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"As a first-time homebuyer, I was nervous about the entire process. Step by step, Joe made it easy and fun. His expertise in the Columbus real estate market is a tremendous asset. He is highly recommended!" - Nicolette Horan, March 08
"I wanted to say thank you again, so much, for all your hard work. I know that you really put a lot of time into this transaction and I really, really appreciate it. I'm so happy I got the house and it all worked out and I just wanted to say thanks again, you did a great job and i really appreciate it. I will put that on the survey when they send it to me.
If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to give me a call. I will refer every single person I know to you. I'm going to go get my dog and we're going to sit on the floor of our new house and have a glass of champaign. Thanks a lot Joe" -- Michael Mamp, Feb 08
The Bungalow
July 3rd, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
Not too dissimilar from yesterday’s Craftsman, 
These narrow, rectangular one and one-half story houses originated in California during the 1880s as a reaction to the elaborate decoration of Victorian homes. A Bungalow might be found in Clintonville, Worthington, Whitehall and South Eastmoor.
The style then moved eastward to the Midwest in the early 20th century, where it remained popular until the Great Depression. Bungalows have low-pitched gabled or hipped roofs and small covered porches at the entry. The style became so popular that you could order a bungalow kit from Sears and Roebuck catalog. The name “bungalow” had its origins in India, where it indicated a small, thatched home.
Credit: Information for this post was derived from REALTOR® Magazine Online’s Architecture Guide.
Authored by Joe | Discussion: No Comments »
The Craftsman
July 2nd, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
Popularized at the turn of the 20th century by architect and furniture designer Gustav Stickley in his magazine, The Craftsman, the Craftsman-style bungalow reflected, said Stickley, “a house reduced to it’s simplest form… its low, broad proportions and absolute lack of ornamentation gives it a character so natural and unaffected that it seems to… blend with any landscape.”
Clintonville is a great place to look for craftsman style homes. The style, which was also widely billed as the “California bungalow” by architects such as Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, featured overhanging eaves, a low-slung gabled roof, and wide front porches framed by pedestal-like tapered columns. Material often included stone, rough-hewn wood, and stucco. Many homes have wide front porches across part of the front, supported by columns.
Information for this post was derived from REALTOR® Magazine Online’s Architecture Guide.
Authored by Joe | Discussion: 1 Comment »
What Style of Homes can you Find for Sale in Columbus?
July 1st, 2008 categories: About Me?, Bexley, Clintonville, German Village, Grandview, Real Estate News, Short North
As fascinated as I am in home styles, I’m no architect. When I describe the architecture of my listings or homes I am showing, I find it helps buyers appreciate their value. While they both have “old brick homes,” Victorian Village and German Village have very different housing stock. Although I can tell a cupola from a parapet, or an eyebrow window from a palladian, I’m sometimes stumped or unsure and don’t like to throw something out there for the sake of looking like I know what I’m talking about.
July is home styles month here on Columbus Homes Blog and I’ll be reviewing different styles with intermittent posts over the coming weeks. Every house, no matter how plain, has a style. Style comes in part from ornamental details like columns and moldings and in part from structural features, such as the placement of the windows and the pitch of the roof. Yet, identifying that style can be a baffling process. Is it Spanish Colonial or Mediterranean? Italianate or Federal? And, what about the newly constructed home that seems to break all the “rules”?
Most houses do not fit precisely into any one category. Older homes may have gone through many renovations, taking on the features of several different architectural trends. Newer homes often combine ideas from a variety of styles and historic periods. Details help to give homes style, character and romance. In Columbus, you can find many different styles in many different neighborhoods and while there may be more to choose from in Clintonville than Hilliard, even a newer community has homes with character.
More often than not, I find other Realtors, especially suburban Realtors, have no idea what style a home is. Painting a broad stroke here, to tell the style of a home begin by closely observing a few key characteristics. This simple checklist below identifies some main features to look for. Although there are no pat answers, each of these features suggests styles to consider.
