There are a very limited number of locations to buy a new construction condo on a golf course in Greater Cincinnati, so you can expect strong demand for them.Tonight, there is one less new golf course condo to be purchased as our buyers laid their claim on a new unit to be completed next Spring.After visiting a number of condos, patio homes and regular homes from the West Side of Cincinnati all the way to the southern suburbs of Dayton, we ultimately finished within a mile of where we started, Lebanon's Shaker Run golf community.Shaker Run offers and award winning public golf course and a combination of resale and new construction.  Resale offers condos, patio homes and single family homes.Both Drees and Fischer Homes are currently building new construction single family homes, and Fisc... 08/19/2020

This home just had a 2020 kind of year when it came to its sale!  We had to sell it more than once, which is tough in a market where much of the year 55+ home buyers have bunkered down and delayed home shopping thanks to COVID-19 concerns.But we were persistent and while we had interested buyers that needed to sell their own home first, another agent finally brought the right buyer through the door and a deal was quickly arrived at.Three weeks later we did the COVID-style closing.  Sellers signed everything first and cleared the room, then the buyer signed everything, and us agents?  We just waited in the lobby of the title company and were on standby just in case we were needed (we weren't!).So as of tonight, this patio home in the front of Heritage at Miami Bluffs has a new owner and ... 08/17/2020

If you think of all the tools a real estate agent might use to sell a home, a chainsaw might not be high up on the list of things that would come to mind, but over the years I've done a number of things that many would consider out of scope for a typical real estate agent.An old counter top left in the basement by our sellers that was a concern at the final walkthrough?  Nothing me and a sawz-all couldn't take care of.Water turned off and the plumbing traps dry..and staaaaaanky?  I can haul in gallons of water to refill.The photographer notices and end cap off of the blinds that cover the patio door?  I can fix that before the first showing.So yesterday evening a storm rolls through Cincinnati while I'm out showing condos to a buyer couple and I get a call between stops from the neighbo... 08/02/2020

Despite all the changes relative to COVID precautions, homes are still being bought and sold at normal levels.  Below is a comparison of Cincinnati MLS 2019 showings (blue line) to 2020 showings (gold line).  You can see recent weeks of 2020 are almost identical to the same weeks of 2019.  Sure, there was a HUGE dip during the shelter-in-place time period, but activity bounced back rapidly.  Depending on the segment of the market, sales are still VERY hot.  For instance, our last condo for sale was under contract in less than 3 days.  Buyers we're working with have to be out the first day and need to expect to be against multiple offers.  Come back later this month to read our more detailed assessments specific to Mason, Lebanon, Springboro, Maineville/Hamilton Township & Morrow.   Warr... 08/01/2020

2020 has been a bit of a strange year (candidate for understatement of the year!) and that's applied to real estate too.  Some home segments have been impacted more than others, and that's been the case for 55+ community home sales.  As of tonight, this Heritage at Miami Bluffs patio home is back under contract!  We've had to sell it more than once, and not for the usual reasons!  2020 is just that kind of year!Inspections are scheduled for the end of the week and thanks to a cash buyer we should be completing the sale in about three weeks, unless 2020 has another joker up its sleeve!Asking price was $269,900 at time of contract, a great price to gain entry to this fantastic gated community with a 9000+ square foot community center, 30+ social clubs and a full time social director.  The... 07/27/2020

Whenever possible, we prefer our clients do the talking for us!  I'm not much of one for tooting our own horn, it's just not my nature. However, I am willing to ask for reviews from clients and to share them with you!We recently completed a sale for a Lebanon Ohio home seller.  The sellers found us because they trusted their buyer's agent in Florida to help them find an agent back home to help them sell.  That agent was us! We helped the sellers with how to best prepare their home for sale, analyzed the market to know how far we could push the market pricing AND still balance their deadline to be in Florida to buy their retirement home. All the planning paid off, with the first showing resulting in a full price offer AND the inclusion of over 2 weeks of post closing occupancy so we coul... 07/08/2020

Some segments of our local market are REALLY short of homes to buy.In particular, Mason school district condos.And even more in particular, Mason school district condos asking under $200,000.That is a popular segment of the real estate market due to affordability relative to buying a Mason single family home which is hard to find without spending MUCH more money.So as of tonight, there are FOUR Mason condos for sale priced under $200,000.Two are located in Mason's The Sanctuary at Waters Edge.  Both are 3rd floor units with water views, and at just under 1600 square feet of living space we don't expect either to last long.Another is located in Marival at Weatherstone, another popular location and availability is rather rare.And lastly, a condo in Thorngate at Windemere, and this one com... 07/06/2020

