If you live in Beckett Ridge and are the owner of record for your property, you received this letter recently:
DEAR BECKETT RIDGE HOMEOWNER;
Beckett Ridge is a diverse community covering over 1800 acres with various types of dwelling units from condos to single family homes. Since our community was developed over several years and each unique section of our community was required to provide a set of documents for their new homeowners, 33 years later, we have variously similar, but different documents making up the package of homeowner documents for Beckett Ridge.
Over the past two years the Beckett Ridge Homeowners Board hads been evaluating various approaches for consolidating our homeowners’ documents. These basic documents are used to define our community and when coupled with our restrictions they become very important documents for homebuyers planning to purchase a home in our community and financial companies seeking to finance or insure our homes. With the assistance of our attorney we have now completed our work on this effort and wish to present to the homeowners of Beckett Ridge a revised set of Declarations and Code of Regulations for your approval.
Voting will be by parcel therefore, only one vote will be allowed per dwelling unit address and one signature per parcel will also be required to validate your ballot. Official ballots can only be cast by those Members of the Beckett Ridge Homeowner Association in good standing as of July 1, 2010. To be considered in good standing all dues and fees must be paid in full on the Parcel by July 1, 2010. The Board Highly Recommends you vote “YES” in support of this resolution. The expression of your support for this resolution is very important to all of us. While we hope you will vote yes, we want you to be aware that consistent with the legal opinion given to the board on February 22, 2010, regarding voting procedures, all Parcels that do not submit a ballot regarding this resolution will be casting a vote in support (Yes) for the resolution.
If you did not have the opportunity to attend our Annual Meeting in March or one of the five HOmeowners Meetings held between April 10th and June 8th then you can view the proposed documents at www.beckett-ridge.org.
Sincerely,
The Beckett Ridge Homeowners Board
Dennis Bender, Dave Burling, George Hulsizer, Debbie Olszowka, Sharon Palm. Terri McGill-Wong and Burt Young
So, whether you support this revision in the homeowners asssocation for Beckett Ridge or not, it is very important that you vote. Your ballot must be received by July 28th, 2010.
Many people believe FHA loans are available only to first-time home buyers, but this is not true. While it’s true many homebuyers are buying their first home using an FHA loan, but a large number of move up/repeat homebuyers are also utilizing the opportunity of the FHA loans as a home financing option.
2. FHA loans are not only for lower-income homebuyers.
FHA loans are available to everyone. There are many homebuyers in West Chester and Liberty Township Ohio using FHA financing. There are no income restrictions tied to FHA loans. Just as with conventional mortgage financing, homebuyers do need to quailify for a mortgage based on their income, monthly debt obligations and credit scores.
3. FHA loans are not just for small mortgages.
Currently in Butler County, Warren County and Hamilton County, Ohio the FHA loan limits are $337,500. Keep in mind that this is the loan limit. So, as an example, someone buying a home with a 3.5% downpayment could buy a home for as much as a $350,000 purchase price. Which leads to my last point on FHA mortgage lending.
4. FHA loans are often more affordable than conventional financing.FHA loans offer very competitive interest rates when compared to other loans. Homebuyers also benefit from a much lower down payment, as I mentioned above. The down payment required to buy a home can be as low as 3.50%. And also the mortgage insurance premium may be lower on the FHA financing when compared to the conventional mortgage insurance for loans with less that 20% down.
For more information on FHA financing or for a referral to a terrific mortgage loan consultant please call Eric Lowry at (513) 874-1830 or visit our website, LowryTeam.com.
It’s Tuesday, so this must be the Tuesday Open House.
What is Tuesday Open House?? Well, it’s clearly not an “open house”. Open Houses don’t sell homes… good internet marketing does… but it seemed like a good title for this weekly blog post.
