Maureen McCabe Central OH Homes

It's not the 2009 TV show Glee (I've seen it a couple of times...) Worthington Glee Club 1937 from Don O'Brien who grew up in Worthington.  Visit O'Brien's  Flickr photostream for lots of interesting photos of Worthington from the 1930s and 1940s. 

O'Brien wrote on Flickr,  "I was in 7th grade when I took the photo with my 620 Kodak folding camera. I think Miss Sanford, the Worthington school music teacher is the leader. I don't recognize any of the girls because they were several years older than I was.

The photo was taken in the old high school building, now the new art center. In 1937, grades 9-12 were in the building"

The ribbon cutting for the Peggy McConnell Arts Center in the "Packard" building was Sunday I believe.   

The architect of the original building was Frank Packard.  Have you been yet?  

The arts center is beautiful from a distance. 

Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington - Facebook 

There are lots of current photos in an album there, 'Mac Grand Opening.'

Don O'Brien's photo is licensed with a Creative Commons license

"We sell Brookside Woods"

Trying to decide recently whether to attend an office social function I thought of Barbara and Jim Gustafson who were HER Realtor agents...

Barbara and Jim have moved to Florida now? Or they are traveling around the country (or the world?) with their home base in Florida.

Barbara Gustafson is real social. Real Living HER Worthington social functions often make me think of Barbara.

Barbara has a distinctive sense style. I have an internal WWBD (what would Barbara do) when it comes to accessorizing as time goes on. When I started wearing antlers with flashing bulbs on them for Christmas, it was from thinking "WWBD."

When I moved to Columbus in 1990 Barbara Gustafson was selling real estate alone, well with HER Realtors but Jim was still working for.... Scott's in Marysville? When I was moving to Columbus I saw Barbara's "I sell Brookside" signs in Brookside Estates and Brookside Village and Brookside Colony. Barbara's sign rider on her HER Realtor's for sale signs in Brookside Woods was "I sell Brookside Woods" I may have wandered into Brookside Woods by accident (out of my price range) back in 1990.

I can tell you which house on Starleaf Lane iBarbara had listed in 1990 in Brookside Colony when we were moving to Columbus and I am sure that is where I first noticed an "I sell Brookside" sign rider.

I worked for Coldwell Banker in 1990 and you could not help but notice that Barbara did indeed sell Brookside Woods and Brookside Colony and Brookside anything she could list and sell back in the 1990's. Cinda Schumaker with HER Realtors in Worthington sold Brookside Colony...but I don't think she has sign riders as part of her plan of neighborhood domination like Barbara's "I sell Brookside Woods" campaign.

My second listing ever in Central Ohio was a house in Western Hills which was an expired listing that had been Barbara Gustafson's listing. I remember Barbara's very dramatic and impassioned plea for showings on that listing at a Worthington real estate agent's association meeting... we did business a bit different back then than we do today. There is still a Greater Worthington Area Real Estate Association.

I joined HER Realtors in 1995 and worked with Barbara. That would be when I became more aware of her at social events, office and real estate related.

Jim Gustafson joined Barbara in selling real estate in Central Ohio at some point and the sign riders changed to "We Sell Brookside Woods"

Jim called me "Red."

Early on I think Barbara called me Marlene, Marian or whatever name was handy that started with an M. Later on I think she knew it was Maureen. I always wondered if Jim could not remember what my name was.

At a gathering at Red, White and Boom one year.... I remember Barbara in her red, white and blue clothing with her red, white and blue 4th of July jewelery telling me that Jim would never attend Red, White and Boom, that he was home watching it on TV.

There are things that will probably always remind me of Barbara and Jim Gustafson. Brookside Woods actually the whole Brookside area, Halloween, Christmas sweaters and earrings and Red, White and Boom even if Jim was at home on the couch.

Brookside Woods Homes

Brookside Neighborhoods

Olentangy Schools homes for sale - a lot of homes!

There is a lot of inventory of homes for sale in the Olentangy School District, 9.4 months at the end of September. The Lewis Center area, the City of Powell and unincorporated areas in Southern Delaware County are in the Olentangy Local School District. A graph for homes for sale for the whole school district looks like:

Links to Central Ohio school districts including the Olentangy Local School District.

Olentangy Schools homes for sale - a market report

Olentangy School District homes for sale - a market report

907 homes for sale
97 homes sold in September 2009

9.4 months of inventory based on sales

Average active price $429,000
Average sale price $298,000


18.2% less homes for sale than a year ago.
23% less months of inventory (based on closed Sales) in comparison to September 2008


Olentangy School District home sales - September 2009
+6.6% home sales in September 2009 over September 2008
Average sale price $298,000

The October data will be available in about a week and a half. The official news will be provided by the Columbus Board of REALTORS® MLS (multiple listing service)

Search for Delaware County homes

Trendgraphix uses single family and condominium sales combined. The graphs are based on data available at the end of September 2009. The graph was created with data from the Columbus Board of REALTORS® and Trendgraphix. Only Real Living HER agents are authorized to use Trendgraphix in Central Ohio.

It looks like the first time home buyer tax credit is being extended and there's also Home Buyer Tax Credit for the rest of you, or a lot of non - first time home buyers.

The bill passed the senate.

The bill passed the house.

The bill needs the presidents signature.

I just saw on Twitter that it has been signed by President Obama.

Home Buyer Tax Credit for the rest of you

Up to $6,500 for move up buyers. If you've lived in your home 5 of the past 8 years...

I'm looking for something like this chart:

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit The table in this February 2009 chart was produced by the National Associaton of Realtors

The First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit is extended until April 30, 2010.

Home Buyer Tax Credit for the rest of you - what would you call it?

The Move Up Home Buyer Tax Credit?

$6,500 Home Buyer Tax Credit?

Home Buyer Tax Credit

Search MLS for Central Ohio Homes

Columbus Home Sellers - staging #2

Home staging is a service some home sellers use to make their home more saleable than the competition. I am not sure how many Central Ohio home owners use home staging to be number one for home buyers but some swear by home staging.

Selling your Central Ohio home?

Staging #2 - we're number 2 we try harder

To borrow some old ad from a car rental company... was it Hertz? or Avis? that was number two so they tried harder?  How old is that ad?  

Sorry.

I first saw staging being #2 on the Michigan real estate blog of my old pal real estate agent Maureen Francis.  The post is written by  Marianne Sweet of Home Sweet Home Staging in the Detroit Metro area:

Home Staging Ranks #2 in HomeGain’s Top 12 Home Improvements for Sellers

Columbus Home Sellers - staging #2

Maybe because I had just heard of a new business in Central Ohio - Home Stagers Supply I was more prone to noticing the headline on the  miOaklandCounty.com site.  Or perhaps I would have noticed it anyway.

Susan of Home Stagers Supply is a brand new member of ActiveRain (a real estate network) I am not sure if Susan will be talking to the general public about the importance of staging, talking to home stagers or talking to Central Ohio Realtors about home staging. Maybe all of it.

I am tuned in.... to whatever Susan has to say.

Home Staging #2

I am not a HomeGain fan (member for a real short time years ago, it was different management, same brand... the HomeGain logo gives me the heebie jeebies... whatever heebie jeebies are) so I hate to even send you there but I was confused by why staging was #2 on the list.

I needed a graph on the HomeGain blog to help me understand the ranking of number 2 is because home staging has the second highest return on home investment.  The number of real estate agents recommeding staging is much lower than some of the other recommendations in the HomeGain survey.

HomeGain 2009 Top 12 home improvements survey results 

There is a graph on the HomeGain site that helps me understand why home staging is number two. The rating is the all important return on investement. The investment is the second best return on investment to cleaning and decluttering your home.

#2 is  using an investment of $300.00 for home staging.

Hmmm is $300 enough? Home staging depending on how much help and materials you need may be low.

Marianne Sweet home stager  (we are motoring back up to Metro Detroit area top link in the post if you care to come along for the ride....  miOaklandCounty.com blog) says:

"I have already had an agent ask if $300 for Home Staging is realistic.  The answer is yes, a $300 Home Staging can make a major improvement in the way an occupied house shows.   Call a Home Stager for more details."

Try harder - #2 the point of home staging is to make your home #1

Many, many , many of the other 11 items on the HomeGain list are about home staging...

cleaning / decluttering

painting

carpet replacing

kitchen updating

Image Credit 2 of Arts