1. What shape is the house, overall?
- Rectangular and symmetrical: National, Colonial, Neoclassical, Greek Revival, Italianate
- Square and box-like: American Foursquare
- L-shaped: Folk and National styles
- Complicated and asymmetrical: Queen Anne and other Victorian styles, Chateauesque
- Rounded corners: Pueblo, Art Moderne
- Single story or 1½ story: Cape Cod, Ranch, Craftsman, Cottage styles
2. Does the roof have any of these features?
- Unusually steep pitch: Gothic Revival and other Victorian styles, Tudor
- Unusually low pitch: Craftsman, Prairie, Ranch, Monterey, and Spanish styles
- Flat: Italianate, Beaux Arts, Pueblo, Mediterranean, and Modernistic
- Gambrel: Dutch Colonial
- Mansard: Second Empire and other French-inspired styles
- Hipped: American Foursquare, Colonial styles, Victorian styles
- Salt box: Colonial
- Flared eaves: French styles, Craftsman, Prairie
- Round towers: Queen Anne, Romanesque, Chateauesque, French styles
- Cupolas: Italianate, Greek Revival, Second Empire
- Rounded parapets: Mission
3. Is the house sided with any of these materials?
- Adobe: Pueblo, Monterey, Spanish Colonial Revival
- Stucco: Mission, Tudor, Spanish styles
- Rough stone: Romanesque
- Patterned wood shingles: Victorian styles
- Half-timbering: Tudor, Stick, Queen Anne
- Cedar shingles: Victorian Shingle, Craftsman, Tudor
4. Does the house have any of these window types?
- Multi-paned: Adam, Georgian, Neoclassical
- Diamond-paned: Tudor, Prairie
- Palladian: Adam, Colonial Revival, Neoclassical
- Round or elliptical: Adam, Neoclassical
- Oriel: Tudor, Gothic Revival, Chateauesque
- Casement: Tudor, Craftsman, Dutch Colonial, Spanish styles, modern styles
- Pointed: Gothic Revival
- Rounded with “eyebrow” hoods: Italianate
- Fanlights: Adam, Neoclassical, Colonial Revival
5. Do you notice any of these details?
- Dentil moldings: Georgian, Adam, Colonial styles
- Garlands or floral ornaments: Federal, Adam, Beaux Arts
- Turned spindles: Queen Anne, Carpenter Gothic, Folk Victorian
- Zigzags or chevrons: Art Deco
- Shutters: Cape Cod and other Colonial styles
- Round, fluted columns: Greek Revival, Adam, Neoclassical, Beaux Arts
- Square or trapezoid porch supports: Craftsman, Prairie, Mission, American Foursquare
- Little or no ornamentation: National and Folk styles, Cape Cod, Ranch, Modern styles
*This post has beenn Adapted from an article by BY JACKIE CRAVEN that appears on realtor.org from a post circa January 1, 2004.
Authored by Joe | Discussion: No Comments »
The (almost) Columbus Tornado & do Tornados ever hit Urban Areas?
June 26th, 2008 categories: Columbus News
Last night we peeled our kids out of their beds to the accompaniment of tornado sirens going off around 11:30. Living as close to downtown Columbus as we do, I really don’t ever worry about tornados. It just seems like they’d never hit in such an urban environment.
Of course then I remembered the roof getting peeled off the Georgia Dome during the NCAA tournament this year in Downtown Atlanta and that about a year ago a tornado was reported to have touched down around Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington. It turns out, More than 100 tornadoes have struck downtown areas of large cities in recorded history. Many cities have been struck twice or more, and a few, including London, have been struck by violent tornadoes (F4 or stronger).
When I heard the sirens I checked the TV and sure enough, a funnel cloud was spotted just on the other side of town and was heading our way along with an unusual amount of lightening and rain. It was the real deal so we headed down to the basement and told the kids not to worry, that our house had been there 120 years and no lousy tornado was going to hurt it.
The tornado never materialized but I felt good we did the right thing and I felt good about the solid construction and structural integrity of my big brick home.
Authored by Joe | Discussion: 1 Comment »
Have you been to the Hartman Lofts project lately? July Incentives….
June 25th, 2008 categories: Condos & Lofts, Downtown
The Hartman Lofts Phase II is still ready for sales and move ins. Phase One sold out pretty easily. I’ve always liked this project, much like Buggyworks, for the authenticity of the building, the exposed brick, huge windows, exposed beams and the value for the location.
Some would-be buyers don’t like the location of Hartman Lofts-at the corner of 4th and Main-but think how walkable it is if you work downtown or in the Brewery District, Courthouse, Grant Hospital, etc.
This month Hartman Lofts will cover:
- Principal & Interest (up to 3 months)
- Condo Fees (up to 3 months)
- Closing Costs (up to $1,500)
- Moving Expenses (up to $1,000)
of interest: Just in time for City Hop - April and May ‘08 Downtown Columbus Condo Sales
Authored by Joe | Discussion: No Comments »
Is it OK to use someone else’s bathroom during a showing?
