"Wicked" Playing in Columbus-Don’t Miss Out!

June is an exciting month in Columbus. With the weather finally turning nicer, residents can enjoy a variety of both indoor and outdoor activities. The Columbus Zoo is always a great place to spend an afternoon. Plus, the waterpark Zoombezi Bay is right next door! While these two destinations will be open to the public all summer, the Broadway play Wicked is playing in Columbus this month only. Don’t miss the opportunity to see it—it’s a very entertaining show!

Synopsis: Wicked tells the untold past of  the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) and Glinda the Good. Glinda and Elphaba both attend Chiz University in the land of Oz, where they initially loathe each other. Despite their rough start, the girls develop a powerful friendship that defies all odds and blurs the lines between good and evil. Wicked features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and is based on Gregory Maguire's books.

Showing Information: Wicked is playing now until June 23^rd at the Ohio Theater. Show times are as follows:

Mondays:        no performance

Tuesdays:       8pm

Wednesdays:  8pm

Thursdays:      8pm

Fridays:           8pm

Saturdays:       2:00 and 8:00

Sundays:         1:00 and 6:30

Ticket Information: Ticket prices range from $55 to $190, based on when you see the show and where you sit. An interactive seat map allows you to select your own seat at the time you purchase your tickets. 

Staging Your Home to Sell

According to a 2011 study, staged homes sold in 42 days, on average, while their non-staged counterparts remained on the market after 156 days (The SRES Professional). That's greater than three times as long. Cleary, staging is important to selling your home. Follow some basic tips, and sellers can improve their competitiveness in no time.

The simplest way to stage your home is to declutter. This is best done before you begin cleaning. Throw away what you don’t need, and store the rest so the buyer doesn’t see all of your belongings upon entering your home. This will optimize your space and make the home appear larger. Try to get your home to resemble a hotel room: spacious, clean, and welcoming. A crowded house may inhibit the buyer from picturing the house as his/her own. For similar reasons, minimize the amount of personal mementos (to one per room, if any). Make counter, bathroom, and dresser surfaces as clear and pristine as possible. Put away appliances and distracting decorations (such as toasters, knife sets, hair dryers, and refrigerator magnets). Like countertops, the floors should be spotless. A buyer should not be able to deduce that a pet lived in your home. Finally, make sure each room has a designated purpose (a study, reading room, etc.). In bedrooms, beds should be neatly made. Following these tips will help your home sell more quickly and thus avoid the stigma of an expired listing. The YouTube tutorial (below) illustrates how one couple's home was successfully staged. 

As a Realtor, I help my clients stage their homes before showings. If you'd like to know more, please feel free to contact me.  

6 Quick Tips to Reduce Debt

Why make reducing debt more complicated than need be? Follow REALTOR magazine’s strategic tips to ensure you are on the right path to a financially healthy life.

Step 1: Assess your debt. Separate good debt (debt that will produce a return in the future or at least is deductible) from bad debt, such as credit card debt. Pay bad debt off first.

Step 2: Set a monthly financial goal. Grab a calculator and find out how much money you need each month to return to stable financial ground. Be aware that this may require cutting expenses or obtaining an additional source of revenue. Don’t damage personal relations by relying on friends and family for credit, and don’t draw money from your retirement savings or stop funding your retirement.

Step 3: Identify smart savings. Analyze which cuts you can make that will not damage your household or business. Canceling cable might be okay, but falling behind on a car lease could very well make your situation worse. As you minimize, slowly increase the amount of money put towards savings and paying off debt.

Step 4: Plan ahead. Maintain social and professional networks so that you will always be aware of new revenue opportunities. Be conscious of what you will need to replace or renew over the next five years (is your car on its last legs?) and figure out how much you should save annually to finance that transaction.

Step 5: Prepare for the worst. Ask yourself what you would do if your situation worsens, for example if you get demoted. Having the solutions to how you would adapt in worst case scenarios is comforting.

Step 6: Make saving a habit. It might be difficult, but it will pay off when you see your debt decrease and your savings increase!

Watch this brief YouTube clip for additional information:

Home Renovations that Yield the Best Return on Investment

Updating an older home can be overwhelming. When deciding how to spend your home renovation budget, it’s good to know which projects yield the best return on investment. Various sources such as U.S. News and CBS News state that updating kitchens and bathrooms will improve a house’s value (with a return on investment as great as 75.4%). Ways to improve your kitchen without completely redoing it include refinishing surfaces, upgrading appliances, and installing new light fixtures. 


Other sources, including This Old House Magazine, emphasize the importance of improving a house’s curb appeal, thus enhancing a buyer’s initial perception of a property. Projects that enhance curb appeal include replacing your entry door and garage doors with updated, steel models. It’s also a good idea to update your windows. Keeping a well-maintained lawn is one of the simplest ways to enhance curb appeal. 

When it comes to adding on to your home, outdoor decks offer a decent return on investment. Home offices with built in furniture, however, do not. This limits what the next homeowner can use that room for. Another unadvisable project is adding a pool. Many buyers see pools as a pain to maintain (not to mention, they decrease the usable size of the yard). Homeowners who add a pool should do so only for their personal enjoyment, not as a means to increase their property’s resale value. 

Want additional advice? Feel free to contact me.

Good News for Sellers: The Housing Market Continues to Pick Up!

It would have been hard to believe last year, but The Columbus Dispatch reports that lately buyers in certain areas have found themselves in bidding wars and same-day sales. Some even put in offers above asking price—which still isn’t always enough to guarantee them the home. The seller’s market in these pockets of Columbus is due to a low housing inventory, which shortens the time a house is on the market and increases the price of the home. While a six month housing supply indicates a balance between buyers and sellers, the Columbus area contains less than a 4.8 month supply. This trend shows no signs of stopping. As of March 2013, home sales had risen for 15 consecutive months. Perhaps even more encouraging, buyer traffic has increased by a quarter in the past year.

The bottom line:

Buyers—move quickly

Potential sellers—now’s the time! See how I can help.

Housing Prices Held Back by Low Appraisals

As we move to a seller's market with low inventory and many multiple offer situations, Buyers and Sellers face an equally frustrating challenge. Housing prices are being held back by low appraisals. Supply and demand are creating an environment where home price appreciation is possible, only to have appraisals cause the contract to fall out. In an article published by the National Association of Realtors, major problems reported by Realtors® include:

• Some appraisers are using foreclosures, short sales and run-down properties as comparable homes, and are not making adjustments for market conditions or the condition of the property.
• Appraised values that do not reflect market conditions such as rising prices, the presence of multi-bidding and low inventory.
• Appraised values are very inconsistent and fluctuate widely.
• Out-of-town appraisers, who are not familiar with the area or local market conditions, are being used.
• Turn-around time by both appraisers and banks is slow, which delays closings.