Lebanon, OH

Lebanon's The Golden Lamb Joins Greater Cincinnati Independent Restaurants!

EASILY Lebanon's most famous landmark and with good reason, The Golden Lamb has joined the Greater Cincinnati Independent Restaurant association. Open for business since 1803, you can just feel the history of this restaurant/inn, and with good reason! The Golden Lamb is THE oldest continuously running business in Ohio. Now the building may have changed a bit over the centuries, but the reason it has succeeded has not.

A sense of history, solid comfort food, a convenient location (in the heart of Lebanon on the northwest intersection of Broadway & Main), all add up to a destination worth visiting. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Golden Lamb has been visited by many famous dignitaries and celebrities over the 200+ years of operation, including Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Daniel Webster and did we mention, TWELVE U.S. Presidents?? From William Henry Harrison to George W. Bush, the Golden Lamb has attracted it's share of political big hitters!

So what does The Golden Lamb joining Greater Cincinnati Independent Restaurant 27 member association mean?

Participation in events like Greater Cincinnati Independent Restaurant's Spring Restaurant Week with three course tasting menus for bargain prices like $26.12! Additionally, when you dine at The Golden Lamb you can now earn points in the Greater Cincinnati Independents' Rewards program! Earn points at ANY of the participating restaurants and redeem them for gift certificates that you can use at ANY of the participating restaurants! And these 27 restaurants offer some of Cincinnati's best dining and are located throughout northern Kentucky, Cincinnati and now all the way to Lebanon!

So the next time you're going out to dine out, you might want to add The Golden Lamb to your list! You can enjoy a stroll through historic downtown Lebanon AND have a great meal.

For reservations, you can visit www.OpenTable.com or call 513-932-5065.

Open Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. There's plenty of parking in the immediate vicinity too!

Serving Warren County's residential real estate needs,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz

P.S. Need to buy or sell a Warren County area home? Just call The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite!

Lebanon Bob Evans Restaurant Closing!!

How can it be?? The parking lot is always crowded??? With that location at SR123 and Stubbs Mills it's a perfect place! How can they possibly be closing? Don't take away my blueberry pancakes, those biscuits and sausage gravy and those Wildfire items and the pies?? SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!

Well, it is so, BUT it's only for a week! The area Bob Evans restaurants have been doing so well that they've decided to give them facelifts inside! New furniture, a new decor, but the same great food, you're just going to have to wait a bit, or head to one of the other area Bob Evans (like the one at the I-71 Kings Mill interchange or the one down on Mason Montgomery Road).

The Lebanon Bob Evans will close February 19th at 8 p.m. and reopen 7 a.m. on February 26th. So either get your fill of Bob Evans before they shut down, or prepare to do some road tripping!

Serving Warren County's residential real estate needs,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz

P.S. Need to buy or sell a Warren County area home? Just call The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite!

29th Annual Lebanon Quilt and Fiber Arts Show & Sale March 2-4 2012

Remember those intricate quilts grandma used to make? Little snips of fabric arranged into intricate colorful patterns? Literally works of art!

Well quilting isn't an extinct art, and the Warren County Historical Society is helping keep the quilting heartbeat going with it's 29th Annual Lebanon Quilt & Fiber Arts Show & Sale!

Where: Warren County History Center in Downtown Lebanon (on South Broadway just down from the Library)

When: March 2, 3 & 4. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on the 2nd & 3rd, 11 a.m to 4 p.m. on the 4th

Cost: $6

Parking: There are a number of free parking municipal lots in the immediate neighborhood.

What: Well of course quilts, and lots of them! But also vendors from as far away as Texas and Massachusetts (get the feeling this show is a big deal if they'll travel that far?). The vendors will offer quilt patterns, books, new and antique quilts, crafts and of course fabrics for those quilts, including some vintage fabrics!

There's even a few special exhibits of some quilting masters! And some of the historic downtown Lebanon shops will be joining in the fun with quilts on display in their shop windows!

All proceeds benefit the Warren County Historical Society. For more information, visit www.wchsmuseum.org or call 513.032.1817.

So mark your calendars now and don't miss it!

Serving Warren County's residential real estate needs,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz

P.S. Need help buying or selling a Warren County area home? We'll make sure it's not as intricate as making quilts while still keeping your interests covered! Just give The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite a call for a no hassle, no pressure conversation!

Lebanon Ohio 45036 Single Family Home Residential Market Report January 2012 Update

The Lebanon Ohio residential real estate market has shown good stability through 2011. While not really appreciating in value, at least prices have been stable. So how did the Lebanon area perform for January? We'll answer that question and more by expanding on our 2010 & 2011 Lebanon residential real estate market report.

