It’s a common theme that has echoed in many real estate markets across the nation: It’s a buyer’s market.

This means that – generally speaking – both home sales and home prices are down.

But there are still plenty of things that home sellers can do to ensure a successful outcome on the local housing market.

Continue reading to learn more about these tips and see how they can help you as a New Albany home seller.

Things to Do Before You Enter the New Albany Real Estate Market

Get Your Home in Top Condition. Seller’s face a lot of compeitition in a buyer’s market because there are more home sellers on the market than home buyers. Thus, it’s important to make your home stand out above the rest. You can do this with some easy-to-do improvements around the house, such as giving your home a fresh coat of paint, cleaning the entryway to your home and trimming overgrown bushes and shrubs out front. All of these things will increase your home’s curb appeal, which will likely attract more home buyers.

Prepare an Aggressive and Comprehensive Market Plan. The best marketing plans use an array of media to reach the largest audience possible. They also play up your homes best features. An experienced New Albany real estate agent can help you create the right marketing plan for you and your home.

See if your company offers relocation assistance. If you’re moving to another city for a job, you may want to check with your employer to see if they offer any sort of help to make selling your home easier. Check with your human resources department for more information.

Set the Right List Price. As we mentioned in a previous New Albany real estate blog, setting your home’s list price too high in the beginning could create substantial problems for you as a home seller.

DeClutterize Your Home. By removing unnecessary furniture and knick-knacks from your home, you’ll make the home appear both neater and bigger. This will, in turn, make your home more attractive to prospective home buyers. Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you haven’t used the item in more than 6 months, it’s probably time to get rid of it.

Stay In-The-Know About Market Activity. In this kind of economy, the New Albany housing market is a constantly changing and evolving arena. To ensure that you don’t get left behind as a home seller, make sure you stay on top of market activity. Our ***** can help you with this goal.

Sell Your New Albany Property Today

For more information on the best way to navigate the New Albany real estate market as a home seller, contact us, Kate & Tony Thomas, today.

As experienced Central Ohio REALTORS, we’ll tell you about other things you can do to ensure a successful outcome on the market.

We’ll also provide you with a number of helpful (and FREE!) home selling tools, such as:

• Preparing Your Home for Sale
• Selling Your Home
• How Much is My Home Worth?

Until next time,

Kate & Tony

The home inspection process is frequently a stressful experience for New Albany home sellers.

After all, the results of the home inspection could make or break the sale of their Central Ohio home.

The good news is that there are ways in which a New Albany home owner can prepare for the upcoming home inspection.

Continue reading to learn more!

New Albany, Ohio Properties for Sale

As most home sellers know, many home buyers will hire a professional home inspector to look over the home before closing on their new purchase.

Sometimes, if a problem is found during the home inspection, it can delay the closing for weeks.

Luckily, there are certain preventative steps that home sellers can take to ensure that the home inspection goes smoothly.

One of the most important steps they can take is to make repairs to the following areas before an inspection ever occurs. That’s because these areas are known to cause the most concern among home buyers:

• Mold & Mildew: Home buyers are very cognizant of the health issues associated with these two growths, especially toxic black mold. If it’s present in your home, you may receive a less-than-ideal offer on your home. Thus, make sure you remove any before an inspection.
• Water control issues in basements and crawlspaces: Generally the smell of mildew in one of these rooms is an indication that it’s too moist. To reduce moisture levels in your basement, consider covering any areas of exposed grown with plastic. You may also consider checking out your drainage system to make sure it’s not exacerbating the problem.
• Problematic Roofs: This is a huge area for home buyers and can certainly prove costly for home sellers should a home inspector discover a problem. The most common issue related to roofs is deteriorated shingles as well as rotted materials underneath the shingles. Make repairs on this important part of the home before the home buyer schedules the inspection.
• Plumbing Issues: Leaks can wreak havoc on a home and cause considerable damage. The home inspector will do a number of things around your home to locate any potential leaks, including checking water pressure in the bathroom and running the dishwasher. They will also check the septic system. Thus, make sure to get these issues addressed well before the inspection occurs.
• Electrical Problems: Home inspectors are looking for inadequate electrical panels and circuit breaker configurations. Make sure that your electrical system is fully functioning.
• Miscellaneous Inspection Areas: Additional areas that the home inspector will check are the heating and air conditioning systems, the home’s foundation and the home’s various appliances that would come with the house.