June 20th, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
Only if you buy the home. Kidding! Sometimes I am out with buyers for hours and hours. Especially if they’re moving to Columbus from out of town.
In the morning you’re all juiced up on caffeine and then, three hours and 8 eight potential homes later, you gotta go. It’s OK to go. Just treat that bathroom like you would one at your friends home.
Now you can relax and focus on the business at hand – finding your next home. Of course it’s usually more comfortable to use a bathroom in a vacant home but if you do, make sure the water is on first.
Please Do try not to go # 2 though, it’s just bad form.
Authored by Joe | Discussion: 1 Comment »
The Bexley Real Estate Market - Like a Pizza Delivery Bag
June 16th, 2008 categories: Bexley
Hot and Insulated.
It seems to matter very little what else is going on in the surrounding Columbus Real estate markets, Bexley has it’s own vibe and popularity. German Village young professionals will always have babies and move to Bexley and folks moving to Columbus will always fall in love with the housing stock, schools and proximity to downtown.
Bexley saw 39 home sales in April and May. They averaged $142.10/sf, 2128 sf and 133 days on the market. 28 Bexley homes are currently in contract – 2 of them with home sale contingencies. Those in contract also averaged about four months on the market.
Active Homes for Sale in Bexley above $580,000 have been on the market 115 days, 5000 sf and $243/sf.
Active homes for sale in Bexley between $350,000 and $480,000 (23 listings) average about 157 days on market, 2700 sf and $184/sf.
Active Bexley Homes for Sale under $350,000 (a whopping 73 homes) average 77 days on market with a median days on market of only 42. They average around $132/sf, and 1600 sf.
If you’re looking for at least a 4 bedroom, 2 full bath home in Central Bexley, expect to see around 20 listings averaging 3,000 sf and $163/sf.
That awesome Bexley Pool is open for it’s second year. Dive in. Bexley is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Have you picked up your Bexley Bracelet?
Authored by Joe | Discussion: No Comments »
Just in time for City Hop - April and May ‘08 Downtown Columbus Condo Sales
June 13th, 2008 categories: Downtown, For Home Buyers, For Home Sellers, Market Updates, Short North
I did a bit of a hop myself this morning, seeing condos from the Renaissance, to Rich Street Walk, to Lofts at 106 to a Dakota top floor unit, to a Buggyworks phase one resale to (finally I got to see) 8 on the Square. This picture is from an 8 on the Square 11th floor guest bed balcony looking North Down High St toward the Short North.
This unit has 2 full beds, great updates and 2.5 baths and, at 2503 sf, takes up the entire 11th floor. Great views from two balconies at the corner of Broad and High looking West down Broad, South down High and over the Ohio Statehouse and North toward Nationwide and the Short North.
Anyway, they all had something going for them and it was fun getting into all of them this morning. Not too much going on downtown though, it’s been pretty quiet lately. Only 9 units have sold in the last two months, 7 of them last month, including 3 Miranova-s and a smattering of City View, Ohio Lofts, Hartman Lofts, Connextions, Waterford and one of my favorite values downtown so far this year, an 1870 sf 2 bed, 2.5 bath & 2 car garage Washington Avenue condo for $179,000.
Not everyone reports sales though, I hear North Bank is just over 40% sold, and Phase 2 at Buggyworks, Firestone lofts, is also doing very well.
Many folks say they want to move downtown and not wait for another year before their space is ready but haven’t been happy with what was available. If you haven’t looked in a year for a move-in ready space, consider looking again. Look at Neighborhood Launch or Ibiza if you aren’t in a hurry and you’re considering moving to the short North or downtown to a condo.
There are 12 units in contract including 2 Terraces, 2 340s S. High Streets and that unbelievable 115 West Vine St — essentially an 8700 sf warehouse home with 4 car garage, indoor pool, 4 beds and 7.5 baths and an elevator that is zoned commercial that is currently at $2,199,000.
This afternoon there are 169 units on the market downtown in the Columbus MLS. They range from a $127,000 14th floor 1 bedroom at Waterford Tower to the $1,035,323 8 on the square unit I saw today to four units at Miranova ranging from $1,075,000 to $1,400,000.
Get your City-Hop Tickets by 5:00 today to get the discount.
Authored by Joe | Discussion: 2 Comments »