All data is derived from the Cincinnati MLS system. If any homes traded hands without a REALTOR® involved, then it won't be reflected in this report. All data is for the Lebanon school district, so data is not limited solely to Lebanon city limits.

With Lebanon being named one of Ohio's 5 best Hometowns by Ohio Magazine for 2012, there's a lot to draw residents to Lebanon! A fantastic historic downtown that is a frequent host to some great festivals, great schools and easy access to dining and shopping. And with it's central Warren County location, and SR63, SR48, I71 and I75 providing access, you've got easy commuting capability to either Cincinnati or Dayton! And don't forget Countryside YMCA, the world's LARGEST YMCA!

Lebanon offers more affordable housing than the neighboring Mason at a full range of price points: from entry level older homes, to medium priced communities to luxury homes.

So, on to the data!

First up is the number of single family homes sold on a month by month basis for 2010, 2011 and now starting with 2012:

Next is the median price summary chart.


So what is the data telling us? At first glance you might think the news is pretty bad. ONLY 10 homes sold in January? That's only about HALF of the previous two Januarys!! But what the chart doesn't show you is there are 44 homes pending! That's right, 44 homes under contract, waiting to close! Now a fair number of these may be in the waiting mode because someone else has to sell their home first, so don't expect to see all 44 homes closed on our next Lebanon market report. Sometimes that wait can be months!

And what is the data on median price telling us? Well that doesn't look great either, but with only 10 data points the price is easily moved. Homes sold from $12,000 to $359,900. In this case, there were two foreclosure type sales BELOW $25,000. Now those aren't typical selling prices for the Lebanon area, and if you saw those two homes you'd understand why they were practically given away! We expect to see more typical home prices in the coming months.

So what does this mean to you as a Lebanon single family home owner? Foreclosed/short sale single family homes are having an impact. If they're in decent condition, they ARE competition for you. DO NOT expect a quick sale unless you've got a unique home with a VERY aggressive price. If you live in one of Lebanon's abundant subdivisions, you have significant competition. For an evaluation of your home's marketability, please contact us.

So what does this mean to you as a potential Lebanon home buyer? There is a LOT of inventory to pick from! 206 Lebanon homes for sale in Cincinnati MLS ranging in price from $20,000 to $1.45 MILLION dollars. There is a match for whatever price point suits your budget. There are some foreclosed/short sale home available on the market, but they're not always the best bargain depending on your need to have a new home and how much cash flow you have for repairs after closing. With a stable market, and fantastic interest rates, you don't have to rush and buy just ANY home, but FOR NOW it would appear you can take a more leisurely approach to finding the right home. However, once you've identified it, DON'T delay in taking action! If it appeals to you it may very well appeal to someone else! If you're interested in buying a Lebanon area home, please contact us with your needs and we'll help you find the right Lebanon community for you!

Serving Lebanon's home buyers and sellers,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz

P.S. Like any of the three homes pictured? They're all Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite listings. Click the picture to go to their webpages for more information!

Historic Downtown Lebanon Hosts Second Annual Let's W(h)ine About Winter February 25 2012!

We know, WHAT winter? What's to whine about? Well who knows what will happen between now and February 25th, so JUST IN CASE, Historic Downtown Lebanon is ready to host the Second Annual Let's W(h)ine About Winter at the Lebanon Conference and Banquet Center (121 S. Broadway) 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Saturday February 25th!

So WHAT is a "Let's W(h)ine About Winter" event all about?

• Great Eats!! Local restaurants and caters, and some of the other best local cooks will be providing some great food to enjoy!
• They'll be taking the (h) out of W(h)ine and pairing up some great wines that highlight all that great food! And did we mention that Christine Hendy of Beyond Words will be providing hand painted wine glasses for you to keep?
• And why not do a little fundraising too? So silent auction baskets and other specialty gifts and services.
• Some tunes too! Mike McMurray will host and MC, and pianist Jay Mills will provide some music to enjoy!

Tickets are available pre-event $30 at the following downtown Lebanon shops: Golden Turtle Chocolate Factory, The Village Ice Cream Parlor, Beneath the Tree or The Pink Hippo. Tickets are $35 at the door. Cash or Check only. For more info, call 513.228.2322. Event is open to adults only, must be 21 or older!

Proceeds benefit Historic Downtown Lebanon, Inc. and local businesses!

This even is just ANOTHER example of why Lebanon as selected an Ohio Magazine Best Hometown for 2012!

We hope you have a fantastic time!

Serving Lebanon's residential real estate needs,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz

P.S. Thinking about buying or selling a Lebanon area home? We'd be happy to help! Just give us a call and we'll put our experience to work for you!