Karen & Doug Parker - From Hilliard to the Hocking Hills Ohio

About Us:

February/March 2010: Karen & Doug Earn the Lancaster Board of Realtors Platinum Awards

Both Karen and Doug each recently received the LBR's Platinum Award for 2009 real estate sales of more than $4-million. Doug also received the Columbus Board of Realtors' $10-milllion sales Award.

The Karen and Doug Parker "ikarensell" team serves different assists their real estate client in different markets stretching from northwest Columbus & the Hilliard-Dublin area down Rt. 33 to the famous Hocking Hills vacation region and the resort community of Hideaway Hills. Whether you're looking for a primary or vacation home, building lot, acreage, & everything in between, they've been there & done that!

Karen Parker has been a respected and top producing Realtor in central Ohio for more than 20 years, & Doug has now earned the Columbus Board of Realtors' $10-million sales award, having joined Karen after many years of media marketing, teaching, management & negotiating experience. As an experienced broadcaster and communications instructor, he provides the seasoned new media, photography & videography skills so essential in today's changing real estate environment.

Along with helping hundreds of home buyers & sellers, they've built, bought and sold a number of homes, condominiums, and land themselves, including their own vacation properties. They've also sold for sellers and found for buyers both primary and vacation homes in numerous counties as well as cities and towns.

They're active members and supporters of various local community groups, including the Hilliard Chamber of Commerce, Hilliard Education Foundation, Hocking Hills Tourism Association, Friends of the Hocking Hills, Hide-A-Way Hills Club, and both the Columbus (CBR) & Lancaster (LBR) Boards of Realtors. Karen is a long-time member of the CBR's exclusive $25-million dollar award winners' group, and has earned the coveted designations of Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Graduate of the Realtor Institute (GRI), and Residential & Resort Specialist (RRS).

They've also served as volunteers to many community organizations, including the Hilliard Educational Foundation and the Hilliard Schools Board of Education, of which Doug was a member (and also served as its President) while it was the fastest-growing district in the state of Ohio. Karen also serves as a "TWIG" member for Nationwide Children's Hospital, and has also held committee leadership posts for her Board of Realtors. Doug currently serves as a board member for the Hide-A-Way Hills Club and the Friends of the Hocking Hills, assisting in fundraising efforts for the Hocking Hills State Park. They are also active members of various local Realtor associations, from the Hilliard Area Realtors Association through to the Hocking Hills Area Real Estate Professionals group.

Now joining Karen and Doug on the "ikarensell" team are Teresa Faulkner & Jason Sharp, central Ohio natives & long-time Hilliard-Dublin area residents. Teresa brings years of real estate sales experience; Jason offers a go-getter attitude & aptitude enhanced by significant sales experience......

1/6/2010: New Year, New Members for The Parker Team!

Realtors® Teresa Faulkner and Jason Sharp are joining Karen and Doug Parker, adding their considerable skills and contacts to the "ikarensell" team and Prudential Calhoon Company Realtors®.

Teresa is a life-long resident of Columbus, and has made her home in Hilliard for many years. She brings many years of experience in real estate sales, and a proven track record working with Buyers and Sellers. You can expect honesty along with the highest standard of integrity, and feel at ease with her personable working style. And you'll always remain confident in Teresa's ability to represent your best interests throughout the entire real estate transaction. Teresa has earned the designations of Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and E-Pro.

Jason, a Hilliard native, has hit the ground running as a newly-licensed agent, and offers ten years of successful and varied and sales experience. He's also gained insight through buying and selling his own homes, and describes himself as a strong goal-setter and go-getter who always sees things through to the end and well beyond for his clients.

Karen: GRI, ABR, CRS, eCertified, Recreation & Resort Specialist (RRS), Prudential Caliber Club and President's Circle, Top 5% of Prudential agents nationwide, Columbus Board of Realtors $25-Million Club. Ohio Association of Realtors' Award of Excellence. Co-chair of Columbus Board of Realtors' Mentoring Program for new agents. "Agent of the Month" in Broker Agent Magazine (June 2008). Sponsor of various local teams and events. Also completed home staging coursework (IAHSP). B.S. in Psychology; former Certifified Occupational Therapist Assistant and Community Mental Health Center Therapist.

Doug: New Home Specialist, Columbus Board of Realtors $10-million Club, Former President & Member of the Hilliard City School District Board of Education, Hide-A-Way Hills Club Board of Trustees, Hilliard School District Citizens Finance Committee, Friends of the Hocking Hills Board of Trustees, Logan Town Center; M.S. in Media/Communications. Former university instructor of Marketing, Management, Journalism, and Communications, as well as high school teacher; former TV and radio broadcast station manager, along with various professional, community and other non-profit volunteer and board positions.

In June 2008, REALTOR.com presented Karen and Doug Parker the company's Online Marketing Award of Excellence, for their efforts to maximize listing information, photos and now video tours on REALTOR.com.