It is my way of throwing the doors open on the RealEstate-Ink.com blog and offering up a few quick articles and facts on real estate for the West Chester, Liberty Township, Beckett Ridge, Mason and Fairfield Township, Ohio areas. It is not intended to be all about homes for sale, but it will be about that some of the time…
Beckett Ridge Homeowners Association: The Board for the Beckett Ridge Homeowners Association has presented to the homeowners of Beckett Ridge a revised set of Declarations and Code of Conduct for their approval. Each parcel in the Beckett Ridge Association will have one vote in this approval process. The interesting fact with this vote is that the board has decided based on their legal counsel’s opinion that if you do not submit a ballot, your ballot will be counted for the resolution. What this means is the resolution is almost guaranteed to pass as a huge majority of the homeowners will not vote. They never do. Your ballot must be received by July 28th, 2010 for it to count. You can find out more about this very important resolution and ballot here >>Beckett Ridge Homeowners Association
Buying a home: If you are currently in the process of buying a home and getting a mortgage don’t buy anything. According to the New York Times Fannie Mae has started requiring lenders to recheck a borrower’s finances shortly before closing the loan. If a broker or lender finds significant changes, the loan could be delayed, or in some cases, denied. For years now we have cautioned borrowers against charging up their credit cards or changing jobs before the closing date on a home loan, but now this advice seems especially prudent. You can read the entire article on homebuyer financing here>> Buyer Mortgage Financing
Searching for Homes For Sale: Searching for homes for sale in West Chester, Liberty Township, Beckett Ridge, Mason or Fairfield Township? Search for homes using our MLS search feature which gives you access to the entire Cincinnati MLS and allows you to save home searches, receive notifications of new listings and also be alerted to price changes on home listings that match your search criteria. You can search for homes for sale by clicking here to start your search now >>Search the MLS
Our facebook fan page of the week is: The Cincinnati Reds You can find information on the Reds, information on events and giveaways and great player information. As of this writing their page has 140,410 fans, so I ask that you check out their fan page, become a fan and invite your facebook friends to do the same.
Are you getting your home ready to list it for sale? Preparing to sell a home in West Chester, Liberty Township or Beckett Ridge can be an overwhelming task if you are not prepared. The process of getting your home ready can be simplified by breaking the areas of your home up into groups.
In my previous post, >>Preparing Your Home To Sell, we covered Curb Appeal, Front Entry / Porch & Landscaping. Today we will cover your first impression (interior, foyer). When selling your home in today’s real estate market it is critical that the first impression that homebuyers have of your home is a welcoming one. A welcoming space is one that invites the homebuyer in and lures them into the rest of the house.
Many times homeowners don’t even come and go through their front door and thus don’t place a great enough emphasis on this area of the home. This is the area of the home that starts off the showing for the homebuyer and this is where they begin to anticipate the rest of the house.
The homebuyer needs to be able to envision themselves in your home, so this is definitely an area of a home listed for sale that should have all personal effects, photos and clutter removed. Generally speaking, any furniture that is located in this area should be removed with the exception of a properly sized foyer table. Be sure that there are no pieces of furniture or babygates blocking the path or view from the foyer in the rest of your home.
Be sure to de-clutter your foyer closet. A full and cluttered foyer closet simply tells homebuyers that you are short on closet space. The foyer closet should not be more than half full. Store unused and seasonal coats in plastic tubs in a storage area away from the living spaces of your home.
All personal/family photos should be removed from the foyer area. If your foyer has a space that you feel needs decorating consider a mirror instead of photos.
The foyer paint color should be neutral and an earth tone. Under no circumstances should your foyer have wallpaper on the walls.
As buyers enter your home, the scent that they smell must be clean and very subtle. The use of candles or spray air freshener is not recommended. Many homebuyers can have adverse reactions to these strong smells and in some cases may actually wonder what it is you are trying to cover up.
We have now created a great first impression for homebuyers as you continue preparing your home for sale in today’s real estate market. In the next post in this series of articles we’ll cover Living Room, Dining Room, Family Room & Study.
It’s Tuesday, so this must be the Tuesday Open House.
What is Tuesday Open House?? Well, it’s clearly not an “open house”. Open Houses don’t sell homes… good internet marketing does… but it seemed like a good title for this weekly blog post.
