We see it all the time – buyers find a beautiful home which, to the naked eye, seems to be in great condition. Which is why we remind our buyers that only a trained inspector can identify underlying issues that could cost them pain, heartache, and cold hard cash in the long run.

How the Home Inspection Process Works.

Once an offer has been accepted, Alison and I put our clients  in touch with one of our recommended home inspectors. We recommend inspectors we’ve worked with before, whom we trust to do through and complete inspections, and to find the issues with their potential new home. They spend four or five hours at the home evaluating and examining the interior, exterior, electrical, plumbing, and major systems. Within 2-3 days they deliver a very thorough report with their findings.

Every real estate contract we use has an ‘Inspection Period’  during which we inspect and review the inspection report, and a ‘Remediation Period’ during which we negotiate repairs and credits with the home sellers. Buyers can; ask sellers to make repairs as part of the terms of the contract, ask for a price reduction, live with the issues in the home if they are minor, or decide the issues are so severe that they terminate the purchase contract.

The peace of mind buyers get from knowing that the home they purchased is in good working order makes the cost of a home inspection worth every penny! If you are looking for a home in the Cincinnati area contact me today!

• Have your furnace cleaned and serviced.  A clean, well maintained unit may translate into lower heating costs this winter, and may prevent system failure. Homeowners who have their heating and air systems serviced regularly and maintain good records are less likely to have “surprises” following a potential buyer’s home inspection.
• Clean your gutters. Once the leaves have fallen off of your trees, be sure to have all leaves and debris removed from your gutters.
• Test your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and change batteries where needed. Don’t have a carbon monoxide detector? We highly recommend that our clients purchase one for each floor of their home, as well as one for near the furnace.
• Check your exterior light bulbs. As the days become shorter and many of us start to leave or return home while it is dark, it is important to ensure that your exterior light bulbs are working to prevent falls and injuries.
• Look for potential drafts.  Check your windows and doors to see if there are any drafts that need to be sealed with caulk or otherwise address. This will save you money on your heating bills, and make your home a much more comfortable place to be in the coming months.
• Have your chimney serviced.  Before lighting your first great fire of the Fall season, be sure to have a chimney sweep inspect and clean your chimney.

Taking these steps will help to prepare your home for colder weather, prevent costly repairs in the future, and will help it to maintain its value.

WE HAVE AN EXTENDED FALL HOME CHECKLIST!!

If you are interested in receiving our FULL fall home checklist let us know! Request one through our Contact Us form with your name and address and we will send you one.

Move right into this beautiful home in the sought-after Claiborne pool community and in the Loveland School District. The home features a large kitchen with newer Stainless Steel appliances. There are hardwood floors, newer carpet, blinds & light fixtures. There is crown molding and a wood burning fire place. In the back there is a great deck that is perfect for entertain and looking out onto the fenced-in yard. The Master bedroom is over-sized with a spacious walk-in closet. If you are interested in setting a showing call me at 513-518-1140.113 Thorobred Roadwill be held open from 12:00 – 1:00 PM Loveland, Ohio this Sunday July 17th.

Come see this beautiful home in the exclusive Claiborne neighborhood.

The state academic rankings consider a number of factors including the how well the students perform on state tests,, attendance and even graduation rates from high school. Elementary and Middle Schools are evaluated on if their students learn one year’s worth of material at the end of the academic year. That measure is called the ‘Value Added Metric’.

For links, independent reviews, and more information on schools in the Cincinnati area, be sure to check out the school resources that we have compiled on this website. If you are thinking about moving to Cincinnati e-mail me today.

Cincinnati School and District Report card 2010-2011 PDF

I work with a lot of first time home buyers and understand all of the emotions that they experience through the entire process. I see the joy and the frustration both as they navigate through things like contracts, negotiations, addendum and all of the other steps involved in the process. I also get to see the looks on their faces when things go well and we close on their first home.

A friend and her husband just purchased a home in Texas  and she wrote an expansive piece about the emotions and process they went through to find the right house  I think it is the same for most first timers, but few take the time to write about their personal adventure with such care and detail.

There’s a certain cliched, cheesy magic that has been portrayed by Realtor commercials, of couples gazing expectantly at each other, eyes wide, thrilled that they’ve found THE HOUSE and that they can now embark confidently on The American Dream.  And the thing is, they’re actually not joking.  Just like when I found out that the best part of waking up really is Folger’s (or any coffee) in my cup, I discovered this was a time when commercials weren’t lying to me.

Because the moment you realize that you and your mate both love a house is nothing short of momentous, causing you to react like you’ve just discovered King Tut’s Tomb.  Or maybe the Baby Jesus.

“The stained concrete floors!” I cried.

“The huge backyard!” Ross wept.

“Oh, oh my God, Ross, there’s a PECAN TREE,” I whispered.

“I know, Tolly, and there’s even a small driveway,” he said.

We were completely giddy.  We practically skipped out the front door, and into our realtors’ arms.

You can read the whole post on the Austin Eavesdropper.

We will be saving nearly 50% off of this unit due as a result of this program.They contract with different service providers so you have your choice of who you want to do your installation. The money comes from a conglomerate of Duke Tax Credits, County Tax Credits and a number of other government and private sources. You pay the discounted amount to the provider and they process the paperwork and get all of the credits through the Energy Alliance themselves. I passed this on to my real estate clients and wanted our Community to be able to take advantage of this opportunity as well. This money will be running out in the next few months so if you are planning to replace any of these items in your home soon, this should give you the incentive to get free money while you can!!!! Contact Alison Warm Moss for the info!

Cincinnati has an active bird population and stocking a feeders in the winter. Thompson suggests using black oil sunflower seed, peanuts, tiny thistle and Nyjer seeds, and others thin shelled nuts that are high in fat and calories. The birdseeds mixes will also attract squirrels, and that often poses problems for many bird lovers. Squirrels are intelligent, opportunistic, and love to steal seeds from bird feeders. I have seen videos of the little rodents climbing feeder poles, tight rope waling on power lines, and even leaping from trees all to get at and eat from bird feeders.

Bird feeders can bring a wealth of wildlife to your back yard and create an attractive environment for you ad your family to enjoy.

Can the average household with average income buy an average home?

Compared to the rest of the nation Cincinnati has a few things in its favor. The report lists the national median home price at $177,900, and Cincinnati’s median home price at $137, 250.  Our home prices are 22% less expensive than the national average. On to of that our median household income is $8,000 higher than the national average. These two things combined give Cincinnati an affordability index of 257 vs the national average index of 172. In this case a bigger number is better!

Lowe’s has some great tips on Fall maintenance-

1. Clean out the gutters – after the leaves are all done falling clean out the gutters so that when the winter snows melt and the spring rains come that water will have somewhere to go aside from into your attic!

2. Move your Potted plants and Potters – Bring in your smaller potted plants so they do not freeze over the winter and make sure that any empty potter are moved into the garage or somewhere they will not freeze and crack.

3. Rake your leaves – because if they sit on your lawn they will leave unsightly brown patches. They block the sun damage the grass underneath them. If you have a mulching mower you can also mow the leaves a number of times to chop them up very fine and the material will compost into your yard. Just make sure they are dry when you do it!

4. Weed and Feed – your lawn will rebound faster if you feed it in the late fall. Also take the opportunity to pull out the crabgrass and spray the dandelions that are still hanging around.

If you take care of these things in the fall your lawn and home will look its best in the spring!