Cost vs Value: Remodeling Dollars

Cost vs Value: Remodeling Dollars

In these times with so much competition in the market place, home sellers need to use every advantage they can to make their homes shine. Beyond thinking in terms of selling your home, every time you make a home improvement you want to make sure that you are protecting your biggest asset and positioning it for the day it will go on the market. Its important to make improvements that make your home more enjoyable to you, too!!

Read a great article by National Association of Realtors on 10 Big Impact, Low Cost Projects!

Cost vs. Value: Help Clients Stretch Their Remodeling Dollars

THE DATA
In cooperation with Remodeling magazine, we bring you the average cost recouped for 35 home improvement projects.

TOP 5 PROJECTS
Get tips from experts on how to execute the projects that bring the greatest return.
Read entire article here.

Open House Sunday January 9, 2011 2-4

Open House Sunday 2-4

550 Willrich Drive, Newark, OH 43055

Stop by and see me on Sunday at this great house that has been owned by current sellers for 25 years. Great find within the city - almost 2.5 acres of easy, breezy land to care for. Zoya grass that only needs cut a few times a season & no weeding + loads of bulbs and other perinniels. Large living room, dining room & family room make this a great home for entertaining. Or sit on one of many porches and watch all the wildlife close up. Easy to hop on Rt 16, 161, 79 & 13 for commute or shopping. Stop by on Sunday or for a private showing!

$185,000

Sold

145 Moull Sold! Closed in 48 days from being listed.

Beautiful Sunset on Buckeye Lake

Some of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen have been at Buckeye Lake - on the water is always the best vantage point!

Fall like weather perfect for Fire pit

The cool air makes it a perfect time to burn some sticks and roast a hot dog or two. So many great things to do in the cooler months in the great Midwest!

Concert at Dawes

Beautiful Night at Dawes, Great Music and Spectacular Fireworks!

Woods Hide A Way

Woods Hide-a-Way!

Always looking for a place to escape .... even in our own back yard. We had a run down shed that my husband rebuilt into a little screened hide a way. There's really only room for two, which is kind of nice. We light it at night with candles and put our backyard speakers on for added ambiance. Some nights our son & friends will go up to the hide a way and we will hear guitar music and singing wafting through the woods. Our daughter served us a special dinner in it one night, complete with custom menus! When you're inside, you feel like you're in a treehouse. We're taking bets on who is the first to throw a matress out there and sleep in the woods. Sounds cool to me!

New Listing

145 Moull, Newark

Great buy! 2 story with extra large kitchen with eat in area. Updated kitchen and baths. Formal dining room and first floor laundry. Covered front porch and deck in back with view of decorative pond. Detached 1 car garage with workshop area and alley access. Sold "As Is". Don't miss out!

$67,500

The Finish Line!

SUCCESS!!!

Congrats, Tonya! After lots of looking for just the right place and making it through all the trials to get the house closed, we got Tonya in a great little house. After the celebration, she got busy working to fix it up. Thanks for the business, Tonya and hope you have many, many happy years in your new home!

Beautiful Log House with a Fresh Look!

3285 Marion Rd, Utica, Ohio (Rt 657). Near Rt 62

Fresh New Look! Siding has been stripped, cleaned & stained with long lasting acrylic stain!

Northridge - Ranch style design home offers one floor living with master bedroom and laundry on first floor. Living, dining and kitchen are open for easy entertaining. Cathedral ceilings, large windows & skylights provide light, bright rooms. Large loft offers large living space to use as a family room, rec room or media room. Lower level has 10' poured walls, studded & ready to finish. Full bath with 2 seater steamer shower. All this sits on 2.32 wooded acres. Two porches span the width of the front and back of the property for a wonderful place to drink your morning coffee or a place to sit and watch wild life. Easy commute to Columbus, Newark or Mt Vernon. Call for your private showing on this property!

We forget how to do Simple

Simple can feel so good .....

In our crazy, frantic lives that are so full of schedules, electronics and demands to do for others, we forget how good simple can feel. Everyone has that place they go to recharge and mine is anywhere near the water. We've spent extra time with our kids over Spring Break at the lake .... on our little island. We don't have cable and have spent our time with a pinch of work, but some great family time bonding. We have been playing cards and board games, going for walks and bike rides. We've watched movies and had friends over that we're usually too busy to schedule with. We've even read books!! Of course, we can't give up our computers and cell phones - we can't totally disconnect, but are finding an eqillibriam that will carry us through for awhile when all the craziness starts again in a few days! (Picture is view off our dock .... ready to go for a boat ride soon!!)

Time is Running out for Free Money!!

The Stimulus tax credit available to First Time Home Buyers for up to $8,000 or Repeat Buyers who have owned their home for at least 5 years up to $6,500 is only available for 53 more days! If you have an interest in buying, this is a great time!!

