Buying a home is a huge investment and a significant milestone in any phase of your life. It's only natural, then, that you should pick the best possible real estate agent for you. Sexy websites and flashy billboards do not necessarily guarantee the right choice. Every home buyer has unique needs, including you. Perhaps you are buying out of state, or are a first-time buyer, need help selling your current home, or have credit issues. Likewise, every real estate agent is uniquely suited to certain clients and certain market areas.

Once you have found your fit, stay loyal to your agent and she or he will jump through hoops to find you your perfect home!

Consider the Following advice to help you find the best fit for you:

1. Interview Several Professionals:
An estimated 80 percent of home buyers stay with the 1st agent they speak to whether they are happy or not. Don’t jump at the first agent you meet without speaking to a couple other agents. I wouldn’t suggest talking to every single real estate agent in the area either. Do speak with at least two or three to find someone you can work with WELL and has the experience you NEED. Most agents will respect your process of interview and make time to meet with you.

2. Ask your Friends, Co-Workers and Family:
Close friends and family know you very well, and they may know your needs and tendencies, and have your best interests in mind. A referral from a friend or family member is a referral you can typically trust. ** Make sure the agents KNOWS the market area you are looking in!! If they need a map to get to the community you’re looking in, they might be the wrong choice!!!

3. Market Area & Experience Many agents are a "jack of all trades trades”. Depending on your situation, consider an agent that has a niche or a concentration in a certain area that you are looking. Think about this theory when choosing any professional. Why should it be any different with a real estate agent? Also ask about time in position as a full time professional. Your agent should have transactions under their belt or a mentor that does and will closely work with them. We learn by experience and with any trade, the book work is NOT enough. Can’t stress enough; choose an agent that knows the area you are looking in! If they pull out the Rand McNally street map for every home, you might want to reconsider.

4. Personality a plus:
Not critical but definitely a bonus. Even though you are working with a professional, buying a house can be an intensely emotional experience. You'll want to pick a real estate agent whose personality works well with yours... liking them might even make the process much more of a positive experience. But at the end of the day,a balance of like and respect will get the job done! Buying a house typically takes from 2 to 12 months, you and your agent will be spending a loooooot of time together J If you “click”, you will not get as frustrated and won't rush the process to end in disaster or buyers remorse.

5. Search Style:
Find out how your agent searches for homes during the initial interview. Some agents have their own preferred listings, which is fine to a point. Ultimately, though, you want an agent who will find the best possible home for you, not the most convenient sale for himself. Make sure they are willing to look at every Brokers listing, using the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in addition to their private network.

Past performance is typically an indication of future performance. Sherrie & Chris have an extremely high referral rate. What this means to you is, past satisfied clients are referring their friends, relatives and co-workers to the team to help them find a home. Would you refer someone if you were not happy with the service? Consider Sherrie and Chris as one of your Real Estate agents that you interview in the Knox County - Apple Valley Lake area!

Email: applevalleylake@gmail.com

Own a home at Apple Valley Lake!

Rather than rent, listed below are some of the primary advantages of owning your own home.

1) Payments can be less than rental Payments:
With the current interest rates, you might be approved for a Mortgage that the payments will be less than your rent now! If youre in a comfortable position now, chances are you will be owning!

2) More Stable Housing Costs:
Rent payments can be unpredictable and typically rise each year, but most mortgage payments remain unchanged
for the entire loan period. If the taxes go up, the increase is usually gradual.

3) Tax Savings:
Homeonwers can be eligible for signifigant tax savings because you can deduct mortgage interest and property taxes from your federal
income tax, as well as many states' income taxes. This can be a considerable amount of money at first, because the first few years of
mortgage payments is made up mostly of interest and taxes.

4) Debt Consolidation:
If needed, you can refinance a mortgage loan to consolidate other debt. The interest on this is typically tax deductable.

5) Build Equity:
Instead of payments disapearing to someone else, home owners are building equity in their own home. This is often one's
biggest assest. Each year that you own the home, you pay more toward the principal, which is money you will get back when
the home sells. It is like having a schelduled savings account that grows faster the longer you have it. If the property appreciates,
and generally it does, it is like money in your pocket. And you are the one who gets to take advanatge of that, not the landlord.
You can then use this equity to plan for future goals like your child's education or your
retirement.

6) It's Yours!
When you own a home you are in control. For the most part, you have the freedom to decorate it and landscape it any way you wish. You can even have a pet or two without permission.

Buying a home is an important decision. It is often the largest purchase a person makes in his or her life. Home ownership also comes with some increased responsibilities, and isn't for everyone.

It 's easier than you thought! To find out if you can own a home, talk with Sherrie & Chris and they will help set things in motion for you to see if the time is right!

Sherrie Toth & Chris Mosier - RE/MAX Consultant Group - at the lake

877-717-LAKE (5253)

Email: info@lakehomeliving.com

The water level at Apple Valley Lake is completely lowered for the winter. This happens every year between the end of October to the end of November. By lowering the lake, this allows folks to build new and repair existing docks. It also prevents ice damage to the docks.

As the lake freezes to a safe thickness, you will start to see the ice fisherman going out on the lake, and occasionally a snow mobile will be sighted. Many families will clear a place to skate as well.

The winter time is a great time to see the American Bald Eagles at Apple Valley Lake. Chris & Sherrie are the 1st to capture actual video footage at Apple Valley last winter. (See the link above for the video).

When there is snow on the ground, Davis beach is a very popular place to sled. We have seen up to 40-50 people sledding at one time. After sledding, a swim in the warm pool at Floral Valley Community Center is a must do!!

All winter the association clubs keep busy...from experiencing the Singers Cantatas, the Fishing Clubs dinners, learning a new dance with the Dancers, to making a dish with cooking classes offered.

Always something to do at Apple Valley Lake.

Chris Mosier & Sherrie Toth

RE/MAX Consultant Group - at the lake

877-717-LAKE (5253)

Each year at the Apple Valley Lake the property owners association has their maintenance crew lower the lake level down from full pool.  This is a very important task each year because by lowering the lake level property owners don't have to worry about the boat docks and sea walls being damaged by the frozen lake water.  Lowering the Apple Valley Lake also enables contractors to access and perform maintenance on boat dock posts and seawalls that are typically submerged under the lake water during the summer boating season.

We shot this video at 7:30 a.m. on November 15th which was the morning the maintenance crew opened the water valve at the Apple Valley Lake.  Within seconds of them opening the valve the water instantly began blasting out of the lake like an eruption.  This is truly a site to see and it only happens one morning each year. 

This video is part of our ongoing series titled "365 Things To Do in Knox County Ohio".

Sam Miller of REMAX Stars Realty (740) 397-7800  Apple Valley Lake Real Estate