COVID-19 made the sale of this Cincinati area patio home a bit more challenging than expected.  After all, a sub-$300,000 patio home in Cincinnati's BEST 55+ community Heritage at Miami Bluffs is usually quickly under contract!  But timing is everything, and if any segment of Cincinnati housing was likely to be at risk, it's low maintenance living and the demand that comes from retirees.  With shelter-in-place rules, and a serious shock to the stock market and portfolios, buying a new home moved down the priority list for many potential buyers.There was much to like about this community and this patio home, and after some delays and the market rebound, tonight we have an accepted contract! No step living, a few of the pond and fountain, more privacy than typical for most patio homes, an... 07/02/2020

Warren County Ohio home sales are at peak.  Time to contract for the sold homes was a median of ONLY 5 days.  The number of homes for sale not under contract shrunk overall as the total of homes sold and under contract exceeded the number of new sellers entering the market.  Prices are stable.  Check the ShowingTime activity chart below and you'll see 2020 is FINALLY topping 2019 numbers for showings.  Buyers held back a bit during the shelter-in-place, but they're out in full force now.  There is still pent up demand for homes, so we'd expect the activity levels to continue increasing.Come back later this month to read our more detailed assessments specific to Mason, Lebanon, Springboro, Maineville/Hamilton Township & Morrow.   Warren County Residential Sales Summary (single family hom... 07/01/2020

 Sold by The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite in Springboro's Stone Ridge The WoodsLike some other communities in Warren County, Springboro's annual home sales market is about 1-2 months behind the typical cycle for sales.  The numbers are still good, just not as good as normal for May.  We can thank COVID for the slowdown.    There are still limited homes for sale and Springboro remains a high demand community in Warren County.  Jump to the stats review starting with the charts below for more explanation of what we're seeing right now.               Stay with us for the full Springboro report and our advice for potential Springboro home sellers and buyers.  And if you want to search Springboro homes for sale, we've got search for Springboro homes for sale links at the bottom of the repor... 06/29/2020

Morrow had a big slow down for completed sales, but a HUGE number of homes under contract.  It makes sense when you consider that completed sales lag contracts and we spent much of March/April with people more concerned with shelter in place than finding a new shelter to call home.  Stick with us for further details.We're including some easy to use Search Morrow Homes For Sale links at the end!This report is specific to zip code 45152 (includes homes in portions of Union Township, Salem Township, Hamilton Township, Harlan Township and Washington Township in addition to Morrow).  45152 is covered primarily by Little Miami Schools but also has Lebanon and Kings school district present.  For a free home valuation, home owners please click What Is My Morrow Ohio Home Value? and fill out the... 06/28/2020

We love it when a plan comes together!A Florida agent contacted us early this year about helping her buyers sell their Lebanon Ohio home.  She'd scouted agents for a good fit and liked what she saw of our online presence, and we're always happy to accept a referral!We consulted with the sellers well before it was time to place their home on the market and they had a "to do" list to prepare the home.  One extra wrinkle was timing their sale.  With a closing date set in Florida, it was critical to not sell their home TOO soon, nor TOO late.  A review of the market and their competition narrowed down the window for sale and the home was under contract within one day on market.  And a key term in the contract?  The sellers were allowed to stay in the home for almost 3 weeks after closing.  ... 06/22/2020

Every feel like the news wants you to feel bad?  HOME SALES NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY CORONAVIRUS!!!!But headlines don't reality make.  A national writer doesn't know jack about our local market, and even within our local markets there can be wide variation of good and bad trends.And one of the areas that are REALLY good right now?  Mason Ohio patio homes for sale.Thursday was the start of the marketing period for a Reserve of Heritage Pointe community patio home.Offered at $385,000, this full brick patio home with 3 bedrooms AND an office, a finished lower level, back deck AND patio and a nice floor plan had showings scheduled with a couple of hours of going live in MLS.  While we didn't get the home under contract the first day, by the end of the weekend we had an acceptable offer for ou... 06/15/2020

