Mason Community Center Open House April 9 2011! Been thinking about trying on one of the area's premier community centers but haven't gotten around to it yet?  Well here's a perfect opportunity to try on the Mason Community Center for size! Saturday April 9 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., use of the facility is FREE!  Bring your exercise gear or swim suit and find out more about the facility and give them a test drive!  The Mason Community Center will be providing tours, and the personal training staff will be available from 8 a.m. until noon.  And BONUS deal, enroll for membership that day and get a 15% discount on personal training programs and a FREE one month membership!  What's not to like?? Located at 6050 Mason Montgomery road, visit our previous post on the Mason Community Center for mor... 04/02/2011

Ohio's Mason Community Center:  Much More Than Your Typical Community Center! Warren County is blessed with some fantastic recreational opportunities, they don't call Warren County Ohio's Largest Playground for nothing!The Mason Community Center is another one of those prime opportunities, and don't worry, you DON'T have to be a Mason resident to join and enjoy!Conveniently located on Mason Montgomery Rd just above the Tylersville Rd intersection, the MCC underwent a significant renovation last year!  This is one TOP NOTCH Facility!  Take a look at the pictures & the video, this facility truly reflects well on the Mason community! Offering more than just a typical gym facility: Group Health Associates and Bethesda Physical Therapy  (do your rehab here!...and not the Charlie Sheen kind!)... 03/16/2011

Another Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite Listing Under Contract!  7907 Winding Creek Now Accepting Back up Offers! We weren't kidding when we posted this one would be a hot one!!  This Simpson Creek home in Deerfield Township had 24 showings in 21 days and FOUR offers before getting the RIGHT one!  Inspections are this week and we anticipate nothing preventing this home from closing next month! The sellers met with us a month before going on the market and put a lot of work into the home BEFORE putting it on the market to make it tip top in condition and appearance!  New carpet, fresh paint, properly presenting the home and keeping it show ready all the time once it was on the market!  We appreciate their dedication and they're a joy to work with!  Combine cooperative sellers with our str... 03/11/2011

A View Worth Buying!  Coming to Market Soon! How'd you like this view?  You're out on the paver patio while the little ones enjoy the last few rays of sunshine while they play on the playset that stays with this home!  Interested?  This home is about to be offered for sale by The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite! With four bedrooms, two full and two half baths, a finished basement and PLENTY of space, this two story home on a cul de sac street also offers the benefit of Mason schools AND a Deerfield Township address....so NO Mason City Taxes for you!! Offered at $247,000, this home will be appearing in both the Cincinnati and Dayton MLS this weekend!  Stay tuned for further details! Serving Warren County's residential real estate needs, Liz and Bill aka BLiz 02/16/2011

Build The Walls for Habitat for Humanity -  Christ's Church at Mason April 29-30 2011Got some free time and want to do a good deed?  Then mark your calendars for Christ's Church at Mason's annual Habitat for Humanity event, Build The Walls Friday April 29 & Saturday April 30, 2011!  The goal is to build the walls for FIVE homes during the two day event. The walls form the framework for homes for people in need.  If you're familiar with the Habitat for Humanity concept, the recipients of the homes put a lot of sweat equity into completing their own homes.  Our church has shown videos of the new homeowners after moving into their home, and when you compare their before and after situations it's a great feeling for all involved. Now you say you can't swing a hammer without damaging your th... 02/07/2011

Paying It Forward:  The Kids Are Alright!!The media keeps reporting how much trouble we're in, that the kids are losing ground against the rest of the world and we've lost our edge in math and science. Based on my experience yesterday, I think the rumors of our demise are greatly exaggerated! The Mason Middle School held their annual science fair yesterday and I had the good fortune to be one of 40 judges who helped judge the 100+ projects presented by these 7th and 8th graders.  We worked in pairs, talking to the kids, hearing how they got to their project ideas, how they developed their methods to prove or disprove their ideas.  You could see the sparks light up in their eyes as they discussed their projects!  Most were centered on things that impact their daily lives & some went into... 02/04/2011

Warning Dieters!  There's Another Threat!  Busken Bakery Paczki Have Arrived!First we warned you about the Invasion of the Girl Scout Cookies!  But now there's an even bigger threat to your waistline!!!! Busken Bakery has their Paczki (pronounced POOCH KEY...or something like that...hey...I'm not Polish...sorry...don't have to know HOW to say it to eat them!!).  These Polish donuts...these pastry confections....we WON'T even show you a picture so you MIGHT be able to resist their siren call!  But basically, take your typical jelly or custard filled donut...and make it about ten times better!  These "fat pills" would drive Homer Simpson out of his mind!  You can get them custard filled, blueberry jelly, strawberry jelly, or lemon filled!  And sorry Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts and Tim Hor... 01/26/2011