It is my way of throwing the doors open on the RealEstate-Ink.com blog and offering up a few quick articles and facts on real estate for the West Chester, Liberty Township, Beckett Ridge, Mason and Fairfield Township, Ohio areas. It is not intended to be all about homes for sale, but it will be about that some of the time…
The Union Centre Bash: There have been a number of questions recently regarding the Union Centre Bash and when it was, etc. So after a little research I found that it is no longer called the Union Centre Bash, but is now known as the Union Centre Boulevard Blast. It is scheduled to be August 13 -15, 2010. According to an article in the Journal News that I found online the “Blast” will be more of a regional draw, employing some best practices from similar showcases across the country. The direction of The Blast will be directed at families, adults, teens and children with multiple activities happening at the same time, “sort of like what you’d see at a state fair. You can reach the entire article online here >>Union Centre Boulevard Blast
New Listing: 5466 Sugar Maple Run, Liberty Township, Ohio. Check out this new listing in Falling Water subdivision in Liberty Township, Ohio. This is a terrific two story home located on a private, wooded lot and features a finished, walkout lower level, island kitchen w/ adjoining morning room & hardwood floors and much, much more! >>See all of the details including interior photos, video tour on LowryTeam.com
Searching for foreclosures or short sales? Get a list of all of the foreclosed (bank owned) homes and short sale homes listed for sale in our area for free. Don’t pay for a list of foreclosures, short sales or distressed properties and don’t pay a subscription fee to any website for one either. These are homes that are listed for sale and you can have the information on these homes for sale, for free and without any obligation by just clicking here >>Request your list of foreclosures and short sale homes for sale here
Homes Sales Graph West Chester & Liberty Township
2010 Home Sales in West Chester & Liberty Township, Ohio: The tax credit is over and now is when we find out if the homebuyer tax credits for both the First Time HomeBuyer and the move up homebuyer have had an impact on home sales overall. The key thing to watch moving forward is the unit sales numbers each month for West Chester & Liberty Township compared to last year. As can be seen on the graph, the last couple of months have seen home sales above last years totals. The real indicator of the housing market’s recovery will be what happens moving forward with home sales. Clearly the homes sales in West Chester & Liberty Township Ohio picked up when the tax credits were in effect, but what remains to be seen is; Will the home sales in the next few coming months remain at or above last year’s numbers so that the total sales numbers for the year remain above last year? If the sales remain stable and we can stay at or above last years sales numbers, then we would have to judge the tax credits to be a success in stablizing the housing market. If the sales numbers in the few months are not able to be sustained and in fact fall to levels below last year, then all we will have accomplished will be to move sales up into the early months of the year from the later months (July, August, September) and we will not have really improved the West Chester & Liberty Township housing market in the long term. What you can see on the graph is a steady increase in the home sales from January through May of this year in a much more dramatic peak than in the last two years indicating that there clearly was an impact from the homebuyer tax credit incentives. We will continue to monitor the home sales numbers and we will see where we go from here. >>You can read my 2010 1st Quarter Real Estate Market Report here
Our facebook fan page of the week is: West Chester Farmer’s Market You can find information on the Farmers Market, the products that are available there through the summer and more. As of this writing their page has 129 fans, so I ask that you check out their fan page, become a fan and invite your facebook friends to do the same.
Foxborough subdivision in West Chester has been chosen to host the 2011 Homearama site.
The Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati said Monday it has picked Foxborough subdivision, in West Chester, for its 2011 Homearama show.
The home show is scheduled for June 11-26, 2011, in the Glenview Farm Estates section of Foxborough, which is being developed by the Drees Co. and Cobblestone Development, according to a news release.
Home prices will range from $525,000 to $850,000, compared to the $1 million-plus price tags on Homearama show homes during the height of the real estate boom.
According to various news reports today the luxury home show will be built in the Glenview Farms section of Foxborough which is located on the backside of Foxborough and is located just off of Hamilton Mason Road. It is the newest section of the subdivision.
The 2011 Homearama will mark the resumption of the luxury home show after being cancelled this year due to the difficult housing market and tight lending restrictions.
Looking for a new home is not like shopping for a new pair of shoes, it is one of the most important purchases that a person will make in his lifetime and should be approached with an examining eye. While it is true that it is easy to search homes for sale and fall in love with it on one’s own, the benefits of using an experienced top selling Realtor are many and can save a homebuyer a great deal of unwarranted pain and money in the long run. There are a few things to realize and remember as a both a first time home buyer and a veteran home buyer. A Realtor will not only help you negotiate a price for a home but will also help you along every step of the process which will include getting a whole house and termite inspection, radon testing, mortgage financing and the title process among other things.
While a buyer may have his heart set on a particular home for sale, a top selling Realtor will make sure that the buyer is taking all of the most important factors into account and knows exactly what they are buying so that there are no surprises come closing day and move in day.
Is a short sale or foreclosure the right deal for you?
With the first-time homebuyer tax credit deadline having come and gone, you may be asking yourself, “What now?” Fortunately, the door is now open to a new wave of savings: distressed properties.
For many buyers, the term foreclosure brings up images of run-down homes with no heat and rotting wood. While this is still the case for some homes, it’s no longer the standard. In fact, first time buyers are snatching up distressed deals in decent condition for great prices.
According to a November 2009 Keller Williams Research Buying Distressed Properties Survey, 40 percent of all buyers for bank-owned foreclosures (REOs) were first-time buyers in 2009. 50 percent of all short sale buyers were first-time buyers.
