Kelley Weimer Preble County Ohio Real Estate & beyond

Ahhh..the old misnomer that real estate is DEAD in the winter has been around most likely as long as the real estate profession has been. Somehow when Thanksgiving starts to roll around, lots of folks seem to get the idea that buying (and selling) homes just stops...not to come around again until the buds show up on the trees.

When my husband and I purchased our first home, we moved in the winter. Granted, it was cold as heck, but nothing chased those winter doldrums away quite so fast as a new home to decorate. But most people still shy away from the idea of buying or selling during the winter. I thought I'd give a few reasons why there's NO BETTER TIME than now to find that dream home.

Less competition: Sure, houses look pretty in the spring, summer and fall. The grass is green, the dirty snow and salt has washed away. BUT, lets face it...everyone and their brother sells then. So which would you rather be...a home seller in the winter, competing with just a handful of other homes on the market, or a home seller in the spring, where every other house you past has a "for-sale" sign in the yard? Sounds like winter offers the better odds to me.

Serious buyers: Picture it...a sunny spring day. Not quite warm enough to swim but sure is great weather to take a drive. And lets go look at some houses too, just to get some ideas...you know, kick some tires. I can promise you this; buyers that are willing to come thru sleet and snow to look at your home in the winter are NOT tire kickers. They are SERIOUS buyers. Because lets face it, you'd have to be a serious buyer to be crazy enough to face some of the weather we have here in Preble County Ohio.

Best agents: Lets face it. A lot of real estate agents seem to have the same mind-set; that NOTHING happens in the winter. Maybe because they take a 4 month vacation? I don't know. But I do know that the best ones are still out there, beating the streets, staying current on rates, values and the best deals. Isn't this the agent YOU"D like to have working for you?

Convenience: So it stays dark around here in Preble County till at least 9:30 in the summer time. Guess what? I'm not the only one who knows this. Buyers know it too, and yes, sometimes they might want to see your home that late at night. Why not; its still warm and they can still view the outside. Winter rolls along and now its getting dark by 3pm (feels like it at least). Not much can be seen in the evening. Buyers are much more sensitive as well to obligations you may have during the holidays, and are much more cooperative with showings than they might be any other time of the year.

Happy Messes: Ugh. Such a PAIN keeping the house cleaned in case someone wants to view it. I cant even imagine keeping my house clean on a daily basis right now; what with two growing kids and a huge hairball (dog). However, even with the tumbleweed sized hairballs rolling across my kitchen floor, I've gotta admit...the house just looks homier, warm and inviting, with the Christmas lights twinkling, the cookie tins out and about, the cinnamon and pine smells in the air. Its still a mess, but its a nice mess. Its a happy mess. The kind buyers don't mind looking at. Better then the beat up lawn chairs, dog doo and crust covered grill.

**Pictures provided by Microsoft clip art. Copyright © 2007 Microsoft Corporation and/or its suppliers.**

I know that the general rule is to keep politics out of your social networking. Politics are best kept discussed with family and close friends. Because it is such a volatile subject, and every person has their own position and stance that may, or more likely MAY NOT, agree with your own.

But...I'm going to jump into the political water here for a moment to discuss the recent levy that passed in Lakengren Ohio, regarding having a Preble County Sheriffs car on patrol for the community. I'm even going to go so far as to tell you how I voted on this issue. I voted no. Let me tell you why.

First of all, its not that I don't have concerns about crime. Lakengren is a gated community. That doesn't mean we are sheltered from crime or random acts of stupidity, not to mention speeding. Somehow the road going right past my house has been unofficially declared the new "Indy 500 track". I don't like it. I don't like that my car, as well as my husbands, has been broken into. I don't like that people have been robbed, or just had their property's messes with. All of that is wrong, wrong, wrong. So the thought is..lets get a sheriffs car in Lakengren to patrol and cut down on all of the hi jinx. Fair enough.

But wait...Lakengren is part of Preble County. Shouldn't our area be patrolled anyways? WHY do I have to PAY for this service??

Lets take a closer look at this. All of Preble County has the service of the Preble County Sheriffs department. In one way or another, all of Preble County pays for this service. But now, in order for me to have what should already be mine, I have to pay EXTRA? OK, OK..I know its only $3.00 per month. It's just the principal of the thing.

Lakengren residents have been informed that when someone is ticketed in Lakengren, the money collected from the ticket does NOT go back to Lakengren, it goes to the County. WHY? Because Lakengren is a private community. So when someone speeds in the Village of Gratis, the money collected goes BACK to the Village of Gratis. Yet Lakengren doesn't get the same benefit, being a "private" community. So the Village of Gratis gets this service for free. And we now pay for the service.

Its no secret that Preble County Sheriffs Department has been running short-staffed for quite some time. Matter of fact, did you know that the Preble County game warden is often called in for support from the sheriffs department, to serve warrants, for emergencies, etc?

Is it conceivable that the patrol car we now will be paying for might also be called out for back up to other areas of the county, all on our dime?

Not to mention that this is still only a service that will be provided 40 hours a week. What about the other 128 hours of the week?