You know how there seems to be two categories of people for almost anything?1.  Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data2. (okay, it's an engineer's joke!)Well the same applies to houses.A home is either in an HOA community or it's not!So if your home IS in an HOA community, there are things to consider: 1.  Will your HOA rules be a hindrance to your sale?Some HOAs take a live and let live approach.  Keep things reasonable and they'll leave you alone.Others?  Think Seinfeld and soup.  Things need to be JUST SO, or no soup for you!  Depending on personality, some buyers lean to the easy peasy group, others want strict enforcement.  Your communities reputation for how its run may help or hurt. 2.  Speaking of HOA rules, the buyers are entitled to a copy of them as part of the contra... 06/14/2020

As far as completed sales, Maineville was down significantly vs. expected for this time of year.  Coronavirus has had an impact on overall market activity, but NOT sales prices.  Homes for sale are still in short supply, and 99 under contract points to a MUCH better total when June is completed.  Stick with us for the details right after the stats section further down this post when we get into the analysis of the Maineville/Hamilton Township area home sales.We offer links at the bottom of the post to search Cincinnati MLS listed Maineville Ohio homes for sale, and if you want specifics for What Is My Maineville Ohio Home Worth?, please click that link and fill out the form.  We'll get back to you shortly with the latest info that applies to YOUR home! This report is for single family h... 06/13/2020

Bottom line, coronavirus has delayed the real estate market by approximately 1 month, but there is plenty of evidence that Mason Ohio is rapidly returning to peak activity as it usually does this time of year.  The best homes are under contract in under a week.     Stay with us for more details for Mason homes! Is the activity affecting your Mason Ohio home's worth?  Stay with us for all the details and even Search Mason Ohio Homes For Sale links at the end! We'll cover Mason condos in our Mason Ohio 45040 Condo Market Report May 2020. All data is derived from the Cincinnati MLS system and involves only Mason homes sold with  REALTOR® involvement and entered in MLS. All data is for the Mason School District area, so is not limited solely to Mason city limits.                    Long Cov... 06/08/2020

The bottom line, the scarcity of Mason condos for sale got even worse this month.  As of today, a total of FIVE condos are not under contract in Mason City School District.  Supply has been tight for years, but this is the lowest we've seen yet.  Condos are going under contract VERY quickly.  If you've got a specific community, style, feature, etc. in mind as a buyer, you need to be patient, and then act VERY quickly.  Skip to the stats review for more details.     Stay with us for the whats, whys and hows of the Mason condo market!  And a bonus at the end, easy to use Search For Mason Ohio Condos For Sale links!  And if you want to know How Much Is My Mason Condo Worth?, just click the link, fill out the form and we'll be in touch soon!If you're interested in the Mason Ohio Single Fami... 06/07/2020

For the most part, the Lebanon Ohio real estate market is back to normal, just a bit delayed due to the coronavirus restrictions.  The pause seems to be over and buyer activity is high.  Jump to the graphs and stats below to get the details.    We offer links at the bottom of the post to search Cincinnati MLS listed Lebanon Ohio homes for sale, and if you want specifics for What Is My Lebanon Ohio Home Worth?, please click that link and fill out the form.  We'll get back to you shortly with the latest info that applies to YOUR home!  All data is derived from the Cincinnati MLS system.  If any Lebanon single family homes homes traded hands without a REALTOR® involved, then it won't be reflected in this report. All data is for the Lebanon School District area, so is not limited solely to ... 06/06/2020

 In my engineering past there have been times when I've been required to measure to very small tolerances.  This isn't a job for a standard 20' retractable tape measure, but specialized tools.  Measuring tools will be calibrated against standard known sizes or weights to ensure the results are to be trusted.Measuring tools aren't the only things that need calibrated.If you're a potential home buyer, there should be a bit of a calibration about the home buying process before you enter someone else's home.First, there's the financial calibration check.  Unless you've got suitcases full of cash, you need to have a conversation with a mortgage professional.  You might think you're golden (no pun intended), but you may have something in your past or present that makes financing you for a hom... 06/04/2020

We're getting back to normal levels of real estate activity in Warren County Ohio.  Below is a comparison of Cincinnati MLS 2019 showings (blue line) to 2020 showings (gold line).  2020 started off on the usual upward trajectory, but as rumblings of COVID-19 spread, activity started flattening in late January and February.  Once the shelter-in-place orders came out in March, activity dropped steeply and remained so until starting to increase in May.  Over the last 10 days, activity is ALMOST at the same levels as 2019.  There is pent up demand for homes, so we'd expect the activity levels to continue increasing.Come back later this month to read our more detailed assessments specific to Mason, Lebanon, Springboro, Maineville/Hamilton Township & Morrow.   Warren County Residential Sales ... 06/01/2020