Alison Moss - Cincinnati Real Estate

Cincinnati Foreclosures and the National Foreclosure Market

Recently I have been working with a number of clients who have expressed interest in purchasing a foreclosed property simply because of the savings, compared to the market value of the home. Foreclosures are still abundant in Cincinnati and as the jobless recovery continues, sadly, more foreclosures will be coming on the market.

Thankfully the volume of property has been manageable compared to the foreclosure glut that other states have experienced. According to foreclosure-tracking company RealtyTrac.com, over half of the country’s foreclosure-related actions in August occurred California, Florida, Michigan, and Nevada. The top 10 list also includes Arizona, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio, Texas and New Jersey.

The word of caution I give my buyers is that with a foreclosure, the savings on the initial sale price may not yield an overall benefit depending on the condition of the home. I have outlined these concerns before on my Cincinnati Real Estate Web Site. Those considerations, coupled with the general complexity of the Foreclosure purchasing process, are giving my buyers an appreciation for how much more value a well maintained home has.

If you are interested in purchasing a foreclosure call me at 513-518-1140 or e-mail me for more information.

Posted on Sep 14 in Cincinnati Real Estate, Investment Property, Property Value
Tagged: benefit, caution, Cincinnati, complexity, foreclosed property, foreclosure market, glut, home foreclosures, jobless recovery, national foreclosure, top 10 list

Green Homes That Snap Together

I am always on the look out for interesting housing solutions. I recently saw the HIB building system being produced in Germany. The pieces of the house literally snap together like Legos! The modular blocks are created from local pine and insulated with materials including wood chips, clay, mussel shells and pea shingle gravel. The blocks weigh no more than about 60 lbs. , and lock into each other in Lego fashion. The resulting construction is earthquake- and storm-proof even at three storys tall, and a concrete floor provides even greater strength and stability.

In addition you can finish the interior and exterior walls in plaster, wood, drywall, or brick. The blocks are mold resistant, and insulate at levels 40 percent higher than standard insulation materials. Consumers who use the HIB-System can either design their own houses or choose from pre-created layouts. Customers can contact HIB for local recommendations, or they can do it themselves. HIB can precut and number all of the pieces at the factory.

Cincinnati Real Estate: Schools, Rules, and Taxes

Every home buyer I work with has different criteria that defines what is ideal for them. I often hear phrases like ‘good school district’, ‘low taxes’, and ‘nice neighbors’.As a Cincinnati real estate agent licensed in Ohio, there are certain rules that govern how we present information to clients.

The challenge is defining what ‘good’ is. Families may define good in terms of test scores, athletics, number of extra curricular activities, or even college acceptance rate. As a Realtor the best service I can provide my clients is to point them to district information and let them decide what works best for them. I encourage my clients to consider the cost of private school and property taxes when they are considering areas to live. In some cases the comparative costs make a difference of where my clients choose to live.

I have compiled a relatively complete list of links to the various grade schools throughout Cincinnati. The list includes Public, Private, and Religious institutions. I have them listed on my Cincinnati Area School Information page in the Real Estate Resources section of this website.

Tagged: acceptance rate, cincinnati area, Cincinnati Real Estate, Cincinnati schools, college acceptance, complete list, extra curricular activities, home buyer, information page, neighbors, real estate agent, real estate resources, real estate schools, realtor, religious institutions, resources section, school information, test scores

Cincinnati Stops Yard Waste Collection

Most residents do not know it, but it is against the lay to throw your yard waste into the garbage. It is an Ohio State law enacted because yard waste takes up almost 20% of the landfill space statewide.

With fall clean up creeping up on us, everyone should be thinking about alternate places to take their fallen tree branches and all of their leaves. Individual townships have cleanup days where they collect yard waste as well. Check you local township calendars for information. The City haws arranges free drop off locations for fall yard waste.

Drop Off Locations:

3320 Millcreek Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45223

Bzak Landscaping
3295 Turpin Lane (off Rt. 32),
Anderson Township

(Bzak Landscaping is also open during the week from 7:30 am – 5 pm but will be closed Labor Day.)

Kuliga Park
6717 Bridgetown Road,
Green Township

Rumpke Landfill
Struble Road and Colerain Avenue
Colerain Township

HOURS:
March 28 – November 22, 2009
Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Twitter and Real Estate Marketing

Twitter has been getting a lot of media attention recently, but the reality is that Twitter can be a useful tool in real estate marketing. Most often I use Twitter to send out shot notes about property activity, primarily price changes and open houses. It is a great way for me to draw some attention to my website as well as make those who follow me aware of the trends and activity I see in the local Cincinnati real estate market.

The Honolulu Star Bulletin has a short article about another real estate agent in Hawaii who is using Twitter to build her personal brand as a real estate agent. What has become a real boost to the relevance of Twitter is the emergence of Twitter search engines like Topsy. You can follow me on Twitter too! My handle is @AlisonMossCincy