It is my sincere hope that just the "idea" that a patrol car is in the Lakengren area will deter any future crimes, speeding and other hi jinx. I just don't feel like this was totally thought through. It's not the $3 bucks a month that's the issue at stake...it's the fact that Lakengren is paying for a service that should already be at our disposal, the same way it is for the rest of our little neck of the woods.

***By the way...I have NOTHING but the up-most respect for the Preble County Sheriffs dept. I certainly DON'T drive a Buick Rendezvous, EVER speed, or heck...even live in Lakengren! :) ***

Wow! Last night I took my 10 year old daughter to the Lakengren Halloween walk; an annual event held at the lodge offering Lakengren children the chance to trick-or-treat in a safe, fun environment.

My daughter was on the fence about attending this year. We hadn't been for a couple years. Last time around, it was just a little too intense for young ones and my daughter had someone jump out at her with a scary mask on. Granted..this was just a teenager having some fun, but for those of us who have kids that are scared by masks and the like...it was a pretty traumatic event. What seemed to be more traumatic for me in the past was parking. Ahh!

We decided at the last hour yesterday to give it one more shot. As we rounded Lakengren Drive with the lodge in site, I saw tons of cars and just started groaning. Imagine my delight when a traffic officer directed me just a wee bit further down Lakengren Dr to park, and we could get a FREE hayride to the lodge! My daughter was thrilled and I was already feeling much more relaxed about not having to fight my way into, or out of, the lodge parking lot.

So we arrived via hayride at the lodge. Several mini-tents were set up outside in a circle, with kids going from tent to tent and loading up with candy. This year it seemed much more kid-friendly; Disney music in the background, no candy-givers dressed in masks or scary apparel, and just well-organized all around.

After making rounds outdoors, we stood in a short line to enter the lodge. Inside they had a photographer taking pics of each child, then a long table set up offering more candy, pretzels, cheese crakers, not to mention your choice of cookies, doughnuts and other goodies to eat right on site. Round the corner and we were offered hot coffee, apple cider, apple juice or milk. To boot, they even had boxes of mini-pumpkins and gourds, and let my daughter pick out a couple to take with her.

Back outside the Gasper Fire Department displayed the big yelleow fire truck and offered children the chance to climb on and try it out.

With her hands full of candy, pumpkins and other goodies, we loaded back up on the haywagon for the short ride back to our car, avoiding the headache of getting out of the parking lot and the worry of hitting little trick-or-treaters on the loose.

I was just so impressed with the wonderful job that Lakengren did with the Halloween walk, and more importantly, my daughter LOVED it, and wasn't scared at all. If you have never gone to the Lakengren Halloween Walk, I encourage you to give it a try next year as it seems that Lakengren has finally got the rythym down on giving little ones a great, not-so-scary, Halloween experience.

Thanks for reading!

Neaton Auto looking to second buyout?

Well, according to the Neaton rumor mill (which we all know is 100% fact-based), Neaton may be offering another buyout option come November or December 2009. Could it be true?

I think yes. Lets see..back this summer they (Neaton) hired back in many temporary employees who had all been let go back in December of 2008. Production was up, orders coming in higher than ever, and some departments even working Fridays again (woo hoo!). Even those that weren't offered Friday hours have been lucky enough to get in a full 40-hour week from Mon-Thurs.

Then...yet another halt. Temps are once again being let go. Just last Friday a couple members of upper management were "let go" and word is the the fat-trimming isn't over yet.

Friday overtime is being scaled back considerably again. Did Neaton get ahead of themselves this summer? Did the temps get called back maybe a little prematurely?

I feel bad for the temps but then again, a temp is just that....TEMPORARY. What of the buyout rumors? What does this mean for the future of Neaton? The way I see it is this...any way to get rid of the higher paid asscociates for the long term will benefit Neaton as far as bottom line is concerned.

I see some benefits of the buyout for those who are considering it. I also see a BIG disadvantage...NO INSURANCE. If that doesn't scare the tar out of people, I dont know what does. So I guess time will tell. Lets hope Neaton can find some stable ground, and all the good folks putting in a hard days work there can continue to get a 40 hour work week, and feel good about the company they work for!

**Just a quick disclaimer to CMA...I am NOT a Neaton employee nor ever have been. This is my blog, and MY OPINION only.**

Well, word on the street is that the Eaton Library will be closing next week (September 20-26, 2009) due to lack of funding. The Preble County district Libraries have seen belt-tightening for months now, and in an effort to cut expenses, I guess this is what has been decided.

I guess I'm a little nervous that the shut-down will go un-noticed. It certainly wont by me and my family. Self-professed book-worms; we try to get to the library on a regular basis, even in the summer time.

I know times have changed. It's maybe easier sometimes to buy the magazine subscriptions, get the news on-line, read the latest novels on "Kindle", or order up some cheap used books on "Amazon". Truth be told though, there is something inherently GOOD to be found in the narrow aisles of the local Library.

The silence of the rooms, the smell of the books, the tranquility that comes from just perusing the rows of books, even the excitement of spotting that new release you've been watching for.

Sort of sad really, that funding for something so integral to our health, wealth and well being as READING is one of the first things cut when pocketbooks get tight. You don't notice any sports programs shutting down to cut expenses. Just makes me wonder where peoples' priorities have gone.