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In the end, it’s up to the Buyers but the idea leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Posted via email from Sights and Sounds of Columbus, Ohio Real Estate

Olde Towne East and the King Lincoln District will be eventual winners

If you’re considering a purchase on the Near East side of Columbus or in the German Village, Schumacher place communities, you should know that the Ohio Department of Transportation is going to tear up the highways on the East and South sides of downtown, where Interstates 70 and 71 meet and are the same road for a stretch.

Right now it’s a mess and the most congested, accident prone stretch of highway in the state.  Two generations ago, the highways tore apart neighborhoods and severed the Columbus Community while razing gorgeous and important residential and commercial buildings. Early ODOT renderings showed caps re-connecting downtown Columbus to its neighborhoods similar to the cap over I-670 that connects the Short North to downtown.

Now that construction is inching ever closer, it appears that only one of the bridges will be capped with enough real estate on top of it to actually build something – at Long Street over I-71, a big win for the King Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood.  In the beginning though, there will only be a grassy field on the cap until a developer with some money decides to build there.

Most of the rest of the bridges be will built with the ability and strength to support a cap with buildings on it but that’d be an entirely new construction project or projects. Many Olde Towne East residents are upset that the project will wipe out a couple historic buildings on Parsons Avenue, including Carabar and ET Paul Tires–the Country’s  first gas station (I know, the irony).

I love the idea of a functional Broad Street bridge over I-71 that is pedestrian friendly with no on or off ramps coming onto Broad. Throw in that treed, park like median we’ve all been hearing about for years, extend it to Franklin Park and we’ll be in business.

It’s going to be a pain for residents of KLD and OTE for the next 4-6 years and there will be inconveniences. I don’t think property values will be adversely affected in the short term. I do think that, in the end, with a solution in place that looks better, feels better and will be more connected than what is currently there, property values and interest in these areas will increase–with an obvious bump up for OTE and KLD which have so much more pricing room than German Village.

Here is the latest from THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Coveted highway caps still in Downtown plan
But budget will limit final number
Monday, July 19, 2010 02:51 AM
By Robert Vitale
Bridges over a rebuilt I-70/71 will be better than the standard concrete and chain-link of today.

But only one of the six spans to be replaced during the project’s first half will include a Short North-style cap that near-Downtown neighborhoods have coveted throughout the planning process.

Ohio Department of Transportation officials say earlier drawings and descriptions were conceptual and now are outdated, even though they’re still posted on the agency’s website. The “visioning exercises” included cost estimates but weren’t subjected to the budget realities applied as the state moves toward a 2011 construction kickoff.

“We’re down to the nuts-and-bolts decisions now,”  more here

Posted via email from Sights and Sounds of Columbus, Ohio Real Estate

On Sunday I held an open house at my listing on 1224 Fair Avenue in Olde Towne East. It was the first open house we have had and it generated somewhere between 150-200 visitors.  Of course, it helped that the Olde Towne East tour of historic homes was happening around it on that day and that the garden next door was on the tour.

Even before I closed up the Open House -which was dated to sometime between 1900-1910, I had this email from one of the day’s visitors…

“I went through your open house today on Fair Avenue.  I got home and poked around in some online sources and thought you might like to know  for your marketing purposes that the house WAS around as early as 1900 (Thomas M. Lilley – the original owner is listed as living there in the 1900 Census).  He and his wife Ida lived there with her two parents and a servant.   Sometime between 1910 and 1920, they moved to Los Angeles, but must have maintained the residence here in Columbus.   They had two sons, but neither made it past a year old.  The entire family is buried at Greenlawn.   Thomas is listed as a bookbinder, the superintendent of the State Book Bindery, and as an insurance salesman in California.   No clue if that’s of any interest to you, but I always like to know who built the houses!  Good luck with your sale!”

I was amazed that he was able to go into so much detail in so little time — Thanks Hal!  Currently the best place to research your home is the 3rd floor of the Columbus Library (which, by the way, was built by the same person who built and lived in my house!). Maybe some day soon I will do a post about researching your Columbus home’s history.

Seriously, get your tickets because there are some great stops on this tour. You’re going to love it.  I’m somewhat bothered by the home on the poster not actually being on the tour, that doesn’t seem right.  This is the first time there has been a Summer tour, it replaces the Spring tour which was always rainy. I was going to write it up myself but then I saw the press release, so…..

