Looking to Rent a House in Dublin OH?

Lease or Lease/Purchase this executive home in beautiful Donegal Cliffs, Dublin OH.

5060 Donegal Cliffs Dr.

Looking to Sell? 1st Clear the Clutter!

As a Realtor I have witness some pretty scary sites when it comes to clutter. I think as Americans we just seem to accumulate stuff. If fact I am convinced that the stuff in my basement reproduces because I don’[t remember putting all that junk down there. So, whether embarking on an old-fashioned spring cleaning or preparing a home for market, chances are you too will need to rid your home of accumulated junk. Junk, of course, is a subjective term: Sometimes it is defined as an item no longer usable for you, but of possible use to someone else. But the more conventional definition of “junk” includes scrap items with little discernable re-use potential, such as yard debris, unusable or irreparable appliances, or broken household items. If you’re busy and don’t have time to deliver items to the town dump, several services will send a professional junk hauler to your home. If you have re-usable items that someone else might want, consider advertising them on free sites such as Craig’s List (www.craigslist.org) or Freecycle (www.freecycle.org), where surfers may happily come haul away your used goods. Charities will also pick up your re-usable items (clothes, small functioning appliances, books, kitchen items) for distribution or re-sale in second-hand stores. The Web sites for re-sale chains Value Village and Savers Inc. include links to charities that haul in your area. If you have stuff unlikely to appeal to another consumer, or if you lack the time to market your items separately, several services operating in multiple regions will come haul non-re-usable items (construction or yard debris, large non-functioning appliances) for a fee generally starting at around $100. Fees can vary by your city of residence and the contents or size of your load. National services include 1-800-Rid-of-it (www.1800ridofit.com), 1-800-Gotjunk (www.1800gotjunk.com) and 1-800-recycle, and numerous local haulers can also help. If you must keep everthing you can always store it in a storage faciity or a POD. I get lots of coupons for these types of places so contact me and I will be happy to drop one in the mail to you Now let’s sell that house!!

Are Buyers Really back? Really? Really?

I have been out over the past month showing houses after a too long hiatus that was not of my choosing. For the life of me I just couldn’t find any buyers. However, I’ve been shocked at the increasing numbers of buyers I ran into. I’ve also notice that people are beginning to go by open houses again. This is always a good sign. Besides it is pretty boring sitting in an open house for a couple of hours when absolutely no one stops in. Being the eternal optimist I like to think we have finally hit the bottom of the market. – Question: How do you know when the market has bottom out? – Answer: When it starts to go back up

The Stimulus Package Helps More Than Just First-Time Home Buyers

With Congress reaching agreement on a $789 billion stimulus package for Americans and the President expected to sign it into law, the clock may be ticking for this year’s home buyers and homeowners.

The package contains two benefits related to housing.

The first provision is fairly well-known.  It gives first-time home buyers an $8,000 tax credit provided they purchase a home between January 1, 2009 and August 31, 2009. 

This is a true tax credit.

To reduce misuse and abuse, however, the $8,000 credit is contingent on home buyers holding property for at least 3 years.  If the home is sold in fewer than 3 years, the tax credit must be repaid to the government.  It’s also worth noting that the date range applies closings and not sales agreements. 

Closings must occur within these 8 months to be eligible.

A second noteworthy feature in the package is that the stimulus package gives existing homeowners incentive to “green” their homes.  With available tax credits for energy-efficient windows and doors, furnaces and insulation, homeowners can claim larger tax deductions based on home improvement, up to $1,500.

But, just because the government provides housing-related tax benefits doesn’t mean you should just act on them blindly. Tax liability is a highly individual item and you may be ineligible for any number of reasons.  Be sure to discuss your plans with a qualified accountant before committing to a plan.