Our experienced team provides you with Realtors® who "Kare'n Sell" central and southeastern Ohio...for home buyers & sellers in Hilliard, Dublin, Grove City, and the entire west side of Columbus, Hideaway Hills and the Hocking Hills Region, Canal Winchester, Lancaster, Logan and more. We would be honored to help you with with your home investment, before, during and after the purchase. Clients we've assisted since 1989 will assure you that our slogan says it all...We truly Kare 'n Sell central Ohio and Southeastern Ohio, and belong to both the greater Columbus and Lancaster Multiple Listings Services (MLS) and Boards of Realtors! And as members of Hide-A-Way Hills Club, the Hocking Hills Tourism Associaion, and Friends of the Hocking Hills, we'd love to tell you more about what's happening and available in the hills, and along the developing Route 33 corridor. We also specialize in log homes and land!

For our clients' convenience and peace of mind, we also retain the services of an attorney who also holds a real estate license. In today's complex and quickly changing market, we will always do our best to maintain the various types of support to ensure full satisfaction and service.

If you're in need of individualized attention to essential property services, exterior or interior, or specialized services related to investment properties, please let us know. We'll be happy to work with you on one-time-only or ongoing plans to prepare, market or maintain your property so that it's just as you want it to be. As your overall real property consultants & advisors, we understand and will help you create and maintain the best "big picture" of your investment(s)!

For most of our listings, we provide a digital video tour as well as a Visual Tour®. You can now view both the Visual Tours® and video tours online, but we´d be happy to get a real "hard" copy to you on CD. If you´re interested in a specific listing on our site, we can mail you a copy of a CD containing both tours; just let us know your mailing address.
If you´d like us to represent you as a buyer, and you´re interested in a listing that we don´t have, in most cases we can also arrange to preview the home for you and shoot digital photographs of the home that you can preview before a personal showing. This can save you valuable time, especially if there are a number of homes that appeal to you.

ns and qualifications? What sets you apart from other agents/loan officers?

Areas of Expertise

I (...we!) Kare 'n Sell...Hilliard (and more of Central Ohio), where we continue to reside. This is one of Ohio's fastest-growing communities, featuring one of the state's top school districts and great recreational opportunities. Here you'll find homes in all price ranges, and friendly neighborhoods both well-established and new. I'd like to tell you much more about the area my family calls home!

I (...we!) Kare 'n Sell...vacation & resort homes, too...in the famous Hocking Hills Region, including Hide-Away-Hills (click on "Buy Your Hideaway" for photos and tour!). Hundreds of families make this one of Ohio's most unique communities. It's a place for year-round homes and weekend getaways. Club members enjoy boating, fishing, golf, stables, tennis, pool, lodge, security and much more in this community nestled in the beautiful and well-known Hocking Hills area. As members and property owners in "The Hills" as well as realtors, we'd be more than pleased to show you everything this unique private community has to offer. And as members of the Hocking Hills Tourism Association and Friends of the Hocking Hills, we'd love to also show you what this oh-so-scenic area is all about, and how things are developing on the heels of the opening of the Route 33 Lancaster bypass. We also specialize in log homes, now representing Jubach Log Homes....if you're not well acquainted with this classic construction, we'll be happy to offer you a top-to-bottom tour (through photo tours and production)....and connect you with clients who've bought log homes, including some available for rental!
Through many years, we've found our clients now considering second or even retirement home options. The traditional "snowbird" or other distant locations for these homes no longer are the automatic sort of choices they once were, as folks decide it's best to buy a getaway that's within a relatively short drive...or to remain closer to family and friends. If you'd like to find out if "The Hills" might be the right choice for you, just give us a call for a personal tour!

Testimonials

"Karen and Doug are great to work with. They know the industry well and will work for your interests. We would definitely recommend them to all of our friends."
Kimberly and Jason Cross

"Karen was so helpful in showing us many houses, answering questions and working around our schedules. Being a first-time home buyer, I needed someone to walk me through the whole process and Karen did that! I'd recommend her to anyone!"
Christine Fallon

"It has been a genuine pleasure to work with you two. You truly do care and sell. You sold our home quickly and at a fair price and we'll strongly recommend your expertise to all our friends who are selling their homes. You are not only our Realtors, you are also our friends."
Donald and Karen Dorr

"As you know, Brian´s career took our family to Barbados, leaving behind family in Ohio and Indiana. We discussed buying a cabin in a central location, but felt the task was too overwhelming to handle from so great a distance. However, we perused the internet occasionally and in the fall of 2007 we stumbled onto a website featuring homes in a unique area called Hideaway Hills. That discovery, along with the changes in the market, started our real estate search in earnest. But first we needed an agent.

We phoned the website´s agent and left a message. Five days passed with no answer. Strike one. We found a second agent and left another message. This time we waited only 2 days for our call to be returned. Strike two. Finally we tried a third agent3; someone from the Prudential Calhoon Realty group, another website featuring homes in Hideaway Hills.