How to Get the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit

You’ve decided to purchase a home and take advantage of the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit. Here's what you have to do to get your benefit:

1. Close on your home purchase between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, or have a binding written contract by April 30, 2010 and close by July 1, 2010.
2. Decide whether to: apply the credit to your 2009 tax return, filed on or before April 15, 2010;
file an amended 2009 return; or,apply the credit on your 2010 return, filed on or before April 15, 2011.
3. Attach documentation of purchase to your return.

Read more details at realtor.org.

A 50 year tradition just keeps getting better ....

The Wolfe family continues after 50 years to have a huge roll in continuing the tradition of spectacular fireworks at Buckeye Lake with BLASST (Buckeye Lake Area Star Spangled Tradition). Thanks to Tori Wolfe, Marty and Bud Springer and all their volunteers!! Pictures are tough while bobing in the water, but here's my attempt. One of my favorite nights of the year - with the lights, all the boats on the water and the added reflections it's a magical night!

Always a good day at the lake!

Sunday, my husband and I took a quick ride on Buckeye Lake beginning on the North side near the Yacht Club. Always one of our favorite places to stop, but were only out on a mission to get gas before the holiday weekend. We need to make sure we're in good shape for the fireworks on Friday night. There is nothing like seeing the fireworks reflected on the water with all the boats silhouetted against the sky as it is lit up. It's always a magical night!

Before tying up at the dock again, we took a little detour to Compass Point one of our new developments around the lake.

Then its back to reality and dry land ... but its only 20 minutes away to come to another world!

First Time Home Buyer's Tax Credit

$8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit at a Glance

The information on this page pertains to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The tax credit is for first-time home buyers only. For the tax credit program, the IRS defines a first-time home buyer as someone who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase.
The tax credit does not have to be repaid.
The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.
The credit is available for homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.
Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.

For more information, look click here. http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/2009/home.html

Rediscovering Newark!

Remember to appreciate what you have close to home!

Last night we decided to check out the Farmer's Market downtown in Newark. I came home with some great locally grown vegetables and Unkle Timz peach salsa. From there, we walked around the square, looking in all the unique shops and dining on large "dogs". My favorite is Matilda Charlotte Antiques, etc. The owner has such a gift for display and showing rustic and formal pieces side by side and making it all look inviting. Makes me want to go home and start all over on my deocorating!

We thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Mayor's Concert held in the gazebo on the square in front of the Courthouse while enjoying a Chardonnay el fresco at Buckeye Winery. My daughter, Katie and I decided to take a carriage ride and learned all kinds of things about canal days and downtown we hadn't known before. We forget to look close to home for these fun little adventures, but Newark has some really rich history and some great things going on downtown on the last Friday of every month.

Love Ohio's "North Coast"

Ohio's North Coast

Ohio's North Coast has lots to offer ... endless blue water, the best sunsets and good down to earth fun. Bike rides, early morning walks, boat rides, swimming, card games, croquet, breakfast with the locals, grilling steaks out and laying in the hamock reading a good book. My husband, two children and I had a wonderful few days getting back to basics and having fun with each other. I love a break where you get to slow things down and spend time with the people who matter the most to you .... doesn't happen quite often enough!

From Perry's Monument to the bustling downtown area to such D.I.Y activities as kayaking to parasailing, the island has a lot to offer. Not to mention novelties like the Xcelerator hand dryer, a.k.a The Nuke, and our buddy Cap'n Stan, its the little things that make the North Coast special. (Nick's contribution).

Nico Piper

I have the cutest new baby neice! She lives on the West Coast, so not sure when I get to see her. Almost as cute as her Daddy was at that age!

IRS Publication 523 Selling Your Home

IRS Publication Selling Your Home

I came across something that said you can deduct Home Staging when selling your home, as an advertising expense. That's a deduction I had not heard of before. To see the full publication, click here.

Real Estate Property Tax Deductions

It's almost April 15th, and seems to be a good time to tax deductions. Home ownership helps you with your tax deductions .... and your bottom line!

Real Estate Tax Definition
This IRS defines "Real Estate Tax" as the annual tax on the value of real property by most state and local governments.

Most state and local governments charge an annual tax on the value of real property. This is called a real estate tax. You may deduct the tax if it is based on the assessed value of the real property and the taxing authority charges a uniform rate on all property in its jurisdiction.

The tax must be for the welfare of the general public and not be a payment for a special privilege granted or services rendered to you.

Deductible Real Estate Taxes
As a homeowner, you are entitled to deduct payments of real estate tax on your property if you claimed itemized deductions on your tax return (you are not allowed to deduct real estate taxes if you claim the standard deduction on your tax return). The IRS allows you to deduct real estate taxes on your main home and any other home you own. There are no limits on the dollar amount of real estate taxes you can deduct. There are also no limits on the number of houses for which you can claim the deduction.

Your payments of state, local, or foreign real estate taxes on your non-business property are deductible. You must have paid them at settlement or closing, or to a tax authority during the
year.