Real Living HER Citywide Open House Hop

Hippity Hop to the biggest Real Living Open House promotion of the year. Over 700 homes will be open on October 26, 2008 from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. So many homes to see, if you are a serious buyer there’s a good chance you will find that perfect home you will fall in love with. Prices are great, home selections are great which can be purchased at very desirable interest rates.

A special coupon just for you

Visit a Citywide House Hop property this coming Sunday on October 26, a Real Living HER agent will validate your coupon which could fetch you a real cool deal of $2,500 savings on the processing of your loan thru Real Living mortgage. If you are a first time home buyer you might want to take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit that is available for homes purchased between August 9, 2008 through July 1, 2009. Now that’s a real deal.

Promotion rules and regulations can be found at the Real Living HER website

The terms of the tax credit are explained along with the deadline for cashing in on the $2,500 Real Living lending incentives, along with a complete list of homes that will be open.

Now don’t miss out on all the fun

Please stop by to see me at my open house located at 567 Glenside Lane Powell Ohio across from Highbanks Metro Park. Treat yourself; this home is wonderfully maintained, priced to sell; write an offer, take advantage of the Citywide House Hop incentives which will enable you to enjoy celebrating the holidays in your new home that you found at the hop.

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How does a real estate agent do business without electricity?

What an experience. It all started as I was driving to the office on Sunday morning on September 14, 2008. Thought to myself that the weather was weird the wind was picking up and the clouds were moving so fast. My open house was scheduled from 2-4 p.m.; it was extremely busy and many prospective buyers came thru heard the wind howling but had no time to look outside. Upon the open house completion thought it was strange that the front yard was totally covered with leaves and that numerous fallen tree branches covered the backyard. As I went back into the house all the lights were out, don’t remember turning off the lights. That was the beginning of the wrath of the storm’s damage.

Retrieving open house signs

It was a struggle to hold onto the open house signs in 75 mile per hour winds which almost blew me away. Driving home was a challenge all the traffic lights were out. Most Central Ohio drivers must have forgotten that when a traffic light is out you need to treat it as a 4 way stop, thought that I might be hit from behind many times, safely made it to my home which was without electricity. The first night is always fun without power; my husband and I joined our neighbors for a candlelight dinner of mac-n-cheese an easy meal to cook on a gas stove.

Day one of the power outages

Not sure what damage the storm has caused. Received a voice mail message from my office manager informing all the Worthington office agents that there was no electricity, internet, or phone service and that the office was closed. As luck would have it my cell phone is now out of juice, laptop needs to be recharged and I need gas in my car. Decided to venture out to see what was open, found a gas station that was doing a brisk business, by the end of the day that station was out of gas. Charged my cell phone in the car as I was driving, with a full tank of gas was comfortable with visiting my clients to make sure they were all ok. My first stop was to visit clients who live in Powell; they survived the storm and there was no storm damage to their homes, then it was on to Dublin everyone was a-ok. As I was on my way to Worthington was saddened to see how much damage the storm caused , so many old trees were blown down, streets were closed because downed trees were hanging on power lines. My clients and their homes fared well only one house had a branch fall against the house and there was no damage.

How do I deliver an offer to you?

Received a call from an agent who wanted to know how he was going to get an offer to me.  No e-mail, no internet access, no fax, no computer power. It was back to the basics the old fashion way of doing business the original tools of the trade, a pencil and paper. The offer was hand written and hand delivered just like in the old days when I first got into the real estate business; 15 years ago the fax machine was just becoming popular. Met the agent at Panera Bread which was one of the few businesses that had electricity it was a perfect meeting place because I could now catch up on my internet correspondence along with recharging my laptop. Glad that I found a gas station earlier in the day that was open it would have been shoe leather express or bicycle power to pick up the offer. Where there is a will there is a way to get a real estate deal done. Thank heavens for cell phone car chargers, pencils, paper and Panera Bread that had internet access, oh the wonderful world of technology. The electricity is now back on and its back to work in the usual way, receiving faxes by e-mail, recharging my laptop and cell phone using good old fashion electricity.

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A message for all moms

Mother’s Day: It was your special day, a day designated to let you know that you are very much loved and appreciated. There is nothing more precious then a mother’s love. A day full of special thank yous for all that you do.

Today’s real moms

As a real estate agent I have been lucky to meet many cool moms. Today’s moms juggle busy schedules; some work outside the home others are stay home moms. When considering a home purchase the first question all moms ask is the neighborhood safe.