One more thing about home inspections for now: Your contract should tell you which systems are expected to be in good working order at the time of closing. This will help you even more to prepare for the closing.

We Can Help You Sell Your New Albany Home in a Timely Manner!

We understand just how important the home inspection process is. That’s why we are always happy to share with interested Central Ohio home sellers like you our expert advice on how to pass a home inspection.

Contact us, Kate & Tony Thomas, today to learn more about how we can help you reach a favorable outcome on the New Albany real estate market as a home seller.

Until next time,

Kate & Tony

Determining the right list price for a New Albany home for sale is probably the single most important thing a home seller can do.

Here’s why: If the price is too high, buyers will not likely even take the time to consider your home.  If the price is too high, a Realtor may use your home to sell a similar but better priced home.

And since you have the most number of showings during the first couple of weeks after being listed, you won’t get those buyers back if you end up dropping the price several months down the road.

On the flip side, you don’t want to set your list price too low because then you may lose some of your potential profit.

As your New Albany real estate experts, we understand how important it is to set the right list price on your Central Ohio home and are here to help you find the best possible list price for your home.

Continue reading to discover our tips for getting your list price right the first time around!

Central Ohio Homes for Sale

The common mistake that many New Albany home owners make is setting their list price too high.

Home sellers will often feel justified in setting a high list price because of any one of these reasons:

• They’ve invested in a number of home upgrades which they feel adds significant value to their home
• They are trying to recoup their original price regardless of any change in the market.
• They want that extra room to negotiate down the price if necessary

Unfortunately, by setting their list price too high, home sellers often end up shooting themselves in the foot.

Here’s what happens when your home’s list price is too high:

• You won’t get an offer within the first few weeks of listing your home, which is the best time to sell your home
• After a couple of weeks of being on the market, your home will get fewer and fewer showings because buyers will view your home as a stale listings. Thus, it will be that much harder to sell your home.
• You will miss home buyers searching in the price bracket that your home really belongs because you set the price too high, causing your home to fall in a different bracket.
• You’ll help your neighbor sell his home before you sell yours. That’s because buyers may look at the two comparable homes and see your neighbors home as a bargain next to your over-priced home.

Even when you decide to lower your home’s list price, you may be disappointed to find it doesn’t generate the interest you’d hope for.

That’s because buyers are more drawn to “New Listings” alerts than “Recently Reduced” alerts.

In fact, for some buyers, “Recently Reduced” alerts may say to them that something is wrong with your home, decreasing the chances that they’re willing to buy your home.

On the other hand, here’s when you know you’ve set the right list price on your New Albany property:

• You sell your home quickly and with relative ease
• Your home immediately gets a lot of scheduled showings, giving it more exposure
• Plenty of Realtors call to gather information about your home for their home buyers
• Your sales price is very close to what your original asking price was.

List Your New Albany Property for Sale Today!

Determining the right list price on your New Albany home can be a difficult thing to do, especially if you’re not working with experienced Central Ohio REALTORS like us.

So if you would like to sell your home in as little time as possible and for the best price possible, contact us, Kate & Tony Thomas, today.

While you’re at it, make sure to check out all of the incredible home selling resources we offer to sellers online, such as:

• Preparing Your Home to Sell
• Selling Your Home
• Market Snapshot
• How Much is My Home Worth?
• And more!

Until next time,

Kate & Tony

Are you a New Albany home owner who recently relocated to the area? Are you interested in finding something fun and cheap to do during your free time?