Find More here: http://oldetowneeast.org/2010/summer-tour-of-historic-homes-2010/06/

Press Release:
Two Local Neighborhoods Partner for the First Time Ever to Present 2010 “Summer Tour of Historic Homes”

The Olde Towne East Neighborhood Association (OTENA) and the Franklin Park Neighborhood Association have partnered for the first time ever to present the 2010 “Summer Tour of Historic Homes.” Slated for July 11, 2010 from 1pm-7pm, this year’s tour will feature 13 residences throughout the Olde Town East and Franklin Park communities, the majority of which have never been featured on a tour before.

The homes on the tour will showcase historically significant renovations or preservation, and will include both interior and exterior spaces. The tour will begin at Tifereth Israel, 1354 E. Broad St. Attendees can walk or drive the tour route.

The homes on the tour are:

Royal York Penthouse,1445 E Broad St
1450 E. Broad St.
39 Auburn Ave.
74 Auburn Ave.
1205 Madison
70 Wilson Ave.
15 Wilson Ave.
1240 Fair Ave. Garden
73 Sherman Ave.
1220 Fair Ave. Garden
1212 Fair Ave.
57 Champion Ave.

Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 day of the event. Advance tickets may be purchased online at www.oldetowneeast.org or at any of the following business locations:

Black Creek Bistro, 57 Parsons Ave.
Cafe Brioso, 14 East Gay St.
Columbus Metropolitan Library Store, 96 Grant Ave,
Dog Works/Cats 2, 195 Thuman Ave.
Piece of Cake, 772 North High St.

This would be a good weekend for you to be in town. After relocating to Columbus, you’ll want to sit down with a local wine and take it easy. Though most of Ohio’s wineries are located outside of Central Ohio, it’s not all cornfields out there.

For the ninth year, one of Columbus’ culinary treasures, the North Market, has gathered eighteen of Ohio’s finest wineries to celebrate fine local cuisine and vino at the North Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival Presented by PNC. The festival will take place this weekend.

The following wineries from around Ohio will offer select wines by the 2 oz. taste ($1.00 cents to $4.00 each), glass, bottle and case: Chalet Debonne Vineyard, Madison; Ferrante Winery, Geneva; Firelands Winery, Sandusky; Henke Winery, Cincinnati; Laurello Vineyards, Geneva; Maize Valley Winery, Hartville; Markko Vineyard, Conneaut;Meranda-Nixon Winery, Ripley; Mon Ami Winery, Port Clinton; Raven’s Glenn Winery, West Lafayette; Soine Vineyards, Powell; St. Joseph Vineyards, Thompson; Stoney Ridge Winery, Bryan; Troutman Vineyards, Wooster; The Winery at Wolf Creek, Norton; Valley Vineyards, Morrow; Viking Vineyard, Kent and Wyandotte Winery, Columbus.

Find more information and a full schedule of events here>

Posted via email from Sights and Sounds of Columbus, Ohio Real Estate

Spring, Summer and Fall -- Trees add Value to your Columbus Home

It’s 90 degrees+ all week here in Columbus, Ohio. This week, more than ever, Buyers of Homes for sale in Columbus may be looking for shade.  Often the only time home owners seem to consider their trees are when they are overgrown and a menace to the home–often this begins at the first visit with a worried look from me when a 100 year-old oak tree is looming large over the new third floor master.

I often highlight nice trees while selling homes and even had a buyer tell me once that one of the  main reasons they bought the house I was selling was because they liked the tree in the front yard so much.  While most of the Columbus neighborhoods I work in sport yards that are generally under .25 acres, there’s always room for one more tree.

Here is a helpful article from NAR with some good resources. I’ll add one more–because I’ve always wanted to be one of those guys who could look at a tree and tell you exactly what make and model it is but have never achieved that level of knowledge, I downloaded a TreeID ap here.

Plant Trees to Save Energy and Grow Value

By: Brad Broberg

Trees don’t ask for much—dirt, water, sunlight. Yet they provide a wealth of benefits: They improve the air you breathe, cut your energy bills with their shade, provide a home to wildlife, and add beauty and value to your home.

