Current Home Inventory!

When you are hired to be a "listing" agent, you are trying to find every way possible to sell your homes to different types of buyers. One way, is print advertising. We are the gurus of print advertising. You have probably see our ads in Suburban News, This Week, Homes and Estates, The Real Estate Book, Open House, Fine Homes, Real Living Magazine, Columbus Monthly, The Daily Reporter, and The Other Paper to name a few. But, the newest way to sell your listings is via blogs. The internet is all ready a must. You know that or you probably wouldn't be here!
This is a way to capture someone who may have just picked up the paper or magazine to take a peek. We all do it. I do it on vacations! Honestly, we would love to not do print advertising, but our personal statistics show that we do get plenty of calls on our ads and they work to sell homes. We appeal to all people. We had a call off or our Yellow Page ad the other day. When was the last time you opened the Yellow Pages? This is why we feel strongly that we must continue to reach out to everyone in order to help them sell their homes. There are wonderful homes available right now!

When statistics show that over 80% of people start on line to purchase a home, you have to have a strong web presence. We do and are working even harder to promote it via different avenues. Stay tuned for updates as we are going to make this process so easy that you will be amazed at how seamless selling your home can be. As this blog takes shape, I hope you will be back to comment and tell us what you like and don't like!

Have a wonderful Friday! Susan

http://www.realliving.com/Search/OpenHouses


OPEN HOUSES RULE!

Click the link for all of Real Living's Open Homes for this weekend. Make sure you note the time of the open house as they are all subject to different hours.

Whether you have been dipping the tip of your toe in the water or are ready to jump aboard, open houses offer a way for you to go see homes without a commitment. It also allows you to see how an agent works and if your personalities mesh. First, from the comfort of your home, see which ones might be interesting. Then, pop in at the open house and you might be pleasantly surprised at how affordable owning a home can still be!


See you on Sunday! We are looking forward to it! Susan

First Time Home buyers Tax Credit

First Time Home buyers should really read the information out there regarding the tax credits. The US government is giving a wonderful tax incentive for you to make an investment in your future. Check out the link provided below!

Congress recently created a tax credit incentive for first-time homebuyers. The $7500 credit will be available for the purchase of a principal residence on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009. For more information on this newly passed legislature, click on the following links.

First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Information

Happy Tuesday to all of you! For us, tomorrow is the first day of school! You can feel the excitement! Susan

Still time to catch a great bargain this summer!

So many people have been on the fence when it comes to buying. We are looking over the inventory of homes constantly. If you are thinking about buying, there are some wonderful financing programs out there!

The summer inventory is about 10% lower than last year. This means that we are curving back towards a more stable supply and demand level. So, go ahead, peruse the internet and take a look at a few open homes. What have you got to lose except an opportunity to make a great investment in your future!

Let us know how we can help you and keep your interests at the forefront!

Happy window shopping! The "sales" are incredible! Susan

This has nothing to do with Real Estate Post

As many of you know, my family has been touched by adoption. I received this email today as part of my ongoing need to stay on top of the fast changing events in connection with international adoptions.If you happen to know anyone who is in the process, please pass this along. We need to support the children and make them come first but also support the birth moms who are making these important decisions.

While this topic is emotionally charged, my vote is for keeping the children moving forward toward loving families, but severely punish those who are in it for financial gain.

It is continually amazing to know how many people come into your lives who have been touched one way or another by adoption be it wife, brother, sister or neighbor.

Thank you for looking...we will be back to business soon! Susan

Request for info by JCIS Posted by: "sjlampert" mailto:jslampert@netzero.net?Subject=sjlampert Thu Aug 14, 2008 12:21 pm (PDT)From JCICS:Dear Families, Friends and Colleagues,As we all know, the families who lovingly made the decision to adopt from Vietnam or Guatemala continue to face unimaginable challenges. Joint Council, through such initiatives as the Guatemala 5000 and A Child's Right Campaign, has continually advocated for families and the children who need them. As part of our ongoing efforts, we have joined forces with Ethica and the National Council for Adoption to provide a new tool in our collective advocacy initiative.Two surveys, one for families trying to adopt from Vietnam, and one for families trying to adopt from Guatemala, are now available through the Joint Council website. These surveys are a vitally important means of gathering the information our three organizations need to properly advocate for adoptive families. Unfortunately much misinformation exists regarding the number of families still waiting to complete their adoptions. In Vietnam, for example, no reliable information is available on the number of families with dossiers registered with the Department of Intercountry Adoption. In Guatemala, no one knows the number of families still awaiting the release of their case by the PGN. With calls asking for assistance continually coming into Joint Council, Ethica, NCFA, CCAI and Congressional offices, it is vitally important that we, as advocates, have the information needed to fully support adoptive families and children. These two surveys will allow us to gauge the situation in each country, assess the number of families in each stage of the process, and provide accurate data to those seeking to advocate on behalf of families and children. The cumulative data (no personal information will be shared unless specifically indicated on the survey) will be provided to organizations such as the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and other advocates such as the Congressional Coalition on Adoption and individual Members of Congress. The collection of similar information was gathered during the closure of intercountry adoption in Cambodia and was instrumental in the completion of virtually all adoptions. While no one can make promises of such results, we do feel confident, through our discussion with key stakeholders, that the survey results will be an important tool in positively resolving many outstanding issues. These surveys will assist the families as well, by providing them with a new, accurate perspective, as well as relevant information regarding the status of their adoption compared to other adoptive families. In order to be most effective with the survey results it is critically important that all families currently in the adoption process with Vietnam or Guatemala complete the appropriate survey by Friday, August 22, 2008. The surveys can be found via a link on the homepage of the Joint Council website (www.jcics.org) or directly at Vietnam Survey or Guatemala Survey. Joint Council, Ethica and NCFA encourage all families to participate in this very important initiative.We also encourage everyone to distribute this information to all families via email, websites, blogs and other media. Copies of this email announcement may be forwarded as needed in order to distribute this information.Lastly, Joint Council, Ethica, and NCFA offer our thanks for your role in making this initiative successful as we continue to advocate for every child's right to a safe, permanent and loving family.Tom DiFilipo, President & CEO, Joint Council on International Children's Services, Linh Song, Executive Director, Ethica, Inc.Chuck Johnson, Vice President for Training and Agency Services, NCFA

Short Sales....

Did anyone see the 20/20 show this week regarding short sales? We have been in two scenarios where we waited for weeks for an answer on a short sale. Frustration is a big part of the process, and it is so unfortunate for everyone involved. How can we help our country in a crisis of pending foreclosures? It seems that if someone writes a valid contract on a home which is nearing foreclosure due to a health crisis, the bank would be doing anything they could to retain the buyer. The red tape is daunting. However, if our banks don't get their ducks all in a row soon, they will be asking for more help from our government yet again which of course will come from the tax payers. Why not set up a new committee within the banks to deal with this and give them the permission to give an answer. How many buyers will sit around for months while they push the file from one desk to another? The realtors can only do so much as an advocate.

OK, off my soapbox!

Hope you are having a wonderful week and enjoying the beautiful sunny days of summer. Ohio has so many great spots for a day trip. We love The Wilds in Zanesville! Where are your favorites spots?

Susan