Hit The Beach In Mason for an EARLY New Year's Eve!Want to enjoy a family friendly New Year's Eve, but NO WAY the kiddies can make it to midnight?  Have we got an alternative for you! Hit The Beach...The Beach Waterpark in Mason that is!  They'll provide the party hats and noisemakers! Open from 5 pm to 10 pm, they'll be dropping hundreds of beachballs at 9 pm...so you'll have plenty of time to get the kids home & settled in well before that crystal ball drops at Times Square! With a 7500 square foot ice skating rink, toboggan slides, a petting corral, carriage rides and an entertainment pavilion, you'll have plenty of available entertainment. Visit www.thebeachwaterpark.com to purchase tickets two for $20.11 (that's almost half price!).   There are also dinner tickets available for 5:3... 12/23/2010

Snowball New Year's Eve at Great Wolf Lodge in Mason!Looking for something COMPLETELY different to do for your New Year's Eve this year?  How about booking a stay at Mason's Great Wolf Lodge for Snowball?This isn't your typical New Year's activity AND it's family friendly! Snowball has activities for all ages from 7 pm to 12:30 am New Year's Eve.  With face painting, crafts, DJ, games, contests, a giant balloon drop and more, this hotel stay also includes an AWESOME water park. Where else in our area can you go to a HUGE indoor water park? You have to be a guest of the hotel to use the water park, but this indoor facility is HUGE!! There's a four story tree house, water slides and tunnels, soaker stations, tubing tunnels and splash pools, there's certainly no shortage of water based fun... 12/23/2010

Mason Ohio City Council Cuts the Party Budget -- No Red Rhythm & Boom This July!It was bound to happen, the amazing thing is they were able to preserve the big party this long!  With the economy continuing to cost local city governments substantial revenue, we've been wondering how long some of the local annual traditions could continue without being sacrificed at the altar of economic prudence. And don't get us wrong, we have no objections to this move.  A party should be gone before jobs should be cut. For the Mason Ohio area, Red, Rhythm & Boom has been traditionally the biggest BANG of the year!  Having featured bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Grand Funk Railroad, Huey Lewis & The News (okay so they're not CURRENT bands, but they're great for a party!), this Independen... 12/15/2010

The Beach on Ice in Mason Open For Winter Fun!!Okay, The beach may not be your first thought when it's below freezing and there's snow covering the ground, but in this case, this is the PERFECT time to be thinking about heading to The Beach...The Beach Waterpark in Mason that is! It's time for their winter season.  No swimsuits this time, and the only water will be frozen! Featuring Ohio's largest outdoor ice skating rink, a toboggan slide, carriage rides, a petting corral, the Polar Express miniature train display, AND the Starlight Entertainment Pavilion! Does that sound like enough to do?  Oh, and did we mention all the Christmas lights on display?? Located at 2590 Waterpark Dr in Mason, just take I71 to Exit 25, head west and turn right between the Wendy's and Burger King, then foll... 12/09/2010

Rooms for Improvement: The Joys and Challenges of Fixer-Uppers The house that needs work - it's not for everyone. But then, the secret of real estate success, for both a professional like me and a potential customer like yourself, is finding the one home that's right for you. And a fixer-upper even offers the opportunity to have your dream house not be found, but made. It's important to keep in mind the balance of challenges and chances that a fixer-upper presents. For buyers with cost as a concern, a house needing work will definitely be more affordable - though the discount can stem from some major problems, and the price savings go hand-in-hand with later renovation expenses.  Even so, at the initial bargain price some families find a fixer-upper comfortable enough to live in while s... 11/23/2010

Crooked Tree in Mason Ohio Real Estate Currently there are 11 homes for sale in Crooked Tree and The Fairways of Crooked Tree in Mason Ohio. In the past 6 months 29 homes sold in Crooked Tree. The price range of homes currently for sale $259,900 to $409,900. The size of the homes in Crooked Tree being between a high of 5,714 square feet and a low of 1,830 square feet.There are approximately 400 single family homes in the two subdivisions.The subdivisions are served by Mason School District. Mason School District is rated "Excellent with Distinction" by the State of Ohio Board of Education. Anytime you have any questions about Real Estate in Crooked Tree in Mason Ohio, or any other area of Mason, simply call Scott Baker at 513-403-5323. Visit www.eHomeReports.com 11/21/2010

