Smart Home Buying

By amurphy on April 26, 2010

In a recent analysis, the New York Times recommends that the rent ratio – the purchase price of a typical house divided by the annual rent of a similar house – shows that Columbus’ market favors buying a home over renting one.

The rent ratio for Columbus for 2009 is 16.9 and, as the Times states, “a number well below 20 makes a better case for buying.”

By mnurre on February 27, 2010

BUYER BEWARE!  I recently did a home inspection for a young couple on a home in Columbus, Ohio.  The home was being sold by a lender that had foreclosed on the house.

By mnurre on January 14, 2010

Carpeted bathrooms are bathrooms that have carpeted floors instead of traditional floor surfaces, such as tile or vinyl. Despite their tendency to foster mold and bacteria, carpets are sometimes installed in residential bathrooms for aesthetic purposes. Carpets should never be installed in bathrooms in commercial buildings.

By amurphy on January 11, 2010

Want credit and need answers? The following information will help you!

By lschottenstein on January 10, 2010

If you are buying or selling a home wouldn’t   you want the agents primary focus to be on you?  I wrote a book for real estate agents and while doing my research I came across a book “How to be a millionaire real estate agent”. Basically they adviced  agents  to minimize their time working the [...]

By lschottenstein on December 29, 2009

I was representing a buyer who was ready to offer $960,000 for a home that was listed at $999,000. (from our research it was well priced at $999,000 and a very good deal at $960,000) The home was originally listed at $1.3M and was on the market for over a year so the listing agent [...]

By mnurre on November 20, 2009

I am often asked why it is so important that all openings to an electrical box are sealed.  The NEC (National Electric Codes) that are applicable in most jurisdictions require it.  But why?

By mnurre on November 11, 2009

Okay, you have decided to sell your home in a soft market.  You have selected a real estate agent to list and market the house.  Your agent has held open house events and has showed the house several times.  Maybe you have even lowered the original asking price in order to get your house sold.  [...]

By medwards on November 9, 2009

Making Pre-Purchase Decisions
Just because you may feel restricted by price ranges — especially if this is your first or second home purchase — don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t afford to be choosy when looking for a home to buy! You are unique. So let’s get busy defining these homebuying parameters and [...]

By amurphy on November 5, 2009

By an 85 to 2 vote, the first-time homebuyer tax credit, due to expire at the end of November, is expected to be extended to contracts written by the end of April and closed by June 30 of 2010.