Susanne’s Blog
Helping you find the perfect home
How to Beat Skyrocketing Mortgage Rates
It's tough to be a buyer in today's market. You are facing rapidly increasing home values, fierce bidding wars, and a super low inventory of listings. On top of it, mortgage interest rates have skyrocketed to above 5%, the highest in 11 years. This means ... housing...
How to Skirt Bidding Wars with Curb Offers
Houses in all price ranges are attracting multiple offers. If you are a buyer who lost a few bidding wars, this email is for you. I will explain a strategy to avoid bidding wars and secure the property before showings even start. This strategy is risky but was...
Should You Buy a $875,000 Townhouse in Dublin’s Bridge Park?
Dublin's new downtown - the Bridge Street District - has become a top destination for visitors and locals alike. With an ever growing number of new restaurants, bars, hotels, and unique shops many Central Ohio residents prefer Bridge Park over the Short North,...
Get top dollar when you sell your home
5 Home Selling Myths You Should Not Believe
Many homeowners believe it's a piece of cake to sell their house in today's booming sellers market. They assume offers will come pouring in as soon as the house hits the market. I can assure you this is NOT the case. You can't just relax on the beach and hope you will...
Home Values Won’t Rise As Much After Spring Selling Season
The recent Home Price Index from Corelogic will dampen your hopes for another year of double digit gains. Home values are leveling off and may only rise by 3.5% at the end of 2022. Home Values Peaked in 2021 We know that all good things must come to an end. If you...
How Homeowners Create Wealth and Beat Skyrocketing Inflation
You may have seen articles comparing the cost of leasing vs. owning a home. Most of these articles simply compare the monthly mortgage payment to your lease payment and proclaim that the lower one wins. This comparison is wrong. It completely misses the incredible...
Learn about Columbus Neighborhoods
Helping You Find New Residential Developments
Commercial real estate was somewhat depressed due to the pandemic. Residential construction on the other hand has been booming. We saw a 27% increase in single and multi-family construction in 2020 over the previous year. That's the most activity since 2010. New built...
Can You Still Find Acreage Close to the City?
Many home buyers dream of living in the country. They are looking for acreage to enjoy tranquility and open spaces. Typically, suburban lots are only a quarter acre or less. There's not much room between houses. You will see into your neighbor's kitchen, hear their...
Patio Home or Condo – Which One’s Right for You?
Patio Homes have become super popular with baby boomers in the past few years. They are the perfect place to retire and enjoy "maintenance free" living. Sounds just like condos. But there's a difference. Let me explain ... Patio Homes Patio Homes are single-family...
Making sense of the Numbers
Market Update: Average Sales Price Hits New Record, Inventory Improves
At $318,826 the average sales price of a Columbus home has reached an all time record. That's 11.9% higher than a year ago, and higher than the previous record from June 2021. The number of closed sales was 2.5% lower than in March 2021. This is mostly due to the lack...
Market Update: Home Values Rise by 11% in Feb, Keeping First-Time Buyers Struggling
There were no surprises in the February housing report. Home sales were up by 1.8%, while pending contracts slipped by 1% as compared to a year ago. The 5% increase in new listings improved the inventory by only 3.3%. As of this morning, there were 1,540 active...
Market Update: Median Price Up by 11% while Home Sales Decline in January
The Central Ohio Housing Market was mostly unchanged in January. Home sales and pending contracts were slightly lower than last year, while home values kept rising by double digits. Home Sales Down - Inventory Remains Low The chart below shows how Pending Contracts...
Find out what’s cool now
Upsizing: How Real Estate Experts Got Baby Boomers Completely Wrong
We've all been told that suburban home owners will downsize when their children leave for college. This is no longer the case. Today's empty nesters are not looking for a small, maintenance-free condo to spend their golden years. They are moving to larger, more...
Mortgage Interest Rates Rise Much Faster Than Predicted
I just want to send you a quick update from the mortgage interest front. You probably heard that interest rates will rise in 2022. Many experts predicted that the 30-year fixed rate will increase to 3.8% by the end of this year. Unfortunately, their predictions were...
Thank You for a Fantastic Year, Plus a Miracle Home Alert
With Christmas just a few days away, I want to use today's email to express my gratitude to all my clients and say THANK YOU for a fantastic year! In 2021, my RE/MAX 24/7 team and I were able to help 110 families buy or sell a house. It means a lot to me that you...
Events in and around Dublin
RE/MAX 24/7 is #1 in Charitable Donations and Volunteering
Every year Business First publishes the Corporate Citizenship List. It ranks "The Most Generous Central Ohio Companies" based on cash donations to charitable organizations and volunteer hours served by employees. I am very proud of what our small brokerage has...
Would You Buy a Haunted House for a Discount?
Halloween may be over, but some homeowners think they live in haunted houses all year round. The annual HAUNTED Report (compliments of realtor.com) found that 13% of Americans believe that the home they live in is haunted. Where Are the Most Haunted Houses? When it...
How Miracle Homes Help Sick and Injured Children
This past Sunday was the first of Advent, the true beginning of the Christmas Season. It happens to fall between Thanksgiving Thursday and Giving Tuesday, so it's appropriate to talk about giving back and being thankful. One way I am giving back is the Miracle Homes...