Then you’ve come to the right New Albany real estate website!

Below, we’ve compiled a list of just some of the fun community events that you and your family may enjoy during the month of April.

Hope to see you at one of these community events soon!

Check Out These Upcoming Community Events in Central Ohio

Capitol Steps: This politically-aware group of performs take newspaper headlines from recent weeks and morph them song parodies and outrageous skits. This is sure to be appealing to anyone with a finger on the pulse of what’s going on in Washington!

• When: 8 p.m. on April 13
• Where: Jeanne B. McCoy Center for the Arts, 100 W. Dublin-Granville Road in New Albany
• Admission: $20 to $30
• More Info: Call 614-6545-0642

Symphony Performance: The New Albany Symphony will share a performance with the public titled “The New World.” Those residents who arrive early to the performance will have a chance to participate in a silent auction!

• When: 7 p.m. on April 15
• Where: Jeanne B. McCoy Center for the Arts, 100 W. Dublin-Granville Road in New Albany
• Admission: $12 to $20
• More Info: Call 614-323-1237

Paws in the Plaza: Come bring your best four-legged friend to this outdoor festival, which will feature river walks, pet-friendly shops and visiting pet vendors! Other exhibits that are likely to be there include free nail trimmings, caricature artists, giveaways, rescues, and more!

• When: 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays from April 5 to November 1
• Where: Mill Street and Creekside Plaza, 123 Mill Street in Gahanna
• Admission: FREE
• More Info: Call 614-418-9114

Homemade Crafts: Come learn how to make homemade soap during this Make & Take Craft event at the Ohio Herb Education Center. During the class, participants will mix essential oils and other simple ingredients to create a home cleanser.

• When: April 4 to 28; times vary
• Where: Ohio Herb Education Center, 110 Mill Street in Gahanna
• Admission: $5
• More Info: Call 614-342-4380

Your New Albany, OH Real Estate Experts

We hope you and your family are able to find the time to attend one of these interesting community events going on in Central Ohio in April.

If you do, let us know what you thought of it!

For more ideas on fun events going on in the area, check back in to our New Albany real estate blog.

And if you’re considering buying or selling a New Albany property any time soon, be sure to contact us, Kate & Tony Thomas!

Until next time,

Kate & Tony

I just received an e-newsletter from a good friend and decorator, Colleen Lora. The article about home accessories really hit home. With her permission, I am reprinting it. We are settling into our new home and nothing looks quite right. I realize after reading Colleen’s article that most everything we own, we’ve owned for a VERY LONG time. We have lots of “little collections” that you sure won’t see in any of today’s decorating magazines. She recommends accessories larger in scale and fewer in number. I don’t have too many $$$ to devote to new right now but have decided to decorate without the old until I can afford the new. Enjoy Colleen’s article. Check out her website www.CollenLoraDesigns.com too.   

“How Old Are Your Accessories?

If your accessories were around when you were tuning in to Seinfeld – and not the reruns, you need an update.  Today’s trend for accessories are larger in scale and fewer in number than in years past. If you are a collector, group like items together for a more cohesive and less cluttered look.  Faux florals and greenery are great when they are clean, higher end and not overdone. Throw away that old Ficus tree in a wicker basket and replace it with a tall Areca palm in a glazed container.  And be prepared to spend a little more than you think feels right on accessories if you need to replace a lot of them.  I advise clients that an accessory budget is usually 20-30% of your room’s overall investment.”   

The last few weeks of 2011 proved to be a rather successful time for New Albany area home sellers, as evident by the most recent real estate data from Trulia.

Continue reading to learn more about the latest market trends in New Albany, Ohio and how it may affect you as a home seller.