New Kid on the Block: Moving With Children Moving is a major change for all members of a family. Adult responsibilities weigh heavily when keeping track of all the tasks needed to make a move go smoothly. If you have children, this may be a difficult time to focus on their problems, too, but it's also one of the most crucial times to keep their concerns in mind. Sometimes what seems like a major disruption to grownups is viewed as an adventure to the kids. Still, changing homes can also upset feelings of stability (in the case of younger children) and belonging (in the case of teens). These are special concerns for these age groups.  The most important thing a parent can do is maintain normal routines as much as possible - and when it isn't possible, to let the kids know that apprehensi... 11/20/2010

When a Home is Not a House: Condo Pros and Cons Many real estate watchers can remember when buying a condominium was most would-be homeowners' second choice. These properties were considered a half-way measure for people wishing to break out of  renting but not quite able to obtain a house. Now, condos are not only seen as a smart step between the two stages, but are an increasingly sought-after option in their own right. It's not just that condos are an attractive intermediate move, though this is an important recent reality of homeownership. Since 2002, condo values have been appreciating faster than those of single-family homes, making them a good start for first-time homebuyers who would like to build equity for a house purchase a few years down the road. Condo sales are growing, to... 11/19/2010

Save More Than Energy: The Cost-Efficient Home The energy-efficient home is moving from the horizons of futuristic planners to the agenda of current homeowners. It's not so much a matter of newer technologies - though alternate energy sources like solar and geothermal are making considerable inroads in the modern home. It's more a matter of improvements on very familiar furnishings and appliances. Put simply, these options save by losing less. It may be well worth it to give your home an efficiency upgrade. First, you'll want to figure out what needs fixing. To identify problem areas, contact a qualified professional and get an energy audit of your home. Some upgrades are simple and less expensive. For example, one common problem is insulation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)... 11/16/2010

Empty Nests and Full Houses: Remodeling for Departing Kids and Returning Parents The American family is ever-changing, and its primary space, the home, has always changed with it. The present day is no exception: The largest segment of the American public, the baby boom generation, is entering retirement age in high numbers, and confronting "empty nests" when the kids go off to college or marry and move out permanently, presenting the challenge of what to do with the sudden extra space (since most "boomers" prefer to "age in place" rather than leave their long-time homes). There is also the perennial family responsibility of caring for older relatives as their health needs require them to move back in with their grown children and in-laws. Extended families (including grandparents raisi... 11/13/2010

The Healthy Home: Minimizing Household Health Risks Indoors is where Americans spend 90 percent of their lives - 25 percent at work and 65 percent at home, and the latter is increasing as home offices become more common. So it's important to take a look at how healthy the home environment is. Mold is one concern that has gotten a good deal of attention recently, involving possible problems with allergies, the brain and the circulatory system. Wherever there is a leak, condensation or flooding inside a house, causing housing material to stay damp for more than a few days, mold begins to grow. So it's important to clean and repair roof gutters regularly, grade your land away from the house foundation to keep water from running toward the house, keep air-conditioning pans clean, and keep h... 11/12/2010

Making Your (Dog) House a Home: Moving With Less Stress for Your Pets Anyone who has ever moved knows that there are seemingly a million and one tasks to remember, from selecting a moving company to switching off utilities. All of the adjustments and changes involved in moving to a new home can be even more challenging when you have a pet. But there are ways to prepare to minimize the stress to your furred, feathered and finned friends. The preparation process can be as crucial a stage as the move itself - familiar settings are disrupted as furniture gets moved and belongings packed away. A cat or dog will wonder who all these strangers are (potential buyers, inspectors, movers, etc.) and what's happening to the pet's familiar "territory" (changed location of litter boxes, favorite slee... 11/12/2010

Using Your Energy Wisely: Alternative Energy in the Home Energy costs are on everyone's mind, and alternatives are a hot property - though many homebuyers aren't sure how to find and evaluate them. There are a number of technologies to choose from which can help make your next house the home of the future. Alternative energy gives new meaning to the real estate mantra of "location, location, location" - what works in sunny California may be different from what works on the windy plains. But just as there are many styles of homes for buyers' diverse tastes, there are varied options in energy systems - with more than one sometimes working hand-in-hand for the same house. Wind power - an ancient energy source now seen in high-tech "windmill farms" with tall propeller-like turbines - has co... 11/10/2010