Neighborhood safety

When considering a home in a particular community take a drive thru the neighborhood at various times of the day. Look for neighborhood watch signs. Is the community well lit with street lights? Talk to neighbors, they will be a wealth of information. Police departments along with the county sheriff department will be able to provide you with good area statistics.

School information

Moms are very concerned about the schools their children will attend. School internet research can be done at the Ohio Department of Education website that provides proficiency test results and state school report cards. A school visit would be beneficial. Most schools have designated personnel that will give you a tour of the school and answer all your questions.

Desirable floor plan for moms

Large open kitchens with a pantry, great room needs to have good proximity to the kitchen, the living room is losing popularity, a first floor office is a plus great for a home based occupation, a bonus room, or finished basement is ideal for a child’s playroom or home schooling, a window from the kitchen to watch the children at play, a fenced backyard large enough for a swing set, 4 large bedrooms with good closet space, moms spend a lot of time washing children’s clothes so a 1st or 2nd floor laundry is a real plus.

Mother’s Day tornado warning in Central Ohio

Being a light real estate business day due to the Mother’s Day holiday I spent most of the day at my personal residence which is located in Galena Ohio Southern Delaware County. The day was miserable, cold and rainy and to my surprise I heard warning sirens; a call from my husband’s cell informed me that I should go to the basement of our home. Then my home phone rang it was the Delaware county emergency department calling to inform all residents of the tornado warning. Now that was a surprise, our tax dollars at work. Luckily a tornado didn’t touch down, no real damage just heavy rain and strong winds.

In conclusion moms make a pathway to a home

A path within the heart that takes us home to happy memories, meaningful moments, joys, hugs and kisses. Moms make their homes a safe and secure place for their children to live. As children grow older the paths from their childhood home full of love and affection come to full circle. All experiences become stepping stones to who that child will be as an adult. Yes the day will come sooner than you think when you will be visiting your children in their very own homes.

Check out Karen’s website for tips on how to sell or buy a home in Central Ohio.

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CondoQuest is a special spring and fall promotion sponsored by the BIA

58 Central Ohio Condominium communities
Showcased by the Building Industry Association
Visitors tour newly constructed condo communities

Condos are for everyone the CondoQuest slogan

First time buyers, empty nesters, busy professionals
No need for ladders, lawn mowers or snow shovels
Lock your front door and leave for a couple of months no need to worry about outside maintenance

Many floor plans to choose from

Ranches and town homes
First-floor owner’s suites
Twin singles and detached patio homes
Prices start at $99,000
Some selling for more than $1,000,000

Great amenities

Great room open-living layouts less formal living spaces
Many communities offer walking trails, bike paths, fitness centers, swimming pools and tennis courts

Spring and fall CondoQuest

Sponsored by the BIA for the past 6 years
Missed the spring promotion, there will be a good selection again in the fall

Karen’s Condo-Quest

Cute town home and 1st floor owner’s suite
The Pros and Cons of Condos

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Welcome to the Central Ohio Real Estate News blog created by Karen Gorski to inform you, the reader, on a personal level about the day to day activities in the real estate world.Hope you will get to know me and like my style enough to subscribe to this blog. On this blog site I will be providing an up-to-date account of community events and what has been happening in the real estate world in Columbus Ohio and the surrounding areas including Clintonville, Dublin, Delaware, Galena, Hilliard, Lewis Center, Powell, Sunbury, Upper Arlington, Worthington and Westerville.

Not all blog entries, called posts, will be serious; some will be informative others will be whimsical. Hope you enjoy my posts enough to stop by often. Your comments are always welcome and encouraged.

About me Karen Gorski:
I am a full time Realtor®, an agent with Real Living HER since 1994.

I have participated in many real estate transactions representing both Sellers and Buyers.

I will be sharing interesting posts about some of those transactions right here on this blog. When purchasing a house, to make it into a home of your very own you will be interested in knowing about the community where the house is located. I will be providing you with up-to-date community information in this blog including sales statistics, maps, parks, events and more.

Again welcome to my Real Estate blog; I sincerely appreciate your visit.
I am looking forward to a fun journey traveling all around town to enable me to provide interesting tips and tidbits to all those who stop by to read this blog.

We all need to connect in meaningful ways; that’s the common thread that runs through all our lives. So please have fun, enjoy and be inspired; I am inviting you to return many times so you don’t miss the latest news.

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