But every year, 3.2 million acres of forest are cut down, according to the Nature Conservancy. Several million more acres are lost to fire, storm, and disease. That’s why planting new trees and protecting the ones we have is so important. You can do your part by

• Caring for the trees in your yard

• Supporting tree-planting activities in your community

• Donating to organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy, which works to preserve the world’s trees and forests, and American Forests, which offers a unique way to take action. First, use its online Climate Change Calculator to determine your carbon footprint. Then, make up for your emissions by donating to a forest restoration project.

Why should you care about trees? Bankable benefits

The most tangible bang from your bark comes from energy savings. Three properly placed trees could save you between $100 and $250 a year in energy costs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Trees save energy two main ways. Their shade cuts cooling costs in the summer. In winter, they serve as windbreak and help hold down heating costs.

The National Tree Calculator estimates that a 12-inch elm in an Omaha yard can save $32.43 a year on your energy bills; the same tree in Atlanta would save you $11.89 annually. The calculator also breaks down other dollars and cents benefits of your tree, like decreasing storm water runoff, removing carbon dioxide from the air, and increasing property values.

In our elm example, the 12-inch tree adds $40.23 to the Omaha home’s value and a $57.33 to the one in Atlanta. And as trees grow larger, they can add even more value.

A 2002 study by the USDA Forest Service pegs the value a single tree adds to a property of about $630. Of course, tree value depends on size, species, location, and condition.

Adds Frank Lucco, a real estate appraiser with IRR-Residential in Houston, “On a $100,000 home [in my market], as much as $10,000 of its value could be associated with mature trees.”

That’s peanuts compared with the role trees play as the lungs of the planet. A report by the Trust for Public Land estimated that one mature tree takes 48 pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere each year and returns enough oxygen for two human beings.

Plant your tree in the right spot

To get the full benefits from your trees, choose the right one and put it in the right location. Planting a deciduous tree on the west side of a house provides cooling shade in the summer. In winter, after it loses its leaves, the same tree lets in sunlight that cuts heating and lighting bills. On the other hand, an evergreen on the west side blocks sun all year long, making a home colder and darker in winter. Rather plant evergreens, a great choice for blocking icy winter winds, on the north side of your home.

If you’re planting a new tree, think about its fully grown size and shape before you dig. Branches from a tree located below power lines can cause outages as it grows. Roots from a tree located too close to a home can damage the foundation or block sewer lines. The wrong tree in the wrong place could actually lower your home’s appraised value if it’s deemed hazardous, says Frank Lucco, a real estate appraiser with IRR-Residential in Houston.

Tree costs

Expect to pay $50 to $100 for a 6- to 7-foot deciduous tree, such as a katsura or evergreen. The same tree at 15 feet will cost $100 to $200, according to Brad Swank of Molbak’s Nursery in Woodinville, Wash. The Arbor Day Foundation sells saplings for as little as $8-$15, or less if you’re a member.

Since trees cost money, be cautious about any home construction work. “Tree failure can happen seven to 10 years after construction, primarily because the root system fails when the soil is compacted,” says Thomas Hanson, a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists from Kirkland, Wash. Also watch for diseases or pests that can threaten trees in your yard and community.

Become a tree advocate

Ensuring that your community has lots of healthy trees doesn’t have to be more complicated than a trip to the nursery and a hole in your backyard. Dig it twice as wide as deep. Let kids push in the dirt and help water weekly until the tree is two years old. The Arbor Day Foundation will tell you how to select the right tree for your needs and climate, where to plant it, and how to maintain it.

The foundation also is a great place to look for community and educational programs.

• Its Tree City USA initiative provides expert advice and national recognition to cities and towns that want to establish tree-management plans.

• Its Arbor Day Poster Contest for fifth-graders gives teachers a fun way to help students learn the importance of trees.

• Its nationwide list of volunteer organizations lets you search for tree care opportunities in your state.

Considering everything trees do for you, it’s the least you can do for them

via housingstorm.com

From last week when we equaled an all time low. Even today I saw 4.0% on a 15 year mortgage.

Posted via email from Sights and Sounds of Columbus, Ohio Real Estate

Posted via email from Sights and Sounds of Columbus, Ohio Real Estate