New Albany Properties for Sale

Here’s an overview of the current state of the New Albany real estate market:

• Currently there are 115 resale and new homes on the market, a historic low in New Albany School District.
• Between October and December, the median sales price for homes in the New Albany School District was $422,800 which is up from the same period last year.
• Here’s how nearby cities stacked up during that same period in terms of average sales price:
• Gahanna Jefferson: $190,000
• Westerville:  $178,500
• Olentangy: $323,000
• Dublin: $311,300
• Upper Arlington:  $297,000
• Bexley: $78,800
• During the year ending December 31, the average listing price for New Albany homes was $554,500.

New Albany Homes for Sale

Knowing what homes are being listed for and what homes are selling for is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to housing market activity.

For a more comprehensive overview of the current state of the New Albany real estate market – as well as where it’s headed in 2012 – contact us, Kate & Tony Thomas.

We’ll be happy to provide you with our expert advice on how to navigate the market as well as answer any questions you may have.

Until next time,

Kate & Tony

Our beautiful community of New Albany has devoted time and resources to attracting economic development to the area and now national organizations are starting to take notice.

According to a recent article, the city recently received an economic development award from the Ohio Chapter of the Commercial Real Eestate Development Association.

The award is given to communities that are committed to promoting development in the community.

Living in New Albany

The organizations said New Albany has done a great job of attracting business and development to the area with infrastructure and business incentives.

While other central Ohio communities have received this award in the past, it’s special that New Albany received it this year given the sluggish economy.

Experts say that this award signals that New Albany is committed to development and progress, even in the face of a less-than-ideal economy.

According to some estimates, the city has invested about $24 million in infrastructure to attract development to the area.  It’s also invested $3 million to create a comprehensive fiber-optic network in the city to help new businesses stay connected.

In all, the various projects throughout the city have created 3,500 jobs in the city since 2009.

New Albany Real Estate

All of the development in the area benefit New Albany residents in multiple ways.

In addition to creating jobs and amenities throughout the city, these developments have spurred a lot of activity on the local housing market.

Just check out the most recent real estate data for the New Albany Plain Local School District:

• Between 2010 and 2011, the average sales price rose from $339,048 to $377,381, a 11.3 percent increase.
• The inventory of home sales dropped, from 282 homes to 197.  This caused the supply to drop from a 10.6 months supply to 6.1.
• Year-to-date, the number of closed sales has increased from 262 homes in 2010 to 318 homes in 2011.

Your New Albany REALTORS

As we noted before, this is an excellent time to be a New Albany home seller.  Recent market data suggests that more home buyers are entering the market looking for their dream home.

As demand for Central Ohio homes increases, the supply of homes will likely decrease.  This gives home sellers an advantage in when it comes to setting their price.

If you’re interesting in listing your home but want help successfully marketing it on the New Albany real estate market, contact us, Kate and Tony Thomas.

We’ll answer any questions you might have as well as provide you with a number of home selling tools, including:

• Market snapshot
• How much is my home worth?
• Special Report

Until next time

Kate & Tony Thomas

It was a great month on the New Albany real estate market, especially if you’re a home seller.

Evidently, home sales in Central Ohio are up while total home inventory is down.

Continue reading to learn more about current market trends on this Central Ohio real estate market.

Central Ohio Properties for Sale

Thinking about selling your home? Be sure to check out the latest market statistics from the Columbus Board of REALTORS o develop a comprehensive idea of what homes are selling for in your area:

• For the last four months, home sales have been greater than in 2010.
• In October, 1,543homes sold in the Columbus area, representing an 8.6 percent increase when compared to the same month last year.
• Last October, 1,421homes sold.
• In September, home sales were up by 16.6 percent when compared to the year before.
• Year-to-date, 2011 home sales are just 2.1  percent behind numbers in 2010.
• 1,379 homes went under contract last month, which represents a 46 percent increase when compared to 2010.
•  The Columbus area housing inventory was down to an 8.1 month supply in October.  This is equivalent to 13,827 homes for sale on the market today.
• In September, the local housing inventory was an 8.7 month supply.
• During the year 2011 so far, the average sales price for single-family homes and condos in the Columbus area was $157,327.

