What's Hot in Milford, OH?

Milford, Ohio - a nice "Quaint" little town on the Little Miami River has it going on.  Some new developments are encouraging growth, the township is doing it's job by attracting some good businesses, including some larger global companies.

So what's happening in the real estate market there?


Click HERE to find out!

Home for Sale in Batavia Ohio Minutes from Jungle Jim's in Batavia

UPDATE:  Price Reduced to $179,900

Tucked into a cul-de-sac in The Woods at Shayler Creek, this 3 Bedroom home has some great upgrades.  Updated kitchen with tile back splash and stainless steel appliances is spacious and great for anyone that likes to cook. The family room has vaulted ceilings and is a huge room to relax in, enjoy the fire.

A great layout upstairs provides for a "family den" on the second level.  This open area would be great for a game room, or an office or study area for the kids.  There is a closet space here, and this area could be closed off to create a fourth bedroom.

The lower level has been finished and while currently being used as a home office, is wired for ALL your entertainment needs.  This area has some great built in shelving space and provides a great place to get away to relax or finish some work.  There is additional unfinished space that allows for plenty of storage.



Outside this home offers privacy on the tiered back deck and with an in ground sprinkler system your lawn is kept green all summer long.  Stop in and relax and enjoy this wonderful home.  The new Jungle Jim's in East Gate is open and will help keep your kitchen stocked with ANYTHING you could possible want!

For additional information on this home click here or email me at chris@chrisjwood.com

Chris W.

Home sales JUMP 30%

Yes...that title is correct. In fact, January 2013 posted the highest sales jump in 6 years. Our closings in January were the highest in 6 years, that's like since 2007 - remember 2007? Ahhh, good times...good times.

While January was down compared to December - this is actually fairly normal for this time of year. Average Selling Price January's home selling price was $139,213 vs. $137,916 a year earlier, which represents a 0.9% increase. The average price has increased year over year for 11 consecutive months. That's fantastic!

 Now, we just need some inventory. Seriously, our inventory has continued to decline to 9,451 homes from 11,003 a year ago, down 14.1%. With current inventory rates remaining low, and buyers beginning to come out actively purchasing properties, we have what is appearing to be a bit of a sellers market. As prices are firming and continuing an upward trend. Are you thinking of selling? Seriously - if you are someone that is interested in selling their home I have one bit of advice for you. GET IT ON THE MARKET! Don't wait for Spring to come rolling around when all those other sellers decide to do the same. Get it on the market now, when there is not that much inventory and buyers will come by to check you out. Contact your real estate agent to discuss what's happening in your market...because it's happening quickly. And if you don't have someone for real estate advice, give me a call - I can connect you with a fantastic, well educated and experienced real estate agent that can show you what is happening in your market area and how it affects your value. Chris Wood cwood@starone.com

Is your broker helping you get where you want to be?

Many companies promise fantastic training and amazing programs.  The truth is often quite different.  Reality is this:  More than 75% of this year's graduating real estate agents will fail, and will be out of the business before the end of the year.  So what happens?  Why do so many fail, while others succeed?  There are a variety of reasons, but I believe we can boil it down to 2:

Why Agents Fail:

1. That person started in real estate with every intention of success, happiness and well, success.  But somewhere along the way they realized they had no idea what they were doing...and often times realized it too late.
2. I believe that person and their sponsoring company never should have partnered in the first place.

Every company you speak with promises fantastic tools, tech gadgets and apps along with a fantastic split.  What could possibly go wrong, right?  I have all the tools to succeed - and when I do get paid, I'm not sharing much of anything. Of course its the getting paid that's the rub. Doesn't matter what you get to keep out of your paycheck - 70% of zero transactions doesn't really amount to anything all.

  Why Bother?