Strike three? No sir. Not with the "IKarenSell" team.

You called us back and gave us a good appraisal of the area market. You were not put off by our low budget. Nor were you put off by our international status. On the contrary, you provided listings for us according to our objectives and you added your own insights in our absence. When Brian realized he could coordinate house-hunting with a business trip in October, you spent the day showing him various properties. After Brian returned to Barbados we decided to make an offer on a small cabin.

You took us through every step, Doug, and you were always just a phone call or an email away. Any concerns we had about completing the sale from abroad were completely eradicated. Your guidance and expertise carried us from the first offer, through the inspections, to the closing. To top it off, you completely surprised us by shoveling the snow and storing the outdoor furniture for us. Wow.

Not only did we not strike out when finding you for our realtor, I´d say we hit a home run! We cannot emphasize enough how truly appreciative we are for all you did for our family. We definitely recommend you and your team to anyone searching for a real estate agent in your area."

With sincerest thanks, Bethany Mounts (and family)...Christ Church, Barbados

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"Karen & Doug were always very professional, attentive and helpful. The marketing of our (Upper Arlington) home was thorough and and detailed and of professional quality. We also purchased a home (in Hide-A-Way Hills) with them. Again, any questions we had were attended to quickly. They went out of their way to help us - both as sellers and as buyers."
Dick & Peggy Christensen

"Karen and Doug are wonderful people and quite the realty team! Each brings their own special expertise to the table. They also helped make the (land purchase) process fun!"
Jim & Deb Kirk

"Thank you for going above and beyond and your professionalism in doing so. I have never experienced any Realtors who worked so hard for their client! I would recommend your services to anyone who needed them!"
Amy Nagy

"Thanks for all your help selling our home in Hide-A-Way Hills...especially taking care to ensure security and safety during our time away. Would and have recommended your service to friends and family."
Peg & Dick Myers

"We were very happy with the effort Karen and Doug put into selling our (Hilliard) home. Ryan was very skeptical about hiring a realtor rather than continuing FSBO, but afer closing in less than 90 days he was very satisfied with Karen & Doug. And they put up well with my numerous calls and questions."
Erin & Ryan Schultz

"Doug & Karen were wonderful to work with. They truly made buying our (Jubach Log) home a pleasurable experience. Their tremendous knowledge and information about the (Hocking Hills) area we were buying in was so helpful. We certainly would trust them with any and all future real estate needs!"
Terese & Tom Houle

"Karen and Doug helped us buy a home and sell our old home (in Hilliard). They provided detailed information professional analysis of the market and up to date information. They are always there each time we need help. We are glad we had them to help us!"
Kevin & Jinbo Li

"...ten years ago, Karen helped sell our home in Hilliard when we relocated...when a job transfer brought us back to Ohio, we called Karen...she remembered us and was glad to help us find a new home in Hilliard. The first word that comes to mind when describing Karen is 'awesome.' She is always very accomodating and professional....she coordinated a conference call with one of us in Chicago and one in Florida, at one o'clock in the morning.....and when we closed on our new home, Karen brought the keys to our hotel at midnight. Karen offers super service with a smile.
We also want to mention her husband, Doug Parker. They work as a team and we found that Doug was very knowledgeable about house structures, city facts, and planning and zoning items. They complement each other as a realty team.
We would not hesitate to refer Karen & Doug to our family, friends, and neighbors.
Sue & Doug Sandkuhl

"Thank you so much for all of your help! We had our house on the market for six months, and when we switched to you you sold it in a month! You went above and beyond and were always available. Your experience is appreciated!"
Keri & Corey Harris

"Thank you for the successful sale and closing of my house. I know that's what you do; and the two of you really bring passion and commitment and hard work to the process that sets your service apart.

Greg and I truly appreciate the "over and above" help you provided to two homeowners who now live 2000 miles away. Your assistance in getting carpet replaced, staginig, and getting the house emptied and readied for the new occupants was invaluable.

Thank you, and our wishes for continued success in your business."
Holly and Greg Romano

"Karen and Doug were great! Their marketing skills are unparalleled. Karen 'went to bat' for us several times and Doug regularly filmed the progress of our new home and sent the pictures to us via email. I would definitely recommend them to anyone wanting to buy or sell a home."
Elaine Kunkleman

"The Parkers did more for us in two weeks than our previous agent did in 6 months. Thanks!"
Brent & Karla Perdue

"After listening to us, Karen and Doug formulated a great plan coupled with the presentation of our home with CD's and color brochures. They got top dollar for our home...we were thrilled!"
Lawrence & Amy Runkle

"Karen & Doug are a great team and did an outstanding job marketing my house. I have no doubt the online/CD Visual Tour is what brought about the two competing bids and me getting my asking price. It was a pleasure working with them."
Christine Price

"What a great team to have work for you. Your dedication to get the information out to the people and then your calls and reports back to us was so appreciated. Thanks for staying on top of things and making the sale happen in a short period of time."
Keith & Cindy Lange