What is Tuesday Open House??  Well, it’s clearly not an “open house”.  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…

For all of you fine dining fans out there, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the former Mesh restaurant located in West Chester, Ohio at Union Centre which closed Feb. 13, will be transformed into an “elegant, casual” Stone Creek Dining Company restaurant in the next couple of months.  You can get the full story on this West Chester Ohio restaurant here.

From my March Real Estate Newsletter:

HomeBuyers: Why Green Is Worth It.  For new and existing home buyers alike, the options to “green up” homes abound.  Green upgrades on homes offer two-fold benefits. They contribute to a healthier environment, both now and in the future, and they can save homeowners big when it comes to energy costs.

How much impact does a green home have on the environment, you ask? The government reports that Energy Star qualified homes built in 2009 are the equivalent of… You can read the entire article on green homes and other real estate market info in this months newsletter here.

Realtor.com update:  The Lowry Team’s homes listed for sale are now upgraded and enhanced with more photos and text than ever before.  Check out these West Chester, Liberty Township, Beckett Ridge, Mason and Fairfield Township, Ohio homes for sale here.

Thinking of buying a home in West Chester, Beckett Ridge or Liberty Township, Fairfield Township, Monroe or Mason Ohio?

Visit My YouTube channel at:  www.youtube.com/LowryTeam

 Check Out My Feature Homes For Sale In West Chester, Fairfield and Liberty Township, Ohio

The Olde West Chester Christmas Walk is this weekend.  Events and activities are held on both Friday, November 13th and Saturday, November 14th.  The Christmas Tree lighting is on Friday at 7:00pm at the West Chester Township office and the annual parade is on Saturday evening beginning at 7:00pm

You can get more details at: http://www.oldewestchester.com/

Search the entire MLS here!

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Going Green May Help Sell Your Home

It’s becoming the buzz word in housing — “green” homes are what many buyers are interested in these days. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), as much as 90 percent of home buyers think that energy efficiency is a very important factor when shopping for a home. These same buyers are also very interested in environment-friendly features including having housing close to parks, public transportation, and well-designed neighborhoods with sidewalks.

The National Association of Home Builders Remodelers (NAHBR) — a council of NAHB — says that most homeowners choose green remodeling projects to help conserve energy. NAHBR recommends the following top ways to increase energy efficiency.

Read the entire article by clicking here!

Wondering about the value of your home in today’s market?  Request a Free Market Analysis.

You can subscribe to my blog via RSS.  Click here to subscribe via a feed or receive a subscription via e-mail!  Either way click the orange RSS options at the top of the page.  Of course, I never rent or sell your e-mail address… I don’t even know what it is, I never see it.

Check Out My Feature Homes For Sale In West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio

Real Estate Outlook: What’s in Store for 2009?

What will the new year bring for housing and real estate? It’s easy to look at all the negative economic news in the headlines and say – there’s no sign that 2009 is going to be any better than 2008.

But here’s a different perspective to consider from one of the country’s veteran financial analysts — Richard Bove of Ladenburg Thalmann, an investment banking company.

In a research report issued late in December, Bove said he sees a positive dynamic taking shape in the current cycle. The government has intervened aggressively in the markets to push interest rates down — most notably in the home mortgage sector.

Though it takes awhile for low-cost money to begin having its effect, Bove said he expects “housing prices to stabilize and/or rise (in 2009) after a likely boom in mortgage refinancings as rates fall and loan applications increase.”

Add in the expected massive economic stimulus package being put together on Capitol Hill with the incoming Obama administration — and there’s a good chance we’re going to see a gradual transformation of the downward cycle into a slow rebound over the coming several quarters.

Already there are positive signs of the turnaround Bove predicts…

Read the entire article in my monthly real estate newsletter for residents of West Chester, Liberty Township and Beckett Ridge.

Wondering about the value of your home in today’s market?  Request a Free Market Analysis.

If you think now is the time to begin your search for a new home, start by checking out my Feature homes for sale and then search the MLS, all on my website:  www.LowryTeam.com

Check Out My Feature Homes For Sale In West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio

An eye catching headline to be sure, but also very much the truth.