By definition, a distressed property is one that was purchased with a loan and the homeowner is no longer able to make their mortgage payment resulting in foreclosure – or if they’re lucky a short sale – meaning they owe more on the home than it’s currently worth. With a 20 percent increase in foreclosures from 2009, distressed properties still remain a large portion of home sales and are going to continue well into 2010 as homeowners continue to feel the effects of an economy on the mend.
If you’re in the market looking for a home in West Chester or Liberty Township, Ohio and are prepared for a unique transaction, a short sale or foreclosure property for sale can be a great option. Here’s why:
Prices are low – Buying a foreclosed (bank owned) property is an excellent way to get a home for less. Research shows you can save 10-40 percent over the price of similar properties in a traditional sale.
Mortgage costs are low – With rates hovering near historic lows, financing costs to are favorable. Keep in mind, rates are always changing. It’s important to begin the pre-approval process so that you know how much you can realistically afford.
You have options – The number of homes in some stage of the foreclosure process still remains high. RealtyTrac, a site dedicated to tracking foreclosures across the country, estimates that there are approximately 2.1 million homes in some stage of foreclosure in the United States.
Sellers and lenders are motivated – According to data from RealtyTrac, in April, one in every 387 households in the country has received a foreclosure filing. The bottom line is that many sellers are still feeling the pain of a down economy and are anxious to out get from under a home that is putting stress on their current financial frustrations. While it is still an emotional transaction, these sellers are willing to come down on price or even consider concessions such as helping out on closing costs. Banks holding on to large portfolios of Real Estate Owned (REO) properties want to unload quickly – and price these home to sell.
Your best ally when purchasing a short sale or foreclosure property is an expert. Always have a professional REALTOR® by your side to help you make informative decisions.
For more information about short sales and foreclosures in the West Chester, Liberty Township, Beckett Ridge and Mason Ohio areas call me or email me. We are happy to help!
It’s Tuesday, so this must be the Tuesday Open House.
What is Tuesday Open House?? Well, it’s clearly not an “open house”. Open Houses don’t sell homes… good internet marketing does… but it seemed like a good title for this weekly blog post.
It is my way of throwing the doors open on the RealEstate-Ink.com blog and offering up a few quick articles and facts on real estate for the West Chester, Liberty Township, Beckett Ridge, Mason and Fairfield Township, Ohio areas. It is not intended to be all about homes for sale, but it will be about that some of the time…
Keller Williams Red Day: Keller Williams Realty Red Day is this Thursday, May 13th. Our Keller Williams Realty Associate Partners office here in West Chester will b conducting a day long food and clothing drive to benefit Reach Out Lakota. You can get more information by visiting our facebook fan page at www.Facebook.com/LowryTeamRealEstate and find more information on Reach Out Lakota by visiting their website http://www.reachoutlakota.org
Interest Rate Update: Interest rates on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage continue to fluctuate a little day to day, but remain very low. The rate on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage today was 4.85% with no points according to Third Federal Savings. With rates continuing to be this low, the opportunities to move up to a new or larger home and not greatly increase your monthly payment are terrific. By the way, the selection of homes to pick from is very good right now. Thinking of buying a home in West Chester, Liberty Township, Beckett Ridge, Mason or Fairfield Township? You can search homes for sale on our website at anytime, including features like map searches, saved searchs, new listing notifications and more! Just visit www.LowryTeam.com.
Home and Property Values: This section of the Tuesday Open House seems a little like a comedy show. Just today I saw both of these headlines and reports:
Headline: “Zillow: Home prices still falling” - Housing values in Cincinnati and most U.S. metropolitan areas continued their decline into the first quarter, but a new report from researcher Zillow.com points to encouraging signs in some of the most battered markets, according to a report in Columbus Business First. Read more: Business Courier of Cincinnati: Zillow: Home prices still falling
Moral of the story?? If you really want to know the value of your home…Ask a local Realtor that is an expert in your local area / neighborhood. If you would like to monitor home and property values in your West Chester, Liberty Township, Beckett Ridge, Mason or Fairfield Township, Ohio neighborhood get your own Personal Market Update that shows both homes for sale in your neighborhood and recent sales. You can get your own Personal Market Update delivered right to your inbox with no cost or obligation by visiting www.HomeValuesInCincy.com
Our Facebook Fan Page of the week is:Reach Out Lakota.This community organization does a lot of good in our community. They need more than just for us to become fans of them on facebook, they need our support and donations! As of this writing their page has 90 fans, so I ask that you check out their fan page, become a fan and invite your facebook friends to do the same. More importantly though, consider donating nonperishable food items and clothing to Reach Out Lakota today. Check it out.
While you are on facebook checking out the Reach Out Lakota fan page, please visit and become a fan of our facebook page:
