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Clintonville Home Renovation Project Episode 1 [Video]

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Chuck and Sue’s 2017 Renovation… Living in Chaos!

And so it begins… Life in chaos for a while! You’re invited to watch the progress of this home renovation project in Clintonville. We hope to share our progress over time and keep you posted with any tips or tricks we learn as the renovation takes place! Thanks for joining us on this journey.
Yours truly,
Sue

Clintonville Home Renovation Project Episode 1

 

The Columbus Team Helps You Downsize with a Heart!

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Downsize with a Heart

Are you considering downsizing to make it easier to age in place? Many Central Ohioans are retiring and starting to think about the future. Included in those considerations are potential changes to their homes and lifestyles. They are looking to live easier, active lives, from a location in which they can age in place.

The Columbus Team REALTORS® are proud to sponsor the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio in their new social enterprise for central Ohio Seniors, Downsize with a Heart! Downsizing is a big effort: Finding just the right smaller home, sorting through a lifetime of possessions and furniture, and then finding a way to rehome the pieces that no longer fit in your smaller, more streamlined life. Many of our senior clients want to pass their gently used furniture and other items on to someone in need, but organizing that can be time-consuming and frustrating.

The Downsize team, expert staff with membership in the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) offers a personalized, fee-based, one-stop service for your home downsizing, moving and dispersal of unwanted items. They develop your custom transition plan while simultaneously generating you revenue through sales and potential furniture donations for local families in need.  Donations are tax deductible. If this sounds like something you or a family member may like to try, request a free consultation.

As a Certified Senior Real Estate Specialist®, Sue Lusk-Gleich and The Columbus Team are ready to assist Central Ohio seniors with all their real estate needs, including downsizing and preparations to safely and comfortably age in place.

We are your REALTORS® with a Heart!
Call us to learn more
614-888-6100

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10 Considerations for Sellers in a Multiple Offer Situation

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10-considerations-for-sellers-multiple-offer

 

You’ve listed your property and everyone who has seen it, LOVED it and now you’ve got multiple offers on the table.  It’s what every seller dreams of!  Multiple offers may not be as cut and dried as you imagine so here are some considerations to prepare you when you have multiple offers on your property.

10 Considerations for Sellers in a Multiple Offer Situation

  1. Work with a trusted agent who can guide you through this process efficiently.
  2. Understand that you are in the driver’s seat and ensure your agent gives you enough time to review, reflect and respond on the offers.
  3. Remain calm and focused on your goals. The highest offer is not always the best choice.
  4. Review the merits of each offer carefully to determine which one is in your best interest. The highest offer isn’t always the best deal.
  5. Consider the closing date. Will it work with your schedule?
  6. Have they offered a longer time in the house after closing if you need it for moving preparation?
  7. Earnest Funds. Have they offered a solid amount for escrow that is reflective of their seriousness in purchasing the property?
  8. Are they requiring they sell another property first?  Are their requests they are making that may make your move uncomfortable or inconvenient?
  9. Is it a cash or mortgage deal? If you are in a hurry to move securing a mortgage can delay the closing longer than a cash deal will.
  10. Have they requested inspections? There may be some repairs you will be required to complete.  Is there enough in the proceeds from your home to cover these costs?  For example, if you need a new roof valued at $10,000 and one buyer is offering you $5000 less but they are willing to cover the cost of the roof versus the buyer offering $5000 more but wants you to pay for the roof.  The lower offer nets you more money from the sale.

Most importantly, ensure your trusted agent is reliable, meets deadlines, and has excellent communication skills.  Juggling multiple offers can be quite challenging. You want to ensure your agent is focused and crystal clear on your goals and expectations.  Experience is very important when dealing with multiple offers.

If you want experience on your side, call  The Columbus Team to list your property.

 

Apps to Help You Save Time at Home!

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There’s an App to Help You with That!

As life gets busier, we are always looking for ways to save time.  One sure way to do this is to give up some of the tasks that we may not enjoy to spend more time on tasks that we do!   Saving time and stress is a snap with the apps out there! Apps to help you save time at home are simple to download to your smartphone, tablet, or computer, giving you access in a few simple clicks to all sorts of personal and home services. There’s even an app that can help you move into your new dream home! From shopping to dinner delivery, and from pet care to car care, all the way to rides and laundry; there’s an app to help you with that!

Babysitting:

Sitter offers a way to book and pay the sitters you already use, while Care.com and Sitter.com are where you can find the sitter you’re looking for, both have apps.

Car care:

Urgent.ly provides roadside assistance –tows, tire changes, and jump starts. Your Mechanic brings mechanics to your house to fix your car. Three-C Body Shop has an app that calls for help and a tow directly to their shop if you have a car accident. AAA also has an app for members.

Dinner:

Blue Apron and Hello Fresh offer recipes and pre-measured groceries for delicious meals made at home. GrubHub shows you restaurants delivering in your neighborhood, or who participate in a delivery service, complete with menus from which to order.

Drinks:

Order alcohol online via the AlcoholDeliveries app (no website, just the app) and Drizly offering delivery of beer, wine, or spirits by the bottle or case. They also feature adult beverage gift baskets. Great for yourself or for gift-giving.  Love craft beer? The Ohio Taproom has online delivery, and an app coming soon. Many local pizza places have their own app as well.

Errands:

Taskrabbit connects those with chores and errands to be done, with those who are eager to do them for a fee.

Groceries:

The Hills Market has online ordering and there is talk of an app. Amazon now delivers groceries, and if you have Amazon Prime, they can be delivered in an hour. Instacart and Shipt shop for you and deliver groceries to your doorstep. Some Kroger and Giant Eagle stores have online ordering and curbside pickup.

Home Maintenance & Repair:  

A new app to the area is Service.com which puts contractors and home owners together for a wide variety of work.  Maids, painting, lawn care, flooring, plumbing and more. You pay your contractor through the app, can read & leave reviews.

Laundry:

LaundryCare is an online laundry service that picks up dirty clothes and returns them cleaned. Tide Dry Cleaners offers an app that allows you to schedule your clothes cleaning and see when it’s ready for pick up. Some locations are even drive-thru.

Lawn and property care:

Plowz & Mowz has an app that allows you to schedule lawn mowing and snowplowing with a few clicks.

Moving:

Packing, and actual delivery are covered in these services. Whether you need someone to pack and move your whole home, or just a piano or pet across town. Dotodo, Gogetit, Roadie, and Schlep, as well as TaskRabbit are some options.

Pet care:

DogVacay, Fetch, and Wag provide pet care that ranges from simple daily walks, to pet-sitting, to daycare. Care.com has an app where you can find babysitters, but also pet and house sitters.

Rides:

Uber and Lyft, the on-demand ride services, are a perfect solution when your car is in the shop, you need a designated driver, or you simply don’t want to drive. Prefer a traditional taxicab? Yellow Cab of Columbus and Columbus United Taxi both have apps for ordering taxis.

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5 Tips on How to Care for a Gas Fireplace

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5 Tips on How to Care for a Gas Fireplace

Many people expect to do regular maintenance on a wood burning fireplace but did you know gas fireplaces require some maintenance too?

Safety note: Always make sure your gas and pilot light are turned off and the fireplace is cooled to room temperature before any cleaning. Follow your manufacturer’s recommended maintenance and cleaning instructions. The tips below are meant as helpful suggestions and reminders to supplement but not supersede your owner’s manual. Always defer to your owner’s manual.

5 Tips on How to Care for a Gas Fireplace

  1. Clean glass as needed. Most gas fireplace doors are removable for easy cleaning. Using the owner’s manual as a guide, remove glass doors and place on old newsprint or a large plastic bag to protect your table or flooring beneath. Wipe gently but firmly with a soft cloth sprayed with household window cleaner. If there are any stubborn soot spots, you can use a small amount of fireplace cleanser or ceramic cook-top cleanser and rinse away residue with another clean, damp cloth. Dry glass thoroughly with paper towels or newsprint to prevent streaking and replace doors. Wait at least 30 minutes to use fireplace, allowing any window cleaner to evaporate completely before exposing to flame.
  2. Clean interior as needed. Using the wand attachment, gently vacuum dust and debris from the fireplace interior. If you have lava rocks which are small enough to be inhaled by the vacuum cleaner, cover the wand opening with cheesecloth or an old stocking and secure tightly with a rubber band. This creates a filter that allows dust and dirt to pass through, but not the lava rocks.
  3. Clean logs. Gas log sets require little cleaning or maintenance. If soot begins to build up and discolor your vented gas logs, follow your owner’s manual instructions to remove logs, bring outside and gently brush the soot from the logs with paintbrush or other soft-bristled brush. Do not wash or damp-wipe logs, as that can fade or damage the finish. NEVER spray with cleaners. Vent-free gas logs should not be moved or cleaned by anyone but a Qualified Service Technician, as even brushing vent-free logs can cause safety risks.
  4. Replace batteries. Twice a year, when you replace your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries, replace the batteries in your fireplace remotes. If you ever need to shut down your fireplace quickly, you’ll be glad to know there are fresh batteries in those remotes.
  5. Inspections. Do have both your fireplace and your chimney inspected once a year. A vent-free fireplace will have no chimney, but the fireplace itself still needs to be checked by a Qualified Service Technician. These check-ups help catch any problems early, keeping your family safe and your repair bills at a minimum.