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By Larry Schottenstein on December 13, 2011

I find it odd how real estate agents will take a negotiating position they can’t defend. They are basically making up a reason. I feel this weakens their ability to negotiate for their client. I had a property listed at $259,000, which was below market and a good deal at list. My investor/seller paid cash [...]

By Valerie Ahmed on December 6, 2011

Happy holidays struggling homeowners! Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and several large mortgage lenders have pledged not to foreclose on delinquent borrowers during the Christmas season.
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By Chris Harpster on October 17, 2011

One mistake sellers often make is taking feedback too personally. Below is a good example of what I am talking about. My feedback was ‘the house was neat and well kept but smelled like dog’. I received this as a reply directly from the seller. It is also worth noting my clients liked the house and thought replacing the carpet would remedy the pet odor issue…as they had done so in the previous home they bought. In the end, it’s not a big issue and certainly not worth getting upset over.

By Larry Schottenstein on September 13, 2011

Some home buyer’s can’t resist shotting themselves in the foot when buying a home. Part of my job as an agent is to tell my buyers what they need to hear and not want they want to hear. I see a lot of situations where buyers miss out on great opportunities because they are too [...]

By Larry Schottenstein on September 13, 2011

When selling a home a critical component is how your home competes with other comparable listings in your market. One suggestion is for sellers to view their home as if they were a buyer. Now they have to ask themselves, “Why would someone want my home at this price compared to their other options?” When [...]

By Sonia Deen on June 16, 2011

You’ve decided to place your home on the market. Great! Now, to schedule those interview appointments with a few local Realtors.  For your sake, let’s hope the word commitment is in between your initial meet and greets and all the fluff that comes along with “why you should choose me as your Realtor” or “I [...]

By Sonia Deen on May 17, 2011

Advantages to using a buyer’s agent? Countless. List of duties your buyer’s agent should perform? Endless. So why should buyers use an agent?
About 6 months ago I closed on a listing of mine.  What started off as great transaction, ended in much difficulty.  The buyer’s who offered on the home were working alone.  Big mistake! [...]

By Larry Schottenstein on April 12, 2011

Below is the current update for the Columbus Area Housing Market.  Sales overall dipped 1.1 percent compared to the same period last year.  The good news is the market is showing stability without the incentive of the “First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit”.  The bad news is that overall prices remain sluggish and most experts expect [...]

By Larry Schottenstein on April 12, 2011

This  is an interesting article about new builds and how they are having a hard time competing with re-sales.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42219385/ns/business-real_estate/
The belief is foreclosures and short sales drive down the price of re-sales and people may not be willing to spend more on a new build. As with all articles about real estate keep in mind how averages and norms [...]