Waynesville, OH

Caesar's Creek Pioneer Village Habitat for History April 21 2012

You looking for something REALLY different, especially if you're want to sneak in some history on the kids and pry them away from their video screens for day? How about some time travel? Back about 200 years far enough? Then you might want to think about volunteering one and all to help out April 21st for the Caesar Creek Pioneer Village Habitat for History event! You know you'll have some great spring weather and you'll be helping out a non-profit organization too, right?

What, you haven't heard of Caesar's Creek Pioneer Village? It's a bit of a secret, but here's the deal: It's a living history museum, a collection of 200 year old cabins, general store and the like to give you a feel of what Ohio life was like in the early 1800s. Located just east of Waynesville at Caesar Creek State Park, you've got easy access just off State Route 73 (one mile east of Waynesville turn south on Clarksville Rd, left on Oregonia Rd, then left at Pioneer Village Rd)

Caesar Creek Pioneer Village is open during daylight hours, but the cabins are only open during event weekends. You can visit the Caesar Creek Pioneer Village website for more information!

Now back to the Caesar Creek Pioneer Village Habitat for History event, what's that about? Well as you might expect with 200 year old buildings, they need some upkeep now and then! The event organizers will keep you fed with breakfast, lunch and dinner, but you're going to earn those meals with some old fashioned hard work! They'll teach you "chinking" (filling in the space between the logs on the cabins), maybe do some roofing, some painting, gardening and general groundskeeping.

They'll have team challenges and some prizes to give away too! And they might even have some music and ghost stories by candlelight at the end of the day!

And if you'd like, you can camp in your tents too! No electric power, but they do have modern bathrooms and showers. And camping is free on Friday and Saturday nights!

So if going old-time has got your interest, contact Karen Ball (Pioneer Village president and event coordinator) at 937-269-7237 or ksball51@yahoo.com. Registrations requested by April 18th!

We hope you have a great time!

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

P.S. Whether you want a historic home or new construction, Warren County has it all! Just contact The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite and we'll be happy to help you buy or sell.

Pictures courtesy of Caesar's Creek Pioneer Village

Paying It Forward: Two Trees For The Troops Please!

A couple of days ago we wrote about a local nursery and landscaping company stepping up to the plate and sponsoring a Trees for Troops program. Grandma's Gardens in Waynesville had a goal of 120 trees for the troops. Now perhaps it was the rainy day, or perhaps enough folks just don't KNOW about the program (we're going with the latter), it looks like they're going to fall at least 20 trees short of their goal with tomorrow scheduled for the FEDEX pickup. Hopefully quite a few more people contributed after our visit this afternoon.

But thanks to our Active Rain friend and fellow REALTOR(R) David Popoff, we were able to double our order today to TWO trees rather than the one we'd planned. So many thanks David for the assist! We filled out the tree tag in his name, so somewhere in the U.S. some lucky military family WILL get a tree this Christmas because of his help!

And we also appreciate Grandma's Gardens for making the opportunity to ship these $25 Scotch Pines to deserving military families! That's quite a discount off the normal price!

A quote from our friend in North Carolina:
"I do not share my stories of paying it forward for recognition. I share them so that others might be inspired to do what they can, when they can, where they can. No more, no less." Tish Lloyd, North Carolina REALTOR®

Paying It Forward,

Liz and Bill aka BLiz

December’s Season of Celebrations & Sharing:  Grandma's Gardens and Trees For Troops

If you know us, you know the military will always hold a near and dear place in our hearts!  So when a local business is doing something that helps our military heroes, you know we're on-board with the program!  And when it turns out to be one of the small businesses we personally frequent like Grandma's Gardens in Waynesville, then we're doubly happy to support!

So what's happening you ask?  Grandma's Gardens is offering a special price on Christmas trees to be donated and shipped to our military around the country as part of the Trees For Troops network.  You provide $25, pick out a Scotch Pine tree, write a note on the tag and you're done!  FEDEX is stepping up and providing freight, and December 5th is their pick-up date to ensure on-time delivery of the trees!

Grandma's Gardens is about half-way to their goal of 120 trees, so there's still plenty of time to step up and make someone's Christmas a bit brighter!

Now if you want to go pick out the tree, Grandma's Gardens is a breeze to get to.  They're at 8107 SR 48, just a little north of the SR73/SR48 intersection.  They're open Mon-Fri 9-8, Sat 9-6 and Sun 10-5.  And if you can't make it in person and still want to help?  Call them at 937.885.2740 with your credit card info and the message you want written on the tree tag.  They'll take care of the rest!

