with questions about schools, neighborhood demographics and crime stats can expect to be directed to a variety of web sites or provided with contact phone numbers.

If the information below is not detailed enough or if you are considering buying or selling your condo- call for detailed market analysis. Or make it easy and just Subscribe.

If the information below is not detailed enough or if you are considering buying or selling your condo- call for detailed market analysis. Or make it easy and just Subscribe.

All the counties experienced increased sales volume in 2013 versus the same time frame in 2012.

And along with increasing sales volume, the average sale prices are also higher than last year.

The shortage of condos coming up for sale and the rising demand continue to propel buyers into making decisions to buy now.  While most of the condo market is ok- many complexes continue to suffer from the effects of short sales and foreclosures.  Some complexes have lost their FHA seal of approval and the loss really impacts the numbers of buyers ability to obtain financing.

If you’re not sure about sale prices each complex and condo has unique characteristics- send a request for a full market evaluation.

Want to start house hunting now-Click here to to Call: 513-300-4090,by email or Subscribe

cincinnati homes for sale, sibcycline.com

In greater Cincinnati 7 times out of 10 the answer is wrong- not because the data isn’t available on county web sites- but because we tend to believe what we hear from neighbors and friends.

To provide some idea about sale prices I pulled information from several areas throughout Cincinnati. The chart below reflects the average sales price and the highest sales price. The prices are for single family homes which closed between 01/01/13-05/07/13

(Data from the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati.)

If you’re wondering about sale prices of property -just send me the address and I will be glad to look up the details. That way you’ll know exactly “what that Cincinnati house sold for”!