Localism: Delaware County, OH

3 GREAT REASONS TO BUY A HOUSE NOW!

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:09:39 -0600

HUD homes. On certain HUD owned properties, a qualified buyer who is going to occupy the home can buy for only $100 down with HUD paying up to $2,500 of the buyers loan costs. Call us at 614-431-1240 for more details.

$7,500 tax credit for qualified first time home buyers. Some income restrictions

apply. Call us at 614-431-1220 for details or visit www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com.

Some ZERO down financing still is in place for first time buyers. Homes limited to those in the city of Columbus, in the Columbus school district. Call us at 614-431-1220 for more details!

Russian Food in Columbus OH - Hawa Russia

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:19:38 -0600

We finally ate at Hawa Russia last Thurday. We had tried a bunch of times previously but they do a "night club" on Saturday nights or were doing a "night club" the two Saturday nights we tried to eat at Hawa Russia. Hawa Russia closes early on Sunday.

Hawa Russia is at 2680 E. Dublin Granville Road in north east Columbus.

I had been craving the borscht and the Hawa Russia salad since reading a Columbus food blog's review of Hawa Russia last summer. ColumbusFoodie

I have never had Russian food before. I read somewhere that the food at Hawa Russia is Russian and Ukrainian.

I loved the little lump served with the soup, a pirozhki, I should not have eaten it because I do not eat wheat. Officially I don't eat wheat but I did. It had meat in it. I did not identify it as meat. I argued that it was not meat. Rereading the Columbus Foodie review I conceded that was meat.

I did not need an entree I was really stuffed after the borscht and the Hawa Russia salad. My dinner companion ordered the beet salad (pictured here) and the lentil soup... we took a photo of the lentil soup but it's not as photogenic as borscht. His choices of soup and salad were really, really too filling before trying to eat an entree. He ordered the meat filled "raviolis" or dumplings that are pictured in the Columbus Foodie post about Hawa Russia. She calls them "Siberian Pelmeni" hmmm we just kept calling them "ravioli.' Seasonal? In mid November the cook did NOT put parsley or whatever the green herb shows in the June photo. Russian raviolis are NOT particularly photogenic especially without a green garnish.

I had the cabbage roll. It was OK... Maybe it was me. Maybe I am more of Polish or German cabbage roll eater than a Russian cabbage roll eater.... I tried a cabbage roll at a Turkish restaurant too. I took about half of the Hawa Russia cabbage roll home. I ordered too much food.

The service was different... we had our soup, salad and entrees delivered in stages but more overlapping, if that makes sense. Not the usual US restaurant service but it was kind of "homey."

There were four tables occupied when we visited Hawa Russia.

I'd go back. I will have to go back. I am in love with the Hawa Russia salad. It was gone before I could take a photo of it.

Columbus Ohio Restaurants

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:54:42 -0600

I just came across a great website that has reviews of Columbus Ohio Restaurants. The website is www.ColumbusOhioRestaurants.net. Its a new website, but I really like the style of reviews they are doing. They are not a fancy restaurant critique, they are just an average middle class couple that like to go out to dinner, not spend a whole lot of money, and like to get decent service.

This really came handy when I went to Applebee's the other day. Normally I buy cheeseburgers, but because of this review I decided against that and instead got the boneless chicken wings. Boy am I glad I did, those were the best boneless wings I have ever had. Great call!

Columbus Radio - It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:05:55 -0600

It's not as early as last year... or maybe I did not notice it until today. Sunny 95 has Christmas music this morning.

Last year it started earlier? In a poll last year, the smattering who read or cared thought November 3 was NOT too early for Christmas music on the radio. Or the majority of the smattering who read or cared voted that it was not too early for Christmas music.

Discover Columbus 2007 Christmas Music Poll

It's November 15. That's not early, really. Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks away. Driving by Polaris last night we wondered if Santa was there yet...

I won't even bother with a poll this year. If November 3 wasn't too early in 2007 why would November 15 be too early in 2008.

Sunny 95 online gives you the choice of "holiday" music or their regular fare. Their site says they are "Columbus Continuous Christmas Music Station."

The image is a Real Living eCard. I am with Real Living HER, Central Ohio's number one real estate company.

Creative Marketing

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:40:04 -0600

CREATIVE MARKETING. I just had a builder call me with his special for November... $20,000 bonus to the agent! He said I could earn a $30,000 commission to sell one of their homes before the end of the year. That's creative marketing?

What agent would accept a $30,000 bonus? What agent would sell that builder's homes knowing they have to bribe agents to sell their homes? Makes me distrust the builder.

CREATIVE MARKETING is thinking outside the box. Doing different things in different ways. Wine & cheese parties, open houses, newspaper ads, homes magazines are the tools that worked well in the 80's, not as well in the 90's and hardly at all today. If Tim Russert were here today, he would write on his white board ,

Internet

In today's market, with double the number of homes for sale, your agent has to have a dynamic web strategy in order to make your home rise to the top. I do.