It boils down to something really simple. Many real estate companies are providing the wrong tools. All those tech gadgets and virtual tours and tablets won't do an agent good, if they don't know how to talk to prospects. If you do not have the necessary skills to identify your market, how to build that relationship with that market and then ask them for the business, you likely won't get very far in real estate. This is a relationship business - you have to show that you are a real person, and connect with folks by providing them with tools that can help them achieve their goals. Find out what their number 1 goal is, and make that your number 1 goal as well.

The Right Training

Having a company support you in your real estate career is far more important that any website they may give you. I believe one thing that makes Star One unique to other companies is that they find out what your goal is as an agent, and they tailor their training to fit that. Whether you work for Star One or another broker, we believe that your success translates into everyone's success. We're building a community here - a family - and we would love to talk to you about being a part of it. If your business is not achieving your goals, you should find out why. Come talk with us; We may be the right fit for you, but we may not. Wouldn't you feel better moving forward with all the answers, instead of a bunch of questions? Give me a shout - I'm here to help.

 Chris Wood
chris@chrisjwood.com

Why the Golden Rule is Killing Us

Remember in grade school, they always taught us the Golden Rule?  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".  I believe that's a stupid rule - why should I treat everyone the way I want to be treated? Shouldn't I treat people the way they want to be treated?  Does it not make more sense for me to spend time getting to know people and find out what they like?
My sixth grade teacher and principle Mr. Roberts taught us we should be better than that - we should follow what he called the "Platinum Rule".  Do unto others as THEY would have you do unto them".  I believe this rule is very valid in life as well as real estate.  It does require that you get to know the people you are speaking with - in short, it requires you to listen - something humans do not typically do very well.  I also believe this is a primary reason why agents lose out on listings and deals - they're not listening to their clients. 
Another Great teacher in my life Gene Boaz always said that God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason.  He intended us to listen twice as much as we speak.  That's something that we often struggle with - especially those of us that like the sound of our own voice.  So before you go off on your next appointment - take some time to research more than just the house.  Take time to find out who the people are, what are their interests, how do they like to be treated.  And then wish them a Merry Christmas, or a Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Kwanzaa, or even a Happy Solstice.  You might find that you end up with more than just a client,  but a good friend, and that you have more in common that you thought. 

Photo:http://www.essex1.com/pages/paul/bible-golden-rule.html

The title track to your work

What is the title track to your life?  What would it sound like. Would you buy the album. I started writing this post quite some time ago, deleted it, started it again, then deleted it, then watched "High Fidelity".  Now I'm writing it again.  Honestly, that's pretty much the soundtrack to my life.  Starting it, deleting it, then trying to start it again.  Have you watched High Fidelity?  I highly recommend it!  It's a great life movie, one that resonates, it's about a life that is far from perfect, an individual that is not perfect, who knows he is far from perfect, and yet continues unthwarted to search for the meaning of his life and finds it in Laura - the love of his life - and music, the vehicle of his life. (The interpreter, if you will). I'm still working on the sound track of my life - it has several notes that don't match - but no bad cords.  Every note is exactly as it should be.  Every choice, is my choice and a defining moment in my life.  I wouldn't trade them for the world. So how would you define your life?  What soundtrack would you use to define it?  What would it sound like?

Zombie Houses - Being Reined In?

The number of foreclosure homes, often called REO's (for Real Estate Owned) properties - what I like to call a Zombie House, have declined over the past few months.  In fact, inventory overall has declined which has lead to buyers struggling to find the home they're looking for.















Zombie homes in the Cincinnati area have declined, as well as nation-wide.  This doesn't mean they're not still there - in fact, about 27% or our market right now is lender owned property.  But with significant less inventory overall on the market everything is down.  Just for a quick peak - here are 11 Lender owned homes in the Cincinnati area that are ready to sell  If you are looking for a fixer upper to pick up as an investment property, something to flip, or a home to call your own at a great price - there are some outstanding lending options out there to help you.

I'll talk more about some of those next time.

If you simply can't wait though - give me a call

Chris W.
513-382-2474