Thanks in advance for your support of Trees for Troops!

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

P.S.  Thinking about buying or selling a Warren Country area home?  Just give The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite a call and put a Navy veteran to work for you!

What's the Real Estate Market Like For Waynesville Ohio?

You've heard nothing but grim real estate news news if you watch the TV and read the major magazines, but since they're primarily national in focus, you don't get to hear what's happening in YOUR market, and THAT is what you really want, isn't it? So we're going to cover what's happening in the Wayne School District in this report, and if after we're done you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact us!

In a way, Waynesville and the Wayne School District is a tale of two cities. Okay, maybe not cities, but there's a lot of variety! You've got some older historic homes, some new developments, and a fair number of estate homes out in the rural parts. Big, custom built homes with acres of land. The Waynesville area offers a home for pretty much every price point.

Mix in a convenient location perfect for people commuting into the Dayton metro area, you're just minutes away from a host of entertainment, shopping, hospitals and much more. Perhaps a little far of a commute for most people working in Cincinnati, but not undoable. And with Caesars Creek State Park and the Little Miami River and Trail easily accessible, and Hisey Park too, recreational activities abound. Further, Wayne School District continues to shine on the state report cards!

Due to it's location between Dayton and Cincinnati, homes for sale may be in either one or both MLS. Not all agents in the area are members of BOTH boards, so not listing a home for sale in both may make the home invisible to some potential buyers.

The following data is pulled from each respective MLS. Most homes listed in Cincinnati MLS are also listed in Dayton MLS, but the overlap is not complete.

Comparing the two tables you'll see the Cincinnati MLS data consistently underperforms the Dayton MLS entries in all fields except Average Days on Market. Cincinnati MLS entries have a lower average price (perhaps more foreclosures which typically have lower prices and sell faster if in reasonable condition).

Overall, the Dayton MLS with the larger numbers of Homes Sold each year provides a more accurate overall picture. After 2005, prices trended downward until 2010 then returned to lower values so far 2011 Year To Date. However, comparing the 2011 numbers to 2009 would show some slight increase.

So what does this mean if you're a potential Waynesville area home buyer or seller?

As a buyer, prices are still depressed from the 2005-2007 time frame. There was an approximate 10% drop after 2008 and prices have not returned to those levels. Overall, the 2008, 2009 and 2011 prices are essentially equivalent and stable. There's no indication of further decline, and combined with current interest rates, buying in the near future would seem to not have a high risk of prices decline after purchase. Obviously, this is dependent upon the individual home and circumstance. Hire a knowledgeable REALTOR(R) to provide guidance for the process.

As a seller, prices appear stable. While you won't recoup previous values of the peak years, you may at least sell without high risk of further depreciation. Depending on the year you purchased and changes to the home and condition, there may be a risk of selling for less than your purchase price. Please consult a knowledgeable REALTOR(R) for an assessment of your home if you're considering selling your Waynesville home.

We hope the information we provided is helpful to you. If you have specific questions or are in need of a REALTOR(R) to assist you with buying or selling a Waynesville home, please contact The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite. We'll be happy to discuss with you our services and how we can best assist you.

Serving Warren County's residential real estate needs,

Liz and Bill aka BLiz

Waynesville's Keepin' It Country Farm Hosting Fall Festival Weekends in October!

Looking for some family friendly fall festival fun? Then a trip to the Keepin' It Country Farm may be just the ticket! Located north of Rt 42 and south of Rt 73 at 5511 Township Line Rd, Keepin' It Country Farms is having a fall festival the next three weekends!

Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 8 & 9, 15 & 16, and 22 & 23, the kids can hit the pumpkin patch, ride the ponies (No betting on Win, Place or Show!), play in the barnyard and enjoy the petting zoo, play in the corn and hay mazes, or take a hayride!

So what's it going to cost you?

A kid's hayride and a pie pumpkin: $5

Corn Maze or Hay Maze $2

Barnyard games: $2

Mini Train ridges: $2

Or get all of the above for $10 with a child's bracelet

Pony ride for $5

Adult Hayride for $5

And Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. they've got the Saturday Night Barn Dances with Richard Lynch & guests! $10 covers admission to the barn dance.

For more info visit the Keepin' It Country Farm website or call 513.934.2001.

Serving Warren County's residential real estate needs,

Liz and Bill aka BLiz

P.S. Need help buying or selling a Warren County home for your own piece of the country? Just give The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite a call!