 Selling New Albany Real Estate

All of this is fantastic news for home sellers because it means that supply is starting to exceed demand, giving home sellers an edge on setting the price they want for their New Albany home.

If you’ve been thinking about selling your New Albany home, contact us, Kate and Tony Thomas, today.

Are you a New Albany resident who is entertaining out-of-town family members for the holidays? Are you wondering how you’re going to entertain them throughout their stay?

No worries! We’ve compiled a list of upcoming holiday events in the area that are sure to be fun for the entire family.

Continue reading to learn more!

Enjoy These Holiday Events This Week

Here are just some of the many family-friendly events going on in the New Albany, Ohio area this month:

Holiday Glassblowing Workshop: Bring the entire family and make a colorful, blown glass ornament together!  A professional gaffer will be on site to help out and no experience is necessary.  Ages 16 and up can participate.

• When: Now through December 28
• Where: Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
• Admission: $54 to $65
• More Info: Call (614) 645-8733

Holidays at the Zoo: Enjoy a holiday light show presented by American Electric Power at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.  Residents can also meander through the zoo to enjoy holiday decorations throughout.

• When: Now through Jan. 1
• Where: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, 4850 W. Powell Rd. in Powell
• Admission: Adults $14. Seniors $10. Children 2-9 $9.
• More Info: Call 614-645-3550

Scrooge Performance: Bring the family to watch this holiday classic, in which a curmudgeon is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.

• When: Now through December 26
• Where: Shadowbox Live, 503 S. Front St, Columbus, 43215
• Admission: Adults $30. Students and seniors $20.
• More Info: Call 614-416-7625

Celebrate Kwanzaa: Teach your children about different cultures by taking them to this Kwanzaa celebration,  which originated in Africa.  This event features authentic African cuisine, dancing and drumming.  Visitors can even purchase authentic African jewelry here.

• When: December 28
• Where: The King Arts Complex, 867 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Columbus
• Admission: $5 to $15
• More Info: Call 614-645-0642

Listing Your New Albany Home for Sale

We hope you get a chance to check out one of these holiday events in the New Albany area.  If you do, please let us know what you thought of it!

And we hope you have a wonderful holiday celebration with your friends and loved ones.

If after the New Year you decide that it’s time for a change and you’re ready to sell your New Albany home, contact us, Kate & Tony Thomas. 

We’ll be happy to help you navigate the New Albany  real estate market by offering you our exclusive home marketing plan as well as other home selling tools such as:

• Preparing your home for sale
• Selling your home
• Market snapshot
• And more!

Until next time,

Kate & Tony

New Albany Country Club Homes Prices Hold

Sale prices of homes in the New Albany Country Club community seem to have leveled out.  2012 prices remain equal to 2009 and 2010.  One of the gauges we use to evaluate sales trends is $ per Square Foot.  If you look at the past 3 years, the average sales price for real estate in the New Albany Country Club area has been ~$162/square foot.  While this is significantly less than the peak of $197/sq foot that we saw in 2006, it’s encouraging that we appear to be bouncing along what I believe is the bottom of the market.

Historical Look at New Albany Country Club Sales in $/Square Foot

The graph below illustrates why many real estate experts refer to the time between 2000 – 2010 as the “Lost Decade”.  Home prices in the New Albany Country Club community are actually slightly below the prices we saw in 2000.

 Is Now A Good Time To Sell?

Prices show no sign of going either up or down right now.  When they start to head back up, it’s unlikely that they will take a giant leap.  With few exceptions, in an average year, the Greater Columbus real estate market goes up 3%.  At 3% a year, it will take almost 7 years before we see 2006 prices once prices do begin to rebound.   If now is the time for you to upsize, down size, or just move because you don’t want to redecorate the home you are in, then you should do it.    Homes ARE selling and mortgage rates are at 60 year lows.  Let us know if you’d like Tony or I to assist you with your decision.  We offer confidential and complementary market evaluations of your home to enable you to make the best decision for you and your family.  Call or email us today.

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