Interest rates for home mortgages are at historic levels right now which is providing a terrific home buying opportunity!  How about this: In 1981 you would have paid 16.90% for a 30 year fixed rate loan.  Today, it’s 5.15%, now that is a sale!

Check out the graph below depicting mortgage rates since 1981:

Historic Mortgage Rates

 To give this a little meaning, let’s look at a $200,000 mortgage loan:

In 1981, at 16.90% the principle and and interest payment would have been $2835.12.  (Wow)

In 2009, at 5.10% the principle and interest payment would be $1085.90 (Now that is a sale)

So you say, “Well that’s great, but that was 1981″.  So let’s compare to just 6 months ago then:

August 2008 rates were 6.49% which is a principle and interest payment of $1262.82.

That is a savings of $176.92 per month or $2123.04 annual savings with today’s low rates.

It really is a great time to buy when you consider the low rates and the great inventory of homes.

Check Out My Feature Homes For Sale In West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio

♦Everyone it seems is interested in foreclosure and short sale properties.  Well how about this deal:

Bridgewater Falls sheriff sale planned

The sale is planned for March 5th according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.  It should be noted that the shopping complex is continuing to operate business as usual.

♦Homearama 2009 has been delayed until September this year.  The show featuring the finest luxury homes in the area has normally been held in June each year.  Several weeks ago the Cincinnati Home Builders Association annouced that the show had been delayed by the economy.  Read the full story regarding the Homearama 2009 here.

The price point of the homes built will be between $550,000 and $950,000.  Homebuilders that have committed to the show so far are: The Drees Company, Fischer Homes, John Henry Homes, Pendragon Homes and Summit Custom Homes.  More details on the luxury home show can be found in this article.

Moving to West Chester or Liberty Township, Ohio?  Request our Relocation Packet  It’s full of information about our area.

You can subscribe to my blog via RSS.  Click here to subscribe via a feed or receive a subscription via e-mail!  Either way click the orange RSS options at the top of the page.  Of course, I never rent or sell your e-mail address… I don’t even know what it is, I never see it.

Check Out My Feature Homes For Sale In West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio

As I mentioned in my previous post on the West Chester real estate market, the last three months have been very turbulent.  There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding the availability of mortgages for buyers and in the financial markets in general.  I can say with absolute certainty however,  that if you are thinking about buying a home, whether it is new construction or an existing home, the opportunities are terrific with regard to the home prices and there is no question about the ability to get a mortgage, the money is out there!

Today we will take a look at how the Liberty Township, Oh real estate market fared in the last three months of 2008.  The West Chester and Liberty Township markets are very connected and to many folks would be considered one and the same.  They share the same school district (Lakota Schools) and are geographically adjacent.   However breaking them down a little gives us better detail of just what has been going on.

The Olde West Chester Christmas Walk returns this year after a two year absence.  The event begins at 1:00pm on Saturday, November 15th and concludes with a parade starting at 7:00pm at the Union Elementary School lite up by 1500 luminaria and ends with the lighting of the community Christmas tree at the township hall.  The businesses along Cincinnati-Dayton Road will be hosting open houses.  There will be live entertainment, food, children’s activities and yes, Sant Claus.  For more information visit the West Chester Township website

Also this weekend the new Miami University learning center is hosting an open house.  This is their new facility at the Voice Of America Center on Cox Road here in West Chester.  Guests will be able to tour the 23,000 square foot facility, learn more about Miami courses and programs offered at the VOALC, and learn more about the area surrounding the Center including the former VOA Bethany Relay Station.
More information is available here.

Your comments are always welcome!

There are so many new businesses and developments happening in our area at any one time that it is difficult to keep track of all of them. 

Here are links to a couple of them that caught my eye as being interesting and/or good additions to our area.  (It should be noted that there are many more than the couple noted here).

The first is a very interesting article in the Sunday Cincinnati Enquirer on the development of the Union Centre Blvd area.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080309/BIZ01/803090329

Of course the article is very timely due to the opening of the Ikea store this week.

Also opening a new store this week in Liberty Township, Ohio is Play It Again Sports, again in the Enquirer:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080309/BIZ01/803090335/1076/BIZ

Your comments and questions are always welcome!