Austin Coop

A city as old as Cincinnati has hundreds of great local traditions, legends, and customs. Every Good Friday Cincinnati residents participate in one of its most moving traditions: Praying the steps to Holy Cross-Immaculata

For those of you not familiar with Cincinnati, the city is built on the Ohio River and surrounded by several "Mounts". The Holy Cross-Immaculata church is located at the top of Mt. Adams, a beautiful area (with exceptional home values I might add) perched on the east side with an amazing view of the city and northern Kentucky. You can actually take a series of steps all the way from the city to the front door of the church.

Several years ago Cincinnati residents began making the journey from the bottom of the hill to the church while praying every Good Friday. The tradition has continued, and although I am not Catholic, I greatly admire this grassroots ritual. It is a great time for anyone who claims victory on Easter Sunday to reflect on what price was paid for us.

For more information on "Praying the Steps" this year and the history of this tradition please visit: http://www.hciparish.org/

Don't care about getting the credit?

WHAT?

I'm noticing an increasing number of clients that don't seem too concerned about the $8000 and $6500 the government has served up on a silver platter. I'm going to do a little point-counterpoint.

Concern #1: My lease isn't up until this coming winter and I don't want to pay all that rent and a mortgage.

Response: If you don't actually close till June, your first payment wouldn't be until August. Even if your lease isn't up until December you're only out a few months rent. Surely your 8000 in your pocket can cover those costs and still have some left over. Besides, how often do you actually move in the same week you close? You'll want to paint, carpet, etc.

Concern #2: What if I lose my job?

Response: Housing is a sunk cost- you have to pay to live somewhere. As long as you don't over-buy your monthly payment could be the same, if not less, than your rent. If you're still worried, use the 8000 as a rainy day fund in case you need it to cover several months of payments during a layoff.

Concern #3: Aren't prices just 8000 inflated right now?

Response: I heard this from a financial representative for a large company. Pray he doesn't manage your money. This makes no economic sense at all. The supply and demand determine the value. We're still deep in a buyers market.

Concern #4: I don't actually get the money for good do I?

Response: A lot of people think they have to repay it. You don't. (Assuming you don't violate any of the caveats)

Concern #5: I'm too lazy to get with the program in such a short amount of time.

Response: I'll push, poke, and prod you if I have to. This type of credit might never come again. In fact, I hope we never need it again. I'll make your life as easy as possible... You'll find your dream home in 1 or 2 trips out with me. You can spare a couple Saturdays. I'd work for $1000 an hour and so should you. Give me 8 hours and we'll find you something great!

Hopefully this helped inspire you to make one last push to find a home before the credit expires. Call me today to start looking for your dream home.

(This article will also be printed in the Senior Perspectives magazine's May issue in Cincinnati)

While economic and financial conditions tend to have a major impact on the real estate market, the number one influencing factor for residential sales is still simple: life. A roof over your head is a necessity, and the emotion involved with buying or selling a home makes it different than any other investment. Peoples' lives move on, regardless of whether it is a sellers' or buyers' market. Throughout the course of your life you can recall reasons for your real estate purchases. Maybe you had a child on the way, maybe you had a surprise of twins, or maybe when your new bride moved in you realized you needed twice as much closet space. The bottom line was that your real estate decisions revolved around your life circumstances. That hasn't changed.

As the nest empties, the four extra bedrooms you needed now seem like a burden, and the yard the children once loved is now a major chore every week. Downsizing is tempting. Is this the right time? Good news: the market is getting better every day. Cincinnati's market is stabilizing, and prices have hit their floor according to many local experts. Assuming your home is not over-mortgaged, you can most likely downsize and have money to enjoy for all those things you wanted to do: travel, spoil grandchildren, and give back to your community.

This decision, however, is more than just money. Many seniors looking to downsize have a lifetime of memories in their home, and the decision becomes much more emotional. Consider the memories you have made, and give another growing family a chance to make their own in your home. If you're curious about your home's value, please contact me for a free market analysis.

As a newer agent, I spend every Sunday trying to pick up a buyer or two at an open house. The house I held open this past Sunday has given me pretty solid traffic when held open previously, so I was expecting a pretty hot open house. Nothing could have prepared me for how hot this one was... in fact it was ON FIRE!

After about an hour of steady traffic I was standing in the kitchen with a neighbor when we saw a bright flash of blue light shoot up from the oven/stove. Since it was a gas range my mind assumed the worst: a gas leak. I called the fire station to have them come check it out. While waiting on them to arrive we noticed smoke billowing out from the back electric panel on the stove. Apparently the flash was a giant spark caused by a short in the range's electric panel. The wonderful smell of burning plastic filled the home.

The fire department sent a full ladder truck with lights flashing and two fully-uniformed firemen rushed in to save me from the smoking stove. Needless to say, my open house attendees exited, and the neighbors lined the streets to watch the excitement. With a giant truck in the road and police officers directing traffic it made my open house look more like a parade with about 15 spectators lining the street.

Of course, the fire truck couldn't scare off a couple groups who tried to ask me questions about the home while I was trying to discuss the fire with the firemen. I was frazzled.

We got the breaker to the stove shut off and the gas line capped, and the firemen actually asked for my card. And the best part- the stove picked the 2 hour span while someone was actually in the house to malfunction instead of while the place was vacant.

I must say, it was my most exciting open house.

Price Hill Will: Making a real difference in Cincinnati

This past Saturday I had a great opportunity to attend a free continuing education seminar in the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. Not only did I get 3 hours of free CE, but more importantly I became a Price Hill Pro affiliate. The program was sponsored by Price Hill Will, a community development organization in the heart of the neighborhood. Multiple other Price Hill groups gave presentations which I will also discuss.

Price Hill is one of the oldest and most storied neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Ask almost any Cincinnati native about Price Hill, and they're sure to mention things like the Price Hill Incline and the always delicious Price Hill Chili. What most people don't see is what active residents of Price Hill are doing every day to encourage community, growth, and prosperity in their area.

When Price Hill natives decided to really work on changing their community they focused on what academics call, "positive inquiry." Instead of listing a laundry list of problems, people listed all the great things about living in Price Hill and used those as the building blocks for their development efforts.

The end result was a housing resource center, an economic development imitative, and the formation of community action teams.

Price Hill Will describes the community action groups:

"To date there are six active community action teams (CATs) organizing programs and projects that are designed to draw attention to a particular neighborhood asset (greenspace, diversity, religious institutions, arts, etc.) and/or create new neighborhood traditions as a means of building a safe and cohesive community. They include Arts & Culture, Beautification, Churches, Diversity, Eco-neighborhood, Housing, and Safety. Residents, business owners, community organization/agency staff, police, and various other stakeholders make up the members of these committees. Each group has made a "bold statement" or outcome they would like to achieve."

In addition to these groups, a full time staff works to buy distressed properties, renovate them, and resell them to homeowners. Price Hill Will's housing resource center works to raise property values and make neighborhoods better by rehabbing homes that were once eye sores.

Lastly, Price Hill Will has active and ongoing partnerships with local businesses to strengthen the economic outlook for the area. PHW is working hard to create and keep jobs and businesses in Price Hill.

This neighborhood and its efforts are leading the way for Cincinnati. Price Hill is making a name for itself as being an environmentally friendly (greenest neighborhood in Cincy), community and arts oriented place to be. I look forward to watching home values and community morale continue to rise as the residents work to make Price Hill a better place.

For more information on all the amazing initiatives of Price Hill Will please visit www.pricehillwill.org or contact me directly from the information below.

A special thanks to all who spoke and presented at the Price Hill Pro presentation.

Other Great Price Hill Resources:

Historical Society: www.pricehill.org

Soapbox Media: www.soapboxmedia.com